Much has been written about David Beckham,
his salary and whether he is “worth it.”
In that evaluation, all factors,
not simply his playing
needs to be considered.
What many people following the industry,
including Robert Boland at New York University,
are pointing out is
the increase in franchise purchase prices
since Beckham joined the league.
As Boland states, Beckham is
“a world champion marketer,
not a world champion player.”
I don’t mind people making mistakes.
Mistakes happen.
All the time.
What irks me are lies.
If I catch someone in a lie,
I’ll watch my back from that day forward
and second guess any future dealings.
Leona Helmsley felt the same way.
In a 1985 interview with Mike Wallace,
she said “If you lie to me, you’re through.
I won’t do business with you.”
Google has launched a new Book Search.
The feature has some implementation issues
(as we have become used to seeing with new software)
but I am already excited about the marketing possibilities.
Soon customers won’t have to search for romance
and then wade through 1,000’s of novels,
often getting discouraged
and ending up with nothing.
They will (at least eventually) be able to look for
romances set in India during 1832.
Less choice means more likely to buy.
Ever receive an e-mail and
ask “why was this sent” or
“what am I supposed to do with this?”
You’re not alone.
Stephan Schiffman in his book E-mail Selling Techniques notes
that the number one mistake
businesspeople make in e-mails is
“Not asking for, confirming or setting the next step.”
How to ask?
He suggests the timeless yet effective P.S.
with the action to be taken.
John Jantsch advises to
send a monthly press release.
“Get in the habit of creating a press release every month
with some newsy item or announcement and
send it to a highly targeted list of journalists
as well as your best clients and prospects.
Do this for a while you will find some interesting PR avenues
may start opening up.”
What I like about this strategy is that
it drives you to action,
forcing you to complete at least one
news worthy promotional event a month.
A friend of mine wanted help
with finding a unique conversation starter.
I replied that wasn’t difficult.
Simply don’t talk about the weather.
Doug Morris, pilot, meteorologist, and
author of From The Flight Deck,
says that 9 out of every 10 conversations
begin with the weather.
How do I start a conversation?
I ask for an opinion on a relevant current event
(no politics or religion).
My guidelines for pitches is
one pitch, one product.
Don’t try to sell every service
your company has to offer.
Adrian Savage,
author and business executive says
“Each additional message causes
an earlier one to be forgotten.
What do you want the audience to hear?
Say it clearly and with confidence
… then shut up.”
Marie G. McIntyre, author of
“Secrets to Winning at Office Politics”
gives her top tips for catching
the eye of the new CEO.
Deliver on your word.
Speak clearly and concisely.
Go above and beyond.
Develop a relationship.
Ask questions.
I treat getting a new CEO
the same way I do getting a new job.
I assume I’m being closely and constantly watched.
I’ve done it.
Almost every entrepreneur I know has done it.
Invested more than they expected and
more than they should
on a hungry little start up
that eventually did not succeed.
I learned the hard way what
Jennifer Openshaw in her book The Millionaire Zone
says most successful people do…
knowing before they start,
“how much they’re willing to risk”
and not going beyond that.
What about the…
“if I only spend x more,
I’ll earn y more” thinking?
She states that’s
“the problem with a lot of entrepreneurs.
They’re always looking at what they can make
rather than what they’re willing to lose.”
Lately there has been focus on quitting,
quitting the big idea,
quitting quickly, etc.
so when do I know when to quit?
Based on missed benchmarks.
Over a year ago, I started up a new venture.
I had benchmarks for testing and for implementation.
Cost benchmarks
(I had a price ceiling so
margins could only move so much),
time benchmarks (production)
and sales ramp up benchmarks
(in writing so I couldn’t fudge with them).
The first two, the venture aced.
The third? It bombed.
I tweaked. Still bombed.
I tweaked a few more times. Bombs away.
So I folded and moved onto the next venture.
Was it a difficult decision?
Of course it was.
But it had to be made.