Installment 2 of the Top 10 - "Secrets"... revealed

The - absolute - undeniable - must have - rockbottom - can’t do without - believe it or not - Top 10 (and beyond) - Secrets of Sustainable Small Business Growth, in good times or bad

Thank you for tuning into this second installment of "The Secrets"

You might remember that Installment 1 was largely about the deeper purpose of your business and how that connects with your passion. Todays 7 secrets are mostly related to marketing, customer relations and your staff.

Installment 1 can be re-read on my website article archive: click here or on the blog archive here or I can email it to you again. Just click here: roland@newperspectives.com.au

Let me remind you of my pleases......
1)... PLEASE!: Take a few minutes and let "The Secrets" sink in. If you are not sure about any of them, drop me a line or call me or argue with me or shout me a coffee or abuse me or pick my brain, but whatever you do, don't just glance over them and put them aside!
2)... PLEASE!: Do something with each and every one of "The Secrets". This is important stuff... believe me, I know what I am talking about here.

As I foreshaddowed in the first installment, I have "Twittered" about "The Secrets" already... so they must be true and real.

Here they are (numbers should start at 8, but I can't get that work properly):

1. Engage your staff in what you stand for, what you are good at and treat them the way you would personally like to be treated… generous, sharing, involved, accountable, open, clear
2. Remind yourself and your staff regularly, at least once a month, that: The purpose of a business is to find customers and keep them, by giving them what they want, again and again
3. Be truthful in all dealings... give it and expect it… Ask yourself what your your clients' absolute truth is and provide the absolute truth in return.
4. Customers believe that you make them a promise when they buy from you... so... make absolutely sure you know what it is they believe your promise to them to be and deliver that... without fail... afterwards confirm you actually kept that promise with them.
5. Decide if and why something is worth doing… and if it is... then it is always worth experimenting with it for a while and giving it another go if it doesn't work the first time.
6. Make sure everyone knows what you and your business are really good at... YELL it from the rooftops at every opportunity you get, write about it, speak about it, blog about it, Twitter about it, Youtube about it, encourage your customers to rave about it, ensure your website raves about it, and your friends... do not be shy about this....ever!
7. Create and build communities and relationships with people who want what you are really good at, communicate, know your community, share, give value... authentically and generously.

Those were "The Secrets" 8 to 14.... in about a week and a half I will reveal some more.... from Secret 15 we get into the financial stuff and money.... I bet you can't wait!

In the mean time PLEASE...do something with "The Secrets"... and I say again if you want to talk to me or email about them I'd love to hear.... I am sure that we can have some great discussions about this stuff and I am happy to explain to you in more depth what the meaning of "The Secrets" is... but whatever you do: Don't just put it aside for another time... Do Something Different... Do Something NOW...

Hope to hear from you soon.

My contacts:
Roland Hanekroot
New Perspectives Business Coaching
"Take Control of your Business and Your Life"
www.newperspectives.com.au
roland@newperspectives.com.au
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/coachbusiness
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/newperspectives
facebook: http://tinyurl.com/c6mph5

The - absolute - undeniable - must have - rockbottom - can’t do without - believe it or not - top 10 - Secrets of Sustainable Small Business Growth, in good times or bad

When your favorite small business coach started devising this article and blog i had 10 secrets in mind, but as I was writing it grew to 21 secrets and maybe it will even grow some more, so now I will be delivering them to you in installment over the next few weeks... here are the first 7.

PLEASE!: Take a few minutes and let them sink in. If you are not sure about any of them, drop me a line or call me or argue with me or shout me a coffee and pick my brain, but whatever you do, don't just glance over them and put them aside!

PLEASE!: Do something with each and every one of these secrets. This is important stuff... believe me, I know what I am talking about here.

Follow these secrets and the ones I will reveal over the coming weeks and true sustainable small business growth beckons sure as night follows day.... I personally guarantee it (and to prove it I will even Twitter about it so…it must be true!)

Here they are:

1. Know what you are in this business for… and check in with yourself at least monthly that you are actually heading there.
2. Decide what you are really good at, focus on it, get better at it, strive to be the best at it and do it again and again and again. (And please stop doing what you are not so good at!)
3. State with absolute clarity to all and sundry what the truly inspiring thing is that your business is about (e.g. "We make the worlds most beautiful tables" or "Our plumbing installations are just plain sexy" or "We provide the best accountancy advice money can buy" or "Every customer smiles when they leave our shop" or "Our dresses will put you in the centre of the room")
4. Ask yourself: Are we a "dream come true" for your clients?
5. Who exactly, precisely are those clients... ? and then become known to those specific clients as a true specialist and expert
6. What precisely is the benefit those clients get from doing business with me?
7. State with absolute clarity and conviction precisely what your business stands for (e.g. "Our customers are in safe hands", "Never do anything to decrease our sense of pride", "we are never more than 5 minutes late", "Our installations are thoroughly tested for 24 hours, before handover") publicise it widely and allow everyone to keep you and your staff acountable to that.

Those were the first 7 secrets.... in about a week the next bunch will be revealed.... in the mean time PLEASE...do something with these... and if you want to talk to me or email about them I'd love to hear.... I am sure that we can have some great discussions about this stuff and I am happy to explain to you in more depth what the meaning of the secrets is.....but whatever you do: Don't just put it aside to do something with at some other time... Do Something Different...

Hope to hear from you soon.

My contacts:
Roland Hanekroot
New Perspectives Business Coaching
"Take Control of your Business and Your Life"
www.newperspectives.com.au
roland@newperspectives.com.au
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/coachbusiness
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/newperspectives
facebook: http://tinyurl.com/c6mph5

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here goes....more brave new world.....this status might show up on twitter, facebook, linkedin plaxo and blogger..... go you good thing

One minute wisdom

From one of my favorite spiritual teachers/ writers, Father Anthony de Mello:

"Plunge into the heat of battle, and keep your heart at the Lotus feet of the Lord"

BatchBook: Blue Paper: Social Media for Small Business

BatchBook: Blue Paper: Social Media for Small Business

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Tom peters... 48 pieces of advice for small business

I came across this from Tom Peters..... wonderful advice and thoughts.... love them... I trust and hope that Tom Peters is pleased with having them republished on my blog....

Tom Peters
22 February 2009
Queenstown New Zealand

The Heart of Business Strategy: 48 Things That Matter

We usually think of business strategy as some sort of aspirational market positioning statement. Doubtless that’s part of it. But I believe that the number one “strategic strength” is excellence in execution and systemic relationships (i.e., with everyone we come in contact with). Hence I offer the following 48 pieces of advice in creating a winning strategic that is inherently sustainable*:

• “Thank you.” Minimum several times a day. Measure it.
• “Thank you” to everyone even peripherally involved in some activity—especially those “deep in the hierarchy.”
• Smile. Work on it.
• Apologize. Even if “they” are “mostly” to blame.
• Jump all over those who play the “blame game.”
• Hire enthusiasm…Low enthusiasm. No hire. Any job.
• Hire optimists. Everywhere. (“Positive outlook on life,” not mindless optimism.)
• Hiring: Would you like to go to lunch with him-her. 100% of jobs.
• Hire for good manners.
• Do not reject “trouble makers”—that is those who are uncomfortable with the status quo.
• Expose all would-be hires to something unexpected-weird. Observe their reaction.
• Overwhelm response to even the smallest screw-ups.
• Become a student of all you will meet with. Big time.
• Hang out with interesting new people. Measure it.
• Lunch with folks in other functions. Measure it.
• Listen. Hear. Become a serious student of listening-hearing.
• Work on everyone’s listening skills. Practice.
• Become a student of information extraction-interviewing.
• Become a student of presentation giving. Formal. Short and spontaneous.
• Incredible care in 1st line supervisor selection.
• World’s best training for 1st line supervisors.
• Construct small leadership opportunities for junior people within days of starting on the job.
• Insane care in all promotion decisions.
• Promote “people people” for all managerial jobs. Finance-logistics-R&D as much as, say, sales.
• Hire-promote for demonstrated curiosity. Check their past commitment to continuous learning.
• Small “d” diversity. Rich mixes for any and all teams.
• Hire women. Roughly 50% women on exec team.
• Exec team “looks like” customer population, actual and desired.
• Focus on creating products for and selling to women.
• Focus on creating products for and selling to boomers-geezers.
• Work on first and last impressions.
• Walls: display tomorrow’s aspirations, not yesterday’s accomplishments.
• Simplify systems. Constantly.
• Insist that almost all material be covered by a 1-page summary. Absolutely no longer.
• Practice decency.
• Add “We are thoughtful in all we do” to corporate values list.
• Number 1 force for customer loyalty, employee satisfaction.
• Make some form of employee growth (for all) a formal part of values set.
• Flowers.
• Celebrate “small wins.” Often. Perhaps a “small win of the day.”
• Manage your calendar religiously: Does it accurately reflect your espoused priorities?
• Use a “calendar friend” who’s not very friendly to help you with this.
• Review your calendar: Work assiduously and mercilessly on your “To don’ts.”—stuff that distracts.
• Bosses, especially near the top: Formally cultivate one advisor whose role is to tell you the truth.
• Commit to Excellence.
• Talk up Excellence.
• Put “Excellence in all we do” in the values set.
• Measure everyone on demonstrated commitment to Excellence