October 2012

Simple2Be Creative

Notice I said simple – not easy.

Through the years I have kept a series of folders and files labeled “ideas” or “creative concepts”. Whether it was for a talk, a sales concept or a creative idea, when I came across something that really caught my eye or grabbed my attention, I filed it away – never knowing when it might become useful. Those recycled ideas – often rebuilt for a different purpose have served me well.

Earlier this year, I met a man from Minnesota named Jim Link. Jim has written a book Idea-Links: The New Creativity. He has perfected this creative process and is helping Fortune 500 and small organizations alike figure new ways to solve problems.

Creative Solutions4Your Business

His approach capitalizes on experience. According to him, creativity isn’t produced through wacky off-the-wall brainstorming sessions, but through observing experiences to arrive at new solutions to some of these old and troubling problems.

Bolstered by your inner-curiosity and assisted by this fresh approach, you have many more tools at your disposal for solving that troubling issue or finding a new path to deal with that challenge you are facing. While motivational speeches are fun, the impact rarely lasts. The disciplines used in applying Jim’s principles are lasting and relevant to all types of situations. Check out his book and see for yourself – or better yet look into having him come present his ideas in person to your leadership or sales team.

What you need could already be around you – ready to be discovered by observing and then following the New Crea

September 2012

2In a Row?

There was an internal battle I had to work through. Last month I wrote about Nick Saban and his approach to changing a culture. A few weeks back I read a very interesting article about him in the Wall Street Journal that once again caught my eye. A different publication, but a similar thought starter…

While I was uncomfortable referring to a football coach two months in a row, it was such a revelation and a great example, I decided to push forward regardless. Football fan or not, everyone can appreciate how much our time spent reflect the priorities we set.

Each day Coach Saban and his assistants set aside one hour for recruiting high school football players. They write hand written notes, send texts, make phone calls and do other tasks, according to this article, that help them build the talent base of the program in future years. It’s an investment – of time.

What It Means4You

We talk about how busy we are. Most of us really do have crowded schedules.

Few operate at a more hectic pace than a college football coach…let alone the coach of the defending national champs. Yet, there is Nick Saban, with one of the most talented programs in America, investing an hour of his workday – alongside the rest of his coaches – in development. It is not an accident he’s perennially a top recruiter in his industry.

It takes a strategy, structure, a plan and most of all discipline to break away and focus forward. No one said it was easy, but can you see how a similar approach would work wonders for you?

August 2012

Guts2Change?

People in leadership overuse sports vernacular when dealing with business questions. Things like “no pain no gain”, “step up your game”, “hit a home run”, and the rest you have heard. What is interesting to me is when sports people use sound business principals in their programs.

For a few years back in the mid-nineties (yes I am that old) my path crossed with probably the most intense individual I have ever known. Nick Saban was the head football coach at Michigan State University at the time we worked together and has gone on to build a number of very successful college football teams. In fact he has won three of the last nine College Football Championships. I read recently about his approach to installing his “process” everywhere he goes. He sets goals and provides job descriptions for everyone associated with his football program. He brings in the right people, equips them properly, tracks and monitors their growth, and holds them accountable.

That is the proper way to achieve success on the football field and in business.

“You have to pay the price up front,” Saban said (in Sports Illustrated, August 20, 2012). “Everybody wants to do it. Not everybody is willing to do what they have to do to do it.”

Time4You

Organizations talk a good “change” game and some even bring in a team to help them implement change. Rare is the company that can actually stomach the beginning, middle and end of the process of changing the culture of a business. As Saban says, it’s hard work. Things never stay the same – you simply must adapt and change to succeed. Are you willing to do what is needed to bring the change?

July 2012

Time2Brag

Ok – so no one likes a bragger. On the other hand it’s perfectly fine to talk up someone else, right? Since my company started a little over three years ago, I have been honored to be associated with Member One Federal Credit Union. For two years now they have been selected as one of the top places of employment in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Our company is proud to be associated with such a fine organization. Recently the team at Member One decided to branch out.

They secured a new web site – www.loansolution.org – and began a multi-layered advertising campaign to engage their current and prospective member base. The goal was to ask people for their own best loan stories. They’ve clearly hit a hot button in the marketplace. The look of the site is fresh and inviting. The web videos are fun and easy to watch. The feel of the campaign is light, but practical.

Since early May they have also added a Facebook presence, populated a YouTube channel, and they continue to expand their territory.

Application4You

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen a microsite built from scratch generate buzz, but it is among the quickest growth curves. In just under three months Member One has had almost 2,600 visitors view almost 9,000 pages on their site. They combine a number of critical elements to drive their success.

What new approaches is your organization using to solve old problems?

A salute to Member One FCU – who’s marketing team isn’t stopping with www.loansolution.org, but continuing with fun new ideas like the @SaveThisBuyThat Twitter feed and other exciting tactics. Where are you going to start?

B2C Enterprises is an award winning advertising, marketing and business development firm. If you’d like to talk about how we can help you find a new solution to an old problem, schedule a meeting, or if you want to be removed from this distribution list, simply reply to this email, or call 540.904.1229. Visit us online at www.b2cEnterprises.com for more information.

‍

‍

June 2012

Need4A Plan

It’s usually pretty easy to come up with a mission statement, a distinguishing characteristic of your organization, or even a unique selling proposition for your company. Leaders frequently focus on these concepts. Hours and hours will be spent figuring out what is most important to the company or the organization. Then you’ll typically decide how what you represent is communicated. It starts with the drive is to determine what you and your organization are all about.

Knowing what you represent is clearly important, but so is who represents you.

Have2Observe

The other day I took my son for ice cream at a local parlor and we were greeted passive indifference. The clerks had planted themselves at a table – were listening to hard rock music and we seemed to be interrupting their afternoon. We asked for a flavor they had listed, but it was too much trouble to go to the back and bring it out so we just didn’t get it. It wasn’t a big deal for me, but it was a lost sale for them.

Earlier in the day another clerk at a different place was so busy interacting with her manager and fellow employees she totally messed up my order and that was after she had asked me to repeat it - twice.

It’s wise to be sure of what your company represents – at the same time you have to pay close attention to who represents your organization. Are they polite? Are they aware? Are they engaging your customers or patients? How would you even know??? Strategic partners of B2C Enterprises can help you uncover your potential and current client service issues. If there is one thing worse than bad service, it’s not being aware of just how bad it is.

May 2012

Look2The Sea

While it’s true a lot of us look to water for perspective or to help us reflect, I want to share a story I heard recently that you may be able to use as a springboard even if you’re landlocked right now. The Sales Manager of a TV station in Central Virginia was telling me he’d had some time off recently. He accompanied his son’s elementary school class on a trip to the Virginia Beach area. They did the usual field trip sites – aquarium and museums, but they made time to see the ocean too.

Some of those kids had never experienced the beach, the tide, the expanse, or even the “sea girls” flying around above. It was a brand new experience.

Using His Story4Perspective

Can you remember the first time you saw the ocean or the grit of the sand between your toes? Probably not, but over time you’ve come to appreciate the expanse, the power, the calm, the beauty, and all the other things that drive so many of us to a shore of some kind.

Imagine the excitement some of those kids felt at seeing the ocean on that spring day in April.

Now capture that same rush and remind yourself why you took the job you currently have or how much you like solving problems or creating a product or a solution. Whatever it is you do on a daily basis could use a jolt of that same freshness. Everyone finds themselves in challenging times in business. The key is to push through them, anchor to a knowledge of why you are passionate about what you do, and take a new look at an old situation.

It’s kind of like you’re seeing it for the first time…