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• From Corporate To Sweet Spot: A Rising Star’s Lessons Learned
• more, More, MORE!
• One Simple Way to Stand Out In Any Crowd

From Corporate To Sweet Spot: A Rising Star’s Lessons Learned Posted: 06 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT I’ve got radar for Rising Stars – internally-ignited entrepreneurs cultivating their distinctive Sweet Spots – before a lot of other people know about them. I can feel their energy: there’s a sparkle about them, and a certain wisdom that’s already evident from having let go of the traditional path to follow their instincts (scary as it may seem) and do what they’re really on the planet to do. My latest prediction-come-true is a woman I met at my local Starbucks in Toronto about a year and a half ago who’d left her job in corporate financial services (where she made lots of money and had a pre-set path to “success”) to pursue her dream of teaching people how to incorporate more healthy cooking and eating into their lives. I recently saw her post on Facebook that she just got her own healthy cooking show and is on her way to New York City! My crystal ball is apparently as accurate as ever. (I will be sharing more about her in an upcoming post.) I had the same feeling about a woman I met a few months ago at a training event in San Francisco named Andrea Kennedy, owner and founder of Spread Your Word, a marketing services company for small businesses who are “making the world a better place for others,” but are far better at their specific craft than they are at marketing. Through her natural gift for effective marketing communication, she says: I like to think I'm just sort of that bridge between the two worlds – we've got the people that really want to give, and the people that really want to receive, and (then the question is) how do we bring them together? Until you can get to that place where you can find those words, where you can comfortably step into that space of 'This is who I am, and this is what I do, and this is why I do it, and here's how it's going to benefit you,' it's like the Yellow Pages where everybody looks the same. And those people that are looking for you, those people that really, really need you and are waiting for you don't know where to find you. And those are the same people that you're desperate to serve. So yeah, there's just this little disconnect. There's that space in between. You likely haven’t heard of Andrea yet, but I saw her sparkle and heard her story and felt inspired to share about her here. I know there’s real value in hearing from people at various stages along the pathway into their Sweet Spots – not just the ones who are already known – and to see how they progress over time. Andrea’s already made that leap of faith from corporate to entrepreneurship, emanating the kind of real-life knowingness and insight that come with that kind of transition, and is steadily building her brand, her client base and her reach with zest and enthusiasm for her craft and how she makes a difference to her clients. Andrea studied English literature in school and had a dream to work in publishing. She landed a job at Canada's largest legal business publisher where she worked for 10 years, first editing and learning how products are made. Eventually she wanted to move into marketing to get closer to the customer, to understand what they wanted and needed so she could ensure they received it. After 8 years in marketing, and working as a marketing manager with a $2 million budget, she realized that there was very little true understanding of the customer going on, or care for the user experience — it was just a “spray and pray” method of getting product out there and hoping it would land. Finally, she had a boss who forced a choice, who was working hard to undermine her, to squash her passion as well as her confidence. Things came to a head when someone in the company (not her boss) was sent (by her boss) to tell her that the company was evaluating whether she was a fit for the role. Andrea’s response was: You know what? This is okay. This is a gift that's being given to me. I know that this is going to end up having been the best day of my life one day. It may not be today, I might not feel that way right now, but I know I will look back on this moment because here's the message you can take back to them: 'Thank you very much. I'm going to need a little more time to decide whether or not this is the place where I want to be'" and I walked out of that knowing that, 'You know what? That's my truth.’ That was my truth. And within six weeks of that, I already knew at that point that if this is what it can come to, this is clearly not a place that is going to embrace, and nurture, and encourage me to grow, and excel, and shine, and I cannot be working with people and in places where that's not the case. That's just so counter-intuitive to who I am and what I believe about others. Six weeks later, I left there and began to think 'Okay, well what are my options here?' and just flat out approached somebody that had contacted me about consulting for them on a part time basis; how much time could I afford to give them? I just said 'Listen, I find myself in the unique space of being able to offer you all my time. Are you interested?' and they said 'Yeah, we really are.' That was that, and I got to leave that job and go and do exactly the work that I'd been wanting to do, just I was doing it full time for somebody else for the time that I did it. But it was just really, for me, mentally and emotionally drawing that line in the sand, coming home to my family and looking at my husband saying ‘There is nothing wrong with me, and this is not okay. I am done. There is more. And now I just need to figure out what that is.’ Has it always been easy? No. Did I always feel that confident about the decision? Absolutely not. But can I confidently say today that it was a defining moment and I am grateful for that? 100%, because it was so life changing for me. The learning that I want to highlight in this first stage of the story is: Sweet Spot Lesson #1:  When something happens that's very, very challenging, that seems to be a brick wall, or a red light, or even for some people a devastating thing, that can very often be the catalyst that was necessary to push the bird out of the nest and say "You're ready to fly." You might be in a really difficult place right now and it could end up being the biggest blessing because it forced you to look at things a different way, do things a different way, take a risk you might not have taken. Sweet Spot Lesson #2:  There is often a defining moment on this path, a point at which you go 'Something's not right here.' Either it’s 'Why is this so hard?' or 'This person or these people around me don't really feel like a match' or 'Wait a minute, you don't believe in me, but I believe in me' or some version of that. It's a theme that I see over, and over, and over again and I want to highlight that. It doesn't mean that you'll never have self-doubt again, or you'll never question yourself, but there’s a point you hit where it’s a matter of “I’ve had enough of this. I deserve more. There’s a better way.” Andrea continued consulting for this client until she completed what she’d been hired to do, and meanwhile had to turn down some opportunities to speak, to teach and to get out in front of her community in a bigger way. She was getting great feedback from people about her natural gift of understanding marketing for small business. Finally, she came to that point of ‘freefall,’ where she had to make the decision to do what she truly wanted to do, under her own name and brand: I realized that I needed to get comfortable with being uncomfortable with some of the uncertainties. I needed to feel what the clients’ challenges were, and they feel the same way that I do, in order for me to align more clearly with  some of their desperation around 'This has to work' – that sense of urgency so that I can then come in and say "I understand. I understand exactly your urgency. I get it. I'm there. I'm building my own business. I'm challenged by a lot of the same things you are. I'm just challenged in different things than this particular area (marketing)… And I think that there's that emotional connection, my willingness to lay my own vulnerabilities on the table and say "I do the best that I can and I know that you are too. I go and I seek help in those areas where I need help, and it's okay for you to do that as well. That's our responsibility in our business to get better at the things we're not good at, or be so good at what we do that we can hire out for that." Either way, that hole has to be plugged somehow. And I think that that really resonates with people. This is the same theme the emerges time and again with Sweet Spot entrepreneurs: Sweet Spot Lesson #3: There comes a point at which you will finally need to step out front, be who you are, and offer the essence of what you’re best at, straight up, no more hiding. You are not alone in the fears that brings up, and it’s up to you to find the courage to step out, and also to learn the things that you need to learn in order to succeed. None of us were taught those real-world skills of self-reliance and business building through traditional education. I asked Andrea how she financed herself during that transition, since virtually everyone needs to find way to do that in the early stages of building their business. She worked everything through with her husband since they were raising a young family together: One step that we took that was fundamental to my sense of security and our sense of being risk aware was sit down with a financial planner and get a really, really crystal clear idea of exactly where we are today. What is the benchmark? What is my present reality? So I think what often happens, and this happens in our life – and then if we're not careful, it will happen in our business – the finances get away from us. We don't necessarily exactly know where the line is. What's that line that we can't cross? How much do I have to make? There's probably a little bit of work to be done just to get your financial house in order personally first, because as soon as we did that, it was like 'Oh, interesting what things are possible. Interesting where money is going, where money could be going, where we keep thinking we have to be doing things, where we're not doing enough, where we might need to do more so that we could create a level of awareness that said 'You know what? I don't need to replace my entire salary. I only need to replace this much of it because now I'm not going to be doing daycare anymore. I'm not going to be driving back and forth to the city’ because my plan was to work from home. So you chip away at all these preconceived ideas of what it costs for us to live to get down to 'What does it cost for me to run my business successfully?' When you work from home as a consultant, you can manage your costs and keep them lower by not spending. It's finding those marketing tools and outlets that are more affordable, that don't cost anything; word-of-mouth, inexpensive networking lunches you can go to where you might get out in front of 100 people. And just sort of balancing it out and seeing 'Have I always been making money in my business? No. Do I hope to make more? Sure. Am I towing the line? Yeah, because I know what the line is, and I'm aware of it. So I'm working towards that as the objective in all things. There have come times where, yeah, you dip a little so you borrow a little and then my priority is always to pay that back. I don't believe that it's effective personally. My personal view is if you're operating your business and always in the hole then you don't really have a business. I think it's really important to get out in front and do what you can afford. I think it's okay to borrow to front load the cost of certain marketing or business expenses, but that needs to be done with a really clear awareness of the responsibility to pay that back. And the faith, and the belief that ‘I don't know how it's going to happen but I know that it is because I'm committed to making that happen and I know now that's the priority,’ and making the commitment to work to that. Wise words and a few more powerful insights to be gleaned from this aspect of Andrea’s story: Sweet Spot Lesson #4: Be aware. Know your numbers. Look at the reality and deal with it. You’ve got to know where you are if you’re going to get where you want to go. Sweet Spot Lesson #5: When you know your numbers, you can start to really assess how much you truly need to make versus what you think you need to make. Those two numbers can be very different, and can be the difference between a financial target for your business that’s achievable in your early stages, and one that will finish you before you even start because it’s unrealistic (and unnecessary). You can check out Andrea and her growing business at www.spreadyourword.ca/. Right now, she largely serves small business owners in her local community near Toronto. The goal and the vision by the end of this year is online products and offerings, including group coaching, so that people can receive the benefit of her services from wherever they are. What’s your biggest insight for yourself and your business from Andrea’s story?  Photo: Jazi Photography

more, More, MORE! Posted: 06 Jun 2012 05:00 AM PDT Some consumers are short-sighted, greedy and selfish. Extend yourself a little and they’ll want a lot. Offer a free drink in the restaurant one night and they’re angry that it’s not there the next. The nuts in first class weren’t warm! The challenge of winning more than your fair share of the market is that the best available strategy–providing remarkable service and an honest human connection–will be abused by a few people you work with. You have three choices: put up with the whiners, write off everyone, or, deliberately exclude the ungrateful curs. Firing the customers you can’t possibly please gives you the bandwidth and resources to coddle the ones that truly deserve your attention and repay you with referrals, applause and loyalty. Photo credit: Adam Foster | Codefor

One Simple Way to Stand Out In Any Crowd Posted: 06 Jun 2012 02:00 AM PDT Ever been to a restaurant and felt the service was subpar? Maybe not horrendous, but just plain average or uninspiring? Then, there is the restaurant where, though you cannot quite put your finger on it, things felt different. The waitress smiled more, gave you extra napkins or was extra nice and entertaining to your kids. When the time came to pay the check, how big a tip did you leave? If you are like me, you left a generous tip because it was well deserved and you appreciate great service. The waitress was probably the type of person who is naturally warm and approachable with a gift for making others feel welcomed. People like this consistently over deliver because it is who they are. However, we can all deliver in the same way or even better and reap tremendous rewards along the way. Most of us instead deliver exactly what is asked of us and no more. In this case, we are no different than the uninspiring service I spoke of in the opening. Sure, you did what was expected of you, but doing the unexpected is what you noticed. In Search of the “Ahhh” Moment How do you know when you hit the right spot and over deliver to a high degree? It’s the moment when your customer cracks the unexpected smile. You pleasantly surprised them and caught them off guard. A pleasing “Ahhh!” normally accompanies the smile as well as a subtle nod of the head. This is the visual clue you are looking for. My rule is to never consider the job complete until I get at least a couple of these moments. Sometimes we make things far more complex than they need to be. Nothing is new or groundbreaking about this approach. Napoleon Hill called it the habit of going the extra mile. Others describe it as under promising and over delivering. Despite how simple the execution, most people deliver no more than is expected of them. Then, they comment on how “lucky” certain other people are — the ones who rack up sales and promotions. Make Over Delivery A Requirement To make this work, it must be part of your normal procedure, not an accident or something you do one in awhile. For example, if you provide scopes of work or SOWs in your business, have two versions–one to give your customer and the other for internal use. The SOW you give your customer is the list of tasks both of you agreed to. Pay is based on completing each task to specification, such as building an application. Your internal SOW includes all of the agreed upon tasks plus a few additional items known only to you. Because these tasks appear on your internal SOW, do not consider the project or task complete until you meet these extras conditions as well. Make going to extra mile a stated requirement with every project and every sale. Always ask yourself the question, “What specific thing can I do to over deliver for this customer?” This does not require breaking the bank or giving away tons of free products or services. For example, in Chapter 11 of my book I describe something that happened while working on a large project. The customer passingly mentioned another project they were having trouble with because the rollout was so complex. They had no additional funding in the budget and could not hire outside help. They were stuck learning on the job. It just so happened we had expertise in this product. We gave them a book considered the authority on the subject. We also offered to answer any questions while on site. This gave them access to our expertise without having to pay tens of thousands of dollars and without us having to give away hours and hours of expensive service. Between the book and our informal support (we were there anyway), they successfully completed the rollout. They later asked us to provide training in the technology, which resulted in unexpected revenue for us. Once we discovered how we could over deliver, by providing the book and answering questions, we made this part of our internal SOW. Handing over the book elicited that first “Ahhh” moment that we needed. Not Just for Entrepreneurs and Salespeople Salespeople and entrepreneurs are not the only people who can benefit from this approach. An employee of one of my customers was a natural over deliverer. He provided computer support for his fellow employees and stood out from the crowd in every way. He saw his job as serving his “customers.” While everyone else complained of how much they hated their jobs, he went out of his way to make everyone feel special. He arrived early and stayed late. I even thought he had spent too much time on a minor issue but he insisted his “customers” expected it a certain way and he would not stop until it was perfect. One day his manager got a call from the commissioner of the organization requesting a meeting with this employee. In the meeting, the commissioner commended him for his excellent work, which is extremely rare in this organization. Who do you think they will look to when the time comes for handing out promotions? This works like wonders in other areas of life as well. Ask any guy who has ever taken his girlfriend or spouse to a special restaurant or bought a gift unexpectedly. We all appreciate it when someone does a little extra or goes the extra mile. So, make it a part of your daily life. If you do this with your significant other, plan on many warm, cozy nights, and a more fulfilling relationship! If you have a business or customers, you will become the business- or salesperson of choice for future sales.

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