One of my first Clients last year when I revived my Marketing & Business Consulting company had been living by the mantra to "shamelessly do whatever works, as long as it is legal, ethical, and moral."
I personally believe that her mantra is an excellent one to run a business by. However, there are two more parts to that mantra if one's intent is to make it work:
First, we need a definition of "work." Personally, if what I do brings in more money than I spend on doing it, then it works. Of course, some things work better than others, and that brings up the second missing part:
How do we determine what works, and whether something is working better than something else? This is the part that many people don't know how to do, the part the causes many businesses to fail, and the part that my Lady Client had no clue what to do.
I set her up with an Excel spreadsheet last year, told her to be persistent and consistent in tracking where she spent her money, asking her Clients how they found out about her, and entering those facts, as well as her income from each Client, into the Excel spreadsheet I created for her. I told her that at the end of a year, possibly earlier, she would know exactly what worked and what didn't.
Today was the end of the year, and she was proud to show me her Excel spreadsheet and what she had discovered worked and didn't work. All it takes is persistently and consistently tracking one's work, and the results of one's work, the epitome of Guerrilla Marketing.
Hi Russel - Excellent advice. I sometimes get so busy that I don't keep track for a bit. Then I feel totally lost as to where I really stand. I am mostly good at it, but I know I can do better, and I WILL! ;-)
Great advice! I love that, "be persistent and consistent" with everything that goes onto the Excel spreadsheet so that you can track EVERYTHING. Really motivational post, thanks!
Hi Russel, I think it's so important to have a tracking system. I like your idea about using an Excel Spreadsheet - I have several of them for different things, and I think I'll add your idea for 2010. Thanks Russel!
Russel, It's an adorable gift with a happy ending! For years I didn't keep a careful account of just how much I was paying in business expenses. That was a mistake and I haven't repeated it!
More good advice Russel. This is a great way to think how we spend our time - and to what extent we can, and should, pay for tasks that can be done by others.
It is a great idea to track how you spend your money and what works and what doesn't. I have used the caller response systems with their five-digit extensions to see which print materials are most successful, and it was and still is very enlightening.
Hey, Susan - We all can do better at certain things. It requires acknowledgement that we can, as well as diligence.
Hey, Carra - You'll find that "persistent and consistent" is one of my favorite phrases that I apply to both my personal life and my businesses.
Hey, Kathy - Thanks for the kind words.
Hey, Mary - I've been an Excel user since it first came out, especially since Microsoft gave it to me free if I would give them my Lotus 1-2-3 disks.
Hey, Carole - I've only glanced through the little book, but it looks like there is lots of good blogging material in it. LOL
Hey, Rick - There's a reason why Bill Gates doesn't do clerical work. Know where to put one's efforts is part and parcel of a successful business.
Hey, Melissa - I used to use those systems, but then I started running different ads in different locations, which got different responses.
Hey, Liz - I'm still trying to determine how to determine cat breeds, so I haven't a clue what kind of cat is on the book cover, and the book doesn't tell me either.
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One of my first Clients last year when I revived my Marketing & Business Consulting company had been living by the mantra to "shamelessly do whatever works, as long as it is legal, ethical, and moral."
I set her up with an Excel spreadsheet last year, told her to be persistent and consistent in tracking where she spent her money, asking her Clients how they found out about her, and entering those facts, as well as her income from each Client, into the Excel spreadsheet I created for her. I told her that at the end of a year, possibly earlier, she would know exactly what worked and what didn't.
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Hi Russel - Excellent advice. I sometimes get so busy that I don't keep track for a bit. Then I feel totally lost as to where I really stand. I am mostly good at it, but I know I can do better, and I WILL! ;-)