New Business Development – Page 27

The Trend Is Our Friend

The trend might not always
be positive
but knowing that trend
IS our friend.

I see the downward trajectory
of my romance novel sales.
That is negative.
But knowing that trend
means I can prepare for the future.
It means I can wrap up
that business well.

As another example,
I see the downward trajectory
of rain and snow
in my area
and across the world.
That’s negative
for all of us.
But knowing that trend
means I can prepare for the future.
It means I can install solar power
to deal with
the decrease in
hydro-sourced electricity.

Knowing trends
will always benefit you.
Even or ESPECIALLY
if that trend is negative.

Preventing Emotional Decisions

A reader told me
I’d sell a lot more books
if I had my books
in X format.

I need an increase
in sales
if I want to keep
the romance novel business
alive.

And my first impulse
was to do what she advised.

I talked to a loved one.
He reminded me
of all the reasons
why I don’t offer X format.

I then quashed my impulse
to offer X format now.

We’re human.
We have emotions.
And sometimes our emotions
f*ck up our lives
by pushing us
into making terrible decisions.

Choose someone
to approach
when your emotions threaten
to take control.

Choose that person now.
When your emotions
AREN’T in control.

This person should be
the voice of reason.
They shouldn’t be easily swayed
by you and your convincing arguments.
They should have the ability
to repeat all your great reasons
back to you.

Designate someone
to approach
when your emotions threaten
to take over.

Expect To Pay In Advance

You’re building
a brand new business.

You are ordering supplies
from businesses
for the first time.

You have no history
with these companies.

You haven’t yet proven
to them
you will pay your bills.

Until you’ve done that,
expect to pay
for your orders
in advance.

Negotiate these advances
to be as low
as you can.

But factor them
into your cash flow projections.

Companies will expect
you to pay in advance
for the first couple orders.

Plan for that.

Taking Action On Customer Complaints

Folks in northern climates
love to complain
about the snow.

Now, that the snow
is going away,
due to climate change,
people from elsewhere
assume we’ll be happy about that.

We aren’t happy
about that.
At all.

Because the snow
benefits our crops.

Without the slow release
of moisture
from snow packs,
our farmers face drought.

The snow and the cold
is also necessary
for our local plants, insects,
animals, birds
and many, many industries.

Don’t assume
complaints
about an aspect of your products
mean those customers or prospects
want that aspect removed or changed.

Humans are illogical beings.
It might not mean
that at all.

Investigate
before you take action.

Barbie And Oscar Nominations

If you were questioning
if the patriarchy is still strong,
the Oscar nominations this year
are proof
that women continue
to be discriminated.
Openly.
And obviously.

Barbie was one of the top
grossing movies of the year.
I didn’t truly enjoy it
yet even I have to admit
it was creatively a masterpiece.
It was innovative
and different
and people responded to it.

Yet Margot Robbie who played Barbie
didn’t receive an Oscar nomination.
Greta Gerwig, the director
and the creative force behind the movie,
didn’t receive an Oscar nomination.

You know who DID receive
an Oscar nomination?
Ryan Gosling who played Ken.

Yep, the guy got the nomination.

F*ck the patriarchy.
It is still strong.

And yes, it is impacting
your female-run business.
Likely in more ways
than you believe.

Succeed despite them.

The Reason Why

Before partnering with someone,
I like to ask them
to tell me
what I should know about them.

They usually tell me
how they helped another person
they partnered with.

I then ask them
WHY they made the decisions
they made.

THAT, I find,
is more telling
than the fact that they made
the right decision
for that partner
at that time.

It is unlikely
I’ll be in the exact same situation.

I prefer to know
what their decision making process
is
ALL the time.

If the perspective partner
doesn’t have an answer
for that why question,
it is likely their decision
was merely a lucky guess.

Lucky guesses are rarely duplicated.

Ask why.

Be Approachable

The formatting on a buddy’s book
went terribly wrong.

One of the earliest readers
contacted her immediately.

My buddy corrected the problem
so quickly
most of her other readers
didn’t realize
there had been a problem.

Another writer told her
she was ‘lucky.’
That writer had the same problem
and she didn’t find out about it
until she had received a bunch
of 1 star reviews
and investigated.

Luck is always a factor
but it wasn’t purely luck.

My buddy is approachable.
Readers feel comfortable
coming to her
with issues.

The ‘unlucky’ writer
has a reputation
for yelling at readers.
Very few people
approach her
about anything.

Be approachable.
Or ensure SOMEONE high profile
is approachable
in your business.

That will help you
retain customers.

Is It Working For You?

A buddy was telling me
she has been constantly sick
for the past six months or so.

I asked her
if that was working well for her.

She looked at me
as though I’d lost my mind
and said
no, it wasn’t working well
for her
at all.

I then asked her
what she’s changing.

She said she wasn’t changing
anything.

I shrugged
and told her
she will continue
being ill
until something changes.
And the only something
she is in control of
is herself.

We might think
that’s obvious.

But I know
there’s at least one business situation
I’ve been tolerating
that I haven’t tried to change.
And I should try something,
anything to do that.

We all have one
of those.

If a situation isn’t working
for you,
change something.

The issue won’t fix itself.

Ill Employees Finding New Jobs

When I told my business building buddy
his employees
were likely truly ill
and not faking it,
he pointed out
how one of his employees
found another job
while she was supposedly ill.

I asked him
if that new job
was remote.
Was she working from home?

Yep,
it WAS a remote job.

Because, of course, it was.
The employee likely
HAD to get a new job.
She likely couldn’t return
to her old job
and the office
and the daily commute.

Happy healthy employees
don’t find new jobs
while they’re off work
and ill.

If your employees
are finding new jobs
while they’re off work,
they likely can’t do
their old jobs.

Either communicate
that you’re open
to changing existing jobs
to accommodate changes in circumstances
or wish ill employees the best
when they land new jobs elsewhere.

If People Say They’re Sick, They’re VERY Sick

A business building buddy
grumbled
that he thought
one of his employees
was faking illness,
trying to get out of working.

Confessing to being ill
at this point of the pandemic
is, for some,
a confession of weakness.

It also brings
social isolation
and social condemnation.

The sick person
is viewed as an unsafe person,
a risky person
to be near.

People are more likely
to fake being well
than fake being ill.

So when they tell you
they’re ill,
they’re likely VERY ill
as in
vomiting
and having the sh*ts
without any warning
level of illness.
(This is happening
with one of the dominant
COVID variants.)

No one wants
a person ill like that
at the office.

If someone says
they’re ill,
believe them.