To the Point... How Do We Best Leverage Our Current Business Model?

This 3rd and final of my big question series shares something important with the other two (question 1, question 2 here): the answers to each question require you to step away from your day to day, hour to hour business issues and contemplate what is critical, but not urgent regarding your business. I encourage you to do this often because it can mean the difference between long term sustainability or incremental obsolescence.

3 great ways to leverage your current business model:

1: Make culture your most valuable asset.
Leaders of businesses I know that have thrived for decades tell me their culture is by far the most valuable asset they own. They see their culture as an “operating system” that makes the right decisions and behaviors obvious. A strong culture also attracts the right people and has high value for clients. Look at businesses that seem to perpetually thrive. What is it that endures beyond the turnover of products, services or even people?

2: Think “scalpel” vs “machete” when evolving your business.
Seeing the necessity to evolve is critical, but do it in a way that won’t kill your existing business. Remember you do not have to chop off a viable piece of your business to grow another. Understand what brought you to the dance (ie your core competencies) and take small steps at the right pace. Quantum leaps have claimed many victims. Make your changes “additive” vs turning away from your legacy business.

3: Have a clear vision then Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!
Communicate in your actions, priorities, and words. A great vision is simple and human. Say something real, as if you are saying something important to a trusted friend. If your vision is simple and real, people will feel something real about your company. They won’t have to memorize what you are about or why they are motivated to be on board.

You can't be looking down all the time and expect to evolve and adapt your business to the changing market. Make a regular date with yourself or your team to look out beyond the urgent day-to-day stuff and really think about what you see. Design these dates to be true disconnects from the daily distractions. This often means getting out of the office, making it fun, and making it a totally different experience than another day at the office. I promise this time will never be wasted.


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All the Best,





Warren R. Turner, Cardinal Points

To the Point...How a Conversation Strategy Prevents Blindness

Nowadays it is difficult to decipher a clear path through the haze of constant market changes and increasing urgencies each day brings. This difficulty comes with many hidden dangers. When your attention is divided then your direction divides with it, resulting in something similar to flying blind. The best insurance plan against flying blind is having the right conversations with the right people as a normal practice of running your business. How do you know you are doing this? If you don't have a specific strategy for this there is a good chance you are not doing it. There is a big difference between our normal day-to-day conversations with clients and the ones that prevent blindness.

Three ingredients to avoid flying blind:

1: The right audience
Elevate your game, go as high in the client organization as possible. Height will bring clarity to the picture; it allows you to see the forest for the trees. Remember, Eagles fly with Eagles.

2: A specific strategy and plan for having these conversations
Discussions must focus on real business issues rather than the nuances of your solution… Do not lose site of your goal, you are there to gather information and gain insight. So take time to understand your client or prospects’ business and ask open ended, meaningful questions. For example I was reading an article “fill in the blank” and it said “whatever”, How does this impact your business? Then shut up and listen. To help you plan here's a Conversation Strategy Cheat Sheet.

3: Time investment on your calendar
Show respect for your prospects willingness to meet with you by thoroughly planning the call, preparing an agenda and allocating sufficient time. By all means be punctual, if you are meeting somewhere other than their office say a restaurant plan ahead by making a reservation, allow time for traffic.

The most important part of this formula is to have a formula and to treat this process no differently than you would any other process vital to your business. Most blindness I see happens incrementally, as a result of repeatedly missing ques about how your clients are changing and where they are going. The good news is a few simple steps like those I have outlined above will assure your vision will remain clear and your decisions well informed by a few well planned conversations.


Was this helpful to you? I'd like to know, just send me a note.

All the Best,

Warren

Cheat Sheet “Conversation Strategy”  

Purpose: The Conversation Strategy Cheat Sheet was designed to assist the user in their planning and preparation for a meaningful and useful conversation with a client or prospect. No more winging it, conversations with a purpose.

     1. Did I outline the purpose and goal of the call?

     2. What do I need to find out during the call?

     3. Research the account prior to the call?

     4. Learn something about the person and their business before the meeting?

     5. Send an outline of the agenda to the client before the meeting?

     6. What information of value (to them) am I prepared to share with them?

     7. What's the next step after the call?


 For more information either email me at wturner@cardinalpoints.com  or call me at 770-913-0048

To the Point... One Question Every I.T. Reseller or Service Provider Must Answer Immediately

Market changes are well underway that will dramatically change how your clients think and what they want. Transformation is in the air, cloud computing has created an explosion of new alternatives for virtually every I.T. function and I believe it won't be long (to be measured in months not years) before this explosion will have an equal effect on your client’s expectations and your business. Of the thousands of I.T. Resellers and Service Provider executives and their salespersons I’ve met, 99% of their time seems to be consumed with the crisis de jour while literally less than one percent is invested in seeking real answers to the following question:

How will my business be relevant to my clients in the future?

In order to answer this mission critical question, you must answer these two questions:

First, do I understand how the shifting market effects my client's expectations?

>When is the last time I asked?
>Who am I relying on for these answers?
>Am I meeting with the right people?
>What is my exposure to these changes?

Second, how can I best leverage my current business model to meet the new expectations?

>How honest and realistic am I that my offering today will sustain value tomorrow?
>What new skills and offerings do I need to acquire to capitalize on the changes?
>What do I need to invest to assure I/we will capitalize on the new changes?

Consider these “evergreen” questions you ask yourself every three months. Acting upon this type of self-inquiry as a regular practice can help you steer confidently through market changes and avoid the dangerous myopia that occurs when day-to-day urgencies dominate your focus.

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