Finisher's Quality: Knowing When to Focus

Last night I was playing in my weekly tennis league. It is a double's league where you play 35 minutes with each player on the court. The player with the most games won moves up the ladder, the player with the least number of games won moves down.

I played so well for the first two rounds, and I didn't play well in the third. Now, this isn't that interesting to anyone, except that it is a great illustration of this week's idea.

Finisher's Quality: Know When to Focus. Know when to drift.

The last round I was playing with the best player on the court and I relaxed. The previous two rounds, I knew I would have to be at my best to keep from losing badly to the stronger player. Then, when I got my turn with the better player...I didn't mean to, but I stopped focusing on my own game.

You have seen this a hundred times in every sport on the planet. An individual has the focus to get ahead, but doesn't have the ability to close it out.

This does not just apply to sales people. I bet you can come up with a situation when you were focused...focused...focused...on a big goal. Then, once the goal is within sight, within reach...you relax.

"Well, I can get there even if I only..."

That is the tank. Instead of finishing...you are going into the tank.

I am convinced that I was playing the best tennis on the court last night...but I am the one going down the ladder. I didn't finish the night. I drifted when I should have focused. For two sets I played the ball and I simply concentrated on playing the point, not the person across from me. Then, I let the thoughts of who I was playing with and against get me off course.

Once you wander off that course, it takes some time to get the focus back. Next week I will explore how great finishers get their focus back.

If anyone has any ideas, examples, tricks about this...please let me know.

It is time to Finish something

I was putting together my week's list this morning, and realized that there was an unfinished item on there from September 7...

That is not good finishing, but it was a result of focus on other priorities.

The problem? This was an item that was directly related to the future of my own business. This item, to finish a website for Brain Bucket, was not a paying customer, and therefore had been put off for more than two and a half months.

How unfinisher of me!

Therefore, this morning, I am going to go finish that task.

If there is anyone reading my blog each week, I encourage you to go check out two friends blogs who each have excellent recent posts:

Jerry Smith is Accord Coaching - www.balancelifework.com

and

Shawn Kinkade is Aspire Business Development and his blog should be read by anyone interested in learning how to run their own business.

http://www.aspirekc.com/Blog/2007/12/01/have-you-referred-anyone-today/

Have a great week.

Focus is Easy...Finish is Hard.

My wife accuses me of terrible bouts of indecision because I am a planner, and she is a big time do-er.

Everybody knows that you have to focus in order to do something well.

I tell myself and my daughter and my customers to focus 100 times a day.

Deciding to focus is easy. Linking Focus with Finish is another thing altogether.

Everybody realizes that sometimes in order to reach a goal, you have to focus your energy. I can focus on a project for hours...For me, though, that doesn't usually result in "Finish."

I am a notorious starter...and even my grandfather could tell that I was a slow finisher. I am working on my "finishing" because I think that successful people finish.

Finisher's Quality: Finishing is one part focus and 3 parts action.

I feel that I have accomplished something or had a really good day when I have focused on my goals, and completed the two or three essential action items necessary to see the project through ALL the way to completion.

I always have to apologize when I stop before I am done.

Go Finish.

Openings and Closings...

Start to Finish.

Brainstorm to Finished Project.

Goal setting to Execution.

I am the king of the left hand side of that list.

This week (same as last week), I am faced with several do-able projects. The problem has been actually doing that work to finish these things. I keep juggling. I keep spinning the plates, and as a result, none of them are finished.

If you are reading this and I owe you a website...thank you for your patience...it is coming this week.

Here's how I am going to do it!

I am ONLY focusing on one thing at a time. (Truly a finisher's quality)

I have readd part of a book about procrastination...I'll read the rest of it another time.

There are piles of things around my house to get done. And while I am not going to post my "honey do" list on the blog...the point is the same. Pick the hardest or most important thing and focus on it until it is done.

That is my challenge to myself this week. I WILL exhibit this finisher's quality.

In the meantime, take some time to check out these superior blogs.


Recent Post from Seth:
URL: Small business success


Recent Posts from Stephanie Diamond:
URL: Collaboration with Customers


URL: The Power of Focus

Finishers "Never Weaken" - see: Justin McBride

Here's a finisher's quality and a guilty pleasure all rolled into one post:

I am obsessed with the PBR.

No, that doesn't mean I am hanging out in some guy's back yard having a "yard" beer.

That is the Professional Bull Riding. "The Toughest Sport On Dirt" - as their commercials say.

This weekend was the end of their season where the league crowned its "World Champion."

My finisher for this week, therefore, is the PBR Season Champion Bull Rider Justin McBride. His rider page is HERE...just in case you are curious how much you can make riding a bull.

This guy is a finisher. One of his mentors, Ty Murray, has a saying about riding bulls that I think to myself whenever I recognize that I am slipping into something less than a finisher.

It is, "Never Weaken."

The only way you can ride a 2,000 pound bull for 8 seconds is to fully commit yourself to that action at that moment. When you watch hours and hours of bull riding, (and yes that means that I have...just ask my wife!), you can clearly tell the difference between the riders who finish their rides and riders who aren't.

It is not a question of ability or heart or "wanting it", or any of the things that ALL of the riders have. I think the difference is being able to sink yourself into the moment completely.

Finisher's Quality of the week: Finishers Never Weaken... they are ready to ride for 10 seconds.

by the way...if you want to pull for the bull...that's ok. A bull named Chicken on a Chain is the winner of the rankest bull world championship. HERE are his stats for this season.

Finishers are Team Players

Here is a superb recent post from Tom Peters regarding Individualism in Business.

Many of the things he brings up are related to being a finisher. I hadn't thought of it this way, but teams always out perform individuals.

Even if you are a sole proprietor in your business...look for a team.

Here is the link: Individualism in Business

Finishing when You Are Busy

In tennis there is a moment of shot recognition when your opponent can only make a defensive shot that is only just going to make it over the net. Once you recognize that they are not able to hit an offensive shot, you must "close on the net" in order to get to the ball before it drops below the level of the net...

Some people are waiters...they wait until the ball bounces and then blast it out.

Some people are flailers...they swing hard at the ball and blast it right into the net...their feet were not in position.

Finishers recognize the shot early, get in position, and close on the net in order to put it away.

I think that the ability to maintain your system, as well as a systematic approach to your work, when things really start flying is a finisher's quality.

My business and the "busy-ness" has really picked up in the last few weeks. More people are signing up for the basic Brain bucket website, and I am lined up to do consulting-type work with a great company. This is all great stuff that I have been working hard to make happen.

But that means that it is harder for me to finish the things that need finishing.

I see others that I consider good finishers handling this type of workload / flow much smoother than I do.

I keep telling myself to maintain my system and to take time to reset my work list...and to set aside enough time to complete my tasks.

Here are some other finishers from the weekend:

Oliver Truog (my brother) reached a huge, long-time goal when he qualified for the Boston Marathon this weekend. He ran the Kansas City Marathon in 3:09. GREAT JOB!

James Tomko (a great friend) completed a half Iron Man triathlon...That is a great achievement!

Make a "Honey Do" List for your Business

Finishers do little things right away, and put the big things in a plan.

I have a list of "honey do" items around the house and the yard and the car and the garage.

Unfortunately, those have been supplanted by larger and more pressing projects that take multiple weekends and late week nights to complete.

But this morning, as I walked to the car I saw four or five very small projects staring me in the face. They are little things that I know I must do. Things that I know I will feel better about walking to the car and playing in the backyard once I get them done. I just haven't made them a priority...other things that are more important always jump in line.

Sound familiar? Does that sound like some parts of your business?

I have said before that I struggle with finishing and that is why I write this blog. So here's my confession for the week. I basically ignore those things until either (1) someone yells at me to get them done and stop sitting on the couch watching football, or (2) I get so sick of them myself that I decide to make them a priority.

What are the things you are not finishing?

For many business owners I have worked with, this could be as simple as setting aside part of a day each week to outline a sales system and to build a marketing plan. Then you will need to adopt some of the other finisher's qualities in order to actually make sure that those things get FINISHED.

This weeks book list:

"The Power of Focus" - Amazon Link Here


"Mentally Tough - the prinicples of winning at sports applied to winning in business" - Jim Loehr is a big time sports psychologist who turned his ideas towards business people a number of years ago. HERE is that book. I find things in this book that help me every day.

Blogs to check in with:

Shawn Kinkade will get your head back in your business: Aspire Blog

Stephanie Diamond: As always, Stephanie has some great business perspective. Read this and take the advice! More Ideas, More Profits?

Jerry Smith helps me every week. Read this blog and get your head straight: Accord Coaching

Finishing and Not FInishing...

The Kansas City Chiefs were playing at the same time I was playing a tennis match yesterday. One of us did a great job finishing, and the other did not.

The Chiefs were on the road, coming off of several sub-par performances, and against a top-notch team from last year. They never quit. They were behind in the first half and they stuck to their game plan, kept making good plays to put their opponent under pressure, and they never quit.

I, on the other hand, felt like the San Diego Chargers. The weak part of my game was constantly under pressure. The better part of my game was ineffective, and I lost focus. I didn't quit...but I did go in the tank. I rallied late and finished with a few good points and a few tough games that we won...but I was terribly disappointed with my performance.

I know I am better than I played...and yet I didn't put any "finish" to my game. I was hanging my head late in the match, and I wasn't engaged like I should have been.

Today's Finisher's quality: Finishers Never Quit.

Even when all seems lost, a finisher digs in, gets back to the basics, and Never, never quits.

Take that and go finish this week.

The Finisher's Qualities...so far

Over the last couple of weeks I have transformed my blog into examining the qualities of people who are strong finishers. Here are my first few observations:

1) Finishers Do Not seek out the path of least resistance. You can insert any number of quotes here - "Do Not let good enough be good enough." - Bill Parcels comes to mind this morning. Any number of quotes from Gordon Ramsey also fit here.

2) Finishers take responsibility for their own actions - Roger Federer does not have a coach at the moment. Maybe he will seek one out later...but for now, he is structuring his work and his life without one. And it is working.

3) Finishers do not relax when they have a little success that puts them close to a goal. They set the next goal and find ways to push themselves through that first goal. (See qualities 1 and 2)

4) Finishers know how to set goals. You can read any number of books about setting goals that are a stretch but that are measurable. You have to know when you have achieved a goal...and you have to have the ability scratch a goal off your list.

Coming next - more qualities of Finishers and maybe some ideas of how to foster these qualities in your business life.

GREAT site for your Presentations

My goodness this is fantastic. Merlin Mann has a blog that I follow called 43 Folders.

Here is a recent post about how he puts presentations together. Pick any single piece of this advice and you would have a good presentation. Put them all together, and you have a really, really, really fun approach to the daunting presentation.

This is the finisher's blog approach - do your research, search out people who have gone before you and who do a better job than you...and then study what they do.

How I made my presentations a little better

What Does "I Don't Know" Really Mean?

Seth Godin hits the sweet spot again. I was all ready to write my own blog post...and Seth launches this one.

Two kinds of 'don't know'

What a great marketing thought that feeds into the Finisher's Blog concept.

The core concept here is that you can't deal with lack of motivation with more information.

Often people ask me to look at their website. First Red Flag: "It took me months to write it and I don't want to change it now"

Unfortunately, when you say something like that it just means that you don't know what a website is for these days.

Second Red Flag - "My business is about getting face to face with people, so the internet can't help me with that."

Oops...either I haven't done a good job describing interactive marketing to you, or you "don't know" that you can get a face to face interaction if you want to!

I have often responded to these red flags by spouting more information. I guess I should figure out what kind of "I don't know" I am getting.

Toby's Wednesday Finisher Concept: A Finisher Needs to recognize the difference between lack of information and a lack of interest.

My Finisher's blog post that is coming next: Trust Your Training and Stop Thinking.

The Productivity Formula

I once had a sales manager who gave me the mathematical formula for productivity.

Productivity = effort divided by interruption.

In the language of this "Finisher's" Blog, I will take that to mean that the more I Finish the things that interrupt my day, then the more productive I can be.

Of course, there are always stops and starts to any day. I believe that The Finisher is the person who finishes the interruptions quicker and moves back into productivity mode.

Most of us are working very hard and doing our best to work smart. If you keep your effort consistent from week to week, the only way to become increasingly productive is to reduce the distraction of your interruptions. FINISH them before they take over your day.

Here is a link to Seth Godin's blog. He is a key finisher for me. Seth is all about redefining marketing, and work, in order to do remarkable things. His post, Is good enough enough?, is relevant to this finisher's blog because of its focus on redefining your work.

Here is a post from a new friend and business coach Shawn Kinkade. Shawn takes a good look at activity vs. productivity HERE.

Here is a post that refers to a very good book for any business person to read, it is The Four Agreements. This post is from a blog that is called Book Yourself Solid. The blog and the website are a little commercial for me, but the ideas do resonate with me. Here is the post: The Four Agreements

Final Thought:

A finisher takes responsibility for his actions. A work day and a work week is all about finishing.

Three Things to Look At

Start the week off with a Happy Quote from WorkHappy.net. This is a good place for "killer resources for entrepreneurs.

Guy Kawasaki is always good for a handful of posts that will force you to think about what you do. Check out his blog, it is called How to Change the World.

The Personal MBA...is a list of the best business books. Its motto is "Mastering Business Through Self Education." And here is a link to the Reading List and Blog.

Roger Federer...The Model Finisher

Roger Federer won his fourth consecutive U.S. Open yesterday. And even though he would not say he won it with ease...no one really came close to putting together a sustained challenge. Sure there were a few sets he lost, and there were more unforced errors than we are used to seeing, but no one could match him.

Most sporting commentators describe Federer's performances by saying something like, "He just has another gear."

When Federer was easily handling Andy Roddick's best effort and 140 mph serves, it looked like Roddick was working his heart out on every point. Federer barely looked winded at the end of three sets. Roddick had sweated through the BILL of his cap.

Here is the thing I love about Federer. He has no coach. He is totally and completely accountable to himself.

Early on in his career, Federer would get into a tough game and he couldn't handle the pressure. His game would crumble.

He had a coach for many years. Most professional tennis players have several coaches, hitting partners, and a friends and family entourage. While Federer clearly has an incredible support group, he is currently without a coach.

His quote from earlier this weekend, "Luckily, along the way I learned that it's about hard work, and that talent only takes you so far."

Federer is an amazing closer.

In the first set of this year's final, Novak Djokavic had at least three chances to close out the set. Federer won those points when then really mattered. He then won the set in a tie breaker. In fact, He won the first two sets in a tie breaker.

So this week's Finisher's Blog observation: Finishers are Accountable to Themselves.

Seems very obvious and easy to comprehend. It is much harder to put into practice. How do you become accountable to yourself at all times? How do you focus and perform at your best when everything is on the line? Go look at Federer.

The Finisher's Blog

When I was 10 my grandfather made an observation about me...I was a fast starter but a slow finisher. I would often get excited about starting something, but would rarely finish it.

When I was racing bicycles I was able to focus on the early part of a race, but often allowed negative thoughts to creep into my head when the race started getting hard. One day I learned a big lesson while in training with a group of friends. We were turning up the pace and as we got to the last two laps on the velodrome I said out loud, "nope...that's it," and I pulled up the track and slowed down my pedaling.

After the race when we all sat down, my good friend and mentor came up to me and shouted, "If you ever go in the tank like that again I will never ride with you again!" I got the point.

In sports and business and life there are finishers and there are people who tank. There are people who do the work to get the job done, and there are people who are very, very good but who don't quite finish well.

For many athletes, it is a matter of mental approach and focus.

It is the same with me...I often lose focus right at the moment that I need it the most.

For the next several months, I will dedicate this blog to pointing out examples of finishing and of people struggling to finish.

Here is my first example:

A month ago I had a fistfull of proposals out the door. I was sure to have a good end of the summer because I allowed myself to count the dollars and say to myself, "Even if I only get two-thirds of these jobs started, I am in fine shape." And I went on vacation.

Well...I didn't finish the sales job properly and I didn't get most of the work. I had gone into sales presentation mode...feature feature feature....benefit benefit benefit...and I forgot to finish.

The Sandler Sales method is called "post sell" to finish the sale. I have worked with another great sales manager who called it "confirming" the sale.

Either way, there are ways to re-confirm what you think is happening. And I learned that if you can't get the customer to confirm the project with you...then you are just chasing and hoping.

I wasn't finishing.

The Psychology of Losing

The other night my wife (a relatively new tennis player) had the opportunity to practice with one of the best tennis instructors in the WORLD. HIs name is Ajay Pant and he is an amazing tennis geek.

She shared this story with me. He was talking to them about losing on the tennis court, and he related that when he loses he is absolutely torn up. He is angry, depressed and not fun to be around. This is not really surprising coming from a person who is clearly very competitive, successful, and driven.

His point was that it it OK to be really upset about losing. It is ok to be driven and then upset when you don't win. Go home, be upset and get it out of your system.

THEN - get back on the court, learn from your loss and let the losing motivate you more.

Try it with work!

Marketing in Bits and Pieces

Most people these days have a website. (It is not hard to get a website, unless you want a really hard website to get.)

Here is a post from Earnie's Blog...one of my favorite interactive marketing bloggers. His points about multiple waves of marketing, and that online marketing is not about finding a silver bullet, are really applicable to business and marketing today.

Here is the link: Multiple Waves

Scarcity as Strategy

I have attended a number of networking groups for small business owners over the past year. Many of the organizers of these groups create scarcity by not allowing duplication...that is, you can't ever be the second web developer, plumber, real estate agent, in these groups. I like this idea because it forces you to truly define what you do that is different.

For example, I went to a meeting a week ago and there were three coaches attending...each one was unique.

The other thing that many of these groups have done is to ban the ever-present financial advisor. There are so many of these people preying on these networking groups, that they have been banned. Not only are there too many of these folks, they don't participate in the mutual referrals that are the cornerstone of these groups.

This is what Seth Godin is writing about in a recent blog post from FOUR years ago.

The Scarcity Shortage

I believe these ideas are more appropriate today than they were four years ago.

...Continuing with the Sports Theme

I play tennis. I love tennis, and even though I am fast closing in on 40, I work hard each week to get better. There is always something to work on. I like playing with other people who are working hard to get better. I like playing with them even when they beat me!

I do not like playing with people who really aren't trying to improve. In tennis, often these are people who are called "pushers." They push the ball back over the net, without really making a shot, and without really taking a true swing. Tennis instructors will tell you, "you can play like that, but you will never get any better." Pushers have no follow through...which leads me to this post from Seth Godin.

Follow through is another sports training idea that is completely applicable to business.

Talk to yourself

Jerry Smith is a personal coach, and I read his blog when he does it!

Here is his latest post:Excuses, excuses

It made me think of another crossover between sports training and "training" for running your business.

There is an idea in training that if you know you are going to have to miss a day of training, then you should drop your hardest day that week. The idea is that you should not skip a recovery day, as those are the days that your body must have in order to grow stronger.

This, of course, runs counter to what most people would do.

To take this idea into the business realm, give yourself time to recover. Often you CAN push through a little fatigue and go to that networking group. However, if you are honestly out of energy, instead of dropping your recovery time, drop your "hard day." Then the next time that "hard day" comes around, realize it ahead of time, schedule it better, and execute.

By the way, Jerry, do you still want me to cover for you this Wednesday at that networking group?

Your Marketing Community

Marketing is about connecting with a community ... your community.

Seth Godin (again!) blogs about this concept in his post: No Business Model.

The concept I have found myself trying to convince people of is that authentic content that is really relevant to a key group of people within your target market is much, much more valuable than a huge email blast spam campaign.

The problem is that people are comfortable with buying a list and sending a bunch of postcards... or emails...ugh. It's all about instant gratification..."we sent the emails on Tuesday, so then we should start seeing their effectiveness today..."

Instead, connecting to your community is a longer process, it takes a commitment to that group, it takes authentic content...stuff people really want to know.

It is slower, harder work...and a much more sustainable approach to growing your business.

I know it seems weird to embark on a project that won't give you immediate ROI numbers this week...but in six months...well, in six months you won't know where you will be either because if you are REALLY committed to authentic interaction with a group, they will take you places you never knew you would go.

Want to give it a try?

Smart Ads - Behavioral Marketing

URL: Yahoo Customized PPC Ads

I have been reading about this stuff for several months, and now Yahoo! has launched something to attempt the customization on the fly that everyone has been talking about.

All issues of the timing of their launch aside...(couldn't they have at least done it in a different MONTH from the iPhone?)...this is a direction that many are seeing as a significant shift.

As advertisers look for more and more of your information, the technology and smart search capabilities are only going to grow. As a marketer, you need to ask yourself about the latest gadget and technique. Learn about this and consider it a great option - smart display ads that you can shift and change depending on the consumer searching somewhere where you want to be found.

A warning for the marketer in the audience...DON'T neglect your content. In the rush for more and more specific information about WHO will buy ... don't forget that these are people who are finding you.

Give them something to read, or listen to, or look at...

And most most most importantly...give them something remarkable to share with others.

Look for my upcoming post on the tenets of "Authentic Content" ... coming this afternoon!

Start At The End...interactive-like

Great Point from Stephanie Diamond from The Marketing Message Blog.

First: Figure out who your audience is. (Easy enough to say...and everyone thinks they know who that is)

Second: Learn about that group's tendencies on the web.

Third: Devise the smoothest, most sensible method of putting yourself or your service or your product or your content right where your target people are already residing.

Take a look:

URL: Web Strategies that Cater to Customers

Pick Your Battles

Once again, Seth Godin takes a small observation about marketing and makes it stand for a much larger point.
The point of Seth's blog post "Most and Least" is that most of the time we do the least that is required of us. It is virtually impossible to always do the MOST that you can do.

Even if you set out to do the most, you will have to pick the times when you really push it and do the most. The rest of the time, you are just getting the job done.

One observation I have, however, is that whether you are an individual or a company, once you get in the habit of doing the least (just getting by), it is hard to flip the switch and suddenly do the most remarkable stuff.

When you are doing the least, your perception of the Most is diminished. For a company, that is when you start thinking that offering the red fishing pole would have made all the difference over the brown fishing pole, or that the pale blue background on the banner ad was less successful than the dark blue background.

From an interactive marketing standpoint, I think that Seth's post is a cry for authenticity.

Here is the post: Most and Least from Seth Godin

A-HA defines "BrandStand"

I am becoming more and more convinced that the ONLY way to create a website that has super value for your company is to think about the content that must be initiated, maintained, updated, and updated, and updated BEFORE you spend any time or money on any whizbang bells and whistles.

Make it authentic, easy to understand, relevant to MY world, and give me a really easy way to share with others.

AND - you should read the A-HA blog's post about "BrandStanding" whether you are a large or a small organization.

You think before you talk...look before you leap...and you should always plan before you launch.

THINK and PLAN about your brand and what in the world you want people to SAY about you. Then you have the driving reason behind your content.

Here's the link: Do you “brandstand” for your biz?

What you do and How you feel

For July is the end of the year. The time off around July 4, and then a family vacation planned for the end of July always mark the end of my year.

I go away, rejuvenate and come back refreshed, if not always ready to roll.

I usually take a little time to stop and think, reshape my plans for the coming year, and then try to figure out how to get myself motivated to do the things I KNOW I should do, but I don't always feel like doing.

My Friend Jerry has a great post with some hints:

URL: Vacations and business

Presentations

A week or so ago I gave a presentation that I had not had enough time to practice. I got through it OK, but I didn't engage my small and critical audience the way I had pictured in my mind. My mother used to make me practice school presentations two or three times in front of a mirror...that really helped me notice my ticks and annoying expressions. I didn't make time to do that on my last presentation, and it felt weak.

Sticking with one of Brain Bucket's tenets of marketing...let's think about that.

Guy Kawasaki has a recent post that helped me start the thinking part:

URL: Speaking as a Performing Art

Now I just need to figure out the innovative approach to my sales presentations...oh, and then I have to practice enough in front of the mirror so that I can execute it better next time.

Any ideas?

Thoughts on Marketing

Here are three blog posts that highlight three big ideas about your business.

Marketing is changing and it is time to think about your business, the work that you do, and how you find and keep your customers.

Here are three BIG ideas for you to consider.

1. Seth Godin: Drivers...do you recognize your approach? Is that the approach you want?

2. The Messaging Times: Marketing Buzz...you say you want something viral, something that people are going to tell their friends about. But have you thought about HOW and WHY? And while you are thinking about that, why not think about WHO can help you do that?

3. Epiphanies, inc: Content Focused Marketing...you want your website to carry it's own weight. You don't want to spend money on a website that doesn't actually bring people in the door. Sounds good, but that means that there's no skimpin' on the content. The folks at the "A-HA" blog advocate content driven marketing. It is harder, but so much more effective that thinking up some ridiculous slogan without any real "umph" behind it.

Quit the Bad Stuff

I thought I knew where I was going...and then I read about quitting from Seth Godin's new book.
It is called The Dip and it is about quitting, leaning into the dip, and being the best in the world.

And then I met with a personal friend and coach, Jerry Smith.

And then I read his Balance Life Work blog.

Jerry Smith is a fantastic coach. I had lunch with him the other day and we talked about how difficult it is to get on course with work and life and balance. And then once you are on course and you think you "get it"... how do you keep yourself on course.

I have decided that a regular lunch session with Jerry is one of the ways to keep myself on course. Jerry - I hope that's OK with you!

Go find Jerry's most recent post called Life can get in the way!. Jerry writes about the ridiculously simple things to do when life gets in the way, and how to Quit doing the stuff that knocks you off course.

Cow dung and Web 2.0

I have had several marketing / sales conversations recently where I am trying to describe the Web 2.0 direction that we are all heading.

When you are working with people who know that term: "Web 2.0" - then the conversation starts at a different point.

But, the backstory of the conversation is always in the same direction...."what should I do?"

Web 2.0 is more thought and more work.

When a marketing company is used to sending out BRC cards and then hoping they bought the right list, or offered the right incentive, or used the right color...then getting them to actually think about content and authenticity, to actually ASK about that content, and to then convince others that possibly getting ripped apart by their customers is a GOOD thing is a challenge.

A challenge...but it is right.

Look - Web 2.0 means asking better questions...of yourself...of your partners...of your customers...of your upset customers in particular.

That is the mindset...now, what are the tools. There are literally hundreds of companies out there that have the Web 2.0 concept of true, authentic, rough-around-the-edges interaction built in to their DNA.

Here is a site that lists many of them....it is astounding how many of these companies / websites there are.

Web 2.0 List on Sacred Cow Dung

The Reach of Bad Marketing

Seth Godin's latest post speaks to how marketers would rather take the easy route to reach a lot of people. It is wonderful (of course) and it is a direct reflection of several conversations I recently had with marketers who are trying to walk the line between what their customers are comfortable with and what they know they should be doing.

The alternative is to serve a smaller group of people who are reaching you...finding you...and ready to interact with you.

Marketing is never about your response rate to a post card or a TV ad or even an animated banner.

Web 2.0 marketing is about authentic two-way communications.

Yes, it is harder...and YES, it is worth it.

Seth's Post: Reaching The Unreachable

Open Source Marketing

Welcome to the Open Source Marketing Project for May.

Whether you are an invited guest or you have just stumbled upon this project, please subscribe so you can keep an eye on what is going on.

Here is how this works:

I have a marketing and sales project with a customer that needs help. I have tried a few things over the past few months and this project needs some new sets of eyes. I am asking for your help and your perspective. Thank you for considering this project worth your time.

I will use this blog to link you to websites and other information regarding this customer, our approach to marketing, and the industry this customer of mine is in.

If you have not already, please RSVP to the Open Source Marketing Lunch that will be held Monday, May 7 from 11:45 to 12:45 at The Crestwood Condominiums Meeting Room.

The Crestwood Condominiums are located at 5401 Brookside Blvd. More info is HERE

My company is called Brain Bucket and my website is HERE. Be sure to click on the LENS link on the front page. It is a link to another site that will give you a look at work that is under way but not live, as well as a look at some of the tools and ideas that I connect with customers.

The Project:

Tim Sernett is an accountant who has just come through what he hopes is his final full blown tax season. He is working to transform his business by helping small and medium sized businesses transform their work. Tim has developed a service / process called Profit Focus, and I am working with him to find the appropriate market and application.

Essentially, he is create a service that allows you (as a business owner) to outsource the bookkeeping and accounting tasks, and then to gain a better understanding of your company's cash flow needs through a personal approach to financial planning.

Over the past several months, Brain Bucket has designed and built a new website:

URL:SernettCPA, and we have redesigned his business cards, and added a small leave behind brochure.

We have also worked on a marketing plan that called for me to connect with several of Tim's current clients and to get an understanding of why Tim's current list of customers use him for a variety of services. I will comment more on that as we go along.

Please subscribe to this blog, or check back regularly, as I plan on working through some of my challenges.


Final note: this is not now, nor will it be next week, a sales pitch. I am truly working through some challenges I am having in articulating what Tim's services are, and I am trying to come up with a plan and a way to execute the plan that will help him out.

Thank you for your time.

How to do Sales and Marketing

Penelope Trunk has written a book.

She has a blog too. Here is a recent post about how to get an agent's attention if you want to sell a book idea:

URL:A week of journalism: Seven ways to get an agent’s attention

The cool thing is, this is great marketing advice.

Marketing is NOT just about features and benefits...and yet, people still focus on that almost exclusively. If I here or see one more car commercial that lists off a bunch of stats...!!

Think about how this advice relates to your company...your product...your service.

Any questions?

Network Marketing...How Is Your Elevator Speech?

I had the pleasure of attending a well run, established referral group meeting yesterday.

Great lunch guys..thanks.

This is a group of people that are as varied as you can imagine, and this is a group that does not allow direct overlap of business descriptions in its membership.

I was struck by the friendliness and genuine desire to help others in order to help yourself attitude that is a huge part of this group's motto.

I was also struck by how the membership described what they did, and it got me thinking about the dreaded elevator speech.

We work with small and medium sized companies to help them put together marketing plans, website plans, sales plans, printed collateral, interactive plans.

I promise you that if I ever get to work with you, the first thing I will ask you to do is to describe your company and what you do.

Commonly, people start with their name, their company, and they tell me exactly what they do.

Occasionally, there is a silly lead in teaser...and then a repeat of the above.

What many people don't get is that the elevator pitch is NEVER about what you do...

It should always be about your customers, the kinds of things they deal with, their struggles, their challenges...

Too many people think of the 30 seconds or less description of what you do as a "pitch" or a "speech" or a "presentation"...

In reality it will only be memorable by being engaging.

Engage the person who is asking you "so, what do you do?"

Get them to ask you another question.

Get them to ask you to tell them more, "Oh, how do you do that?"

It has become such second nature to describe what you do from your own point of view...

When really what you should be doing is engaging people by describing what your customers say you do.

Got any questions?

Marketing vs. Offering

Seth Godin today posts about Offer World, a new and strange land where traditional marketers feel a little uncomfortable.

Seth once again points out the very obvious:

Marketing isn't about marketing...it's about a relationship. It is more successful when it is a long term relationship.

Now - whether that relationship is a one on one meeting in a coffee shop, or visitors coming into your store, or someone coming to your website, everyone still must do the things necessary to develop a relationship.

Now - in "Offer World" you develop an initial (and subsequent) interest through the use of offers. But the big point Seth is making is that it is what happens AFTER you make that offer that counts.

It is the "After Offer World" where you earn the trust, loyalty, interaction and repeat business.

If you send someone a postcard and they take the time to go to your website and fill out a form to get your offer, AND they give you permission to contact them...by all means, you better have something remarkable that is coming next. NOT some PR rehash, NOT the same info sheet that you linked from the website...something remarkable.

What do I mean by remarkable?

HERE is another link. It is Seth Godin's "Purple Cow" presentation from a few years ago. These are 17 minutes that will change the way you work. It is remarkable.

Why Would I Blog?

I have suggested to a few customers and friends that they should start a blog as a part of the overall marketing plan for their business.

These are people who know what they are doing when it comes to running their business, selling their services, and even doing some marketing.

With one exception, I have been met with blank stares and glazed eyeballs.

"Why Would I blog?"

"What would I do?"

"Who would read this?"

Blogging for your business should never include anything that sounds remotely like you are telling me about your cat, or why you haven't posted a rant in a while, or ANY kind of apology.

I don't want to know that Aunt Bessie dislocated her hip and so....

If I have found your blog, and I am reading it at all...I want to find something I haven't found before.

I want to find a way to interact with your company... and I want to discover how I can help you...and I want you to know that I know what you are talking about...and I want to be able to show my friends that I know what I am talking about...and I want my friends to start looking to me because I know this stuff...

you get the point?

There are entire communities of people out there that are talking to each other, learning about your service/product/store...STOP positioning your message...and START creating ways to be a part of that conversation.

You can't control the marketing message...and you should not.

This is WEB2.0...and you need to learn about it.

Search WEB 2.0 and do a little reading. There are MANY blogs on that subject. And the longer you wait to understand HOW Web 2.0 impacts the future of your marketing and your business, the farther you are behind.

By the way...Jerry is the customer who decided to blog. Please take a minute to go read THIS Blog. I promise it will bring you new insites on your business.

Context Matters..."I'd Ignore Him Too"

The Washington Post puts Joshua Bell, one of the great classical musicians in the world, in a subway station at rush hour to see what would happen.

The blog / internet response has been immense. Take a look at Seth Godin's take on this story URL: I'd Ignore Him Too

The point is that context does matter. Presentation and tone of voice and "the frame" (as mentioned in the story) DO matter.

This is the same concept that drives WHY we design a website and a marketing strategy and a sales system for our businesses. This is also why Web 2.0 is magic!

Blogs for a Cause...all over the world

Global Voices Online.

From the top of the website - Global Voices aggregates, curates, and amplifies the global conversation online – shining light on places and people other media often ignore.

I have to stop myself from reading every post.


URL: Global Voices

Thinking about Email marketing?

I detest lazy email marketing campaigns. I am even more disdainful of things that sort of look like a direct mail campaign but without any real point.

Check out THIS articleabout email marketing. Thinking about it?

Email me first! We have better ideas!

tobin@brain-bucket.com

Useless Marketing ... The hope strategy

Seth Godin points out a reference to useless marketing.

Useless Marketing

I was in a meeting last week where the potential customer said to me, "We really don't want to focus on any of that branding or marketing, we just want a website that shows our work."

Now, anyone and everyone in marketing has heard this refrain before. I politely reminded my potential customer that yesterday when we chatted in the hallway, he had mentioned that they were busy, but not with the kind of work they wished they had.

Who was it that said that hope is not a strategy?

I am about to go back to this client with a proposal that would dramatically reshape what they do. But, because of the previous comment, I am not at all sure of my ability to convince them that indeed, what they need is some of that branding and useless marketing.

Make Your Company Remark-able

Again with the Seth Godin reference! Shame on me.

Seth posts all the time about how marketing is about making something (could be anything!) remarkable...worth remarking about.

So here it is: What would it take for you to get onto Fast Company's "Companies That Care" list?

Fast Company - Companies That Care


What would you do to your company, (the one you run, not the other one that runs you), in order to make it a place that people sent their resumes to unsolicited?

How would you do that?

Hint: it has nothing to do with ping-pong tables, beer at lunch, or massages on Fridays.

Managing Marketing Expectations

I just had a great illustration of managed expectations and what that does in different situations.

A year ago I had a huge city project tear up my street for a total of 10 months. There was not one single piece of communication from the city about what this was, how long it would last, the sequence of events, what to expect...nothing.

The only thing we got in our mail box in 10 months was two notes from the construction crew about when the massive earth diggers and movers were going to be making getting into or out of my driveway impossible. Nice enough, but there was very little actual info in there. We lived each day for 10 months inside of a construction site that we know nothing about...even asking the crew wasn't helpful. Big surprise.

The entire neighborhood was hacked off. Our City council member got replaced this past year...largely because of that experience.

Now, one year later the same construction company is doing the same type of project adjacent to a condominium development that my family is a part of. The difference is that this project is much larger and more time consuming to complete.

The other difference is the level of communication from the city as well as the construction company. They have communicated well with everyone in the building, the surrounding neighborhood, the nearby shops, etc. We know what is going on, what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, and how long it is going to take, (18 months!).

The people aren't happy about the timeline, but it is an important project and everyone is approaching it with a sense of humor and understanding.

Same project...same company...different approach.

Seth Godin talks and posts and writes a lot about what little tiny things you need to do to make an experience move from bad to great.

I know this isn't a new idea. I know this is a simple idea. I know this is not a ground breaking concept.

But if it is so basic...how come so few companies actually do the little extra work to make it happen?