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 We managed to hijack the editor’s chair as you can see, so we want to introduce ourselves: I’m Sooty (the pretty one with the black face), and this is my sister Cinders (with the white nose – some kids just don’t get any luck). We moved in about three months ago, and have been plotting to take over the chair ever since.
Our contribution to this journal may not be obvious to you, dear readers, so let me explain: Cats have little use for marketing (we were born drop-dead gorgeous and with buckets of cuteness – not to mention modesty - so we don’t find it at all hard to market ourselves) but we know that what Mum and Dad do pays for our nosh and kitty-litter so we support them where we can. For instance Cinders likes to catch leaves in the garden (Yes – leaves! She’s an embarrassment to cat-kind, but you can’t choose your family!) then bring them to David while he’s on the phone with clients and loudly demand his approval right now!
I, on the other hand, prefer to settle in a corner of the office on a cold miserable afternoon, fall asleep and snore loudly while they’re trying to work.
So enjoy this issue and never forget us poor souls who labour selflessly in the background so that you can become Marketing Masters.
The ONE thing Your Professional
Services Business MUST have
Here’s a challenge: Do you know the ONE thing that separates the successful (including the obscenely successful, like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates) from the also-rans? Think you do? Perhaps then you also know that this same ONE thing makes more of a difference than pretty much anything else to ensure that your small business will one day become a big business, rather than a failure statistic? Anyone can do it, and it doesn’t require special skills, proprietary tools or expensive resources.
Shall I put you out of your misery? The ONE thing you MUST do for your business is to set clear, specific, time-linked goals.
What? That’s it? Boy, what a build-up for so little … but before you drop this article in disgust and go on to something else, answer me this: What are your revenue goals for the next three months? How many new clients are you planning to close between now and then? What’s the planned average revenue per client you close? Can you also answer those three questions for the remainder of the calendar year? If not, why can’t you answer those questions?
Most people who can’t answer those questions tell me that plans are irrelevant; it’s results that matter. What’s the point (they ask) of plucking numbers out of the air that may or may not match reality? Why not follow the Nike approach and ‘Just Do It’? After all, plans and goals don’t put money in the bank. And of course they are right; in the same way that drawing up plans for a new house doesn’t put a roof over your head – or does it? Do you know anyone who successfully owner-built a new residence WITHOUT first drawing plans? Neither do I, and that’s exactly my point.
Let’s take a few minutes to understand the value of focused business goals to you; and while we’re about it we’ll highlight the three steps to successful goal-setting:
The Journey versus The Destination
Shall we begin by visualising ourselves driving in a car? I usually frame this visualisation within the context of the M3 Motorway in Hampshire, heading for Southampton. (If you unfamiliar with that route you may want to Google it.) The key question is this: Is that a GOOD or a BAD thing?
No idea, right?
We couldn’t answer that question without at least some context, so let’s add a little to our visualisation. Let’s say that we are trying to get to Heathrow airport. (For those unfamiliar with the area, Heathrow airport would be behind us, and getting smaller in the rearview mirror). Now: Is that a GOOD or a BAD thing?
Isn’t it amazing how a simple thing like knowing where we want to go can make such a difference? Goals do that for your business – they give context to your analysis of progress and strategy. They allow you to decide whether to keep doing something or to stop and do something else, because they allow you to understand whether your efforts are moving you closer to where you want to be, or taking you further away.
There or Thereabouts
Let’s just take a moment to delve a little deeper into your destination as context. If you were heading for the airport, would it be enough to know which county it was in? Of course not! In fact, even having the main airport entry road as a destination wouldn’t be good enough – you would also have to know which terminal you were flying from, and where the rental car drop-off point was.
Likewise, it’s not enough for your business to have the goal of ‘being successful’. What does that mean? Take the time to define success. Remember too, that even if you didn’t set up your business to get rich you need financial goals. After all, money is the only means we have of keeping score!
The Tyranny of Time
Of course there are further aspects of context that enhance our visualisation. So, let’s imagine that we have turned the car around and are now heading towards the airport. The clock on the dashboard reads 14:12.
You’re ahead of me by now: You want to know what time the aircraft is leaving before you can tell me whether we’re on time, right? See how powerful that could be for your business? Not just WHAT you want to achieve, but WHEN you expect to be achieving it. So if what you are doing isn’t producing results fast enough, you can start trying something else, because you know where your business should be at a certain point in time. Since you are the driver, you are the only person who can make those changes – and you need the context within which to do it.
Don’t fall into the trap of setting your timelines too far ahead. (Many folk I speak to can tell me what their five-year revenue goal is, but not their current-year goal.) Within the context of our visualisation, what good would it do to know that we have to get to Heathrow in two weeks time? There would be no urgency, no immediate need to consider progress and direction – nothing to help us enhance performance. In short, an opportunity wasted. You – and your business – deserve better than that!
In summary, the ONE thing your business cannot do without if it is to succeed is goals. Those goals need to be clear, detailed and timely. If your business doesn’t have that, don’t delay! You could be on the road to Southampton at this very moment!
Having goals is not the end of the story, as many learn to their cost. The single biggest excuse I hear for not having goals is: ‘I set goals in the past and didn’t achieve them, so what’s the use?’ It’s not too dramatic to say that such people are emotionally scarred by their past inability to achieve their goals – but should they be blaming the goals? Does the problem lie elsewhere? We will explore this further next month.
Are you a Professional Services Executive yearning to grow your business profitably without sacrificing your quality of life? Are your goals becoming clearer but the strategies to achieve them still eluding you? Zee2A can help! Find out more about our Marketing Edge Mentoring Programme here.
(If you're unfamiliar with the concept behind Front2Back 2Front please go here to read the explanation in our launch issue.)
I recently had an experience that ought to be very rare. Sadly though, it’s not. I made a proposal to a prospect for a piece of work, and we agreed that I would call back after the prospect had given due consideration to the proposal. I kept my word and made the call – but it wasn’t answered. Nor was my message asking that the call be returned. I tried again the next day, with the same result.
You’re saying: ‘They ARE giving you a message!’ and of course you’re right - they don’t want to accept the proposal. But here’s the rub: I meet lots of people in my business, and I have a file of businesses I would refer a sincere prospect to. That’s not selfless, it’s just good business – if I make a referral that turns into business for someone else everyone likes me. People who like me will return the favour someday. That’s called reciprocity, or if you’re into fancy Eastern concepts you could call it guanxi.
Up until I had the experience I’m relating, this particular prospect was on my list of referees – but no longer. That’s not sour grapes, it’s a genuine fear that if they cannot work up the bottle to politely refuse a politely offered proposal, how on earth will they handle a difficult customer? And how will that difficult customer feel about me as the referrer? Nope – too risky!
The key to this is that you should treat everyone like a customer, no matter what their current relationship. So if you’re hesitating to make a challenging call, ask yourself ‘What’s the worst that could happen if I make the call?’ The answer is always: a lot less than could happen if you DON’T make the call. Then just do it, for crying out loud!
 This issue we are getting up on the soapbox ourselves to make 3 important announcements:
- If you enjoy reading The Marketing Edge, and find the articles and features interesting and beneficial, please help spread the word! Please forward your copy to colleagues and friends and encourage them to sign up for their own subscription.
- Would you like David, Vanessa, or both of us to speak at any of your upcoming meetings, seminars or conferences? For example, The Women’s Networking Company has booked us for three separate events that they are running this quarter. Wired Wessex and Basingstoke Networking have already utilized our services; and North Hants Chamber of Commerce as well as Business Link have also secured dates with us. Our diaries fill up fast, so get in touch by phone or email NOW for June and the rest of the year.
- Would you like to use any of our articles in your e-zine or newsletter? To comply with our copyright please send your written request (email is acceptable) to Vanessa, with details of which article you would like, and where it will be reproduced. She will then issue the relevant written permission, terms and conditions.
- Today - We’ll be at the North Hants Chamber of Commerce lunch in Winchester – do come and say “hello” if you see us!
- Mon 14th - Farnborough Business Breakfast Club, Holiday Inn, Lynchford Road. David is doing a presentation about Developing Your Verbal Signature (a great supplement to our MP3 audio workshop available as a FREE download to our subscribers – have you downloaded yours yet?).
- Tues 15th - It’s Double Trouble as David & I do a joint presentation at the Business Link Peer Group Learning event at Dummer Golf Club. We’ll be showing you how to expand your web-presence beyond SEO and AdWords, as a low cost (even no cost) effective marketing tool.
- Tues 22nd - Our presentation at Brewers Fayre has been rescheduled! Please mark the new date as Tues 13th May.
- Thurs 24th - We are both attending the North Hants Chamber of Commerce lunch in Andover.
- Friday 25th - Another Double Act, presenting for the Women’s Networking Company in Haslemere, on expanding your web presence beyond SEO and Adwords.
And of the evening of the 25th we are celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of my in-laws at a black-tie affair. Okay, so you aren’t invited to that - but I thought I’d share the news ...
For further info on any of the above events, including how to book, please visit the Upcoming Events page on our blog
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ISSN 1756-350X
Volume 1 Issue 8
9th April 2008
www.zee2a.com
In This Issue
David and Vanessa,
Your Zee2A Mentors
Food for Thought:
"In life, as in football, you won't go far unless you know where the goalposts are."
- Arnold H Glasgow
Don't miss out on regular boosts to your marketing effectiveness! Go to our Home Page to subscribe to The Marketing Edge.
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