Morning Motivator - Follow the Discussion

"Every discussion is an opportunity. Every opportunity requires a discussion."
- unknown

Two words: LESSON LEARNED. One of my business partners and I had a WONDERFUL visit with a potential client. The funny thing - NEITHER of us had much faith going in!

Why not? Frankly, the client profile suggested they SHOULD be adversely affected by the economy. They SHOULD be a small operation based on the product they create. They SHOULD be "investment sensitive" based on location. They SHOULD... and yet, they were NOT!

The potential client has VERY HIGH opportunity potential... and were we not LASER FOCUSED on getting more opportunities; we may have passed on it. Whew... glad we didn't!

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
Let's be honest with ourselves... We are all GUILTY of "judging a book by its cover." More often than not, our willingness to pre judge an opportunity ends up BITING us in the tail.

I revert to the idea that any discussion that provides EDUCATION is a WORTHWHILE discussion. You may find that there is no REAL opportunity after a discussion; however, you will have learned about the INTERESTS, BUSINESS GOALS and SUCCESS NEEDS of that person. Maybe YOU don't have an opportunity after all, yet you discover one for a TRUSTED partner. How much is that worth?

If that TRUSTED partner begins to do the same, more often, for you... how many more QUALITY opportunities can you find?

FOCUS on learning from QUALITY people, willing to have QUALITY discussions. The more you know the more people you know and the better you know them... the more you will WIN!!

As part of my commitment to accountability, today is my weight check in: 229.2 lbs. Monday: 234.6 Delta: - 5.4 lbs Distance to goal: 24.2 lbs.

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com


The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.

Morning Motivator - How's Your Marketing Plan?

"When your market is 'everybody' its actually 'nobody.'"
- unknown

Marketing is a FUNNY word. Its often very CONFUSED and MISUSED. Commonly, business owners BELIEVE it means selling, advertising or trade shows... It does not.

Marketing is the focused EFFORTS, based from STRATEGIC planning, to drive LEADS to the sales team. I will CONCEDE, that advertising, trade shows, etc, MAY be an element of your PLAN.
The KEY element is, simply put, to HAVE a WRITTEN plan.

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
Marketing encompasses:
- Identifying a SPECIFIC market with detailed (you don't have to be correct in the ID, just have it)
- Establishing a CONSISTENT communications process for EDUCATING this group
- DELEGATING authority to managers to EXECUTE
- MEASURING "leads" to determine best ROI

What "tools" you UTILIZE to "market" is up to you. Advertising, mailers, FaceBook, door knocking, cold calling... They may all work, as may NONE.

First things first... WHERE IS YOUR WRITTEN MAREKTING PLAN?

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com


The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.

Morning Motivator – A Better Process = More Speed…

"I've always found that the speed of the boss is the speed of the team"
- Lee Iacocca

I have been re-reading my FAVORITE book, "The Four Hour Work Week" by Timothy Ferriss, and considering his point about creating differentiators in your OFFERING.

His primary focus is on businesses driven by PROCESS, eliminating the need for vast human support interaction and eliminating USELESS steps. This sounds like a great recipe for an on-line business (which is where he makes his money). He notes the DIFFERENTIATOR for many of these business models is that they provide SPEED of interaction via these processes. Think about how "easy" (aka "fast") you can buy a book on Amazon.com. Very simple, very fast… very DIFFERENT!

Think about it – how many times are you just waiting on someone to "check off" on something you are doing? A quote? A simple decision? A form of sorts?

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:

Think about the work flow – is this something that could be ELIMINATED by creating a standard information form that must be completed prior to moving to the next step? Example: If you are an IT company and you use the same 10 products for all your clients, wouldn't it be easier to agree to a STANDARD price and allow for discounting up to "X" amount without "approval"? If you did that, the sales person no longer needs to ask for pricing approval, verification, etc. The just place the ORDER and GO!!

If you are having trouble with a PROCESS, draw it out. Start at you and go through to the end. Where do things get STUCK? Where do the arrows RETURN BACK to a person more than ONCE? What steps can be ELIMINATED all together or AUTOMATED without loss of standards?

Find the SLOW DOWN – ELIMINATE or AUTOMATE – REPROCESS – GAIN SPEED! There is no greater DIFFERENTIATOR than being able to do it FASTER than the other guys… (and people will pay extra for the speed).

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.

Morning Motivator - Delegate, delegate, delegate!

"You can even delegate your own thoughts..."
- Anonymous Nashville civic leader

The thought of "GIVING AWAY" your menial actions sounds very attractive, doesn't it? Every day, management "EXPERTS" preach the value of delegation. In the right context, I agree - it's a GREAT theory. The reality lives in the APPLICATION. How well does THAT work?

Not many people have MASTERED the art of delegation. Why? It seems so SIMPLE, right? Sure, it does... just give all your crap work to someone down the org chart from you and let them "do it." How often has that worked out PROPERLY for you?

The key to EFFECTIVE delegation is to understand the "rules of delegation." Common OVERSIGHTS are made when delegating... so be wary!

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
First, delegating does NOT mean "dumping." You are not allowed to just unload all the work you don't want to do onto someone else that doesn't want to do equally as much.

Second, delegating requires MANAGEMENT. Yes, you still have to be involved even if you are not doing the work. You must set expectations of quality, delivery and reporting. You still need to know WHAT will be delivered, WHEN that will happen and in what FORMAT.

Lastly, delegation means EMPOWERMENT. In order to truly delegate, YOU MUST LET GO. Repeat, YOU MUST LET GO! You have to provide the person, who should have better skills sets for task anyhow, the ability to work in their manner, in their process, with certain parameters for EXECUTIVE decision making capability. If you CAN'T "let go" do NOT delegate... (they will hate you for giving them the work and you will be frustrated through the whole process).

You can INCREASE your productivity... DECREASE your non-critical task load... GENERATE higher outputs... ONCE you learn, know and managed by the "rules of delegation."

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.

Morning Motivator – Bark Less, Wag More

"Well done is better than well said."
-Ben Franklin

I want to thank my good friend and personal Realtor, Josh Anderson, of Keller Williams in Nashville, TN for this great quote and continually pushing me to do more, better, faster!

Admittedly, I am a "TALKER." I really do not WANT to be… it's just the GIFT that God gave me. The only CHALLENGE with being a "talker" is that sometimes you are NOT a "doer." (If you have the gift of gab, I am sure you have heard that before yourself.)

One of the STRENGTHS of a great leader is their ability to "get things done." They talk, just enough, to get people MOVING in the right direction, or maybe just themselves. They UTILIZE their time by doing what needs to be completed to see the end goal achieved. That doesn't always mean that they do the work – often it doesn't – it simply means they DO the work that needs their involvement… but they DO IT!

So this brings me to my "DO." I share this with you so you can serve as my ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER in a great process I plan to undertake. My goal is to Bark Less and Wag More…

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:

At current my personal body weight is 234.6 lbs. I have always been a larger kid and never saw a piece of pizza that didn't look TASTY. I have, for many years, talked about getting FIT. Not "in shape," rather, get into a lifestyle of fitness, nutrition and EXCELLENT wellness.

The PRIMARY goal is lessening my body weight and increasing muscle. My SPECIFIC goal is to reach a target weight of 205lbs by Sunday, November 1st @ 5:00pm. That ALLOWS me 8 weeks to drop 30lbs, which will require AMPLE discipline, persistence and dedication.

As a matter of REPORTING accountability, I will report weight on Monday's and Friday's. I CHALLENGE you to accept a similar commitment and join me in this venture. Are you willing to CHALLENGE your lifestyle for greater long-term benefit?!

Two resources for lifestyle instruction: (1) "The Paleo Diet" by Loren Cordain and (2) webpage, crossfit.com

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.