In my book, “Unconventional Business,” I offered up seven questions from marketing guru, Seth Godin, that may help you shape your marketing plan. The second question is, “What are you selling?” My wife, Kathy, can be impatient with telemarketers. On a number of occasions, I’ve heard a telemarketer start with small talk when Kathy will stop them and ask, “What ...
It was 10:15 am before Brad realized the phone line to the building had been compromised, preventing incoming calls. After assessing the situation, a technician simply unplugged the phone jack, waited 10 seconds, and re-connected it, correcting the problem. After the technician finished, Brad asked, “How much is the charge for this service call?” “$100 the technician replied.” Outraged Brad ...
In my book, “Unconventional Business,” I highlight four marketing challenges that many of us face in the marketplace in trying to do marketing with truth and love. The second challenge is “Poor Quality.” Following a trend in the 1980s of providing a cheaper alternative to the typical car rental business, I began buying used cars and renting them to local ...
Our youngest daughter, Rebekah, was recently married. Bekah is beautiful, adopted and also bi-racial. The wedding guests included Bekah’s African American friends and birth father, her Caucasian birth mother, and my son-in-law’s large Hispanic family. Although different cultures and races were represented, there was a common bond. We all wanted to see Bekah and Mauricio united in matrimony. Due to ...
After speaking at Chick-fil-a headquarters recently, I met an executive who shared that it took Chick-fil-a over 30 years to exceed $1 billion in revenue. He said, “It felt like the entire team was pushing a large snowball up a mountain!” After that milestone, however, the snowball crested the mountain, and began rolling downhill. It only took four years to ...
Jim was certain God had given him a dream for a new business, yet he had no money or business plan. Jim wanted to start immediately, so he assumed he would borrow money and work out the plan later. Many entrepreneurs overlook the possibility that God may give an idea for a business today so that you can begin preparing. ...
Clayton Christensen shared in a “Harvard Business Review” article the importance of knowing your purpose in life. During a busy time, this Harvard Business School professor invested an hour every night “reading, thinking, and praying about why God put him on this earth.” He later concluded, “I apply my knowledge of the purpose of my life every day. It’s the ...
Preparation is Critical At a conference I attended, Erwin McManus, pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles, shared some thoughts on the book of Daniel. Daniel’s plans for his future were dashed when he was taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar, but yet Daniel’s previous character training prepared him for the worst. Daniel’s preparation resulted in great favor with the wicked ...
As somewhat of an optimistic visionary, I can create chaos at times as I try to push forward a new idea before its time, sometimes leaving important projects undone. This can cause frustration for those around me as they fight fires rather than working a methodical plan. Although I’m still not as good at putting order to my chaos as ...
Conventional business planning is usually focused on one thing: More! Specifically, more sales, more profits, and more wealth for the shareholders. When the motive is “More,” customers and employees frequently become tools to be used and abused rather than served. A better approach is to be focused on advancing the Kingdom of God. When we realize we’re working for the ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
