Boom! It’s a new year! Where did that come from? How are you going to make this year different from last? Here’s 7 things you need:
1. Smart Goals: Specific, Measurable, Agreed By Team, Realistic, Time-Based. Without goals you have no chance to change anything.
2. Your Story: Create a story incorporating your goals. Be able to [...]

The 3 Point Series: 3 Mistakes
I picked up a directory the other day - you know, the ones where businesses are listed in various categories and businesses buy space for their ads? I was looking through the ads to see whether the ads were effective, and it struck me that most of them made the [...]

When I meet business owners, I try to determine where they are on my Business Health graph. Try rating yourself on your Enthusiasm for your role as a business owner and the Profit performance of your business. You’ll find yourself in one of the Quadrants - A, B, C or D.

If you’re Low Enthusiasm/Low Profit, [...]

When I was a young assistant manager at a fast food outlet, I would often feel a bit unproductive. The crew members were working hard, pumping out food and sometimes I was just watching the action. So I would step in and restock positions, empty the trash, wash the dishes. I was productive and making [...]

The 3 Point Series: Common Marketing Mistakes
Business owners generally feel they should do marketing, but a surprising number do none. They have tried some things before which didn’t seem to work, so they are reluctant to spend more money. But a nagging thought remains that they should be doing something. Let’s look at three common [...]

If you’re a business owner, this year is over. The plans you’ve laid, the training you’ve done, the structures you’ve installed will determine how the rest of the year goes. There are many things you can do to improve the outcome, and you should prepare your 90 day plans to do this. Your ActionCOACH can [...]

If you conduct meetings of any kind - employee, sales, strategy, etc - then there is a good chance that you have wasted some time. People get off track, they argue, they are too negative or shy. So many business owners stop having them. Easier to put out a memo or talk to people one [...]

The 3 Points Series: The Most Dangerous Phrases
Here are three phrases I consider the most dangerous in business: How?, I Know, and Not Now.

How? Ever have a great idea and tell someone about it? Did they ask “How are you going to do it?” If so, chances are you were totally deflated. Without a solid [...]

The 3 Point Series: Repeat Business
Repeat business is the ultimate goal of your business. To generate an initial lead is expensive and time consuming. Think radio, tv, cold calling, etc. There are times when these efforts are necessary, but a key way to increase sales is to find ways to bring past customers to you [...]

The 3 Point Series: Communication
I would guess that the biggest cause of frustration to business owners is miscommunication. When things aren’t done as expected, when people fail to act as we expect or we make decisions on incorrect information, we are faced with failure or, at best, having to redo a task.
I define communication as [...]