Comfortably Profitable

Everyone in the organization needs to live and breath the same brand. All need to be preaching from the same bible. The potential client can hear a company that is united in vision and cause. They will more easily like and trust them. If you are lucky they will even refer you.

We have to realize that it doesn't matter what we think. All that matters is the way people want to buy. Respect it you're finished. Once we stop trying to push and pull consumers the direction we want them to go in, the fun starts. This is a great time to be curious.

Recently I was at a sales conference for the moving industry. Great people! We talked about many things however the overall discussion was around reducing the friction in the sales cycle. There are so many opportunities to make the customer not even know they are in the sales funnel. It starts with curiosity and ends with execution.

I get the question "What's trending" all the time. On this episode I get my Crystal Ball out and look into the future. Just kidding! I highlight what's happening now and why you shouldn't wait.

Far too many companies are thinking in terms of their next transaction without considering the steps needed to build a brand. Yes, a brand sounds "frilly" but without it sales will always do business the tough way. 

I struggle as much as anyone with saying yes to everything that looks like an opportunity. Sometimes, those "asks" are to help someone or possibly build profit into my business. I am constantly reminding myself that I can be available to get involved however not until I have completed the action items for the day related to my own goals.

On this episode, I discuss the need to have Sales and Marketing working within one unit. Both departments bring tremendous value to the customer journey. Up until now, most companies keep these people apart as much as humanly possible. 

Doing what I love is the difference between success and failure. No question, I can't work at full capacity if I don't wake up looking forward to my day. On this episode I get asked what makes me happy, at work.

Recently I was asked about my thoughts around this "Hustle 18 hours a day" culture that everyone is hyping. The truth is, very few are actually achieving this. The real issue is that at the start of each year many think they will work more than ever. This creates a list containing more goals than we will actually have time for. I hope you enjoy my thoughts on this matter. Make sure to let me know yours also.

After my recorded session with Tara Miller we kept talking for a few minutes. Most notably we discussed how "Journaling" doesn't really work. This was too good not to share. Enjoy! Again Tara can be found at: http://tara-miller.com/

Tara Miller is a breath of fresh air in the space of personal performance. She applies a scientific approach to understanding why people get stuck in a rut and what consequentially gets them out. She can be found at: http://tara-miller.com/ I suggest going from this episode to Tara's website to find out more.

Today I was recapping a conversation that I had with a couple of business builders about all of the elements needed to have a successful "Go to Market" strategy.

Today I had the pleasure of talking with Rob Howard who I consider one of the worlds best Brand "Fixers". In this episode he not only explains what that is but also why it's important. I don't want an entrepreneurs to think that their brands current state should be the reason why they don't start executing on their goals.

I recently had a chance to interview one of my favourite people. Ed Tseng is a world class performance coach who has helped many pro athletes and business people achieve new heights. His no bullshit approach to understanding and explaining the differences between success and struggle is refreshing. I love when he says "Forget about not believing everything you hear. Stop believing everything you think." In this session Ed and I talk about the opportunity that can be found between our ears and why the answers are more simple than we know. Ed can be found at: https://www.edtseng.com/

I spent some time with the staff and members of Venture Club. They have an incredible culture there which made it really enjoyable to hang out with them for the afternoon. We discussed the shift in the market towards leveraging influence as a means to find business growth.

I love telling the story of how ODM started by accident. Most agencies are created by someone with a specific digital trade such as graphic design or website development. I on the hand have been scaling business as a career and eventually realized that I could and should help others do the same. You can find ODM at: www.opendoormedia.ca

Our team at Open Door Media sat down to discuss current marketing best practices. We had some laughs discussed some pressing issues and tasted four of the worlds best chocolates. Why chocolate? Why not?

The difference between the right and wrong sales and marketing approach can be the difference between survival and extinction. If the product and service isn’t the problem, the answer almost always lies in the company’s ability to develop and execute an effective and efficient “Go to Market” plan. That's where a Chief Marketing Officer is key. Can't afford one? Listen to find out what to do next.

My experience shows that small business owners work incredibly hard to establish the Comfortably Profitable State or CPS. They hustle like their life depends on it to create enough revenue in their business to pay all their expenses, hire necessary employees, and maybe buy a couple of nice items to pad their false security or celebrate their recent hard work. And that's what CPS is: a false sense of security.