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Failing To Fail

I was talking to a business associate yesterday who is doing webinars to promote his business and has been having some success. After about three months of doing them, he decided to start emailing a reminder one hour prior to the event to everyone on his list. When he started doing this, his attendance rate went up significantly. He had no idea if this one small change in how he was doing business would provide any real benefit but it proved to be a great idea.

Another friend of mine is always trying to find new ways to increase his sales and to promote his services. He has a small operation that does a solid seven figures every year. Most people only see his success and don not see the many failures of marketing campaigns and ideas that did not work. He actually has a bulletin board on his wall with failed direct mail campaigns and failed ideas. He likes to say he fails more than anyone he knows. But by failing more, he finds more things that do work and is in the top 1% of wage earners in the country.

Whether you are talking about a new career, a new business, or marketing an existing business, it is all about testing to see what works. Just do something different if you want a change in your life, your career, or your business. I see business owners getting into routines that are not productive and not generating income for their business, and they choose to stay there because they are comfortable. My recommendation is to get comfortable being uncomfortable. If you have never failed at anything, then you have probably never done anything of any real significance. Increase your rate of failure if you want to increase your chances of success.

Here are a few tips to help you try new things in your business and in your life:

1. Do not be afraid of failure. Embrace it as part of the learning process. Most things we fear or worry about never happen anyway.

2. Know your brand. Know what and who you are at the core. Know your values, strengths, abilities, etc.

3. Do your research. When you do your due diligence, it will boost your confidence because your knowledge increases. You will have the tools and resources you need to make good decisions.

4. Get involved in social networks like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Use these networks to find out what other people are doing and what is working for them.

5. Always be testing and finding what works in your business and in your life.

Make small changes in your business and in your life to see what happens. After a few failures, you may find success like you never dreamed possible.

What Are You Crying About?

I recently saw several segments on different news programs about the crying wife. Go to YouTube and do a search on the crying wife and you will find numerous video clips of her crying after watching different movies. If this piques your interest, you can go to www.cryingwife.com to learn more about her and her family. If you go to the website, you will also find a bio explaining how all this happened and why her significant other took it upon himself to start videotaping her. Cute … but really, who cares?

Here is my point. On their website, you will find her “story”. By reading the bio and other parts of the website and watching the YouTube videos, you get to know something about her and her family. By using technology, they piqued the interest of several news media outlets and got the attention of hundreds of thousands of viewers on the internet by telling their story.

Are you doing this in your business? Are you letting your target audience get to know you through online media such as YouTube, your website, Facebook, and your other social networks? Are you telling your story in the most effective way possible and making an emotional connection with your audience? This is like word-of-mouth advertising on steroids.

Creating a good story is one of the best things you can do for yourself and for your business. You must have a great story if you want to create a strong, compelling brand.

Here are a five tips for creating your story:

1. Let them know why you are doing what you are doing. Why did you choose the business you are in? Give your audience a little background information.

2. Shoot for total transparency. Don’t try to be so “professional”. Be honest and be authentic.

3. Communicate what differentiates you from everyone else in your field.

4. Make sure you communicate the unique value you bring to the marketplace.

5. Be consistent with your story. Make sure the bio you have on your website matches your information on all your social networks. Consistency sells.

Always be looking for ways to improve on your story. As your life and your business evolves, let people know about this. Keep your story up-to-date. Most people are interested in this type information if they are going to do business with you. This is your opportunity to start building the know, like, and trust factor before you have your first one-on-one meeting with a potential client.

Beware The Time Wasters

Are you making the most of your time on any given day? It is more important now than ever before to be productive in everything you do. Many people have been downsized from their companies and are wondering what to do next. Others are starting small businesses and not sure what to do first.

People spend time in front of their computer thinking they are being productive while reading email, managing their online social networks, taking care of their finances, or chatting with friends. Although some of this time can be considered productive time, it may not be the best use of their time. I searched the web for time wasters and actually found pages of websites dedicated to how you can waste even more time. As if we don't already have enough time-wasters already in place.

Here are three common time-wasters:

1. Attending networking events that produce no real leads. There is nothing wrong with socializing when the opportunity arises, but don't fool yourself into thinking that just because you are attending a networking function that you are being productive and moving your business forward. Consider the time it takes to drive to and from the event and the time spent at the event. You may be consuming several hours. I am a firm believer in building relationships and developing the know, like, trust factor, but you can reach a point of diminishing returns after a few months of participation in these networking events with no results.

2. Spending too much time with online social networks and other technology. This is another area where people mistakenly think they are being productive. This is a very important strategy for your business, but should you really be doing it during the day or spending late hours at night working on them?

3. Having coffee or lunch with "potential" clients. Set a time limit for yourself for every meeting. Try to make appointments during your downtime -- early morning, lunch, or late evening. Make sure you have a purpose or goal for the meeting. Learn to "qualify" people quickly so you know if you want to pursue this business relationship.

Are you doing things during the day that you could do later in the evening? Would your daytime hours be better spent making sales calls or attending productive networking events or spending time with qualified prospects?

So, what is the solution? How can you avoid wasting your valuable time?

Here are three tips to help you make better use of your time:

1. Use time blocking to get everything done. This is simply blocking out a specific amount of time to work on a task. For example - spend 1 hour at a networking event, 3 hours on sales calls, 30 minutes following up with prospects and clients.

2. Keep track of your time for one week. Write down every hour of the day and everything you do in your business that day. At the end of the week, review what you have written and look for ways to rearrange your schedule and to be more productive.

3. Every day ask yourself this question - Is what I am doing today moving me closer to my ultimate goal and generating revenue for my business? This one question can make a huge difference in your business and in your life.

Time really is money. You must learn to differentiate between tasks that are making you money and tasks that are not making you money. Make sure you are investing your time in the appropriate strategies and tasks that will help you reach your personal and business goals. Find the time-wasters and get rid of them. Evaluate every day to see what you can do better. In a nutshell, just be more aware of how you are spending your time.

Let me know what you consider to be your biggest time-waster.

Happy New Year!

In just a few short weeks, another year will begin. It’s time to start thinking about those New Year’s resolutions. Do any of these resolutions sound familiar? “I will lose weight.” “I will exercise more.” “I will save more money.” “I will leave this dead end job and start my own business.” “I will look for more opportunities to volunteer for worthy causes.”

Here is my New Year’s resolution. I will not make New Year’s resolutions! Instead, I have a few specific, realistic, attainable, and measurable goals for my life and my business. These goals are set in several areas - financial, health, business, family/social, personal development, spiritual, and fun/recreation. Be aware of where you are currently in each of these areas and decide where you want to be in 30 days, one year, three years, and five years.

How can you improve your chances for success this year? Here are five tips that will help you end 2010 with a better business and a better life:

1. Set aside a few hours in the next three days and write down your goals. Just get it done. There is no other way to get the clarity and focus needed to reach your goals other than simply doing the work and putting in the time. Don’t procrastinate on this because you think you are not clear enough on what you want. It is important to be clear on what you want but it is more important to just get started. Remember your goals are not set in stone. They can change or be adjusted as your business and your life changes.

2. Writing down your goals will dramatically increase your chances of success. Write your goals on 3 x 5 index cards that you can keep on your desk within easy reach so you can review them every day first thing in the morning. For each goal, also write down the steps you must take to reach your goal. Write down any hurdles or challenges you may have to overcome to attain your goal.

3. Have a strong “why” for attaining your goal. Having a strong “why” will give you the determination and perseverance you will need to reach your goal in addition to giving you more focus. Ask yourself what drives you. What makes you get up in the morning? It is very important to determine your motivation for achieving a specific goal.

4. Don’t set yourself up for failure before you even get started. Make sure the goals you are setting are realistic and attainable. This is not to say you shouldn’t dream big but at the same time make sure this is something you will do and something you can do.

5. Set a specific and realistic date for accomplishing your goal. Without a specific date, it is highly unlikely you will ever reach your goal.

Is where you are now where you thought you would be at the beginning of this year? Will you end 2010 with regret because you didn’t accomplish what you set out to do at the beginning of the year or will you make the decision now to make a change? It’s time to start living your life on purpose. Write down your goals and start taking steps today to reach them. Align your goals with you core values, core beliefs, and passion. Visualize yourself at the end of 2010 with a feeling of success, accomplishment, and elation. Have fun, relax, and enjoy the journey.