Category: New Business Development

The common misconception is
that small businesses
are given a pass on quality
by customers.

That is untrue.

The moment a small business
doesn’t meet the quality expectations
(usually set by the big companies),
they’ve lost a customer.

My small press readers
expect the same quality story
from me
as they do from the New York Times Bestselling authors.

But they also expect more
to compensate
for risking that quality,
that proven consistency.
They expect a different read,
a ground breaking read.

Small business must deliver
both on
quality AND a unique premise
to compete
against their larger competition.

The radio versions of
the latest LMFAO song
“I’m In Miami Trick”
change in every major city.

In Miami,
it’s ‘I’m In Miami Trick.’
In New York,
it’s ‘I’m In New York Trick.’
In Tokyo,
it’s ‘I’m in Tokyo Trick.’

Yep, the song is tweaked
for each major city.
Right now,
it is a gimmick.
Tomorrow?
It will likely be the norm.

This is not personalized marketing.
This is personalized product.

One size does NOT fit all.
Prepare for the individualized future.
Build the ability into your product.

Due to a merger
in the Fortune 500 company
I worked for years ago,
20% of the workforce was cut.

We were already lean
so that 20% was mostly cut
from the new business development teams.
I happily took the package
and was working the next day
(literally).

You see…
only the talented risk
being part of project teams.
Projects get cut
and when that happens,
short sighted executives cut
the staffing associated with that project.
You have to be pretty darn sure of yourself
to chance that.

Today, many, many companies
are cutting to the core.
Foolish management teams
are giving their best and brightest
their walking papers.
These employees are snatched up
by long term thinking competitors
or start rival companies
or otherwise change the world.

Don’t let that happen at your company.
And if you have the excess resources,
invest it in people.
This is a great opportunity
to build a superstar team.

I’m often told
to do the dreadful tasks first,
the tasks I don’t want to do,
saving the tasks I most enjoy
as a reward for accomplishing these sh** jobs.

When I’m told that,
I know the teller
uses no creativity at all in her work.

A creative person,
such as someone in
marketing
or sales
or drafting the financials for a business plan,
will advise that you complete
the most creative work first,
when you have a fresh brain.

Only when all your creativity is zapped
(and it will get zapped)
should you move to the routine tasks
like filing or doing line edits
or standard journal entries.

Organize your tasks
by the amount of brain cells needed.

If change is coming
and you ignore it,
will it still happen?

The answer is…
of course, it will, dumbass.

However, in boardrooms
all across this great country,
executives are clinging to the belief
that if they ignore change,
if they concentrate on the world
as they know it now
and not the world that will be,
change won’t happen.

I was part of a discussion
on Saturday
about eBooks.
One clear stance was
that
if eBook authors and publishers weren’t accepted
into this writing organization,
then the executives wouldn’t have to deal
with eBook related issues.

Yes, but that doesn’t mean
eBook authors and publishers will disappear
off the face of the planet.
It simply means that they will form their own organization
and the current organization
will be excluded from all the discussions.
eBook authors, not advised by those with print ‘experience’,
will completely rethink publishing.
This will create even more changes for the print authors,
changes that they will be unprepared for
because the print authors won’t be talking to the eBook authors.
Print authors will be royally screwed.

But for a few months or maybe even years,
if print authors ignore the changes,
they can live in the happy world they know best.

Sales of chocolate,
lipstick, and romance novels
increase during bad times.

This recession, however,
is also seeing an increase
in sales of retro candies
like Lifesavers and lemon drops.

Why?

Because they remind people
of their childhoods
and perceived simpler, happier times.

Can you give your product
a retro feel?
Use vintage graphics, packaging, fonts?

I do NOT like zombie projects.
When I hear of
a project rising from the dead,
I immediately become ‘busy’
with something else
(like filing invoices or painting my toenails).

Zombie projects are rarely successful.

Why?

Because
usually
a project gets brought back to life
due to no one having a ‘better’ idea.
That’s not reason enough
to see a project
over the many obstacles
a normal project has to overcome.

And a zombie project
isn’t a normal project.
It has many more obstacles.
This project has already failed.
No one likes to associate themselves with failure.

The second time around,
most of the people who were so enthused
the first time
are now bitter and negative.
The project team is fighting history.
It is not a new never-been-done-before project.
It is a tried-to-do-and-failed project.

Does this mean a zombie project
won’t be successful?
No.
But the odds are not in its favor.

Always on the look out
for high end presents
for a loved one,
I was thrilled to find
tie cases now available.

Here was a perfect present
for that businessman with everything,
a dedicated travel case
so his expensive and often delicate ties
didn’t get rumpled.

Unfortunately,
the manufacturers forgot
they were making a luxury product.
Even the Brooks Brothers case
had nylon on the inside
and metal connecting with the tie fabric.
The zippers were inexpensive looking
and felt cheap.

Yes, I know that this is
value oriented times
but a luxury product
should still be a luxury product.
Charge a bit more
and
use quality materials and design.

In the good ol’ days,
product designers would sit in their caves
and design products.
Then they would approach marketers
and marketers would put together
campaigns
to help sell those wonderful products.

Or so the myth goes.

Today, that won’t work.
Marketers have to be part
of product design.
Packaging is marketing.
Site design is marketing.
The flavor of juice is marketing.

This is especially true
of any online business.
A site is often both the product
AND the marketing.
The site should be designed
with social media in mind.
It has to consider SEO.
The list goes on.

That’s why I talk about
project development teams.
Product development teams include
both
product designers
AND
marketing
(plus finance, sales, tech folks, etc).

You pitch a project
to your employer.
It doesn’t cost much,
it would take minimal time,
yet your employer
says ‘no.’

What do you do?

If you truly believe in the project,
you’ll do it anyway
(on your own time,
sucking up minimal company resources).
Yes, it may get you fired
(the more company resources involved,
the greater the chance
they’ll fire your ass)
but it may also catapult you
into super stardom.

That’s what Michael Jackson did
with ‘Beat it.’
CBS said no to the video.
Michael Jackson fronted the cash
and shot it anyway.
It is, decades later,
still considered one of
the best videos of all time.

If you believe in your project,
find a way to make it happen.