Staying Positive

According to the article I read this morning, women are more likely than men to succesfully cope during these tough economic times because are more positive in their outlook. Generally, I would agree with this. My question is why?

I wonder if this has to do with the fact that most women have close relationships with other women, whereas most men don’t have this support group. Within the context of these groups, they receive the support and encouragement that helps them remain positive.

Men, on the other hand, may have buddies they do things with. But, these relationships are often not very deep and lack the support that is required to get them through rough times. 

Women naturally form support groups. It requires no effort. It happens without any structure. Men need to make it happen. But, they won’t unless they see a clear purpose or benefit.

In my experience, the benefit is clear. The effort is worth the investment. It does take effort and commitment. But the alternative is not worth considering- isolation, drifting, and making poor decisions. No thank you.

What about you men out there? Are you proactively involved with other men? Not with buddies just hanging out, but with other men who are passionate about the things that you care about? If not, why not? And what are you going to do about it?

P

Podcasting at the Gym

Do you podcast? If not, I highly recommend it. It’s free. It’s easy. And it is a great way to make use of time that otherwise may be less than productive.

For example, at the gym I see people watching mindless TV shows while exercising. I see people reading mindless magazines. I have no ill will toward these folks. Perhaps they require something mindless to do while working out so they can focus on their fitness. But, if I had to bet on it, I would wager that this is not the case. I would, in fact, wager that these are the same folks who couldn’t tell you who the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court is or who the Chairman of the Federal Reserve is. You get my point.

Podcasting allows you to catch up on news, books, music, and all sorts of other interesting and engaging subjects in a personal and efficient manner.

Try it. You might like it!

P

Still High

Last week’s trade show and conference in Louisville, KY still has me fired up. I met so many awesome people and had such a great time. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

This week, I’m diligently reaching out to many of these people. If you’re one of them, thank you for your patience. When it rains, it pours.

If you’re not one of them, drop me a line. There must be some reason why you’re reading this post. What is it? How can I help you? I can’t help you if you don’t reach out and ask for help. Now is the time. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

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Marketing Budgets

I have a question for you: What is your marketing budget? More precisely, what % of your sales are being directly spent on marketing initiatives?

I know this question raises more questions. It’s not always clear what consistitutes marketing vs. something else. I know. But the question remains. And it’s an important question.

In general, businesses should be spending a minimum of 5% of sales on marketing initiatives. This not a hard rule but a guideline.

What about you? What does your marketing budget look like?

More importantly, how effective are your marketing expenditures? I’ll save this question for a future post.

If you need help in this area, call me. I can help.

P

Taming the Email Beast

A friend of mine, Randy Dean, just announced the release of his latest book, Taming the Email Beast. Randy is a speaker and trainer focused on productivity issues. He is a top notch individual.

If you ever get buried in email, you need to read his new book. It is available on amazon. com or at www.TamingEmailBook.com. Check it out. You’re inbox will never be the same.

P

Mental Toughness

Being mentally tough is an important ingredient to success in business and in life. So what are you doing to strengthen your mental toughness? I’d like to hear from some of you about this. What are your thoughts about this topic? Do you intentionally work on this? Or do you have no idea what I’m asking about? Talk to me.

One of the reasons why I’m training to run a marathon this fall is to develop mental toughness- the ability to remain strong and to be able to think clearly in the midst of adversity. Running insane distances requires mental strength. Physical ability is the easy part. The mental commitment to endure is the real challenge.

Why is this important to me? Good question. My world is becoming more complex all the time. My ability to remain focused and engaged is challenged at times. I realize that, despite my human limitations, there is room for improvement. I want to be better. Sharper. Faster. Hungrier.

Mental toughness is important to me. What about you?

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Thoughts on Marketing

Many marketing efforts fail because they don’t clearly identify the intended target market segments or link their marketing initiatives to a specific strategy focused on these segments. Instead, marketing efforts are directed generally at everyone with a broad message that doesn’t resonate with anyone in particular.

I like to approach marketing efforts from a broad perspective initially. It seems to me that businesses only have two paths for growth. One path is to sell more to existing customers. The other path is to sell to new customers. Each requires a unique marketing strategy and initiatives. The first path is measured by customer retention and add-on sales. The second path is measured by new sales. Both paths require a customer-focused organization, which is the topic for another time.

Prerequisites for selling more to existing customers are the existence of a compelling value proposition, flawless execution of product/services, and an organization that really cares about its customers. I refer to these as prerequisites because they lead to high customer retention rates. Without high levels of customer retention, it will be very difficult to sell more to existing customers.

Once a business has a solid customer base, they should focus on add-on sales to these customers. After all, they’ve already made significant investments in the customer relationship. They’ve built trust. Why not get in deeper with these customers? What else do they need that you can help them with?

Acquiring new customers, on the other hand, requires a different approach. Creating new sales demands investments in marketing initiatives designed to create awareness of the brand and interest in its offerings. It demands investments in salespeople and processes to develop these new customer relationships.

In all cases, marketing efforts must be planned to support the overall strategic direction of the company. They need to be funded and supported at all levels of the organization. They need to be measured and analyzed for their effectiveness.

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Motor City Makeover

Today I’m participating in Motor City Makeover, a day of focused activity to improve the City of Detroit, organized by Ward Church in Northville, MI. The project today is to refurbish a home and move an entire family into it – and out of an unsafe home. This is a large project and requires many people to pull it off. I’m grateful to be a part of it.

Several years ago, it was really eating at me that I wasn’t actively involved in the City of Detroit. My suburban life was much too comfortable. I saw a city that was hurting and with enormous needs. I felt guilty for what I had and for not doing anything to help these suffering people. It would have been too easy to sit back and tell them to suck it up, go to college, and deal with what life has thrown at them.

Since this time, I’ve joined the board of a non-profit health clinic which provides low-cost health care and dental services to the residents of SW Detroit, many of which live in poverty and have no insurance. Through donations and Federal funding, the clinic is able to help thousands of individuals each year. It’s been an amazing experience to be part of something so valuable.

However, despite the efforts of the clinic and many others, the City of Detroit continues to hurt. It’s leaders continue to let them down. The City government is inefficient and corrupt. Investment is limited to mega-sports facilities and casinos while neighborhoods crumble. It’s sad.

But today we are doing something real and concrete to make a difference. We are mobilizing hundreds of people to go into the City with a purpose – not to party or go to a ball game – but to help a family. I’m glad to be a part of it. To God be the glory.

P

Proverbs 4:5-10

⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding;
       do not forget my words or swerve from them.

 ⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
       love her, and she will watch over you.

 ⁷ Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
       Though it cost all you have, ^[a] get understanding.

 ⁸ Esteem her, and she will exalt you;
       embrace her, and she will honor you.

 ⁹ She will set a garland of grace on your head
       and present you with a crown of splendor.”

 ¹⁰ Listen, my son, accept what I say,
       and the years of your life will be many.

Having wisdom requires action. We will not be wise unless we seek understanding. We aren’t born with wisdom. It will not come to us in the middle of the night. We have to want it. We have to embrace it.

Furthermore, we must not forget or forsake the wisdom that we have. This is where it gets really tough. We don’t always do the things we know we should. We have the knowledge, but choose to act as if we don’t.

What’s the incentive? Great question. The scriptures reply: protection, exaltation, honor, a garland of grace on your head, a crown of splendor, and many years of life.

Where do I sign up?

Phil

Is This Still America?

Wow! I just saw the police hauling away protesters from Notre Dame’s campus!

Whatever happened to the First Amendment? Aren’t college campuses supposed to be places of discourse and competition of ideas?

Since when do institutions of higher education, even private ones, discourage freedom of expression? What is going on here?

Is anyone else concerned about the direction our country has taken recently?

Private industry is being taken over, the President of the U.S. is firing CEO’s, spending is mushrooming, and there’s an all-out war to shut down voices of opposition, even on college campuses.

I can’t even imagine what’s in store for us next…but I sure am scared.