What’s Really Going On?

The way you do anything is the way you do everything.  My mentor has been saying it forever and I always think “Yup, that’s true,” but what does it really mean?

I have a colleague that I know well and trust implicitly.  I know she gets everything done; however, she tends to do it all at the last minute.  Emails go out late, meetings are confirmed late and plans get changed or pushed back.  Whenever we make plans I know not to expect quick responses to emails I send, suggestions I make or questions I ask.

I had a conversation with a client earlier today.  We had an appointment scheduled for 12:30.  She called at 12:30 on the dot.  The first thing she said was that she was nervous about calling me on time and had been checking her clock every few seconds to make sure that she called exactly on time.  She told me that she was wondering what I would think if she called a minute or two late, or a minute or two early.  Actually, what I’m wondering is why is she so concerned about what I think?

I am writing this article Tuesday afternoon for my ezine.  I always get the article done and it gets out on time but why is this late?  To be brutally honest here…I’m “usually” pretty good about getting my ezines prepared on time but I know that this is going to impact my assistant and frankly, the quality of this article.
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I said NO

My favorite food group is ice cream.  I am particularly partial to vanilla Häagan Daz.  I’m a bit of a purist but that doesn’t stop me from eating other brands and flavors.

I went to Cold Stone Creamery.  I had never been there before and was looking forward to it.  I decided what I wanted and placed my order.  I ordered a small because it was exactly what I wanted.  As soon as the word “small” came out of my mouth the guy behind the counter said “A medium only costs a dollar more.”  I declined the offer.  He went onto say, “Are you sure?  You get twice as much ice cream.”  I stayed strong and said “No, thank you.”  He was about to try one more time but I said, “Stop, trying to supersize me.  I want a small.”

Supersizing is in the best interests of Cold Stone Creamery.  It increases their bottom line by upselling customers by a little bit.  When you upsell a little to a lot of customers profits go up dramatically.

We understand what it does for the seller but where does this leave the customer, in this case me?  In this case, supersizing would have left me with a dollar less in my wallet, a bigger waist line, left over ice cream and feeling guilty.

As consumers we all understand supersizing and know, at least logically, that being supersized is not in our best interest.  So the question is why then, do we as entrepreneurs, continually supersize ourselves and what can we do about it?

Let me explain what I mean.

You are working on a new program.  You’re close to launching and then decide to add just one more feature.  You’ve just supersized.  You’ve got more to do.  Your program is no longer nearing completion and your launch date is now delayed.

You are doing market research to get a better understanding of what your competitors offer and how they communicate.  You’ve found five examples.  You keep on researching.  Surely if you know what five are doing, knowing what ten are doing is even better right?  You’ve just supersized.   Instead of taking action and learning from what you’ve discovered you are staying in “research and learning mode.”  You are not acting.  Whatever lessons you may be getting are not being used.

You spend time and energy creating a marketing plan and start to implement it.  The next thing you know you read about an exciting new strategy.  You’ve got to try it.  You’ve just supersized.  The result:  The targeted marketing plan, that you spent time and energy on, doesn’t get implemented or tested and it gets watered down by adding more strategies.

You start your day with a few specific things that you want to accomplish to move your business forward.  You check your email, find a few new opportunities to pursue and a whole slew of interesting articles to read.  You want to learn more because you are sure that these ideas will lead to even more opportunities.  You just supersized.  The plan you had for the day is officially out the window and you’re onto other things.  

I’m reminded of something my Mom often said as I was growing up, “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach, are you sure you want it?”  There you are, sitting at the table, looking at a something delicious.  You pick up the serving spoon, pile more on your plate, and dig in.  You’re full.  You sit there playing with what’s still on your plate because you want to fit it in but it no longer tastes good and it’s making you uncomfortable.  What looked like a good idea at the beginning has left you feeling sick and even foolish.

For many of us entrepreneurs we have a tendency to believe that if a few are great more can only be better.  This is simply not true.  Oftentimes by adding more you simply pull yourself off the track you were on.  You get confused and overwhelmed.

Now let me be perfectly clear.  I’m not saying you have to be satisfied with what you have and that you should never add more.  I’m not saying that those new opportunities aren’t exactly what you need or that you should not add additional features to your new program.
What I am saying is that before you supersize consider two things: 

1. Is this something you truly want to add to your plate and will serve a purpose that is not already being served?
2. Are you going to be able to consume (or do) this and is consuming (or doing) this in your and your clients’ best interest.

I know I’ve supersized myself on many occasions, sometimes I’ve regretted it other times it was exactly right.  When have you supersized yourself and what has been the result?  I invite you to share your experiences with me.

One of the saddest things I heard

I was standing in a hallway and saw a woman I recognized.  I didn’t remember her name but I remembered meeting her in the same spot and having a conversation with her exactly a year ago.  I was at the Be the Change Event, a gathering of entrepreneurs geared towards growing our businesses.

I went over, said hello and introduced myself.  I said that I thought we met at last year’s Be the Change event and asked her how it had been going since then.  She told me that when she was at the event last year she was just starting her business and that this past year she was getting all of her ducks in a row and setting herself up.  Now a year later she is back and ready.  We spoke for another minute or two and we both moved on.

I found our conversation depressing because despite “wanting to” she hadn’t moved at all in that year.
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Idea-itis

I recently got back from an amazing event called Be The Change.  What I love about these events is that I learn tons of things, get new ideas, find inspiration, build new relationships, discover opportunities for growth and, of course, uncover new paths to profit.

These events are amazing brainstorming sessions on steroids!

But there is a problem with them.  Oftentimes it’s too much.  You end up with a terrible case of “idea-itis”.  You have too many ideas and after a day or two of excitement you find yourself overwhelmed, frustrated and in some ways in worse shape than you were before you went.  And let’s be honest here, it doesn’t take an event to leave you feeling this way, does it?

The truth is that there is no way that you can do it all, even if you have a team of people helping you.  The only way to create a thriving and sustainable business is to first, evaluate your options, second, decide which things you will do and which you won’t and finally, getting into action and doing!

Letting go of super cool ideas can be tough so here’s the three step process that I will be using over the next few days with my own to-do list and with those of my clients.
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How’s It Going So Far?

It’s officially springtime and while many people use January 1 as a date to spur them into action, I find Spring is when my brain really kicks into gear and I get down to business.

In order for me to get myself moving I first need to set the stage and clear away the winter cobwebs with a good spring cleaning. What I’ve noticed is that I tend to do the same things to help my business and life grow as I do in the garden.

Here are four things that you can do this spring for your business, life and garden to make them thrive.

1. Clean up the debris. First you have to set the stage. In your garden you get rid of the branches that fell during storms, leaves that came down after the last raking and the shells from the acorns that the squirrels munched on during the winter. Now is also a great time to take a look at your desk, workspace and to-do list and get rid of the junk. Ask yourself if the things you have around you are things that will help your business thrive or if they are things they just ended up there?
2. Prepare for new growth. You break up the earth and spread fertilizer in the garden. Now is also the time to prepare your workspace, mind and calendar. Are there programs that you want to invest in to help you grow? Are there things that you are in the middle of that you want to wrap up so that you are ready to move on? Are the things you are doing and have around you fostering creativity or stifling it?

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Treat Me Right

Recently I’ve been on the receiving end of both truly awesome and truly horrific customer service.  I’ve also received service that technically, should have been good but left me adrift.  It’s caused me to take a deep look at how I treat my own customers.  Here are just a few of the things that I’ve noticed in my life lately and the client service lessons that I’ve learned from them.

1.  I was at a gas station and the attendant washed my windows.   I thought, “Wow, I don’t remember the last time a gas station attendant washed my windows!  I wish this station was closer to my house.”  By the way, in case you’re wondering I live in NJ, there are no self-service pumps here.

Lesson:  Surprise your clients.  Do something special that is not part of your normal package or program.  It could be a small gift, a gesture, a note, quick phone call, email or whatever.  Show them that you care about them and that you are happy to have them as your client.

2.  I was waiting in a doctor’s office when a nurse walked through the waiting room and had a side conversation with the receptionist.  She was mocking a patient and said “I won’t pay my co-pay but I love you guys”.  I thought “Hey, don’t you realize that I can hear you and that I pay your salary?  What do you think about me?  It’s a good thing I have a good relationship with the doctor or I’d never come back.” Read more

How Warren Buffett Makes Money

Warren Buffett, a brilliant business man, one of the richest and most charitable people in the world, was being interviewed on CBS’s “Person to Person”.  The premise of the show is to give viewers a glimpse into the lives of some of today’s most important artists and newsmakers.

We got a tour of Buffett’s office.  I have no doubt that it was straightened up a bit before the cameras rolled but this is what I saw.

•     An inviting room with a lot of natural light.
•     A large desk with a lot of working space.
•     A phone front and center.
•     A small pile of reading material on the desk.
•     Pictures on the wall representing some of the most influential people and moments of his life.
•     And most notably… NO computer.

For the most part my office is a lot like Mr. Buffett’s (okay, it’s not quite as big).  I have a lot of natural light.  A nice, large desk.  A small pile of paper on my desk of things that I’m currently working on and pictures around me of the most important and influential people in my life.  The real difference is that my phone is a little left of center because my computer and monitor take front and center stage in my life. Read more

The Right Way To Bring In Revenue

I was at my mastermind retreat in California.  Being that I live in New Jersey I found myself very awake and productive at 5:00 in the morning and went to the gym at 5:45.

After my workout, I was standing by the water cooler and looked out the window.  There was a beautiful sunrise.  One of the hotel attendants was next to me and I said, “Look at the beautiful sunrise.”  She was courteous to me, but yet I could see in her eyes that she assumed that I wanted something from her or was complaining about something.  I said, “Everything is okay, I just don’t want you to miss the good stuff.”

So often in our day-to-day lives we end up focused on the things that are not going well, on what we still have to do or more often, what we think we’ll never get around to doing.  We spend our day beating ourselves up instead of paying attention to what is going right.

These past couple of months I’ve been in a bit of a rut.  Sure things are going okay.  I have great clients and I enjoy what I’m doing.  Technically things were going well, yet I kept thinking about what wasn’t going well, the things I wasn’t doing or hadn’t summoned up my energy to do.  In my own rut I lost sight of the all the wonderful things going on in my life…the beautiful sunrise that exists around me every day.

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Coach Week Sign Up

Laser Coaching Opportunity!

International Coach Week is February 5 – 11.

To celebrate I’m hosting a live 90-minute group coaching experience for just $7! 

For just $7 you get to join me LIVE and get the personalized help you need to take your business to the next level!

This call is ideal for you if you are an entrepreneur who is:

• Feeling stuck or overwhelmed;
• Wondering how to bring in income quickly;
• Having trouble deciding between the many marketing strategies available;
• Missing deadlines;
• Procrastinating.

I will be coaching participants on a first come, first serve basis and each person will be limited to 7 minutes.  I encourage you to get on the line early and come prepared to answer the following two questions so we can create solutions!

• What is the biggest obstacle you currently face in your business?

• What one thing have you been putting off that would help your business move forward?

Something to keep in mind…

Even if I don’t get to you during the call (or you don’t want to be coached) remember this session will be extremely valuable because you will be able to put the strategies I will be sharing in place in your own business and life.

One last thing…I will be recording the call and all registrants will get the recording but that takes all the fun out of it so do try to join me live!

Looking forward to speaking with you on Wednesday during “coach week”!

Click on the “Sign Up Now” button below to sign up for this call!.

Your coach,

Carrie

P.S.  Do you know anyone else who might benefit from being coached?  Send them the link to this page and have them join us!

Improve Productivity by Keeping the Chaos Out

I’m always amazed at how easily we grow accustomed to things.  Years ago my husband and I removed an air conditioner from a window.  We didn’t have anywhere to put it, so we stowed it under a clear glass table in our living room.  Even though it was completely visible we didn’t see it and amazingly, neither did our guests.

I was at the chiropractor the other day, he touched my shoulder and I winced in pain.  I hadn’t realized anything hurt until he touched it.

My neighbor had a new roof installed a few weeks ago.  All day long the contractors were running generators and banging right outside my office window.  I knew it was loud but didn’t realize just how much it bothered me until they shut down the generator and my whole body noticeably relaxed.

In many ways it’s a good thing that we acclimate so easily.  I forgot the word my chiropractor used to describe what was going on but the way he described it was that, being constantly aware of every single sensation we feel, see or hear would overwhelm us.  All of the sensations we would have to process would make it completely impossible for us to do or think about anything else.

It’s wonderful that our brains are great at compartmentalizing like this but these stimuli have an effect on the way you function and how you run your business and life. 

In your daily business you are exposed to tons of input.  There’s the constant barrage of email, phones ringing and things that “must get done.”  Then there are the ideas that you’ve already started working on and want to follow up on or finish.  Of course there are also ideas that have come across your desk which look interesting or promising. Read more

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