Futurize

Eight Ways to Futurize Your Business By Michelle Cubas, Enterprise Coach

Futurize your business in shifting markets with these simple and systematic steps.

Only two elements are required to apply them: An open mind and resourcefulness, not competitiveness.

1. Here's your action plan!

Keep a log of personal and staff meetings even if you are the only employee. (Binders work well and are easily updated and amended.)

An effective action strategy is to consistently meet with vendors who support your business.

Have a breakfast round table and ask these types of questions of each other:

2. Why are you in business?

Restate your answer at least three times. For example, if you are an interior designer, do you sell furnishings and decor items or prestige, comfort and support your client's creative expression?

Here's a start for a brainstorming session with your team�

Practice with these professions and see what evolves out of the discussion:

• Realtor

• Physician

• Teacher

• Service station attendant

• Hotel reservation agent

Keep adding to the list, and you will find interesting ideasyou can apply to your own business.

One of the easiest ways to have team members �open up� is to step aside from your industry. It becomes like a third-person discussion and they are less threatened by the process.

3. The next step . . . insulate your customer base while attracting more.

Use Customer Insulation and Bridging! You will have to be brutally honest with these entries. In fact, have the round table give you feedback.

• Why would you use your services?

• Why do customers use your services? (Consider: reputation, price, value, quality?)

• Where do your customers come from? (Referrals, phone book, coupons?)

• What do I have to stop DOING to start BEING __________________! (Productive, profitable, approachable)

A stark analysis of these questions will reveal highlights and gaps in your business.

Once your vision is clear and you've redefined how you want to conduct your business, watch the results pour in.

Don't fritter time/resources in a dry pond! That's not defeat, that's smart. Smaller fish have less economic impact than big fish! Collectively, a business is healthier with many fish.

4. Apply the Everybody Reward System (ERS)

This doesn't eat time, but it does require consistency.

• Eliminate secrecy, and let everybody "buy" in, even to discomforting situations. You'll be rewarded with genuine concern and sensible suggestions.

• Reduce wasted resources! For example, start a recycling program, redeem cans, bail cardboard and flow it back into the company.

• Offer extraordinary ThanQs (rewards to include others supporting your employee like partners, children, family members)

• Put surprise on your side. Apply "Catch 'em in the Act! � " to reinforce behavior you want repeated.

Publicly (unless you know a person's communication style doesn't respond well to group accolades) offer unexpected reward/recognition/ compensation/participation-encouragement to continue their vision and positive behavior.

Do not reward just meeting expectations.

Examples:

• Use of a company vehicle

• Movie passes

• Weekend getaway

• Pampering services

• Gift certificates for choice

• Pampering services

• Car washes

5. Examples for effective hiring practices:

• Use the first part of the interview to set the company tone and explain your vision.

• Then ask them to repeat it back. Ask yourself, "Do they share my vision?" You'll know within three minutes!

• Ask them to define what business you're in?

• Explain your expectations in black and white terms. Avoid "enough rope to hang yourself. . ." mentality.

• Be clear about what your job descriptions are in terms of what the company needs, your preferences, and the meaningful events during the year-business anniversary celebration, trade shows, company events

Once hired:

• Review the participation in two weeks then one month.

• Assess observable behavior indicates they share and understand your vision.

• Do they understand what role they play in the big picture?

• Find out what excites them: $$$, belonging, leadership, recognition-public or private. If encouragement is not provided in a meaningful way, it's like giving someone a surprise party that hates surprises! (You'll know in 15 minutes)

6. Preventative Marketing

Memorable Imaging-Mental perceptions of who you are and what you do.

Awareness saves your resources.

Marketing resources often occur as a result of reactive rather than planned needs.

At a staff meeting, ask:

• How important is marketing to our business?

• What portion of the budget is assigned in advance to marketing activities?

• What would it take to raise your respect for marketing services?

• How do you effectively use promotions?

• How do you effectively use events?

Where are you in the marketing process? If always in the middle, you need help!

What is your plan to achieve the next level on the 3, 6, 9, 12 month horizons?

• Site expansion

• Increased staff

• Downsized staff

• Line extension

• Site change

• Added services

• Alliances

Collect entries at a staff meeting to this question.

"If you overheard people discussing you and your business, what would you like them to say about you and your business.

See how close the answers are. Can you really separate them?"

This exercise is useful in assessing written and verbal communication skills and how they apply to systemic Business Literacy � .

7. Profitability in a Non-Profitable Environment

• Find the gold mine in niche treasures and existing contacts!

• Tighten your audience appeal and marketing campaigns.

• Define your

• Influencers (people who don't buy from you, yet tell the world!)

• Vendors

• Alliances

• Similar business

What are they doing? Go the other way. Otherwise you sap energy and resources mimicking others.

The idea has to be original to someone, why not you!

8. Pull rather than push

Attraction is much wiser and less exhausting approach than pushing a stone up a hill!

Here's a sample start for this type of thinking. This is an excellent baseline employee/manager survey opportunity:

• Is anyone out there? Select your targets, don't just shoot!

• Who are you attracting for clients?

• How difficult was it to get their attention?

• Whom do they think you are?

• Whom do you think you are?

• How do people find you?

• Where is your business location?

• What does it say about you?

• Does your logo support who you are?

• Are your materials representative of your level of commitment, service?

• Is your message about accessibility in how to do business with you?

• How are you doing �it� right and delivering on the promise, your message?

• Halo effectiveness-Use publication placement & association with others who address your market

• Avoid "good enough" thinking

• Avoid underestimating expectations, "Nobody knows the difference anyway"

• Where are you "playing" and with whom?

• How do you prioritize campaigns.

• Where can you shine in the calendar year? Avoid holiday clusters.

• How do you determine your pricing foundation-reactionary, dreams, perceptions and actualities?

• Define your marketing style�pragmatic, flamboyant, dramatic, or direct.

Futurizing Highlights

• Understand your own vision; attract others who share your vision

• Remember why you are in business

• Train others you want to attract by your marketing style

• Raise your awareness of marketing value

• Practice preventative marketing

• Be memorable

• Be your own best customer

• Success is yours!

Michelle Cubas is an Enterprise Business Coach. She practices internationally through her coaching and consulting business, public and corporate ThinkShops and teleclasses. The practice focuses on Business Literacy (tm) and Diversity including Multi-Cultural and Multi-Generational training, Global Readiness (tm) for Executives, Multi-Dimensional Leadership Development and Capture of Intellectual Capital for business equity value.

For newsletter and business data, visit www.positivepotentials.com or e-mail mcubas@positivepotentials.com

Positive Potentials LLC The Enterprise Coaching & Consulting Practice

6190 E.Fifth Avenue, Suite 1 Scottsdale, AZ 85258 (480) 922-9699 fax (480) 946-3000

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