Tag Archives: advice

March 1, 2019 · 1:38 pm

The Mysteries Of Food

It’s Foodie Friday and today I’d like us to consider some of the things about food that I, for one, find mysterious. As usual, there’s a business point we can take away from these questions as well.

Let’s start with an easy one. What are the different flavors of Froot Loops? Purple in food tends to imply grape and yellow, at least in cereal, makes me think banana. Well, as it turns out, there is exactly ONE flavor and it’s neither strawberry red or blueberry blue. Why do the loops taste different to some folks? It’s a mystery.

Why are French Fries called that? No one knows, exactly, although there are a few theories. They’re “frites” in France and “chips” in Britain. The History Channel attempted to get to the bottom of the question but came up without a definitive answer, just theories.

Why are deviled eggs called that? I know that “devilling” originally meant making it spicy or searing it over high heat. What changed in the interim? Why is steer meat “beef” and pig meat “pork” but chicken is…well…chicken? Why are the holes in Swiss Cheese disappearing?

I could go on but I’m trying to show you that even the most basic things that we take for granted can raise questions, and those questions often don’t have definite answers. We find that all the time on business but we have to be willing to ask the questions first. One of the most formidable business weapons is an inquiring mind. A mind of that sort which is open to having their assumptions rebutted is an even greater tool. This happens in science all the time and that’s where many great discoveries are made as knowledge grows based on questioning the world around us.

You might not know what’s in surimi (it’s fish, not crab) but you can enjoy it just the same. Still, you might ask why “Krab” or “Froot Loops” or “Cheeze Whiz” are spelled that way. That first question leads to many others (not the least of which is do I really want to eat this). We need to constantly question thing in business too, don’t you think?

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January 9, 2019 · 11:14 am

TheYear Of You

So here we are again at the start of a new year. If you haven’t already started to implement your resolutions for the year, let me humbly offer a suggestion that should be a part of them. Make this the year of “you.” To be clear, I’m not suggesting that it be a year of self-centered egomania. In fact, I’m suggesting quite the opposite, and I’m doing so because it will improve your business. As a bonus, it may also improve your non-work life.

How does one go about making it the year of “you?” Start by this: quit saying “I.” Stop thinking about your business’ bottom line and focus on solving your customers’ problems. Don’t put out messages about what people can buy from you. That’s selfish. Focus on how what you’re selling helps. Ask “how can I help you” and not “how can you help my bottom line.”

Let me show you how the “you” focus works because it is something I try to practice here in this space. My focus is on what I hope is important to you. I try to have an outward focus. If all I did was blabber on about what’s important to me, we’d be indulging in a discussion of the new rules of golf or my incompetence at beating certain video games. That doesn’t help you at all and I suspect after 10 years of that my readership would be down to just me. By writing this, which takes time and effort, I’m hoping to grow both the audience and my credibility and I don’t ask for anything in return. OK, once in a while I will remind you that I consult and if you want to look at franchise opportunities, I want to help you do that, but that’s about as far as it goes.

It goes beyond a customer focus. Suppose you’re going after a new job or a new client. Your best strategy is to focus on the needs of your potential employer and client instead of plugging your own skills. Nobody cares about your craft if you fail to make it relevant to them.  You have to change your pitch to suit your audience. I can’t tell you how many pitch meetings I’ve sat through that were generic and which failed to address MY problem as a potential customer or partner. Generally, no sale.

Don’t talk about what you do. Ask yourself if you were your potential client or listener how your service is relevant to them. Don’t be the one at the party who talks only about themselves. Don’t ask “how do YOU like MY outfit?” Ask “how can I help YOU?” If we all do that this year, it will be quite a good year indeed don’t you think?

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December 17, 2018 · 10:40 am

Back To Basics

I played a number of sports growing up. Thinking back on it, no matter which sport I was playing, when the season began the coach would inevitably talk about getting back to basics. He usually meant the building block skills that a team had to have in order to be successful. If you don’t think that’s important, watch one of today’s major league baseball players try to lay down a suicide squeeze bunt. That basic skill has almost disappeared.

No, today isn’t going to be yet another old guy rant about how the world has changed for the worse, Instead, as we approach the end of one year and the start of another, it’s a reminder that now is a great time to do a little back to basics thinking. It’s harder than you think because what often happens during the course of a year (or longer, depending on when the last time was that you did this exercise) is that the basics get forgotten in the heat of battle. So here are a few of the fundamental questions that I’d be asking myself and my team right about now.

First, what are we trying to accomplish? That sounds overly simple since making a profit is pretty much what every business is trying to do unless you’re a non- or not-for-profit organization. What are you trying to make happen? What problems that your customers have are you trying to solve?

Next, how are you measuring success? It’s not just the cash register ringing or the bottom line overflowing with black ink although clearly basic financial items are important. How many new customers did you attract? How is your reputation? What good have you done for your customers, your partners, your vendors, your employees, and your community?

After that, take a look forward. What do we need to do in order to be successful in this next year? How do last year’s results, both good and bad, direct us forward? What can we start doing and what should we stop doing, whether it’s meetings, products, reports, or something else? What could happen in the marketplace that will affect us, both positively and negatively? Do we have a disaster plan?

Finally, is the view you and your organization had of the world at the start of this year still the way you see it going forward? If you don’t think that things change that much, think back 5 years or even (gulp) 10. You wouldn’t have had a mobile strategy or a social media plan then. You probably didn’t pay a heck of a lot of attention to your website or online reviews. You sure had better be active in all of those areas today even if you’re not a digital business.

Those are some of the basics I see as necessary for success. What are some of yours?

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