Posts Tagged ‘Catapult Effect’

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Don’t Say It. Be It.

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

Some people dream of success, others make it happen. Of course, you can dream as much as you like but waiting for things to happen gets you nowhere. Get active and start making things happen.

Whatever journey your path takes you on, the most important thing is to have passion in what you do.

Did you go to college, get your degree, and end up doing something totally unrelated to your major? Studying it did not make you passionate about it. It wasn’t your path.

Education or even talent aren’t worth much without passion. So do the stuff that you love and you’ve always wanted to do because without it, you’ll feel stuck and unfulfilled. If you work in a bank but your dream is to be a naturopath, then make those changes now. Make this year the turning point in your life. When you do what you love you will be rewarded — it will just flow naturally.

Look at those around you who just make things happen. They have a clear goal in mind and they know where they want to go. They don’t always have a plan but they have the passion and the tenacity to make it work, and they achieve their goals as the end result.

Trust us when we tell you this. If something important to you, you WILL find a way. If it isn’t, you’ll find an excuse. It’s that simple. Find your way. Make it work, whatever it takes. Are you 10 kilos heavier than you should be? It is simple: Commit, go to that gym every day, no excuses, and train until you lose those 10 kilos. When you accomplish this, you’ll have the confidence to do more. Set a goal and make it happen.

Want to stop smoking? Stop making excuses, take control of your circumstances before they take control of you.

Success isn’t just about what you accomplish in your life, it’s about what you inspire others to do and when you do accomplish something as simple as quitting smoking or losing weight, you’ll inspire others to do the same. Anyone can change the world, and everybody should try. And it all starts with your own life.

Stop waiting for the perfect time to do what you want to do. Do it now.

Thanks, Cool Hunter.

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The Myth of the “Right People”

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

I had lunch with a radio sales rep a couple of weeks ago and invariably, as it always does, the conversation turned to reaching “the right people” and how this group of stations could reach exactly the customer my client was after.

Now, honestly, I’ve never seen a business fail due to reaching the wrong people. But if you listen to advertising sales reps, “reaching the right people” will solve all your problems.

And guess who has exactly the right people for you?

The conversation usually goes something like this: the sales rep says, “Tell me, who is your customer?”
“Blah, blah, blah.”
“Really? That’s exactly who we reach! What a fit! It’s like a hand in glove, a marriage made in heaven! We reach your exact customer profile!”

Get the picture?

Here’s an idea. Call every advertising sales office in your city and tell them you want to advertise with them. Let’s see how many of them say, “Sorry, your customer isn’t who we reach.”

The myth of “the right people” is a myth every business owner wants to believe because it keeps them from having to make uncomfortable changes. “Our selection isn’t off-target, we’re just reaching the wrong people.” “Our prices aren’t too high, we’re just reaching the wrong people.” Traffic isn’t down because our ads are flaccid, we’re just reaching the wrong people.”
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Just Over the Horizon

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

This is my “just back from vacation” article. You remember vacations, right? The place you go to relax and forget about “real life,” the place you go to re-think and clear your head. That place. My place this year was Edisto Island, S.C. pictured here by my friend John Sinclair and taken from the deck of the house a bunch of friends shared for a week. Just look at that moonlit horizon. You remember horizons, right? The imaginary line that recedes as you approach it. Happiness is like that for some people. Are you one of them? Do you think of happiness as being out there for you “someday, maybe, as soon as…? Just like those horizons?

Now before you get offended and write me a snippy little email, consider the words of a man who lived 2,000 years ago. “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn…‘” Evidently people two thousand years ago – just like people today – believed moods were the result of circumstances and environment. But unless you suffer from a chemical imbalance, I believe your mood is the result of where you’ve chosen to focus your attention.

While I didn’t really want to come back to work, from vacation (sorry clients- like you but didn’t really miss you), it made me able to re-think what I’m doing and how I do it. Here is my thought: (more…)

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Already have an agency relationship?

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

sanaa, zollverein kubus, 2003-2006
Photo by seier+seier+seierA lot of people are looking for change right now. If you currently work with an advertising agency, spend just a few moments thinking about the following questions and your responses to them. We believe that any answer you may have that equals “less than exceeds most expectations” may be an opportunity for a new more productive relationship. A prospect we’d welcome exploring.

1) Overall how do you rate your agency’s creative team on your business?

2) Does your agency appoint sufficiently qualified creative talent to meet your needs in?

  • strategic creative direction
  • copywriting
  • art direction/design
  • broadcast production
  • print production

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“Dynamic…Inspiring…Not for the faint of heart”

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

CATAPULT-COVER_tammy-210x300Here’s what Lewis Miller of Office Source observes about my new book:

I don’t know about you, but it’s getting harder and harder for me to ignore a pattern in the stream of business advice out there these days – namely, that now is a wonderful time to set yourself apart from the competition by making a really bold commitment to being the best!

I saw it again recently in a dynamic little book by Robert L. Butt entitled The Catapult Effect: Using Short-Term Crisis to Catapult Long Term Success. In this inspiring book Butt urges all of us to tap the entrepreneurial spirit within, rally the troops and “pull out all the stops” to blast holes in the fortress that’s keeping us from our goals.

It’s not advice for the faint hearted, that’s for sure. But my own observations confirm that, during the last twelve to eighteen months, some customers have abandoned their usual suppliers due to cuts in service, and a “stripped down” approach that seems to reduce value. Are you and I among the companies getting new customers as a result – or are we among those seeing declines?

What are your observations? How are you taking advantage of the current climate? And how can we help each other “load up” our catapults? Your comments are welcome below.

And Robert Butt’s book is available as a free download from his website: www.marketingperformance.net Enjoy!

You can find Lewis’ blog here

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