Thought for the Day

I printed this quote out a couple years ago and keep it on my desk.

I looked it up and it apparently came from a book entitled "The Power of Focus".

The habits you develop from this day forward will ultimately determine how your future works out. Rich or poor. Healthy or unhealthy. Fulfilled or unfulfilled. Happy or unhappy. It's your choice.

So true.

Every so often I look at this quote and take a few minutes to let it sink in. Today, I am inspired to take a better look at my calendar and re-commit myself to scheduling what is important but tends to take a back seat when push comes to shove.

What are you choosing today?

Getting Started

I have speaking with several friends of mine who are starting new businesses, new ideas and new concepts. Very exciting ventures. And I am always glad to help a friend. It is a passion of mine to generate ideas and then to get businesses focused on where to start.

It is so easy to daydream about the possibilities and what could be; however, there then has to be a transition to getting started. So where do you start?

Define your mission and values.
- What is it you want to do?
- What do you stand for?

Determine goals.
- What do you want to accomplish?
- What does success look like?
- How can you measure your goals and success?

Visualize the customer.
- Who are you serving?
- What is the benefit to them? Why should they engage?
- What do you want them to do?
- How will you reach them?

These are foundational building blocks and we often do not spend enough time on them. Before you start your new Twitter account or anything else, invest time and thought here. Be as specific as possible. Then you can move on to the next stages. Once you know who you are, you can further develop your brand and your offerings.

The Next Stages
Branding:
- Determine a name.
- Work on a logo (if appropriate)
- Develop a web site or blog (if appropriate)

Offerings:
- Define your offerings.
- What about pricing?

Marketing:
This is a huge umbrella, and means different things to different people. The way I characterize marketing for this purpose is communicating and connecting with your customer.
- In today's digital age, a web site or web presence is a must have. So this probably means setting up your web site - defining who you are, what you offer, and how to engage.
- Because this is so key, I am reiterating it. Make it clear how the customer can and should engage. What do you want them to do?
- Pick the best ways to communicate with the customer and get that right. This means reviewing your web site and possibly Facebook or other tools that may be key to connecting with your customer. It's a step-by-step process. Don't try to do everything at once.
- Create a marketing and communications plan. How often should you communicate? How often do you have news or offers or relevant information? What is the audience's tolerance for updates?

Test:
- Locate customers that fit your profile and ask them for their impressions. Would they "buy" or recommend you?
- Do a soft launch. Depending on your business or concept, you may send out a release or promotion or survey to get feedback to help shape your idea.
- Start working with a select set of customers to refine your message and processes.

And once you get started, don't forget to daydream once in awhile to develop your vision and where you want to go.

Big Companies Are Hiding Places for Mediocrity

There. I said it. Big companies are hiding places for mediocrity. It's true.

Now don't get me wrong. There is genius in large companies too. Who do you think keeps them going? But.... in my experience, there are always those who do just enough to "do their job" and these people are typically hiding in a cubicle in a big company.

These are the people that have an excuse and can point the finger if something isn't done. It's not their fault the vendor submitted an invalid PO number so the invoice wasn't paid on time. It isn't? Wouldn't a high performer have sent the invoice back instead of letting it sit there?

Big or small company, VP or admin. Whoever you are and whatever you do - Decide not to settle for mediocrity. Don't hide behind a job description. Choose to go above and beyond. Offer value. Be a true team player.

Surround yourself with excellence. Select vendors, employees and partners with care. The decisions you make and the people you associate with all say something about you. Who do you want to be and what message do you want to send?

Saying everything and nothing at all

I recently read a post on Seth Godin's blog entitled, "In between frames." Seth's blog argues that "it's not marketing when everything goes as planned." He believes that marketing is what happens when you are unscripted, so to speak.

Interesting point of view. I truly love this concept.

I often think people don't completely understand and appreciate the role of marketing... and their contribution. People typically think of marketing as a commercial or ad or tagline. We, the people, are "marketing" as much as any tactic.

A trip to a local grocery store the other day is a great example. They have great prices, advertise that they want to be part of the community, yet when I went to check out, neither the checker nor the bagger spoke to me, and did not reply when I thanked them and wished them a nice evening. What does this say to me?

That same day, I made a trip to a specialty running store. I walked in and was promptly greeted. The clerk asked how she could help me, and then fitted me for new running shoes, offering guidance along the way on how they should feel to ensure proper fit. She also mentioned some other products I might be interested in and gave me a free race calendar. Wow - that is service. And marketing.

While very different, both experiences sent a message to the customer - me.

What are you saying to your customers without saying it? What are your employees saying to your customers? Do they understand their role and how it is an important piece of your company - no matter how large or small?

10 Resolutions for a Successful Event

1. Set your goals: Understand what you want to accomplish and what success looks like. Quantify wherever possible - number of attendees, ROI, etc.

2. Understand your resources: Know your budget and what resources are available to you – from event locations to speakers to graphic designers. With tightening budgets, think outside the box to stretch dollars. Can a partner help fund an event? What can you leverage and re-purpose?

3. Know your audience: Think in terms of the customer. Who is it? What is their pain? Why should they attend? What will they get from attending the event? What is the best way to reach them?

4. Be creative to stand out: There are many competing activities and messages vying for the customer’s attention, and it is more difficult than ever for a customer to leave their workplace for extended periods of time. What makes this event unique and valuable?

5. Create a complete project plan: An event is like any other type of project with a beginning, middle and end. Once the event has been defined, plan the milestones and what needs to take place leading up to AND following the event. The plan should include contingencies, such speaker changes, no shows and other issues.

6. Engage stakeholders early and often: Share the plan, ask for feedback and buy-in, and let the stakeholders know how they can contribute to the success. Re-engage at regular intervals so everyone knows how the team is tracking toward the goal.

7. Practice makes perfect. Create a timed agenda for the event with the activities that should be occurring during the time intervals. Prepare speakers during a dry run, so they not only know the material but how much time they have to deliver the message. Don’t forget to include the location as part of your rehearsal, so you don’t overlook important details, like registration tables, screens or internet connections.

8. Make an offer they can’t refuse: Everyone is at the event for a reason. We want to sell something. Customers want to learn something and solve a challenge. Bring it together with an appealing offer – consider discounts, trial offers, proof-of-concepts and other ideas that make it easy to engage.

9. Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up: This is where ‘the rubber meets the road’ so to speak. Effective follow-up makes all the difference between a successful event and an unsuccessful event. Check in with the attendees – What was their impression of the event? Do they want to take advantage of the offer? Do they have other needs we can help them fulfill?

10. Gather feedback and reflect: No matter how many events we have attended, planned and held, there is always something to learn in this ever-changing world. Strive to learn as much as possible, so we can excel in achieving our goals and bringing our customers value.