Let's meet to plan our next three meetings!

You're sitting in a room with 30 other people and the boss is covering this week's numbers and asking for feedback as to how the sales department can reach its goals. It was the same meeting that was held two days earlier. Then again, that same meeting was held last week, and the week before. Most likely the same agenda will be given next week as well. Suddenly you find yourself in a time warp similar to "Groundhog's Day" where everything is repeating and even death itself can not free you from the insanity of pointless drivel that never seems to solve anything.  Sound familiar? 
     There is always more training that you need, more accountability to report, a decision to make, or an agenda to fulfill and nothing can deliver it better than another gathering of the key players in the organization. After all, several heads are better than one, right? The truth is meetings suck and everyone including the organizer knows it. So why is so much effort given to holding meetings that often go nowhere? Do meetings help increase sales, make employees perform better, or add value to the customer service experience? If not then they are doing nothing for your business except waste time that could otherwise be better spent on something productive.

Meetings are time wasters and there are 7 reasons why, according to Robert Half.
      The first is the organizer is lacking discipline. If the moderator fails to stick to an agenda, doesn't start or end on time, or lets participants direct the conversation the meeting will drag and fail to meet its objective. Second, the meeting addict will call countless meetings and often because there is a decision to be made that won't be made until every person who doesn't care about the decision can provide input. The third time waster is the pessimist who always seems to kill an idea because he/she insists the solution to the problem will not work. Consequently, that person will also not provide an idea of their own. The technology newbie will constantly tinker with a slide projector, a poorly working laptop, or electronic device for several minutes before asking for help, leaving everyone in the room sick to their stomach. The distracted co-worker who checks his email or text messages throughout the meeting thinks that his appointments are more important than anyone else will waste time when he doesn't respond to the objective in his direction. Meetings held at lunch always seem to draw time away from the much needed break or daily tasks that need to be run outside of the office. Finally, there is always a class clown. Jokes can be funny, but a one-liner after every point on the agenda become tedious.

Want to start a business? Can you SWEAT the work?

     Many people want to be entrepreneurs, but few actually make it. Making the transition from Employee to Entrepreneur often takes blood, sweat, and tears, along with time, money, etc. Very often it will be a while before a profit is realized and the investing equity is returned. The saying Sweat Equity is common among business owners and often describes the paid up front expense needed to get started. All too often, however the entrepreneur really doesn't have what it takes to succeed. Much can be said regarding the personality of an entrepreneur but here is a simple way to see for yourself if you fit the mold. It is the SWEAT method.

S) Sales- Are you a salesman? Do you have what it takes to continuously prospect, set appointments, get rejected, close the deal, and start from scratch every day? Sales in reality are made everywhere. Are you married? Do you have a job? Have you ever convinced or influenced anyone to take an action? If so, then you are a salesman. Can you see a career opportunity here?

W) Wealth motivated- Most entrepreneurs crave financial independence. The freedom to do whatever you want because money is no object drives a person to go to the highest extremes and face any challenge.

E) Enthusiastic- Can you find the energy to continue moving forward even against all odds? Are you the most energetic person in the room at all times? Is it easy to pick yourself up after a fall? Positivity is not only attractive, it is also contagious. Attitude is everything in business.

A) Ambitious- Do you feel a need to succeed? Are you always looking for that next opportunity? Do you like to meet new people, try new things, and set big goals. Ambitious people become leaders because followers need direction and a person to guide them towards a common objective.

T) Teacher- When the teacher is ready the students will come. People who like to explain, mentor, inform, or educate others make great entrepreneurs. People love to learn about new things, so why not capitalize on it?

    Any one of these traits will make a good entrepreneur; having more than one magnifies the success factor. A secret to building a profitable business is to also look for those who SWEAT and add them to your team. Then the only other ingredients are blood and tears, and a great business plan!

Marketing Plans

    Marketing is the language of business. Without a solid marketing plan, the business is non-existent and is no business at all. An idea can be the best in the world, but if no one knows about it it profits no one. A marketing plan is a snapshot for the newest product or service to be delivered to the customer and links the current financial situation to the future goal-oriented objective. There are 15 steps in a well-rounded plan and each serves a specific purpose.

      1) Executive Summary- In this section a business identifies a challenge or problem that occurs in the market and to its customers. The challenge must be matched with an opportunity the business can deliver to remedy the challenge. A complete understanding of what to market will be described here.

     2) Company Description- A brief history of the business is included here. The basic operation and day to day functionality is detailed along with how the brand will be recognized is explained.

     3) Strategic Focus and Mission- A mission statement and vision is described here.
 
     4) Industry Analysis-  What kind of trends are occurring in the industry? How are other companies dealing with the marketplace and economic situation? How are customers feeling about the industry as a whole?

     5) Core Competencies/Competitive Advantage- If a company understands what sets them apart from other similar businesses, then it will maximize its profits.
 
     6) Competitor Analysis- Slightly different than the Competitive advantage; here a company is looking at specific competitors that may threaten the business and what they are doing. Why are they different.

     7) Situation Analysis- This is the beginning of the heart of the marketing plan. There is no complete breakdown of objectives here, but a company will identify its budget and basic resources with which it has to implement the entire plan.