December 9, 2016 by

Hit Any Speed Bumps Lately?

Speed bumpsThe other day my wife and I were driving to a gathering in a neighborhood we had not been to before. The homes were all unique with stone facing and a variety of styles. The landscaping at each home was meticulous.

As the driver what really caught my attention were the speed bumps. Every single street had two or three of these spaced out based on the length of the street. There was not one single street in this area which did not have multiple speed bumps. Yes there were signs to warn you and to note the exact location for each speed bump.

It turns out the speed bumps were placed there for a few reasons.

The first one, which is the most obvious, is to slow down the speed of any vehicles driving through this neighborhood. The second reason was to protect the children in the area who might be either crossing the road or playing in or near to the road. The third reason, which may not be so obvious, is to reduce the road traffic as people who know the speed bumps are there would avoid these roads unless they had to drive into the area for a specific reason or to visit someone.

Isn’t this how it is in our business and our lives? Don’t we hit speed bumps at various times? Now we are not talking about a dead end, we are talking about a speed bump.

So people might just say – “well I know there are speed bumps if I go that way so I am not going that way.”

Sometimes we take note of the warning signs and other times we are totally taken off guard. Yes, of course there are others who will not slow down at all and just plow right through. We all know what that will do to your car if you try that out on the road. Maybe speed bumps in our business, career and our lives are meant for us to slow down and think about what it is that we are doing?

What are we trying to achieve? What are we really focused on?

The road with the speed bumps may be the road less traveled. The road to success in life and in business may be a road like that as well. It seems clear to me we need to recognize the speed bumps when they are present, take note, slow down and consider what are we doing and why are we doing it?

Mitch Tublin runs a boutique consulting firm with a main focus on leadership development, strategic initiatives and executive coaching. Based in Stamford, CT. he has clients all over the world.

Filed Under: Business Planning, Business Strategy, Know Where You Want To Go, Small Business Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
July 18, 2014 by

Do You Know What Your Customers Want?

know-your-customersAt the NJ Shore, ice cream trucks still roam the local streets. Each beach block the ringing of the chimes or bells brings out running children laughing with glee and happiness to purchase their favorite treat.

Imagine if when they arrived at the truck all that was available was fruit! Nice wholesome apples, pears, peaches or a banana to purchase – no ice cream.

How would the children react? How would they feel?

The reason for bringing this information up in this discussion today is to ask you how you determine what is important to your clients and customers? And, how often do you check in with your clients and customers to make certain you know what is important to them and you are providing them with what is important to them. Often – this is easier said than accomplished!

Clients, customers and prospects are continually changing their view and opinion on what is most important to them. Speak with anyone in retail and they will be happy to describe why store layouts are changed and for those in fashion why the styles always change.

It is to stay ahead of the curve. By creating the change before the consumer determines they need the change, the retailer is still somewhat in control. When the consumer changes their opinion about something, on their own, the retailer may lose their customer forever.

In a similar fashion, anyone in a provider or service based business must stay on top of the needs and wants of their clients. The continual learning and growing to stay more than current, to stay ahead of the curve is not just a necessity it is a requirement. By surrounding yourself and being a part of the leading minds in your area of expertise, you become part of the this leading edge.

You may be thinking, “I don’t need to be that much on the leading edge, everything is fine right now, my customers are happy.” Okay, you are permitted to feel this way.

By point of fact, an entire industry in the event video space was completely turned upside down almost overnight. Technology has created the opportunity for virtually anyone to offer a high quality photography and video service including editing, adding in music and more for a deep discount for family events such as weddings in comparison to only a few years ago where ‘specialists’ were running a full time business requiring booking months in advance and charging premium prices for the service.

In every geographic region these type of businesses were shutting down. Only the few who evolved, who recognized they must offer something more, something unique, something the customer wanted were able to stay in business and thrive.

In summary, always be asking, always check in with your clients, customers and prospects on what they care about.  What do they want?

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford. CT.

 

Filed Under: Business Planning, Business Strategy, Know Where You Want To Go Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
August 25, 2010 by

How Do You Know Where You Are Going If You Don’t Know Where You Are?

One thing is for certain, we as entrepreneurs thrive on having new ideas and considering new avenues, new businesses, new projects and more. The most successful entrepreneurs bring a laser focus to their business.
They know their strengths and hire in to cover their weaknesses. They act quickly and implement on their best thinking. They know where they are when they begin and they know where they are as they move along their path to success.
Let’s discuss this last topic. Checking in on where you are? This is not just about the financial aspects of your business. It is the course you have set for your business. You need to check in on a regular basis and see if you are on track financially, on your projects, on your plan and on your strategy.
Here is one example I think everyone may relate to. Do you sign up to attend an event, go to the event and then it happens. You get swept up at the event by great and compelling selling into purchasing a new marketing tool. You buy the package for a few thousand dollars. You return from the event all excited and begin to spend your time and the time of your team on the ‘new’ marketing tool.
Now I am not going to judge your purchase. Marketing is a critical and all important component to running a continually successful business. I want to ask you this question – are you losing your focus and taking your team off track? When do you realize what you have done? Do some current and previously important projects get sidetracked? Are there some urgent opportunities, conversations, customer issues, email campaigns that are now lost in this new found exciting marketing tool you are all working with?
Is it better to consider the time investment and the who, what, where and when of the new marketing tool you purchased?
The point here is this – create a regular method of checking in. Know clearly where you want to go and attach dates and timelines to everything. Roll this back into to smaller goals to be achieved. Carve these up to your staff and areas of responsibility. Now you will know where you are and where you are going! And your team will too!

Filed Under: Know Where You Want To Go, Managing People Tagged With: , , , ,