Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Achieving your Personal and Professional Goals

In the world of Success, there are two schools of thought:
In this corner is the Work Smarters. They are constantly on the look out for tips and tricks to shave a few minutes off every task and gain a few extra minutes of productivity. They are devotees of Getting Things Done, ardent LifeHackers and Crackberry addicts. If only they can achieve a Covey-esque mastery of their day planner, there is no limit to what they could do.

On the other side we have the Law of Attractors. They’ve memorized The Secret and visualize an abundant future. They quote Rev Michael Beckwith, read James Arthur Ray and await Rhonda Byrne’s next masterwork. If only they could cast aside doubt, and achieve a laser focus on what they truly desire, there is no limit to what they could do.

They’re both right. And they are both wrong.
There is no one magic bullet for success. You need to be productive and be positive. You need to make connections and celebrate the interconnectedness of us all. You need to work smarter and visualize your ideal outcome.
Success is like good soup. There isn’t any one item that gets added to the pot and whoala! It’s soup. Only when the flavors of all of the ingredient blend together above a passionate flame does something magic happen.
You can’t spell “attraction” without “action”.

When we put all of the ingredients together, there is not a limit to what we can do.

Charlie Wollborg is the founding partner of Curve Detroit Advertising, Marketing & Design. He helps growing brands stand out from the clutter. Learn more about his firm at curvedetroit.com or watch his video blog at charliecurve.com

Monday, October 12, 2009

Linkedin to Profitability in Seven Steps

The law of Visibility+Credibility=Profitability (V+C=P) was first introduced by Dr. Ivan Misner from BNI and has proven to be true for offline networkers. You become visible by doing things like submitting articles to trade magazines, speaking at Rotary Chapters and participating in Bloomfield Birmingham Chamber of Commerce(BBCC) mixers on a regular basis. When people talk with you, research your work and realize you are a person of integrity, your credibility grows. That makes you referable which leads to profitability.

Metro Detroit leads the country in new Linkedin users, which begs the question how do you create the visibility and credibility on Linkedin needed to become profitable? Here are seven steps you can implement immediately to put the law of V+C=P to work for you.

1. Complete your profile! Think resume with a professional photo.
2. Give recommendations! Short, succinct and relevant.
3. Ask for recommendations! It’s okay, really!
4. Answer questions! Show off your expertise.
5. Participate in groups! The group for the BBCC is a great place to start.
6. Utilize applications! Import your blog or start a poll.
7. Status updates! Give us nuggets of goodness about your business.

The path to profitability online is the same as it is offline, even if the methods are different. Make the commitment to implement at least one of these methods everyday and watch your visibility and credibility soar!

David Lingholm is the leadoff hitter for Basso Design Group, purveyors of creative interactive media and marketing solutions. Learn more about us at http://www.bassodesigngroup.com

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Plan for the Short-Term to Stay on Top of Changing Market Conditions

For those of us operating our organizations on the calendar year – it’s once again time to prepare and plan for the year ahead. Given the current economic climate and that which we have all endured this past year, this could be one of the most difficult planning seasons we have faced yet.

Many questions still exist that present challenges with projecting revenue, ability to hire staff and making final decisions on product or service offering changes for the coming year. Since many of us have already made cuts, sacrifices and worked to squeeze every dime out of our budget it seems there may be little room left to work.

Though it’s important to have a long-range outlook, immediate challenges may make it difficult to begin planning for the full calendar year. The shift and uncertainty in market conditions have made short-term planning a more necessary route. Using a planning approach in one-, three- and six-month cycles allows the opportunity to set goals that can be measured and tested much more quickly.

As with the beginning of any long-term plan, it’s important to evaluate your organization’s current situation in a similar fashion with each short-term plan. In doing so, you can determine how to alter, modify, or shift existing products or services to make your organization more attractive to potential customers or clients in the near future. Having this flexibility can result in the ability to adjust to market trends to help keep your organization viable.

Short-term planning questions to consider include:
•Is there a part of your organization that can become a niche product or service?
•What 'need' has been created by the poor economy that is not currently being fulfilled?
•Can you create a need?

The key is to take action to adjust to market changes in order to avoid putting your organization at risk. A new, measurable approach does not have to be costly, but failing to recognize the need for change could be. With a bit of practice, identifying the drivers of what makes your organization tick on a regular basis can be very valuable. Short-term planning exercises can assist us to become more resourceful, practical and provide focus on our organization’s core strengths.