Dec 11, 2013

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/ySRgp3_9QVU

Treating everyone fairly and justly...

Traditional marketing focuses on the masses, treating everyone the same. 

Guerrilla marketing treats everyone fairly and justly by treating everyone differently. 

Guerrilla marketers come to understand and practice win/win relationships.  

Guerrilla marketers think about their prospect's behavior and how to best relate with them. If you, the marketer, have a High D temperament, but your  prospect is a High C, your marketing "output" is naturally different that your prospects "input." You tend to be direct, to the point. You want to move through the process and get it finished so you can move on. Your High C prospect wants details, details and more details. The High C wants time to think through the details, ask questions and insure he gets good answers. 

If haven't taken a DISC assessment in the past year and would like to learn more about your temperament, email me at Danny@DannyLSmith.com for a link to a free online DISC.  

Danny L. Smith

512-773-6528

"The top 1% of successful entrepreneurs build themselves ahead of their business."

Goal setting; are you willing to dig into the tasks?

Thinking about 2014. Success will be great deal about digging in and through

Time, Attitude, Skill, and Knowledge...with a bit of Style.

What are you willing to do differently to have something different?

Keller on Community & the Millennial Generation

Community is a big thing to the younger generation, but then, I suppose it is to many of us in one way or another. Keller points out how it has to move from the social media to more face-to-face.

Yet, many of us in the older generations can take a lesson on how community is built on-line.

Click below for a bit of Keller's wisdom (love this guy)...



To that end......

Roadblocks and blind spots, and an assessment's view

I wonder about what's blocking me from reaching my potential and it's unnerving to think there's things in my way I'm not aware of! The whole "what-I-don't-know-that-I-don't-know" syndrome can cause the deep ponderer some real problems. LOL!

But....it should also cause one to search the matter out, to ask questions, to go deeper.

Do you try to think into your results? Think about it, if you believe the Bible you have to wonder about these statements -

You are made in the image of God.

 

Seek out the kingdom with you.

I do believe the Bible is relevant and the period-the-end Word of God but also believe all the truths are readily apparent. This that causes me to really wonder what I'm missing? How do I bring out that image in me? What am I missing that's causing me not to move on? What character flaw do I not see? What competence do a strengthen and what weakness do I just drop? What I'm I not seeing that others see? What's keeping me from getting past a recurring problem? What's.......

To see something in your blind spot, you have to either move around, or, have someone point it out to you. Otherwise it's not a blind spot. Correct? Normally, I need someone to point it out to me, or to utilize some sort of device.

A device to eliminate blind spots, and roadblocks, are good assessments. I've been using assessments for over 20 years. This began when I read an article about the top 20 loan officers in the U.S. and was struck by all the commonalities. Not necessarily in their marketing and customer base, but other aspects of the people themselves. The search for those commonalities led me to the utilization of over 3,000 assessments as I've worked to help individuals and teams increase their performance and results.

A good assessment will help.....

• give a clear and accurate depiction of where the individual is today
• prepare the individuals for the path and create a map to insure the individual's success
• identify key areas in which the individual needs development
• an individual choose or change careers
• equip teams to function at a highly collaborative level
• manage employee development
• leadership development
• with job fit (whether you're looking for a job, or interviewing others)
• succession planning and talent management

What an assessment is not - an assessment doesn't put you in a box. An assessment helps you learn the talents, attitudes, skills and knowledge already in your box. That realization can then be used to improve and get better results in the years ahead.

To that end...... what "lid" is keeping you from rising to your potential?

7 Essential Behaviors for Leaders

Pondering previous postings....from 8/22/2011 -

Bossidy and Charan's Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done is an excellent book for small businesses and teaches fundamentals of GETTING THINGS DONE. This book is one of those I pound out at clients, covertly and otherwise :-), to improve their processes. The authors lay out the argument of 3 Building Blocks and then 3 Core Processes of Execution.

These factors are especially important for the small business* person and his/her intentional focus on results.

Building Block #1: The Leader's Seven Essential behaviors

1. Know your people and your business 
2. Insist on realism
3. Set clear goals and priorities
4. Follow through
5. Reward doers
6. Expand people's capabilities
7. Know yourself

Four core qualities that make up emotional fortitude are authenticity, self-awareness, self-mastery and humility. 

To that end....be purposeful, be intentional.

 *I define small business as any entity (division, branch, company, sales) under 100 people; this includes individual sales people, loan officers, Realtors, etc.

Related Articles 

Marketing's Three Building Blocks of Execution

Missing Link(s)..or Broken?

Thoughts on....

A couple of thoughts have come together this morning, and they haven't, so-to-say, "crashed." But have rather been slow moving burn.

1. I've been thinking more and more about how Potential lies within me and Opportunity lies outside; and without uncovering the potential, opportunities will be missed.

2. Jordan, a loan officer on my sales team, asked for a book I'd recommend him reading; my instant thought was "QBQ; The Question Behind the Question." That was a couple of days ago and I've had thoughts around the content, what to really ask yourself to eliminate blame, complaining, and procrastination."

I think it's time to revisit the QBQ principles and dig deeper into how asking the right questions (what, how and where...not why and when) will help me be more aware of my potential and be able to fully take advantage of my opportunities!

That's a good burn.


Danny L. Smith
512-773-6528

"The top 1% of successful entrepreneurs build themselves ahead of their business."

Credibility 1st, then Behavior

Trust is a "core competency." In this video Mr. Covey tells us a bit about how trust plays out in the marketplace.



How creditable is your character and your competence? Both matter.

Learn more about ways to speed up your trust, lower your expenses and raise your profits at our weekly Lunch & Learn series: click here for more information.

Change. If it was easy, everyone would do it.

He who rejects change is the architect 

of decay. The only human institution which 

rejects progress is the cemetery. 

 ~ Harold Wilson

I don't care who you are, change is hard.

It doesn't matter if you're trying to change, or having to changing. It's hard.

Whether you need to change, trying to change or having to change. It's hard.

If you say it's not, I'll say, as my brother Randy is fond of saying "you lie to your friends and I'll lie to mine, but let's not lie to each other."

Embrace the fact that change is hard and you'll be better prepared to handle the tasks it will take to change.

Because it's hard.

To that end....come and change with me as we finish 2013 STRONG.

And it'll be hard.

But that's ok. It's supposed to be.

What I believe about Mission, Vision, Purpose and Calling

Definitions can be confusing. Here's how I use Mission, Vision, Purpose and Calling:

 - Mission is what I'm going to do "period-the-end." It has nothing to do with money or position. Mission doesn't change without a life changing event. Mission, along with values, is one's core ideology.

- Vision is my desires, plans and goals. It is "where I see myself in 'x' days, months or years." Vision can change.

- Purpose is how I am to serve God's plan for me. I serve God's purpose through faith. As a follower of Christ (a Christian) my life has purpose, the work I do has purpose, beyond just being happy and making money. It is with this purpose I serve His plan. I don't always have a good grip on the plan, but I know I'm to serve Him through His purpose.

- Calling is how "I'm called according to God's purpose." Calling is what I do individually to fit into God's purpose.

Pondering these this morning have led me to really realize that two can be easily summerized, two not.

Lord, what other questions do I need to ponder, to clarify? Not necessarily the answers right now, but what questions?

To that end..........I pray I truly come to understand my purpose and my calling, few do.

Leading well leaves margins to handle problems

Margins are the space needed to stay sane.

-        Someone

The driven person keeps adding things to their plate. Or, you’re the recipient of a driven’s drive. Rarely do we look at the problems, or leave room for problems and confusion sets in. Confusion can lead to frustration, and frustration to a sincere desire to quit.

A leader will leave margins in his schedule to handle the problems well, so that when confusion sets in it isn’t compounded by a time issue. Confusion can be an incredibly power emotion when it’s turned into creativity. Without margins, confusion turns to frustration.

I was asked recently, what law of leadership is most important to me financially, and how? Instantly I thought of my current favorite (besides the other 20) - The Law of the Lid.

Margins. A purposeful leader builds margins into his day for unexpected problems that must be dealt with, giving yourself time to pause, reflect, evaluate and correct.

 

Time to move from problem to confusion to creativity.

To that end..........