Strategy

I’ve been doing a lot of brainstorming on branding lately and in preparation for our INSIDER Webinar next month on Managing Your Online Reputation, I’ve been concentrating my thoughts on online branding in particular.  At first thought the term “brand” conjures images of Coca-Cola, Target and McDonald’s; their colors, logos and iconic images.  While these may be some of the most-well known brands in the world, as a consumer I feel the realm of branding has expanded beyond these pieces and I’ve actually become loyal to brands through arenas that have little to nothing to do with anything traditionally created by a marketing department. 

All it takes is a quick search around the internet or a stroll through the decoration section at your local mega-retail store to notice that there is always some reason for celebration.  Holidays or some other event, historical, religious, or just plain wacky, seem to be slated for every day and every week of the year.  While Flexible Work Arrangement Week and National Hug Holiday Week both sound like events I could get into this month, I was particularly interested to learn about National Small Business Week.

A colleague recently sent me a short doc summarizing Napoleon Hill’s 17 Universal Principles of Success & Achievement.  I love these quick doses of insight, especially with a new baby!  Sitting down to read a full book is a luxury these days (unless it’s a Dr. Seuss).

Let me share with you Principle #2: The Master Mind Principle.  It is defined as the coordination of effort between two or more people in a spirit of perfect harmony in order to achieve a specific objective.

Inner Circle peer groups are a formal option for business owners and CEOs to apply this principle.  But there are so many other examples of areas where the Master Mind group concept can be applied:

As you may have seen from our whitepaper and online social activities, Inner Circle recently completed a Member survey based upon the methodology in Fred Reichheld's book, "The Ultimate Question: Driving Good Profits and True Growth."  The ultimate question to ask your clients is this: "How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?"  At the end of the day, this is the only answer that truly matters.

How is your life and business being impacted by the decisions you're NOT making?

Imagine a table in front of you.  On it are all the decisions you know you should make.  Some are large, some are small.  Some could have a profound impact on your business or your life if you would act on them, others are relatively insignificant.  Some are fresh surfaced, and some have been waiting for your final call for a very long time.  This exercise will help you sort these decisions out and put you in a better position to jump off the fence.

I know they say you should never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry. I hope it’s OK to blog.

I’ve been daydreaming about a favorite ice cream shop where they offer every customer a Ziggy. You order your cone exactly as you want it, but they go one step further in serving it to you. Using a melon-baller-size scoop, they add just a little bit more, the Ziggy. You can have one extra bite of your favorite, vanilla on top of vanilla for those who like to keep it simple, or you can satisfy your taste for that runner-up flavor that didn’t get picked this time as the main attraction —Mint Chocolate Chip on top of Elephant Tracks (peanut butter cups in chocolate ice cream), for example. Hypothetically, of course.

"Stretch goals change behavior."

This was a quote shared with me by an Inner Circle franchise owner, in reference to a Member who set a near impossible Action Item to achieve before his next month's Circle meeting.  When asked why he set such an agressive goal, he stated "stretch goals change behavior."