Life Lesson

Two groups of people matter for your business.

The diehards, the ones that are regularly showing up, the ambassadors–These folk are in it for the sense of community, and they sure as hell make you happy to be in business.

You matter to them and they matter to you.

Secondary, but still vital to appeal to, are those who don’t know what it’s like to be in the first group. It’s your job to show them, to get to know them, to treat them like they are already “in.”

 

Stay Positive & It Works Out When You Treat All Like The First Group (Even If They’re Not…Yet)

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Best practice has always been to read it over before you put it out into the world.

Fact of the matter is that it’s not important how many times you read it over, rather the importance lies in how you read it.

You might read it out loud because it helps you write more casually and conversationally. You might even read it over after imagining you were in the target’s shoes. Maybe you read it as if it’s going to your aunt.

You can read something a million times, but if it’s not through the lens of the target then your updates might actually be downgrades.

 

Stay Positive & You Are Writing For Someone, Aren’t You?

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An idea was shared and everyone in the room grunted.

Not because it was bad idea, but because it was polarizing.

So we knew we had to run with it.

 

Stay Positive & If Everyone Is Comfortable, Chances Are You’re Not Getting Anywhere

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An idea that stays on the ground isn’t that great of an idea.

What makes an idea great is when it gets to the point of fueling itself.

Of course, it takes effort to get it into orbit. Are you ready to get it there?

 

Stay Positive & You Can Only Go Up From Here

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It’s worth analyzing the benefits that an idea will bring.

Not to determine whether it’s worth it, per say, but to confirm who the benefits are for.

Too often we confuse a benefit with what makes our life easier with a benefit that makes our customers’ life easier. If it’s mutually beneficial, great, but it’s unlikely.

 

Stay Positive & You’re Wearing Their Shoes, Right?

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Many an employee fall into a routine when a customer walks through the door.

The employee rotates through a couple different greetings, asks the same follow-up questions to every person walking in, and preaches about the sale going on that week.

My philosophy: Ensure staff treat different people differently.

Every customer is telling themselves a story that’s different from the person who entered before them and from the person who will enter next (online or not).

It’s the employee’s responsibility privilege to interact with each on a person-by-person, individual basis.

When engaging with customers becomes a process and not an authentic interaction, it’s not time to get a new customer, it’s time to get a new employee.

 

Stay Positive & You’re Staff’s Not Standing Still, Are They?

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It’s quite easy to inappropriately rank the importance of questions and answers, especially when it comes to market research.

Most know the answer they want to hear, ask the question to get that answer, and not respond or act on that answer because they’re already fulfilling it.

There’s not much meat to this type of research.

Better to ask the right question (and you won’t know if it’s the right one until you have an open mind and ask enough of them), genuinely care about the response, likely ask follow-up questions and then act on that information.

It’s more difficult and more care is required to follow the latter process, but worth it. Always.

 

Stay Positive & Answers Should Be Getting You To Grow, Not Stagnate

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