DO NOT GET CAUGHT UP IN SEMANTICS - JUST DO IT

When the velocity of cash flow is like a gluttonous bubble, the phrase “market share” is overused without understanding. During recessions the phrase is not used as much. Regardless of good economic times, or bad, the phrase has less relevance to a solid enterprise than sales people think.

A well thought out enterprise defines market by initially answering the question, “Who are the buyers?” The most faithful buyers are buyers who recognize they cannot do without and want what the enterprise is selling. The buyers’ perceived value of what the enterprise sells is greater than the price so the buyers buy.

There is something to sell today, but most importantly tomorrow and days, weeks, months, years, or decades after tomorrow, on which buyers will spend more compared to their spending in the past. A solid enterprise, after identifying buyers, answers “What do the buyers want to buy?”

After the enterprise identifies buyers and identifies what the buyers want to buy then, and only then, should the enterprise figure out how to supply the buyers with what they want. The enterprise must communicate to the buyers that the enterprise has what the buyers want. The bottom line is the enterprise must figure out who to sell to, what to sell, and how to sell it – and in this order.

MOTIVATION

How concerned is our society about motive? How often do we hear in police shows about a criminal's motive?

We are motivated to do something either because of need or due to passion. Do we first learn motivation by need rather than passion?

Those of us who are parents could do everything for our children even after they become adults. We could consume ourselves to meet their every need until the day we die. How then would our adult children ever become motivated to do something for themselves? Every person must face their own needs to become motivated to help themselves.

We learn motivation from our own need unless stopped from doing so by parents or government. Once we embrace our very own motive to do something, we can begin a search for our passion. On this journey we can eliminate the things we are not passionate about. When we focus on our passion, we become motivated not due to need but because of the strong emotion attached to our passion. A person motivated to do something out of passion cannot be stopped and is contagious.

"I can do everything through [Jesus] who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

You Are Worth Every Last Penny You Are Paid

A friend once told me not to underestimate the value of what I do to serve others professionally. Do I believe the value added to a client or a client's business is me? Do the client and employees of the client believe my standing alongside them adds value?

The people served will not believe you add value unless you believe it yourself first. When giving away something free, whether your time, a writing like a blog, or your dedication to serve, you are communicating you have have no value. Naturally the people who receive your free offering do not perceive a value either. You certainly do not communicate your worth by giving away yourself for free so how are they going to know unless you charge for your time, expertise, and wisdom.

The people you serve will not understand your value added until they have "skin in the game." Your responsibility is to discover what you give away then charge for all current free offerings. Only then will others embrace the value you add to them and their enterprise. Only then will transformation of their enterprise be substainable.

What your customers want is sustained change for the bottom line of their business. As a leader your responsibility is to communicate clearly your customer must pay for you to effectuate change that is lasting.

To discover the change your customer needs the most, you must begin with the customer paying you to listen and ask good questions. What is the customer's outcome? What are the implications for the customer when the customer reaches the outcome? What does the client see as the value added when the outcome is achieved?

How is the customer going to get there? Who is going to help the customer get there? The best form of selling is allowing the customer to reach the conclusion themselves that you are the solution. When the customer pays you (preferably up front), the customer immediately adds value because the customer effectuated change: the customer gave you money from his business to have you on his team.

BUSYNESS AND DORMANCY

Infinite possibilities exist between two extremes. For a business owner to balance the enterprise’s time of abundance with periodically removing himself from the busyness is essential.

The business owner must prepare for all possibilities between the extremes. The business owner must ready himself and plan for extremes of busyness comparatively to needed dormancy. Neither planned busyness nor planned dormancy is less important than the other.

The business owner must make sure the enterprise’s systems for handling abundant times are in writing. These times are best described as busyness when the business owner does not know how everything is going to get done within the current systems in place.

The business owner not working in the administration of the enterprise is necessary for the business owner to customize constantly the systems. The more the systems administrate without the business owner’s involvement the better the business owner can work on the enterprise and manage human resources.

The manager must know the strengths of all employees so every employee is fit into the systems best suited for them. During more dormant times compared to extreme busyness the business owner, as the manager, has time to evaluate employees’ strengths and to come up with new methods of measuring the employees’ progress through the next busy time.

The business owner as the leader must communicate clearly how the enterprise competes against itself to make better systems while employees are challenged to change for their own betterment within the systems the employees work. Employees must know how the enterprise measures them through the constant refining of the systems.

ADVISOR

Integrity in customer relations is about clearly communicating what the business owner knows as fact distinguished from theory. This is true whether selling a product or system, providing services, and it is particularly true when issuing advice.

An advisor who himself has done what he advises is better equipped to separate fact from theory. When focusing on facts, the advisor more likely can guide toward desired results because the advisor can rely on his experience to assert the likelihood of an outcome.

A thoroughly honest advisor who comes up with a theory admits his theory is a metaphor. His theory has only a likeness to reality. An advisor with integrity knows the term theory means conjecture.

If a business owner wants to become an expert in his field, he must verify facts. Experts live in the reality of facts, not conjecture. Make sure the advisor you are relying upon to provide you expert advice has done the more difficult work of searching out facts.

FISHING

I enjoy fishing. This past Saturday I caught a walleye at Sylvan Lake near Rome City, Indiana. Any year when I catch a walleye this early in the year is a great fishing year.

The confidence of a fisherman is very significant. If a fisherman is confident he will stay alert. While alert the fisherman will set the hook upon the fish striking the bait. A good fisherman knows to set the hook firmly.

This time of year the water is chilly. Minnows are the best bait. The bigger the minnow the bigger the fish caught. The bigger the fish caught the longer the fisherman has to wait to catch the big fish.

After the walleye I caught a crappie using a minnow. The day before I caught a trout using a minnow. Two days before I caught a bass using a minnow.

Three days in a row the weather was warm. The wind was slight. I got sunburned while wearing shorts and a tee shirt.

I cannot beat warm weather, fishing, and catching. This year is a great fishing year.

TRUTH

At college I took a class entitled Modern Literature. The theme of the class was “Fiction mirrors reality.”

When practicing law, I hear many true stories. I use the phrase “Who needs fiction when you have reality.”

Recently I heard a quote from Mark Twain. He said, “Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn’t.”

Last Sunday the speaker encouraged his listeners to dig for the truth. He explained resources of news are not enough to know the whole story.

Learning how to learn is so important. The skills I have developed for learning how to learn have proven invaluable.

Such skills strengthened me to read the One Year Bible many times. I was able to study God’s Word and learn His truth.

Such skills make me look into the background of all resources I use. I investigate the behavior and witness of resources’ authors.

I encourage others to choose carefully what they decide to put into their heads. You are what you think.