What To Do About Detroit: the best idea I’ve heard yet
Innovation is enemy of the status quo. Detroit will not be saved by a 25 billion dollar bailout if they’re not going to change—and they’re not. I think this is pretty clear. Seth offers the best solution I’ve seen thus far on what to do about the big three automakers..
Four Eyes
Over the past year I haven’t read as much as is typical for me. And the last six months I’ve just been skimming the books I need to read for professional reasons.
I’m not proud of this. Especially because I advocate reading. Not only as a way to learn but as a tool for networking. (To understand why and how read Book Yourself Solid.)
So what happened to me? Did I finally reach the tipping point and know everything there is to know? Certainly not. Is there nothing worth reading? Hardly. Did I suddenly become lazy? That’s what I was afraid of. But it turns out it was something else entirely…
I couldn’t see what I was trying to read!
Today I picked up a pair of reading glasses and presto–everything was in focus. I sat for three hours and soaked up every word of The New York Times. Seriously, I think I read every word printed–even the obits. I didn’t loose focus or get fatigued. I’m ecstatic, as you might imagine.
But why did it take me so long to figure this out? Because loosing focus is often a degenerative and incremental process. Slow and steady. And I don’t do slow and steady very well so it’s hard for me to recognize.
This gradual loss of focus doesn’t just happen to our eyes. It happens in our work in our relationships and to our overall health.
The good news is that now I have four eyes which which to focus on the future. Four eyes to explore all options when something’s not working the way I would like. And four eyes envision my work and my life in the crystal clear high-definition.
Aside: Interesting that I got the glasses two days before my 38th birthday. I always thought one didn’t need reading glasses until at least 40. Oh, well, I’ve always been out in front.
Pay-For-Results
Today, someone asked me what I thought about pay-for-results consulting because their potential customers were rejecting sales offers claiming they couldn’t afford the service.
I like the concept but it’s risky, especially if don’t have a lot of cash on hand at present. To see the returns you’re looking for, generally, it’ll take time for your clients to produce results. If you offered a service that was fast, meaning it showed results in a week or so, then it would make sense to set up a pay-for-results only fee structure. But if you’re going to rely on long-term results you best make sure you have a lot of cash on hand. Also, you best make sure you are serving only the most ideal clients. Not only the kinds of clients that energize and inspire you and allow you to do your best work but are people of the highest integrity and will actually pay you what they owe you. Because only they will really know what they owe you.
Of course, at the end of the day, you only know if something works if you try it.
But there’s something else to consider. There’s a funny thing that happens when you’re a service provider; customers mirror you and your actions. If you don’t invest in yourself they don’t invest in you. If you’re not willing to pay for the kinds of services you offer why would (or should) anyone buy they from you?
The Contrarian Effect – Ranked “Best of 2008″
Today I found out that The Contrarian Effect: Why It Pays (BIG) to Take Typical Sales Advice and Do the Opposite, a book a wrote with Liz Marshall, was chosen by The Amazon.com Editorial Board as the #9 Best Business Book of 2008. It’s quite an honor.
Want to know what I did to make it happen? Nothing. Expect work with Liz and attempt to write a great book.
You can’t make these kinds of things happen. You can only do your work. And if you do good work it’s sometimes recognized but not often.
There really aren’t any shortcuts to the top. Sorry. Hope I’m not the bearer of bad news…
Small Business Marketing: Don’t be so differrent
Being different is not necessarily a good thing. Sometimes, if you’re too different potential customers don’t know what to make of you. They don’t know what “frame” to put you in. Plus, too much difference can be overwhelming, confusing and even irritating.
Pick one thing.
Pick one area to be dramatically different in a way that matters to you and to your customers. Then, make sure everything else meets clients expectations and industry standards.
