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Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
“Live Bait and Fine Art”
I saw these words on a hand painted sign in front of a rural general store years ago. The image contrast was as clever then as it is today. I believe that is common to things classic and unique.
While it may seem that these two opposites would be virtually incompatible, obviously the owner did not. And, if he were confronted with his ad as a cute gesture, he probably would not have found it the least bit humorous. He was running his business for a profit. He was trying to get attention…and sell something.
Let’s look at his marketing elements:
It was all about a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
It was a General Store that had wide offerings…from “wigglers” to investment grade artwork and everything in-between
His claim was simple and clever (only 5 words to paint his picture)
It was advertisement in its purist form (a hand-painted sign)
He made no unbelievable claims (just a unique slogan)
Measured against Claude Hopkins’s classic book: Scientific Advertising (enduring for 85 years)… Hopkins paved the concept that advertising is simply "salesmanship in print" (looks like our entrepreneur captured that premise)
Author’s Note:
Today, we tend to let prevailing technology become the driver, not the unique (only what you can claim) key message. Why does that happen? Judging by sheer volume today, a software app is the easiest and quickest template solution. Caution: savvy audiences can see the difference between originality/uniqueness and cut/paste.
What is the take away? If you don’t have one this year, consider creating your own USP. Examples:
Hairdresser: “Perm for this Term?”
Insurance: “Perm with that Term?”
Politician: “Term is not Perm”
As always…You decide.
While it may seem that these two opposites would be virtually incompatible, obviously the owner did not. And, if he were confronted with his ad as a cute gesture, he probably would not have found it the least bit humorous. He was running his business for a profit. He was trying to get attention…and sell something.
Let’s look at his marketing elements:
It was all about a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
It was a General Store that had wide offerings…from “wigglers” to investment grade artwork and everything in-between
His claim was simple and clever (only 5 words to paint his picture)
It was advertisement in its purist form (a hand-painted sign)
He made no unbelievable claims (just a unique slogan)
Measured against Claude Hopkins’s classic book: Scientific Advertising (enduring for 85 years)… Hopkins paved the concept that advertising is simply "salesmanship in print" (looks like our entrepreneur captured that premise)
Author’s Note:
Today, we tend to let prevailing technology become the driver, not the unique (only what you can claim) key message. Why does that happen? Judging by sheer volume today, a software app is the easiest and quickest template solution. Caution: savvy audiences can see the difference between originality/uniqueness and cut/paste.
What is the take away? If you don’t have one this year, consider creating your own USP. Examples:
Hairdresser: “Perm for this Term?”
Insurance: “Perm with that Term?”
Politician: “Term is not Perm”
As always…You decide.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Truth or Lies? A Leadership Crisis of Integrity.
Overt or subtle, it’s all the same. A lie is a lie, and the truth is the truth (absolute opposites). It is a white hot issue, especially in the current climate of corporations, politics, world order and the influence on our individual freedoms.
Who can or will you trust? It is a vital decision.
If lying is a deliberate leadership strategy, why is it not more scrutinized, identified and consequential than is appears to be? Are some leaders taking advantage of our individual apathy, denial and complacency to the point of a subtle confiscation our liberties?
As a line extension of this dilemma, here is a short list of how many ways this MO (modus operandi) can influence you.
40 Synonyms for “Lie”
1. Bluff: a statement intended to deceive or confuse
2. Canard: an unsubstantiated story or report
3. Deceit: a deceptive statement
4. Deception: A statement or action intended to mislead
5. Distortion: a deviation from the true meaning, or an overstatement of proportion
6. Equivocation: a misleading or confusing statement
7. Exaggeration: an overstatement or overemphasis
8. Fable: a fictitious statement or story
9. Fabrication: a made-up fact or incident
10. Fairy tale: a misleading story, especially a simplistic one
11. Fallacy: a deceptive, erroneous statement or a false idea or a flawed argument
12. Falsehood: something untrue or inaccurate
13. Falsification: an alteration of facts in order to deceive
14. Falsity (see falsehood)
15. Fib: a small, simple or transparent lie
16. Fiction: a man-made invented statement or story
17. Half-truth: a statement with some basis in truth that nevertheless serves to deceive
18. Humbug: a false, deceptive, or nonsensical statement
19. Invention: a statement crafted to deceive
20. Jive: a deceptive, insincere, or nonsensical statement
21. Libel: a written or similarly presented lie that defames another person
23. Mendacity: an act of lying
23. Misconception: a poor understanding, perhaps deliberate, of the facts
24. Misinformation: a purported fact presented with the intent to deceive
25. Misinterpretation: a deviation from the facts or from a reasonable analysis of them
26. Misreport: an inaccurate account
27. Misrepresentation: an erroneous, deceptive or unfair interpretation of facts
28. Misstatement: an inaccurate or erroneous comment
29. Myth: a perpetuated notion, belief, or tradition that is doubtful and unfounded
30. Obliquity: a deviation from the truth to conceal or confuse
31. Perjury: a lie presented under oath
32. Pose: a false or deceptive position or self-representation
33. Pretense: an unsupported claim, an insincere purpose or false intention
34. Prevarication: a deviation from the truth
35. Slander: an injuriously false statement about a another person
36. Story: a lie, or a rumor
37. Tale: a false representation
38. Taradiddle: nonsense (also, see fib)
39. Untruth: an absolute deviation from truth or the facts
40. Whopper: an outsized lie
Full article Posted: December 30, 2011
Original Post: 40 Synonyms for “Lie”
Daily Writing Tips [info@dailywritingtips.com]
And then there is this Biblical advice:
Pro 14:5
A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness will utter lies.
1John 2:21
I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
The obvious questions to this brand of leadership:
Are these perpetrators self delusional, or do they dispute that their actual documented “on platform” evidence is edited and altered, and therefore invalid or it never took place.
With the techno-capacity for individuals to discover, conduct due diligence and search for truth, do these detached leaders still believe that info-mining is what it was only 5 years ago? Hello iPad/iPhone with apps.
How deep does it run with these villains? Is it to the point where their trust/believability is completely gone in all other fronts?
If this is a legitimate leadership strategy, then their truth becomes relative and ultimately meaningless…and this track of leadership can lead to chaos, disorder and confusion. This is where herd mentality breeds (see: http://zilliondollarthinking.com/discovery/will-you-join-a-herd/).
In all, this is a dangerous and growing crisis of integrity.
Author’s Note:
As a counter strategy, should we adopt at least a screen, filter or baseline (of believability) for these perpetrators? Our future may depend on it?
See “The Believability Quotient:”
http://zilliondollarthinking.com/discovery/the-value-of-a-believability-quotient/
Adjusted slogan and potential mantra:
Who can or will you trust? It is a vital decision.
If lying is a deliberate leadership strategy, why is it not more scrutinized, identified and consequential than is appears to be? Are some leaders taking advantage of our individual apathy, denial and complacency to the point of a subtle confiscation our liberties?
As a line extension of this dilemma, here is a short list of how many ways this MO (modus operandi) can influence you.
40 Synonyms for “Lie”
1. Bluff: a statement intended to deceive or confuse
2. Canard: an unsubstantiated story or report
3. Deceit: a deceptive statement
4. Deception: A statement or action intended to mislead
5. Distortion: a deviation from the true meaning, or an overstatement of proportion
6. Equivocation: a misleading or confusing statement
7. Exaggeration: an overstatement or overemphasis
8. Fable: a fictitious statement or story
9. Fabrication: a made-up fact or incident
10. Fairy tale: a misleading story, especially a simplistic one
11. Fallacy: a deceptive, erroneous statement or a false idea or a flawed argument
12. Falsehood: something untrue or inaccurate
13. Falsification: an alteration of facts in order to deceive
14. Falsity (see falsehood)
15. Fib: a small, simple or transparent lie
16. Fiction: a man-made invented statement or story
17. Half-truth: a statement with some basis in truth that nevertheless serves to deceive
18. Humbug: a false, deceptive, or nonsensical statement
19. Invention: a statement crafted to deceive
20. Jive: a deceptive, insincere, or nonsensical statement
21. Libel: a written or similarly presented lie that defames another person
23. Mendacity: an act of lying
23. Misconception: a poor understanding, perhaps deliberate, of the facts
24. Misinformation: a purported fact presented with the intent to deceive
25. Misinterpretation: a deviation from the facts or from a reasonable analysis of them
26. Misreport: an inaccurate account
27. Misrepresentation: an erroneous, deceptive or unfair interpretation of facts
28. Misstatement: an inaccurate or erroneous comment
29. Myth: a perpetuated notion, belief, or tradition that is doubtful and unfounded
30. Obliquity: a deviation from the truth to conceal or confuse
31. Perjury: a lie presented under oath
32. Pose: a false or deceptive position or self-representation
33. Pretense: an unsupported claim, an insincere purpose or false intention
34. Prevarication: a deviation from the truth
35. Slander: an injuriously false statement about a another person
36. Story: a lie, or a rumor
37. Tale: a false representation
38. Taradiddle: nonsense (also, see fib)
39. Untruth: an absolute deviation from truth or the facts
40. Whopper: an outsized lie
Full article Posted: December 30, 2011
Original Post: 40 Synonyms for “Lie”
Daily Writing Tips [info@dailywritingtips.com]
And then there is this Biblical advice:
Pro 14:5
A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness will utter lies.
1John 2:21
I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
The obvious questions to this brand of leadership:
Are these perpetrators self delusional, or do they dispute that their actual documented “on platform” evidence is edited and altered, and therefore invalid or it never took place.
With the techno-capacity for individuals to discover, conduct due diligence and search for truth, do these detached leaders still believe that info-mining is what it was only 5 years ago? Hello iPad/iPhone with apps.
How deep does it run with these villains? Is it to the point where their trust/believability is completely gone in all other fronts?
If this is a legitimate leadership strategy, then their truth becomes relative and ultimately meaningless…and this track of leadership can lead to chaos, disorder and confusion. This is where herd mentality breeds (see: http://zilliondollarthinking.com/discovery/will-you-join-a-herd/).
In all, this is a dangerous and growing crisis of integrity.
Author’s Note:
As a counter strategy, should we adopt at least a screen, filter or baseline (of believability) for these perpetrators? Our future may depend on it?
See “The Believability Quotient:”
http://zilliondollarthinking.com/discovery/the-value-of-a-believability-quotient/
Adjusted slogan and potential mantra:
“Lie to me once, shame on you…lie to me twice, shame on me.”
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Winter Edition “Cut and Paste”
As stated in the Summer Edition of “Cut and Paste” your ZDT author, as a member/contributor of several diverse professional groups, has written several hundred pages of blogs-articles-comments. Here are the updates of the most popular posts moving into the winter months. Collectively, these have received hundreds to thousands of viewers/readers. We are re-posting these in full or in part to highlight the central message of objective decisioning that, hopefully, will be valuable to you and your circles.
Number One in the ZDT Series
Decisioning in a Two-Way Mirror
You think you are facing yourself as a simple reflection only to find that you are being observed as the subject of a two-way mirror.
What’s the point?
The analogy here is that, often when you make a decision, you believe that you are deciding in a vacuum…just you and your decision. But, in this picture, would you make the same decision if you knew you were being monitored, observed and evaluated based on your decisioning process?
Like a guy shaving, it happens almost every day (usually in front of a mirror). And, anything that you do daily can become habitual, routine and automatic. Consequently, you tend to not think or evaluate your process too deeply.
The objective here is to consider a paradigm shift using your mirror as a “trigger.” The next time you look in a mirror while brushing, shaving or whatever…analyze what you are thinking. If it happens to be an idea, decision or solution (like in the shower…where the fresh ideas can come from)…apply this question: “What is my process here?” In this case, imagine that your coach/mentor is behind the glass, and they are challenging your position with the phrase of: “How did you arrive at this decision or this thinking?”
If you are using an objective process, it would be good to become more conscious and deliberate in your app (application). If not already done, write it out. Reason: Make it a more universal app in other decisions and deliberations.
If there is no process, formula or model, this may be the “trigger” to make that change? As SOP (standard operating procedure), our group recommends that the bones of a model include at least these four progressive steps:
Discovery
Commitment
Solution
Action
Whether you decide to take any of these steps or not, the goal remains the same…creating objectivity. The idea here is to create an additional “trigger” using an item that almost everyone uses every day.
Please consider this mantra: “Thinking through life…One decision at a time.” Simple as that.
As always…you decide.
Number Two in the ZDT Series
Call Reluctance Phobias and Cures
Everyone who prospects in the selling business will experience call reluctance from time to time. Although there are several reasons, many experts say the primary ones can be broken down into two distinct categories: repeated failure and repeated rejection.
Repeated Failure
Atychiphobia: Fear of Failure Phobia
The first reason for call reluctance is the fear of repeated failure. This can happen when the salesperson attempts to schedule appointments with the contacts on a prospect list and is repeatedly turned down. When the salesperson continues to fail to schedule the appointment, the next contact becomes harder because of the increasing fear of failure.
Repeated Rejection
Agathoraphobia: Fear of Rejection Phobia (related to)
The second reason for call reluctance is the fear of rejection. When a salesperson calls on a prospect (by phone or in person), they will usually ask a series of probing questions. Often, the prospect may become defensive, negative, or will even cease communicating with the salesperson.
Following that response, many times the salesperson will feel rejected. Even though it is the product or service that is the subject of rejection, many salespeople will take it personally. Ultimately, the fear of being rejected may potentially stop the salesperson from prospecting (often ending their career).
Then what?
Way back in the day…I read a book called the Influence of Fear on Salesmen by Frank Budd. I was driven to this and other resources because I moved from being an independent producer to a sales manager.
Oddly enough, I discovered that it was not just me who was struggling with this issue. Many on our team were also experiencing the same problem. And, if I could point to one book and methodology that offered a turning point, it was Budd’s book and his message.
Budd’s antidote to fear boiled down to this: being authentic.
The definition of authenticity: undisputed credibility, genuineness, legitimacy, believability, the quality of being believable or trustworthy.
Enter the “Process”
Following a process methodology is: “Initially you may not trust me…but you may well trust what my process can do for you” (which is a far more objective start). Demonstrating your process will really help to take the focus off of you and your product/service and highlight how you operate beneficially for them. That results in the rejection potential becoming more impartial and far more objective. Your process (MO) can be the major link in proving your authenticity and in lessening your fears.
If You Do Not Have a Process
It would not be too surprising. Even after all these years and a plethora of sales training programs, many do not include the step of demonstrating how you operate to your prospect’s benefit. Consequently, that step will be the first object to be evaluated. If that meets resistance…it’s your option to continue.
If you elect not proceed, walk away, and carry more confidence from having been completely authentic in presenting your factual process to the prospect. Over time, your fears can be replaced with confidence. That may be one of the keys for long term success in the selling business.
And finally, if you would be interested in a template of our process, please email me, and I will send you the “Tale of Two Interviews.”
As always…you decide.
Number Three in the ZDT Series:
The Dangers of Herd Mentality
(Please Forward to Family, Friends, Clients and Others)
Mentalities and Behaviors
The subject of herding is gaining more spotlight by the day. It is the antithesis of organized thought. Years ago, Merrill Lynch adopted the title: “The Thundering Herd” as a bullish position on the economy and a positive spin on the idea of herding. In extreme contrast today, mobs are the product of herding gone wild and out of control. It would benefit us to look at what is driving these herds today.
Herd behavior is generally applied to animals, whereas herd mentality implies a uniquely human phenomenon. Herd mentality implies a fear-based reaction to peer pressure which makes individuals act in a certain order to avoid feeling left behind or left out of the group. Herd mentality is also a part of “mob mentality.”
Further, because of the vast and commanding influence of instant information, sentiment and segmentation, we are subtlety falling into a “herd versus herd” society in America.
From a herd POV (Point Of View), we have Organized Labor vs. Management vs. Government…Democrats vs. Republicans vs. Independents…Denomination vs. Denomination…Race vs. Race…on and on. In essence, we live in an increasingly polarized country in almost every area where herds breed.
The common dominator among these masses is often a herd mentality which is never the most thoughtful or objective direction. In this case, calculated, purposeful and wise decisioning would be just the opposite.
Unfortunately today, it boils down to who can shout down, bully, out craft and/or intimidate the opposing party. And, as the seasons or policy issues get closer to a show down (e.g. elections/decisions), the conflicts seem to get louder and more physical.
Who is feeding this phenomenon, and where is this headed?
By now, it has to be abundantly clear that anyone or any group that is fueling this movement does not have or want your individual thought or critique expressed or attached to their own agenda. That is not what herds are supposed to do. They are amassed to get in line and follow in lock step to whatever and wherever the anointed one or the groups tell them to go…without question.
So, if you are contemplating joining a herd, and your sentiment is: “Just tell me what to do?”(always the easiest direction). If that is you, then please consider this response:
Don’t fall for this continuing trap. Don’t automatically consent. Don’t give up or into a weakened state of vulnerability. Don’t be pressured into a time line of someone’s edict. Don’t be intimidated or blind sided.
These are exactly the conditions where herd mentality thrives, and why herd-masters do not want them spotlighted or even considered as a brand of (not) thinking. That would be counterintuitive to their ultimate purpose. And, you can see how technology and the connectivity of social and industrial media and sites are the perfect instruments to fuel this phenomenon even more dramatically and almost instantly (going viral).
Here’s the deal, we are in the throes of one of the most freedom threatening economic, political and spiritual environments known to man. If there were ever a time to not fall prey to “herds,” it is now.
As always…You decide…(Please).
Biblical Herding Note:
“All we like sheep (herds) have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way…” Isaiah 53:6
A Special Note to our readers:
Please take the time to download our new and free eBook “Decisioning with the MODEL,” from our website http://www.zilliondollarthinking.com/ and forward it to friends and family during this season. We are entering the most important decisioning climate in our life time…we can all use all the help we can get.
Number One in the ZDT Series
Decisioning in a Two-Way Mirror
You think you are facing yourself as a simple reflection only to find that you are being observed as the subject of a two-way mirror.
What’s the point?
The analogy here is that, often when you make a decision, you believe that you are deciding in a vacuum…just you and your decision. But, in this picture, would you make the same decision if you knew you were being monitored, observed and evaluated based on your decisioning process?
Like a guy shaving, it happens almost every day (usually in front of a mirror). And, anything that you do daily can become habitual, routine and automatic. Consequently, you tend to not think or evaluate your process too deeply.
The objective here is to consider a paradigm shift using your mirror as a “trigger.” The next time you look in a mirror while brushing, shaving or whatever…analyze what you are thinking. If it happens to be an idea, decision or solution (like in the shower…where the fresh ideas can come from)…apply this question: “What is my process here?” In this case, imagine that your coach/mentor is behind the glass, and they are challenging your position with the phrase of: “How did you arrive at this decision or this thinking?”
If you are using an objective process, it would be good to become more conscious and deliberate in your app (application). If not already done, write it out. Reason: Make it a more universal app in other decisions and deliberations.
If there is no process, formula or model, this may be the “trigger” to make that change? As SOP (standard operating procedure), our group recommends that the bones of a model include at least these four progressive steps:
Discovery
Commitment
Solution
Action
Whether you decide to take any of these steps or not, the goal remains the same…creating objectivity. The idea here is to create an additional “trigger” using an item that almost everyone uses every day.
Please consider this mantra: “Thinking through life…One decision at a time.” Simple as that.
As always…you decide.
Number Two in the ZDT Series
Call Reluctance Phobias and Cures
Everyone who prospects in the selling business will experience call reluctance from time to time. Although there are several reasons, many experts say the primary ones can be broken down into two distinct categories: repeated failure and repeated rejection.
Repeated Failure
Atychiphobia: Fear of Failure Phobia
The first reason for call reluctance is the fear of repeated failure. This can happen when the salesperson attempts to schedule appointments with the contacts on a prospect list and is repeatedly turned down. When the salesperson continues to fail to schedule the appointment, the next contact becomes harder because of the increasing fear of failure.
Repeated Rejection
Agathoraphobia: Fear of Rejection Phobia (related to)
The second reason for call reluctance is the fear of rejection. When a salesperson calls on a prospect (by phone or in person), they will usually ask a series of probing questions. Often, the prospect may become defensive, negative, or will even cease communicating with the salesperson.
Following that response, many times the salesperson will feel rejected. Even though it is the product or service that is the subject of rejection, many salespeople will take it personally. Ultimately, the fear of being rejected may potentially stop the salesperson from prospecting (often ending their career).
Then what?
Way back in the day…I read a book called the Influence of Fear on Salesmen by Frank Budd. I was driven to this and other resources because I moved from being an independent producer to a sales manager.
Oddly enough, I discovered that it was not just me who was struggling with this issue. Many on our team were also experiencing the same problem. And, if I could point to one book and methodology that offered a turning point, it was Budd’s book and his message.
Budd’s antidote to fear boiled down to this: being authentic.
The definition of authenticity: undisputed credibility, genuineness, legitimacy, believability, the quality of being believable or trustworthy.
Enter the “Process”
Following a process methodology is: “Initially you may not trust me…but you may well trust what my process can do for you” (which is a far more objective start). Demonstrating your process will really help to take the focus off of you and your product/service and highlight how you operate beneficially for them. That results in the rejection potential becoming more impartial and far more objective. Your process (MO) can be the major link in proving your authenticity and in lessening your fears.
If You Do Not Have a Process
It would not be too surprising. Even after all these years and a plethora of sales training programs, many do not include the step of demonstrating how you operate to your prospect’s benefit. Consequently, that step will be the first object to be evaluated. If that meets resistance…it’s your option to continue.
If you elect not proceed, walk away, and carry more confidence from having been completely authentic in presenting your factual process to the prospect. Over time, your fears can be replaced with confidence. That may be one of the keys for long term success in the selling business.
And finally, if you would be interested in a template of our process, please email me, and I will send you the “Tale of Two Interviews.”
As always…you decide.
Number Three in the ZDT Series:
The Dangers of Herd Mentality
(Please Forward to Family, Friends, Clients and Others)
Mentalities and Behaviors
The subject of herding is gaining more spotlight by the day. It is the antithesis of organized thought. Years ago, Merrill Lynch adopted the title: “The Thundering Herd” as a bullish position on the economy and a positive spin on the idea of herding. In extreme contrast today, mobs are the product of herding gone wild and out of control. It would benefit us to look at what is driving these herds today.
Herd behavior is generally applied to animals, whereas herd mentality implies a uniquely human phenomenon. Herd mentality implies a fear-based reaction to peer pressure which makes individuals act in a certain order to avoid feeling left behind or left out of the group. Herd mentality is also a part of “mob mentality.”
Further, because of the vast and commanding influence of instant information, sentiment and segmentation, we are subtlety falling into a “herd versus herd” society in America.
From a herd POV (Point Of View), we have Organized Labor vs. Management vs. Government…Democrats vs. Republicans vs. Independents…Denomination vs. Denomination…Race vs. Race…on and on. In essence, we live in an increasingly polarized country in almost every area where herds breed.
The common dominator among these masses is often a herd mentality which is never the most thoughtful or objective direction. In this case, calculated, purposeful and wise decisioning would be just the opposite.
Unfortunately today, it boils down to who can shout down, bully, out craft and/or intimidate the opposing party. And, as the seasons or policy issues get closer to a show down (e.g. elections/decisions), the conflicts seem to get louder and more physical.
Who is feeding this phenomenon, and where is this headed?
By now, it has to be abundantly clear that anyone or any group that is fueling this movement does not have or want your individual thought or critique expressed or attached to their own agenda. That is not what herds are supposed to do. They are amassed to get in line and follow in lock step to whatever and wherever the anointed one or the groups tell them to go…without question.
So, if you are contemplating joining a herd, and your sentiment is: “Just tell me what to do?”(always the easiest direction). If that is you, then please consider this response:
Don’t!
Don’t fall for this continuing trap. Don’t automatically consent. Don’t give up or into a weakened state of vulnerability. Don’t be pressured into a time line of someone’s edict. Don’t be intimidated or blind sided.
These are exactly the conditions where herd mentality thrives, and why herd-masters do not want them spotlighted or even considered as a brand of (not) thinking. That would be counterintuitive to their ultimate purpose. And, you can see how technology and the connectivity of social and industrial media and sites are the perfect instruments to fuel this phenomenon even more dramatically and almost instantly (going viral).
Here’s the deal, we are in the throes of one of the most freedom threatening economic, political and spiritual environments known to man. If there were ever a time to not fall prey to “herds,” it is now.
As always…You decide…(Please).
Biblical Herding Note:
“All we like sheep (herds) have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way…” Isaiah 53:6
A Special Note to our readers:
Please take the time to download our new and free eBook “Decisioning with the MODEL,” from our website http://www.zilliondollarthinking.com/ and forward it to friends and family during this season. We are entering the most important decisioning climate in our life time…we can all use all the help we can get.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Zillion Dollar Thought
Each square inch on human skin consists of 19 millions cells, 60 hairs, 90 oil glands, 19 feet of blood vessels, 625 sweat glands and 19,000 sensory cells.
From the first person to now…zillions.
From the first person to now…zillions.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Are You Playing to Your Strength?
Q. The volatile economies of today will come and go, but were we made simply to react to economies, or to a higher calling of inspiration and a contribution to our fellow man?
A. There is a fundamental maximum in marketing designated as your (individual and/or corporate) USP...namely Unique Selling Proposition. It's the unique advantage that you bring to the equation that only you can claim.
Q. Is that not getting old and stale?
A. With all that technology is doing to turn our society into a virtual and artificial community, it would seem that there is another decision to be considered. In this ominous environment, we must not lose the power and uniqueness of our own individual footprint.
In prior posts, we have referred to the classic message of Acres of Diamonds. The premise applies here as well. We can look, search, ponder, dig and/or become frantic or obsessed with what it will take to find our great treasure (or survive in these turbulent markets). All with the same result in this book...the greatest wealth is in our own back yard...right here and now. It is your USP.
A. There is a fundamental maximum in marketing designated as your (individual and/or corporate) USP...namely Unique Selling Proposition. It's the unique advantage that you bring to the equation that only you can claim.
Yes, we all feel the pressure from the economic news of the day, but do we have to be controlled by it? The selling business is ripe with challenges, but even in all the fray, we are expected to be the goodwill ambassadors for who/what we represent. The bigger challenge is, how is that best done? Most institutions have their mantra ready for you to take to the market. Generally, that is a glowing promotion of the product/service they offer.
Q. Is that not getting old and stale?
A. With all that technology is doing to turn our society into a virtual and artificial community, it would seem that there is another decision to be considered. In this ominous environment, we must not lose the power and uniqueness of our own individual footprint.
In prior posts, we have referred to the classic message of Acres of Diamonds. The premise applies here as well. We can look, search, ponder, dig and/or become frantic or obsessed with what it will take to find our great treasure (or survive in these turbulent markets). All with the same result in this book...the greatest wealth is in our own back yard...right here and now. It is your USP.
It could be that yours is:
Creativity/Ingenuity/Vision
Construction/Reconstruction/Planning
Teaching/Training/Instruction
Communication/Speaking/Writing
Relationships/Teamwork/Networks
Charity/Helping/Giving
Athletics/Mentoring/Modeling
Spiritual/Inspiration/Hope
And a zillion others...As many as there are individuals.
Point is that whatever our primary gift or talent is, we should identify it, develop it and use it to contribute back to our communities. There is another adage that says “the best way to help yourself is to help others first.”
Regardless of the economy, combining your USP with attitude of contribution is truly playing to your strength, and it is sitting right where you live.
As always...you decide.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Life Decisions: Cyber Searching or Soul Searching?
What’s the difference? Why is it important?
Until a few years ago, these conflicting decisions were hardly considered because we were not yet consumed in a virtual cyber world. Back in the day, our conflicts and choices were often resolved from within ourselves (e.g. soul searched). Today, that stage has been compromised, and because of the louder digital intrusions, it is getting increasingly difficult to hear your own voice deep down.
From the beginning, mankind has had the ability to look deep inside to self examine what may ring true or false. Once the availability of digital search engines became prevalent, a new competition was created.
There are endless (POVs) vantage points of how we could pose and contrast this dilemma, but the “practice of writing” demonstrates how simple (an eloquent) this could be. From a writer/author/communicator’s perspective, here are a few soul searching quotes:
“Write from the soul, not from some notion what you think the marketplace wants. The market is fickle; the soul is eternal.”
“There is an eternal landscape…a geography of the soul; we search for its outlines all our lives.”
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.”
“Whatever satisfies the soul is truth.”
“Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.”
“Never sell your soul.”
“The wealth of a soul is measured by how much it can feel; its poverty by how little.”
“The one thing in the world, of value, is the active soul.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
http://www.motivational-inspirational-corner.com/getquote.html?startrow=11&categoryid=190
Until a few years ago, these conflicting decisions were hardly considered because we were not yet consumed in a virtual cyber world. Back in the day, our conflicts and choices were often resolved from within ourselves (e.g. soul searched). Today, that stage has been compromised, and because of the louder digital intrusions, it is getting increasingly difficult to hear your own voice deep down.
From the beginning, mankind has had the ability to look deep inside to self examine what may ring true or false. Once the availability of digital search engines became prevalent, a new competition was created.
There are endless (POVs) vantage points of how we could pose and contrast this dilemma, but the “practice of writing” demonstrates how simple (an eloquent) this could be. From a writer/author/communicator’s perspective, here are a few soul searching quotes:
“Write from the soul, not from some notion what you think the marketplace wants. The market is fickle; the soul is eternal.”
Jeffrey A. Carver
“There is an eternal landscape…a geography of the soul; we search for its outlines all our lives.”
Josephine Hart
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.”
Bible Verse
“Whatever satisfies the soul is truth.”
Walt Whitman
“Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.”
Anne Sexton
“Never sell your soul.”
Laura Schlessinger
“The wealth of a soul is measured by how much it can feel; its poverty by how little.”
William R. Alger
“The one thing in the world, of value, is the active soul.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
http://www.motivational-inspirational-corner.com/getquote.html?startrow=11&categoryid=190
Now, contrast the whisper of these soul searching quotes with the paradigm shifting volume that has been created in our oppressive and intrusive digital community:
24/7 Availability
Full Mobility/Wireless
Instant Data/Directions/Information/Communication
Data Mining/Artificial Intelligence/Fuzzy Logic/Psycho Graphics
Automatic Capture and Distribution
Endless Research and Archives
Worldwide Exposure and Retrieval
Virtual Recognition
And a zillion more...
ZDT author’s comment:
Another author said that there is a “soul sized vacuum” inside everyone, and we may try to fill that void with just about everything (habits, food/drink, traditions, beliefs, activities, relationships, technology…on and on). But, in the end, that condition will only have one solution (it has to do with eternity). The key here is that the louder the world gets (from cyber to virtual), we should not ignore the most important voice of own our soul searching.
As always…you decide.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The One Thing You Must Do To Guarantee Success
That one thing is: To make a decision.
“Decide right now that you are going to be a highly-paid freelancer and you are going to succeed at your freelance business, no matter what.
Eliminate the thinking that tells you, “I’ll give this a try and see what happens.” Or “I’ll give this a test drive for six months.”
Why? If you haven’t made the decision to succeed at all costs, it’s too easy to quit whenever you hit a “speed bump.” And for some, that bump doesn’t have to be a big one.
Rejection from a prospect, criticism about your writer’s life dream from a family member or friend, or not making as much money as you’d hoped in your first year…all can support your “I’ll give it a try” thinking that says, “this must not be working out, time to quit.”
However, once you’ve firmly decided you are going to live the writer’s life, no matter what, those setbacks become mere hiccups that slow you down from time to time. But, they never stop you, not even for a minute.
Frederick Speakman, a well-known author of illustrated guides to English forests who was a pioneer in childhood environmental education said, "Decisions determine destiny."
So, if you want to guarantee your writer’s life destiny, take a minute today and decide you WILL be a wealthy freelancer, no matter what.
Don’t be like my friend who hasn’t committed to what she’s doing and continues to bounce around like a rubber ball…hoping something will “stick.” You can succeed, if you’ll just decide.”
By Cindy Cyr
For full article and credits:
http://www.awaionline.com/2011/11/guarantee-your-freelance-success/
ZDT author’s comments: This is a very brief, yet efficient, post. Two things:
One: No matter what your goal is, it always comes back to the decision and the determination to make it.
Two: The target here is freelance writing, but why can’t this be applied to most any endeavor or occupation?
Again, our fundamental mission (at Zillion Dollar Thinking) is to consistently present the importance of decisioning in your daily walk and to continue to provide motivations, remedies and solutions in your journey.
As always…you decide.
“Decide right now that you are going to be a highly-paid freelancer and you are going to succeed at your freelance business, no matter what.
Eliminate the thinking that tells you, “I’ll give this a try and see what happens.” Or “I’ll give this a test drive for six months.”
Why? If you haven’t made the decision to succeed at all costs, it’s too easy to quit whenever you hit a “speed bump.” And for some, that bump doesn’t have to be a big one.
Rejection from a prospect, criticism about your writer’s life dream from a family member or friend, or not making as much money as you’d hoped in your first year…all can support your “I’ll give it a try” thinking that says, “this must not be working out, time to quit.”
However, once you’ve firmly decided you are going to live the writer’s life, no matter what, those setbacks become mere hiccups that slow you down from time to time. But, they never stop you, not even for a minute.
Frederick Speakman, a well-known author of illustrated guides to English forests who was a pioneer in childhood environmental education said, "Decisions determine destiny."
So, if you want to guarantee your writer’s life destiny, take a minute today and decide you WILL be a wealthy freelancer, no matter what.
Don’t be like my friend who hasn’t committed to what she’s doing and continues to bounce around like a rubber ball…hoping something will “stick.” You can succeed, if you’ll just decide.”
By Cindy Cyr
For full article and credits:
http://www.awaionline.com/2011/11/guarantee-your-freelance-success/
ZDT author’s comments: This is a very brief, yet efficient, post. Two things:
One: No matter what your goal is, it always comes back to the decision and the determination to make it.
Two: The target here is freelance writing, but why can’t this be applied to most any endeavor or occupation?
Again, our fundamental mission (at Zillion Dollar Thinking) is to consistently present the importance of decisioning in your daily walk and to continue to provide motivations, remedies and solutions in your journey.
As always…you decide.
Friday, November 11, 2011
One.One.One.One.One.One.
Posted: 11:11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11, 2011
Yesterday is history. This day will be, but it has become a numerical icon for a wide variety of events all over the world.
Article by: MATT SEDENSKY
The Associated Press
“From China to New York, place your bets! Tie the knot! Make a wish!”
Friday marks the 11th day of the 11th month of 2011. Around the world, people are celebrating the triple convergence of 11s with a splash.
Some 1,000 ethnic Chinese couples exchanged vows acrossMalaysiaon a date viewed as auspicious and romantic. InChina, a special "1111" train started at 11:11 a.m. on the No. 11 line in Shanghai.
"The numbers rhyme with one husband, one wife and one soul in Chinese and signifies a marriage that would last a lifetime," said nurse Pua Kim Giok, 25, who tied the knot with engineer Lee Chin Siong, 27. They were among 460 couples who got married at the popular TheanHouTempleinKuala Lumpur.
Not everyone is smiling, however.
Egypt's antiquities authority closed the largest of the Great Pyramid of Giza following rumors that groups would try to hold spiritual ceremonies on the site at11:11.
The authority's head Mustafa Amin said in a statement Friday that the pyramid of Khufu, also known as Cheops, would be closed until Saturday morning for "necessary maintenance."
The closure followed a string of unconfirmed reports in local media that unknown groups would try to hold "Jewish" or "Masonic" rites on the site.
In the U.S., the Trump Taj Mahal inAtlantic City, N.J., was planning drawings every 11 minutes for up to $1,111.
InLas Vegas, Clark County Clerk Diana Alba got ready for an onslaught of weddings. She was expecting the number of couples to surpass the crowd on08/08/08and equal the throng on10/10/10. It may not, however, reach the turnout seen onJuly 7, 2007…a date that consists of three lucky sevens.
In Des Moines,Iowa, Dr. Ross Valone, an obstetrician-gynecologist, will refund any fees he collects from delivering babies Friday. InBellevue,Wash., Jason Brown will open his new grocery store at11:11 a.m.
Vikki MacKinnon, a numerologist inCalgary, Ontario, said she expected the day to be a "cosmic wake-up call. Eleven is a number of illumination and enlightenment, a number of insight, blinding flashes of the obvious, and a number of transformation," she said.
The Chinese have always had a fascination with number sequences.
And in a country where ages of first marriages are creeping upward, the 11/11/11 date represents six "bare sticks," a term for bachelors in Chinese.
Full article and Credits:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/11-11-11-brings-hopes-of-good-luck-1962348.html
ZDT Author’s note:
Coincidentally, this is also Veteran’s Day. In all, this could be a significant day for millions of people all over the world. How about you?
Point is, from a decisioning perspective, why not consider this day as a marker to finally make any decision that has been lingering, nagging or perplexing you. Once decided, that could become a relief that could last well beyond the events that will define this day. 11-11-11 could be your memorable day for a completely different reason.
As always…you decide.
Yesterday is history. This day will be, but it has become a numerical icon for a wide variety of events all over the world.
Article by: MATT SEDENSKY
The Associated Press
“From China to New York, place your bets! Tie the knot! Make a wish!”
Friday marks the 11th day of the 11th month of 2011. Around the world, people are celebrating the triple convergence of 11s with a splash.
Some 1,000 ethnic Chinese couples exchanged vows acrossMalaysiaon a date viewed as auspicious and romantic. InChina, a special "1111" train started at 11:11 a.m. on the No. 11 line in Shanghai.
"The numbers rhyme with one husband, one wife and one soul in Chinese and signifies a marriage that would last a lifetime," said nurse Pua Kim Giok, 25, who tied the knot with engineer Lee Chin Siong, 27. They were among 460 couples who got married at the popular TheanHouTempleinKuala Lumpur.
Not everyone is smiling, however.
Egypt's antiquities authority closed the largest of the Great Pyramid of Giza following rumors that groups would try to hold spiritual ceremonies on the site at11:11.
The authority's head Mustafa Amin said in a statement Friday that the pyramid of Khufu, also known as Cheops, would be closed until Saturday morning for "necessary maintenance."
The closure followed a string of unconfirmed reports in local media that unknown groups would try to hold "Jewish" or "Masonic" rites on the site.
In the U.S., the Trump Taj Mahal inAtlantic City, N.J., was planning drawings every 11 minutes for up to $1,111.
InLas Vegas, Clark County Clerk Diana Alba got ready for an onslaught of weddings. She was expecting the number of couples to surpass the crowd on08/08/08and equal the throng on10/10/10. It may not, however, reach the turnout seen onJuly 7, 2007…a date that consists of three lucky sevens.
In Des Moines,Iowa, Dr. Ross Valone, an obstetrician-gynecologist, will refund any fees he collects from delivering babies Friday. InBellevue,Wash., Jason Brown will open his new grocery store at11:11 a.m.
Vikki MacKinnon, a numerologist inCalgary, Ontario, said she expected the day to be a "cosmic wake-up call. Eleven is a number of illumination and enlightenment, a number of insight, blinding flashes of the obvious, and a number of transformation," she said.
The Chinese have always had a fascination with number sequences.
And in a country where ages of first marriages are creeping upward, the 11/11/11 date represents six "bare sticks," a term for bachelors in Chinese.
Full article and Credits:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/11-11-11-brings-hopes-of-good-luck-1962348.html
ZDT Author’s note:
Coincidentally, this is also Veteran’s Day. In all, this could be a significant day for millions of people all over the world. How about you?
Point is, from a decisioning perspective, why not consider this day as a marker to finally make any decision that has been lingering, nagging or perplexing you. Once decided, that could become a relief that could last well beyond the events that will define this day. 11-11-11 could be your memorable day for a completely different reason.
As always…you decide.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
What is Your Decisioning Culture?
What Makes Up Your Culture?
Culture is like an individual’s personality. Individually, the personality is made up of the values, beliefs, interests, experiences, upbringing, and habits that create a person's behavior and actions.
Culture is also made up of the values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors shared by a mixed group of people. That culture is the behavior that results when a group arrives at a set of (generally unspoken and unwritten) rules for working together.
A corporate culture is made up of the life experiences that each employee brings to the workplace. That culture is particularly influenced by the organization's founder, executives, and other managerial staff because of their role in decision making and strategic direction.
How Do You See Culture?
The visual and verbal components of an organization's culture are noticeable every day at work. Whether you are walking through the work area, sitting in an office, attending a meeting, or eating in the lunchroom, the organization's culture surrounds you and permeates your working life and even influences your daily decisioning.
For full article and credits:
http://humanresources.about.com/od/organizationalculture/g/what-is-culture.htm
From the Culture Club to the Culture of Corruption, culture is a versatile word with applications of several dimensions. Culture can be created, directed, developed, refined, but also destroyed. In all, it takes on a life of its own either consciously or unconsciously.
Point here is that as individuals or as members of a larger corporate, social or other human segment, we have a culture.
Question: With that in mind, would it not be wiser to become more aware and involved in the positive development of your own culture and how it affects your thinking and decisioning…or not?
As always…you decide.
Culture is like an individual’s personality. Individually, the personality is made up of the values, beliefs, interests, experiences, upbringing, and habits that create a person's behavior and actions.
Culture is also made up of the values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors shared by a mixed group of people. That culture is the behavior that results when a group arrives at a set of (generally unspoken and unwritten) rules for working together.
A corporate culture is made up of the life experiences that each employee brings to the workplace. That culture is particularly influenced by the organization's founder, executives, and other managerial staff because of their role in decision making and strategic direction.
How Do You See Culture?
The visual and verbal components of an organization's culture are noticeable every day at work. Whether you are walking through the work area, sitting in an office, attending a meeting, or eating in the lunchroom, the organization's culture surrounds you and permeates your working life and even influences your daily decisioning.
For full article and credits:
http://humanresources.about.com/od/organizationalculture/g/what-is-culture.htm
From the Culture Club to the Culture of Corruption, culture is a versatile word with applications of several dimensions. Culture can be created, directed, developed, refined, but also destroyed. In all, it takes on a life of its own either consciously or unconsciously.
Point here is that as individuals or as members of a larger corporate, social or other human segment, we have a culture.
Question: With that in mind, would it not be wiser to become more aware and involved in the positive development of your own culture and how it affects your thinking and decisioning…or not?
As always…you decide.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Zillion Dollar Thinking “Cut and Paste”
Summer 2011
Your ZDT author, as a member/contributor of several diverse professional groups has written several hundred pages of blogs-articles-comments. Here are a few of the most popular posts. Collectively, these have received hundreds to thousands of viewers/readers. We are re-posting these in full or in part to highlight the central message that, hopefully, will be valuable to you and your circle.
We intend to make this a quarterly digest based on reader response and commentary…as always, you decide.
Posting:
Sales Agent or Change Agent?
Which will it be? If you have been in the sales business 6 months or 25 years, the future is certain to have landmines for you and your clientele. You will need to be on offense and defense. Surveillance, intelligence and strategy are your mantras. Leadership as a given. Communication is vital. Sounds like a military position…consider this:
When our military is in a situation of protecting our interest, are they risking their lives for themselves or for a higher cause? A miscalculation would not be a simple mathematical error as with a financial projection. A bad decision could cost them their life. It’s a serious proposition. Do we feel the same weight of responsibility in working with our clients and other professionals?
Question: When you look ahead, do you feel any higher sense of accountability, or will it be business as usual? Will you continue as a sales agent, or will you become a change agent?
How various contributors view change agents
“Being a change agent is as more about identity and character than it is about definitions.”
“A change agent looks as much to the future, as they do the present.” To a certain extent, a change agent is dissatisfied with what they see around them, in favor of a much better vision of the future.
“A change agent is fueled by passion, inspires passion in others and realizes that it will require hard work.” It takes a lot of energy and purpose.
“A change agent has a strong ability to self-motivate.” The change agent needs to find it within themselves to get up every day and go to work and risk being misunderstood and not appreciated, knowing that the real validation may be far in the future and could even be claimed by someone else.
“A change agent serves people.” This kind of change is about people. If you change everything but the people, you will be ineffective as a change agent. Change will really "stick" when people buy-in. In all, change is part sales, part counseling and part encouragement. It's all about the care and feeding of people.
And further, from the HBR authors:
As a change agent, do you see opportunities the competition doesn't see?
The most successful companies don't just out-compete their rivals. They redefine the terms of competition by creating unique ideas in a world of “me-too” thinking.
Do you have new ideas about where to look for new ideas?
Ideas that are routine in one industry can be revolutionary when they move their template to another industry.
Are you the most of anything?
You can't be "pretty good" at everything anymore. You need to be the most of something: e.g. the most affordable, the most accessible, the most elegant, the most colorful, or the most transparent.
Can your customers live without you?
One of the make-or-break challenges for change agents is to become irreplaceable in the eyes of their customers.
Are you consistent in your commitment to be a change agent?
The problem with many organizations is that all they do is change. They lurch from one consulting firm to the next, from the most recent management fad to the newest. Your priorities and practices need to stay consistent in good times and bad to build trust.
Are you learning as fast as the world is changing?
In a world that never stops transforming, change agents can never stop learning. How do you push yourself as an individual to keep growing and evolving, so that your audiences will do the same?
Credits and full article:
HBR Contributor: William C. Taylor is cofounder of Fast Company magazine.
http://blogs.hbr.org/taylor/2009/06/the_10_questions_every_change.html
Posting:
How Rainmakers Make Rain
Definition of Rainmaker: An employee, producer or entrepreneur who creates a remarkable amount of new business for a company or institution. This term is often used in the context of the financial services, marketing/ advertising, and various other industries.
The decision to become a rainmaker is one of choice and not made by accident. Today, that decision can be timely and important given the climate of the economy and the hungry need of business for new sales. The list could be long as to why one would want to (or not) consider this road.
Clearly, the rewards outnumber the liabilities, but rainmakers know nothing in life is achieved without sacrifice [a price] to achieve extraordinary results.
Simply put, rainmakers generally have the following four traits in common.
1. They identify the problems. That means the buyer’s problems, the market’s problems, the economic climate problems, the product and service problems, the competition’s problems…in all; they are keenly sensitive and driven by the need of the problems and what it will take to solve them (even their own).
2. They are world class examples of commitment. In every sense of the word, they are committed to a solid work ethic, committed to integrity, committed to service, committed to excellence, committed to deliver results (even when excuses are common). In all, they are committed to “whatever it takes.”
3. They sell solutions. Products, services, plans, guides, webinars, graphics, books, magazines, mailings, digital apps…etc. are not stand alone objects. They are solutions to a problem. The rainmaker knows how to match the right solution to fit the correctly identified problem (due diligence and suitability). It is truly that simple, but how many really qualify for this rare membership?
4. They are driven into action. They realize that all the fantasies of success in this or any other field will not happen without specific, dedicated and focused action. They know the difference between the activity of the clown with the spinning plates versus closing the deal, collecting the money and leveraging that success to the next one.
In this economy, rainmakers are in hot demand. Their results are their resume.
Additional “Zillion Dollar Thoughts” of Rainmakers:
- They know that it universally costs $420 to make a selling call. They know how many attempts (based on their product/service costs) that will create profitability.
- They dollarize everything.
- They understand the maxim of “penny wise and pound foolish.”
- They are married to a model (a transferable, repeatable and pre-planned format or system).
Posting:
Are You in a Marketing War?
It would seem that we are quoting the obvious, but today we can’t take anything for granted. We can look at various sectors of our government, industrial, social and religious organizations to find that many of these are not aware of or acknowledge that they are in a war for their very existence.
In Marketing Warfare, Al Ries and Jack Trout (marketing experts) argue that marketing is war and that the marketing concept’s customer-oriented philosophy is inadequate. Rather, firms would do better by becoming competitor-oriented. If the key to success were to introduce products closest to those wanted by customers, then the market leader simply would be the firm that performed the best market research. Clearly, much more is required.
There is much that marketers can learn from military strategy. Ries and Trout tell the story of several famous battles in history that illustrate lessons of warfare. These battles range from Marathon in 490 B.C. when the Greeks used the phalanx to defeat the more numerous Persian invaders, to the Normandy invasion of the Second World War.
The lessons from these famous battles illustrate the strategies of planning, maneuvering, and overpowering the opposing side. These principles are relevant not only to warfare, but also to marketing.
Considering this concept, there are valuable lessons, tactics and decisions that can help business owners weather the economic battlefield they are now facing.
What do many great leaders do when they realize they are going to war, or already in one? First, they determine to fight or flight. Then, if they fight, they have to make some hard decisions. Here are just a few strategic considerations and determinations:
Decide who will be the leader
(Or leaders)
Identify the enemy (or target)
(Have you correctly identified who, what and where they are)
Before you make the commitment…be sure you have counted the cost
(“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it”)
Decide if you will you go it alone or build a team (or an army)
(“There is wisdom in many counselors”)
Distinguish that the objective is either a game or a war
(One is for sport…the other is for keeps)
Consider if you will you seek guidance and/or help
(“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble”)
Establish and communicate written strategic plans (including the SWOT exam)
(The emphasis here is “strategic [offense-defense]” with the goal to win)
Include: Responsibilities-Accountabilities-Actions-Contingencies
In summary, (back to Ries and Trout) they believe in having relatively few people involved in the strategic process. They believe the organization needs a strong marketing “general” to formulate the strategy from the tactical realities. An effective marketing general should have the following characteristics:
Flexibility: To adjust the strategy to the situation
Courage: To make a decision and stand by it
Boldness: To act without hesitation when the time is right
Know the facts: In order to formulate strategy from the ground up
Know the rules: But internalizing them so they can be forgotten
ZDT Question: Is it better to know you are in a war, and plan to win, or to take an “a-kicking” and never realize you were ever in one?
Until next quarter…
Your ZDT author, as a member/contributor of several diverse professional groups has written several hundred pages of blogs-articles-comments. Here are a few of the most popular posts. Collectively, these have received hundreds to thousands of viewers/readers. We are re-posting these in full or in part to highlight the central message that, hopefully, will be valuable to you and your circle.
We intend to make this a quarterly digest based on reader response and commentary…as always, you decide.
Posting:
Sales Agent or Change Agent?
Which will it be? If you have been in the sales business 6 months or 25 years, the future is certain to have landmines for you and your clientele. You will need to be on offense and defense. Surveillance, intelligence and strategy are your mantras. Leadership as a given. Communication is vital. Sounds like a military position…consider this:
When our military is in a situation of protecting our interest, are they risking their lives for themselves or for a higher cause? A miscalculation would not be a simple mathematical error as with a financial projection. A bad decision could cost them their life. It’s a serious proposition. Do we feel the same weight of responsibility in working with our clients and other professionals?
Question: When you look ahead, do you feel any higher sense of accountability, or will it be business as usual? Will you continue as a sales agent, or will you become a change agent?
How various contributors view change agents
“Being a change agent is as more about identity and character than it is about definitions.”
“A change agent looks as much to the future, as they do the present.” To a certain extent, a change agent is dissatisfied with what they see around them, in favor of a much better vision of the future.
“A change agent is fueled by passion, inspires passion in others and realizes that it will require hard work.” It takes a lot of energy and purpose.
“A change agent has a strong ability to self-motivate.” The change agent needs to find it within themselves to get up every day and go to work and risk being misunderstood and not appreciated, knowing that the real validation may be far in the future and could even be claimed by someone else.
“A change agent serves people.” This kind of change is about people. If you change everything but the people, you will be ineffective as a change agent. Change will really "stick" when people buy-in. In all, change is part sales, part counseling and part encouragement. It's all about the care and feeding of people.
And further, from the HBR authors:
As a change agent, do you see opportunities the competition doesn't see?
The most successful companies don't just out-compete their rivals. They redefine the terms of competition by creating unique ideas in a world of “me-too” thinking.
Do you have new ideas about where to look for new ideas?
Ideas that are routine in one industry can be revolutionary when they move their template to another industry.
Are you the most of anything?
You can't be "pretty good" at everything anymore. You need to be the most of something: e.g. the most affordable, the most accessible, the most elegant, the most colorful, or the most transparent.
Can your customers live without you?
One of the make-or-break challenges for change agents is to become irreplaceable in the eyes of their customers.
Are you consistent in your commitment to be a change agent?
The problem with many organizations is that all they do is change. They lurch from one consulting firm to the next, from the most recent management fad to the newest. Your priorities and practices need to stay consistent in good times and bad to build trust.
Are you learning as fast as the world is changing?
In a world that never stops transforming, change agents can never stop learning. How do you push yourself as an individual to keep growing and evolving, so that your audiences will do the same?
Credits and full article:
HBR Contributor: William C. Taylor is cofounder of Fast Company magazine.
http://blogs.hbr.org/taylor/2009/06/the_10_questions_every_change.html
Posting:
How Rainmakers Make Rain
Definition of Rainmaker: An employee, producer or entrepreneur who creates a remarkable amount of new business for a company or institution. This term is often used in the context of the financial services, marketing/ advertising, and various other industries.
The decision to become a rainmaker is one of choice and not made by accident. Today, that decision can be timely and important given the climate of the economy and the hungry need of business for new sales. The list could be long as to why one would want to (or not) consider this road.
Clearly, the rewards outnumber the liabilities, but rainmakers know nothing in life is achieved without sacrifice [a price] to achieve extraordinary results.
Simply put, rainmakers generally have the following four traits in common.
1. They identify the problems. That means the buyer’s problems, the market’s problems, the economic climate problems, the product and service problems, the competition’s problems…in all; they are keenly sensitive and driven by the need of the problems and what it will take to solve them (even their own).
2. They are world class examples of commitment. In every sense of the word, they are committed to a solid work ethic, committed to integrity, committed to service, committed to excellence, committed to deliver results (even when excuses are common). In all, they are committed to “whatever it takes.”
3. They sell solutions. Products, services, plans, guides, webinars, graphics, books, magazines, mailings, digital apps…etc. are not stand alone objects. They are solutions to a problem. The rainmaker knows how to match the right solution to fit the correctly identified problem (due diligence and suitability). It is truly that simple, but how many really qualify for this rare membership?
4. They are driven into action. They realize that all the fantasies of success in this or any other field will not happen without specific, dedicated and focused action. They know the difference between the activity of the clown with the spinning plates versus closing the deal, collecting the money and leveraging that success to the next one.
In this economy, rainmakers are in hot demand. Their results are their resume.
Additional “Zillion Dollar Thoughts” of Rainmakers:
- They know that it universally costs $420 to make a selling call. They know how many attempts (based on their product/service costs) that will create profitability.
- They dollarize everything.
- They understand the maxim of “penny wise and pound foolish.”
- They are married to a model (a transferable, repeatable and pre-planned format or system).
Posting:
Are You in a Marketing War?
It would seem that we are quoting the obvious, but today we can’t take anything for granted. We can look at various sectors of our government, industrial, social and religious organizations to find that many of these are not aware of or acknowledge that they are in a war for their very existence.
In Marketing Warfare, Al Ries and Jack Trout (marketing experts) argue that marketing is war and that the marketing concept’s customer-oriented philosophy is inadequate. Rather, firms would do better by becoming competitor-oriented. If the key to success were to introduce products closest to those wanted by customers, then the market leader simply would be the firm that performed the best market research. Clearly, much more is required.
There is much that marketers can learn from military strategy. Ries and Trout tell the story of several famous battles in history that illustrate lessons of warfare. These battles range from Marathon in 490 B.C. when the Greeks used the phalanx to defeat the more numerous Persian invaders, to the Normandy invasion of the Second World War.
The lessons from these famous battles illustrate the strategies of planning, maneuvering, and overpowering the opposing side. These principles are relevant not only to warfare, but also to marketing.
Considering this concept, there are valuable lessons, tactics and decisions that can help business owners weather the economic battlefield they are now facing.
What do many great leaders do when they realize they are going to war, or already in one? First, they determine to fight or flight. Then, if they fight, they have to make some hard decisions. Here are just a few strategic considerations and determinations:
Decide who will be the leader
(Or leaders)
Identify the enemy (or target)
(Have you correctly identified who, what and where they are)
Before you make the commitment…be sure you have counted the cost
(“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it”)
Decide if you will you go it alone or build a team (or an army)
(“There is wisdom in many counselors”)
Distinguish that the objective is either a game or a war
(One is for sport…the other is for keeps)
Consider if you will you seek guidance and/or help
(“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble”)
Establish and communicate written strategic plans (including the SWOT exam)
(The emphasis here is “strategic [offense-defense]” with the goal to win)
Include: Responsibilities-Accountabilities-Actions-Contingencies
In summary, (back to Ries and Trout) they believe in having relatively few people involved in the strategic process. They believe the organization needs a strong marketing “general” to formulate the strategy from the tactical realities. An effective marketing general should have the following characteristics:
Flexibility: To adjust the strategy to the situation
Courage: To make a decision and stand by it
Boldness: To act without hesitation when the time is right
Know the facts: In order to formulate strategy from the ground up
Know the rules: But internalizing them so they can be forgotten
ZDT Question: Is it better to know you are in a war, and plan to win, or to take an “a-kicking” and never realize you were ever in one?
Until next quarter…
Friday, June 10, 2011
Nixon Watch Helps You Make Decisions
Popular watchmaker Nixon has launched a new device called The Genie which not only tells wearers the time on a big, simple face, but helps them to make decisions.
Much like a Magic 8 Ball (please see our ZDT post dated 2-12-10), The Genie has a special 'magic genie' feature which users can turn on in order to receive an answer to their questions. It also has everything else you'd expect from a modern watch including of course the time, date, a stopwatch and LCD display.
It's a cool feature to integrate into a watch, but we'd recommend that you don't depend on it too much to make important decisions for you!
The Genie comes in a range of colors, which we assume makes it acceptable for both men and women, including, purple, black and bright blue.
ZDT Author’s Comment:
This would definitely fall under the subjective category.
I’m still looking for the Dick Tracy watch?
References and Credits:
http://www.popgadget.net/2011/06/nixon_watch_hel.php
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