Attract Customers and Make Yourself Famous
This week’s Monday Morning Message from Wm. H. Danforth, founder of Ralston Purina:
What is the Monday Morning Message?
When a Man’s Mind is Half Made Up…
WHERE does he land? During this week wouldn’t we grow tremendously if we went gunning for that word HALF?
Half a truth.
Half made up.
Half convinced.
Half enthused.
Half sick.
Half shaved.
Half dressed.
Lord, deliver me from being Half anything. Think it over.
[Read more…]
This week’s Monday Morning Message from Wm. H. Danforth, founder of Ralston Purina:
What is the Monday Morning Message?
We go along in the even tenor of our way until we read a book, hear a sermon, or meet a man with vital power, which starts us off with a new purpose in life.
If you feel that you are at low ebb, or going along in a humdrum way, better get acquainted with that book, or that man, who will stir you to the depths. If you feel the need, then you will find the way to get a new start. Is there any real reason why anybody should remain at low ebb?
SATURDAY
UP
UP
UP
UP
MONDAY
“Every day in every way I’m going Up—Up—Up.”
Who inspires you? [Read more…]
When you started your business, you were passionate about it. You couldn’t wait to get to work every day, and you loved sharing your vision with everyone who would listen.
Over time, though, passion can wane as you get caught in the day-to-day realities of running a business. You may find that as your business grows, you spend less time doing the work you love and more time managing the business. Or maybe your business hasn’t changed, but you find yourself stuck in a rut, doing the same old thing, day after day, as if you had a J-O-B.
Here are some things you can do to get the passion back and get excited about your work.
Learn something new. Whenever I find myself getting bored or stale, I look for something new I can learn. Perhaps it is a new skill I can use in my business, or acquiring knowledge and insight I can share with my clients. Take a class, read a book, or just dig in and do something you haven’t tried before.
Play to your strengths. What made you want to get in to the business you are in? If you are doing less hands-on work with clients because you are busy with administrative work, find someone else to handle the tasks you do not enjoy and get back to what you love to do.
Refocus. Has your business gotten off track, with lines of business you didn’t plan but just seemed to happen? Especially in the early days of a business, entrepreneurs will jump at any opportunity that comes their way because they are desperate for work. That may have taken your business down the wrong path. If so, now is the time to drop those parts of your business that are not part of your core mission.
Bring in partners. You may want to bring a partner in as a co-owner of your business or you may just want to find someone with whom you can partner on a project, such as creating a new product.
Use your mastermind. A mastermind group can be great at spotting opportunities in your business that you do not see. Align yourself with other smart, successful people and get their advice.
Recharge. Take a break now and then. You need to get away from work in order to come back with more energy and vitality. Take a vacation or just turn off the computer and the phone for few days, take long baths and read those (non-business) books you have been wanting to get to.
Each of these things can bring back the passion you felt when you started your business, and get you excited about your work again.
Eleanor Roosevelt offered the advice that you should, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Good advice generally, but especially when it comes to marketing your products and services.
Marketing scares a lot of people. It is scary to pick up the phone and call someone, or approach them and ask for an order. What if they say no? Well, what if they say YES? You won’t know until you ask. [Read more…]
Seminars and other training can be a great way to fill in gaps in your knowledge, learn about new trends and developments in your industry and get great ideas to grow your business. But they are not magical. In order to benefit from attending a seminar, you need to have a plan and follow your plan.
Here are some of the ways you can make the most of attending your next seminar or industry conference.
Be prepared. Many conferences offer concurrent sessions. Plan ahead to know which sessions will be most valuable to you. You may decide to change your plan once you get there, but have a plan so you do not miss anything important.
Plan to connect. Find out who else will be attending. Is there someone you know only online or someone you have admired for a long time? Contact them and see if you can make plans to have a meal or a cup of coffee together. Meeting face to face adds a new depth to your relationship.
Take lots of notes. You may think you will remember everything, but you won’t. That is especially true when information overload sets in. Take notes of important points and actions you will take as a result.
Ask questions. Do not be afraid to ask about points that were not clear to you, or to take a point further. Chances are that others are wondering the same thing and will be glad you asked.
Use meal and break times effectively. Take the opportunity to talk with other attendees. Do not spend all of your time with the same group of people. Mingle! You never know who you will meet or what will come of it. Sometimes you get the greatest benefit from the time you spent in the hallway (or the bar), not in a meeting room.
Make notes on business cards. You may come away with a huge stack of business cards from other attendees, but have no recollection of how you met or what you discussed. Make a short note on the back of the card as soon as possible after meeting each person. Remind yourself of any follow-up you plan to make.
Connect with the speakers. Speakers are usually at the front of the room because they are seen as experts and leaders in their industries—just the kind of people you want to know. When a speaker has done a great job, let him know. Introduce yourself, tell him what you got out of his session and pay him a sincere compliment. If you have a reason to contact him after the conference, you can remind him of your meeting so he will know who you are. (Hint: Want a reason to contact a speaker? Take some pictures of the speaker during his presentation and email them to him.)
You can learn a lot at a seminar, but your new knowledge is only good if you put it to use. When you return from the event, go through your notes and start putting what you learned into action.