Fake it till you make it.
BS. What if you reframe it? And just see things from what you know, and adapt it to them.
Creative strategist
(Doom)Scrolling through LinkedIn a post popped up: creative strategist. Is there ANY strategy that doesn’t require creativity? How can you create advantage —and bring it in a surprising way— (2 requirements for any strategy), if you bring the same as everybody else? If you’re not creative? Spoiler: You can’t. You don’t. And what’s creativity? The ability to see. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Maximizers
In The JOLT Effect, a maximizer refers to a type of person (buyer, in this case) who: Wants to make the absolute best possible decision, not just a good one. Wants to explore every option, analyze all data, and compare thoroughly before committing. Often fears messing up (making the wrong choice). In short, someone who is always trying to get the lowest possible risk. The trade off is, though, that all of this happens at the expense of risking the inaction of now. It can (it does) take many…
Revenue ≠ Value
Creating value is not the same as creating revenue —and viceversa. Increasing your revenue can be a good indicator of something happening: the market finding your offerings attractive, making a simpler process for your customers to buy, increasing volume of sales, increasing prices, etc. YET, when your cost structure remains, your revenue minus costs will stay pretty much the same (because your costs are proportional to your revenue on most of the situations above). Revenue can deceive you….
Value?
Revenue ≠ Value Just that for you to think today. 🙂
Don’t stand out
Why would you even want to stand out? It’s risky. Looking different will get attention, and not all of it will be “the right” attention. Involves breaking from the standard. To be the weird one. Is not a guarantee for success. The opposite: it might feel closer to failure. It gets push back (and the “need” to justify). Why so expensive? It makes you different…
Prices: Will change, Changing and Changed
The difference between Will change, Changing and Changed: Intent, messiness and calibrating, and done. This is how it sounds and what your customers hear when talking about your prices. My prices will change → I haven’t made the final decision and there’s room for you to intervene. My prices are changing → I’m in the process of change and am still trying to figure out which ones will be final. But you can intervene in the process. Is it too expensive…maybe…? My prices changed → The…
Finding value
How to find value —so that you can sell for more You don’t. You help your clients find that out, because THEN you’ll be able to capture more of it with what you help. It’s not about you, it’s all about THEM.
Who do you talk with?
When you’re running a business —or you’re in a position on learning how to— you have your own bubble. And you have to break off of it. Who are you talking with about your business that is NOT part of your business? Lacking an environment where you get to be pushed in your thinking, compare similar or opposite situations with others like you, will leave you in your echo chamber. Look for others who work in a similar situation to yours.
Making everyone happy
Or at least, avoiding making anyone upset. Nice thought, but nonsense. Utopia. You can’t make everyone happy. Unless you’re laughing gas. (And even then.) Your decisions will impact your business, your customers and your relationships. And you can’t make everyone happy. Business-wise, they’ll upset people —within your business, within your market, or within your customer base. Yet, avoiding making a decision because of the fear of what might come up will not make the situation better when…
