Fear Trumps Risk or Does Risk Trump Fear?
March 31, 2010 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to slip out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” –M. Scott Peck
When did you last feel uncomfortable in a business situation? How did you respond to that feeling?
Karen Van Cleve, IAC Certified Coach, Results Coach for Robbins Research Company and owner of Live Well Coaching, prompts people to notice how they approach discomfort.
For example, if you have put off a decision because the time isn’t right, consider chunking the problem into smaller details. Karen suggests asking, “Why is now not the time?” Or, you might say, “Is there a legitimate reason to wait?” “Is there something I am trying to avoid?”
If you feel you need more time, ask, “Specifically, how much more time do I need?”
“Where will the time come from?” For example, if you think that things will be different in the month of May, define “What specifically will be different in May?”
Children offer us the biggest mirrors for defensive behavior: anger displayed with tears or pouting expressions, blame that includes shouting, excuses or stonewalling. Emotion in these situations covers for something uncomfortable.
Every day dozens of entrepreneurs hang out their shingle. Some dive right into the fray, savoring the action from day one.
Others perfect their collateral, work on materials for behind-the-scenes, continue to research some aspect of the industry and in general, avoid doing the sales to move their business forward.
Does one action seem more natural to you than another? Recognition and awareness of your patterned response is the first step to changing it.
When you notice feelings of discomfort, pause and define your moment.
In the words of Brian Tracy,
“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”
Get Realistic Not Optimistic About Sales
March 23, 2010 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
Client care comes easily to some people. You see it in their body language and hear it in their voice. 
Sales guru Lenann McGookey Gardner, author of “Got Sales” provided a riveting demonstration about listening in an open question and answer session.
Her voice soft, her manner alert, Lenann interacted with participants. She got them involved, requesting permission to pick up a piece of paper, referring to facts divulged in earlier comments, using humor to poke fun at herself and point out a reaction for the group.
The professional came through at every point, from examples of leaving the perfect voice mail to calming the antagonistic prospect.
My light bulb moment came when Lenann talked about “pain.”
“The act of spending money causes pain,” she said. “These people are angry, even nasty, sometimes.”
“When you hear pain, ask about it.”
In “Got Sales” Lenann gives specific examples of what pain is:
- Things she’s having trouble with right now.
- Things she has had trouble with in the past.
- Things she is afraid she’ll have trouble with in the future.
- Things she has heard have caused trouble for other people like her.
“Selling is bringing his pain into your prospect’s front-of-mind awareness and getting him to focus on it. Pain is actionable when the prospect is aware of it and conscious of how much it’s costing him, whether that cost is monetary or just in reduced peace of mind.”
“People live where their pain is. Talk about their pain, and most people will get fully engaged in the conversation with you.”
Do you talk about the pain? Or, do you prefer a different approach, such as talking around it?
In a recent column entitled “Optimism not best cure” Corporate Curmudgeon Dale Dauten, syndicated columnist, said:
“If your company is failing and you need to find an optimist to cheer you up, you now know where to look – the bankruptcy court and the unemployment office are full of them.”
Dauten might have said: “Go where the pain is.” It just wouldn’t have sounded as good or read as well.
Pain can be pretty uncomfortable. It’s messy. It makes for tense conversations …unless you see pain as your friend, as a signal to discover more.
When you bump into pain, you have the prospect’s attention. Don’t waste it.
What does Your Word have to do With Value in Your Business?
March 16, 2010 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
Measuring excellence seems like a low priority when short term survival is in question.
In today’s economy, firms are stretched thin: thin margins, short staffs and impossible deadlines.
Defining target customers works as far as it goes. The problem is the difference between targets you seek and the ones you take?
While the black and white answer comes easily in print, in practice it may not be as seamless.
Benchmarks in marketing, sales and finance make the difference. Each of these elements play a part in your success. Your definition now makes future decisions easier.
If the question is, “Do I miss a deadline or hire an additional contractor?” both marketing and finance come into play.
As a service provider, for example, my customer service dictates the success of my business. Hiring an additional contractor may shave margins this month, yet save a customer for the future. This type of short-term sacrifice for longer-term gains relates to personal value choices.
We’re all familiar with those who say anything to get the order: the web designer who tells you the site will be up tomorrow and then disappears for two weeks, or, the trainer who accepts a series and then takes another, better-paying position that conflicts with the first.
If the question is, “What does your word mean?” clarify the process with boundaries. Impossible promises such as “Sure, I can have the proposal by this afternoon,” do little to win additional business or even respect.
Examine the question before it becomes an issue. Boundaries to consider include any promises you’ve made in person, on voice mail, or in writing:
“We return all calls within two hours.” (NOTE: If, during a rough week you take a longer time to return calls, do you change the message or do you simply run out of integrity with your word?
“Your appointment time is x.” A coach I know explains that appointments are non-negotiable. She answers the phone even if she’d prefer to be quiet. She’s on. Her business must move forward.
“I’ll deliver the proposal on Tuesday afternoon.” If you can’t make the deadline, do you call ahead to move it? And, if you move the deadline, what then?
When does a boundary become a moving target? (I blog three times a week. I check social media three times a day. I publish one newsletter a month.)
And, when does that moving target impact your credibility?
Your word is your brand, one of your benchmarks. How does the reality of your word impact your business?
Transform Your Small Business With the Power of Branding
March 2, 2010 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
Branding: the process of creating and living a brand’s message, according to soon-to-be-published Brand DNA: Uncover Your Organization’s Genetic Code for Competitive Advantage by Carol Chapman and Suzanne Tulien.
The authors, principals with The Brand Ascension Group, use Meg’s story to develop the premise of branding as an internal function encompassing the core message of a business.
Following a free webinar, “Cashing in on Branding,” Meg becomes a Brand Ascension client to better brand Ecologé, her line of natural/organic body-care products.
With the help of Carol and Suzanne, Meg develops her core brand, working through components like value, style, differentiators and standards. These are the four components of Brand DNA.
Throughout the book Carol and Suzanne make it clear that branding is an inside out process and they present it step-by-step. Even the terminology makes the distinction:
Marketing = the process of communicating and spreading your message. (External)
Branding = the process of defining the core perception of and actioning (through behaviors, systems and processes, and environment) your message. (Internal)
From Meg’s “magic story,” a structured way of getting employees on the same page, to her view of the value of an updated logo, Brand DNA is real. At one point Meg jumps to a conclusion when she sees a glimmer of a solution. We see the disconnect: Meg wants to spending money on an external message before she addresses the company’s internal response.
Brand DNA’s authors are certified trainers in accelerated adult-learning methodologies. It shows. We first see the exercises reflected through Meg’s eyes and we hear her commentary about employee reaction.
The interactive workbook presents a do-it-yourself option, and gives estimated times for each exercise segment. Most businesses could benefit from working through one or two of the activities. In addition, a “consultant’s corner” suggests further questions and actions for any business.
Believable. Authentic. Doable. Those words came to mind as I reviewed Brand DNA. A student of branding, I enjoyed the discussion.
As a presenter who addresses branding for small business, I found myself admiring the cohesiveness of Brand DNA for the local or regional brand on the grow. An acknowledgement of small business pressures provides a healthy dose of reality: working on your business while working in it is one such example.
Brand DNA is an easy, thought-provoking read. It can provide an in-depth, brand-transforming result. In “Afterward” the authors say:
“Remember that branding is a process, not an event, and that this level of consciousness around your brand should continue for the life of your organization, not just by you, the owner, but by all its stakeholders. Clearly articulating your Brand DNA will help streamline many other facets of the business (e.g., marketing, communications, employee hiring, partnering, business decisions, etc.). When you achieve this level, you will see your business thrive!”
Each chapter of the book supports the statement, “Branding starts from the inside out.” Whether you’re looking for a collection of brand terminology, or assessments and or collaborative exercises to address employee involvement in your brand, this book has something for you. Working on branding will indeed affect every other aspect of your business.
Small business owners serious about improving their branding can pre-order Brand DNA at the author’s discount.
(Disclosure: Suzanne Tulien contacted me through my blog and I agreed to review the book.)
