Can There Be Excellence in Failure?
September 27, 2007
Only if you consider that excellence is a process.
When things don’t go as well as intended, we often think of ourselves as failures. Or, we blame others or circumstances beyond our direct control.
Let’s face it: Our intellectual foresight is limited; when something doesn’t seem ‘right’ or seem to make logical sense, we tend to get concerned and upset. And all too frequently, that emotional state gets in the way of our ability to take appropriate measures to achieve our ultimate objectives.
But what we can’t always see is the perfection of the Universe in the longer run. Sometimes, what seems like a ‘raw deal’ or ‘bad experience’ is something which strengthens us and actually serves us in the future.
It’s just that with our limited view of current events as they relate to a bigger picture, we don’t have the ability to see (and experience) such seeming unpleasantries as desirable and valuable experiences.
Consider that “Perfection is your life as it is this very moment. Excellence, on the other hand, is the process of fulfilling on your commitments in life.”
Said differently, your life is perfect as you experience it now. And these very experiences are like lily pads that you land on, on your way to grander and grander experiences.
ACTION PLAN
- Commit to developing the habit of recognizing the perfection in your current life circumstances whatever they are. Whether your business is thriving or barely surviving, be willing to trust in the perfection in the current state of affairs.
- On a daily basis, practice the habit of acknowledging that all your life experiences, desirable or not, ultimately do serve you in fulfilling on mission of your business and the purpose of your life.
A PARTING EXAMPLE
When I was struggling financially early in my practice as a plastic surgeon, I kept telling myself that I was learning valuable lessons. Was it tough to keep telling myself that? Of course! Many days, I just couldn’t see any end in sight and the only solution I could think of was “Beam me up, Scotty!” (for those of you who haven’t seen Star Trek, this is the phrase that Captain Kirk says to his First Engineer to beam him up from the planet surface to the Starship Enterprise.)
But over a decade later, now having retired from practicing plastic surgery when I was 40, I have a different perspective. I now recognize all those tough times as valuable, worthwhile experiences which serve me well in helping fellow entrepreneurs to lead wealthier, healthier, and more productive lives.
But back then, there was no way I could foresee this. NO WAY!
And yet, today, I make a greater difference in more peoples’ lives, by helping their businesses to be more successful. And, I get to spend more time with my wife and two sons. As parents, my wife and I are one of the few who participate in school events with both of us there.
Moreover, I make more money, with less legal risk, in less time than I did as a plastic surgeon. And, I have no risk of having to get up in the middle of the night to tend to a patient in the emergency room.
Now, I’m not telling you this to gloat. It's just that I don’t know that can paint a picture with words about how miserable and terrified I was back then. But I’m sharing my own harrowing experiences as an example of how extremely trying circumstances fit into the bigger picture, one that may be grander than we can imagine during times of immense distress.
A FINAL COMMENT
The collective of your entire life experiences are part of the journey of you fulfilling on your greater purpose in life. Embrace them all and you’ll experience a quantum leap of freedom in your business and in your life. As a side benefit, your business will thrive in direct correlation to the degree of freedom that you alow yourself to experience in all areas of your life.
The Age Old Question: Long or Short Copy for Website Sales Pages?
September 20, 2007
When it comes to writing compelling copy that's engaging and sells, this is a very common question:
"What if I'm going to be marketing on
the internet? Do you suggest long or short? Some people like the long copy and
other prefer the short. What is your take?"
The answer is: BOTH!
For starters, if someone who is NOT part of your target audience sees your headline and copy, they won't be interested and they won't read anything.
If someone who IS part of your target audience sees your headline, if they are attracted by your 'hook', then they'll read more.
On the web, the majority of viewers scan the headers and subheaders. If they are really interested, they'll go back and read more details.
Still another subset of readers will read the headline and at least the first paragraph. Then, they'll scroll right to the bottom of the web page to get to the punchline: How much does your 'thang' cost?
There are readers who read every word, but they are the exception, rather than the rule.
So, for all practical purposes, when you write compelling copy for the web, you have to make it easy for your viewers of all types, from the 'scanners,' to the 'every word' reader, to the types who read the first paragraph, next cruise to the bottomline.
To do this, you'll need to make sure that you write effective headers and subheads, you pay particular attention to writing solid, engaging first sentences of your paragraphs. And, you have to make sure that you format your copy with the appropriate use of color, typefaces and font sizes, and text formatting (bold, italics, etc.) By the way, use underlining very sparingly, or you'll end up with a page that looks like your a cheap salesperson.
And as far as what's important to include in the copy, you need to first ask: 'What is it that potential buyers want to know about what you're selling?'
They want to know what's in it for them. And, they want to know the risks involved. You'll need to address this in your copy; things like:
- What problem does it solves for them?
- How does your product/service solve it?
- Can I believe you?
- What's in it for them to buy and use your product or service?
- What's the risk (financial and otherwise) of buying from you?
- Do I really need this?
- Do I like you or trust you enough to buy from you?
- Is it really worth the money?
The ultimate bottomline
Don't sweat the length; write as much copy as you need to convey the key benefits and ultimate value of what you're selling and be sure to address natural resistance and knee-jerk objections. The people who want to solve the problem that you are the answer to will read as much as they need to feel good about buying. Everyone else, won't read anything, not matter how short or how long.
If you’ve ever been through a rough patch in business and in life…
September 18, 2007
...this puts things into perspective:
"There will be a time, not so far from now, that you will look back on this phase of your life and instead of condemning it or beating up on it... Instead of blaming or guilty, you will feel appreciation for it, because you will understand that a renewed desire for life was born out of this time period that will bring you to physical heights that you could not have achieved without the contrast that gave birth to this desire."
- Abraham (Excerpted from a workshop in Boston, MA on Saturday, October 4th, 1997)
NOTE: I've been a student of Abraham-Hicks for several years; their teachings ring true to my core. Abraham is a group of highly evolved teachers who speak their broader non-physical perspective through the physical voice of Esther Hicks.
If you think this is a little too "woo-woo," then consider the teachings of Socrates, who is frequently paraphrased as saying: "The wise man knows that he knows nothing."
Learn more about this expanding body of work at: www.Abraham-Hicks.com
The Analysis of Marketing Failure: Four Questions to Ask When Your Marketing Isn’t Working
September 11, 2007
The Blame Game
Does this sound familiar? You run a marketing strategy and it flops miserably. What’s the first thing you do?
All too often, if you’re like a lot of entrepreneurs, you start pointing fingers. You blame other people, including the very clients and customers you seek to attract. You blame circumstances that are beyond your control, like the weather or the season of the year.
And, inevitably, you end up pointing more than one finger back at yourself. In addition to this self-flagellation, self-doubt creeps in. You start to wonder if you’re ever going to do the “right” thing, if you’re good enough, if you’re [fill in the blank] enough.
The truth is, no amount of blaming others or beating yourself up has ever made a significance difference in the world. It is tempting, however!
Four Questions That Work
What does work is to re-frame your marketing strategies and outcomes. Look at whatever has happened as a learning experience. After all, whether something worked or (especially) if it didn’t work, you might as well learn something valuable from it.
Right now, recall a specific marketing effort that didn’t work out as well as expected. It might be something from the recent past or something you’re going through right now.
Now ask the following questions:
1. What worked?
2. What didn’t work?
3. What did you learn?
4. What will you change about your strategy, moving forward?
That’s all there is to it; four simple questions. Your biggest challenge will be to get into the habit of asking these questions before you start blaming others, yourself, or circumstances.
An Example
Imagine you are working on lead generation for, say, your gourmet chocolate company and you run a marketing campaign that’s designed to appeal to chocolate lovers through the internet.
You run a Google Ad Words pay-per-click campaign. You spend thousands of dollars for all the people who “clicked through” your online ad. Your web traffic analysis tells you that thousands of visitors came to your site, but only a handful stayed for more than a minute or bought anything. So, you only have several hundred dollars in revenue from it. Obviously not an ROI that’ll keep you in business.
Let’s look at the four questions:
1. What worked?
Well, at least some people clicked through, so that tells you that some people are indeed interested in purchasing chocolate through the internet.
2. What didn’t work? Of course, spending thousands of dollars to make several hundred didn’t work. But it also didn’t work that you initially attracted visitors to your site but that most didn’t stay for very long. And of the potential customers who went further into your site, only a fraction were inclined to buy anything.
3. What did I learn? It would be easy to say to yourself, “Internet marketing doesn’t work. People don’t by chocolate online; they need to see it and smell it.”
But what if you said, “What I learned is … Some people do buy chocolate from the internet. I wonder why so many people came to the site, but so few bought anything. What if my marketing message on my website is confusing or turning people off?”
4. What will I change about my strategy, moving forward?
Maybe you’ll give this strategy another trial. But this time, you’ll refine your website’s marketing message. Maybe make the site more attractive, both in appearance and in the words you use to describe your products. Words that sell are words that evoke powerful emotions—could you do a better job of filling the room with the alluring aroma of sweet, irresistible delectables with your words?
Asking Four Simple Questions Is a Habit
Now, isn’t that better than the alternative of finger-pointing and other non-productive forms of getting the results you want from your business? By the way, these questions apply to just about any business situation, not just marketing. Heck, they apply to just about any life situation!
Asking (and answering) these four questions can completely change your world. Get into the habit of exploring them, before going down the “blame, shame road,” and you’ll prosper mightily. This, clearly and simply defined, is the road to “more profit, greater freedom, and lasting contribution.”
To your prosperity!
The Cure for Knowledge: Persistence
September 10, 2007
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan press on has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave."
-- (John) Calvin Coolidge
In today's Information Age, we know far more about nutrition and human performance physiology than ever before in the history of mankind. So, why then, is morbid obesity a world-wide pandemic. Why is childhood obesity soon to become the #1 killer of children?
Because all the knowledge in the world never makes a difference.
Knowledge is the boobie prize. Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Execution, the act of applying that imagination in the physical world, is a creative process and is the only thing that has ever made any difference in the world.
And, what it takes to create is to persist.
Winston Churchill, summed it up appropriately when he presented a graduation
speech at a boy's prep school (Harrow School) in England.
He stood up and said, “never, never, never, never … never give
in.” Then, he sat right back down!
3-Line Revenue Acceleration Thought-Process
September 7, 2007
When it comes right down to it, there are three and only three ways to increase revenue in your business:
- Attract more and better clients and customers.
- Get them to buy more.
- Get them to buy more often.
That's it!
If you had to choose one lead generation strategy to attract more and better buyers, what would it be? A formal, strategic referral system is one of the most highly-leveraged strategies you could use.
How could you get your buyers to buy more of what you have to offer? Give them more to buy. That's right. If you offer products, offer services. If you offer services, offer them products to buy. Either way, you enhance the value of what you have to offer them.
How would you get them to buy more often? You have to give them a reason to buy more often. Create the need for them to buy more often by reminding them about the value your products and services provide. Once they get the value, enticing them to "come back for more" becomes easy.
So, if you're looking to generate more revenue in your business, you'd
do well to go through of the above lines and brainstorm what strategies
and tactics you can use to generate more revenue, quickly.
Excellence Is a Process
September 6, 2007
When things don’t go as well as intended, we often think of ourselves as failures. Or, we blame others or circumstances beyond our direct control.
We tend to have limited intellectual vision; when something doesn’t seem ‘right’ or seem to make logical sense, we tend to get concerned. Sometimes, very concerned.
But what we can’t see is the perfection of the Universe in the longer run. Sometimes, what seems like a ‘raw deal’ or ‘bad experience’ is something which strengthens us and actually serves us in the future.
It’s just that with our limited view of events, we don’t have the ability to see such seeming unpleasantries as desirable and valuable experiences.
Consider that “Perfection is your life as it is this very moment. Excellence, on the other hand, is the process of fulfilling on your commitments in life.”
‘Ancora Imparo’ (Italian for “I am still learning.”)
September 5, 2007
"Michaelangelo died at eighty-five, leaving an unfinished sculpture and a drawing near where he was found. The drawing was actually a caricature of himself as an old man. Next to the sketch were the words, 'Still learning'.
On his deathbed, Leonardo was asked how he felt. He replied, "A day well spent makes it sweet to sleep. A life well used makes it sweet to die."
- Excerpted from Chanticleer, a publication of the Marin County Waldorf School; reprinted in Waldorf Education: A Family Guide.
How the Sinking of a Great Warship Can Make Your Business Better: The Secret to Aligning Purpose and Passion with Profit
September 4, 2007
During World War II, the Japanese built a class of the largest, heaviest, and most powerful battleships ever in the history of naval warfare. One of them, the battleship Yamato, was the pride of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Like her sister ship, Musashi, she weighed 72,802 tons and carried nine 460 mm (18.1 inch) guns, the largest naval artillery ever assembled on any warship.
On April 6, 1945, Yamato silently slipped out of port on a suicide mission with no aircraft support and only a light destroyer escort. Her instructions were to attack the U.S. Naval fleet, just off the coast of Okinawa.
The U.S. Navy intercepted Yamato with an aerial attack involving 386 aircraft. Yamato sustained 8 bomb and 12 torpedo hits before listing to port and capsizing. Of the 2,744 sailors aboard, only 269 survived.
Decades later, one of the survivors described his experience of being in the water, helplessly watching his ship sink and take scores of his shipmates with her. As he bobbed up and down in the rugged waters, he questioned his will to survive. Suddenly, he saw in his mind's eye, an image of his infant son. At that instant, he realized that he needed to live to raise his son. Living to see and hold his son another day gave the sailor the mental and emotional fortitude to hang on, literally, for dear life.
To this day, he tells his son that he saved his life. That, if it weren't for him, he wouldn’t be alive. He would have given up, swallowed up by the sea.
This particular Japanese sailor survived because he had a compelling reason to do so, a reason bigger than his own life itself. By focusing on his son, he knew he had to rise above the seemingly hopeless situation and do everything possible to survive. Anything short of that would have meant leaving an infant son fatherless.
What Can We Learn from This?
All too frequently, I see fellow entrepreneurs jump into “doing” mode, overlooking the critical “why?” If you’re stuck in a rut, or simply not making the progress you think you ought to be making in your business, then it's time to get in touch with the core reason, the unshakable desire you possess within you to accomplish seemingly insurmountable tasks.
Without this, you're likely to get stopped at the first or second roadblock that comes your way. Then, you'll wonder why you don't get what you think you deserve and really want in your life. To be compelling, your "why" shouldn't be centered on you. And while it doesn't need to be about saving the world from global warming, it does need to be about something bigger than you alone.
The answer to getting out of the “rut race” is to play a bigger game. You need to think bigger than you every have before. To sustain that, you’ll need to get in touch with your compelling “why.”
Action Plan:
This exercise consists of only two questions; but they may be the most important questions you ever ask of yourself. Pretend that it’s 100 years from now and you are looking back on your life:
- What would you say is the most important thing that you accomplished in your business and in your life?
- Whatever that answer is for you, now ask the second question: What’s so important about you having accomplished that?
- Keep asking the second question, “What’s so important about that?” until you get to something that you’d call your ultimate achievement. THIS is your compelling “Why?”
Summary:
In the words of my book publisher and mentor, John Robert Eggen:
“…the optimum life for a conscious, committed human being is aligning your purpose, [that] which you were born to do, with how you make your living. In my work with experts and professionals, one thing I realized is that most are conscious, committed people who are striving to realize and integrate their sense of purpose and passion with how they profit.”
Your compelling “Why?” gives you the ultimate leverage for integrating passion, purpose, and profit. By leading your life and building your business based on the foundation of your compelling “Why?” you’ll be certain to prosper.
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