Say what you will about Adolph Hitler, but that was a man with a mission.
He knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish in his lifetime, he wrote it all out in a book, and then set out to accomplish it.
It's said that if people had given more creedence to his book "Mein Kampf", his vicious tear through Eurpoe could have been prevented.
But people wouldn't listen to a humble housepainter - until that housepainter became the infamous "HITLER".
Mein Kampf translates as "my struggle" and in his book, he literally outlines virtually every single choice he ultimately made as the ruler of Germany during the Nazi regime.
What I'm about to share is nothing so sinister, although it ties into my previous clue about creating a crack addiction.
When you write things down, it makes them more tangible. It gives them more credence, and it outlines more clearly, the steps you need to take to achieve them.
So for a "pusher" to be successful, he must first:
obtain a product that obtains the desired effect
Offer free samples to the unsuspecting public
provide a supply to the addicts for a price
offer freebies to addicts that bring more customers
rinse and repeat
When followed precisely, the pusher always has a steady stream of clients coming in. And if someone dies along the way,it's no biggie, because they've got plenty more people coming in on a daily basis. They just need to keep up with supply and demand.
To the uninitiated, this sounds liek a cold, calculating attempt to part you from your hard earned cash. And it would be except that in my analogy, the products I'm offering don't kill you. At least I haven't heard anything so crazy yet.
This is the exact model that most business owners try to replicate, except they usually omit one or two steps, thus flawing the system.
In order to create a crack addiction with your customers, you MUST follow the steps exactly:
Create a great product (a newsletter isn't enough anymore)
Give it away free (FREE, not for a very low price, FREE!)
Create a second product even better than the first and command a good price for it
Offer specials/discounts/freebies to customers that bring in new clients
rinse and repeat
The people that fall in love with your product will tell other people - why not reward them? That's part of the reason affiliate programs and customer loyalty programs have become so popular in the last decade.
Spreading the word creates an exponentially increasing customer base. As you continue to create better products (everything can be improved upon), people will seek you out. Because you have a reputation for "good stuff", people will be willing to pay the price you ask - instead of having to slash prices during a recession.
It's all around us right now. People closing up shop, slashing prices, "everything must go" attitudes. I would bet that drug dealers aren't feeling the pinch. They aren't lowering prices because they know there's someone out there willing to pay for their "good stuff".
And during times like these, MORE people are probably turning to them because they want to escape from the depression all around them.
And so it goes in business. If you've created something so spectacular that people are lining up to get it, you can afford to NOT slash prices because you've got people willing to pay you for your product or service.
You can literally start your own campaign for world domination - or at least your business world.
This is my manifesto. It's my plan of conquest - one addict at a time. Me and my army of addicts are going to change the face of the business world. We're going to storm through the streets in hamlets and cities and declare an end to regurgitated information at insanely high prices. We're going to demand quality and quantity, and not settle for cookie cutter coaching.
We're raising the bar, creating a "super race" of business people that are smart, savvy, and ready to grow powerful businesses for the benefit of themselves AND mankind. We're an army of women that are tired of being lied to, sold to, and cheated out of our dreams. We're taking control of our businesses and creating the future WE dreamed about - the future God has planned for us.
We're committing ourselves to excellence, and sharing knowledge, and pushing the envelope for constant improvement. We'll take our message across the globe, and create a community of devotees (addicts, if you will), that will spread this message one addict at a time.
Insert maniacal laughter here.
In all seriousness, this is the way good companies are built. Jeep created a hard core fan base - Jeep addicts. Same with Hummer, Apple, Coke, Virgin, and dozens more. They stand for something, create a culture, and promote the heck out of it. They give to get. Give an experience, get a loyal customer, repay the customer's loyalty, get an addict. Addicts beget addicts. And the cycle continues.
And so it is with me.
Have you got it figured out yet? We're getting down to the wire and I'm sharing more and more details as we get closer to the BIG unveil tonight at 7pm Eastern.
You can post your guesses here. I'll be checking in periodically, and the first person to correctly guess will be declared the winner of every physical product I've ever created. I'll announce that winner at 7PM as well. Good luck everyone!
Showing posts with label Richard Branson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Richard Branson. Show all posts
Business Stripped Bare: What I've learned from Sir Richard Branson, Part One
I'm a reader. Folks who know me know my bookshelves are stocked to the gills with books read, underlined, notated and paraphrased. They also know I have boxes of books that won't fit on my shelves. So what better gift to give a girl like me than Sir Richard Branson's book, Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur? Along with a book light and a lifetime supply of batteries for that light, my sister made my holiday bright (no pun intended) with this gift.
My intention this year is to write more, and read more, and most importantly to share my findings with my subscribers so they too can benefit from what I learn. This is the first installment of revelations from Sir Richard's book.
After swimming through the first chapter, dozens of action steps popped into my head that I felt compelled to implement in my business. But nestled in the center of that first chapter was this little gem:
"business has to give people enriching, rewarding lives, or it's simply not worth doing."
I stopped cold when I read those words. I must have re-read them 16 or 20 times, because the underline is pretty black on the page. Then I took out my notebook and started writing down ideas about what makes an enriching, rewarding life - and how my businesses could do that for me.
Beyond the monetary considerations, your business must provide social/emotional fulfillment.
You've got to feel good about the work you're doing, and share that joy with others. That's the beauty of work: different people get joy from doing different tasks. Why put yourself in a position where you HAVE to do the work you hate? If you find yourself foucsing on the drudgery of the work you do, you'll quickly hit burnout, become disgruntled, and look for excuses to not get your work done.
Direct Sales consultants suffer from a chronic dread of getting on the phone and doing the requisite follow-up with their customers. If this is a problem for you, there are solutions. Hire some help. Recruit a customer service rep to handle the calls and follow ups for you. There are two immediate benefits: you'll be freed from the work you hate, PLUS your customers will get the follow up they deserve. The downside? There may be a cost to hiring help. But not necessarily. You can often find inexpensive help through a local college or via online help at places like elance.com.
You will do your best work when you are pursuing your passion.
So often, we find ourselves plugged into work that we thought we would enjoy, only to find out we're really not cut out for it. We haven't taken the time to investigate where our passion truly lies. As a result, we may feel stuck or trapped in a position that we can't escape. That's simply not the case. There are always alternatives.
A coaching client recently made the discovery that, although she loved her work, her real passion was in spending time "being a good mom" to her babies. She felt as though her mission had to be work related, and during our coaching sessions, she came to realize that her work is the vehicle that helps her fulfill her mission of being a good mom. Are you clear on what you live to do? What is that thing that makes you jump out of bed in the morning?
In Direct Sales, we call it your "why", but it can really be anything. The passion that inspires you to do out-of-the-ordinary things to achieve your goals. The fire that pushes you through some of the more mundane moments in your business. When you structure your work around pursuing your passion/mission, nothing can prevent you from achieving success - all it can do is delay it a bit.
There has to be reciprocity. You must give to get.
Sir Richard talks about the various charitable activities that are tied into the Virgin brand. In Direct Sales, many of our companies already donate a portion of profits to worthy causes. At the consultant level, what are YOU doing to give back to your community/customers? It can be a simple hostess appreciation event, giving extras with orders, or any manner of giving back as a way to establish a deeper connection with the people you serve. Service is the key. A business that seeks to serve it's customers (not sell to them), is more profitable, more successful, and more powerful in the marketplace.
In a saturated marketplace, the company that cares - the business with heart, that has concern for the public, makes a bigger splash. Customers "don't care what you know, until they know that you care."
Finding your passion in your business, and serving your customers in a value-added way makes a tremendous difference in the value YOU derive from it as a business owner. When an opportunity presents itself to serve your customers, take it. You'll find your business to be more rewarding, enjoyable, and successful in the long run.
© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young
==========
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR PRINT OR WEB PUBLICATIONS?
I'd be honored - so long as you include this complete blurb with it: Lisa Robbin Young teaches entrepreneurs how to be celebrities in the eyes of their customers. Lisa's mission is to educate entreprenurial women about big business ideas they can apply to their small business enterprise for stellar success. Learn the 4 steps to Building a Better Customer at http://www.homepartysolution.com/bbc.
My intention this year is to write more, and read more, and most importantly to share my findings with my subscribers so they too can benefit from what I learn. This is the first installment of revelations from Sir Richard's book.
After swimming through the first chapter, dozens of action steps popped into my head that I felt compelled to implement in my business. But nestled in the center of that first chapter was this little gem:
"business has to give people enriching, rewarding lives, or it's simply not worth doing."
I stopped cold when I read those words. I must have re-read them 16 or 20 times, because the underline is pretty black on the page. Then I took out my notebook and started writing down ideas about what makes an enriching, rewarding life - and how my businesses could do that for me.
Beyond the monetary considerations, your business must provide social/emotional fulfillment.
You've got to feel good about the work you're doing, and share that joy with others. That's the beauty of work: different people get joy from doing different tasks. Why put yourself in a position where you HAVE to do the work you hate? If you find yourself foucsing on the drudgery of the work you do, you'll quickly hit burnout, become disgruntled, and look for excuses to not get your work done.
Direct Sales consultants suffer from a chronic dread of getting on the phone and doing the requisite follow-up with their customers. If this is a problem for you, there are solutions. Hire some help. Recruit a customer service rep to handle the calls and follow ups for you. There are two immediate benefits: you'll be freed from the work you hate, PLUS your customers will get the follow up they deserve. The downside? There may be a cost to hiring help. But not necessarily. You can often find inexpensive help through a local college or via online help at places like elance.com.
You will do your best work when you are pursuing your passion.
So often, we find ourselves plugged into work that we thought we would enjoy, only to find out we're really not cut out for it. We haven't taken the time to investigate where our passion truly lies. As a result, we may feel stuck or trapped in a position that we can't escape. That's simply not the case. There are always alternatives.
A coaching client recently made the discovery that, although she loved her work, her real passion was in spending time "being a good mom" to her babies. She felt as though her mission had to be work related, and during our coaching sessions, she came to realize that her work is the vehicle that helps her fulfill her mission of being a good mom. Are you clear on what you live to do? What is that thing that makes you jump out of bed in the morning?
In Direct Sales, we call it your "why", but it can really be anything. The passion that inspires you to do out-of-the-ordinary things to achieve your goals. The fire that pushes you through some of the more mundane moments in your business. When you structure your work around pursuing your passion/mission, nothing can prevent you from achieving success - all it can do is delay it a bit.
There has to be reciprocity. You must give to get.
Sir Richard talks about the various charitable activities that are tied into the Virgin brand. In Direct Sales, many of our companies already donate a portion of profits to worthy causes. At the consultant level, what are YOU doing to give back to your community/customers? It can be a simple hostess appreciation event, giving extras with orders, or any manner of giving back as a way to establish a deeper connection with the people you serve. Service is the key. A business that seeks to serve it's customers (not sell to them), is more profitable, more successful, and more powerful in the marketplace.
In a saturated marketplace, the company that cares - the business with heart, that has concern for the public, makes a bigger splash. Customers "don't care what you know, until they know that you care."
Finding your passion in your business, and serving your customers in a value-added way makes a tremendous difference in the value YOU derive from it as a business owner. When an opportunity presents itself to serve your customers, take it. You'll find your business to be more rewarding, enjoyable, and successful in the long run.
© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young
==========
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR PRINT OR WEB PUBLICATIONS?
I'd be honored - so long as you include this complete blurb with it: Lisa Robbin Young teaches entrepreneurs how to be celebrities in the eyes of their customers. Lisa's mission is to educate entreprenurial women about big business ideas they can apply to their small business enterprise for stellar success. Learn the 4 steps to Building a Better Customer at http://www.homepartysolution.com/bbc.
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