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Coronavirus: Marketing your business in this uncertain economy

By Jim Connolly | March 19, 2020

marketing, think different

Photo: Shutterstock.

It now seems increasingly likely the coronavirus crisis will be a medium to longer-term challenge. This means it could be some time, until we revert back to ‘business as usual’.

When circumstances change as radically as they have, we need to adjust accordingly. As I said very recently, we must adapt our services so they are relevant to the NEW needs of our clients and prospective clients. We also need to significantly improve our marketing, so it speaks to the concerns they have right now.

One question people often asked me during the 2007/8 financial crisis, was a version of, “how do I know if my business is improving things enough, to get us successfully through this crisis”?

In general, I have found the following to be a useful gauge:

If the ideas you’re thinking of implementing feel safe, they’re probably not going to have the impact you need.

Why?

Because meaningful change, the kind that has the required impact during a global crisis, doesn’t feel safe.

Incremental change is what feels safe.

And incremental change is the exact opposite of what you need, in order to attract new clients.

Remember, your prospective clients are worried. They’re unsure what the future holds. So they’re thinking a lot harder about what they invest in.

This means they’ll need radically better (different) motivation from you, if you want to earn their trust and inspire them to hire you, than they did when things were ‘normal’.

Compelling marketing ideas, the kind that allow you to thrive when your competitors struggle to survive, will require you to stretch.

To stretch from the danger zone (doing the kind of things you’re used to doing), to the safety zone (doing what’s absolutely essential for this economy).

Improve your cash flow starting today, with these ideas

By Jim Connolly | March 17, 2020

marketing blog

This is a little different from my usual stuff.

A local business association asked me to join their conference call yesterday, to advise them on how to improve their member’s cash flow.

Here are the bullet points I used for the call. I only had 15 minutes to put them together, but people on the call found them extremely useful. I hope you find them equally so.

Restaurants, cafés, bars and hotels, etc., can offer gift vouchers to their regular / loyal customers, which will be purchased today, for use when things return to normal.

Bookshops, specialist interest shops (board games, music, art / craft shops etc.), can also do the above. Additionally, depending on their situation, they can offer to home deliver items that are traditionally picked-up in the store.

Lawyers, advisers, accountants, coaches, tutors, consultants, planners, designers, etc., who are unable to currently visit clients, may want to work via video conference. Skype, Xoom, FaceTime, etc. This is how I have chosen to work every day for well over a decade, and it’s extremely effective.

Salons, tattoo studios, nail bars, beauty parlours, etc., could find themselves in high demand when they open again, if forced to close for a period of weeks or more. They might consider offering customers the option to book now, via a paid voucher, so they don’t have a super-long wait when the business reopens its doors.

You and your business

You need to get working on ideas today.

Your business will have specific needs, based on your industry, the restrictions on movement in your area, logistics and lots more. However, by widening out these ideas, there will be something here that most people reading this can adapt into their business.

The key points I focused on were:

  • Sell gift vouchers today, for services you’ll be able to provide when things settle down again.
  • Provide delivery of items, which customers would usually pick up or collect from you.
  • Switch your service from face to face, to video / phone calls. This is huge, as it also allows you to attract clients from a massively wider area. My clients this week, for example, are based in the USA, France, Ireland and South Africa.
  • Start offering vouchers if your work has to be face-to-face. This lets people pay now, so that they’ll be first when you’re able to start taking bookings again.

I hope you find this useful. If you do, please share it with your contacts.

We’re all in this together, my friend.

How to thrive in the current crisis

By Jim Connolly | March 16, 2020

Marketing success

Photo: Shutterstock.

There are small business owners reading this, who will absolutely thrive in 2020.

Yes. Really.

They will survey the current crisis and identify improved ways to operate. They will look for opportunities to radically increase their value to the marketplace, based on the landscape ahead. They will adapt to the new needs of the people they serve.

And they’ll not only grow exponentially, they will become more useful, more valued and more cherished by their marketplace than ever before.

The reason this opportunity exists, is that most small business owners won’t do any of that.

They’ll wait. They’ll sit tight. They’ll keep doing what they always do and hope things get better, before they run out of time, money or credit. Just like others did in the 2007/8 financial crisis.

It’s interesting to see how differently small business owners act, when faced with the same situation. They tend to fit into one of two broad groups. Some will thrive. Some will freeze.

  • Thriving: Those who thrive will do so by adapting their approach and helping others with the crisis we face. The thrive strategy is a core focus of my work with clients right now. It should be your focus too.
  • Freezing: Those who freeze don’t have a strategy. Things are moving fast. So failing to adapt isn’t even an option… let alone a viable business strategy.

Thriving: Where to begin?

Look at the services you provide and the people you serve, not based on their usual needs, but their needs moving forward.

As I learned from working on thrive strategies with small business owners recently, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Strategies that are spectacularly effective for some will be ineffective for others. I’ve needed to piece together individual strategies with my clients.

A useful place to start, is to check your range of services, opening hours, payment methods and client acquisition strategies. Also, check your marketing messages and advertising, etc. What worked fine until now may need to be replaced with more suitable alternatives.

Listen intently to your clients and the marketplace you serve. And keep listening. Things are moving fast and their needs will change and so will the opportunities around you. Be prepared to adapt because it isn’t going to be ‘business as usual’ for a while.

However, it’s your business.

You’re in control.

The winds will certainly change, but you set your own sail.

So don’t freeze.

Because you can thrive if you choose to.

Help during a crisis

By Jim Connolly | March 13, 2020

helping crisis

One thing everyone reading this has in common today, is that our countries and local communities are facing a health crisis. Some more than others.

Our primary focus is to look after our loved ones. But once they are cared for, we should consider helping our customers, contacts and wider marketplace.

How?

Back in the financial crisis of 2008, I sent a note to all my contacts. Something like; “I know times are tough right now. If there’s anything I can help you with, just let me know”. A number of them decided to do the same. A small ripple of cooperation developed. People helping people. Friendships were formed, which are still strong to this day.

Another ripple from that note was the launch of Jim’s Marketing Blog. I wanted to give free information to as many small business owners as possible, to help them build stronger businesses.

The 2008 financial crisis passed.

And this crisis will pass, too. They always do.

Until then, those of us in a position to provide help can become part of the solution. Even in a small way. Little actions, like a brief note to your contacts, can create a ripple effect.

We can make a difference. We can help make things better.

Finally my friend, I hope you and those you love are well and that you stay well.

The problem with knee-jerk reactions

By Jim Connolly | March 4, 2020

marketing, knee jerk

Photo: Shutterstock.

…is that they often leave us looking like a jerk.

And more importantly, they can seriously damage a business.

In today’s post, I give a very recent example of how nasty a knee-jerk reaction can be, along with a strategy to avoid it happening to you and your business.

Here’s what happened.

Yesterday, a business owner responded angrily to a customer complaint on Twitter. The customer replied. A very heated argument ensued. The business owner then deleted his angry tweets, aware of the damage this could cause him.

Problem solved, right?

No.

As often happens, someone took a screenshot of the business owner’s angry tweets and shared them. Then more and more people shared his tweets. The problem escalated fast. He was soon being attacked by lots of his customers for the way he handled the original complaint, and his attempt to cover his tracks.

4 minutes

Knee-jerk reactions happen fast. Those offensive tweets were sent over a period of just 4 minutes, yet they’ve created a considerable marketing problem for the company concerned.

Marketing problem?

Yes!

Many of the company’s Twitter followers are customers. Some tweeted to say they were going to switch providers. What’s not known is how many other customers saw what happened and will simply leave. However, he also has a longer-term problem to deal with. Tweets are indexed by Google. Any prospective customer researching a new provider can easily stumble upon what his angry customers are saying.

That’s a heck of a marketing problem to overcome.

He’ll need to try and rebuild his connection with his customers. He’ll also need to earn their trust again. Some in similar positions have needed to invest in a rebrand. Others have needed to appoint a new CEO or leadership figure.

All because of 4 minutes of angry tweeting.

I believe the best thing we can learn from situations like this, is to develop a strategy that stops us making the same mistake.

Here’s the strategy I use. I  hope you find it useful.

Pausing our knee makes us less of a jerk

Knee-jerk reactions only happen, because we react almost instantly… when emotions are running high.

Just as it’s hard to solve a problem using the same kind of thinking that caused the problem, it’s hard to respond with *love, when you’re still feeling angry or irritated.

*Yes, love. If we don’t love the community we serve, we’re in the wrong job.

So, my strategy when someone puts me in a toxic frame of mind, is to press pause before I respond. This inserts a time cushion between the incident and my response. I find 15 to 20 minutes is ideal. When possible, I use that time to go for a walk. I find a change of scenery makes my thinking even clearer. Either way, I’m able to respond in a much more thoughtful, measured fashion.

That approach has not only helped me professionally, but been enormously useful in general. After all, no one likes a hothead.

The key is to find an effective strategy, before you need it. If mine doesn’t work for you, keep looking until you find one that does. It’s so much easier to avoid knee-jerk problems before they happen, than to have to deal with all the damage afterwards.

Mistakes, birthdays and billionaires

By Jim Connolly | February 24, 2020

marketing, think different

Photo: Shutterstock.

I have an idea to share with you today, from a weird combination of sources. It involves mistakes, birthdays and billionaires.

My friend Amy has a landmark birthday today. One of those birthdays with a zero at the end. She said she was now “officially old” and that it’s the first time she’s not felt like celebrating a birthday.

I offered her another way to look at things, as she was clearly feeling down.

  • Imagine you’re just a penny away from becoming a billionaire. Nothing really changes on the day you earn that final penny. You were already pretty-much a billionaire and probably extremely wealthy for decades. You may feel different now you have that extra penny, but you’re just a penny richer than the day before. That’s all.
  • Landmark birthdays work the same way. You may feel very different. In reality, you’re just a day older than yesterday. That’s all.

What does this kind of thinking have to do with business?

Every year in business, you make countless decisions, have thousands of conversations, give numerous presentations and send lots of proposals… it’s an almost endless stream of activity.

  • When you make a poor decision, it’s just one decision.
  • When you have an unproductive conversation, it’s just one conversation.
  • When your proposal is rejected, it’s just one proposal.
  • When a meeting doesn’t go the way you want it to, it’s just one meeting.

In the same way as the final penny doesn’t make you rich, and the day your age has a zero on the end doesn’t make you old, a negative commercial outcome must be seen in context.

  • When you make a poor decision, learn from it and make better future decisions.
  • When you have an unproductive conversation, unpack it and make the next one more productive.
  • When your proposal is rejected, look for ways to make the next one stronger.
  • When a meeting doesn’t go the way you want it to, review what happened and improve.

A recent failure does not define us as failures. The last penny doesn’t make us rich. And I hope Amy now has a very happy 20th birthday.

Waking up?

By Jim Connolly | February 17, 2020

marketing get motivated

Photo: Shutterstock.

A reader emailed me earlier with an observation. She explained that even though it’s only February, it’s already starting to look a lot like 2019 for her business. And 2019 was pretty similar to 2018.

She’s frustrated with her progress. And she’s not alone. I always hear similar things around this time of year.

On one level, the answer to her problem is simple. No. It’s extremely simple. Because we know exactly why this happens and exactly what to do.

On another level, it’s a very hard problem to crack. Allow me to explain why PLUS some ideas to overcome it!

Cause and effect

Like everything in life, business follows the law of cause and effect.

In short: The law of cause and effect states that for every effect there is a definite cause. Likewise for every cause, there is a definite effect.

So, if a business owner wants better results (effects), they need to take better actions (causes). Obviously, if we carry on doing things the same old way, we’ll get the same old results. Old ways won’t open new doors.

It’s tricky

Knowing why business owners get stuck in a rut is one thing. But actually resolving the situation requires a mindset shift.

And that’s not easy. Not easy at all!

This is especially the case when:

  1. The business owner has developed a level of acceptance with their situation. They start to self-identify as having reached their potential; consciously or unconsciously. This is pretty common.
  2. The business owner has a degree of comfort, which makes it hard to motivate themselves to leave their comfort zone and improve things. Sure, they’re not where they want to be, but they’re kind of okay. This is easily the biggest cause of unfulfilled potential.

What should a business owner do, if they identify with one of those mindsets?

They should wait!

Yes. Wait. Allow me to explain.

Wait for the wake up call

Entrepreneurs will motivate themselves to do what’s required, as soon as they realise they’re coasting or in their comfort zone. However, real entrepreneurs are just a tiny fraction of small business owners.

What tends to happen, is that something unexpected occurs. Something that creates the motivation for the small business owner to act. A wake up call.

Common examples I see include.

  • They lose a major client or source of income.
  • They have a birthday with a zero at the end and realise they’re wasting time.
  • An agile competitor arrives and starts to target their best clients.
  • They were in a marriage / long-term relationship that’s recently ended.
  • They discover they’re not going to be able to retire with the quality of life or security they hoped for, or retire as soon as they thought.
  • A family member or old friend reminds them that they used to have much bigger dreams.
  • They just get tired of making-do and want something more from work (and life).

The key to our success is not whether we get wake up calls or not. We all get them. And we get them fairly regularly.

Our success depends on our decision: to either hit the snooze button… or wake up.

Note – I explain the entrepreneurial mindset in a little more detail here.

Steve Jobs, some journalist and a great marketing lesson

By Jim Connolly | January 29, 2020

marketing tricks

Photo: Shutterstock.

This post is a little different from my usual stuff. I hope you find it useful.

One of the keys to business success is to be memorable (for all the right reasons). The following brief story shows the difference between making a big, but instantly forgettable impact and making a big impact that’s remembered for years to come.

Steve Jobs and a heated email exchange

A few years before Steve Jobs died, a journalist published a private email exchange he’d had with the legendary Apple CEO. Jobs was a passionate man. And the exchange got a little heated, as the journalist intentionally tried to get Jobs angry. This was dynamite for the journalist, who spotted an opportunity to get noticed, on the back of Jobs’ fame.

As I started writing this, I was unable to recall who the journalist was. I did recall covering the story a little while after the event, so I checked that blog post, and even at the time of writing that post, I wasn’t able to remember his name.

However, even today the core story is fresh in my mind.

  • I remember the journalist’s tactics, in goading Jobs for click-worthy comments.
  • I remember Steve Jobs’ passion, as he responded in person to the string of emails.
  • I even remember Jobs asking the journalist something along the lines of, “Have you ever created anything yourself… or do you just criticise those with the courage to create?”.
  • But I’d totally forgotten who the journalist was and what publication he represented.

Unforgettable

We soon forget those people and companies that grab our attention with PR stunts. That’s because stunts and tricks attract drive-by interest: People look quickly at the hoopla, but it lacks connection / meaning, so they just ‘drive by’.

What we DO remember are those rare people and brands, that are willing to make a difference. Those brave people in business (and every area of life), who have the courage to do something useful and meaningfully different. We remember them and connect with them because we value their contribution. And it serves us well to learn from them.

A few notes you may find useful

By Jim Connolly | January 20, 2020

marketing notes

Photo: Shutterstock.

I jotted a few notes down during this morning’s Pick My Brain client session. I hope you find them useful.

  • How many of your activities today will help make your business stronger in 12 months time?
  • How many of your daily business activities have you assessed recently: Either to check that they’re still relevant or still the optimal way to achieve your business goals?
  • How many of your hours today will be spent responding, rather than initiating?
  • How many times have you checked your phone notifications in the last 30 minutes?

Whilst the notes were for a specific business owner, they could be of wider interest. Especially for those of you, who are finding January 2020 is already looking a lot like January 2019.

So, what’s inside the box?

By Jim Connolly | January 17, 2020

marketing mystery

Photo: Shutterstock.

Today, I have something different for you. It’s a simple, yet powerful technique I often share with business owners. By the way, this leads on nicely from my previous post. You can read it here.

I want you to imagine for a moment that you’re sitting with a potential client or customer. Between you is a table. And on that table, you place a box.

  1. You explain that the box contains something of truly great value.
  2. You tell them that other people are using it, and they love it so much that they recommend it to their friends.
  3. You then tell them that once they have it, they’ll wonder how they managed without it.
  4. And then you explain that the price for what’s in the box, is way below what it’s worth.

Finally, you ask them, “Would you like to see what’s inside the box?”

Their eyes widen as they lean forward and say, “Yes please!”

This begs the question: What’s inside the box?

As a business owner, your task is to develop a product or service for your clients, which fits inside that box. The only rule is that in order for it to fit, your product or service needs to be able to deliver on the 4 points above.

Why bother?

It changes everything. If you take the time to get it right, you’ll find yourself speaking with highly motivated potential clients. People will need very little encouragement to hire you or buy from you. Plus, your existing clients will be eagerly telling their friends and contacts about your services and your business.

Make no mistake, this process requires creative thinking. And it takes guts, too. Why? Because whatever you decide to place in the box, will by default, be different from what your competitors are doing. And it takes courage to stand out, to zig when everyone else zags.

Is it worth it?

In my experience, (both with my client’s businesses and my own) the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. It’s easier, more profitable and far less stressful to have products or services that pretty-much sell themselves.

How to crack the New Year’s resolution code. My story

By Jim Connolly | January 1, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

I never succeeded with New Year’s resolutions. Then I figured out why they don’t work. Since then I’ve achieved every major goal I’ve set. Today I’m sharing the simple idea behind my success with you.

So, here’s how I did it. And in doing so, generated hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees, quit cigarettes, quit alcohol, got to my ideal weight (and stayed there), put Type 2 diabetes into full remission… and achieved lots more too.

Why New Year’s resolutions suck

First, here’s why New Year’s resolutions are so notoriously ineffective. We see the same pattern every year.

  • The local gym will be three times as busy, because it’s January.
  • The sale of health food will surge, because it’s January.
  • Business owners worldwide will set new targets, because it’s January.

And by March, almost all of these will revert back to their old ways. That’s because setting a target or goal, simply because it’s January, brings very little motivation. Once January passes the motivation it brings also passes. Gyms are emptier, the sale of healthy food plummets and business owners slide back into their comfort zones.

The best New Year’s resolution you can set for yourself, is to do something you know is good for you or your business. Something BIG and exciting. Then, resolve to stick with it… for 24-hours. And tomorrow, resolve to do the same.

Does it work?

Using this method, I quit smoking (28 years ago) and quit drinking alcohol (33 years ago). I haven’t had 1 cigarette or consumed any alcohol since. No tricks, no pills, no patches. I just stopped.

But only for 24-hours.

Anyone can do it for just 24-hours. The thing is, those 24-hours stack up. They become weeks, months, years and decades.

I’ve also reversed Type 2 diabetes and am in full remission, so zero medication and perfectly normal blood sugar (HBA1C 5.4% or 36 mmol/mol). And I reached my ideal weight years ago (and stayed there). By doing what is required, just for 24-hours and seeing where it takes me tomorrow.

In 2008 I decided to start Jim’s Marketing Blog. The goal was to write something every day. And if it was likely to be useful to business owners, I’d publish it. There are now thousands of useful posts published on the blog, and tens of thousands of notes, unpublished. The blog has readers worldwide, many of whom become clients; generating hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fee income and countless opportunities.

And it all stems from setting a BIG and exciting goal and doing what’s required, just for the next 24-hours.

Maybe it’s time to make things easier for you and your business? Set some big and motivating goals. Grab the most important one and be resolute to do what’s required for its attainment, just for 24-hours. Then see where it takes you the next day. Repeat with each important goal.

7 Hard truths about marketing your business

By Jim Connolly | December 31, 2019

marketing tips

Photo: Shutterstock.

  1. Embrace brevity. Your marketing content is almost certainly 50% to 75% too long. Fix it. Your prospective clients are being bombarded with emails, texts, social media updates, phone calls. Their time (and attention) has never been under so much pressure. This will become an increasingly bigger issue in 2020. So get to the point. And fast.
  2. Be cautious of anyone offering tricks or short cuts to marketing success. Short cuts to success are seldom short cuts and they never lead to success.
  3. Avoid general marketing advice. Why? Because it’s extremely risky. Your marketing problem is specific to you and your unique situation; your industry, budget, location, size of business, competition, mindset, assets, etc. And your specific situation requires a specific strategy.
  4. In business, everything you do is marketing. Yes, everything. From the way you answer the phone, reply to emails and the design of your website… to your ability to meet deadlines, the customer service you offer and your opening hours. It’s all saying something about you. Either positive or negative. Nothing is neutral. It’s making you money or it’s losing you money.
  5. Don’t expect professional marketing results from amateur marketing. Marketing is the life-blood of your business. So stop treating it like some DIY project or you’ll run out of money, time (or both).
  6. If you need to attend networking events, to try and get people talking about your business, you have a major problem. Ask yourself “why”? Why aren’t people automatically talking about your service? Spend more time fixing the problem. Spend zero time pestering strangers at networking events for leads.
  7. You will never be one Facebook Live ‘event’ or online course away from marketing success. Ever.
  8. Always over deliver. Take time to focus on being of as much value as you can be. You can’t do this if you spend too much of your time, producing content for your newsletter, Linkedin, Facebook, Youtube and a podcast. Choose one or two channels. And put your time and energy into being useful or helpful in those areas.

It’s easy. Really easy

By Jim Connolly | December 29, 2019

marketing easy

Photo: Shutterstock.

It’s easy to have a rigid customer service policy. Easier than taking personal care of your clients and dedicating yourself to service excellence.

It’s easy to settle for less from your business. Easier than doing what’s actually required to build a thriving business.

It’s easy to do what’s expected of you. Easier than exceeding expectations and giving people a positive and memorable experience to share with their friends.

It’s easy to automate your social media accounts. Easier than using them to build connections and interact with people.

It’s easy to lower your fees. Easier than professionally marketing your business, so you attract the right clients.

Yes it’s easy. Really easy.

But I’m pretty sure ‘taking it easy’ and being instantly forgettable was never the goal of your business. Worth remembering, the next time you suspect you are doing what’s easy, rather than doing what’s required.

12 Urgent and important things to focus on before the New Year

By Jim Connolly | December 26, 2019

marketing targets 2020, 2020 goals

Photo: Shutterstock.

In no particular order.

  1. Have you considered firing your worst clients? The time wasted on bad clients can then be invested in delighting your best clients even more.
  2. Have you looked at opening your services up to a global audience? If not, now is a good time to consider it. That’s because proximity is no longer geographical for many service providers. For example, my 3 newest clients are based on 3 different continents. This will help.
  3. What are the biggest hurdles to your success right now, and how do you plan to remove them? A business problem can only persist with your consent… passive or active.
  4. What was your biggest setback in 2019 and what can you learn from it? Those who don’t learn from past mistakes tend to repeat them.
  5. How can you reduce or eliminate the feeling of risk that’s associated with hiring you or buying from you?
  6. What’s the biggest opportunity for your prospective clients in 2020 and how will you help them benefit from it?
  7. Is your marketing useful or does it read like a sales pitch? People hate being sold to. This will help.
  8. If 2019 was like a rerun of 2018, how long will you wait in 2020, before you make the improvements required?
  9. Have you considered offering a premium version of your services? There’s an extremely profitable segment of every marketplace, who are eager to pay more for ‘that certain extra’. This will help.
  10. If you stopped trading tomorrow, how tricky would it be for people to find a suitable replacement? Your task is to be as close to irreplaceable as possible.
  11. Does your marketing inspire people to hire you or buy from you? If not, you’re leaving money on the table. That’s unsustainable.
  12. Is your business providing you with the lifestyle you want? If not you will either need to lower your expectations or work on a plan to improve your financial situation. I recommend the latter. Rekindle that motivation you had when you started your business. And stop settling for less.

Exciting times ahead

By Jim Connolly | December 23, 2019

marketing finish

Photo: Shutterstock.

Their targets are in place.

Their deadlines are set.

Their research is done.

And so they start doing the work.

Exciting times ahead!

Well, maybe

That’s because anyone can get started on a project. And pretty-much EVERYONE does! After all, it’s easy. However, despite so many business owners starting these inspiring projects, as we know, very few achieve meaningful success.

Of course, that’s because getting started is easy and success doesn’t come to those who start.

No.

Success comes to those who start… and then.

  • Complete their projects.
  • Give their ideas the time and energy needed in order to fly.
  • See their goals through from inception to attainment.
  • More here – Steve Jobs and The Power of Focus.

I regularly speak with business owners, who are excited about a great, new idea they have. I speak with them 6 months later and they’re still excited. Only this time it’s a different, new idea.

Their previous idea was dropped, as their initial excitement was replaced with the reality of the work required, to bring their idea to fruition. So now they’re excited about their new… new idea. And in 6 months time it will be their new, new, new idea that has their attention.

Here’s the thing: The clock is ticking. And because they never complete what they started, their butt is still on the start line. Years are passing by. With little meaningful progress.

What’s the lesson for us here?

Before you start a business project, I recommend you make a commitment. A commitment to do whatever is required to cross the finish line. A commitment to embrace the cold light of day, which comes after the initial hoopla has stopped.

Because ultimately my friend, our success is determined by the things we start, stick with and finish. Not the number of new things we start.

An extremely sad story, which every business owner needs to read

By Jim Connolly | December 21, 2019

marketing, lessons learning

Photo: Shutterstock.

Today, I have an extremely sad story for you, which explains why we need to continuously seek to improve. It contains a powerful nugget of essential information, which all of us can benefit from.

I’d like to start with a question: What lessons have you learned from the past year, which you can invest in the year ahead?

This is a topic, which business owners really, REALLY struggle with. They start out in business keen to learn. They read the books. They take notes. They review their decision making, looking for ways to improve.

Then… after a few years they find they’ve become set in their ways. Sure, the occasional harsh lesson hits them just hard enough, to force them to re-evaluate. But they pretty-much go from year to year, getting a year older, but without gathering a year’s worth of experience.

They almost relive a version of the same old year, over and over again.

Here’s why this matters.

A powerful, extremely sad lesson

I recall speaking with 2 business owners last summer. One of them was in her early thirties and had been in business for 6 years. The other was in his sixties and had been in business for decades.

The business owner with the 6 year old business was thriving and hired me in order to help her reach her exciting growth plans. The other business owner was, in his own words, “too broke to retire” and needed help. After speaking with them, the young business owner clearly had 6 solid years of business experience. And the other had maybe 3 years of experience, with him admitting to making the same mistakes year after year, after year…

The guy who should have been extremely experienced, confessed to being “a creature of habit”. He had certain beliefs about business, which he refused to question. Many of which were fatally flawed. Here’s one of the examples I recall. If a prospective client didn’t immediately see the value of his service, he’d take it personally as a rejection, feel hurt and refuse to follow-up. As he approached retirement with just a year’s worth of living expenses to rely on, he was forced to “humble himself” and follow-up prospective clients, who’d failed to reply to his proposals.

He found around a third of them became clients. They just needed questions answered and concerns addressed. He estimates his previous attitude to following-up lost him millions of dollars. And he’s right.

Only after decades of wasted opportunity and an impending financial disaster, did this likeable guy start learning again. He’s making real progress now, but he’s struggling mightily with the knowledge of what he and his family have missed out on, needlessly.

When I speak with entrepreneurs about the importance of gaining experience and learning, I share the following with them.

Imagine a door, which has a combination lock. If you use the correct 10 number combination, the door will open for you. If I use the correct combination it will also open for me. That’s because the door doesn’t care. Press the correct numbers in the right order and you’re in!

Business success is the same. Because success doesn’t care.

You can read the full article here: Success Doesn’t Care.

In business, if you do the right combination of things correctly, you’ll succeed. Conversely, no matter how nice you are, how honest you are, how hard you toil, the wrong combination still can’t work.

How to use fear as your compass

By Jim Connolly | December 6, 2019

marketing fear, fearless

Photo: Shutterstock.

As a business owner, the fears you have are largely the same as your competitors. This presents you with an amazing opportunity for 2020 and beyond.

Really, Jim?

Yes. Really.

You see, when you avoid doing the things you fear, you also avoid doing the things your competitors fear.

In other words, whatever you’re avoiding, they’re avoiding too.

This means whatever it is, is going to be in very short supply!

Here’s why this matters to you and your business:

  • Lack of supply = scarcity.
  • Scarcity = value.

If you want your business to be in demand. If you want to get your business noticed. And if you want to avoid selling based on price (and you do), learn to embrace the things you fear.

Because that feeling of fear is often your inner compass, confirming that you’re on the right track.

So, does your marketing pass the coffee shop test?

By Jim Connolly | December 5, 2019

marketing, coffee shop

Photo: Shutterstock.

Is logic ruining your marketing results?

Yes. Probably.

And here’s why.

Your prospective customers make purchasing decisions based on feelings. Not on logic. Understanding this principle is essential if you’re serious about growing your business in 2020.

Here’s a very quick example of what I mean.

  • People don’t visit coffee shops for the coffee.
  • They already have coffee at home.
  • They pay between 300% and 500% more for coffee at the coffee shop, because of how the experience makes them feel.

Logically, they’d save a ton of money by drinking their coffee at home, sitting in their own super-comfortable chair. But people, including your prospective customers, don’t make purchasing decisions based on logic. They make them based on feelings. (I explain how emotions drive decisions, here).

If your marketing message is based around a list of benefits, that’s way too logical. And it’s losing you a ton of money. Your service or product may be less expensive, more premium, faster or whatever. But are you explaining how it will make your prospective customers feel?

If not. Than start.

Because logic tells. But feeling sells.

Why a radically better approach is essential!

By Jim Connolly | December 2, 2019

marketing targets 2020, 2020 goals

Photo: Shutterstock.

Note: I’ve never started a post like this before. I’m asking you to read this to the end, as it challenges some incorrect, common knowledge, which can seriously hurt your business results.

In today’s post, I’ll explain how to remove the barriers that currently hold you back from achieving the business success you’re very capable of. It’s based on a spectacularly effective process I use with my clients. And it can radically improve the way you think about the whole topic of success and achievement.

Now allow me to deliver on those hefty promises.

Ready?

Let’s go!

To start, I want you to think about something for a moment. Here it is: What are your business’s growth targets for the coming year?

Let’s now think for a moment about your targets.

In particular, why you chose to set those specific growth levels for your business. Because this is something business owners often (very often) get completely wrong. And it massively limits the potential of what they can achieve, before they even start.

I get to speak with business owners, all day, every working day of my life. It’s been this way since the mid 1990’s.

And…

Here’s what I see at this time, every year

You will have 2 similar-sized businesses, in the same city, serving the same marketplace, yet with drastically different targets for the year ahead.

  • One will aim for a 10% or 15% increase in overall growth, and a slightly higher increase in profits.
  • Another will aim for a 45% or 50% overall increase with a higher profits percentage.
  • The majority of the time, the business owner with the higher targets will out-perform their rival. And often by a very considerable amount!

This is something every business owner should find interesting.

Why? Because this huge difference in results happens, even when they have almost identical resources available.

Here’s the part where I challenge some common knowledge.

This may surprise you. But I’m not saying that by setting a high target, you’ll do X percent better. That’s not only too simplistic, it’s a totally wrong-headed approach, which usually backfires!

In my experience, we need to go a little deeper than that.

A radically better approach is required!

Here’s what we know: When a business owner sets a target, it’s usually based on (or just above) what they believe their business can realistically achieve. Their belief is what sets the target, not the other way around. That’s why setting yourself an unrealistic target, if anything, is counter-productive. If you’ve ever tried to fool yourself like this, you’ll already know you’re too smart to believe it, so it doesn’t work.

To paraphrase a popular motivational quote: “If you don’t believe it, you won’t achieve it”.

So, how do you set, and then genuinely expect to achieve, truly inspirational business goals?

Here’s what I’ve found keeps on succeeding

In working with business owners, I’ve seen amazing results by helping them identify why they believe that (whatever target) is probably the best they can realistically expect. This includes helping them determine why they think anything beyond that relatively low target is unrealistic for them. And the breakthroughs are amazing, especially if they’ve reached a bit of a plateau in recent years.

So, how does this help you achieve at such a higher level?

It looks like this.

  • When you have genuine reasons to believe, based on cold, hard facts, that you can absolutely achieve way, way better results, it dramatically improves the way you feel about the potential of your business.
  • This causes a likewise improvement in your decision-making, as it aligns with what you now know is absolutely possible for you.
  • This then leads to smarter marketing / business development activities.
  • Note: It also brings you massively more clarity and a matching increase in your motivation and energy.
  • And every business that makes smarter decisions and takes the actions required has to improve. It’s pure cause and effect.

Why not take a look at your targets for 2020 and determine if you’re setting yourself up for a spectacularly exciting year, or a re-run of 2019. If you’d like me to help you get it right, read this and get ahead of the masses who will wait until January.

One bad apple: The thing about influence!

By Jim Connolly | December 1, 2019

marketing influence

Photo: Shutterstock.

Who influences you?

It’s impossible to connect with someone, without that person influencing you. Even a total stranger who smiles (or frowns) at you as they walk by, will influence what you’re thinking. They’ll also shift your focus, to a lesser or greater degree.

However…

By far, the greatest influence on how you think and how you feel, are those with whom you habitually associate.

The business impact of one bad apple

All it takes is one bad influence to screw up the dynamic of a wonderful, or potentially great, team.

I was mindful of this last week. I spoke with the CEO of a great, Chicago-based manufacturing company. He’s a former client, turned old friend. Anyhow, he wanted some advice. It turns out the son of one of their co-founders joined them as their new CFO in 2018. I knew them as a forward thinking company, respected in their industry for making some super-smart decisions.

That was then.

Today, things have changed.

It turns out the new CFO lacked vision and was exceptionally risk-averse. My former client explained that in just 14-months, the guy had dented morale, led to a number of good people leaving the company and caused them to miss out on what proved to be an outstanding opportunity, which was grabbed with both hands by a major competitor.

Thankfully, at the request of his own father, the CFO finally left the company. And the race is now on to get their rhythm back, so they can start moving forward and making things happen.

The lessons here?

I’m sharing this with you because it’s the second time in under a week, that I’ve had similar discussions with business owners about negative influence. From a business development perspective, you need to be extremely diligent regarding those you habitually associate with. In the above example, the co-founder’s son was so fear focused regarding growth, that others soon started to regard every opportunity as ‘a loss waiting to happen’.

Balance is important, for sure.

But when someone has the attention of the decision makers in your business, that person also has the ability to influence them, what they think (and therefore your results); either positively or negatively. This doesn’t just apply to fellow directors. It applies to anyone, who has access to you and your team.

It’s always worth questioning:

Who are you (and / or your team) listening to?

What have they got you thinking?

Are they influencing you positively or influencing you negatively?

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Hi! I'm Jim Connolly and I help small business owners to increase sales, boost their profits and build amazing businesses. Read more here.

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