Do you ever feel like you’re lost, like you’re off the path, not successful – things need to change now! What if that’s not true? For about 4 years, I pursued creating a resource library and community site for small business owners called Enmast.com. I poured time and attention into it, taking focus away from…
I used to believe that there were no do-overs in business. You only get one chance to make a first impression. You’ve got to nail it; get it right the first time. At least that’s what I believed! What if that’s wrong! But there are many times that I have a critical call with a…
“All businesses are loosely functioning disasters” ~Brent Beshore You spend all day looking at everything that’s wrong with your business… …and I spend all day seeing that everyone has a ton of things wrong with their business! (Seriously, no one’s business on the inside looks like it does on their website!) What are you doing…
For some, work is just a way to earn a living and build up savings until they retire. For others, ones who have found their life’s work, they don’t want to retire. Instead, they look for ways to keep working, keep making a difference, even past “retirement age.” If you are in the latter category,…
No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit. – Andrew Carnegie I remember my first day as General Manager of M&S Systems. I called all my direct reports in for a staff meeting to try to understand the business. I immediately noticed that I…
Articles on Strategic Planning Uniting Your Team, Charting your Future As a leader, it’s your job to define your agency’s future. To do that, you need a point of view about what’s happening in the market you serve. What threats are out there? What are the opportunities? You need to be able to predict the…
Improve your Sales Process REDUCING UNCERTAINTY, SOLVING PROBLEMS Selling creative services is not like selling widgets. When you’re selling creative services, you’re never really sure what your client is buying, and they’re never really sure what you’re selling. In short, there’s a lot of uncertainty. Your sales process should be focused on reducing uncertainty and…
Using a Budget and KPIsto Improve your Agency Performance. Don’t get caught driving without a dashboard. Ever tried driving a car without a working dashboard? I hope not; it’s dangerous. For your agency, your budget and Key Performance Indicators (sometimes called KPIs or OKRs) are like your car’s dashboard. They give you the information you…
Articles on Positioning & Specialization Figure out who you are, then tell the world A well-positioned firm is clear about who they are for and what difference they make in the world; their ideal client sees and feels this immediately. When you’re clear about the services you offer, who you offer them to, and why…
Articles on Pricing Strategy BILLING FOR VALUE rather than time Pricing should be strategic and reflect the value of your team’s unique expertise. When you price your services higher, you communicate confidence in the value you create. It tells your clients that you know you can make a big difference for their company. And who…