Avoid The Creative Abyss

The creative process is important. Without it, the world of marketing and advertising would be lost, because creative ideas inspire people to take action.

Unfortunately, the creative process is also a black hole where the unwary enter, never to return.

The creative process requires lots of time, and it is complex. This lengthy process includes many time-consuming activities, from concept, strategy, and planning, to dozens of specific details pertaining to production, printing, data selection and management, and more.

When businesses are planning and deliberating over what to do, they often lose valuable selling time.

If it takes them two months to launch a lead generating campaign, that is two months of lost responses… and lost sales. Once lost, there’s no earning it back: not a month, not six, not a year.

Businesses often procrastinate when it comes to de-ploying a lead generation campaign because they are afraid of doing the wrong thing, and with good reason. Doing the wrong thing can be expensive. But if doing the wrong thing is expensive, consider how expensive it is to do nothing.

One way to eliminate the creative abyss is to start small. A simple yet well-conceived lead generation activity such as a fold-over postcard, traditional sales letter with a business-reply card, or a simple flyer is better than a grand plan of nothing. There's still a creative process, just more manageable.

Another is to hire a professional team –– one fully experienced in the process of generating leads.

While relying on and investing in a professional team increases your out-of-pocket costs, it more often than not increases your response. The investment justifies itself time and time again.

"I can do it myself"

My granddaughter Trudie just turned six.

She's now at that age that when you show her anything... try to help her do anything... or suggest she try something differently... the adorable, precocious little six year old looks me straight in the eyes and tells me, "Grandpa, I can do it myself."

I seem to remember my own children saying that to me at various times throughout their lives. If I go back far enough, I can probably remember saying it to my parents.

There's a natural desire and tendency for people to want to do things their own way.

It's how we learn. And everyone, at some point in their lives, relies on this approach that we fondly refer to as "trial and error." Trial and error describes my learning process when it comes to computer software. I'd never dare read a manual. Taking a computer class would only confuse me. So I play and play and play until I finally can say, "Got it!"

The problem with a do-it-yourself trial and error approach when it comes to business is that it can be a dangerous path to follow.

While you may ultimately solve your problem... while you may ultimately learn how to do it... the cost of your learning curve in both time and money could far outweigh the cost and benefit of turning to a professional to get it done properly and a whole lot faster.

As a business coach and consultant, I see this phenomenon far too often.

Case In Point!

Recently, at a chamber of commerce event, I chatted with a young man just starting a new business. He and partners have a very viable business idea and model. I believe that it could ultimately be extremely successful.

One of the first things I learned from my young friend is that they're having difficulty getting the right kinds of leads... and enough of them. He took time to describe to me what they're doing, what is working (very little), and what's not.

I offered to meet with him... talk to him... point him in the right direction. I recommended one or two events that would be helpful for him to attend... and volunteered to arrange and meeting with a one of the most highly respected authorities on lead generation. "No," he said, "I think we have it covered. We've been trying different things."

Pay Attention To The Real Value!

When it comes to business -- either startups or those in a rapid growth mode -- you don't have the time... and most don't have the money... to live through all the trials and errors that could come our way.

But you do have a telephone and that telephone can lead you to an expert with answers... to an industry authority, professional, coach, consultant, or advisor who can save you thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of time by doing nothing more for you than saving you from becoming sidetracked or stuck in a do-it-yourself trial-and-error learning curve.

Instead of wasting time on your learning curve, you'd have time to book more business. In the end, that would be substantially more important than saying, "I can do it myself.

© 2007 Gil Effron

The "Busy" Trap

Being busy is a trap.

Being very busy –– so busy that you can’t take time to work on your business –– is an even bigger trap.

When you don’t have time to think… to plan… to organize… to work out ways to accomplish more in less time and with less effort… and when you don’t have time to think about how you can make more money or take a day with your family, you are in a crisis mode.

There’s only so long a person can live at a pace that is so demanding and all consuming. Ultimately, something has to give. A 12-ounce glass holds only 12 ounces of liquid.

As with almost every problem, there are solutions to this one as well.

The first step is a willingness to change… to look for ways to do what you’re doing better and more efficiently.

Many people can’t get passed this because they can’t visualize how to do it differently or better. They add it to their list of personal to-dos that is already too long – the list that somehow never gets shorter.

When they are willing and able to step outside of believing that they must personally solve this problem and engage the services of a coach or mentor, things can and do change. The mere activity of sharing and discussing business challenges is often all that’s needed as a catalyst for significant change.

When that coach or mentor helps keep the business owner or professional focused and on track, things invariably take a turn for the better.

It all comes back to willingness on the part of the business owner or professional to change. If you can say, “I’m willing to change” (or even “I think I’m willing to change”) you can change.

© 2007 Gil Effron

Fiction v. Non-Fiction

In the world of book publishing and printing, books fall into one of two categories: fiction or non-fiction.

It seems logical enough.

But, after all this time, I felt the need to stand up and question the choice of words.

Fiction means “not true, a made-up story.” I understand that.

And non-fiction means “a true or real story.”

So my question is, if fiction is untrue, why isn’t the other category simply called “Truth?”

The librarian would say, "Oh, you can find that in the 'truth' section under 'politics.'"

Okay. Now I get it!

(Just for fun.)

On Adopting A Culture Of Accountability

A powerful and effective accountability process helps your team and its members eliminate finger pointing, tear down organizational silos, learn to ask better questions, and accomplish more.

It helps people make better choices within the moment… and better choices that result in a better attitude among team members.

The ultimate payoff is better, more consistent performance by each and every team member individually… and the entire team as a whole.

“Life before accountability” places the blame onto someone or something else. You can identify this toxic business culture by the types of questions you hear… with many team members prone to asking questions such as:

1. When is somebody going to train me?
2. When is someone going to tell us what’s going on?
3. When are they going to do their job right?
4. Who dropped the ball this time?
5. Who’s going to solve the problem?
6. Why are we the last to know?
7. How do they expect me to do my job if so-and-so doesn’t do his first?

As your team becomes “accountability dependent…” and a culture of accountability begins to emerge… they change their mindset from negative to positive. You start to hear questions that begin with “what” or “how…” and that contain a positive “I” combined with a focus on action.

As a result, questions such as these become part of your organization’s corporate culture:

• How can I help?
• What could I do to make a difference?
• What choices do I have right now?
• What’s best for the company?
• What’s the ROI?

When we––as managers or team members––ask better questions (such as the five just mentioned) we get better answers… and we definitely get better results!

In the process, we enhance our emotional energy… and the emotional energy of those around us.

Asking better questions helps your organization to eliminate blame, complaining, and procrastination… thus allowing your team to grow––and leading the way to a corporate culture that gets the job done… on time… and well!

Here, then, are the 10 bottom-line payoffs you can expect when you introduce an effective accountability process into your business:

1. Adaptability, receptivity, and willingness to change
2. An atmosphere that fosters creative thinking and decision making
3. Boosting morale
4. Building effective and productive teams
5. Developing people power
6. Enhancing communication
7. Increasing problem solving abilities
8. Increasing productivity
9. Retaining good, better, and best employees
10. Tearing down and eliminating organizational roadblocks and silos that previously brought your organization to a standstill

CONCLUSION: As a business owner, implementing a formal accountability action plan and process is critical to your success… and to your ability to run your business like a business… and not a kindergarten in which you become the baby-sitter-in-chief. When you develop a culture of accountability that integrates with an easy-to-master, easy-to-use accountability process, you stop being the baby-sitter. At the same time, you watch your business grow and prosper.

No two situations are the same. If you’d like some tips and specific ideas on how you can integrate a culture of true accountability into your day-to-day business and personal lives, send an email to gil@strategiesforgrowth.net… or call me.

© 2007 Gil Effron

"What'd He Say?"

Ever stop to notice sometimes how difficult it is to know exactly what the other person is talking about?

The reason is simple: Communication doesn’t take place on the sending, writing, or speaking side. It occurs almost exclusively on the reading and listening side.

You can write and chatter all you want in the clearest language you know. But no matter how clear it is to you, if it sounds like a foreign language to your reader, you are not communicating.

When it comes to marketing, the people you talk to sometimes know more than you do about what you are selling. Other times, your readers have only a rudimentary understanding of the product. Since you may never know the level of your clients’ expertise, I recommend that you incorporate basic summaries and overviews in your copy that anyone can understand.

Marketing words need to find a happy medium between speaking to experienced buyers and communicating with prospects who know almost nothing about you — except that they might consider doing business with you, or at least learn more about you and your product, if they understood what you can do for them.

The goal is clarity. Avoid long sentences, big words (unless they are essential), and jargon. When you use easy-to-follow headlines and subheads… and recap your text in short and frequent summary blocks… clarity and understanding mushrooms.

Keep in mind that unless your readers understand your entire message, the tedious hours of selecting just the right words could go to waste.

Please feel free to contact me directly for additional strategies to increase the precision and effectiveness of your messages.

Do You Measure Up?

Running a business is a skill... separate from everything you think you know about your business.

And many talented people fail to achieve the bigger rewards in business because they don't realize the importance of this skill.

After all, simply because you are good at a particular technical skill –– creating software, building bridges, making donuts, and so on –– doesn’t necessarily guarantee your success in running a business in the real world.

But here’s a quick self-scoring test that will help you see where you are… and how you measure up.

First, take out a piece of paper. Then, make a list down the left-hand side that includes all aspects or departments of your business. Your list may include marketing, sales, employee motivation, finance, bookkeeping, shipping, receiving, and operations. The list can go on and on… and it will be different from one industry to the next.

Then, in a second column, put a plus (+) next to each item that you’re truly very good at. And put a minus (-) next to those activities that you really wished you didn’t have to deal with personally.

Second, think about this: If you started your business with a technical skill, there is a good chance that you can be successful and take a company through the early stages.

However, unless you have a strong business background –– coupled with experience, training, and a formal education in business — you may want to consider hiring someone that can take your business to the next level.

Even if that means hiring a president or a general manager and taking less income out of the business for a period of time, your business could have a higher value once you have completed that process.

Third, analyze your “business bus!” Let me explain. The example I use most often is for business owners to think about their company as a bus –– a city bus or a school bus, it doesn’t matter.

The key is that you want to put the right people on the bus in the first place… and then you want to put those people into the right seats.

When you do –– when you put the right people on your bus and put them into the right seats –– your company will be very successful. When you don’t, your bus could be heading for disaster: a course that takes you in the wrong direction and that ends in a dead-end.

A Vision Checklist

Most business owners know about goals and objectives. But they don’t understand the concept of a “vision.”

Here’s the difference: A personal vision is what the owner of a business sees in the crystal ball in 5, 10, or 15 years… such as being retired, living on a yacht, or working only two days a week. A goal is something that you do or accomplish in order to get to that vision.

To be a viable vision, that vision must be realistic… and it must come from the passion that the owner has both personally and about the business.

Now the problem is that the consequences of a business owner NOT having both a personal vision and a business vision can be disastrous... and could sentence the business owner to a life that becomes far more demanding on the one hand… and much less rewarding on the other!

So you have to know where you are… and where you want to be. This, of course, is your vision both personally and professionally (from a business standpoint). And the absence of knowing is the GAP that you hear me talk about all the time.

Now, the key is that having a personal vision is essential for the success of a business vision. The reason is that if the two visions don’t match, one of two things can occur:

First, either the business vision will fail, because it doesn’t match your personal vision. Or, second, if the business vision is successful, as a business owner, you will be miserable if it doesn’t match your personal vision. As a result, the business vision has to complement the personal vision.

The key is that what you want to do is to develop “big picture” goals to get you from where you are today to the vision that you have for yourself and your business 5 to 10 years out.

Once you see the vision… and get your hands on that vision… you can develop those goals by developing specific strategies to achieve each of those goals that supports your vision.

You’ll also want to develop specific action plans… and steps… for each strategy, so that you know who has the responsibility to do what… and when they are supposed to be completed. So, critical to this is to include timelines and responsibilities.

Then, because this is not a one-time activity that you implement and then forget about, you need to review this every year.

Escaping Our Past

They say we can never escape our past.

When people ask, “Gil, what did you do before you got into business coaching?” (…and they invariably do), I say, “Marketing… specifically lead generation.”

Their ears pop up and they want to know more. With good reason, too, because every business needs lead generation. But most ordinary lead-generating approaches are dull. They don’t do the job… as evidenced by the lack of response or the poor-quality leads they produce (or don’t produce).

Then they ask, “What kind of lead generation?”

I answer that I specialize on working with and helping businesses that have special needs when it comes to prospecting. These are businesses that face lengthy and complex sales cycles… have hefty price tags or expenditures associated with the products or services they deliver… live in a highly competitive marketplace… and sell products or services that traditionally require a relationship.

One thing leads to another and they say, “Would you have time to talk to us about our situation?”

To which I say, “Of course. I always have time to talk lead generation.”

Suffering In Silence

Many business owners spend the majority of their lives suffering in silence.

They have no one to talk to.

Their spouse has heard the same tale of woe too many times.

Their close friends change the subject when any conversation about business comes up.

His employees tell him exactly what they think he wants to hear.

Their accountant talks about the numbers from last month or last quarter but doesn't really think about the business beyond the numbers.

Their family dog looks up with his sympathetic puppy dog eyes but isn't really listening and has nothing to add.

In other words, they’re all alone!

They’re working hard. And painfully they’re trying to figure out why the reality of their business and personal lives doesn’t match the perfect picture they once painted for themselves –– when they first went into business.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall…”

It’s not just being able to say what’s on their mind. It has to do with getting answers, advice, guidance, feedback… and questions posed to them that help them navigate the challenges and opportunities in front of them.

Now if that doesn’t sound like the perfect spot for the business coach to enter stage left followed by a marching band, I don’t know what is.

If you’re not currently working with a qualified, certified business coach, I strongly recommend you give it a try… for at least three sessions. (Five is better.)

Seek out a coach where you feel there’s a good and comfortable fit. And by all means, find a coach who knows the power of accountability.

Committees And Accountability

It's best not to hold committees, groups, or two or more people accountable for making things happen.

The reason is that committees can become “he said, she said” when it comes to taking responsibility. No one really knows who's supposed to do what.

However, when one key person has the responsibility and is accountable, you know who to praise… and who to blame. The key is to make sure one person -- or one champion -- is responsible and accountable for each key assignment… and make sure everyone else knows who that is.

This doesn't mean that the person who is accountable works alone or does everything personally. They can turn to their committee, team, or group provide support to the task at hand... and apply the same philosophy as it pertains to responsibility and accountability. They make individuals within their team accountable for specific subtasks.

Stop Being A Friend

A leader can’t be everyone’s buddy. A strategic business operator can’t be popular. After all, this isn’t high school.

Yet too many business owners try to be liked instead of respected. Let's face it. Holding people accountable can appear confrontational at times. As a result, many owners avoid tension, conflict, and ongoing performance reviews. But such avoidance is dangerous to your business and the growth and development of your people.

As a leader, you need to be respected, not necessarily liked. Above all else, you are their boss and a challenging coach that demands the best of each player.

I kept my fingers crossed as I watched Jeff C. (owner of a printing company), fret over firing a longtime employee. Jeff held parties, picnics, Christmas gatherings, and Easter egg hunts at his home. Everyone in the company was chummy –– one big happy family. There was no professional distance between Jeff and his employees.

When the firing of that longtime employee finally occurred, the company (the other team members) went into a state of depression… more like mourning. It was as though someone in the family had passed on.

The moral of the story is that you can’t be chummy. You don’t have to be mean or distant. You just need to be the leader!

Takes Longer; Costs More

When it comes to business, some people are lucky. Like magic their idea… their business model… their plan work clockwork. Overnight, they’re off and running... all the way to the bank!

For most of us, however, there seems to be a natural law that pushes us in the opposite direction. It goes like this:

Everything takes longer and costs more

than you ever plan for... or think it will.

When we’re in a planning mode, things are extremely clear in our thoughts. We want to see everything working just as planned. And while we may think about contingencies, human nature compels us to focus on a perfect, ideal, and harmonious outcome.

But when the time comes to launch, the reality doesn’t match the perfect plan. Things that should work don’t. Things that we didn’t even think about are now biting us in the you-know-what and bringing about an entirely different result.

I contend that it’s impossible to plan so precisely as to avoid negatives contingencies.

And it’s particularly hard to plan when you’re the only one sitting in those planning sessions.

Planning is best when it’s a team sport. Put people on the team who think differently than you. If you’re a driver personality, grab an analytical and put them on the team. Let them all express themselves.

And then find some people on the outside that you trust to challenge your plan while it’s still on paper. Encourage them to point out pitfalls they see… to tell the truth… to ask why… and to point out alternatives that they see.

Remember, don’t sell them on your plan. This is a time of listening and learning. Let them shoot holes… encourage them to rip it apart... insist on honesty.

In all practicality, you can’t and won’t take all the advice. Pick and choose. Then go back to your plan, refine it, and get on with it!

P.S. Professional coaches with business and marketing backgrounds can be extremely helpful in this regard. Put one in the planning session… just for the fun of it!

Give Up Low Value Tasks

If you truly buy into your role as CEO, be willing to give up the urgent, less important, low-value tasks you routinely handle.

Realize that 80% of your results come from 20% of your talents and activities. Delegate the 80% of your activities that produce only 20% of your results. Stop doing the wrong kind of work.

CEOs should think, lead, and delegate –– not handle trivial matters. Your job, as CEO, is to design/redesign the business… to make it grow. Your manager’s main job is to improve the business. And your employees’ various jobs are to operate the business.

Here are a few more reminders:

• Don’t major in minor things! Don’t let yourself be distracted by irrelevant, insignificant “stuff.”
• Don’t let the urgent control your life. Put your cell phone/pager away more often. Don’t be a slave to email. Check it once a day... not all day long.
• Instead of creating to-do lists, start creating not-to-do lists for yourself. Let go of small things. Eliminate or delegate the 80% of your activities that produce so little impact for your business. Share these not-to-do lists with your team. Put them on notice that you are getting out of the daily detail (usually their areas of responsibility) in order to influence the big picture.
• Quit trying to manage details and start managing your people. Guide their focus and priorities. But let them do the work.