Why Are People So Bad At Follow Through?

After countless days of wondering, I finally do it. I finally garner the courage to follow up with an associate who hasn’t responded to me in 4 days. Yep, four days..which in my world is a lifetime. During that time, I have thought of her on five different occasions, pushed back our project by 3 days and halted another one coming in, unsure of what direction she wanted to take our work. I have side tracked other work and painfully watched my email, waiting….and waiting……and waiting. All she has to do is respond, answer a simple question about next steps and send it off to me. Did she get the email? Did she forget about me? Did she push send and the internet trolls ran off with my email? No one really knows, because she didn’t follow up.

Do You Have A Happy Dance?

Most people are challenged to celebrate their wins. In business we are trained to work hard, do our jobs, keep our heads down and clock in and out on time. We have become so trained to do, we have forgotten to be…and being is what life is all about.

Ignoring Referrals?

As small business owners, referrals from existing customers are one of our easiest and best ways to gain new customers. If you’re like me, asking for a referral might not seem natural. I realized I had never asked this client for a referral, instead I was hoping—like so many business owners do—that my great service, stellar personality, and the results we achieved would simply speak for themselves. But building a business on hope is a bit reckless. So how can we make the process easier?

The Truth About Santa Claus

One thing is clear and that is Santa is a Christmas leader. He takes on the greatest roles and actions to ensure holiday cheer is bestowed on us all. With strategy and a whole lot of marketing, he ensures Christmas is here, active and bringing happiness to all. Wow, that is a big responsibility. Wonder how he does that. Does he hire managers for that type of work? Supervisors? How does he really pay those elves? Do the reindeer do anything else? So, at a time many of you are questioning your own decisions and actions, let’s be clear about the big guy and what he does to ensure his company runs as efficiently as possible.

Has It Ever Been Clean?

The tool that was supposed to revolutionize work, improve productivity and increase capacity has actually spun us out so badly that some of you are drowning in your own creation. Is it possible to get back to the basics, using it as it was intended or is our only salvation to melt down and find our support group?

Build a Brand, Not a Business

I will break it to you gently. Simply building a business is a thing of the past. Focusing on activities, vendors, locations, marketing, hiring, firing, promotions, and the myriad of tasks related to operating will get you so far from where you want to be you might as well end up on Mars. Don’t get me wrong, those things are all imperative to survival. But, if it is just about surviving, then sign me up for something else.

#suckitsven

#suckitsven was something you would expect to hear in one of those Ted talks. Witty, organic, and unscripted, it resulted in one of the finest examples of marketing ingenuity I have seen in years. I couldn’t have thought of it on my own, yet when I pick it apart it has all the foundational marketing pieces I coach my clients in.

“It is MY fault?”

However, in the end he screwed it up last week and I was resorted to picking through an inedible salad and grumbling at how customer service used to be. Of course I call and speak to the manager, only to be told the counter guy is new and to give him a chance and next weeks salad is on them. I have come in once a week for four years, have ordered the same thing and I should “give him a break”? This just leaves me feeling like it was my fault.

Why I Hate Top 10 Lists

The dreaded top 10 list. They are everywhere I look. I think what I hate most about them is how victimized I feel after I click the link. The promises of instant gratification are alluring, yet so gutless. It would all be too easy if something could be fixed, identified or resolved in 10 quick steps.

Get Over the Whelm by Taking the Helm

When my clients talk about overwhelm, it often sounds like they relate to it as if whelm were the sleeper wave. Arriving and engulfing them unexpectedly, it overpowers them by sheer strength. Unable to do anything about it, they are, to varying degrees, incapacitated….victims to their experience of the Overwhelm.

The Hidden Benefits of Overwhelm

What do you get out of being overwhelmed? When clients come to a call and use the “O” word, I know the conversation is about to get rich. While there are a number of questions I ask, the one with the most kick is, “What do you get out of being overwhelmed?” In other words, “Do you benefit in any way from being overwhelmed?”

Finding Your Balance

Most people don’t know what they don’t know. To build and grow a profitable and sustainable company, you need to understand the fundamentals of business development, as well as who you need to be and when you need to be it.

LeadershipKat CollinsAugust 27, 2014bored leader, business, business help, emyth, finance help, happiness, leadership, management, self discovery, selling, smb, womaninbizComment

The Internet: The New Freak Show?

Not too long ago, when times were simpler, we found entertainment through means other than a screen. Yep, kids played outside in creeks, we went to the local theater to see live plays, the yearly fair would come to display all of our prized creations and the circus would come to town. If you are too young to have experienced these simple pleasures in life, go take your grandparents out to lunch and learn about entertainment that wasn’t attached to a screen.

MarketingKat CollinsJuly 23, 2014bored leader, business help, finance help, Internet, leadership, management, marketing, selling, SEO, womaninbizComment

The Story Behind The Numbers

When it comes down to it, you are in control of your own story behind the numbers. Even with the best of systems, people are going to react as they will and do what they want. Still, you hold the power of understanding how to read your esoteric idea, via your numbers to understand the past, learn the present and guide the future.

FinanceKat CollinsJune 24, 2014bored leader, business expenses, business help, finance, leadership, management, selling, womaninbizComment

The Silent Killer: Boredom at Work

As a leader you control the heartbeat, health and vitality of your business; yet why don’t you do anything when you see and feel it not running in optimal health? I know, I know…time, money and energy all contribute to the overwhelm you feel when you do recognize a change needs to happen. Just like your body, your business won’t last forever. And just like your body, we forget how important it is to us before it is too late. Are you bored?

LeadershipKat CollinsMay 22, 2014bored leader, business expenses, business help, happiness, leadership, management, selling, womaninbizComment

5 “Strategic” Ways to Sell Your Company

Did you see the news that Facebook has recently acquired Internet messaging service WhatsApp for $19 billion? It represents the largest-ever acquisition of an Internet company in history.

Branding, Leadership, SalesKat CollinsApril 3, 2014sellingComment

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