What Did We Use2Do with These?

Kitchens in the ’70s and ’80s had this appliance. It was a hit in suburban households for decades and an omnipresent part of the home back in the olden days.

How do most of us get along without the Trash Compactor now? It’s hard to say, but it’s been decades since the average home has been built with one of these contraptions – at least as far as I know anyway. Back then, the homeowner would put trash inside, close the door, and push the button. Boom. Boom. Boom. The pounding inside would smash the garbage into a smaller, more manageable amount. I’m not sure they were ever as useful as the appliance sellers would have wanted to admit. But when one family bought one, others seemed to follow suit. Soon, many homes had them.

Then they didn’t.

These days, you can find them in the marketplace, and they have their place. It’s just that they aren’t universally installed and certainly not too often in suburbia.

Make a Change Be4You’re Set to the Curb

Most of us have little or no use for a compactor these days. That isn’t to say there isn’t a market. For example, if you live in a high rise and can’t get your garbage out very easily or can’t dispose of it as often as you may like for some reason, a compactor may be just the kitchen appliance for you.

Compactor-sellers are like everyone else now. They must target the specific audiences they want to reach and tailor their messages to speak to those particular audiences.  It became pointless to promote a compactor to the masses – so they had to adjust. Now they go after the market that may have a natural inclination to be interested in their product.

Is what you’re selling relevant to the masses? Great. Take advantage of that AND pay attention to where your best market is so you can build your marketing to attract the interest of those people directly. That may be basic marketing, but it will help you whether trash compactors, avocado green, and laminated countertops from 1975 come back in style or not.

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Budgeting42022

A budget is a plan.

That’s all it should be.

Let’s be honest at the start of 2020 people were not calculating how to incorporate the adjustment that would come from a worldwide pandemic. No matter what type of industry in which you operate, there were far-reaching ramifications and everyone had to adjust. The budget situates you for success, growth, and should allow you to figure the best way to operate. It isn’t carved into rock though and thinking otherwise is an immature perspective.

Obviously, many companies have to report to shareholders. That means you must rely on a budget to show profit, exercise planning skills, and demonstrate you have a plan of addressing the next year (or quarter, or month).

Before I started this company, I was in media sales management for nearly 20 years and prospects would use their budget as a defensive weapon. “Sorry, Bruce, that isn’t in the budget this year.” Inside my various television stations, it was an offensive weapon. “Bruce, we need to see you generate a 9% increase so we can spend an extra $200,000 on the latest piece of TV technology.”

Regardless of how it was used, I would routinely hear from prospects (and then clients) things like, “well, we don’t have an actual budget.” Companies which employ a budget are a step ahead, and it’s a wise call – it allows you to delegate control to department heads, know where you are going, and demonstrate an ability to set a goal. Those are important benefits.

Apply This Concept2Help Your Business

Here’s the thing about a budget – you’d better be prepared to adjust and adapt.

The best ideas don’t always come to you in October for the following year. Have a plan, but be ready to adjust if a great idea comes in March and you think it will help you. If there is one thing I’ve learned as an entrepreneur over the last dozen years, it’s that you have to be ready when the right idea, person, or client comes along. Don’t make the mistake of using your budget as a shield – or as a crutch. Instead, be prepared.

The budget you set this month for next year is a tool. Use it wisely, but don’t use it exclusively.

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An Interesting Week4Me

About twenty years ago, in a city far from where my agency is located, I learned a valuable life lesson.

Gathered with me in an old room with dated furniture on a cloudy fall day were 12 people who I’d never met prior to that week. A few days before, we went through a tryout of sorts, and that was also a strange experience. I always wanted to be picked, so I put my best foot forward, answered their questions, and before I knew it, I’d been selected for a trial. That was bittersweet.

I’d been selected, but now I was on a jury. And it wasn’t any old jury. We were seated in a manslaughter trial that involved some local gangs and a lot of bad things. The trial went over three days, and we were given our instructions and sent to this room to meet, discuss what we saw, and deliver a verdict.

One of the first things the judge had told us was that we were not allowed to take notes – he didn’t want people swayed by others who had written things down – or so he said. We were also instructed to stay away from the media and any news coverage through the course of the trial. As far as I know, no one else had been on a jury for a manslaughter trial.

The Thing2Take Away from That Experience

At this point, you’d probably like to hear about the case, or maybe the verdict.

What I want to share was my shock that each person in that chilly, gray room saw something different and had a unique perspective. After a few days of testimony, rhetoric, and pictures, I remembered thinking everyone else saw what I saw and, in turn, would have the same opinion of what happened.

Instead, I pretty quickly realized that all 13 of us saw and experienced different things and had our own thoughts and opinions. To solve the mystery, it ended up as a hung jury, and I believe the whole thing started again. The reason I bring this experience up now all these years later is to encourage business leaders to check-in, ask, find out how your fellow leaders, employees, clients, and even prospects are doing. You may think things are going great, but those in our care often have a different opinion or a different outlook.

The only way to get to the bottom of where people are is to ask. Then listen. You may not like what you hear, but at least you’ll know. Different people see the same things differently.

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Gotten Used2Zoom Meetings?

From all accounts, Zoom calls are going to remain a part of the business day.

For years companies ran WebEx, Teams, and other video conference meetings, but it wasn’t until 2020 that we all started playing in that arena on a regular (read: daily, or even hourly) basis. That shift was startling to many and became routine to most in business over the past year or so. People dreaded Zoom calls, appreciated Zoom calls, and the phrase “Zoom Fatigue” even became a thing – like Athlete’s Foot, Tennis Elbow, or a crick in your neck.

As often as I was planted in front of my computer screen, it was natural my mind would start to wander. During the setup of my Zoom calls and in a few double-checking tests, I realized that what we see on our screen isn’t what others are witnessing on theirs. Your images are backwards to you but look right to the rest of the people on the call.

‍The Lessons4All of Us

It's odd to look at myself on a Zoom call from the viewers’ perspectives and not from my own. I noticed a few things:

• No one really likes how they look on Zoom.
• People can tell when you are paying attention or doing something else.
• Laptops give less flattering angles than desktops.
• We all look better than we think we do, so relax.
• How you help or support someone is way more important than how you look.

Beyond all of that, consider this shift in thinking.

Authentic and passionate care for others and what is happening with them in their situations is evident whether it is in real life, on the telephone, or on Zoom. No matter how the client looks on Zoom, trust me, there is more going on in their lives behind that camera. Keep that in mind as you work through your agenda and crowded day. It’s a good reminder that just like Zoom calls are now a part of the average office workday, paying attention to what others are seeing and going through is critical to business success.

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Check-ins4Growth

Business routines are backwards these days. It used to be I’d build a relationship with someone, then they would become a client. Now, clients decide to trust us to help them and then at some point afterward we begin to build a deeper connection.

The pandemic shrank the new business world.

We had always done commerce in a pretty wide geographical range, but in 2020 we saw an even more pronounced variety of zip codes in our business development efforts. In one week, we were talking to prospects in Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Michigan, Kansas, California, and Salem, Virginia. (That last place is about eight miles from our office as the crow flies.)

As the winter weather broke in 2021, I started scheduling meetings with our newer clients on our front porch at the “new” office we moved into the day the Governor locked down Virginia. I’d sit on the porch with business owners whom I had been working with for months, but had never met and it was great.

We remarked how odd it was, got to know each other, and learned about our businesses. All of that was after we had been working together. These conversations always led to new opportunities, deeper connections, and affirmation. It was a reminder of the power of in-person meetings.

DecideYouWant2DoItYourself

I’m encouraging my clients to (safely) meet with their clients as soon as they are comfortable doing so.  Some never stopped in-person sales calls, and others are just now beginning to meet with clients, but for me there was no denying the power of the front porch.

Meanwhile, a smart person close to me remarked how this same approach could pack a lot of power with the team with whom I work.  After some discussion and conversation, I decided to start scheduling a weekly meeting with each 5Pointer – one at a time.  After all, the connection to your clients is certainly important, but the focused attention on each person you work with also packs a strong punch.  Not surprisingly, meeting with my own crew yielded the same type of results.  It’s pretty straightforward really – relationships will always matter.

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What Does it Take4a Client to Buy?

Late last year something happened in my business’ sales cycle and it got me thinking.

To support another organization, I placed a call to a friend of mine whom I had known for about a dozen years.  In the course of the conversation about this other topic, he asked me about marketing and advertising.  He wondered how we help clients and what we do.  Before long, we were into an actual sales process.

I didn’t call to talk with him about my company, but for his company the time was right and the need was evident. His company was situated for a fast decision and a fresh start in the new calendar year.  While I cannot recall the exact number of meetings we had, or the length of time it took this prospective client to decide to work with us, I know it went fast.

Sometimes situations like that happen, but that doesn’t present the whole picture.

Decide Not2Rush It

In consulting with companies one of the things we evaluate is how clients buy and when they buy.  It’s a popular topic about which many papers and books have been written.  The interesting thing about this particular new client was the peculiar circumstances.  On one hand you could make the case it was a two week sales cycle and that closed deal was brilliantly accomplished.  You could also argue it took over a dozen years and that more direct and clear communication at various points over the past decade could have led to a much quicker close.

In some ways both perspectives are right.

It probably took years for this friend to realize my firm was substantial, able to help his company, and when he needed us, we were right there and prepared to help.  Conversely, my December call unrelated to his marketing needs jolted a conversation he may well have recently been thinking about having.

The lesson is related to the value of mixing the long-term regimented and ongoing marketing approach with the keen eye for current and open opportunities.  It fits into one of the primary pieces of advice for others in business.  Keep your head down grinding while lifting your eyes looking for opportunities.

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