Morning Motivator – Out-Teach Your Competition

"Tell me more about what you do.  Not your sales pitch, but what you actually do."
- Paul Choate

I have always been an advocate of TEACHING to earn business.  In a special business, at NationLink Wireless, the BlackBerryGuy Business Group was based on TEACHING users to best utilize a BlackBerry device.  How many people do you think bought BlackBerry devices once they knew how to use (or knew where to find direct learning)?

I have wondered in my other business experiences, why we NEVER made a concentrated effort to run a CONSISTENT and QUALITY monthly training session about features of our business (or just interesting business topics in general) – FOR FREE!

The reality is that "everyone" is professional and an "expert" by HIS OR HER standards.  Yet, if everyone dresses nice, understands their product and provides excellent "CUSTOMER SERVICE", then how different are you?  What makes you BETTER than your competition that offers similar benefits and near identical rates?

Again, let me suggest TEACHING.

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
The primary focus of the MARKETING for BarkLoud and another venture I am working upon is NO COST EDUCATION.  We will provide EDUCATION about what we actually do to help "students" LEARN how to implement and manage solutions themselves. 

Will some people do it on their OWN?  Sure.  Those few probably would have anyhow.  My goal is to TEACH the people that want to learn and EXECUTE for the people that do not have time to act upon the learning. 

What if your company offered clients useful EDUCATION for NO COST that actually helped companies UNDERSTAND what your business does, as opposed to you FORCE FEEDING a sales pitch to them or sending out some stale, meaningless "newsletter?" 

Many of potential clients would LOVE to learn the INSIDE SECRETS (news flash:  they are not really secrets) of your business… so TEACH THEM.  If they do not have time to come to a class, record it, post it on YouTube and let them learn on their own time.  Act fast… your COMPETITION may be doing that already!

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 – The Problem with Right and Wrong

"To begin with, our perception of the world is deformed, incomplete. Then our memory is selective. Finally, writing transforms."
- Claude Simon

Yesterday, a VALID point was made as I was meeting with a local attorney.  He noted that "the problem with right and wrong is that there is no absolute basis to measure from.  Everything is perception and interpretation."  WOWZA!

I was literally BRAINSTORMING today's Morning Motivator from that comment.  He is RIGHT!  Consider your clients or spouse in a situation where you KNOW you are right in principle and practice, however, the other person does not PERCEIVE the same and thus you have major CONFLICT.  Who is right?  What IS right?

Laws and policies are "generally accepted rules" by groups.  They are not ABSOLUTE.  They are not even APPLICABLE from state to state or country to country.  If you need a GREAT example, read about alcohol in the United States.

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
ACCEPT today that you are NEVER absolutely right or wrong.  It is IMPOSSIBLE to be. 

Rather, accept that INTERPRETATION of right and wrong is the gauge by which you should be measuring your success.  If a client BELIEVES it is acceptable to call you at 2am on Sunday morning to help with a technical issue, then you must ACCEPT or DENY that to be "right" and act accordingly.

While there are COUNTLESS examples of interpretations of right and wrong, I SUGGEST to you that you determine what is right and wrong for YOU.  Live by those beliefs in your personal actions, and understand that others may not be of the same perception.

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 – Putting Yourself Out There

"Don't live down to expectations.  Go out there and do something remarkable."
- Wendy Wasserstein

Do you REALIZE what is the most difficult thing about "putting yourself out there ?"  Putting yourself out there.  No, I didn't accidentally write that twice… it is the ACTION of "doing" something.

Do you find yourself in AWE of people that seem so COMFORTABLE and CONFIDENT in groups?  They seem to master their way through a group, making friends left and right, never seeing a person they did not know (or at least acting like it).  HOW DID THEY BECOME SO SKILLFUL?

There is a SECRET to becoming a "person to know" and knowing a bunch of quality people…

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
MAKE THE EFFORT!  Make the effort to show up at a group meeting on a Wednesday morning at 7:30am full of people you do not know.  (I did that this morning myself)

Make the effort to JOIN a club and then ask who is in the leadership.  Then do the really ScArY thing… CALL THOSE PEOPLE!!

The SECRET that sociable people KNOW that others do not is that very few people are so CONFIDENT that they will refuse a new friend or contact.  People, inherently, are DESPERATE for acceptance and inclusion. 

Be the person that CONNECTS the group.  Be the person that is EASY to meet and know.  Be the person that puts everyone at EASE because you make the awkward introduction, rather than waiting on others to do so.

Whether people admit it or not – they LOVE the person that will PUT THEIR SELF OUT THERE.  They want to be that person, have that confidence and make those connections.  They want to be you!!  Go help them do that…

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 – What the DMV Taught Me Today

"Biggest question:  Isn't it really 'customer helping' rather than customer service? And wouldn't you deliver better service if you thought of it that way?"
- Jeffrey Gitomer

Every so often, you get WOW'd in a place you never expected to be.  Let me introduce you to the Louisiana Department of Motor Vehicles.

I have been PUTTING OFF attaining my LA license and plates for near two months now.  The reason is simple - I have limited PATIENCE.  In fact, my wife has FREQUENT discussions with me about how much lower my tolerance is than the rest of the "entire world."

I must admit I was PLEASANTLY surprised when, this morning, I walked into the DMV.  First, there was someone to greet me and answer my "dumb questions" IMMEDIATELY.  Once answered, I was given a number and seated in a very clean, open area.  I waited no more than 10 minutes when Alice, the one who wow'd me, asked me to sit and QUICKLY took care of my needs.  Here is where it gets cool…

I did NOT have the right paper work (like anyone ever does).  Usually you hear, "Get it and come back later.  NEXT!"  Not here though.  Alice WAITED as I quickly called the people needed to get paperwork and MADE me a file to organize it all.

One document will not arrive until tomorrow.  What did she do?  She gave me her DIRECT number and said to call anytime tomorrow (except during lunch because she will not be there to answer).  She noted that once she has the paperwork in hand, she will SCHEDULE a time for me to come right in and see her!!  ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
Service is SIMPLE.  Do the LITTLE things that others will not do. 

You do not have to be on call 24 hours.  Just be on call when it matters.  You do not have to be a PUSHOVER.  Just be flexible.

It is AMAZING how much a direct number and a commitment to follow up is really all I needed to be WOW'D.  What can you do to WOW your clients?

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 – Mid-Monday Morning Accountability Check

"Anything that is wasted effort represents wasted time. The best management of our time thus becomes linked inseparably with the best utilization of our efforts."
- Ted W. Engstrom

It is now almost 11am on Monday – what have you accomplished?  Be HONEST with yourself.  Outside of getting coffee, attending some pointless meeting and sending a few emails… what have you REALLY accomplished!?

By the time lunch comes around on Monday, you have CONSUMED one-tenth (1/10) of your "average" week.  Many will make it up by staying late of working through lunch later in the week.

What if you were to wake up one hour EARLIER on Monday, get coffee on the way in, never open email (since it is likely unimportant since it was sent between when you left Friday and now), and SKIP that useless meeting?  What if, instead, you got right to what you need to do!?

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
The TRUTH of the matter is, if you DO NOT know what to do on Monday morning the second you walk in; then you wasted your Friday afternoon. 

If you need to have a meeting on Monday at 8am to report what you did last week, then you are not keeping good enough records. 

If you need to sit with your manager to talk about where you need "help;" then SHAME on you for not being more open and asking for it when you need it – IMMEDIATELY!

We all want to WORK LESS and MAKE MORE.  The only way to do so is to become more EFFICIENT and EFFECTIVE.  You must have your TOP PRIORITIES planned the day prior.  You need your REPORTING to be easy and rhythmic.  You MUST understand what your REAL JOB is (that being what you truly CONTRIBUTE).

Focus on LESS.  Do MORE of it.  Complete it FASTER.  ELIMINATE wasted meetings.  It is 11am, you should be one-eighth (1/8) complete for your week (so you can take of FRIDAY)!!

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.