Weedin 360

From my February newsletter – to subscribe, click here

Your Secret Sauce to Success: 
Re-Purposing

© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

This week’s focus point -

Consistency.

Early last year, I purchased one of those Nike monitors that you stick in your running shoe and teams up with your iPhone to track your miles run and calories burned while listening to your favorite music. I’ve never been a consistent runner and figured this would be my “accountability partner.” It was and the proof is in the fact that I stuck with it for the entire year.

Last week, Nike sent me my 2011 report card. You see, the iPhone downloads your stats after every run into Nike and they keep track for you. Turns out I ran 236 miles; burned 31,812 calories; and listened to a gazillion songs (give or take a few). I was stunned. Basically, I run 2-3 times a week at a distance of between 3-5 miles. Not much, but I worked hard at being consistent and persistent. In the end, I exceeded my expectations.

Most of business is about being consistent and persistent. Doing the small things every day, even if it’s just 15 minutes, will accumulate in your favor. Examples include marketing, calling on clients and prospects, returning e-mails and phone calls, cleaning out your Inbox, and completing projects. It also helps to keep metrics to know that you’re on track. Too many of us procrastinate because we are waiting for the “right time” to do whatever it is we need to do. Understand that small steps taken daily will not only help you reach your goal, but exceed your expectations by the end of the year!

This week’s quote – “Every man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Still time left to register for Libby & Dan on January 19th. Click here to learn more…

Activity breeds results…

This week has been a blur. I spoke to two groups of consultants on topics related to marketing, branding, and strategy. I interviewed 13 people over two days for a new client where I’m facilitating a sales meeting to kick off the new year. I added another new client to lead a similar exercise at the end of the month. I wrote new articles and blogs and distributed new newsletters. Next week is even busier. Who said January is a “dead” month.

You may think I’m going to say all this activity is breeding results. While this is true, my real message is that all this activity was actually bred by last quarter’s work. In the consulting business, as in most, you sow what you reap..usually a quarter later. What you are doing this week will ultimately bring you money in several months. Certainly, you will occasionally find new clietns that come about because of an event. However, that event may have been three months in the making.

Keep this in mind. Sales cycles aren’t that fast any more. You need to constantly be thinking and strategizing for the future. Don’t get so caught up in today that you forget that you are fighting for tomorrow’s income.

Activity breeds activity which breeds results. How does your April revenue look today?

© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

This week’s focus point -

Running through the finish line.

Okay…I like Dancing with the Stars. I’ve become enamored with the athleticism, grace, and beauty of it. Maybe there is a sensitive side to me somewhere down deep! It is also a platform to watch many life lessons play out – perseverance, courage, skill development, and commitment to name a few.

Last week, J.R. Martinez was crowned the champion. This is a true feel good story of a guy who was seriously burned while serving our country in the Army, and now is an actor. This guy was clearly one of the top two all year, yet after an injury was in danger of getting eliminated while others gained momentum. He saved his best dances for last and emerged victorious in a very close competition. He ran through the finish line.

We can spend a whole lot of time preparing, improving, and doing “stuff.” It all means nothing if we can’t close the deal (and this noun means many different things). Business and life are about results. Finishing strong requires focus, commitment, discipline, and action. It doesn’t necessarily guarantee victory, but in my mind it guarantees success. However, not running hard through the finish line will guarantee that you achieve less than what you were meant to.

As we streak towards the end of 2011, I encourage you to run hard through the finish line.

This week’s quote – “Watch out. The yellow ones don’t stop.” Buddy the Elf in “Elf”
(I would love to hear your thoughts on this quote as a metaphor for business or life. Feel free to send me your thoughts!)

From my August 2011 Newsletter sent out today. To read the rest of the newsletter and to subscribe to this free service, click here.

What differentiates you from your competition?

Let’s debunk three myths and monsters first before we answer that question.

1. It’s NOT your customer service. Everyone says they have the best customer service. And, let’s face it, most everyone does have good customer service. In most professions, this is not a difference-maker because you can’t prove it with real metrics.

2. You don’t care about your customers/clients more. This is the same as #1. You can’t prove that you care more than someone else. It’s all fluff. No steak or sizzle.

3. You’re products or services are not all that unique. Insurance agents represent the same companies. Real estate agents sell the same homes. Barbers cut the same hair. You all have similar methodology and your competitors are as capable as you.

So what’s your “secret sauce?”

It’s what you uniquely bring to the table with your experiences, stories, perspective, and personality.

• 2 cups of Experiences. Nobody else can claim your life experiences. These events have molded your thoughts and perspectives and make great stories to engage and communicate with your clients and prospects. I’ve been a volunteer firefighter, high school basketball coach, school board director, and Rotary President. Combined with that, I married my high school sweetheart, raised two daughters, and am the “voice” of the high school football team. All these experiences present opportunities to improve the condition of my client if I’m creative enough to find a way.

• 1 cup of Education. Your professional development and skill gives you perspective. Where you went to school, the professional classes you took, and a large pinch of the “street smarts’ you earned by skinning your knees countless times can’t be duplicated by anyone else.

• A dollop of Personality. You are uniquely you (at least that’s what my wife keeps telling me). Whatever your personality – introvert, extrovert, gregarious, serious, humble, or assertive – it doesn’t matter. You’re ability to relate to people make your secret sauce anomalous.

Mix together with…

Effective communication skills
Engaging and metaphoric personal stories
Creativity
Passion

And, for the frosting on the cake…

Top with a large serving of CONFIDENCE.

Confidence is the killer of many an entrepreneur and professional. Lack of confidence masks skill. People want to work with those who are confident. It’s something you can’t hide. You either have that swagger or you don’t. You need this to top of your secret sauce and make your dish delicious.

© 2011 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

This week’s focus point -

Top of Mind.

I met a guy named Bill several years ago as a member of a home builders association. Nice guy, fellow Rotarian from another club, and someone who sold something I didn’t need – mini storage pods. I didn’t even ever have anyone to refer him to. I’ve seen Bill on a regular basis over the years and he’s always “reminded” me about what he does. Never thought I’d need his services. Until last week.

My mother is moving in with us after my dad’s death last month. We’ve just “inherited” a whole lot of new furniture and sundry things that are important for Mom. We now have an overflow of large items. Bill was top of mind. The pod was delivered this week and I just finished loading most of it.

Are you top of mind in your business? People may not need you now, or even in 3 years. But when they DO need you, are you the first person they think of? That’s your goal. You can’t anticipate needs, but you can position yourself to be thought of when that need does arrive.

This week’s quote - “Smooth seas never made a skillful mariner.“
- The wake-up message on my alarm on my phone

Yesterday I wrote a blog article on being creative with marketing tools like You Tube. Here is a prime example.

I met a local general contractor, Brent Erickson from RESCOM General Construction, through Linked In. I checked out his website and found a terrific video introduction to his company and their work. This is an example of using video proactively to promote your business.

Click here to go to Brent’s website

Thanks Brent for giving permission to give your web site out as an example. I mean, who wants people to look at your web site right? (For those wondering, this was meant to be funny!)

So get creative and find ways to expand your market…

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

I was responding to a thread on Facebook this morning on marketing. The question was – what is your best source of marketing and advertising? My response to the thread is that I believe a lot of business owners are missing the boat by overlooking very powerful, FREE tools. Namely, blogging and You Tube. Professional service providers are basically getting it. They are their own brand and they are drinking the Kool-Aid. However, a lot of service organizations can also do the same thing. It just takes a little creativity…

• Auto Dealers – Create You Tube videos on the cars you have for sale. Have your best sales people point out the must-have features. Car sales is a visual sale…bring that sale to life.
• Auto Body Shops – What myths about rebuilding a car are pervasive in your customers? Write a regular blog advising us of ways we can better take care of our cars ourselves. That way when we can’t do it anymore because it’s above our pay grade, we think of you. Create 3-minute videos of why your process is best for your customer.
• Barber shops and hair salons – Talk about a visual business, you can have some fun with this by creating fun commercials. Get some of you best customers to give wacky testimonials, make fun of hairstyles, and make yourself stand out like, well a bad haircut.
• Restaurants – write blog posts reviewing your best meals; teach us how to best shop for cool recipes; video record your best customers chowing down on your food.
• Physical Therapists – You can add great value to your target market by teaching them through word or video how to better take care of themselves, do exercises, or generally promote good health.

This isn’t rocket science. If I can think these things up in about 7 minutes listening to 3 Doors Down sing “Here Without You” (a favorite of mine), then what can you do if you get away from your desk, grab an iced mocha at your local coffee shop and just think. That reminds me…

• Coffee shops – Why should you be the place everyone goes to? Don’t tell them, show them! Make a great video showing everyone how terrific your ambiance is and what great people frequent you establishment. Maybe you can write a blog with special coffee recipes.

So how do you get people in your target audience to see these fantastic creations of yours? Tell them with newsletters, social media platforms, press releases, word of mouth, keyword and tag placement (SEO), and any other way you can imagine. After all, how are you reading this blog post right now?

Once you gain a following, then they will start spreading the word for you. Whether your target audience is local or global, you can use a few free tools to spread your value and message.

All you need is a little creativity…

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

Yesterday, my friend Libby Wagner and I presented a program to a terrific group of business professionals at the Greater Seattle Chamber Focus On series. Our topic was “From Recession to Recovery,” and we tackled issues related to leadership, personal growth, marketing, sales, branding, and life balance. After the meeting, several people came over to chat with us and I typically ask what they most valued from the program. Here are a few responses…

• Have three personal and three professional priorities or goals each day. Focus on those and get them done first. Doing this will enhance how you manage your time and stress.
• Ask for referrals early and often. This will keep your pipeline full.
• Call three people each day – clients, prospects, referrals. Offer value, ask for referrals, see how they are doing, etc. By keeping in contact, you leverage your ability to increase opportunities.
• Be “wholehearted” in your work. Be passionate and share that passion with others.
• Building strong relationships is critical to success professionally and personally. Find a variety of ways to do this in your career and life.
• Be specific in your language. In order to be an effective “influencer,” you must be clearly heard and understood.
• Speak, publish, network, and use social media to get your message out to the masses. The more people who need what you do/sell/service/provide, the more opportunities to help them and you.
• Now is the time to take risks, step out of the box, or reinvent yourself. Have courage and confidence in your abilities.

Many thanks to the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, out guests, and to Libby. It was an excellent day and we hopefully will be invited back to do it again!

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

Can you answer the question, “Why you?”

When I interview insurance agents for my clients, I always ask this question at some point of the conversation. The answers vary greatly. Most agents will talk about what they do, the services they provide, the years in the business, blah, blah, blah…

The same thing seems to happen frequently in any business conversation. The “why you” question is a good one. But, it means you haven’t built up enough credibility yet to make them take the leap of faith.

The next time you are asked this simple question, instead of rattling off the things you do or the services you provide, deluge them with value . Things like:

• Improving profit margin
• Minimizing risk
• Increasing sales
• Improving market reach
• Enhancing reputation
• Saving time
• Improving efficiency

Your prospect only cares about what’s in it for them when choosing someone to work with. Don’t tell them what you do – provide them with the reasons they can’t be without you!

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved