We get in trouble when we forget the basics. We get out of trouble when we remember the basics. We stay out of trouble when we become perpetually "insane" about the basics.
The personal Blog of Howard Mann. Author, Speaker & Entrepreneur. - November 21st, 2008
31
Jul
08
Jul
08
The Little Book of Business Jokes
For me, the ability to make someone laugh is one of the best things you can do. I have been telling jokes of every conceivable type for as long as I can remember. I seem to have an ability to remember every joke I ever heard and can usually recall one on just about every topic. The art of telling them is often equal to the joke itself. Quite a gift, I know.
30
Jul
08
Jul
08
Like Attracts Like
An excerpt from a great post over at the 37 Signals blog:
“We get it. But our clients would never understand.”
30
Jul
08
Jul
08
1 Perfect Transaction. Repeat.
I was reminded the other day of a great Bank of America TV ad that I saw a few years ago.
The bank employee in the ad explains that it is not about figuring out the best way to process 11 Billion checks a year, but rather, figure out how to process one check perfectly and then duplicate it 11 billion times.
29
Jul
08
Jul
08
Book PDF Problems - Fixed
It seems that some readers are having difficulty opening the free PDF on certain PC's.
We have revised the PDF to make sure it works with Adobe Reader version 7 and higher. You can download it on the links around the site or simply by clicking here.
Again, my sincere apologies, thank you for contacting me with the problem and thanks for your interest in my book!
29
Jul
08
Jul
08
Greatness and Uniqueness Are Symbiotic
A pre-requisite for a course I was involved with is the Kolbe "A" Index test that reveals one's instinctual abilities. From the site...
"What people can do usually has little in common with what they actually end up doing.
The reason? People have been taught to ignore their instincts, or worse yet, to fear or hate their instincts.
Ignoring your instincts and failing to appreciate the instincts of others can be disastrous.
28
Jul
08
Jul
08
Purpose Powers Scale
While up in Portland Maine not too long ago I had dinner at The Flatbread Company. In addition to truly amazing pizza, I noticed a great sign hanging over the bar:
"Flatbread Company is growing. Are more restaurants bad?
Not if we follow our purpose.
Groups in nature have a purpose...
100 apples in a tree
100 geese flying in formation
1000 fish in a school
10,000 bees in a colony
Our purpose is who we are. It gives us direction and makes the many of us one."
25
Jul
08
Jul
08
What If The Sales Process Was Fun For Everyone?
Almost every business I have come across sells in a similar way. Call, meeting, live presentation, written proposal, negotiate and pray.
It's a tedious and painful process
I am certainly guilty of trying to follow the same path. Boy does
it suck. If it sucks for one to do, how much must it suck for the
person on the receiving end?
If your sales strategy focuses on persistence to grind the
prospect into submission...you can't complain when your clients act
like a captured populace.
23
Jul
08
Jul
08
Mini Cooper's Carfun Footprint
I am loving the copy writing on the latest Mini Cooper ad. A clear message that is fun and connects to warm blooded humans that want to be nice with the environment but don't want to hit a curve in a Prius (Especially the kind that get excited about the things that make cars fun). Smart work from Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners reads like a manifesto. Wish they had put more emphasis on the clever "Carfun Footprint" idea. The text of the ad....
22
Jul
08
Jul
08
Keynote: The Death Of Blogs for Business
Good morning everyone and thank you for coming today,
Today is a big day in the evolution of blogs as a communication tool for every business in the world. Ironically, today I am here to announce the death of Blogs. (pause for audience gasp)
20
Jul
08
Jul
08
Buy The Premise....Buy The Bit
The late, great Johnny Carson once said about comedy... "If you buy the premise..you buy the bit."
It seems to me that when you dig all the way down, so much of the discussion on sales, marketing, buzz, tipping points, etc.. come down to figuring out a highly efficient way for people "buy the premise."
The key is to hone that premise so that it allows people to buy into it as personally, quickly and easily as possible.
Imagine if a comedian opened his routine with the equivalent of...
-A 40 slide PowerPoint or
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Quick Posts
Rajesh Setty is giving away his great book "Life Beyond Code. Learn to Distinguish Yourself in 9 Simple Steps!" A very nice and useful Thanksgiving gift to yourself. Download it here.
It seems the commenting feature on the blog posts has not been working properly. I apologize. It is now fixed. Please do comment and join the discussion.
Great Harvard Business post on lessons that can be learned by the Obama campaign. Loved this part on the importance on purpose: "Bigness of purpose is what separates 20th century and 21st century organizations: yesterday, we built huge corporations to do tiny, incremental things - tomorrow, we must build small organizations that can do tremendously massive things."
Tom Peters: 100 Ways to Succeed #146: "Obsess On The Basics! Now, More Than Ever!" "....Keep on each other over those basics—and be liberal with the kudos for those who go an extra millimeter to do a "trivial" job especially well."
The VC's are yelling from the roof tops for startups to batten down the hatches. Like I said in my post from the other day, you have to double down AND batten down. What all of this really means is, of course, you need to get back to the business basics that have always worked and always will.
The smart folks over at Behance have launched an online project collaboration tool that follows their Action Method paper system. Watch the online video tour to get an idea of how it works. Looks like a simple and effective ways to track the individual action items for projects and goals.
Tom Peters and Seth Godin on one stage taking questions from Inc. 500 business owners. Priceless wisdom on a wide variety of topics. Click here to watch then sit back and enjoy!
"It’s easy to say that entrepreneurs will create jobs and big companies
will create unemployment, but this is simplistic. The real question is
who will innovate. A 50-year-old company can innovate as well as two guys/gals in a garage." From an interview with Guy Kawasaki discussing the ideas in his new book Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition
"If you want to make your website better at turning visitors into customers (or subscribers), you need to understand why most of your visitors are leaving!" a helpful article to drive home the point that launching your web site is the easy part. If you want your web site to deliver real results for your business then you need to work at with persistence.
Douglas Rushkoff is singing from the same songbook about the importance of the basics... now more than ever. "I’d love for businesspeople who feel all is lost to recognize that this is such a perfect moment to return to core competency, to remember what it was about their industries that excited them to begin with, and to reconnect with the processes and attitudes that make work fun and meaningful again." If you have not read his book you should buy it now and rock your basics!
Howard Mann is a speaker, author and entrepreneur. He is on a mission to get businesses to thrive in every way, in good times and bad, by relentlessly sticking to their basics. Learn more.
Get The Book
Your Business Brickyard will reconnect you to the basics that will make your business more fun to run.
Download the complete Book as a PDF for FREE by clicking here. OR buy the hardcover for yourself, a valued client or a business owner you know that could use a boost. Links: Amazon.com or 800-CEO-READ.
The little eBook of Business Jokes
The Little eBook of Business Jokes. 9 jokes to make you laugh and smile. Why? Because business has become a place of too much stress and laughter is still the best medicine.
Download it now and share with anyone and everyone that could use a laugh.
Speaking Engagements
Getting your business to focus on the basics starts with a strong call to action and specific steps that you can take that same day. Howard's talks have been called a one to one mentoring session regardless of the size of the audience. They are highly practical, personal, motivation and fun! Book Howard Mann to speak at your next event or set up a Business Brickyard workshop.Click here to learn more.