Bill Gluth's Creative Business Strategy Blog

Business is all about Authentic Stories and Systems that Convey Them

In the past, business was about selling products and services to make a profit.

Here’s the problem with bottom line focus. There are hundreds of thousands of people vying for each others “business attention.”

No one cares about your bottom line. As a result, if your message is focused on generating revenue, it will fail a majority of the time.

How are sales made? How do we convert interruption into money?

1. By telling authentic stories about your talent and passion in business to people who care.

2. By having well defined systems to deliver your story consistently.

3. By touching each prospect you have permission to talk to at least 27 times before dropping them.

4. By developing a “mission mindset.” Your mission is something you MUST accomplish with your business.

Then look at your existing client list.

* Who do you most enjoy working with?

* What industry are they in?

* How do you help them?

* What do they receive as a result of working with you?

Start by educating them about your expertise. Create an article, e-book, audio product or other information that you can give away.

Call up people who share the traits of your ideal clients and ask them if you can share your findings on _________ (the topic of your information).

Follow that up with a telephone call. Talk about their business in relationship to the report you sent.

Follow the phone call up with a thank you or good to meet you card. Please do NOT send email at this step. Send something on paper that conveys warmth and a sense that you went out of your way.

Articulate your talent and passion, document your process and follow it consistently.

Excerpt from 12/26/2005 Creative Business Strategy. Subscribe Here.

Have a GREAT Holiday

From our house to yours, have a safe, joy filled, peaceful and relaxing holiday.

The Power of Passion and Buzz

Senate rejects drilling in Alaska wildlife refuge

Republicans fail to garner enough support to avoid threat of filibuster

Updated: 2:41 p.m. ET Dec. 21, 2005

WASHINGTON - The Senate blocked oil drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge Wednesday, rejecting a must-pass defense spending bill where supporters positioned the quarter-century-old environmental issue to garner broader support.

SSOO many people were passionate about preventing this drilling and told so many people to make their disdain know to their Senators that this bill was defeated.

Defeated by the power of passion and buzz. That's how important word-of-mouth is.

Take Time to Let EVERYONE Know You Appreciate Them.

Time to read this post -- 90 Seconds

The holidays are a great time to let people know you appreciate them.

1. Tell your clients how much you appreciate their business and look forward to continuing the relationship in the New Year.

2. Let vendors know what a great job they are doing for you. Thank them for being at their best when working with you.

3. Tell your employees and outside contractors how much you appreciate their hard work and diligence.

4. Thank anyone who gave you a great referral or provided outstanding service.

5. Most important, tell the people you love how thankful you are for them being in your life.

Heartfelt appreciation takes only a minute to give and makes both the giver and receiver feel great.

Make a promise to yourself to let those who support your aspirations and make your life more enjoyable know that you appreciate them and their contribution to your life.

Have a wonderful Holiday and celebrate your traditions with gusto.

From "It's About Time" the 90 Minute Time Manager time tip of the week.

The Salavation Army has a Great Sales Process

If you're not sure how the sales process works, click here. If you are, read on...

I give to the Salvation Army on the holidays. I was brought up believing the story that the Salvation Army is on the streets really helping the people who need it the most. My parents told me that story when I was very young and I still believe it. So I make a donation every year.

With this years donation I got a very nice letter from the Division Commander, personalized with my donation amount and a offer to "Lock in a secure stream of income for life with a Salvation Army charity gift annuity."

The offer had a clear and focused next step with a window envelop for my return reply.

This was not an especially expensive mailing. It was relevant and personal with a call to action to help further.

What can you learn from the Salvation Army? How about simple back-end selling with a strong cross-sell.

Make your New Years resolution now. Thank ALL of your clients in the New Year after every sale and make them a back-sell, cross-sell offer when you do.

Nicely done Salvation Army.

Details that Mattered to Me and Michelle

Every guest at Briar Patch gets a few surprises. Wonderful soap that smelled and felt great, organic coffee for the in-room coffee maker and a homemade breakfast that was excellent and offered healthy food choices.

Here was the BIGGEST surprise to me -- the wood for the fireplace was just outside my door, neatly stacked in a bin, ready to go and as much as I could possilby burn in an evening.

Everyone was geniunely super friendly. The minute we walked into breakfast, Nanette was made us feel welcome. Everyone was interested in what we were up to. Because of THEIR interest in us, we were interested in them as well. As a result, we learned interesting ways we may interact in the future.

How can you create a warm welcome, surpass your clients expectations and add those special litte surprises at every turn?

Figure that out and you'll become blog worthy -- just like Rob, JoAnne, Wendi, Nannette and Marilyn at the Briar Patch Inn. When you stop by, tell them I sent you.

The Shortest Path to Any Goal is a Straight Line

Here’s something we all seem to do. We set a goal, and then we get “busy” and move in directions that don’t support reaching that goal.

In Simpleology, Mark Joyner tells a great story about pens and the US Space Mission.

NASA Astronauts wanted a pen that wrote in zero gravity. So, NASA went about creating one. It took millions of dollars and years and years to create it. They eventually did and it was amazing; for a while.

Russia took a straight line approach. They used a pencil instead.

Start by understanding what you want from your life in business. What is the ideal vision for your business? If you were living your greatest talent and passion in business, what would it be?

Write the answer to those questions down on paper. Refer to it often.

Clarity is the key.

• Writing information down provides clarity.
• Reading it every day for a few minutes inspires you to focused action.
• Knowing what your goals are allows you to take a straight line approach to planning your day.

Start by following these steps

1. Click here to enroll in Simpleology 101. It’s my gift to you, your talent, passion and vision in 2006.

2. Write down what you want from your business in 2006.

3. Sit down for 15-minutes every morning to schedule activities that lead you to your desires.

4. Repeat this activity every day.

Comfort and Bliss

. . . and after the massage we settled in for a wonderful evening by the wood buring fireplace

Human Touches Made Us Feel at Home

When we arrived at the Briar Patch Inn, we were greeted by St. Francis, the Patron Saint of animals and the environment and Rob Olson, the manager of the Inn. Briarpatch has been in Rob's family for over 20 years.

Rob went out of his way to make us feel at home immediately. He gave us a map to show us where our cabin was located AND met our demands for a massage within the hour with friendliness AND one of the best massage therapists Michelle (a massage therapist for 18 years and a tough but fair critic) had ever encountered.

Caring about our comfort and making sure our whims were met with quality service was where our journey at Briar Patch began.

It was appreciated, went a L O N G way and set the tone for the rest of our wonderful stay.

The day that Disneyland became something else

Michelle and I planned a trip to Disneyland for her 50th birthday celebration. Then, with very little notice, our plans changed, literally overnight.

And we traded in frenetic activity for the excitement that peace and tranquility in nature brings. 

Tomorrow, I’ll tell you one of the amazing things we learned about caring from Rob, JoAnn, Marilyn, Nanette and Wendi at the Briar Patch Inn, Sedona AZ.

It’s ALL about human touch, paying attention to details, caring and offering “surprises” at every turn. Tune in for more tomorrow