Goal setting - case study

My 14 year old son recently found a story I wrote for him when he was 2. It was called The Tractor Boy, after we spent a weekend on a farm. He gave me the words and I typed them up, it started "When I grow up, I want to have my own farm..."

He already owns 2 cows and 2 sheep and he's passionate about gaining farming skills.

If we set goals by writing them down and passionately work towards achieving those goals, we are more likely to achieve them.

It's never too late to start!

I use the following free websites to help manage my goals:

www.joesgoals.com

www.43things.com

Give to get - Increasing ad revenue

"You can have everything you want if you just help enough other people get what they want". Zig Ziglar

I used to think of Google's ads as invasive and easily ignored, until I placed them on my own web page. I began to understand how they are able to personalise and target relevant ads to the viewer.

When I understood this, I started clicking on ads and coming across some new sites that were interesting and relevant (and not all of them were trying to take my money!).

Obviously I didn't click on my own ads as this isn't allowed. But an interesting thing started happening. The clicks on my own site went up and I was reminded of Zig's quote above - maybe it is true - by helping others get what they want I get more of what I want!

Busy or effective?

"I haven't got time" is a common excuse, along with "I'm too busy".

Both are excuses for poor time (or self) management. Sorry but it's true.

Once you change your language and understand the issue, you can fix the problem - become more organised, get more stuff done.

If I hear myself using these excuses, I reframe it in my mind. I now say "I haven't prioritised it".

When I told my son "I haven't got time", he said "Really? I thought everyone got 24 hours each day."

How are you investing your 24 hours? Are you busy or are you effective?

Kevin Roberts for Prime Minister

Kevin has an enthusiasm for the ad business, that when combined with his passion for New Zealand (on the edge of the world) creates the foundation for a dynamic presentation, proposing that Wellington City is the Heart of the Edge of the World.

I had watched Kevin's Google video the previous night, and saw some repeats of timeless ads during his engaging discussion.

The highlights for me were:

Best one-liners

"Most cities are nouns - New York is a verb"

"It's about velocity & speed"

"Fail fast, learn fast, fix fast"

"If I haven't offended you yet, just wait"

"Revolution begins with language"

"There is no best - only better"

"World class is not good enough"

"We are looking for heroes, legends, myths & stories"

Action "I" words

• Imagination
• Insight
• Intuition
• Inspiration
• Ignition

The new economy

Forget:

• Information
• Knowledge
• Interruption
• Permission
• Experience
• Attention

We are entering the:

• Attraction economy

We are moving from:

• Interruption to Engagement
• "One to many" to "Many to one"
• Reactive to Interactive
• Investment to Involvement
• Users to Inspirational consumers (Advocates)
• Big promises to Intimate gestures
• "Marketing at" to "Connecting with"
• Consumers to People
• Brands to Lovemarks
• Irreplaceable to Irresistible

What makes it irresistible?

• Mystery
• Sensuality (the 5 senses)
• Intimacy

Kevin believes we need to become story tellers. What's your story?

Be a lifeguard - get out of the water!

Today I spent time on - not in - my business.

Often we are like lifeguards who spend all their time in the water. The problem is , although we can be responsive, we can't see people drowning - we can't see the problems.

Take time out to:

1. Review what works well (Strengths)

2. Probe what doesn't work well (Weaknesses)

3. Think about what the future possibilities (Opportunity)

4. Consider what the future could bring (Threats)

But most importantly after taking time out - take action!

Idea for an ad

This idea for an advertisement has been going round my brain for a while.

Hopefully putting it on my blog will create space in my head for other stuff!

This could be used for running shoes or health related products.

1. As the runner tires he hears crickets. The humming turns to encouragement and cheering and the runner keeps going, feeling stronger. The tag line could be "Motivation surrounds us".

2. The runner hears the rain coming behind him and runs faster. They race to the end point, the runner wins, puts his hand in the air, facing the sky as the rain comes down. The tag line could be - rejoice in life! For a water bottle company it could read "Water is life - rejoice in life!".

If you know someone at an ad company, why not send them this link? Just let me know!

Brand you!

What 3 things will your client remember you for?

What 3 things do you want your client to remember you for?

If you can’t answer these questions for yourself, you can’t expect your clients to answer it either. These 3 things will not only anchor you and your business in the client’s mind as someone they want to do business with, but also establish a solid foundation for them to refer you to their clients, friends and family.

The world and our lives are full of brands, we deal with brands every day and your brand is no different, whether it’s you or your business – it stands for something (whether you have designed this intentionally or not).

Reflect on businesses you respect. What are their attributes that stick in your mind? Why would you refer them to people you know?

Spend a few minutes thinking about what attributes you would like your clients to mention when describing their experience to others, but also think about what your clients are currently saying.

Are they talking about:
· Added value
· Ambitious
· Can-do attitude
· Caring
· Clear
· Efficient
· Fast
· Friendly
· Good value
· Great service
· Helpful
· Integrity
· Knowledge
· Personal service
· Positive attitude
· Professionalism
· Prompt
· Reliability
· Respect
· Responsiveness
· Stable
· Trustworthy

Hopefully it’s not:
· Average
· Boring
· Busy
· Expensive
· Moody
· Rude
· Sloppy
· Time wasting
· Unhelpful
· Unreliable
· Untrustworthy

You will be able to come up with more! There’s no right or wrong answer (although most people I know would want the words in the top list used more often) and you might find different clients appreciate different attributes.

If you’re having difficulty working out the 3 things that stand out, just ask people who know you and know your business. Although many people can be reluctant to provide honest, negative feedback, they will provide you with an external perspective on your positive attributes. You can always ask “Is there anything I can do better?” which will help you improve and allow them to provide constructive feedback (remember not to argue with any points they raise – it’s their perception and for them, their reality).

So, when you go to your next appointment, ask yourself what are the 3 things you want your client or prospect to feel or believe after the meeting. You may even want to build this into your discussion. For instance “Hi, I’m Joe from ACME Services, we provide our clients with personal, prompt and professional service”.

Having these 3 attributes top of mind will also help you with your “elevator speech” (a short introduction that explains what you do and why someone would do business with you) and lead to new business opportunities.

I encourage you to manage and value your brand like the top brands in the market place that spend millions on creating an image, ensuring that the choices you make and the behaviours you display are consistent with the image you want to create.