You have heard the quote “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Some say it was Einstein; some say it was Franklin. The point is the meaning behind it.
Change is awkward and unsure. The ground begins to move beneath us and we crave for things to return to "normal". We are creatures of habit and like to feel safe and comfortable. We may scan the menu but there are usually only a handful if items we order each time we're back to the restaurant.
Rinse Don't Repeat
There are two significant issues going on – the sheer will of stakeholders to keep their status quo and the monumental task of building inspirational leadership.
Change is not this. Change can be exciting. Change is unproven. Change can be scary. Change requires a leap of faith. Change can conquer courage. When the bottom line is the only objective, affecting change can often be an illusive pipe dream.
We can't always predict the outcome of change.
__________________________________________________________________
Showing posts with label tactics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tactics. Show all posts
February 9, 2019
January 16, 2018
The Revenue Diet Plan
A large cheeseburger with condiments is approximately 600 calories; an hour of high impact aerobics for a 200lb man will burn about 600 calories. A slice of pumpkin pie is about 350 calories; an hour of ice skating for the same man will burn about 340 calories. We know we need to eat better, work out more and take better care of ourselves but (on average) we don’t do that.
Often companies will look at the success of a certain campaign or promotion to get a sense of customer reaction or appetite. This kind of strategy is both flawed and short-lived. Patience is a virtue but rarely a business plan. We love cheeseburgers but don't want to gain weight; we want revenue but know it doesn't happen without effort.
Fries With That?
We want the customers now but can have trouble seeing the long term benefits of a sustained effort throughout the year. We wonder how these available channels can help us without realizing our contribution is critical to the equation. You and I have the collective patience of a three year old.
We are not built for strategy or long-term thinking. If things are bad, we want them to be good, immediately. If money is tight, we want money, right now. If someone promises that this campaign will help us get us out of this slide, we are happy to listen, right now. We want the burger and pie without the growing waistline.
Maybe this year we need more salad?
__________________________________________________________________
Often companies will look at the success of a certain campaign or promotion to get a sense of customer reaction or appetite. This kind of strategy is both flawed and short-lived. Patience is a virtue but rarely a business plan. We love cheeseburgers but don't want to gain weight; we want revenue but know it doesn't happen without effort.
Fries With That?
We want the customers now but can have trouble seeing the long term benefits of a sustained effort throughout the year. We wonder how these available channels can help us without realizing our contribution is critical to the equation. You and I have the collective patience of a three year old.
We are not built for strategy or long-term thinking. If things are bad, we want them to be good, immediately. If money is tight, we want money, right now. If someone promises that this campaign will help us get us out of this slide, we are happy to listen, right now. We want the burger and pie without the growing waistline.
Maybe this year we need more salad?
__________________________________________________________________
January 20, 2017
The Key Ingredient
Our world is overflowing with websites, books, videos, and lessons on business management. This is a science that is almost as impossible to master as parenting.
I'm an executive recruiter and on more than many occasions, people have said; "Oh, so you're in sales?" Ah, no, not even remotely close. I spend all day getting to know people. I need to find out what they enjoy most about their current role, what roles they may look at to advance their careers, their family dynamic, the list is quite long and very important.
You are not in sales.
In my career, I have had a couple of outstanding mentors who taught me the essence of management from a technical and strategic standpoint while continually reminded me the only element that will mark success or failure - people.
It is not enough to devise an over arching business plan, you need to cover each component in such a process. Those include an organizational map, financial preparation, marketing and media strategy and most importantly a people plan. People study human resources for years and still don’t master it. Top sales people crash and burn as sales managers. And right brain thinkers shrivel up and rot under the crushing avalanche of meetings and protocol.
So as you're looking at new markets, products, or strategic plans, please remember the one element that can crush your business faster than any competitive threat or make your company wildly successfully.
Your people.
__________________________________________________________________
I'm an executive recruiter and on more than many occasions, people have said; "Oh, so you're in sales?" Ah, no, not even remotely close. I spend all day getting to know people. I need to find out what they enjoy most about their current role, what roles they may look at to advance their careers, their family dynamic, the list is quite long and very important.
You are not in sales.
In my career, I have had a couple of outstanding mentors who taught me the essence of management from a technical and strategic standpoint while continually reminded me the only element that will mark success or failure - people.
It is not enough to devise an over arching business plan, you need to cover each component in such a process. Those include an organizational map, financial preparation, marketing and media strategy and most importantly a people plan. People study human resources for years and still don’t master it. Top sales people crash and burn as sales managers. And right brain thinkers shrivel up and rot under the crushing avalanche of meetings and protocol.
So as you're looking at new markets, products, or strategic plans, please remember the one element that can crush your business faster than any competitive threat or make your company wildly successfully.
Your people.
__________________________________________________________________
December 29, 2016
Hurry Up!
A large cheeseburger with condiments is approximately 600 calories. An hour of high impact aerobics for a 200lb man will burn about 600 calories. A slice of pumpkin pie is about 350 calories. An hour of ice skating for the same man will burn about 340 calories. We know we need to eat better, work out more and take better care of ourselves but (on average) we don’t do that. We eat the cheeseburgers and the pie then get acquainted with the couch.
After a two decades in corporate life and a bunch of years consulting on my own, earlier this year I was recruited by a recruitment firm to become an executive recruiter. It's fun work. It's frustrating work. It's highs and lows and grinding and disappointments and victories. Oh wait, it's like every job!
We Want it Now!
Often companies will look at the success of a certain campaign or promotion to get a sense of customer reaction or appetite. This kind of strategy is both flawed and short-lived. Patience is a virtue but rarely a business plan.
Unless you won the lottery, mom and dad left you money, or you're independently wealthy, you need new business all the time. It’s admirable to see some who have as many customers as they will ever need but the rest of us need to constantly build our business. Not for a week, not once in a while, every day.
The Downside of Now
We want the customers now but can have trouble seeing the long term benefits of a sustained effort throughout the year. We wonder how these available channels can help us without realizing our contribution is critical to the equation. We want the quick wins to sustain our revenue line forever. You and I have the collective patience of a three year old.
We are not built for strategy or long-term thinking. If things are bad, we want them to be good, immediately. If money is tight, we want money, right now. If someone promises that this campaign will help us get us out of this slide, we are happy to listen, right now. We want the burger and pie without waistline.
Maybe we need to start the new year with a salad.
__________________________________________________________________
After a two decades in corporate life and a bunch of years consulting on my own, earlier this year I was recruited by a recruitment firm to become an executive recruiter. It's fun work. It's frustrating work. It's highs and lows and grinding and disappointments and victories. Oh wait, it's like every job!
We Want it Now!
Often companies will look at the success of a certain campaign or promotion to get a sense of customer reaction or appetite. This kind of strategy is both flawed and short-lived. Patience is a virtue but rarely a business plan.
Unless you won the lottery, mom and dad left you money, or you're independently wealthy, you need new business all the time. It’s admirable to see some who have as many customers as they will ever need but the rest of us need to constantly build our business. Not for a week, not once in a while, every day.
The Downside of Now
We want the customers now but can have trouble seeing the long term benefits of a sustained effort throughout the year. We wonder how these available channels can help us without realizing our contribution is critical to the equation. We want the quick wins to sustain our revenue line forever. You and I have the collective patience of a three year old.
We are not built for strategy or long-term thinking. If things are bad, we want them to be good, immediately. If money is tight, we want money, right now. If someone promises that this campaign will help us get us out of this slide, we are happy to listen, right now. We want the burger and pie without waistline.
Maybe we need to start the new year with a salad.
__________________________________________________________________
September 13, 2016
Six Important Words
We all have tools to choose from but let's not forget to focus on people. Much has been and will be said and written about the social web; we can't forget the human web.
Business owners and managers may understand that certain tactics and channels will help their business but through research, data, and measurement, we can look at outcomes more accurately.
It takes more than counting beans
Having lots of "likes" on your Facebook group, comments on your Instagram post, views on Snapchat, and a lot of page views on your website without commitment to engage your customers won't magically bring in revenue.
And it begins by engaging your own people. Strong internal customer service happens long before anyone outside your company even cares.
Do you know how you help?
__________________________________________________________________
Business owners and managers may understand that certain tactics and channels will help their business but through research, data, and measurement, we can look at outcomes more accurately.
It takes more than counting beans
Having lots of "likes" on your Facebook group, comments on your Instagram post, views on Snapchat, and a lot of page views on your website without commitment to engage your customers won't magically bring in revenue.
And it begins by engaging your own people. Strong internal customer service happens long before anyone outside your company even cares.
Do you know how you help?
__________________________________________________________________
March 30, 2016
Open Mind Policy
Think about your mentors, those people who have helped you and your career along the way. They found somewhere deep inside to motivate your strengths and help you realize your goals. They didn't make it about them, they didn't impart their goals on you. They pushed you to be a better you.
Malcolm Gladwell opines in his book Outliers there is no such thing as a self-made person. Those who have come before us have afforded us opportunities to succeed. None of us does this alone no matter how it may appear. Marcus Buckingham reminds us that we need to stop working on our weaknesses and focus solely on our strengths.
Imagine an organization where your good work is encouraged and your shortcomings are turned into prospects for others on the team who thrive where you may not.
Asking the Right Questions
How are you preparing your team for success and leadership? Is it a collaborative atmosphere or one of fear? Are strengths celebrated more than weaknesses highlighted? Does everyone have a clear vision on culture and objectives? Is your mind open to their opinions and ideas?
Balance and fairness look good on a well crafted business plan but in the heat of the battle, they can be tough to maintain. But they must remain top priorities because without them, you will be left with managers and bosses while leadership will be accidental at best. Success will left up to guesswork.
If you are in a lead position, make time for your people or watch the very thing you are working to build begin to crumble. Leadership is not on an organizational chart or an email signature.
It resides within every member of your team
__________________________________________________________________
Malcolm Gladwell opines in his book Outliers there is no such thing as a self-made person. Those who have come before us have afforded us opportunities to succeed. None of us does this alone no matter how it may appear. Marcus Buckingham reminds us that we need to stop working on our weaknesses and focus solely on our strengths.
Imagine an organization where your good work is encouraged and your shortcomings are turned into prospects for others on the team who thrive where you may not.
Asking the Right Questions
How are you preparing your team for success and leadership? Is it a collaborative atmosphere or one of fear? Are strengths celebrated more than weaknesses highlighted? Does everyone have a clear vision on culture and objectives? Is your mind open to their opinions and ideas?
Balance and fairness look good on a well crafted business plan but in the heat of the battle, they can be tough to maintain. But they must remain top priorities because without them, you will be left with managers and bosses while leadership will be accidental at best. Success will left up to guesswork.
If you are in a lead position, make time for your people or watch the very thing you are working to build begin to crumble. Leadership is not on an organizational chart or an email signature.
It resides within every member of your team
__________________________________________________________________
July 22, 2015
Our Strategy is Wrong
You may be like me and have had the experience working on and with many teams on business strategy. I grew up with the theory that in order for us to move business forward, we can't do a long list of things each year but rather identify 2-3 objectives and then list the tactics in order to accomplish them.
Big data, big science, and the shared economy have torn that apart. Phillip Evans outlines the models most of us have been deploying are out dated and invalid.
__________________________________________________________________
Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit
Big data, big science, and the shared economy have torn that apart. Phillip Evans outlines the models most of us have been deploying are out dated and invalid.
__________________________________________________________________
Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit
March 2, 2014
We are Outliers and Mentors
Think about your mentors, those people who have helped you and your career along the way. They found somewhere deep inside to motivate your strengths and help you realize your goals. They didn't make it about them, they didn't impart their goals on you. They pushed you to be a better you.Malcolm Gladwell opines in his book Outliers there is no such thing as a self-made person. Those who have come before us have afforded us opportunities to succeed. None of us does this alone no matter how it may appear. Marcus Buckingham reminds us that we need to stop working on our weaknesses and focus solely on our strengths.
Imagine an organization where your good work is encouraged and your shortcomings are turned into prospects for others on the team who thrive where you may not.
Asking the Right Questions
How are you preparing your team for success and leadership? Is it a collaborative atmosphere or one of fear? Are strengths celebrated more than weaknesses highlighted? Does everyone have a clear vision on culture and objectives? Is your mind open to their opinions and ideas?
Balance and fairness look good on a well crafted business plan but in the heat of the battle, they can be tough to maintain. But they must remain top priorities because without them, you will be left with managers and bosses while leadership will be accidental at best. Success will left up to guesswork. If you are in a lead position, make time for your people or watch the very thing you are working to build begin to crumble.
Leadership is not on an organizational chart or an email signature. It resides within every member of your team, so maintain an open-mind policy.
The results will astound you.
__________________________________________________________________
Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.
webster
October 17, 2012
Nog for the Noggin
About three weeks ago, I was in a store and saw it. The smugness was evident. It made no excuses for its early arrival. Right there by the chocolate milk it proudly stood in defiance of the calendar. Egg nog - a strange concoction that isn't custard but isn't a milkshake. Its familiar yellow hue and viscous properties are quite unique. Halloween and Thanksgiving hadn't arrived and here was egg nog, usually reserved for the "holiday" season. So it seemed appropriate to review the bold and brazen list of things I published here this past New Year's Day.
Travel more Forget the past Turn your phone off Some day is not on the calendar Don't wait for approval Talk about them Say sorry Dream big. Do bigger Be gracious Thank your parents Make quick decisions Trust yourself Numbers are irrelevant Read more, skim less
Stop comparing yourself to others Make eye contact Their opinion is just their opinion Smile more Take one digital day off a month Enjoy the ride Stop doing anything that weakens you Keep an open mind Busy is a victim word
Plan ahead then be flexible Respect your own time Write every day Move from what if to why not It's okay to be wrong Ask for help Hang with winners Don't rest on past accomplishments Reach higher
Follow through Meet five new people each week Take time off It doesn't matter what they say There are no instant wins No excuses Help someone without their knowledge Go for it Ignore the news Don't waste your time on naysayers Sing often Let them be right Tell others about someone fabulous
You’ll never been done Say thank-you Have dessert for dinner Trust your gut Do something ridiculous Sit quietly Be more tolerant Success is not a number Focus on your strengths Start now Laugh at yourself
Take the victory Get some sleep Less talk, more do Do something scary Do nothing Go for a drive Cherish friendship Negative thoughts are a waste of time Be yourself The bucket list is meant to be lived Mistakes are allowed Your resume is not you Yes you deserve it
Don't wait No one can want it more than you Lead with passion Take yourself out for dinner All we have is now
Enjoy the nog
Kneale Mann
thehairpin
May 4, 2012
2012 List | Revisited
We like lists. They’re easy to read and review. It’s content in small digestible chunks. But without action, they’re just nice lists. On January 1st, I did yet another one and I was looking at it this week. Much work to be done, especially the singing!Travel more Forget the past Turn your phone off Someday is not on the calendar Don't wait for approval Talk about them Say sorry Excuses won’t help you
Dream big. Do bigger Be gracious Thank your parents Make quick decisions
Trust yourself Numbers are irrelevant Read more, skim less
Stop comparing yourself to others Make eye contact Their opinion is just their opinion Smile more Take one digital day off a month Enjoy the ride
Stop doing anything that weakens you Keep an open mind Busy is a victim word
Plan ahead then be flexible Respect your own time Write something every day
Move from what if to why not Meet five new people each week
It's okay to be wrong Ask for help Hang with winners
Don't rest on past accomplishments Reach higher Follow through
Take time off It doesn't matter what they say There are no instant wins
No excuses Help someone without their knowledge Go for it Ignore the news
Don't waste your time on naysayers Sing often Let them be right
Tell others about someone fabulous You’ll never been done Say thank-you
Have dessert for dinner Trust your gut Do something ridiculous
Sit quietly Be more tolerant Success is not a number
Focus on your strengths Start now Laugh at yourself Take the victory
Get some sleep Less talk, more do Do something scary Do nothing Go for a drive
Cherish friendship Negative thoughts are a waste of time Be yourself
The bucket list is meant to be lived Mistakes are allowed Your resume is not you
Yes you deserve it Don't wait No one can want it more than you
Lead with passion Take yourself out for dinner All we have is now
I hope your 2012 is going well so far!
Email or DM anytime and we can discuss.
Kneale Mann
image: flickr
January 24, 2012
Is it Business or a Hobby?
In the last four or five years, I have met more entrepreneurs than the previous two decades. Some is through my work and some is the time spent on the social web.
We can get intoxicated by the numbers and paralyzed by the activity. Many have confided that they have spent a lot of time trying to build their online presence yet business isn’t where it needs to be and it’s time to get serious. Building business takes time and hard work. Building a strong online presence for your business can seem like an endless climb.
Collaboration: Working together to achieve a goal, a process where two or more people work together to realize shared goals.
I was speaking with a colleague recently about how to do a better job articulating offers and reaching prospective clients. She said, "It’s time to sell the hobby farm”. Of course it wasn't a shot at farming, which is an essential part of our survival but rather a metaphor that relates to figuring out how much time we are spending building a business versus how much we spend messing about and calling it business. Think of the wasted meetings and busy work compared to time spent actually growing your people and the company.
It would be easy to say this is only a concern of small business owners but this type of mentality can infiltrate leadership within all sizes of enterprise. Large organizations can fall victim of the activity verses progress conundrum. We can stay busy or we can help each other inside our organizations and across industries and the social web.
Let's Connect Not Collect
Kneale Mann
image credit: lego
Collaboration: Working together to achieve a goal, a process where two or more people work together to realize shared goals.
I was speaking with a colleague recently about how to do a better job articulating offers and reaching prospective clients. She said, "It’s time to sell the hobby farm”. Of course it wasn't a shot at farming, which is an essential part of our survival but rather a metaphor that relates to figuring out how much time we are spending building a business versus how much we spend messing about and calling it business. Think of the wasted meetings and busy work compared to time spent actually growing your people and the company.
It would be easy to say this is only a concern of small business owners but this type of mentality can infiltrate leadership within all sizes of enterprise. Large organizations can fall victim of the activity verses progress conundrum. We can stay busy or we can help each other inside our organizations and across industries and the social web.
Let's Connect Not Collect
Kneale Mann
image credit: lego
January 10, 2012
The Soul of Leadership
While the U.S. is embroiled in election chatter, it’s interesting to watch the topic of leadership being tossed around like a pawn on a chess board. Many claim they are uniquely qualified to lead so let’s dig a little deeper into what it all means.
Think about your mentors, those people who have helped in your life and career along the way. They found somewhere deep inside you to motivate your strengths and help you realize your goals. These aren’t people who did your work for you but pushed you to do your work better in your way. You may have in turn become a mentor for others which brings tremendous satisfaction.
What Leadership Means
Leading without a title is the suggestion of Robin Sharma or as a mentor once said to me; "do the work and the gig will follow". Tony Robbins says we need to be armed with the strategies to accomplish our goals while getting out of own way. Most of us nod our head in agreement but we’re often left wondering how to actually do that.
Malcolm Gladwell opines there is no such thing as a self-made person. Generations past have afforded us opportunities to succeed. None of us does this alone not matter how it may appear. While Marcus Buckingham reminds us that we need to stop working on our weaknesses and focus solely on our strengths. Imagine an organization where your good work is encouraged and your shortcomings turned into prospects for others on the team who thrive where you may not.
Important Leadership Element
Envision your company as a family unit. How are you preparing your team for success and leadership? Is it a collaborative atmosphere or one of fear? Are strengths celebrated more than weaknesses highlighted? Does everyone have a clear vision on culture and objectives?
Balance and fairness look good on a well crafted business plan but in the heat of the battle, they can be tough to maintain. But they must remain top priorities because without it, you will be left with managers and bosses while leadership will be accidental at best. If you are in a lead position, make time for your people or watch the very thing you are working to build begin to crumble.
Instead of "lead, follow, or get out of the way", how about we all lead and see how that goes?
Kneale Mann
image credits: thechessworld
January 3, 2012
It's a New Year - Now What?
The old adage that you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family rings true for too many and that includes the workplace. My Holidays were filled with time spent in person, on phone and online to catch up with some of my favourite people. I hope you did the same. Not just at this time of year!
Later is Now
Most are back to work today looking at a list made in the haze of too much champagne that has now been added to the growing catalogue of items left to get to after the Holidays. If you're one of them, now is the time to decipher whether you made the to-do list to really do now or simply procrastinate in December.
Lists are simple to make. I have made more than my share over the years. They are filled with promise and possibilities written in a brave moment of clarity meant to push me through to completion only to fall short because the action was far more involved than writing about it. Let's try less and actually do more.
Ready?
Kneale Mann
image credit: animationideas
January 1, 2012
Ideas for 2012
Let's Have an Inspiring Year!
Kneale Mann
image credit: cbc
November 21, 2011
The Tricky Art of Scaling Your Business
"Anything you build on a large scale or with intense passion invites chaos." Francis Ford Coppola
I seem to have several conversations daily surrounding the same topic – scaling. There are millions of bright talented experienced business owners who want to grow their companies save a couple of crucial issues – time and money. There is no concrete way to control the speed of scaling but often it feels like it's not happening fast enough. Some days it moves at a snail's pace.
You want to grow your revenue line and you know in order to do that you need extra help but you can’t afford the extra help because you are too busy working on the current revenue stream. And you can't seem to grow the revenue because of all the prospecting and meeting and selling and trying to get your current client work done.
Sound Familiar?
This is an issue that has faced business forever. Others with much less money or experience have solved what each of us faces which perhaps makes our concerns even more annoying. We love to hear stories of people born of meagre means to fight and claw their way to a successful career.
We know we can do it but its a mix of our impatience and some pedestrian items we need to corral. Scaling is a challenge for everyone from sole proprietors to c-level executives of corporations with a global footprint.
Here is a list of things to think about (I know I do) when you look at how to scale your business...
Find the Quiet
Anyone who knows me, knows I have a busy brain. That does not always mean I’m getting it all done, sometimes quite the opposite. Busy doesn’t mean progress. Find those moments where you can shut it all off, listen to some music, put your feet up and clear your mind.
Be Honest About Your Effort
We can usually find external fault in the slower pace of our business growth. The truth is, we need to look inside to ensure we are doing all we can. That’s usually where the slowdown is occurring.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
We all do it and it is a complete and utter waste of time. We can claim that numbers and stature and position don’t matter (they don’t) but we make them far more important that they are, stop shaking your head, you do so.
Ask Often and Always
This is where most businesses fall apart. I know I see my work slow down when I stop asking for business. We get timid, we don’t want to appear to be selling, but without sales there is no business. Find your way. No ask, no business.
Get Help
Small business, large corporation, c-level executive, sole proprietor, no one makes it on their own. No one. Ever. Surround yourself with a mastermind group of people from all walks of life with two purposes – to tell you the truth and to offer advice.
It’s Not Their Fault
When played properly, life is a team sport but we need to own our part.
Find the Decision Maker
How often have you had discussions with someone who can’t make the sale for you? Why would you try and sell to someone who isn’t in the position of buying? We've all done it far too often.
Be Clear About Your Offer
Elevator speech, website, social profile, in-person meeting, if you don’t believe what you are then no one will. Often companies get stuck or worse go backward when they begin to get unclear on their offer. Qualifying the sale is essential too. There's no sense talking to anyone - decision maker or not - if they're simply not interested.
Decimate the Naysayers
They are everywhere. Stay away from them. Delete them from your life. They will do absolutely nothing but derail you. Advice is fine, negativity is destructive.
Walk a Mile
This is not about comparing yourself to others but rather learning from others. Find people who have gone through what you’re going through. This is why some of the best hockey coaches are former hockey players. This is precisely why the most successful people have mentors.
Take it Offline
The online social networks are wonderful for finding like minded people along thought silos void of geographical limitations. Get on the phone, book a coffee or lunch, get out of the office and meet people in person or hear their voice. No social networking tool is more powerful than human interaction.
Be Sure You Want This
Follow your gut. Find the quiet. Get help. Listen to yourself and learn what you want.
Let's get back to work!
Kneale Mann
image credit: newmoon | original: mar 2011
You want to grow your revenue line and you know in order to do that you need extra help but you can’t afford the extra help because you are too busy working on the current revenue stream. And you can't seem to grow the revenue because of all the prospecting and meeting and selling and trying to get your current client work done.
Sound Familiar?
This is an issue that has faced business forever. Others with much less money or experience have solved what each of us faces which perhaps makes our concerns even more annoying. We love to hear stories of people born of meagre means to fight and claw their way to a successful career.
We know we can do it but its a mix of our impatience and some pedestrian items we need to corral. Scaling is a challenge for everyone from sole proprietors to c-level executives of corporations with a global footprint.
Here is a list of things to think about (I know I do) when you look at how to scale your business...
Find the Quiet
Anyone who knows me, knows I have a busy brain. That does not always mean I’m getting it all done, sometimes quite the opposite. Busy doesn’t mean progress. Find those moments where you can shut it all off, listen to some music, put your feet up and clear your mind.
Be Honest About Your Effort
We can usually find external fault in the slower pace of our business growth. The truth is, we need to look inside to ensure we are doing all we can. That’s usually where the slowdown is occurring.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
We all do it and it is a complete and utter waste of time. We can claim that numbers and stature and position don’t matter (they don’t) but we make them far more important that they are, stop shaking your head, you do so.
Ask Often and Always
This is where most businesses fall apart. I know I see my work slow down when I stop asking for business. We get timid, we don’t want to appear to be selling, but without sales there is no business. Find your way. No ask, no business.
Get Help
Small business, large corporation, c-level executive, sole proprietor, no one makes it on their own. No one. Ever. Surround yourself with a mastermind group of people from all walks of life with two purposes – to tell you the truth and to offer advice.
It’s Not Their Fault
When played properly, life is a team sport but we need to own our part.
Find the Decision Maker
How often have you had discussions with someone who can’t make the sale for you? Why would you try and sell to someone who isn’t in the position of buying? We've all done it far too often.
Be Clear About Your Offer
Elevator speech, website, social profile, in-person meeting, if you don’t believe what you are then no one will. Often companies get stuck or worse go backward when they begin to get unclear on their offer. Qualifying the sale is essential too. There's no sense talking to anyone - decision maker or not - if they're simply not interested.
Decimate the Naysayers
They are everywhere. Stay away from them. Delete them from your life. They will do absolutely nothing but derail you. Advice is fine, negativity is destructive.
Walk a Mile
This is not about comparing yourself to others but rather learning from others. Find people who have gone through what you’re going through. This is why some of the best hockey coaches are former hockey players. This is precisely why the most successful people have mentors.
Take it Offline
The online social networks are wonderful for finding like minded people along thought silos void of geographical limitations. Get on the phone, book a coffee or lunch, get out of the office and meet people in person or hear their voice. No social networking tool is more powerful than human interaction.
Be Sure You Want This
Follow your gut. Find the quiet. Get help. Listen to yourself and learn what you want.
Let's get back to work!
Kneale Mann
image credit: newmoon | original: mar 2011
November 14, 2011
Business is Not an Overnight Success
A large cheeseburger with condiments is approximately 600 calories. An hour of high impact aerobics for a 200lb man will burn about 600 calories. A slice of pumpkin pie is about 350 calories. An hour of ice skating for the same man will burn about 340 calories. We know we need to eat better, work out more and take better care of ourselves but (on average) we don’t do that. We eat the cheeseburgers and the pie then get acquainted with the couch.
Often companies will look at the success of a certain campaign or promotion to get a sense of customer reaction or appetite. This kind of strategy is both flawed and short-lived. Patience is a virtue but rarely a business plan.
Open for Business
Unless you have won the lottery, have rich parents or are independently wealthy, you need new business all the time. It’s admirable to see some who have as many customers as they will ever need but the rest of us need to constantly build our business. Not for a week, not once in a while, but every single day.
We want the customers now but can have trouble seeing the long term benefits of a sustained effort throughout the year. We wonder how these available channels can help us without realizing our contribution is critical to the equation. We want the quick wins to sustain our revenue line forever.
Downside of Now
As a business and marketing strategist, I am asked often if I can help companies improve and increase revenue. I can but I don't have magic dust to solve all their problems in an instant - no one does.
If you are in business, you have made some mistakes and enjoyed some victories but neither happened in a day or a week. It would be arrogant for anyone to claim they can help you improve in those areas in a short amount of time. You may want to find some quick wins but they are fleeting and impossible to scale.
We are not built for strategy or long-term thinking. If things are bad, we want them to be good, right now. If money is tight, we want money, right now. If someone promises that this campaign will help us get us out of this slide, we are happy to listen, right now. We want the burgers and the pie without the waistline.
Do you want wins or business growth?
Kneale Mann
image credit: directresponse
original: Mar 2011
November 12, 2011
Change is a Way of Life
You've heard the quote “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Some say it was Einstein, some say it was Franklin. The point is the meaning behind it.I have worked with business owners who have tried it the other way around. They narrowed the focus, found the niche, then measured success against the wide mainstream. They did different things expecting the same results.
What Change Feels Like
There are theories that we build our set of values by the age of five. After that, it’s all experience and execution. Marriages split after decades of partners trying to change each other. Elections are won by candidates promising change.
Change is not easy. Change requires energy and focus and sustained attention. Change is something that sounds good when someone else says it. Change can fight you. Change can be elusive. Change wears many disguises. Change starts from our core, not our minds. Change is freely available when we want to grab it.
Change is Right Here
I was speaking with a colleague who was commiserating about a client who says she wants change in her organization yet her actions prove the opposite. And I reminded him that most of us like the concept of change but we don’t have a clue what it feels like when it’s happening. Most of us don't realize how deep rooted our habits are which often block change. And those habits once represented change.
Change is awkward and unsure. The ground begins to move beneath us and we crave for things to return to "normal". We like to feel safe and comfortable. We may scan the menu but there are usually a handful of items we order each time.
Say Change vs Do Change
This is increasingly more difficult in an organization. The economy is still down in many areas of the world yet on the threat of their very survival, companies often fail to realize a necessary organizational shift. Often the people uttering the decree for change aren't willing to change themselves.
There are two significant issues going on – the sheer will of stakeholders to keep their status quo and the task of building inspirational leadership. Knowing when change is necessary then actually taking the necessary steps to create it, is the challenge.
How do you affect positive change?
Kneale Mann
image credit: catnross
original post: feb 2011
November 1, 2011
Defining the Sales Process
Since we've been living on this big marble, the sales process has been a part of everyday life. There is no escaping it and very little moves forward without it.
Centuries ago, the currency may have been a bag of rice for a piece of furniture but the barter system is alive and well. The media may have been a local market or horse-drawn carriage, but business clicked along.
We tend to get caught up in gadgets and interfaces and think they are what drives business. As much as they may accelerate the process, give us the chance to find similar thinking people around the globe and open doors that would never otherwise be opened, the exchange of services or products for currency hasn’t differed.
Know What You're Selling
When I was a kid, my buddy Mark’s dad worked as a life insurance salesman. As he put it, he sold “peace of mind” to families. Now you can build a client list through customer relationship management (CRM), database marketing and social media but the offer hasn't changed all these years later. If you sell insurance, the theory stands that you are selling peace of mind.
It’s easy to point to an exchange of money for a product as a “sale”. But what has to happen before that exchange occurs? Does the company not have to let potential customers know about the product? Isn’t there a network or supply chain required?
Honing the Offer
I was having dinner a few weeks ago with a client who challenged the notion that we are all in sales because her definition is the point of exchange and not the myriad other things that need to happen to get there. Her 15 years as a commission sales rep was her experience in sales. She went through the process of finding prospects, calling on them, showing the benefits of what she offered and ending with a monetary exchange. Her point is that as much as we all 'sell ourselves', someone has to close the deal. My contention is that a lot has to happen to help that deal close from people throughout the enterprise.
I often see product and creative people scoff at sales people as a necessary evil. But when discussions of chickens and eggs come up, the tie breaker is that we are all in the product AND sales business because neither can survive without the other. What I like to do is help business owners and managers work ON their business when most of the effort is working IN their business. And I sell every day.
Are You in Sales?
Kneale Mann
image credit: mspmentor
Centuries ago, the currency may have been a bag of rice for a piece of furniture but the barter system is alive and well. The media may have been a local market or horse-drawn carriage, but business clicked along.We tend to get caught up in gadgets and interfaces and think they are what drives business. As much as they may accelerate the process, give us the chance to find similar thinking people around the globe and open doors that would never otherwise be opened, the exchange of services or products for currency hasn’t differed.
Know What You're Selling
When I was a kid, my buddy Mark’s dad worked as a life insurance salesman. As he put it, he sold “peace of mind” to families. Now you can build a client list through customer relationship management (CRM), database marketing and social media but the offer hasn't changed all these years later. If you sell insurance, the theory stands that you are selling peace of mind.
It’s easy to point to an exchange of money for a product as a “sale”. But what has to happen before that exchange occurs? Does the company not have to let potential customers know about the product? Isn’t there a network or supply chain required?
Honing the Offer
I was having dinner a few weeks ago with a client who challenged the notion that we are all in sales because her definition is the point of exchange and not the myriad other things that need to happen to get there. Her 15 years as a commission sales rep was her experience in sales. She went through the process of finding prospects, calling on them, showing the benefits of what she offered and ending with a monetary exchange. Her point is that as much as we all 'sell ourselves', someone has to close the deal. My contention is that a lot has to happen to help that deal close from people throughout the enterprise.
I often see product and creative people scoff at sales people as a necessary evil. But when discussions of chickens and eggs come up, the tie breaker is that we are all in the product AND sales business because neither can survive without the other. What I like to do is help business owners and managers work ON their business when most of the effort is working IN their business. And I sell every day.
Are You in Sales?
Kneale Mann
image credit: mspmentor
September 10, 2011
How Can You Help?
Beyond the Business Card
It's the second question we ask someone after their name - what do you do? I prefer to answer the question - how can I help? In more than 25 years in marketing and media, I have had the unique pleasure and privilege of overseeing the launch of two major market radio stations, working as executive producer of large scale events, consulting media professionals, overseeing promotion and marketing departments, managing multi-level advertising campaigns and assisting companies in the areas of marketing, business development and revenue generation.
We all have tools to choose from but let's not forget to focus on people. Much has been and will be said and written about the social web, we can't forget the human web. When a company is maximizing their internal customer service, their improved external customer service will grow the business.
Business owners and managers may understand that certain tactics and channels will help their business but through research, data and measurement, we can look at outcomes more accurately. Without a strong revenue line, blogging and tweeting isn't enough. Having lots of "likes" on your Facebook group and a lot of page views on your website without commitment to engage your customers won't magically bring in money.
I enjoy assisting business owners and managers with business strategy, marketing communication initiatives and internal customer service to drive revenue.
You may know what you do, but do you know how you help?
Kneale Mann
image credit: rotsu
It's the second question we ask someone after their name - what do you do? I prefer to answer the question - how can I help? In more than 25 years in marketing and media, I have had the unique pleasure and privilege of overseeing the launch of two major market radio stations, working as executive producer of large scale events, consulting media professionals, overseeing promotion and marketing departments, managing multi-level advertising campaigns and assisting companies in the areas of marketing, business development and revenue generation.We all have tools to choose from but let's not forget to focus on people. Much has been and will be said and written about the social web, we can't forget the human web. When a company is maximizing their internal customer service, their improved external customer service will grow the business.
Business owners and managers may understand that certain tactics and channels will help their business but through research, data and measurement, we can look at outcomes more accurately. Without a strong revenue line, blogging and tweeting isn't enough. Having lots of "likes" on your Facebook group and a lot of page views on your website without commitment to engage your customers won't magically bring in money.
I enjoy assisting business owners and managers with business strategy, marketing communication initiatives and internal customer service to drive revenue.
You may know what you do, but do you know how you help?
Kneale Mann
image credit: rotsu
September 8, 2011
Selling the Hobby Farm
Collaboration: Working together to achieve a goal, a process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals.
In the last four or five years, I seem to have met more entrepreneurs than the previous two decades. Some is through my work and some is the time spent on the social web.
We can get intoxicated by the numbers and paralyzed by the activity. Many have confided that they have spent a lot of time trying to build their online presence yet business isn’t where it needs to be and it’s time to get serious. Building business takes time and hard work. Building a strong online presence for your business can seem like an endless climb.
Focus Focus Focus
I was speaking with a colleague a few weeks ago and we were discussing how to do a better job articulating offers and reaching prospective clients. She said, "It’s time to sell the hobby farm”. It was a metaphor that relates to figuring out how much time we are spending building a business versus how much we are spending messing about and calling it business.
Contact someone and offer to help. Contact someone and ask for help. Let's actually collaborate and sell the hobby farm.
Let's Connect, Not Collect
Kneale Mann
image credit: freefoto
In the last four or five years, I seem to have met more entrepreneurs than the previous two decades. Some is through my work and some is the time spent on the social web.
We can get intoxicated by the numbers and paralyzed by the activity. Many have confided that they have spent a lot of time trying to build their online presence yet business isn’t where it needs to be and it’s time to get serious. Building business takes time and hard work. Building a strong online presence for your business can seem like an endless climb.
Focus Focus Focus
I was speaking with a colleague a few weeks ago and we were discussing how to do a better job articulating offers and reaching prospective clients. She said, "It’s time to sell the hobby farm”. It was a metaphor that relates to figuring out how much time we are spending building a business versus how much we are spending messing about and calling it business.
Contact someone and offer to help. Contact someone and ask for help. Let's actually collaborate and sell the hobby farm.
Let's Connect, Not Collect
Kneale Mann
image credit: freefoto
