Tommy, his tricycle and the problem with your niche.
The other day I was reminded of the sad story of little Tommy. Tommy was riding his tricycle and his Daddy said, “Tommy, don’t go riding your tricycle past the corner!” And little Tommy said, “OK, Daddy.” Daddy looked cross, but Tommy figured he could fix that. He gave Daddy a big, sweet smile. A…
Stop doing God’s work.
When you expect yourself to do more in a day than is humanly possible, you expect more of yourself than even God expects of you. When you are upset by your poor performance in an area where you haven’t done the hard foundation work, you’re expecting yourself to do miracles. Doing the impossible is God’s…
How to Be Noticed, Be Valued and Be Hired by the Clients You Want Most
Originally published in a magazine for the technical and marcom writers industry. — To build a thriving, in-demand business, it’s not enough to be really good at what you do. Yes, that’s important, but you’re not going to be hired for your technical prowess. Now, I know the clients SAY they’re looking for someone with…
Ben Franklin, rum and the end of frenetic marketing.
In 1756 Benjamin Franklin, early American statesman, led five hundred and sixty troops to the North-western frontier to build a line of forts. Franklin shares the following humorous anecdote: “We had for our chaplain a zealous Presbyterian minister, Mr. Beatty, who complained to me that the men did not generally attend his prayers and exhortations.…
Happy kids, miserable adults and a timeless secret truth.
Kids don’t need umbrellas. Or boots. Getting drenched by rain and mud is a small price to pay for the thrill of exploration and learning something new. We adults prefer umbrellas, cars or just staying home. Rain and mud is uncomfortable. But at the end of the day, you need to figure this business thing…
How trying to convince a client makes stress, not sales.
Nick writes in with the following sale-asphyxiating problem: “As soon as a potential customer expresses an interest, I feel under enormous pressure and probably come over too much like I’m desperate to close at any cost rather than negotiate a reasonable/beneficial deal from a position of power. “How can I be confident and relaxed?” We’ve…
How to slay your most debilitating entrepreneurial fears
Fear keeps you small. It occurred to me one day that it’s not the big, obvious fears that keep you small. When you’re afraid of a second heart attack, you know exactly what to do and you do it. But when you have a nagging, undefined fear, it’s like an unseen monster in the dark. …
The first step in building a steady, consistent, predictable flow of customers…
I just got an email from a new subscriber: Hi Dov, I listened to “How to Build A Step-by-Step Selling System that Brings You All the Customers You Want.” (The seminar recording is available to new subscribers. You can subscribe using the form on this page.) Brilliant seminar. No one ever explained small business marketing…
Three Customer-Mind-Reading Questions Entrepreneurs Are Afraid to Ask
The other day I got a call from Rich, who owns a small accounting firm with 6 employees. Rich and I met at some business event a while back and chatted a few times since. He said, “Dov, I’ve got a fair number of small business clients and a handful of big ones. I want…
Eavesdrop: What specific problem does your product or service solve?
Your products and services solve very specific problems for your customers. Right? But if you’re not talking about those problems in your marketing and selling strategies, then what you DO say sounds like blah, blah, blah to the very customers you want. Listen in to excerpts from a coaching call I recently had with a…