Tag Archives: effectiveness
And your point is?
When was the last time you emerged from a deep well of intense online research – you know, where you click one link, which leads to another, which leads to another, ad infinitum – only to wonder, “What the hell … Continue reading
Monkey bread. It’s not just for breakfast anymore.
If you’ve ever fallen victim to the lure of monkey bread, you know how dangerous it is. Not only is the flavor delicious (think sugar, cinnamon, and/or honey), but it’s made of small, snarfable pieces of individual fabulousness, expressly designed … Continue reading
How trimming belly fat can promote business growth
Of course there’s no physical connection between a smaller stomach and a heftier bottom line. There is, however, a powerful mental connection you can take advantage of whenever you choose. And that connection is simply using your success in one … Continue reading
To succeed, you’ve gotta keep movin’ on.
Last week I shared a few basic principles used by all successful improvisational comics. And there’s more where that came from. Here are three more comedy rules you can apply in the serious world of business. Make “actional” choices. In … Continue reading
Business success IS a laughing matter.
If you’re serious about your business, you can learn a lot from improvisational comedy. Several years ago I took improv classes at Stevie Ray’s School of Improv in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I went in to my first one feeling very confident. … Continue reading
“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful” – or can it?
Actress Mae West is credited with this sly observation. While it’s worth a good laugh, I have to ask myself: Is it true? I recently spoke to an acquaintance, Rodney, about email marketing. I mentioned how I’ve chosen to get … Continue reading
Mistakes are our friends! (Gag.)
Last week I mentioned a YouTuber who did an entire video on the value of making mistakes. As I said then, I’m pretty sure he intended this message for me. All of us, if we’re honest, acknowledge that we’ve learned … Continue reading
Where is it, where is it…?
I’ve come to completely believe that you generally find what you look for and, as a result, you generally get what you expect to get. This perspective is incredibly powerful, because it puts control of your experiences in your hands … Continue reading
Are you the “ass” in “assume”?
Yes, I realize the old saying is “to assume makes an ass of U and me,” but, frankly, I tend to be more concerned about my own role in that type of situation. That’s because I know from painful … Continue reading
What are you doing to take care of your most important client?
What do you think of when you hear the phrase “my number-one client”? a specific name? how much revenue they bring in? the number of referrals they send your way? the amount of resources you’re willing to devote to them? … Continue reading
Are you consistently inconsistent?
A friend of mine recently called to tell me he hadn’t been getting my weekly blog posts, and he wanted to check and make sure he was still on my mailing list. He said he was bummed to miss out … Continue reading
Do your habits chain you to failure or slingshot you to success?
“Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.” Hmmm…… This Spanish proverb highlights a key attribute of habits: They’re a very sharp, double-edged sword. Good habits make life run smoothly, easily, and effectively. Bad ones effortlessly screw you up. So … Continue reading
What are you choosing in this moment?
I’ve been feeling a bit blah for a few days. Nothing’s been going particularly badly; it just feels like nothing’s been going particularly great, either. In response to people’s greetings of “How are you today?”, I’ve been coming back … Continue reading
Why NOW is the right time to take action
It doesn’t matter whether you’re considering a change in your professional or personal life; now is the right time to act on your idea. Does “act on” mean “implement immediately”? Maybe. Maybe not. What it does mean is “stop … Continue reading
Say it like you mean it.
For as much time as the typical entrepreneur spends on refining the words of her marketing messages, I wonder if she puts the same care into how she says those words when she’s interacting with people face to face. … Continue reading
Communicating or talking at – what’s your default?
I imagine every one of us has, at some point, been on the receiving end of a monologue disguised as a conversation. You know how it goes: The other person appears to have overcome the need for oxygen … Continue reading
Do the stories you tell help or hinder?
Stories can celebrate or denigrate; fuel progress or impede it; make you feel on top of the world or at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. The good news is two-fold. One, you can always, always, choose which stories … Continue reading
Are you still using positive thinking as a tool for growth? Then think again.
When The Secret came out about 10 years ago, it was a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it introduced a lot of people to the concept that you’re truly more powerful than perhaps you ever gave yourself credit … Continue reading
When what you see is not what’s there
This is one of my favorite snarky T-shirts. Unfortunately, most of us have probably declared this at some point (mentally, anyway), and I’ll bet the results were not pretty. Any smart entrepreneur knows: You don’t create a new product or … Continue reading
How to detox your business from 3 deadly P’s
Last week I addressed the danger in falling prey to three toxic business behaviors: perfectionism, (over)planning, and procrastination. But it’s not enough to be aware of them; you have to take action against them if you want your business … Continue reading
Dogs as business instructors. Who knew?
I recently puppy-sat for my sister’s dogs. Two of them. For a week. Added to my own dog, this means I was outnumbered three to one. Emma (the little blond) had to be watched every moment she’s outside, … Continue reading
When life interferes with business: 3 lessons learned
Have you ever felt like you’ve been staggering along under a huge burden? You know, the kind of weight that leaves you feeling bereft of energy, creativity, and joy? Been there, done that, got a whole bunch of … Continue reading
Courage, change, and choice: the power of possibilities
Whether you’re one of the Americans sharing congratulatory fist bumps with other Trump supporters, one of the ones walking around in a shell-shocked daze of disbelief and fear, or one of the other billions in the world, you know changes … Continue reading
Are you doing things for the first time EVERY time?
All of us have experienced hundreds of “firsts” in our lives: first day of school, first kiss, first car, first job…Many of these firsts are powerful rites of passage, and so worth celebrating. But, if you’re like a lot of … Continue reading
How to start, conduct, and end a prospecting call with grace and ease
If you connect with prospects face to face (or ear to ear, in the case of phone meetings), you know it’s exciting to personally interact with a potential new client. If you’re smart, you also know that not every … Continue reading
Can’t keep up? Three simple questions to streamline your decision-making
A client came to me with a marketing problem: She had two completely separate mailing lists aimed at different target markets, and she couldn’t decide which of the two should be the focus of her future marketing efforts. A … Continue reading
Don’t mess with the Mouse: What Mickey can tell you about playing your way to wealth
As I look forward to attending a conference in central Florida, I realize that the host city’s name is practically synonymous with one of the most recognizable faces in the world: Orlando = Walt Disney World = Mickey Mouse. … Continue reading
And don’t do THESE things when speaking to a group, either!
You might think that the eight speaking screw-ups I addressed last week are more than enough to ruin any presentation, and they are. However, there’s more where that came from. Here are five more things never to inflict on a … Continue reading
Don’t do these eight things when speaking to a group
You, like many entrepreneurs, may have found that one of your most effective marketing tools is a speaking engagement in front of your ideal prospects. Speaking gigs provide the prospects a chance to see you in action, sample your expertise, … Continue reading
5 ways to get out of a creativity slump
You know the feeling. You have a blog post to write, a webinar to create, a talk to develop and present…and you feel about as creative as a dried-up old crust of bread. When this happens, there are two results … Continue reading
And don’t do THESE 3 things to prospects, either. Just. Don’t.
Last week I addressed five things you should never do to a prospect. Here’s a quick recap of how I packed a single prospect call with a bunch of lessons on what not to do. took a call from … Continue reading
Never do these 5 things to a prospect.
I’m still embarrassed by this old mistake. I’d met a woman at a class I was teaching, and a few weeks after the class finished, she called me out of the blue. She said she thought she might want … Continue reading
3 ways to take advantage of those annoying people
You know who they are: the walking human ivy all around you whose sole purpose in life seems to be irritating you. Prospects, clients, vendors, collaborators, friends, neighbors, family members…any and all may fall into this category. Since you … Continue reading
5 signs you may be majoring in the minors and minoring in the majors
You’ve identified THE major conference in your field – you know, the one where all the heavy hitters show up. You know it will be packed with your ideal prospects. You’ve downloaded the submission guidelines for prospective speakers. You know … Continue reading
Save your sanity in 5 minutes a day
Creativity is one of the hallmarks of entrepreneurs. Usually this is a very good thing; after all, many successful businesses have been built by those who had the vision to see an unmet need and the creativity to develop … Continue reading
What’s your default: dither or do?
You’ve probably known a champion ditherer. He makes up his mind, then changes it, then changes it again, then reconsiders, then goes off in a different direction…until you want to just give him a good shake, and say, “Decide, … Continue reading
Killing the killers
Last week I spoke about productivity killers. In my opinion, all of them are subtle, insidious, and a general pain in the ass. The good news is that there are specific action steps you can take to do away … Continue reading
Who are you kidding?
“Productivity: the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services.” You’d probably agree with Dictionary.com’s definition of productivity in general terms. But what does productivity look like when applied to … Continue reading
Are you still waiting to get lucky? Knock it off!
A couple of weeks ago we began exploring what makes for “lucky” entrepreneurs. It’s time to finish the job by delving into other characteristics that make people look lucky when what they really are is focused, committed, and courageous. … Continue reading
Do you share these traits with the world’s luckiest entrepreneurs?
According to Dictionary.com, luck is defined as “good fortune; advantage or success, considered as the result of chance; a combination of circumstances, events, etc., operating by chance to bring good or ill to a person”, while lucky is defined … Continue reading
Think an entrepreneur can’t learn from a master harpist? Think again.
You’ve heard it time and again: Successful people have a whole spectrum of skills in common. One of those skills is an ability and willingness to learn from anyone who has good ideas – not just experts in their … Continue reading
3 steps to ratcheting your way to success
Even though I’m one of the less handy people on the planet, I do love ratchets. They make that neat clicky noise when you use them, and life is so much easier when you’ve got one handy to tighten or … Continue reading
Have you been suckered by the LOA?
The first month of the new year is already half over. How’s it going for you so far? January is typically a time for planning and setting goals, and a lot of people are probably relying on the Law Of … Continue reading
Three strategies for starting a business that’s guaranteed to fail
In the United States, Thanksgiving is a time for acknowledging and celebrating all the good that’s come our way in the last year. Many of us can find a lot to be grateful for, even if we still have … Continue reading
Do you buy into the myth of multi-tasking?
Do you pride yourself on your ability to multi-task? Maybe it’s time to remember the old saying that “pride goeth before a fall.” I found it rather fascinating that, in two different online dictionaries, “multi-tasking” is defined primarily in … Continue reading
Is damage control ruining your business?
There you are, minding your own business, when all of a sudden something blows up in your face: Your hard drive crashes, despite your anti-virus protection; your usually reliable shipping company goes on strike, leaving customers without the products … Continue reading
Fears, desires, wants, needs – what does your marketing appeal to?
You need only spend a short time listening to radio or television or viewing Internet retail sites to encounter a whole slew of techniques whose goal is to motivate you to take some particular action. As an entrepreneur, you … Continue reading
Caught any trespassers lately?
Last week we explored two different types of boundaries: those which are so porous they fail to keep out things which ought to be kept out, and those which are so rigid they fail to let in things which … Continue reading
Sand or stone: Where do you draw the line?
A boundary, as defined by Dictionary.com, is “something that indicates bounds or limits.” While some people may choose to view boundaries as something that can restrict their progress, other – perhaps wiser – people view boundaries as something to … Continue reading
The seduction of possibilities
So when was the last time you were seduced? No, no, no – not by that stunning neighbor, but by those intriguing business possibilities that you come across? Let’s face it: There’s no shortage of business-building options out there. … Continue reading
Isn’t it time to declare your independence?
Soon, those of us in the United States will be celebrating Independence Day, a holiday we normally associate with a political event back in 1776. However, you don’t have to be creating a whole new nation to declare an … Continue reading
Yes? No? You’d better know what choice is right for you.
Whether you use a clarity-through-contrast exercise or some other method to identify and acknowledge your strengths, presumably you now know just what you have to offer clients. But that’s not enough; you also need to clearly convey that message … Continue reading
Nurture what’s working, weed out what’s not.
Most of us in the northern hemisphere are finally celebrating the arrival of spring. Plants are popping up, trees are budding, grass is greening – and we don’t have to do a thing to make it happen! But that’s … Continue reading
You deserve the best. Are you getting it?
I doubt there’s an entrepreneur alive who hasn’t gone through the stage where she defines “my ideal client” as “anyone who’s able to pay me.” And who could blame her? Money is helpful in so many ways: buying groceries, … Continue reading
Are your clients clueless?
I recently explored how developing clarity through contrast is a powerful way to super-charge your confidence, beef up your marketing messages, and stay sane. Have you gotten crystal clear on the real value you provide clients? Then here’s a … Continue reading
How to use confusion as a business-building tool
You probably view confusion pretty negatively. After all, what’s to like about “lack of understanding; uncertainty; the state of being bewildered or unclear in one’s mind about something”? The good news about confusion is that it’s both manageable and … Continue reading
The power of sacred selfishness
According to Dictionary.com, to be selfish is to be “devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one’s own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others; characterized by or manifesting concern or care only for oneself.” Sheesh. … Continue reading
Does faith or fear drive you?
Of all the things my parents told me as I was growing up, one phrase loomed large: “Be careful!!” I grew up thinking of the world as a scary and dangerous place, with many fearsome people, events, and activities … Continue reading
How well is your emotional GPS working?
I’ve come to the conclusion that the newfangled gadget called a Global Positioning System is actually magic. You tell it your destination and start the car, and it tells you where to go (in very polite terms) so you … Continue reading
Are you a supporter or a saboteur of your own success?
Many of the world’s great wisdom traditions emphasize the creative power of your beliefs and thoughts. You’re probably enjoying a successful life right now if you believe you can create the outcomes you want in life; if you habitually … Continue reading
Puny or powerful – what’s YOUR default setting?
Back in the old days, some comic book ads were directed toward the skinny “98-pound weakling”. This was a scrawny guy laughed at by girls and bullied by stronger guys until he took the advertiser’s magic product and developed … Continue reading
Do you have faith that it WON’T work out?
William Shakespeare once observed, “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.” In my opinion, this is only partly accurate, because we are directors of as well as actors in the production called “life.” … Continue reading
Are you scared or are you excited?
October is just around the corner, and many people are already looking forward to the end of the month − specifically, October 31st. Whether you’re talking about a kid eagerly anticipating Halloween costumes and candy, or a pagan planning … Continue reading
Emotional business building
One of my favorite sayings is, “Too much of anything is toxic.” In other words, no matter how useful or productive something may be—an attitude, a belief, a work habit, whatever—if you take it to extremes, it will begin … Continue reading
Belief-busting for a better business
Beliefs are like bones. You can’t see your bones, but they provide the structural framework for your entire body. Similarly, you can’t see your beliefs, but they provide the structure for the world you experience every single day. Your … Continue reading
Mind-reading made easy
You’ve gotta give a lot of parents “A” for “effort”, because they do their very best to keep their kids safe and free from emotional or physical harm. Unfortunately, some of us, as a result of our well-intentioned parents, … Continue reading
Should your nickname be Pollyanna or Eeyore?
Even if you’ve never read Eleanor Porter’s most famous book, Pollyanna, you probably know that the main character’s name has become synonymous with a sunny, almost relentlessly cheerful outlook on life. Similarly, if you’ve ever seen any books or … Continue reading
Is it an epic fail or just a mistake?
There are just two groups of people in the world: those who have experienced the fateful moment when you realize your great idea turned out to be not so great after all, and those who will experience the fateful … Continue reading
What makes YOU powerful?
I hope that, if you’ve been in the habit of thinking that power comes in only one form or is a Bad Thing, you’ve started to re-consider. That will enable you to think about just how you can use … Continue reading
Is “power” a four-letter word for you?
What do you picture when someone says the word “power”? Do you think of it in terms of physical strength? Great intelligence? Lots of money? Does “power” have very positive connotations for you, or do you … Continue reading
“So what?” as a growth strategy
At some point, every one of us has heard (or said) that challenging, often-snarky question: While many teenagers may view its primary goal as parental aggravation, savvy entrepreneurs know that this simple question represents a powerful strategy for … Continue reading
How to ditch time-wasting “coffee dates” once and for all
We’ve all felt the lure of that seductive question that seems to indicate a burning desire to know more about our fascinating business: Why don’t we get together over coffee? Such an unassuming little question. Such a seemingly great networking … Continue reading
How to launch that major project in 10 minutes or less
We’ve all had that deer-in-the-headlights feeling when faced with a huge project. When there’s so damn much to get done to create the product or service, it’s easy to feel paralyzed with indecision: Where in the world do you start?? … Continue reading
5 fool-proof ways to sound like a snake-oil salesman
One of the quickest ways to sabotage your success is to come across as a snake-oil salesman. You know just what I’m talking about: the person who has an oily, slimy manner to go with their oily, slimy product. Some … Continue reading
The top 5 lies about accountability
Accountability. It’s often mentioned but rarely practiced. When you’re held accountable for your actions, you are, according to Dictionary.com, “subject to the obligation to report, explain, or justify something; responsible; answerable.” Knowing you’re expected to report on your progress or … Continue reading
Are you into weeds or flowers?
Business development is a lot like gardening: If you don’t take consistent, intentional steps to create the results you want, you’ll have to settle for what you get. Whether you’re growing a business or growing a garden, you have two … Continue reading
The X-Men Guide to business development
The X-Men: Days of Future Past tells the story of how Wolverine, one of the Good Guys, is sent back in time in an effort to prevent an event that would result in the destruction of both mutants and humans. … Continue reading
Here there be dragons…
Centuries ago, when map-makers reached the end of the world as they knew it, they would label the yet-to-be-explored areas with an ominous phrase: Here there be dragons. The word seems to be code for many seemingly negative things: danger, … Continue reading
Better a potty mouth than a potty mind
Few clients or strategic allies would find use of obscenities an acceptable business practice, so most of us make sure to avoid inflicting a “potty mouth” on our important stakeholders. However, as awkward and unprofessional as it would be to … Continue reading
How to use your failures to make your prospects trust and adore you
We’ve all heard speakers talk about their successes: the multiple businesses they started and sold for millions of dollars; the everyday mansion and the one they use on vacation; the lovely, loving family. Good stuff. But the experts we can … Continue reading
Are you dooming yourself by playing the comparison game?
The noun “compare” derives from the Latin roots com, meaning “with,” and pare, meaning “equal.” This would lead you to believe that comparing two people (or activities or achievements) involves looking at equals. Yeah, right. The reality of comparisons is … Continue reading
Curiosity may kill the cat, but it can save YOUR butt.
Curiosity is a great business-development tool, despite how folk wisdom blames it for a lot of feline deaths. Why is this? Because curiosity will: create a can-do mindset that enables you to assume there is a solution to any obstacle, … Continue reading
Are you playing to win or playing not to lose?
Successful entrepreneurs know there’s a big difference between playing to win and playing not to lose. I reluctantly admit that in years past I became quite familiar with what playing not to lose looks like. Fortunately, those experiences now serve … Continue reading
The advanced class: Speaking for six-year-olds, Part II
If you read last Thursday’s post, you know that I encouraged you to take the time and effort to craft such a powerful, easy-to-understand marketing message that even a six-year-old would have a good idea of the work you do. … Continue reading
How to become fluent in six-year-old-ese, Part I
After reading last Thursday’s post, which posed the question, “Are your prospects as smart as a six-year-old?,” maybe you’ve started to fret over whether you’re talking to your ideal prospects in a way that’s easy to understand. If you’re not … Continue reading
Are your prospects as smart as a six-year-old?
K.I.S.S. Regardless of whether you prefer the snarky version of this acronym or the kinder, gentler version, the gist of it is the same: Keep it simple. This advice is invaluable in a whole slew of situations, both personal and … Continue reading
Who would you rather make nice with – a person or a spider?
As far as I’m concerned, spiders are kind of creepy, whether you’re talking about a tiny beast a quarter inch across or a tarantula as big as a dinner plate. However, if you want to succeed in business today, even if … Continue reading
How simple counting can alert you to a fatal marketing flaw
I can’t even remember the first time I heard about “the radio station that everyone is tuned into: WII-FM.” The reason we all tune in, as you probably know, is that the “call letters” stand for “What’s In It For … Continue reading
Warning: Bright shiny objects ahead!
Most entrepreneurs are creative and curious, and those are admirable, useful qualities. Unfortunately, too much of anything is toxic. This means that, if you take those qualities to an extreme, you’ll be poised to fall prey to Shiny Object Syndrome. … Continue reading
The minimalist guide to creating an action plan that works
Yeah, yeah, yeah—we’ve heard it ad nauseam: If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. But here’s the question: What if you’re having trouble planning? What if the very process of creating an action plan feels so overwhelming that … Continue reading
How to make your planner your friend
Despite a recent mini-rant about how “productivity-enhancing” tools and technology can actually decrease your productivity, I do acknowledge that certain tools, used properly, can be an enormous amount in growing your business. A case in point is whatever you use … Continue reading
The Hamster-Wheel School of productivity
You’ve probably seen cute little hamsters running on their wheels. They look so darn adorable, don’t they? Furry, cuddly, goofy looking as they go in endless circles, working so hard to get nowhere. Do you ever have a sneaking suspicion … Continue reading
How to take action even though you’re a perfectionist
Perfectionism. It’s a chain I dragged behind me for many years. I hear many people admit to being perfectionists as if it were a badge of honor. However, I’ve come to believe that, in reality, perfectionism is just an excuse … Continue reading
How time-saving tools gamble with your productivity
Remember back in the good ol’ days when the advent of the computer lead to pipe dreams about the “paperless office”? Me, too. That’s just one of the more amusing examples of how technology was supposed to improve our productivity, … Continue reading
How to use love and an attitude of service as powerful business-development tools
Think of the last time you had a major problem you needed help with. It doesn’t have to be work related. It could be a problem like the one we faced recently, when our furnace quit working the night the … Continue reading
Authentic networking trumps “working the room” every time .
Did you see Ghostbusters back in the ‘80s? One of my favorite lines in that movie comes in the scene where Bill Murray’s character has just had a very close encounter with a gooey green ghost. When one of his … Continue reading
Use this powerful tactic to bore, scare, and confuse your prospects.
While some entrepreneurs are naturally talented at scaring away tasty prospects, you may be one of those who needs some help at keeping the hordes away. Fortunately, there’s a single tactic you can use immediately to ensure that you’ve got … Continue reading
The politician’s guide to honest, authentic, and effective communication
Quick—what pops to mind when you hear the word “politician”? While there are certainly exceptions to every rule, I’ll bet money that you came up with at least one or two of the following (or similar) phrases: snake-oil salesman … Continue reading
Keepin’ the faith: three steps to staying energized and motivated
Instant gratification. It’s hard not to expect it. Have a tough question you need answered? Instead of going to a library to search through books, you can use Google to research it and get back millions of hits in a … Continue reading
Five strategies to grow yourself big and bold
If you read last Thursday’s post, you noticed it was just a bit on the gloom-and-doom side. That’s because I pointed out some ways that even talented entrepreneurs can sabotage their own success. I realize that, if you’re like many … Continue reading
