Soil and water

A leader doesn’t have to do the work themselves, or force others to do it.  A great leader creates and preserves the conditions necessary for people to get the job done well and feel they did it themselves.

Have you created those conditions?

Reciprocation in business

People feel that if someone else is nice to them, respects them and tries hard, (and gets results) that they will be nice back; or not.

This works in the dynamic between your employees and your customers everyday.

What behavior are your customers reciprocating with?

No more hours in a day

When you think that you can’t work any more hours in the day because there are none, you’re ready to learn how to do it differently.

You just have to make a personal realization and decision that the strategy of working harder and longer to get better results is not a workable strategy to move forward from where you are now, and you need to learn a different way to produce greater results.

Is that you?

How do I get out of here?

Eventually you’re going to want to do something else/slow down/”retire”.  

Go public?  Not gonna happen.  

Sell your company?  Maybe – but what’s it worth, and who wants to trade places with you?

Have others run it profitably in your absence?  Likely.

Your best chance to get out of perpetual slavery and have some options are to build a great team who uses great systems and processes to produce a great result for customers and make a profit.

Better get started.

"Would you like fries with that?"

Upselling is when they buy A and you offer them A+.  Cross-selling is when they buy A and you offer them B or C.

Getting the customer to you and capturing their attention is the hard part.  If a customer comes to you for your primary service or product, when and how do you offer them additional products or services?

Make it easy for people to buy from you

Today, people are used to things being easy (and have shorter attention spans).  What is your customers experience when they buy from you?

How can you make it easier/faster/more fun/more exciting?

Ask your customers and salespeople, make a list of ideas, then act.

It's easy to buy…

and more difficult to sell.  

Consider your business purchases and expenses carefully (defense) and build a strong marketing and sales effort (offense).

Your plan, or "its" plan?

If you don’t plan your day and just go to work without a plan, you will not find a lack of things to do; you’ll get sucked into the plan that everyone else has for you.  That’s not likely to have you working on high value activites.

Make a plan, or one will be made for you.

Sincere does not mean right

In seeking guidance, advice and good information (or in deciding who to vote for), remember that just because a person is sincere or enthusiastic, does not mean they are right.

As a business person you have to make decisions that will affect the future of all the people in your group and your customers.  Avoid making those decisions by getting swept away in another persons charisma alone.

You’ll be responsible long after they are gone.

Petri Dish or Excellence Farm?

Your facility can be a place that bring out the best or worst in people, or somewhere in between.

It doesn’t take a huge investment to make it a place that says we care, respect each other, and are serious about our goals.

What “feeling” do people get in your facility?