How To Be Perfect Like Me
July 17, 2011
Ok, now that I have your attention I have a confession to make: I’m not perfect. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can almost hear the collective, “NO SH*T” from all of you!) But seriously, there have been times I didn’t return a call from a prospect in time and lost out on a potential opportunity. Sometimes I forget that I’m standing in front a group of professional small business owners and not BFF
s and let an expletive slip out of my mouth. And sometimes I show up to a networking event with melted chocolate all over the back of my pants. Sometimes my posts and blogs are full of typos and sometimes I just completely stick my foot in my mouth and stand there, face as red as a ripe tomato, and stammer; desperately trying to yank the foot out, all the while embedding it even deeper.
I think I’m the typical too-hard-on-myself, I-must-be-perfect entrepreneur. We work so hard and take everything we do so personally that it’s hard to give ourselves a break. It’s hard to be “ok” with being less-than-perfect.
Why are we so hard on ourselves? Why can’t we accept that we’re human beings – and not machines – and as human beings are going to make mistakes? As I pondered this question, I watched my dog Capone lazily get up from his comfy little doggy bed and slowly saunter across my living room and into the bedroom where I heard the leap from the floor to my bed. I knew he was sprawled out in the middle of my bed like a king. And I sighed, “Well, so much for my pretty new comforter….”
A lesson from my perfectly imperfect dog
Then all of his annoying habits flashed through my mind…. He chases cats with absolutely no regard to the arm on the other end of the leash that used to be attached to my shoulder, he stares at me while I eat (the silent begging), he sleeps all over my furniture like he owns it, he whines and stares and nudges me until I walk him (even if he just had a walk 10 minutes before), and he insists on sniffing every stranger we pass on our walks – especially the ones who are afraid of him.
And I thought; despite all of his imperfections and annoying habits I love that dog to death. I pondered, “How can I be annoyed at him? He’s just doing what dogs do… And how can I be mad at him for being a dog?” (Especially since I didn’t train him any better, but that’s another blog topic).
Does my dog have is faults? Yup! Is my dog perfect? Absolutely!!! He does exactly what a dog is supposed to do! He is 100% D-O-G. And that is what I love about him. I can’t fault him for being a dog – any more than I can fault myself for being H-U-M-A-N. So then, why do I constantly beat myself up for not being perfect all the time???
I began to reflect, “Why can’t I give myself the same defense I gave my dog?? After all, I just do what humans do…. I forget to turn the stove off, I eat unhealthy food, swear at inappropriate times, and I allow my dog on the furniture and didn’t train him not to sniff innocent strangers’ knees”. Am I perfect? Absolutely! I do exactly what humans are supposed to do; I make mistakes, I screw up, I embarrass myself. I then pick myself up, dust myself off and vow to do better next time. THAT is what makes me a perfectly imperfect human!
So, much to my displeasure I will never achieve my unrealistic idea of ”perfection”. Nope; there will be plenty more faux pas (what the heck is the plural of that anyway?), slipped “F” words, embarrassing moments, and the sour tastes of foot on my bruised tongue. But I think I am finally realizing – and maybe even accepting – that I am human and will never be perfect. And as a small business owner and entrepreneur, I think the important lesson here is that I continue strive for perfection. We are human, our businesses are run by humans; our marketing, our customer service, our products, our bookkeeping, and our taxes may never be perfect – but as perfectionists we will always strive to be our best – and that is what makes us different from Capone!
What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!! Leave your comments here.
By the way, if you liked this post, I’d really appreciate your Retweet!!! Thank you. 
Don’t Say That!!! How to Improve Your Image by Keeping Your Mouth Closed!
July 10, 2011
One thing I realized during my 9-5 career is that the things you don’t say can oftentimes be way more powerful than the things you do say. I remember telling my boss, the VP of Sales, a story about a how another VP of Sales in a past job took a huge account that I had landed away from me and transferred it to a senior rep because he felt I couldn’t handle it. I told this story as a w
ay to prove that I was capable of bringing in big accounts. But as I told it, I realized that what I was really doing by telling the story was instilling doubt in his mind of my abilities to effectively manage a large account. If another person in his position had made that call, then maybe there was some validity to it.
I vividly remember sitting there after having spilled the beans, immediately regretting it; realizing that although I was trying to make myself look capable it really did quite the opposite… It was a valuable lesson and I learned to be a lot more mindful about what I say – and don’t say! And that is a skill that is definitely useful in developing marketing communications….
Now cut to yesterday…. I stole a couple of lazy hours on a Saturday afternoon to watch some mindless TV. And on comes a Nutella commercial. I rarely watch commercials these days, but as a marketer when I do, I pay attention. In this particular Nutella commercialI noticed how they positioned the product as a fun, easy, and healthy choice. I didn’t quite buy the “healthy” claim so I went to my laptop to look up their ingredients. Guess what??? No so healthy…! But it got me thinking again about Marketing and Advertising and clever big corporations are with their messaging – like politicians, they are great at focussing on the good and ignoring the “bad”. So I thought I’d point out what Nutella did in their commercials to help small business owners know what to say – and NOT say!
Here are some lines from their commercial that I thought were interesting uses of marketing messaging. I also included lessons that all small businesses can learn from them.
“Serve it on whole wheat toast or even whole wheat waffles.” - I love this line. Without saying the product is healthy, it leads you to believe it’s healthy simply by associating it with something that is healthy! Using this strategy, you can slap 20 tablespoons of sugar on whole wheat bread and voila! It’s healthy! Lesson: In your business, what can you associate your product or service with to make it more appealing to consumers?
“My ki
ds love it and I feel good about serving it.” - Translation: I don’t have to force my kids to eat healthy stuff they hate- yet, it’s healthy enough that I don’t have to feel guilty about feeding them junk. Lesson: What emotional affect does your product or service have on consumers and how can you make them feel good about using it?
“Nutella is made with Simple, Quality ingredients; like hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa” –How can you go wrong with nuts and skim milk and just a ‘hint’ of cocoa??? Sounds so nutritious and wholesome and good, doesn’t it? What they don’t say is that the first ingredient is sugar and the second is palm oil (which is proven to increase bad cholesterol). Lesson: How are you showcasing your best qualities (and down-playing your not-so-great qualities)?
“No artificial colors or preservatives” – What they don’t tell you is there are artificial flavors, but because they say “no artificial colors or preservatives” you forget to ask about artificial “anything” and assume it’s “artificial”/junk free! Lesson: As small business owners we sometimes feel the need to apologize for the little things we don’t do- or the services we don’t provide… but instead of apologizing for what you don’t offer, focus on what you DO – and more often than not, people won’t even notice what you don’t do!
I’m not writing this to pick on Nutella or to tell you shouldn’t smother it all over your whole wheat toast for breakfast. I wrote it to use a real world example of how an effective marketing strategy and careful marketing messaging can transform your product or service. Happy Marketing !
(And one more thing, can you really call it a Hazelnut spread if hazelnuts are only the THIRD ingredient? Wouldn’t it be a sugar spread?” – I guess it’s all about packaging!)
What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!! Leave your comments here.
By the way, if you liked this post, I’d really appreciate your Retweet!!! Thank you.
7 Reasons to Tell A Client To Take A Hike.
July 6, 2011
Recently a good friend and fellow small business owner decided enough was enough and fired a pretty big client. It wasn’t an easy decision; she had been working with them for years and the money was good. But the client drained her. She was constantly stressed and knew she was spending way too much time trying to please this unappeasable client. The client treated her
poorly, had unrealistic expectations, was a horrible communicator, didn’t follow her advice, was overly-demanding for what he was paying her, and always made her feel as if she wasn’t doing enough – despite the fact that she put in 4 times the number of hours on the account that she did on any other.
Choosing to fire a client is never an easy decision. As small business owners, oftentimes we feel compelled to work with whoever will pay us, because for most of us getting a new client is not an easy feat. But I want you to study your PITA (Pain in the A**) client(s) and get real about how much you really need them. More often than not, when you start doing the math you’ll realize you’re better off without them.
Here are my 7 Signs that it’s time to tell a Client to Take a hike.
- They treat you like crap – They speak to you like you’re a 4 year old. They constantly compare you to others (usually in reference to cost). They second guess you and basically make you feel like you should quit your day job and become a Walmart Greeter.
- They don’t value you. You bring a ton of value to their business, and yet they constantly beat you up about price, constantly challenge you to prove your worth, or demand more and more of your time.
- They act like they own you –They usually aren’t paying you enough and yet they feel like they own you. They call you at all hours of the day and night, including holidays and weekends and expect you to be there instantly. When you aren’t they make you feel bad
- They are never happy – You bend over backwards trying to make them happy. You feel like it must be you so you work harder, longer, and smarter – and yet they still aren’t happy.
- Your profit margin is shrinking –On the surface you might think you need this client because they pay you a lot, but start tracking your hours worked vs. revenue. If you break it down you might realize you would be making better money as a Walmart Greeter.
- Your customer service is suffering – You spend so much time trying to make this one client happy that you barely have time for your other clients – the ones who DO value you. What would it cost you to lose one of those other clients? (Look at their profit margins, NOT their total revenue).
- You’re beating yourself up- This client is starting to make you doubt yourself. You wonder if you aren’t doing enough or doing it right. You realize this client makes you feel bad about yourself and your product or service.
Of course some of this is about setting expectations right up front about what you will and will not provide. But sometimes we get into things quite by accident; let one late night phone call slide, respond to one holiday emergency out of the kindness of your heart and before you know it becomes an expectation. Take a look at these 7 signs, and if even a few resonate, it’s time to cut your losses and move on!
What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!! Leave your comments here.
By the way, if you liked this post, I’d really appreciate your Retweet!!! Thank you.
-
- Sign Up for The Best Free Marketing Advice and Tips You Can Get!
Get Great Images!
Let's Get Social!
-
+Carolyn Higgins, President of Fortune Marketing Company
- Carolyn Higgins, President of Fortune Marketing Company specializes in helping small to medium sized businesses get the customers they need to sell more, increase profits and achieve all of their business and personal goals. We do this by implementing and managing marketing systems based on data and strategy - there is no guess work. For more information visit us at: FortuneMarketingCompany.com. We'd be glad to help!
Free Report: 7 Easy Steps to Small Business Marketing Success
