Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro

4 Hour Workweek vs. GTD

One of my favorite books in recent years is the 4 Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss. Tim challenges readers to work less and play more, what he calls lifestyle design. Without getting into the details of the book here, I wanted to share a post from his blog.

Responding to a post on Entrepreneur Magazine's blog, Tim writes:

"Despite the disproportionate attention paid to them, personal outsourcing and selective ignorance are just two chapters out of 16 in 4HWW. There is a lot more to information management and intake control in 4HWW (interruption prevention, internal policies, scripts with superiors, etc.) than “batching” e-mail."

This was in response to a comment in the article:

“Timothy Ferriss is focused on outsourcing and not checking e-mail so often. The last time I checked, the amount of e-mail you get is not a function of how often you check e-mail,” [Mark] Hurst says. “David Allen’s approach is a bit of a throwback to a pre-internet age when having complex flowcharts, filing papers and creating tickler items was relevant…”

Eliminate Before You Optimize!

I thought his post was interesting and gives some insight into different methodologies to stay productive.

Challenge Yourself!

What is holding you back? What do you need to do to move forward in your life and your business? Take a moment now and brainstorm a few ideas. Now, challenge yourself! Challenge yourself to take one step to move forward.

Google Acquires Feedburner

In another sign Google is taking over the world, they have acquired Feedburner. If you have a blog or a podcast, you should be using Feedburner to understand how many people are subscribing to your content. The fact that Google acquired them pretty much confirms the value they offer customers.

There will be More Opportunities
to Get Your Message Out There

It will be interesting to see how Google leverages the Feedburner platform. Needless to say, there will be more opportunities to get your message out there to a very targeted audience.

Make your Life Great!

What steps are you taking to make your life great? One of the leading bloggers on this topic is Phil Gerbyshak with his Make it Great blog. He was recently interviewed by Adversity University Founder Stephen Hopson.

During the interview, Stephen asked: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?  Given? Phil responded:

"The best advice I’ve ever gotten is “Play full out. All the time. Leave it all on the table, and go home tired.” This gift was given to me in various ways, at various times in my life, from various people, and it sticks with me and it defines how I live."

"In addition to the best advice I ever received, I’d add this to make it even more impactful: “Life is 1% what happens to you and 99% how you respond to it.”"

Phil is a class act and a downright genuine guy. He is extremely successful and influential as a blogger. For the complete interview, click here.

Play Full Out!

What steps are you taking to create visibility on the internet? If you're interested in finding ways to attract your ideal clients, visit our new blog, Attracting Ideal Clients.

Launched a New Blog Called Attracting Ideal Clients

Want to grow your business? I have launched a new blog called Attracting Ideal Clients. This blog is for small business owners, especially service professionals, who want to grow their business by attracting their ideal clients. More on this in a moment.

If you've read The PDA Pro Blog for awhile, you know that I cover a wide range of topics. I post on productivity, technology, sales and personal development topics. I'm passionate about helping people live productive and effective lives. I just love seeing people in their element, working smarter not harder. That's fun. What's not fun is feeling disorganized and overwhelmed. That's leads to procrastination and avoiding what you need to do.

In my business, I spend much of my time working with home-based service professionals. That includes coaches, consultants, virtual assistants and professional organizers. I love the entrepreneurial spirit. It's fun to launch a business and see it take off. Of course, owning a business is risky. And it can lead to a lot of additional stress.

My value system reflects my philosophy on building long-term relationships. And I've found the best relationships in business come from working with your ideal clients. This is the basis for building a successful referral based business.

Attract your Ideal Clients
and They Will Seek You Out!

And so it's with that concept that I've launched a new blog, Attracting Ideal Clients. There's a push/pull nature to marketing. Marketers often push their messages onto people. And that's effective to a certain extent. But, it's more effective when you can pull or attract your ideal clients to you. They will SEEK you out. That's really powerful!

And it's easier than ever to do this today using the internet. But, it takes a lot of work and you need to know what you're doing. I'm still refining my own approach. But, I have always jumped on top of any opportunity to get my message out there and attract people to what I'm doing.

So, Attracting Ideal Clients, is focused on teaching you how to identify who your ideal clients are, learning where to find them, what to say to them, and how to begin building a relationship with them that ultimately leads them to ask to be a client. But, it's not just about how to use the internet. I'll discuss mainstream topics like writing articles, teaching workshops and teleseminars, making phone calls, sending cards and networking more effectively. It's all of the things you can do to communicate your message and attract your ideal clients.

Yes, you still need to be able to sell. But, focusing on attracting your ideal clients will create an endless stream of leads and referrals. So, check it out and post a comment. The site is pretty slim at the moment, but I will add to it over time. Thanks!

Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro
http://www.ThePDApro.com

Buzzoodle Shares 99 Sites to create Buzz

I recently had the opportunity to hear Ron McDaniel, Founder of Buzzoodle, on the Get More Business podcast, hosted by Melody Campbell.

Ron shared 99 sites that can help you market your business and create buzz. He writes:

"How do you create a buzz on the Internet with all the great tools, communities and resources online? One at a time!"

Create a Buzz on the Internet!

If you want to generate positive interest in your business, there are techniques that can help you communicate your message and attract clients. There is a right way and a wrong way to do it. Be careful not to spam people. It's important to take time to build relationships. Focus on providing value and you will gradually make connections and give people a reason to contact you.

Do You Have Self-Discipline?

One of the keys to being productive is being self-disciplined. What is self-discipline? It's a characteristic that allows you to focus on your priorities and avoid distractions and interruptions.  It is living your life on purpose.

Success guru Mike Litman posted on his blog:

"For so many years of my life my self-discipline was terrible. This lack of self-discipline kept me running around in circles, procrastinating like a king, and always chasing the ‘latest greatest idea’. Have you ever been ‘there’? I’m glad I’m not ‘there’ anymore and I work daily on bringing more self-discipline into my life."

Mike goes on to say that, "when we don’t have a VISION for our lives, we throw off self-discipline, self-control, and order."

So I ask you, do you have self-discipline? Do you stay on task? Do you commit to do something and then get it done? Or do you find yourself procrastinating? Do you put off till tomorrow what you could do today?

Self-discipline is a challenge because it requires you to get outside of your comfort zone and play big.

We've shared a lot of great information on how to get productive during our teleseminar series, the 12 Days of Productivity. All of calls are recorded and available at no charge to help you increase your productivity.

What steps are you going to take this year to get focused, increase your productivity and develop the self-discipline you need to move forward and achieve your goals?

 

How Did You Become an Entrepreneur?

I have a question for you, especially if you are an entrepreneur. But, even if you aren't, I would like you to consider the question. And then, please take a moment and post a comment to tell readers about your story. Please be sure to include a url where people can reach you.

The question is, "How did you become an entrepreneur?" I think it's a marvelous question. You see, the journey an entrepreneur takes is both exciting and nerve wracking. It can be fulfilling as well as boring. There are times when you want to give up, but anyone who achieves lasting success knows that success and failure go hand in hand.

Given the economic climate we live in today, I think entrepreneurship is the only way you can truly control your own destiny. It's too easy to get stuck in a job and be afraid to move on. As an entrepreneur, that's a luxury you can't afford.

So, please post a comment and share your story. Please limit your story to about 100 words. Don't write a novel, but give us a sense of how you got started, what prompted you to set out on your own, and what motivated you to finally start the journey. And for others, what's holding you back from starting a business? What are you afraid of?

Priscilla Palmer posted an interesting commentary on whether entrepreneurs are born or made. She writes:

"They make the decision to start their own business.  Many things may contribute to this decision, some examples include; a feeling that it’s the most secure way to make money, a dream they want to pursue, they may feel they would be a letdown to their family if they took a regular job, they might want to work from home, or maybe they just hate working for other people."

You have until October 31st to post your comments and then I will close the comments. So, please take a moment now to take action!

Biznik - Yet Another Social Networking Site

Have you had enough of Social Networks? Apparently not! Because they keep sprouting up like weeds. Lori Richardson, the Sales Process Diva,  posted about a new site, Biznik, which bills itself as a "Business Networking that Doesn't Suck". Maybe that's a nod to the fact that there are way too many sites out there already and many people are having a challenge navigating them. Lori posts:

"What is great, though, is that this untapped resource will allow you to set up face-to-face meetings with other entrepreneurs (indie biz owners is the preferred term at Biznik) and you can host a meeting on any topic, charge a fee if you'd like, or host it for free to get critical mass.  Biznik even includes video on the site to show you how to use many of the features. I love this community and recently became a paying member, after lurking for free for quite a few months. Check it out, and see how it can help you meet other local business owners to support local business, business referrals, and even new friendships."

For my part, I haven't had a whole lot of time lately to network through the sites I'm currently on: LinkedIn, Ryze, Xing, Ecademy, MySpace, NowLive, HelloWorld, etc. I think you have to be careful about how much time you spend networking online. There is a balance between activity and results. You need to expect a return on your time invested. Also, don't forget blogging itself is a social networking activity.

Will Biznik live up to its billing? Who knows! But, I think the more the merrier. I think sites that clearly define their purpose and their target market and then strive to meet their needs will serve their audience well.

By the way, is Biznik kind of like Beatnik? Hmm.

Personal Development List

I have to give a big kudos to Life Coach Priscilla Palmer for starting her Personal Development List and a thanks for recognizing The PDA Pro Blog. I have decided to publish the list on my site as well for my readers to see and have added my own recommendations to the list (and will update this periodically). I think this a great example of organic social networking in the spirit of sharing resources.

Priscilla says that personal development is a large topic that includes but is not limited to (law of attraction, goals, time management, physical fitness, education, motivation, inspiration, and social skills). Some of my additions to the list feature technology bloggers who have a strong commitment toward personal development and cover at least one topic among the ones listed above.

If I have sent a trackback to your site, just know I'll be back to post a relevant comment at some point to add value to the discussions on your site. Feel free to do the same here. (Thank you.)

Personal Development List:

Aaron Potts at Today is That Day

Adam Kayce at Monk at Work

Alan Torres at Made to Be Great

Albert Foong at urbanmonk.net

Andrea J Lee at Money, Meaning and Beyond (Added by Rick Cooper)

Andy Wibbels at AndyWibbels.com (Added by Rick Cooper)

Ask Lucid at Ask Lucid Spiritual Development

Anita Pathik at Law at Power of four Way

Belle Wong at Abundance Journal

Brian Clark at Copyblogger

Brian Kim at briankim.net

Bob at everyeveryminute

Christine Kane at ChristineKane.com

Craig Harper at Motivational Speaker

Curt Rosengren at Occupational Adventure

Dave Schoof at Engaging the Disquiet

David Rogers at How to Have Great Self Confidence

Dawud Miracle at dmiracle.com

Dean Lacono at Law of Attraction for Beginners

Debbie Call at Spirit In Gear

Des Walsh at Thinking Home Business (Added by Rick Cooper)

Dick Richards at Come Gather Round

Donald Latumahina at Life Optimizer

Donna Karlin at Perspectives (Added by Rick Cooper)

Dr. Hal at Northstar Mental fitness blog

Edward Mills at Evolving Times

Frank Kanu at Frank Uncovers Excellence in Leadership (Added by Rick Cooper)

Guy Kawasaki at How to Change the World

Gleb Reys at Personal Development Ideas

Gretchen Rubin at Happiness Project

Gustav at Success-is-in-you.com

Henrik Edberg at The Positivity Blog

Itzy Sabo at Email Overloaded (Added by Rick Cooper)

Jacklyn Ker at Inspiring and Empowing Lives

Jason Ivers at A Miracle a Day

Jay White at dumb little man tips for life

Jean Browman at Transforming Stress Into Power and Cheerful Monk

Jeffrey Phillips at Think Faster

Jennifer at Goodness Graciousness

Jeremiah Owyang at Web Strategy by Jeremiah (Added by Rick Cooper)

Jerry Hart at Blueprint to eMarketing  (Added by Rick Cooper)

Jerry Lopper at Personal Growth

Joanna Young at Coaching Wizardry

John Place at John Place Online

John Wesley at Pick The Brain

Josh Bickford at Reach For Magnificence and Reach for Magnificence

Julia Rogers Hamrick at Julia’s Blog: Journal of the Journey Home to Eden

Kammie Kobyleski at Passion Meets Purpose

Karen at Journey with Water Learner

Karen Lynch at Live The Power

Kim George at Doing What You Can Do

Kirsten Harrell at Ipopin

K.L. Masina at Be Conscious Now

Leah Maclean at Working Solo (Added by Rick Cooper)

Lee Nutter at bmindful

Leo Baruta at Zen Habits

Life Reflection at Universe in a Single Atom

Lisa Gates at Design Your Writing Life

Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Lola Fayemi at Real World Spiritual and Personal Development

Lorraine Cohen at Powerfull Living

Lyman Reed at Creating a Better Life

Maria Palma at The Good Life

Mark at The Naked Soul

Mark Forster at Get Everything Done

Mark McManus at Build Your Life To Order

Mark W. Shead at Productivity 501 (Added by Rick Cooper)

Martin Avis at Kickstart Daily

Matthew Cornell at Matt’s Idea Blog

Merlin Mann at 43 Folders

Michelle Moore at Happiness Blog

Michael Port at The Think Big Revolution (Added by Rick Cooper)

My Everyday Planner at My Everyday Planner

Nancy Tierney at Unconditional Confidence

Neil Patel at Quick Sprout

Nneka at Balanced Life Center

Organize-It at Organize-It

Pamm Larry at My Spiritual Dance

Patricia Singleton at Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker

Paul at Paul’s Tips

Peter at I Will Change Your Life

Peter Aldin at Great Circle

Phil Gerbyshak at Make It Great

Priscilla Palmer at Personal Development Demands Success

Raymond Salas at Zenchill Powertools

Reg Adkins at ElementalTruths

Rick Cockrum at Shards of Consciousness

Rick Cooper at The PDA Pro

Robert at Compassionate Council

S.J. Yee at Personal Development for the Book Smart

Sam at Aquire Wisdom and Live with Passion

Scott Adams at The Dilbert Blog

Scott Bernadot at Keeping The Secret

Scott Ginsberg at Hello, My Name is Blog (Added by Rick Cooper)

Scott H Young at Scott H Young

Self Pursuit at Self Pursuit

Shauna Arthurs at Breathing Prosperity and Follow Your Path

Sleeping Dude at How to Wake Up Early

Steve Olson at Steve-Olson.com

Steve Pavlina at stevepavlina.com

Susan Sabo at Productivity Cafe

Ted Demopoulos at Blogging For Business

Thom Quinn at Qlog

Tim Ferris at 4-Hour Workweek and Lifestyle Design Blog

Tony D Clark at Success From The Nest

Torlink at You Create Reality

Trevor Gay at Simplicity is the Key

Troy Worman at Orbit Now!

Vickie at Contemplate This

WildBill at PassionateBlogger

and these collaborated sites:

Life Coaches Blog Strategies for a Greater Life

Last Updated by Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro on: 8-24-07

Setting Long Term Goals

Looking for information on Personal Development?Find more articles/posts on Personal Development.

Do you set long term goals? If not, you may be falling short of your full potential! It's absolutely true that people who set goals are more likely to be successful? Why? Because the act of setting and working toward achieving a goal allows you to focus your efforts on accomplishing something worthwhile.

Focus is the key. You see, most people will drift if they don't have a direction. Imagine a ship in the ocean. If the captain of the ship has not identified a destination, set a course, and made corrections along the way, it is unlikely the ship will ever arrive at port.

The same is true for humans. The process begins by identifying what you truly want in life, determining what your strengths and passions are, and then setting goals to accomplish something meaningful for you.

Now of course, you have short, medium and long term goals. Most people set short term goals. A grocery list is a short term goal, isn't it? But, the real work comes in identifying your long term goals.

Now, if you're struggling with finding your passions and determining what to accomplish, have no fear. My fellow blogger, Phil Gerbyshak, of Make it Great, has shared some resources for personal development.

Phil also shares a link to Priscilla Palmer's blog and her Personal Development List. It's a great list of resources to spark your imagination and send your heart soaring.

Remember, PDA stands for Productivity, Discipline and Action. Action is going to get you where you're going. Discipline will help you stay on track when the going gets tough. And Productivity means you'll get there faster. But, the one implied truth in each of these concepts is that you must have a direction. Otherwise, you will very likely spin out of control.

Personally, I use MS Word to set my goals periodically. I also make lists on my Palm Treo 650 PDA/smartphone using the memo function. Anytime I think of something I want to do or experience in my life, I make a note of it. Then, I have a list to refer to when I set my goals.

Good luck in setting your long term goals. For more information on goal-setting, read my article on The ABCs of Setting Goals.

Other Related Posts:
Goals
Law of Attraction
Organizing
Productivity
Time Management

Entrepreneurs Capitalize on the Mobile Marketplace

Have you noticed that just about everyone these days is walking around with their face planted in a mobile device? This is especially true for younger generations. From wireless PDAs to smartphones, from turbo-charged cell phones to mini-tablets, people are addicted to their mobile devices. What does this mean for marketers? It means profits!

Entrepreneurs across the nation are beginning to ask themselves how they can capitalize on the growing trend toward mobility. And one expert has emerged to guide the way.

According to Mobile Marketing Guru, Kim Dushinski, from MobileMarketingProfits.com:

"The reality is that the rest of the world has been ahead of the U.S. in almost all aspects of cell phone use. Odd, isn’t it? We’re so used to being in front of the new trends. This time we’re not. But that is about to change."

Are you an entrepreneur who's interested in capitalizing on the mobile marketing trend? Then, take Kim's Mobile Ready Assessment.

The big companies have figured out a way to reach their target market through devices. Why not small businesses? The future is bright. You can't even imagine what's coming down the line. Imagine the day when you can walk into a retail store and instantly be notified of sales on products you want, based on your past buying patterns. Talk about big brother. Well, it's going to make your life more simple. And we could all use a little more simplicity. Why not make some money as well?

Study Seeks Women in B2B Sales

My colleague Lori Richardson shared the details regarding a study on women in B2B Sales. Please check her post for further details.

The study is being supported in part by Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies.

Light your Way to Higher Productivity

Tim Sanders, author of The Likeability Factor, asks if you work in the dark. On his blog, Sanders Says, Tim writes:

"Recently, I've been studying the impact on light and productivity. I was looking into whether natural light improves our mood state (which would improve our business effectiveness). Not surprisingly, we are a product of our environment. Much like a bad weather day can make us gloomy and listless, a badly lit work environment can do the same. "

Tim also mentions a study that found that natural light can improve our vision, function, productivity and mood.  His suggestion? Allow sunlight into your work environment. Read the rest of his post for more suggestions.

Rick Cooper Acknowledged in The National Networker

The January 12-20th Issue of The National Networker quoted me, Rick Cooper, as an expert in Networking. It's always nice to be able to share my insights with a larger audience. Back in December, Bette Daoust, Ph.D.  interviewed me on the subject of networking in Sacramento. Much of my experience in business networking came from my involvement as an Ambassador with the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce and then as President of the Arden Lunch Chapter of TNI, a west coast business referral group similar to LeTip. During 2006, we grew the chapter from 24 to 40 members, which is substantial for a group that meets weekly and holds members accountable for attendance.

Much of the information in the article is focused on events available through the Metro Chamber and information on networking groups like TNI. I also provide strategies on networking.

Sacramento is the capital of California, and has traditionally been a big government town. It has also grown to be a nexus for call centers, although the market has somewhat contracted due to offshoring of call center functions to India and other countries. The technology industry in Sacramento has grown and diversified, providing many opportunities. Sacramento also has a diverse population and offers a wide range of cultural and recreational activities locally or nearby.

So, Sacramento is a good place to do business. It has big city opportunities, but a small town appeal. I often hear the phrase, “everybody knows everybody.” I think a better description is the movers and shakers know the other movers and shakers. Once you start actively networking, you begin seeing the same people over and over. Of course, these tend to be more small businesses owners rather than executives of large companies. So, your networking strategy will depend on your target market.

My expertise in networking also comes from my role as The PDA Pro. I am both a PDA Coach and more broadly a Sales Productivity Coach. I work primarily with sales professionals to help them build their sales, networking, contact management and relationship management skills. And I help them leverage technology tools to accomplish their sales goals.

You can read more details in the article Networking in Sacramento, written by Dr. Bette Daoust. You can also read her Blueprints for Success blog.

Boost your Productivity by Having Fun

Lori Richardson, the Sales Process Diva, says, "Being connected and engaged at work increases productivity." I can understand that. Motivation has a lot to do with how productive you are. If you are passionate about your work, your brain is better engaged in the activity and it's easier to solve problems. When you're grumpy, nothing seems to go right. Everything is a challenge.

Lori recommends the book Focus Like a Laser Beam, by Lisa Haneberg, who interviewed Lori on the power of fun at work. I think I'll have to get the book.

Secrets of Financial Success

In the Bloglight: Personal Money Tips

I recently read the book The Richest Man in Babylon, written by George S. Clason. The book features a series of parables about ancient Babylon. They teach financial lessons about wealth, investment and living within your means. The stories are compelling. It even features some advice for sales professionals from the perspective of a merchant.

That leads me to our featured blog, Personal Money Tips, from James W. in Malaysia. He wrote recently about understanding financial terms and specifically about the Rule of 72. He doesn't claim to be a money expert, but offers suggestions and tips based on his personal experience.

The ability to manage your money is very critical for sales professionals. The nature of the profession is that you do not have a steady stream of income. You may have a salary, draw, commission, spiffs, and/or incentives. You may have multiple streams of income. So, it's critical to set some money aside to have during lean times.

I highly recommend you check out The Richest Man in Babylon. And, visit, Personal Money Tips for other suggestions. And, be sure to copy your favorite tips into a memo or note to transfer to your PDA. Tips make for great reading when you have some downtime between calls.

James is a member of the LinkedIn Bloggers.

Your Wake Up Call

Donna Karlin, in her blog, Perspectives, Insights of an Executive Shadow Coach, shares her thoughts on you might want to do with the rest of your life. She offers some powerful insights. For instance, she says,

"Once we get older we’re more open to the possibilities of what lies ahead. It’s more important than ever to prune your life of toxic relationships, ways of being and mindsets that no longer have value. Once we get rid of all that holds us back, the choice to keep what is working and embrace what we want is much clearer."

Wow! That gives one pause. What's holding you back in your life and what will it take to move you forward?

She also mentions she can't imagine retiring. I feel the same way. However, who knows how I might feel in another 20 years. But, I agree with her that it's part of who I am rather than what I do for a living.

As a final word, she mentions,

"So look at your puzzle of life, what are the 10 pieces you want to keep forever and what are the ones you need to discard to make room for them? What no longer fits? What are you ready to let go of that’s no longer serving you?"

So, what do you want to do with the rest of your life? I suggest you start making a list in your PDA and add to it whenever an idea strikes you. This can be a constant reminder of what you want in your life.

Do What You Love to Reduce Stress

Curt Rosengren, in his blog The Occupational Adventure, points out the how you can reduce stress by doing what you love. He writes:

"On the other hand, being who you are (a key element in my definition of passion), opens the door for your work to flow naturally. It takes the friction and rub out of the system."

He's absolutely right. My stress is much less since I left the corporate world and started my business. And, I work over 80 hours a week now. I enjoyed my job and my team before, but I'm passionate about my business and most of the time it doesn't feel like work.

Time Management Tips for Small Business

In her blog, Learn Small Business, DeAnna Spencer shares her secrets on time management. Her post offers  7 things to remember about to-do lists:

1. It will help you to remember what you have to do today.
2. A to do list keeps you on task.
3. When you complete the items on your to do list you feel a sense of accomplishment.
4. A to do list should be recorded somewhere. It doesn't count if the list exists in your head. You are guaranteed to forget something.
5. A to do list is never set in stone.
6. Your to do list should be realistic.
7. Make sure to include some time for fun in your to-do list.

Thanks DeAnna for the great suggestions. I would add to that a PDA is a great place to enter your tasks. It' not always the easiest resource for getting the big picture, but you have some great capabilities to sort and categorize your tasks.

MP3 Audio Content For Entrepreneurs

Scott Allen from the Entrepreneurs blog on About.com offers advice on audio content with a business focus. Don't forget that many PDAs now also function as an MP3 player.

Million Names Project

Another resourceful entrepreneur, Paul Nichol, has come up with a way to generate a million dollars for himself. That's through the Million Names Project. He is seeking people to buy a space on his website for their name and website url for the price of $1.00 each (through PayPal). Not bad for a little advertising.

I added my name when the count was at 36 names. It will be interesting to see how quickly he will make it to his target. Just another example of how the internet has created an entirely new frontier for entrepreneurship with few barriers for entry.

For more information on Paul Nichol, see his press release.

Observations on Innovation

Guy Kawasaki writes about the art of innovation. He says,

"Don't be afraid to polarize people. Most companies want to create the holy grail of products that appeals to every demographic, social-economic background, and geographic location. To attempt to do so guarantees mediocrity. Instead, create great DICEE products that make segments of people very happy. And fear not if these products make other segments unhappy. The worst case is to incite no passionate reactions at all, and that happens when companies try to make everyone happy. "

This is true of marketing and sales as well. Too often we try to appeal to everyone and in the process appeal to no one. To be successful, this requires knowing your target market intimately. Find out where they hide and join them. Learn more about your target market and their habits. Understand their behavior and you'll learn how to market to them more effectively.

Door-to-Door Selling

Permission Marketing Guru Seth Godin says he considers door-to-door selling struggling. I heartily disagree. Cold calling is one of my least favorite things to do, but I started my sales career by selling copiers door to door. Seth remarks,

"A door to door salesman just walked into our offices in Irvington.

Tough job.

A job usually reserved for people selling advertising or janitorial services.

This was an assistant Vice President at Citibank. He's wandering the halls, door by door, trying to sell business checking accounts.

Clearly, all that marble, all those tellers and all that advertising is not enough to meet aggressive growth targets.

Once your business becomes a commodity, you can struggle or you can re-invent. I consider door-to-door selling to be struggling."

In fact, I think sales professionals who are willing to walk into a company without prior contact to have an advantage in some cases because it is so rare today. Not everyone will obviously look on this favorably. However, too many sales professionals hide behind technology and are reluctant to pick up a phone or walk into an office.

Seth's comment regarding the Assistant Vice-President is incorrect. First, banks have a lot of Vice-Presidents. Branch managers often have a VP or AVP title. Secondly, bank branches are managed as small businesses with a lot of autonomy. Even though Citibank as a whole spends millions on advertising, it's up to the branch manager to bring in business and other accounts.

Branch managers are sometimes the best sales professional in their branch and succeed by being active in the business community, joining the chamber of commerce and networking groups and sometimes even cold-calling. They do whatever it takes. And they are well paid for it. In addition to salary, they earn bonuses, incentives, spiffs and are eligible for annual rewards programs. It's not a bad life. If you call that struggling Seth, I'll take it anyday. Running a small business is hard work, even if it's for a mega-giant like Citibank.

My own business is small and I wish I had some of the resources the average branch has at its disposal. I'm building my own business literally from the ground up, and it's not all wine and roses. It's hard work. But that's the fun of it, isn't it?

So, if you're in sales or you're a business owner, consider door-to-door selling once in awhile. You might find you get a whole different perspective on your business. And it might even help you refine your marketing efforts.

Achieving Maximum Results

As an entrepreneur, I can tell you I spend a lot of time pouding my head against a wall. The path to success is not always clear. Seth Godin offers a unique perspective on achieving maximum results from your efforts.

He compares efforts to achieve your Local Max vs. your Big Max. Local Max comes fairly quickly in any pursuit; whereas it may take a lot longer to achieve your Big Max. What is interesting is that your results may temporarily decline before you reach your Big Max.

According to Seth:

"Local Max isn't actually that great when you realize that Big Max is not particularly far away. The problem is that to get to Big Max, you need to go through step C, which is a horrible and scary place to be."

You have to see the illustration to understand what he means. Step C is that point when things look most dismal, before you really break out.

The same paradigm can be used for sales. Sales professionals often get frustrated because they are following a strategy or sales process that is not working according to their expectations. It could be they have just not reached their Big Max yet. Of course, who's to say you're not simply following a failed strategy. That's the conundrum.

Jot a Quick Memo

People often overlook some of the simpler functions of a PDA, not realizing how powerful they are. Personally, I love the "old school" Memo Pad application on the Palm OS. Memo Pad is a simple text editor that allows you to enter short notes, about 4000 characters.  In fact, I have 489 memos on my PDA and most were entered by hand.

Why is it so powerful? For one, it's fast. And that makes a big difference in productivity. You can create a memo by simply starting to write or type. The first line will become the name of the memo and can easily be edited later. There are limited options for format so there's not much to think about.

For sales professionals, Memo Pad is great to use at events. Create a single memo for the event and then jot notes throughout the event. Whenever you have a spare moment, make a note. Be sure to enter a person's name and a brief comment. Then, later, you can perform a brain dump and make more notes. The key is to be sure to move those individual comments to the appropriate contact record after you've had a chance to enter new contacts in your PDA or contact management software.

Just be sure your PDA does not detract from your ability to interact with people and network. Some people are put off when they see someone using a PDA, smartphone, cell phone or other device.

Tom Peter's Blog Turns One Year Old

Tom Peter's blog turned one year old on July 27, 2005. His blog post offers some insights into the personal impact his blog has had.

I look at Tom's blog as an example of how a successful consultant and guru can share his insights and create a dialog with a community of interested persons. I think his website/blog pushes the limits of the technology and creates an interesting and informative experience.

I hope to see Tom launch a podcast and later a videocast to offer further value.

It's interesting to see the amazing collection of information and resources being created and posted that are free to use. What a rennaissance we are in right now.

Blog on!