Do New Year's resolutions really work? The short answer is yes. But, you don't believe that, do you? You cannot imagine how many times I have heard people declare that New Year's resolutions never work. By the way, these are the same people that swear diets don't work, good things only happen to rich people, or their new golf club is the reason for their bad swing. I have even heard people say that motivational speakers probably don't live their own advice, so why should they. Enough with the "it's not my fault" game.
Maybe we've become conditioned. Like Pavlov's dog salivating at the sound of a bell, our eyes begin to glaze over and our senses begin to dull when we hear someone talking about setting a New Year's resolution. That's a problem because setting a New Year's resolution is invaluable when it comes to success. For those who believe, that is.
The keys to making a New Year's resolution work. First, you need to understand that a resolution is the process of resolving something such as a problem or dispute. Whatever your New Year's resolution is, you must view it as already resolved. You're not naming the problem (overweight) as your resolution, you're declaring the outcome (size 9, fit and trim, whatever) as your resolution. When you think of an outcome, you're more likely to think of a picture set in the future. The power of thinking of an outcome is that as you can bring clarity to the picture, you can involve all of your sensory perceptions. You can see it, hear it, and even feel it. The whole concept behind developing outcomes rather than goals is to make your desired objective something that is such a part of you that you don't have to think about it. Do you think about breathing? No. Do you think about tying your shoes? No. Those actions come naturally. In the same sense, the intent of becoming outcome-oriented rather than goal-oriented is to create a picture that involves so many of your senses and is so deeply felt, that working toward the realization of it is as natural as can be -- it is effortless and done without even thinking about it. Goals you have to think about. Outcomes are part of you.
The Three-Step New Year's Resolutions Writing Process
1. Articulate Your Outcomes: Write it down. "I want to be fit and trim."
2. Affirm Your Outcomes: Write affirmations in present-terms. "I have a great time working out four times a week and as a result I have a fit and trim body."
3. Add sensory perceptions: Visualize your outcomes.
The Three-Steps Expanded
1. Write down outcomes in the major areas of your life that you want to see changed or resolved.
2. For now, don't worry about the "how to" or making your outcomes SMART. Use generalities.
3. Using your sensory perceptions, create the picture of your outcome in your mind.
4. Write down what you see.
5. Add accountability. What specific actions are required?
6. Refine and change the actions you are taking to realize your outcome, as needed.
7. Refine and edit your outcome based upon the changing pictures in your mind's eye.
The final key is the most important. In my book Power to Change, I address the power your self-talk has on achieving your resolutions and goals. You can download the self-talk chapter by clicking here now. Self-talk is the key to successful New Year's resolutions. You must have positive self-talk if you expect your resolutions to become a positive reality. STOP TELLING EVERYONE THAT NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS DON'T WORK. This is a critical choice: go for the positive reality or doom your chances with negative self-talk. For resolutions to work, you need to make a choice right now by what you say to yourself and those around you. If you don't want to do the New Year's resolutions, then just shut up and be fat or broke. What do you really want? There are only two places you can be in life: You are either getting the results you desire or you have reasons why you're not. You are right in both cases.
I was in Baltimore, Maryland last month working with a client, when he asked me why he couldn't get at least 90 percent performance from his people. I asked him why he would allow only 90 percent to be good enough to take care of his customers, his most valuable asset. The look on his face was like I had just told him he had cancer. He asked me to explain my "rude" remark.
If 99.9 percent was good enough, 12 newborns would be given to the wrong parents daily. At least 114,500 mismatched pairs of shoes would be shipped each year. On average, two planes loaded with passengers would attempt an unsafe landing at Chicago's O'Hare airport every day. Over 300 entries in the Webster's Dictionary would be misspelled, and 291 pacemaker operations would be performed incorrectly during the year. That is what 99.9 percent looks like. Think of how many customers would leave your business with the wrong information about your standards of excellence if 90 percent is all you want. Not the best way to become a multi-billion dollar business.
There are businesses and people who perform at 100 percent every day. For example, last year my wife had heart surgery at the Stanford Medical Center. (You can read about the Ulimate Customer Srvice here ) Our experience at the Stanford Medical Center was positive and successful thanks to the staff and medical personnel - their skill, medical care, and personal attention far exceeded our expectations. I also just recently had the privilege of playing golf at the famous Pebble Beach. This is not an easy place to get on to play; in fact, you must stay in their lodge and make your reservations far in advance. The cost is $495 per person to play one of the top courses in the world. By the way, I was the guest of my good friend Kevin Rude who is great example of customer service leadership for Brothers Power Sports was celebrating his 50th
birthday. The service in the lodge and on the entire property was extraordinary. But, more than that, it seemed to be normal behavior for them. They always addressed me as "Mr. Jackson" and each time they said my name, it was as though they were honored to have the privilege. Everyone working - from the gift shops to the club house, from the grounds-keepers on the pristine courses to the waitresses in the café - conducted themselves at the 100 percent standard.
As I was playing golf, I was thinking about my Baltimore client. What was he missing? What did Stanford Medical Center and Pebble Beach have that he didn't? While walking around the most beautiful 18 holes of golf in the world that I have ever played, I was finally able to sum it up in one word: Confidence. Pebble Beach is known to be the best and each staff member there takes pride in his or her ability and to handle their responsibilities at the highest (100 percent) level. They are confident they are the best in the world at what they do. They are confident that their teammates will uphold the 100 percent standard 100 percent of the time - not 99.9 percent of the time. They are confident that when you leave Pebble Beach, you will remark with enthusiasm and confidence that your expectations were exceeded that day; and you most certainly will come back to experience their confidence in customer service again. Confidence comes from expecting and being the best.
Back to my Baltimore client's question: How to get 100 percent out of your team?
There are three keys to cultivating and maintaining confidence in your team:
1. As a leader, you must hire the best people available and you must treat them as though they are the best in the world. When leaders treat their people the way they want their customers treated, you get confidence and confidence spreads. If you have people who are not best in class, then you have three choices. First, you can do nothing. If you choose this option read no further, just shut up and accept that you are mediocre. Oh, and pray you are not on one of those planes landing unsafely at O'Hare. Second is to communicate your expectation to your people and then train, train and train some more until your expectation becomes the norm. The third option is to terminate and find a better replacement and, in this economy, that should be easy. No excuses.
2. Treat each customer as if he or she were a Head of State. If the Queen of England or the President of the United States walked into you business, wouldn't you roll out the red carpet? If you argue that you can't be expected to do that every time, then I guess you will not be in the same winner's league as Pebble Beach.
3. Model an excellent example that deserves to be imitated. As the leader, you model the way to find the positives in your business, market, products, locations and even the weather. Leaders who believe that now is the best time to succeed will ultimately be called the exception to the rule. Pebble Beach was sold out on a cold and rainy Monday in December with the wind blowing 20-30 miles an hour. You, as a leader, expect and demonstrate a 100-percent success rate no matter what the conditions.
Now I ask you, how is your confidence? Are you waiting for the government to fix things? Are you looking for the magic dust that makes everything a 100 percent success? Or, will you be confident when go to sleep tonight, that this day you gave 100 percent in all that you did. Confidence is knowing that your team is the best, your product is the best, and on this day that the Lord has given you, you gave it 100 percent.
Many who read this article ponder what they might do differently to give 100 percent and ultimately justify all the reasons why it can't happen. Then there are those who will read this and know they are a leader of, or a part of, an elite group who are confident and live their life at 100 percent. The biggest tragedy is to have missed your goal by one tenth of one percent because you only gave 99.9 percent of yourself. Which are you? Tell me please.
ENERGY
How much energy do you invest in your life? Do you do things half-heartedly or do you give it all you've got?
Larry Wilson, a good friend of mine, once said, "There are two ways that you can live your life. You can play to win or play so you don't lose. It's your choice."
Playing not to lose is knowing how much work you have to do and doing only that-no more and no less. You're stingy with your energy. You don't invest any more than you have to. Playing not to lose is not doing anything extra.
It's asking yourself, "Well, what have they done for me?"
Playing not to lose is playing it safe. In football, it's a prevent defense. In golf, it's trying to protect your score. And the second you try to protect your score, what happens? Somebody flies right on by you. You lose. Playing not to lose is built around a restrictive motivation. You do just enough but nothing more.
The other option is playing to win. Playing to win means playing as hard as you can, with all that you can, as far as you can.
At Temecula Creek Learning Center, a corporate training facility, we do outdoor learning, where we have people climb up and stand on top of 25-foot poles. (To learn more about what we offer, visit us at www.teamxl.com.)
Some people are absolutely terrified of heights. So the thought of even getting both feet off the ground is more than they can handle. So playing to win for them means simply telling the truth, "I don't choose to climb." And we celebrate that.
For other people it means going halfway up the pole. That's playing to win too. Halfway up is further than they ever thought they could go. And it's something to celebrate. For other people, playing to win means going all the way up and touching the top. And for others, it means getting to the top, wearing the harness, and then jumping off.
For others, they just run up the pole. And for them playing to win is slowing down because their support people, the people holding the ropes, the belay system, can't keep up with them. So they've got to play the game differently. Those are the people out there that just go all out and they're hard to support but they always complain. They're good performers but they never take the time to acknowledge their support people. They're in reality kind of playing not to lose.
So how are you playing the game of life? How are you playing relative to work? Are you playing it safe? Are you playing not to lose or are you playing to win? Can you go home every night of your working life or of your family life and say, "I played to win. I worked as hard as I could. I went as far as I could. I took as many risks as I chose to take."
And some days, you know what? It doesn't work out. Some days, you don't win. But that's OK. You'll win tomorrow. But the main thing is, that when you ask yourself, "Did I play to win? Do I go as hard as I can with all that I can, as far as I can?" the answer is Yes!
Realize Your Dream or Put out Fires.
There's an old saying: "You can never plow a field by turning it over in your mind." You must take action.
Now keep in mind, you first have to think about your goal so you can get to that action. You need a vivid reality, a vivid picture of what you want your goal to look like. It's like teaching a baseball player to hit a ball over the fence. First, the player sees the ball fly over the fence in his mind, and that's great. That's a start; but it's not enough. At some point, the player has to step up to the plate and take a swing!
One of the hardest parts of goal setting is taking action. You know how we say, "Get ready... Set.... Go!" Well, the truth is, most of us tend to say, "Get ready ... OK. Let's get ready... And let's get ready and let's get ready." And that's it. We over-process things. We over-analyze. We never finish. So there's never any "Set." And there's never any "Go!"
Rather than set the goal, we worry and stress about how to put the action phase together. The truth is, you don't have to worry about how to put it together. If you let your reticular activating system work and you set your goals properly, your goals will directly turn into actions.
But first, you have to work on your belief system. You need to control your self-talk. You need to affirm what it is that you do want - not what you don't want. You need to have high expectations. You need to expect great results from your goals. If you've always set goals and they've never worked, you can just stop this process right now and say, "Hey, I don't need to do this!" But if you want to change, it takes the discipline and focus to put them into action.
Three Types of Action
There are generally three types of actions relative to goal setting:
1. PRO-Action
2. RE-Action
3. IN-Action
PRO-Action
The first type of action is PRO-action. A PRO-action is when we focus on what we want to have happen. We're going to take PRO-action, be PRO-active in what we want to do.
RE-Action
The second type of action is RE-action. In other words, we react to something. We react to the situation. If I go to the doctor and she says, "Hey, Jim, if you don't lose that extra weight, you are going to be very ill." I can then choose to react and I goal-set to change.
IN-Action
The third type of action is IN-action. We do nothing. It's much easier to whine and complain and say it's not our fault. It's the government's fault, it's our parents' fault, or it's somebody else. We become a victim and justify all the reasons why we are the way we are. It's called IN-action. It feels safer to be inactive because all the reasons why we're not getting any positive results are someone else's fault.
What Do You Want?
What type of action does your organization take? If you find yourself having to constantly put out fires, chances are you a reactive manager. Always under pressure to meet the numbers and, as a result, you are always on everyone's back. You keep asking the question: why don't things change? What is it like where you work?
If you want change in your gross profits, then set specific action-oriented goals. Become proactive and choose the type of business you desire. If you choose to have a great business then you need to set proactive goals that are consistent with that level of success. Proactive people never complain, they simply look for a path around the challenge. What are you like as a leader? Do you focus on the problem or do you figure a way to remove the obstacle and inspire your people to go where they didn't think they could go?
Or maybe you're like water taking the path of least resistance and doing nothing. Just sitting and waiting is called in-action. Do you wait for the customer to drive onto your lot? Do you wait for that top salesperson to show up? What are you waiting for? Maybe you're waiting for me to call you.
The choice is yours. In my book, "Power to Change" I teach you step-by-step how to change your thinking. Get coaching from someone who has wisdom and knows how to succeed. Join a business devekioment group or call me to set a time when we can discuss your dreams and how to make them a reality. Someone helped me, let me help you. You can call me at 702-644-8326 or buy my book "Power to Change" at Amazon.com.
Customer Service Equals Revenue
All work is part of a process. In businesses the intent to generate revenue is the process of delivering a product or service that a customer is willing to trade real dollars to acquire. Your customer service processes and the people who deliver them are the only real differentiator that you have with your competition. The most important aspect of any job is to create and keep loyal customers. Regardless of how distant ones' work is from the end customer, that specific work impacts the overall experience the customer has with your business. Every step in the process of serving an ultimate external customer has an internal "up-stream" supplier (i.e. sales, service finance) and an internal "down-stream" (parts, operations, or collections) customer. This process works in either direction between leadership, departments or personnel each having the opportunity to be the supplier or the customer.
Internal customers and suppliers are entitled to the same level of respect and service as external customers. The critical moment of quality customer service for internal customers is the hand-off between an internal supplier (service) and internal customer (sales). If we are going to respect and serve an external customer to the extent we create customer loyalty, all workers must be dedicated to serving the internal customers.
In the retail culture each interaction with a customer, internal or external, is a "moment of truth", it cannot be repeated and it will have a lasting impact in the mind of the customer. Every behavior that impacts a customer has consequences regarding their view of the level of and focus on customer service. The future behavior of the customer depends on the consequences of their past and present experiences with your company.
The lack of effective, efficient customer service is expensive, in terms of real dollars, to an organization and impacts the bottom-line. The average business spends six times more to attract new customers then it does to keep old ones. Customer loyalty is worth 10 times the price of the average purchase. Businesses having low service quality average only a 1% return on sales and lose market share at an average rate of 2% per year. Business with high service quality average a 12% return on sales, gain market share at the rate of 6% per year, on average, with significantly higher prices.
The lack of effective, efficient customer service has a negative impact on the customer base and acquiring new customers. 4% of unhappy customers complain, 96% of unhappy customers go away angry without complaining. For every customer complaint, there are an average of 26 more people with problems, 6 of these problems are severe. Of those who complain, 56-70% will do business with the company again, if, the complaint is resolved. 96% will do business again if the complaint is resolved quickly, at the moment. The average person who has a complaint tells 9-10 people. 13% tell 20 or more people. Customers whose complaint has been resolved tell 5-6 people. Only 4% of business less-than-satisfied customer complaints reach a person who can do something about it.
Why Excellent or "top-box" customer service is rare? Employees do not know the basics of customer service. The "moments of truth" are not properly identified or managed well. The measurement and reward system does not compensate for customer care. The organizational culture does not value and support customer service. The procedures and policies do not support customer service. Leadership does not value the customer and the intent behind customer service. In other words it means that leadership does not practice customer service internally between departments and as a result their actions become the norm or model.
It is a challenge when customers and personnel often lack candor and the willingness to tell the truth about their dissatisfaction. Business environments don't make it easy or a feeling of being safe to complain both for the external and internal customer. They do not know how to register a complaint and they believe it will not do any good because they fear the service provider will retaliate.
A customer complaint has two components - the task problem and the personal or relationship problem. Fix the customer relationship problem and then the customer problem task problem. The reasons behind customer complaints are well known and easily observed.
-Lies - Blatant dishonesty or unfairness by the supplier employees
-Disrespected - Customers are seen as "stupid" or dishonest and dealt with accordingly by the suppliers people
-Broken promises - Careless or mistake-prone service, not showing up as scheduled.
-No commitment - Employees who lack the desire, power or authority to solve basic issues.
-Waiting - Making people wait in line - too few lines or staff to serve the customers
-Rote service - Going through the motions with no heart or soul, emotionless, impersonal service.
-Silence - Do not bother to communicate in full with customer
-Bare minimum - Not taking the extra step, doing the least amount of work, absolute minimum of energy to meet the customers wants
-Disconnected employees - clueless employees who do not know the importance of customers to the organization, do not have the business acumen. Do not have the important answers to questions and appear not willing to learn.
-Other priorities - "not my job", ignore customer, excuses, personal issues a priority over serving a customer.
You ask yourself what I should do now. First, within the business you must create a culture of high expectations internally as to the value of excellent customer service. If you don't treat each other respect internally how do you expect them to treat the external customer. You must have a culture built on trust from leadership and where it is safe for people to express their concerns without being perceived as whining. People will express their concerns when they know it is safe and leadership will take positive action to resolve. The critical elements in caring for the customers are when all individuals of your company have an appropriate customer caring attitude for each other it will then reflect to the external customers because it is the standard for your operation. Individuals need to have the tools and time to deliver high quality customer service. Individuals need to be supported by procedures and policies that encourage caring for the customer.
There is a culture that values the customer and the attitudes and actions by workers that leads to high quality customer service. The leadership sees the customer base as a business asset and therefore supports what ever it takes to deliver high quality customer care to create customer loyalty both internally and externally. You take care of your customers you then create a retail environment where people want to work and where people want to buy. Customer service equals increased revenue.
Jim Jackson works with business to develop a customer service culture. To receive a newsletter to http://jimjacksonlive.com. To book Jim Jackson call 802-644-8326 or email mary@teamxl.com with inquiries.
Your Vision
After you've taken the time to find your purpose, you're going to be excited. Remember, this is one of the things that you feel most passionate about in life! How could you not be excited?
So how is that purpose going to play out in your life? What's your life going to look like, 5, 10 or 20 years from now? Where will your purpose take you? What is your perfect picture of your future?
For instance, my purpose is to help people grow and realize their talents. How do I expect to accomplish that? What is my vision of how that plays out?
My vision and my company's vision is to raise the self-esteem of the human race.
It's a big vision, I'll admit. But like they say, the journey of 1000 miles begins with one step. When I tell people my vision, they often say, "Wow. How can you raise the self-esteem of the human race?" And I say, "One person at a time." Sometimes it's ten. Sometimes it's a thousand. Sometimes it's by people reading this book. Sometimes it's by people listening to my CD's. But I'm constantly working to raise the self-esteem of the human race. It's my life-long vision.
Your vision is your opportunity to fulfill your purpose. It moves you toward the future perfect picture of how you want to be seen when everything is functioning at the best possible scenario.
Once you've identified your purpose, think about how you're going to fulfill it.
Suppose your father was an immigrant who worked in the States, but was handicapped because he never learned how to read English. Now, you feel passionately about teaching people how to read. You feel a special connection to adults who, like your father, are a little uncomfortable and embarrassed about not being able to read. You'd like to reassure them and help empower them to change their lives. That's your vision.
Maybe you're an attorney who feels passionate about the justice system. You believe strongly that it plays a vital role in society and you want to do everything in your power to make sure it is held to the highest standards. Your vision is to work to achieve fair verdicts and make sure the system works.
No matter what your career, you might find that your true purpose in life is to give your children the love and opportunities you never had as a child. You have a vision of a warm, loving family that extends through the generations and makes a valuable contribution to the world by its very existence. Creating more good people is what you feel passionate about. And your vision is to invest your heart and soul in achieving that with the people you love.
When you have a vision, it gives your life a kind of purpose and meaning that drives you forward. It gets you out of bed in the morning. Sometimes I'm so excited about the opportunities for fulfilling my vision that I can't wait to get going every day. Without a vision, you can't generate the same energy for life.
There is literally no limit to what your purpose and vision might be. Take a moment now and being to think about some of the things that are most important to you. Remember, you don't have to come up with the final answer in one sitting. Let your mind mull it over. Keep it on the back burner for awhile. Sleep on it. Let your intuition be your guide. Once you come up with it, you won't have any doubt. Nothing else will excite your interest in the same way.
How big is your vision?
What you have stored in the subconscious mind is stronger than the drive and energy to change. Your creative subconscious is helping you create the reality of whatever you have stored.
There are a lot of things that we as human beings do that we store in our subconscious level, but they are not always what we want. Sometimes we tell ourselves that this is not what we want, but we don't do anything to change it. We may join Weight Watchers to lose weight. We may go to Toastmasters to learn public speaking. We may take a golf lesson or a bowling lesson. We may even go get career counseling to find a job that will suit us better. But if we don't change our mental Action Maps about ourselves, we are not going to change our outcomes.
You can leave things the way they are or change them. It's your choice. There are consequences for either one. You always have a choice.
Let me put it to you this way. You have one good option and it is to say, "Stop. I'm not going to live like this any longer."
Stop and question yourself. Challenge the process. Say to yourself, "I'm going to change. How do I want to live?" It's up to you to decide how you want to live. You can stop repeating the same old patterns. You can challenge the automatic process that's taking you to the wrong destination. Then you can make a new decision about how you want to live.
If you do that, what's the worst thing that could happen? On a diet, you might say, "Well, the worst thing that could happen would be that I'd over eat."
What would be the best thing that could happen? "I could change into the person I know myself to be." There are thousands of books written on this subject. Every school in America, every college in America that has psychology classes can teach you how to reprogram your subconscious mind.
But I'm here to tell you right now, it's not rocket science. It's easy. It's just a matter of putting the right language, the right thought process, the right thinking, the right words, the right behaviors, in at the subconscious level.
What are you feeding into that funnel? What are you typing onto the computer screen?
It's simple. If you change the way you think, you change the way you act.
That's not new. It has been around for a long time-since before the Bible verse, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." It's been around forever. But we, as human beings, have made it complicated.
If you want to be a great golfer, change how you think about yourself. Change your self-image. I don't know if you know who David Duvall is, but a couple of years ago, he was on a great winning streak. He won the British Open. He won a lot of tournaments in a row. They thought he was going to be the next Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer. But he fizzled out for while and now is on a major comeback. I trully hope he wins form is all selfimage.
I believe he outran his self-image. He didn't see himself being a great golfer. And as a result, he is off the tour right now. He can't even break par. A man with all the skill and talent and ability to be able to win, but he has not changed his self-image to match. Right now, he sees himself struggling and may even feel like a loser or think he's weak. But he has all kinds of talent and skill. When you read articles about him, they say that this is a man with talent, but he doesn't believe he can win.
Do you know anyone like that? Do have any friends like that? Do you feel that way yourself? Have you heard people say that you have a lot of talent or ability, but you haven't really done anything with it? Do you sometimes feel like a loser or think you're weak, you'll never make it?
The moment you hear that, you need to say, "STOP!!" In your own mind, say, "Stop! How do I choose to live? How do I choose to be? What can I choose to do differently to get different results?"
You can challenge the process. You can challenge that negative thought process. Pay attention to what you're programming into your subconscious mind. And start reprogramming new data into it today. You always have a choice.
Twitter, FaceBook, blogs,
grapevine. Of these four choices, which do you think has the potential to
provide tremendous growth in leads? If you said Twitter, FaceBook and blogs,
you’re right. And, for the record, I don’t care how many “friends” I accumulate
on FaceBook, or how many Tweets follow me, they’ll never compare with the
familiar and soulful sounds of The Miracles singing “I Heard It Through the
Grapevine" (Motown Records, 1966). There was truth and simplicity in
lyrics back then. But, I digress and I sound like my parents! Until a few weeks
ago, I had no idea what Twitter or FaceBook meant. However, I’ve been reading
and listening and learning: The next big wave in business success is social
networking via the Internet.
I had a million questions about
this new computer stuff. Even the words sound funny: Twitter and Tweets. What
does Twitter mean? How do you get started? If I have a FaceBook profile, will I
get a truckload of spam in my in-box? Does anyone in the business world really
read those things? Isn’t this computer stuff really just for the young people?
I know many of you reading this are asking yourself the same questions.
I am a Baby Boomer and, not to
date myself, but I remember watching TV on a small black and white television
set (with no remote control!). When I revealed this to my 30-year old nephew,
he rolled his eyes and chuckled at such a notion. He then asked me if I still
had a land-line into my house. Yes, I do. He asked why and I gave him the
standard “in case of emergency” refrain. He was now laughing at me. “Uncle
Jim,” he said, “Don’t you realize they have GPS on your cell phones now and can
even get satellite images of your house within seconds?” You see, he grew up
with computers in every classroom. This group of 30-somethings has never known
the reliance upon newsprint advertising or the delay of waiting weeks or even
seasons for marketing plans to be realized. They know no real privacy (remember
hand-written letters and phone booths?) or ownership of ideas. Their world is
instant and in full view. In other words, they have instant access to each
other and to singing lessons, pot roast recipes, editors, job opportunities,
cancer research, film archives, dating advice, antique appraisals, dog sitting
services – even where to find a new car. They are finding new ways in the art
of communication and business through current technology and their networking.
Many of your employees are in
that same group. The preferred way to communicate now is by texting. They find
it more efficient to text someone down the hall rather than get up and go talk
directly to them or even talk with them on the phone. But don’t for a minute
think that they don’t have immediate access.
It seems the world is changing
faster and faster. Maybe all progress is viewed that way from behind the curve.
Learning how to adapt to technology is essential to prospering and growing your
business. Here is the reality: You’ve got to jump into this technology with
both feet and jump now. I promise you, your competitors are thinking the same
thing, and we all know that whoever is first to the market wins the biggest.
I am always looking for new ways
to learn and improve my own business. I just finished reading a book entitled
“World Wide Rave: Creating Triggers that Get Millions of People to Spread Your
Ideas and Share Your Stories” by David Meerman Scott (Wiley, John & Sons,
Incorporated, March 2009) http://davidmeermanscott.com/resources.htm
This book helped me understand about
this new technology and something called inbound marketing or, how to get
people to call me. Let me say that again: Business prospects will call me
instead of the other way around!
This is a huge idea and a major
shift in the business of sales. Like many of you, I came up in the sales
culture where one had to make numerous calls every day to be successful. This
new book (and this new idea) is telling me the opposite is now true. As I read
this book, I thought of car dealers and the challenge of letting go of some of
the old ways. I’m not saying all the old ways of getting people in the showroom
are useless; but, imagine a day where the customers eagerly seek you out instead
of the other way around. Very few people even read a newspaper anymore let
alone the ads and fliers that get thrown away immediately from the mailbox.
Instant access, instant communication, and inbound marketing. It’s the
difference between a friendly stream and a powerful tidal wave. It’s the World
Wide Rave.
Do you as a leader create rave
about your business? Maybe you can’t even imagine anyone raving about your
business. How do you tell people about your offerings? How do you get people
excited about buying, and then wanting to buy from you first? Odds are you use
the old fashion way: TV, newspaper or some kind of direct mail.
A World Wide Rave is when people
around the world are talking about you, your company, and your products. It’s
when someone eagerly links to your Web site. It’s when viral marketing and
social networking drives buyers to your Web site. It’s when customers visit
your Web site and your blog because they genuinely want to be there.
A word of advice: there are some
rules, etiquette, if you will in this new world. For me to explain each one of
these rules would take more space than the editor will give me. You can buy a
copy of David’s book or download a free eBook at http://davidmeermanscott.com/products_ebooks.htm
Next you need to sign up for Twitter (a simple process) and start following
others. (Note: “following” is a phrase used in Twitter loosely meaning that
you, and others, are communicating by “following” a line of information.) You
can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jacksonlive
Get on FaceBook and you will understand more as you read World Wide Rave. You
can join me on FaceBook http://www.facebook.com
just search for friend Jim Jackson. LinkedIn is http://linkedin.com/in/jimjacksonlive
You need to learn about
utilizing the new technology trends to grow your business. Inbound marketing
and the World Wide Rave are big and they’re happening right now. I have a
client in Houston who estimates that maybe 140,000 cars drive by his business
every day. Billboards, TV ads and the newsprint aren’t making them stop. He
could build a community social site on the Internet sponsored by his business –
a site where locals post what is happing in his neighborhood. Second, once
registered on Twitter and FaceBook, he’ll invite every customer and all his
friends and neighbors to follow him. In my community site, we have a local taco
shop owner who Twitters meal deals once a week. Last night was “dollar taco
night” – guess where I had dinner and the restaurant was packed.
The key is to use technology to
get people familiar with you and your brand. A great example of who is using
this technology is Auto Dealer Monthly. Their site, autodealerpeople.com, anyone
can participate in a discussion on what is relevant that day in the automotive
world. You could easily start there or create a similar site for your business.
Your challenge right now is to
decide whether you’ll step into the next big thing or hang back and do what
you’ve always done. I promise you, if you do what you have always done, you may
get left behind.
Here is how I started my own
“Grapevine.” After much research and some frustration, I aligned my company Web
site http://jimjacksonlive.com with http://hubspot.com I made this decision for two
reasons. First, HubSpot is an Internet marketing site with a very successful
track record. Second, was Jennifer Snyder (http://jsnyder@hubspot.com). Jennifer
Snyder may be HubSpot’s most valuable commodity. Jennifer was willing and eager
to answer every question I had for her. And, on the rare occasion when she
didn’t know an answer, she quickly had her boss on the line to answer my
questions. It was the perception of value they gave me as a prospective client.
It has all worked better than I expected, and I anticipate the relationship to
continue for years. By the way, what we’re doing right now, you and me, is a
known as viral marketing or the Internet “Grapevine.” We’re talking about HubSpot
and we’re networking, communicating quickly and efficiently.
If you want to understand more
about inbound marketing click on this link and read for yourself http://www.inboundmarketing.com. I
stress it is not just blogging, Twitter or FaceBook, it is about creating a
World Wide Rave about you, your company or your cause – your own “Grapevine.”
What Does It All Mean?
At the end of the day, the quality of your life has been determined completely by you. You don’t always have control over the situations you encounter, but you always have a choice about how you react to them. You can wander through your life, putting one foot ahead of the other, investing as little energy as possible, just getting by. Or you can make the choice now to do whatever it takes to live a meaningful life. It’s up to you.
Take the time to seriously consider what matters to you. Don’t stop until you identify your true purpose in life. Then take that one step further: Use your imagination to see a vision of how that will play out in your life. Ask yourself: What happens on an ordinary day when I’m living a meaningful, fulfilling life? What am I doing? What does my life look like? And how do I get there from here?
Once you know your purpose, your vision and your values, you can create the action maps that will take you to your goals. That is the way to living a life that has meaning, a life with purpose, vision and value.
It’s entirely based on your own choices. When you start to get a glimpse of the amazing power that gives you, you’ll feel a rush of excitement that will blow you away. Because that will be the day that means anything is possible in your life.