7 Steps: A Guide for Logical Decision Making

Critical decisions can be tough to make in the business world. Rational decisions are important when we as humans tend to be highly emotional. However, there is a model to help those who have to make these difficult choices daily in the workplace. This guide can make the process less stressful and help you come up with clear solutions that are the best. Here’s how it goes:

1.     Identify the decision that must be made: Clearly define your decision or problem.

2.     Gather relevant information: Find all data pertaining to the problem or decision that must be made. This can be internal (inside the workplace) or external (outside the workplace). This is where the brainstorming begins once the data has all been gathered.

3.     Find alternative answers: How many different ways can you spin this? How many solutions are there? Write down a pros and cons list of each one. Do the pros outweigh the cons? SWOT analysis and decision matrixes are helpful here too.

4.     Weigh your findings: Place each alternative in order of ranking from highest to lowest based on the pros and cons lists you created. Which ones make the most sense?  

5.     Choose: Now it’s time to choose the best solution for your problem. Sometimes a blend of a few of the alternatives may be the answer and not just one single solution. Being an effective decision-maker involves creativity and confidence.

6.     Act: Now that you have chosen it is time to act. Implement your decision but take the time to create a plan so that the team is on the same page.

7.     Monitor and Review: Did the decision solve the problem? Here is where you can look at the results of the solution. Look at the solution and evaluate whether or not it has resolved the problem properly. Are you satisfied with the outcome? If the answer is no, this is when you can try another option.

Human nature causes us to be emotional but decisions should be made rationally. We shouldn’t make decisions based on reasoning that is backed by feeling. Logical decision-making can be tough to do sometimes. Following this guideline can help you and your team make the right decisions for the brand/business. Good luck and we hope this helps!

Don’t Be a Car Salesman: Best Sales Practices for Your Brand to Follow

Ahh, sales. Nobody loves it. Well, maybe some people do. Those people are born with a certain knack for it and are probably in roles that are specific to that. However, if you’re an entrepreneur, sales are part of your job to grow your business and it may not be where your strengths lie. It is a necessary evil, and a very important one at that to drum up new business and succeed. If you’re one of these people, do not fret, there are some tactics that you can take to keep up with best practices in sales. Here are some of our tips.

1.     Know your audience: In B2B sales, you need to know what other businesses are looking for. What do they want from you? What can you offer them that others can’t?

2.     Sell in a buyer-responsive way: Provide the buyer with what they want, when they want it.

3.     Establish trust: Be transparent with your prospective clients. Honestly goes a long way and showing them that you are human will strengthen this.

4.     Demonstrate your expertise: How is your brand the best out there? Why? What makes you stand out? Let prospective clients know your worth and show them you’re an expert. This will increase the likelihood that they will go with your brand instead of someone else’s.

5.     Be a good storyteller: We’ve said this in the past and we’ll say it again. Telling good stories is important for so many aspects of business and this is one of them. When selling, it’s important to sell your story too. Let businesses know who you are and why you do what you do. This will show your humanity as well. Everyone has a story to tell. What’s yours?

6.     Personalize: Do research on prospective clients before reaching out. Let them know you’ve done your homework and it will show your desire to want to work with them.

7.     Try multiple marketing tactics: Send emails, try cold calls, social media DM’s, etc. You never know what the best way to reach someone will be and everyone’s preferred method will be different. That’s why it is important to try multiple forms of contact.

This list is just somewhere to get you started on your sales journey but it can help you begin to understand the strategies necessary to meet sales goals. Not everyone is born good at selling but the good news is that it can be improved on. “Become the persona who would attract the results you seek.” -Jim Cathcart

SWOT Analysis

Can you tell me 3 strengths of your brand? What about 3 weaknesses? If you hesitated, had to stop and think for an answer, and maybe found one minute later then you can benefit from SWOT Analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This is a tool to analyze the aspects of your brand to help it improve, grow, rinse, and repeat. Some benefits of conducting a SWOT analysis are:

1.     Brand self-awareness

2.     Recognizing opportunities

3.     Identify threats and mitigating

4.     Plan and make decisions strategically

5.     Optimize Resources

6.     Improved employee collaboration & communication

7.     Tracking performance

SWOT will look at internal and external factors to understand your brand’s position in its field. That said, how can your brand go about conducting the analysis? You need to create a SWOT Matrix. Here is an example of what that will look like.

SWOT Analysis can be a very useful tool for your brand to succeed. We hope this helps you as a starting point to conduct one to improve. It should be noted that there are some common mistakes to avoid when doing this though. Try not to make your lists too long. This can overcomplicate things and make it less feasible to improve. Don’t be vague. Being specific will help provide laser focus on each topic. Do not overlook your weaknesses and be honest. You will only hurt the brand by doing so. Don’t be unrealistic with ideas that may not even be an option yet. It’s great to have future goals but if your brand isn’t there yet, it will be a waste of time and effort. Lastly, do not do the analysis alone. This should be done as team collaboration to make sure you don’t miss anything and build a stronger bond between employees. Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. -Helen Keller

Tips to Help You Calm Nerves Before Giving a Big Presentation

We recently wrote an article with some tips to become a better public speaker, which is very important in business. But, no matter how many times you have given a big presentation, your nerves most likely won’t go anywhere. This is a good thing. It means that you care. You want it to go well. That said, sometimes the anxiety can cause you to bomb or affect your confidence. So, how do you calm your nerves down before presenting? Here are some ways to help curb the nervousness that comes along with public speaking.

1.     Focus on deep breathing: Take deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. A good 4-second count in and out as you breathe. This helps regulate your heart rate, blood pressure, and stress. You can do this before, during, and after speaking.

2.     Stretch: Do this before the presentation. This can help with your body language to be more relaxed and natural. It can also improve posture.

3.     Visualize: See yourself in the first person giving the presentation to the group in a confident way. The first person is important here. Make sure you aren’t visualizing in the sense that you’re watching yourself from the outside like a movie. Engage the audience and see positive outcomes, such as applause. This can help curb negative emotions.

4.     Positive affirmations: These reinforce strengths and goals. Write them down and put them in places where you will see them often. We like to put them on the bathroom mirror, and in the car, and we state them aloud before bed and after waking. An example of a positive affirmation is, “I speak confidently and with conviction.”

Public speaking is never easy but you can use these tips to help manage anxiety that inherently comes along with it. Following these guidelines can help your presentations flow more naturally so that you can focus on your message. Remembering the value that you have to offer your audience is important to keep in mind as you present. If you make a mistake during the presentation, don’t freak out. You’re only human and mistakes are bound to happen. Let it go and move on to the next section. Redirect your focus and keep it organic. Practice makes permanent and the more you do it, the better you will get!

The 10 Kawasaki Slide Method

Guy Kawasaki is a world-renowned entrepreneur who created a list of 10 slides to pitch your business idea to investors. He used to be the Chief Evangelist of Apple and currently Canva. Rob Schwartz recently did a blog on this idea, and we loved his breakdown. Guy follows the 10-20-30 rule. 10 slides, 20 minutes, and 30-point font. Here are what these 10 slides are all about.

1.     Title: Who are you and what is your idea? First impressions go a long way here so it must be impactful. This is where all contact information should be and don’t be afraid to add s headline, image, or photo.

2.     The problem: What is the problem that your business idea is going to solve? Clearly state the problem and how your brand plans to fix it. Bullet points are good here.

3.     Value proposition: This is where you get to explain your value as a business. Why is your idea the best? What makes your brand different than all the rest?

4.     Business Model: How will your business make money? Is it subscription-based, fee-based, sales, etc? This shows your business plan and should include data.

5.     Underlying magic: This slide should describe your secret recipe so to speak. Less text and more diagrams here. If you have a demo or prototype this is the place for it. It will demonstrate how you will launch the product/service and how it all works from start to finish.

6.     Marketing & sales: Who is the target audience and how do you plan to reach them? How will you make your business blow up and have people throwing their money at it?

7.     Competitors: Who are your top competitors? You cannot overdo it here. Show your current performance, if any, compared to your competition.

8.     Your team: Highlight those that are on your team and show why they are each an asset to your brand.

9.     Projections & metrics: What do the financials look like over time? This is where you can show how much you have invested and what they would invest. Charts are good here to project growth. Use a 3-year bottom-to-top visual. How long will it take you to make your/their money back? How large do you think can you get? Make sure to add metrics that aren’t purely financial here, such as customer numbers and conversion rates.

10.  Timeline, status, & appropriation of funds: Highlight your current business situation and the future. Timeline gives potential investors an idea of how long it will take them to reach these goals. Where are you now on this journey? Make sure to end with a bang because this is the last thing that they will remember before leaving.

So, do you have a great business idea and or just started one? Do you need to get into the right hands to grow? Follow this guideline for an effective PowerPoint presentation to make sure that your pitch is conveyed in a way that’s informative, fast, and still interesting! Good luck!

Successful Business Partnerships

A business partnership is like a relationship. Success depends on communication, negotiation/compromise, collaboration and mutual investment. Turns out, “65% of businesses fail due to conflict and relationship breakdown between partners,” according to Harvard Business School. Both relationships and business partnerships are complicated so it’s important to follow some guidelines in order to be successful.

1.     Create a strong foundation: draft a co-owner agreement where all parties are clear on how things will be run. How will decisions be made? How will profits be split? Have uncomfortable conversations now to avoid turmoil later. Be upfront and honest in the beginning and keep that ball rolling throughout your time as a partner.

2.     Discuss long-term goals: this is a BIG one. Knowing what each other’s goals are will be important. You will want someone with similar values and fully committed to getting there together.

3.     Clear communication and act like an adult: it’s inevitable that conflict will arise. How you handle it will speak volumes about you as a leader. Listen, respect your partner(s) and take responsibility for your own mistakes.

4.     Lay out strengths and weaknesses of each partner: one of the benefits to a business partnership is that they complement you with things you may lack.

These are just a few of many guidelines to follow when creating a business partnership. We’ve only listed a few of our top points. The advantage of a successful business partnership includes: new perspectives, extra support, possible expanded expertise, varied incomes, shared expenses, etc. The list goes on and on. However, that being said there are some typical pitfalls, such as personality conflicts but if you follow good guidelines when creating the partnership, they will be avoided.

Decision Making in Business

We’ve all had to make tough decisions in life at one time or another. Whether it be in our professional or personal lives, the process is always the same. It always involves identifying the goal, collecting all the relevant information and finally, weighing out the options to make the best choice. The benefit to making sound decisions is that they will stand the test of time, they weigh out all possible outcomes, they can eliminate conflicts of interest, it creates less second-guessing and provides somewhat of a roadmap. There are so many types of decision-making models out there. Ethical, formal, 5/6/7/8 step processes, analytical hierarchy process, rational, managerial, etc. The list goes on and on. Your goal can help determine your process. Let’s just look at the 8-step decision making process as an example.

1.     Identify goal

2.     Gather relevant information

3.     Determine criteria for critiquing alternatives

4.     Brainstorm all options

5.     Compare alternatives (pros/cons)

6.     Make your decision

7.     Execute decision

8.     Evaluate decision after implementation

Being strategic when making decisions is crucial. It’s important not to overthink but to appropriately analyze. Pragmatic decisions are made from using a systematic process that will guide you along to the right outcome.

Economic Cycles

“Change is the only thing that is constant”

-Heraclitus

Economies cycle between expansions and contractions naturally. These changes are due to employment levels, interest rates, supply and demand, etc. There are four stages in the cyclic pattern: expansion, peak, contraction and trough. Expansion is when GPD is increasing and unemployment is decreasing. The peak is a turning point in which output begins to decrease. Contraction or recession is defined as output decreasing and unemployment increasing. The trough is where recession ends and output begins increasing again. We can dive a little deeper into the characteristics each of these.

1. Expansion:

   1. Rapid growth

   2. Low interest rates

   3. Increased production

   4. Steady flow of money through economy

   5. Cost of money cheap

2. Peak:

   1. Growth hits max rate

   2. GPD spending at highest level

3. Contraction

   1. Employment falls

   2. Prices stagnate

   3. Surplus supply

   4. Lowering prices

4. Trough/recession:

   1. Stagnated spending

   2. Stagnated income

   3. Credit hard to attain

   4. Low business sales

   5. Caused by:

      1. Shock or unexpected event or time

      2. Government intervention

      3. Time

These cyclical patterns are part of the economy. It’s important to understand them if you’re in any type of business. The economy will directly affect your brand.

Neurodiversity in the Workplace

Did you know that 15-20% of people are estimated to be neurodivergent? We know, it sounds like something from the movies, but it is a real term. It describes, “the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one ‘right’ way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits,” according to Harvard Health. This includes conditions, such as ADHD, dyslexia, Asperger syndrome, dyspraxia and autism. When most of think of DEI we think of POC, women and multi-cultural workplaces. However, this should extend to neurodiversity as well and most businesses have done so in the past decade. There are many advantages that come with hiring individuals from diverse backgrounds and neurodiverse people can bring many new and different perspectives. Although individuals on the spectrum may have social quirks different from most people, they tend to be highly productive and their IQ’s are insane. According to a report done by JPMorgan Chase, professionals with autism made fewer errors and were 90-140% more productive than neurotypical employees,” in an article by Forbes. So, if you’re an employer looking to diversify your team it’s important to understand how to make your business more neurodiverse-friendly. Here are some ways to help with communication for you and your team.

1. Use clear communication:

   1. Concise verbal and written communications

   2. Avoid sarcasm and euphemisms

2. Try to give plenty of notice if things are changing around the office and reasons for it

   1. This one should be done anyway…

3. Be kind and patient

4. Allow for sound sensitivity breaks:

   1. Provide head phones or quiet spaces

5. Allow for fidget toys and movement breaks

6. Never make assumptions

   1. Again, this is something that shouldn’t be done in general in the workplace with neurodiverse or neurotypical people. Clear communication is key

Neurodiversity is somewhat of a new concept and was coined during the 90’s social justice movement by Judy Singer, an Australian sociologist. Neurodiversity advocates for inclusive language that is nonjudgmental. Most people that are on the spectrum prefer to be identified as first person, such as “an autistic person” and not a person with autism. That being said, one should always ask. It’s time to start expanding the notion of DEI to include neurodiversity that is crucial for innovation within business.

The Sum of Averages: Become the Best Professional Version of Yourself

“You are the average of the top 5 people you spend time with”

-Jim Rohn

We’ve all heard this quote from motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, but how true is it really? We were curious about this so we did a dive into the research and this is what we found. As it turns out your social circle does directly affect you and the kind of life you have, professional and personally. However, it is not limited to the top five people that you spend the most time with. It extends further than that. A study done published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed correlation of obesity to those within a social circle. For example, their results showed that if a friend of yours becomes obese than you have a 45% chance of gaining weight over the next 2-4 years. However, it can extend further than that. If a friend of the friend of your friend becomes obese you still have a 10% chance to gain weight as well. This is an important insight because it will allow you to look further out into your circle to examine it more detail. It’s also important to remember that the person you spend the most time with is yourself so your thoughts will always play an important role in your success and happiness. That being said, let’s stick with the social circle for the purpose of this article. So, how do you know if those around you align with that best version of yourself you’ll always be striving for? Here are some questions to ask yourself.

1. What kind of person do you want to be?

2. Who are the top 5 you spend time with now?

3. Do these people align with who you want to be?

4. Who are 5 people that embody these qualities you want?

   1. This can be anyone dead or alive

5. How can you increase contact with these people?

   1. The person, their work, or visualization

You can literally be fortune teller of your own life here as the people you spend time with elevate your life or bring it down. Hanging out with positive and productive individuals you too will become this way over time. And, make sure to take a look at their circles too since their friends have an effect on your life as well. Are those the kind of people that take responsibility for their lives and grow often? To become the best version of ourselves will require some work and time so it can be awkward at first. Remember to be patient with yourself but try to connect more often with these people to allow consciousness shifts in yourself. Create the version of you that you have always dreamed of!

Tips for Teamwork

We already know that collaboration is effective in fostering creativity at the workplace but what are some ways to promote good teamwork? We recently read an interesting article written by Rob Schwartz on teamwork that inspired this blog. It’s interesting to think that the one thing that makes humans stand out from other animals is our ability to cooperate in large groups. This is why we are at the top of the food chain. So what elements make a successful team? Here are some key elements that we believe help create a successful team.

1.     Listen: active listening is so important. When someone else is talking are you just thinking and waiting for them to finish to blurt out what you have to say? Or, are you actually listening and processing their words? You can’t properly communicate with one another unless you have the ability to do this!

2.      Clearly define roles and goals: knowing who will do what and why will take out any confusion when working in groups. It helps them stay on task and work efficiently toward the goals set by the team.

3.     Make decisions together: do not make decisions alone and speak for the whole. It’s important that everyone opinion is considered and each member of the group feels heard. This builds trust as you get to know each other on a deeper level.

4.     Celebrate differences: not all of us think the same and we may disagree on many things. This is honestly a beautiful thing. How boring would the world be if we all had the same thoughts and ideas. This is how creative innovation comes about. Different approaches from different viewpoints makes for a great team collaboration.

5.     Promote creativity: this is crucial for a successful team to be creative in their approach to problems within the business. Therefore, the person above them should encourage creative perspectives. 

While some groups put in teams may just hit it off and have a smooth work flow, others may not. While we wish the first scenario for you, it’s important to have ways to help your company teams be successful if they are having difficulties. Research shows that having a collaborative team leads to better outcomes, the team members are more likely to take calculated risks leading to innovative ideas, and finally, increased job satisfaction with reduced work stress. Teamwork really does make the dream work!

Objectives & Goals

What is the difference between a goal and an objective and how can the two work together? Well, let’s start by defining each one. A goal is long-term and typically a broader outcome whereas an objective is short-term and more specific. An objective can help a brand achieve a goal. They are different but objectives can assist goals if used correctly. So, what are the main differences between goals and objectives? Well, let’s take a quick look.

1.     Goals are higher in order than objectives since they have a broader outcome, where objectives will help attain the whole goal.

2.     Objectives are narrower in specific tasks and goals are broader.

3.     Objectives are also more specific than goals. For example, the goal of the brand is to become carbon neutral. This is broad. Objective will help us achieve how we get there. An objective would be to reduce carbon footprint in the quarter by 15%.

4.     Timeframe is longer for goals and shorter for objectives.

5.     Language describing goals tends to be more conceptual and language used for objectives is more creative.

6.     Goals are harder to measure where goals tend to be more tangible.

There are big benefits to setting goals for you brand. It will give your team a direction, help set priorities, motivate everyone to act, and help the brand achieve full potential. Objectives, on the other hand, can help measure progress toward that goal, give short-term sense of achievement, assist in making difficult decisions and confirm confidence in strategy toward your goals. We have all heard of ways to help set good goals, such as the SMART model but what about setting good objectives? Here are a couple of things to consider when setting objectives to help your brand achieve its goals.

1.     Select measurable KPI’s

2.     Set up different sets of objectives

3.     Refine them through feedback and analysis before setting

4.     Make sure they align with overall goals of the brand

5.     They should also follow the SMART model

6.     Describe desired outcome instead of actions and work backwards

A good example of an objective would be to cut down on production costs by 15% in a year. Now, your team will have to work backwards to determine what actions they can take to do this. This could be in conjunction with your brand goal of increasing revenue by the end of the year. By reducing the production costs your revenue will increase as a result of decreased spending. Another objective would be to increase sales through some type of short-term measure. Both of these objectives would feed into the company’s overall goal to increase revenue by the end of the year. Goals won’t work without objectives but objectives alone won't allow your brand to reach its full potential. Using both together will ensure that your brand reaches new heights.

Creating a Case Study for Your Business

What is a case study? It’s a report of a brand’s implementation of something, such as a service, system, practice or product. It is a detailed account of something that your brand did from the beginning to the end. Let’s start by talking about what makes a good case study.  First, you want something that is digestible. This means you communicate your story quickly and efficiently without any boring jargon. Second, although you want it to be unambiguous, you still want to convey the study in its entirety, so it must be thorough. This brings us to the last key point, good storytelling. You always want your viewer to be intrigued and interested in the content.

Now that you understand what makes a good case study, let’s cover some tips on how to create your own that your audience will want to see.

1.     Relatability. Highlight customers that will appeal to your audience. Make sure that you know your target audience and choose someone that they can relate to.

2.     Data. Use specific data and include numbers. Seeing proof in black in white is a great way to prove your value. If you can’t do this depending on the style of case study, use testimonials instead.  

3.     Good storytelling. As mentioned above, being a good storyteller is important. Having a beginning, middle and end are crucial to a good story. Try leading with a solution to a problem can attract attention quickly. Ask the right questions to get a complete picture of the journey from start to finish.

4.     Key points. Identify the top 3-5 key points that you want to get out of the case study. It will be important to know your customers here. What challenges do they face? How can you help them with these challenges?

5.     Formatting & appeal. Try different formats that appeal to different types of learners. Text, video, infographics and even podcasts work here.

Here at Locomotive, we’ve conducted case studies with previous content creators to understand what their process was like working with us from start to finish. It’s helped us understand what our strengths are and point out things that we can improve on. Typically, we’re pleasantly surprised with our client case studies but this doesn’t stop us from continuing to improve so that we have a seamless experience for content creators. Hopefully this list will help your brand understand how to create a good case study to better understand your business or assist your audience to better understand what makes your brand stand out from all the rest.

Setting Business Goals in the New Year

Chances are that in your personal life you’ll be setting some new goals for the new year! We know we are. But why stop there? You’ve obviously had a vision for your business since the beginning so how can you make it what you’ve always dreamed? Well, the answer is goal setting and a plan of action. You will never achieve your dreams by keeping them inside your mind. All dreams were once a thought that were then made into a reality through planning! We’ve all heard the saying, “your dreams won’t work if you don’t,” and as cliché as that sounds, it’s very true.

Let’s start with how to determine what your brands goals should be. There are some methods to help you determine the right goals for your business. SWOT analysis is a way to help you get very clear on what needs to be addressed. It stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This can help break down your business into simpler terrain in black and white. Another method is the Porter’s Five Forces. This is a technique for understanding the market place of your field to better improve your spot within it. The five forces are: 1. Competitive rivalry 2. Bargaining power of suppliers 3. Bargaining power of customers 4. Threat of new businesses and 5. Threat of substitute products/services.

Now that you know what goals you need to set, there are a couple of methods to help you make them efficiently. The SMART model means: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. Another, not so heard of style of goal setting, is called WOOP. This stands for wish, outcome, obstacle and plan. It was created by a German psychologist, Gabriele Oettingen and has been known to reduce stress while increasing engagement and solve problems. Another way to tackle your goals is to set micro goals where you break your long-term into smaller steps of daily acts to reach the larger one faster.

Now that you have your plan of action set into motion, it’s important to track the progress along the way. Use KPI’s and data to determine the results of your efforts. Is it working? Is it failing and if so, how can you shift to reassess the process and/or set a new goal? The most important things to remember when setting business goals is that they have to be realistic. If you aim too high, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Another important component to success of your goals is communication within your team. It helps everyone if they’re working together and it helps keep you accountable. Share your vision with everyone on your team! It will also help them feel invested as a contributor to your success. Work engagement will increase as well as positive company culture. Happy New Year to you all and good luck achieving your brands vision!

How to be a Learn-It-All

No one likes a know it all, especially in a business setting. A fixed mindset can even be dangerous to an organization. Those with this type of mindset struggle to admit their weakness/mistakes and cannot handle when they’re pointed out. They tend to have a “my way or the highway” attitude. They believe that abilities are innate and fixed. The opposite of this is a growth mindset, where one thinks that anything can be achieved through effort. It’s finding out what you don’t know and being open to new ideas as well as admitting your faults in order to better yourself. They believe that intelligence, abilities and talents are learnable and improvable. They welcome a good challenge because they understand that it can teach them something. A growth mindset is important in order to become a distinguished and influential leader.

We understand that some may want to adopt this way of thinking but may not be sure where to start. We comprised a list of ways to develop a growth mindset. Growth mindset values learning despite the risks more than others thinking that we know what we’re doing. Here are our tips.

1.     Determine if you have a fixed mindset. If you already have a growth mindset then you just may need to improve on the thoughts that you already have. Listen to your inner dialogue to help you understand. For example, if you get some negative feedback on your work what does your inner voice say? Does it say, “That’s ok! I must need to learn more about this topic,” or does it say, “I must not be good at this!” if the answer was the first one then you probably have a growth mindset already. If your answer was the second then you may need to work on your inner voice to adjust it to a growth mindset. Try to embrace yourself without judgement when your inner voice speaks. Think about what you would say to a friend if they came to you with your situation. What would you say to them?

2.     Embrace your imperfections. Our imperfections are what make us each unique. This is also an important act of self-love. Don’t seek approval from others and learn to trust yourself. An honestly, who cares what other people think! Comparison is the thief of joy!

3.     Take risks despite fear. Fear is natural when learning something new. The difference between someone who has a fixed mindset and one that doesn’t is despite being afraid they choose to do it anyway. Consider the challenge as an opportunity to learn something new: a skill, something about yourself, etc.

4.     Be realistic. You’re not going to get everything right the first time and chances are if you’re learning something new failure will happen. That’s ok. Failure is a great teacher. Instead of thinking as failures as a weakness, think of it as a lack of understanding that can be improved. How can you understand something deeper? Now, try again.

5.     Look at examples. Look at your past examples of successful learning. Look at other peoples. What is something that you’re better at now that you weren’t in the past? How did it go from being difficult to easier? What did you do? Use others as examples. When was there a situation where you’ve seen someone else succeed against all odds? What did they do?

This list is by no means exhaustive but should be a starting point for if you’re trying to get started on improving your growth mindset. Continuous learning will not only better develop the growth mindset, it can shift your thinking to a more positive one. I always say that if you’re not good at something that just means you should be doing it more it. Chances are it’s something that you need to better develop. Challenging yourself in this way will teach you many things about who you are as you improve your “learn-it-all” mentality.

Customer Retention Strategies

Almost 65% of a business comes from repeat customers. That’s a big chunk of revenue. It’s also cheaper to retain customers than it is to get new ones. Customer satisfaction is greatly linked to retention numbers but there are some strategies to consider on top of this.

1.     Offer a loyalty program. I don’t know about you but we love loyalty programs! We love those little stamp cards to fill up so we can get something for free. This may not be the type of service that your brand can offer but think of some fun ways to start a loyalty program for your die-hard customers. They’ll appreciate being appreciated and WOM will increase even more.

2.     Build trust. We’ll say it again for those in the back. UGC builds trust with your audience. This will begin a good relationship with them that can be fostered for a lifetime.

3.     Personalize their experience. Use data to understand where they are on social media. Shout them out personally. Answer their messages and tags directly. No one wants to get a cookie cutter bounce back response.

4.     Ask for their feedback. I personally always fill out the little survey for a chance to win something. Sometimes I actually just do it because I had a not so great experience in hopes that someone will actually take it seriously. I do this more for the brands that I love.

5.     Referral programs. Offer incentives for referrals. Again, who doesn’t like to get something for free. All they have to do is put in a little work and share with family and friends. Most will go the extra mile to try to help you to help themselves. This is a BIG one. Your brand will expand while offering a loyalty to those that are already your customers.

There are so many ways to improve customer retention rates. These are but a few but it’s a good place to get started. A happy audience is crucial. Happy audience means word of mouth referrals will increase and so will your reputation and revenue.

Business Podcasts for Advertisers

Did you know that listening to podcasts can stimulate multiple parts of your brain, such as an adrenaline rush or releasing endorphins? (UC Berkley, 2016). Podcasts have been quite the popular topic recently and we know that we listen to one every morning. It’s a great way to learn, cut down on screen time and support small businesses. Whether you’re looking to learn something specific, meditate or just be entertained, there is something out there for everyone. This short will comprise of our top 3 recommended advertising podcasts.

1.     Yeah, That’s Probably and Ad. This podcast hosted by Adweek talks about everything from marketing and media to tech and creative.

2.     The Glint Standard. Dives into issues of branding, business development and advertising. Advice from starting and running their agency.

3.     The Science of Advertising Show. Coming at you from Australia this show chats about current ads and why the influence human behavior.

There are an insanely large number of podcasts out there today for the advertising world. We could go on with many more but decided three is enough to get you started if you were looking for something new to listen to in your field. However, for more in-depth lists of advertising podcasts visit PlayerFM or Feedspot. Happy listening.

Developing a Solid Business Strategy

Having a successful business is a marathon, not a sprint. A solid business strategy will help your brand succeed over the long haul. Think of it as a road map. You have goals that you want to get to and your strategy will help you get there. There are a few components to a good business plan.

1.     Objectives and a clear vision. Why did you start this company? What is its mission? Where do you see your brand going in the future? These are all questions that wil help you find your brands vision. Once this is established, it’s important to set clear and decisive goals. Start with the destination goal and work your way backward to see how you can achieve it.

2.     Know your target audience. Defining your niche will help determine who you should be marketing to. People who need what you have to offer will help you gain customer retention.

3.     Know your competition and be innovative. Make your brand’s product or service stand out from the rest. Although wise to choose an undersaturated market for a business, that’s not always going to be the case. So, what makes you better than the next guy?  Being innovative is what will make you stand out and beat your competitors.

4.     Measure your results. This is crucial. You need to see if your plan is working. Check weekly, monthly and annually to assess the data. Check your KPI’s to make sure your hitting the mark.

5.     Always be adaptable. After you measure your result, they may not be performing how you had hoped and that’s ok. What’s not ok it being stubborn and beating your head against a wall when something is falling short. We get it. You really wanted that awesome idea to work but If a strategy isn’t working then change it. What’s more important is finding what works. Look for ideas within your company from others who may have specialties in a particular field of interest.

This is a general overview of what is needed to build a solid business plan and should be considered a starting point. Make sure to do plenty of exhaustive research for your brand in order to customize the business plan that will be right for you.

Ensuring a Great Brand Reputation

While in our personal lives, we agree that Joanne Jett got it right, from a business stand point your brand’s reputation is everything! Building your brand is hard enough and ensuring that its reputation remains intact requires work, but the stronger it is, the more your audience will trust you and become ambassadors for you for a lifetime. So, what influences brand reputation? Reputation is a culmination of the appearance, the words, the voice and the actions that you use for your brand. All of which will be represented through your website, your social media, consumer reviews, customer service, product/service quality, Google and if applicable, Wikipedia. It’s also important to note that in today’s cultural climate, it’s crucial to take stances on socioeconomic and environmental issues as well, especially with the younger generations in mind. That being said, here are some ways that your brand can increase its reputation and keep it there for years to come!

1. Make customer service priority #1. This is your chance for face to face interaction with your audience so make sure it’s a positive experience for them. According to Microsoft, 58% of customers who feel their experience falls short will sever their relationship with them. It takes only one person’s negative experience to ruin potential business and if you make a mistake don’t be afraid to own up to it! People appreciate honestly and trust those who hold themselves accountable.

2. Actively listen. It’s important that you apply feedback from your customers now that they have given it. Whether positive or negative. Who’s talking about you? What are they saying? Make sure to stay on top of this and respond to every review. It will show others who are looking to work with your brand that you do care and listen in order to resolve problems that may have arisen.

3. Create high-quality content and be consistent on social media. The speed at which news travels on social media is insurmountable. It’s also important that people see you post consistently with relevant content in your field. Answering any comments or direct messages in a timely manner is crucial to keeping your reputation high with your followers. Here are some more key tips for social channels:

   1. Schedule posts when they perform best

   2. Have a developed and consistent brand voice

   3. Amplify positive reviews and testimonials

4. Search engine results. Improving your SEO on Google, Bing, Yahoo, Amazon, and YouTube are all important. Google is king nowadays and is the most convenient. People tend to choose the one with the best search profile and think about it, there are only about 10 or 11 on that first page. This forms first impressions for those that are new to your brand. People will form opinions quickly from these top listed, relevant brands.

Character is defined as moral or ethical quality and this is the foundation of your brand, so make sure that what people see online is what they get in real life. Having this cohesiveness between brand character and reputation will protect you. Although it may seem that the way that others view your brand is outside of your control, you can remain focused on those things that you can control that will ultimately affect the opinions of the public.  

Pareto Principle

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the 80/20 rule but probably not in the way we mean for this article in terms of economics. The 80/20 rule states that 80% of your results come from 20% of causes. It was observed by a man named Vilfredo Pareto in 1896. This principle explains the correlation between effort and outcome. So, how can this be applied to business? Using this technique can help prioritize tasks that are of highest impact throughout your work day. Here are a few detailed ways that you can use the Pareto Principle in your business.

1. Prioritize your day. Complete 20% of the most important tasks on your to do list for the day will result in 80% of the impact. Therefore, you must first make the list and prioritize the highest impact at the top. If any of these tasks involve collaboration or if there any that have been keeping projects from moving forward, these are to be done first.

2. Decisions decisions. This will assist with problem solving by helping prioritize the solutions.

   1. Identify problem.

   2. What are the causes of the problem.

   3. Break up problems into smaller groups

   4. Assign value to each problem

   5. Develop a plan that focuses on top 20%

This principle, in practice, can help your business become more efficient by identifying its top priorities. It will get the maximum impact with the least amount of work, therefore, increasing productivity. It will also make your day seem less daunting by breaking things up into more manageable parts. It’s time to work smarter, not harder.