The Scoreboard

July 18, 2010 By Michelle

We all depend on the scoreboard at a sports stadium to give us a quick, exact rundown of what’s going on down on the field. The scoreboard, of course, shows the score. The scoreboard displays the team names. The scoreboard measures time remaining and team statistics. The scoreboard, for some sports, often has the starting roster displayed on the outer edges. An official or neutral person will operate the scoreboard, using a control panel. Since I have a condition called, “football on the brain” I must use football analogies to prove my point…once again.

“So what?” you might be asking. Well, I started pondering recently how much we really depend on this electro-mechanical tool and how it makes our hearts either pound like a sledge hammer trying to ring the bell at the County Fair, or sink like the Titanic.

If you had a scoreboard for your business, what would it look like? What would the score be if you were the home team and your competitors were the visitors? Is your heart pounding or sinking?

What would your stats look like? First and ten for social media efforts? Third and long for marketing results? Two touchdowns for two new clients? Uh oh, a difficult client blitz causes you to be sacked and lose yardage. Ineffective networking causes a fumble.

You do need to be mindful of your business scoreboard and what it’s displaying. Take time often to evaluate what’s working and what’s not. What efforts are you expending with little or no results? Maybe it’s time to outsource or do away with a particular activity. Make a list of activities that are high-leverage, high-yield and focus on those.

Take a look at your social media activities – are they expanding or are they stagnant? Choose the most productive of your social media platforms (for me it’s Linkedin) and devote 30 minutes a day to invite others to connect, answer questions, and send notes to a few connections at a time – and don’t always be in “sell” mode. Just reach out and say hello and ask if there’s anything you can do to help them.

Call more plays for focused high-leverage, high-yield activities and watch your score increase. Watch your stats go from good to great. Watch how you “control the clock” and your productivity will dramatically increase.

Take charge of your scoreboard and win the business game!

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The Game Clock

July 6, 2010 By Michelle

A pro football stadium game clock is really the ruler of the entire game. The clock is in charge. The clock decides when the game starts and when the game is over. The clock decides when a play ends and when it starts.

The game clock stops with a change of ball possession, an incomplete pass, a penalty, when a player goes out of bounds, an injury, when a player’s equipment becomes detached or damaged, a team scores a touchdown, field goal, or safety, or when a team calls a time-out. There are even special rules that apply during the final two minutes of a game and for overtime.

Like I said, the clock rules on the field and the sidelines. This is the way football is organized and it works.

As an independent business person, your game clock determines when your day starts and ends, when a time-out is needed, when your most productive hours are, and when you meet with clients. How can you organize your day so you reap the maximum benefits from your game clock?

1. Decide a general work schedule that allots time for business development, personal needs, family, and client time. Allow about 25% for daily personal needs time. Include a Plan B – a network of friends or business associates in case you have an emergency that calls you away from your business.

2. Prioritize your daily schedule by identifying high-leverage activities which will produce more clients and, as a result, more revenue. Tackling the most dreaded items on your to-do list and deadline-oriented items first will help tremendously. As Nike puts it, Just Do It. Prioritize your schedule according to your personal body clock.

3. Discover the power of outsourcing tasks that aren’t the best use of your time. I recently needed some data entry for 770 names, addresses, and phone numbers into an Excel spreadsheet. I went on Guru.com and requested a quote. For $25.00, a precious gal in Uruguay entered all the contact information accurately within a few days. Outsource anything that isn’t a high-leverage activity and for tasks that you just plain don’t like to do.

4. Take time daily to reduce stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Implement the 50/10 rule and work for 50 minutes and step away from your desk for ten minutes. I’ve found that weight training and/or walking first thing in the morning increases my energy level throughout the day. You’ll not only burn calories, you’ll sleep better.

Eat a healthy snack or meal every three hours to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and a steady stream of energy. Don’t forget to walk away from your desk and stretch often – hip flexors get very tight and your shoulder/back muscles become rounded if you continually sit in a chair for several hours a day. On rainy days, do a few sets of jumping jacks, or use a jump rope. Do some squats or stationary lunges and a few push-ups to get your blood pumping. Resistance bands are great for indoor resistance/strength training workouts. www.medstac.com has a full body workout printed right on the band – great for traveling too!

5. Establish your own holidays. Take time to relax your body and mind. Turn off your computer and other electronic devices – don’t worry, you won’t die. Take the day off here and there and go on a day trip. If you need creativity for your work, this will do wonders to re-charge your creative battery and install fresh, new ideas in your relaxed brain. Celebrate business anniversaries and milestones with a nice dinner or other treat.

6. Make your game clock work for you. Stay organized. Reserve a little time at the end of each day to organize your desk, put away papers, and make a prioritized to-do list for the next day.

Implementing these simple steps will help you feel more in control of your business and not like it’s controlling you. Michael Gerber discusses this in his wonderfully practical book, “The E-Myth Revisited.” Taking the time to put organizational systems in place will give you the freedom to enjoy your business and not feel like you’ve created another j-o-b for yourself.

Now, start the game clock…there’s a doozy of a game to get underway!

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The Blitz

June 19, 2010 By Michelle

A blitz is an aggressive play. It’s a frontal attack in action against a quarterback and it dictates the tempo of the play. A blitz forces a quarterback to make a swift decision under pressure. The blitz forces adjustments.

Even though blitzes exist only in football, you can be blitzed in your life and business as well. Just as defensive players rush the quarterback, circumstances or people can blitz, or rush in; catching you off guard and causing you to make swift decisions under pressure. A blitz might even hit your blindside and you’re sacked.

Some blitzes that might come your way are financial setbacks, health concerns, negative family members who don’t support your vision, well-meaning friends who don’t understand your chosen path, or perhaps a series of unexpected events that seek to derail you from achieving your goals.

What can you do to prepare for the blitzes of life and, more importantly, how can you successfully make a blitz adjustment? After all, just like football, life is a head game and it’s in your attitude that you’ll win or lose.

The Blitz Adjustment – A blitz adjustment requires a quarterback to go to the hot receiver. Who’s your hot receiver? Your wife? Your husband? A trusted colleague? A pastor? Take the time to develop and build strong relationships with key people in your life and you will never lack for a hot receiver who has your back in times of need. Be that person for others too.

Call an Audible – If a quarterback sees the defense aligned for a blitz, he can call an audible at the line. If you see circumstances stacked against you, it’s up to you to recognize if they’re simply distractions, an all-out assault on your peace of mind, or specifically sent to you to teach you how to deal with this particular life formation. Sometimes, it calls for speaking positive life and words into the situation and looking for the good in it…and there’s good in every situation if you look hard enough. Other times, it’s a call to prayer and surrendering the circumstance to a Power beyond your own. For me, it’s God Himself who reveals His power and peace in the midst of challenging times, through His Word.

Pick up the Blitz – Good field vision is essential for picking up the blitz. For the business person, when life blitzes come your way, it means seeing the big picture, the end result. It means being proactive in creating solutions, not being reactionary and feeling victimized. An offensive lineman must have quick feet and be bent at the knees so he can create more force toward the blitz. Your mental and emotional ability to pick up an oncoming life blitz will make the difference between you going to the next level or simply settling for the status quo.

You can’t always predict when blitzes will come…but they will come. However, being prepared with mental toughness and emotional resolve will determine what a powerful internal force you can possess when life blitzes come your way. Even though a life blitz might force an adjustment, you’ll be prepared because you will have developed strong relationships along the way, you’ll know how to speak powerful words of life into the situation, and you’ll be proactive in creating positive solutions.

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The Victory Dance

June 3, 2010 By Michelle

In 1969, Elmo Wright, a junior receiver for the University of Houston, is believed to have invented the post-touchdown celebration. In his third year with the Chiefs, Elmo caught a touchdown pass in a game on Nov. 18, 1973, against the Houston Oilers and celebrated with what some believe was the first end zone dance in NFL history….the high step.

Through the years fans have become familiar with the Lambeau Leap, the Moss Moon, Chad Johnson’s mock proposal, Joe Horn phones home, the Bob and weave, and my personal favorite, Terrell Owens’ Sharpie incident, although he has several to his credit.

In business, we reach our end zone by gaining bigger and better clients, by tapping into our social media space to network and increase our visibility, and by giving 110% to each and every project we tackle. What we need to figure out what uniquely motivates us and what our victory dance will look like.

I took a few from my personal list on the fridge. My visible list is a constant reminder to reward myself for jobs well done; not for mediocrity…for jobs well done. Notice I started with food…after all, that’s why I’m a dedicated strength trainer and cardio blaster, so I can spoil myself when I want to. When I’m re-married some day, my list may change but for now, here are some end zone celebratory dance starters:

A special meal at your favorite restaurant
A special dessert (a decadent chocolate ‘something’)
Find a park and walk in grass barefoot (it’s good for you too)
Find a beach and walk in the sand at sunrise or sunset
Take a picnic basket and go on a day trip
Find an arcade to re-connect with your fun side
Take a weekend trip to totally de-tox from your hectic schedule
Get a massage
Spend the night out dancing
Go to a comedy club
Go to a movie
Just be a couch potato for one entire day
Buy yourself flowers (men can do this too)
Order a few books from your Amazon.com wish list

Add your own victory dances.

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Tackle the Ball

May 17, 2010 By Michelle

Tackles are big men who like to hit other big men. A tackle dares people to move him out of the way. They don’t. Tackles stand their ground, occupy blockers, and captures any ballcarrier that comes within grabbing distance.

As a business person, whether you are part of a corporation or a soloprenuer, there are always people and things to tackle. Maybe we can take a lesson from pro football on how to handle roadblocks in our way.

Which of the following is in your way right now that you need to tackle in your business?

Do you have a difficult client that requires more of your attention than you have time to give?

Is your company’s bank account running toward the sideline?

Are you having trouble maintaining a work/life balance?

Are you confronted with naysayers who slam your every effort?

1. A tackle stands his ground. Don’t allow pushy clients to hog your time or demand constant discounts. You can be tactful but firm and simply state to your clients, “It’s my company policy to…or to not….”

2. A tackle occupies his blockers. Do you have blockers in the form of well-meaning or not so well meaning family members or friends? Occupy the negative space they provide with a positive word or encouraging email back to them. Consistently do this and the blockers will either change or find another target to block.

3. A tackle captures any ballcarrier that comes within grabbing distance. Do you need to capture new clients? Go after them with a professional vengeance. Do you need high quality vendors? Grab them from referrals – they will thank you. If small thinkers come within grabbing distance to you, capture them with your positivity and tenacity.

4. A tackle slams his opponent to the ground once he catches him. If your bank account is running toward the sideline, slam it by gaining some quick financial wins – make a killer offer to your present clients. Slam your melancholy days by writing down all the progress you’ve made thus far with your business. List all the things you’ve learned and how you’ve grown as a business person.

Roadblocks are an inevitable part of business. How you tackle those roadblocks will pave the way to a more powerful you. Observing how tackles handle their opponents teaches you how to stand, occupy, capture, and slam them – de-power (my own word) them so you can move on to the next play in your business.

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Reward Thyself

March 24, 2010 By Michelle

When any sports team wins the championship, they win a monetary reward, not to mention endorsements, bonuses and the like. They also win recognition for being the very best in their sport. We are a rewards-based society. People in the workplace exchange their time for a paycheck. Entrepreneurs exchange their time for invoice payments. In the midst of that, we often win inner fulfillment, satisfaction and the praise of our bosses and clients.

It’s important to build in a self-reward system. It motivates us and gives us that proverbial carrot to work toward. Rewards come in various forms and mean different things to different people. For some, it may be culinary treats, to others, it may mean outside activities, or a mini-vacation.

I keep my own reward list on my fridge. One of my rewards, which I’ve actually done for years, is – most Friday nights I buy a pint of hot salsa and a bowl of chips at my favorite Mexican restaurant. I faithfully work hard weight training and doing cardio all week and downing that whole pint of salsa with the chips is an extra special treat.

What do you do to reward yourself for a project well done? This could apply not only to business successes but to your personal endeavors as well. Make your own list and keep it on your fridge. Match your reward list to items on your to-do list.

Here are my top ten ideas to get you started.

1. Get a massage or facial
2. Indulge in a weekend culinary treat
3. Buy a book or two from your Amazon.com wish list
4. Buy flowers for yourself (yes, guys can do this too)
5. Take one day a week to be a couch potato (not everyday!)
6. Get a pedicure (yes, guys can do this too)
7. Buy a steak and/or high quality seafood and cook it to your liking
8. Enroll in a workshop/class for a favorite hobby
9. Go on a beach, mountain, or lake walk (whatever beauty is near you)
10. Call a friend and go to an afternoon movie

Building in rewards for your efforts reinforces the fact that you’re in forward motion toward your goals. It also means you know how to care for yourself in meaningful ways and that is not selfish; it’s wise self-maintenance.

What have you done lately that deserves a reward? Award yourself your own Super Bowl endorsement for a recent achievement by taking action on one of the ideas above or by making your own list. It’ll bring an abundance of balance and beauty into your life.

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Half-Time

January 30, 2010 By Michelle

Whether a team is winning or losing…it’s inevitable…half-time WILL come. It’s a time when sports announcers  banter with each other and aggressively give their take on what’s happened in the first half. It’s a time when advertisers unashamedly flaunt their wares with multi-million dollar ideas. It’s also a time that coaches have to lay groundwork for the second half of the game.

Coaches are well aware that they have only 15 minutes at half-time to:

  • Analyze the competition and make necessary adjustments
  • Refresh, rest, and rehydrate the team
  • Motivate and focus on team strength’s
  • Keep their game face on while players offer feedback

Half-time often comes to businesses too. You’ve gone through the opening kick of start-up, you’ve toiled through the downs of marketing attempts and client interaction, and have more than likely reached the goal line of an increased client base and referrals.

Now, half-time comes and you find yourself needing to do all the above bullet points. I’ll break them down so you can go into your second half, revived and ready to give your all.

  • Analyze the competition and make necessary adjustments. Have you looked at your competitors’ websites lately?

Their call to action? Special offers?

Are there any adjustments you can make to keep yourself ahead of your competition?

Perhaps a website copy analysis? A press release to announce your latest product/service offering? A revised auto-responder to draw in a greater number of respondents and increase sales?

  • Refresh, rest, and rehydrate. How many hours a day/week do you work? I’ve consistently worked more hours than I ever have since I’ve been an entrepreneur. I attend a 6:00 a.m. resistance/strength training class to energize me for the first part of the day. I take an afternoon break during my body clock’s dip time, then it’s back to work until around 7:30 or 8:00 p.m.

The more I move up the field as a self-bosser, the more I realize I need to aggressively take time to relax and refresh myself. I have to make a conscious decision to get up at least once an hour and stretch, I need to re-fuel with food every 3-4 hours, and drink plenty of water.

I’m talking to myself when I tell you to take a break and read for 30 minutes. Go for a short walk. Eat a little chocolate (I don’t have any problem with that one). I’ll often take Friday afternoon off to pick up my 6-year old granddaughter for a sleepover. Of course, the piggyback rides and chasing games serve to exhaust me to new heights.

  • Motivate and focus on your strength’s. You’ll find plenty of ways to motivate yourself, you just have to look around. A simple Google search will produce millions of results of motivational content to uplift and inspire you. Also, make a list of your strengths.

It took those strengths to start your business and it takes your strength and talent to manage it. After all, what do football players think about…how inadequate they are? That they have no talent? Huh, I don’t THINK so or they’d have a one-way ticket out of the NFL.

  • Keep your game face on while others offer feedback. If you want to improve your business, you’re going to have to ask for feedback from your clients, your peers, and your mentors. How do you react to feedback when it’s less than what you expected? What if the feedback comes from a trusted source and is still not what you wanted to hear?

Do you keep your game face on or fall apart?

Do you get mad and hurl negative comments back?

Do you wince and glare with nonacceptance of critical comments, even when they’re meant to improve your game?

You can do whatever you want to with your game face in private but keeping your game face on in public is essential to show that you’re a professional – teachable and humble.

Half-time can be a time of commiserating, re-hashing mistakes, mishaps, or a symphony of woe-is-me’s, or it can serve as time well spent. How will you spend your next half-time?

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Player Down

January 12, 2010 By Michelle

Player down are the two words no coach, player, or fan wants to hear. When Al Michaels, Phil Simms, or any other announcer says those dreaded words, all action stops – our eyes are glued to the field in hopes the injured player gets up and walks off on his own accord. Trainers rush. Medical personnel hover.

Of course, there is the dreaded fear of “the cart.” Definitely not a good sign.

Throughout a football player’s career, he may suffer injuries such as multiple concussions, broken collarbone, broken ribs, broken nose, broken thumb, broken legs, torn ACL/PCL’s, groin pull, hip pointer, turf toe, shoulder dislocation and torn rotator cuff, not to mention all the hamstring, calf and back mishaps that can happen.

As entrepreneurial business people, we believe “Player Down” would never be part of our vocabulary or experience. But it is.

We can and do suffer injuries of the heart due to discouragement and disappointment.

We can suffer broken trust when we deal with not-so-honest vendors or clients.

We can suffer dislocation of our time when we lose focus and go in a direction that isn’t in line with our goals and objectives.

We may even need “the cart” when we’ve experienced a major setback.

Just as a player can’t avoid sudden injuries (after all, it’s the nature of the game), we can’t prevent outside circumstances beyond our control from dealing a crushing blow on our business or personal life. Players have a team of experts immediately at their side, to tend to their injuries and provide the safest, fastest way back to wholeness.

What can we do to recover from our own cry of Player Down?

1. Stop. Be still. Breathe. Acknowledge it happened. Give yourself the gift of time to gather yourself.

2.  Forget the stiff upper lip, be honest that it hurts, try a little transparency and give the key people in your life a chance to uplift and encourage you.

3.  Put one foot forward. When you put one foot forward, the other one will naturally follow…in forward motion. Step out to the library, a new networking group, a cooking class, or just around the block. Do something or go somewhere you wouldn’t ordinarily go, even just for a few minutes.

4.  Keep yourself on the active roster. Travel somewhere you’ve never considered before (even a day trip), change your scenery, eat somewhere new. Get your endorphins involved by daily walking and gym time…keep your body in motion.

5.  Just let it go. Holding onto hurts and heart/trust injuries holds you captive. Re-hashing and re-living setbacks prevents you from using that same energy on new, positive directions. I’m not saying a major devastation or loss is not painful. I’ve had plenty to deal with during my 53 years. But, once you’ve felt all there is to feel about it, what purpose does it serve to stay down?

It’s time to just let it go and move on to living new life chapters, in full color. Greater self-discovery will present itself along the way if you let it.

Once you’ve come to terms with whatever happened; acknowledge, be transparent, keep your forward motion, make sure you stay on the active roster, and then just let go. Really enjoy what new opportunities, people, and discoveries come your way!

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One Play Wonder

December 23, 2009 By Michelle

Imagine if a professional football team had only one offensive play. That play was highly successful the first time they used it; worked like a charm. Short screen pass to the right. Then, over and over and over again, they used that same pass for every play, every game.

Opposing teams would know exactly what to do to defend the play. No surprises. No anticipation. There’s three words to describe this one play wonder…boring, lifeless, ineffective.

The same philosophy applies to your entrepreneurial efforts. Are you a one play wonder?

Do you rely on a single method of marketing and selling because you had great results once?

Have you forged a badge-of-honor because you’ve “always done it like this before?” After all, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Do your clients yawn at your “canned” approach to marketing and CRM?

My point is: if you’re using only direct mail…try building your social media network too. If you’re spending hours a day managing your social media network…try outsourcing that task to a freelance site like www.guru.com, www.elance.com. or www.odesk.com and make a few cold calls.

If you only rely on cold calling to market yourself, mix it up and try a combination of cold calling and direct mail. If you use the same tired sales letter for every mailing, supercharge it for more power. If necessary, hire a copywriter to kick it up a notch. If you are used to sending snail mail sales letters, create or re-design a dynamic website or homepage to draw a larger audience.

Can your competition “read” your same ‘ol marketing plays and beat you to the client?

Remember the no surprises, no anticipation reaction of the opposing team mentioned above? That’s what your clients and competition experience when your approach to marketing and CRM is a one play wonder.

Add some spice and variety to your marketing and CRM! You’ll not only see an increase in your client base, you’ll punt your competition to the other side of the field.

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Fanatical Fans

November 16, 2009 By Michelle

Last week I was at the Chicago Bears/49ers game at Candlestick Park. I had a pre-game field pass for this particular game and it gave me an entirely different vantage point from which to look at the fans in the stands.

It started me thinking about what makes sports fans all over the country holler till they’re hoarse, paint their faces in an array of colors, sit in snow and rain for hours to watch games, spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars for tickets, and anxiously hold out footballs, jerseys, and other paraphernalia to be signed by their favorite players.

I also thought about what has made me a lifelong Dallas Cowboy fan and the reason I have no less than 10 Cowboys t-shirts, plus jerseys, jamies, sweatshirts, ticket stubs, signed hats from training camps, and even earrings.

Ponder how the following sports fan traits relate to your business success:

1. Loyalty to a group – People have the need to feel like they belong. They need connectivity. Fair weather fans come and go but loyal fans attend games, buy season tickets, purchase apparel, and follow the team on television and on the Internet. They’re proactive in supporting their team.

Think about what loyalty means to you in your business. Are you loyal to your vendors, your clients, and your networking circle? In balancing work and play, are you a loyal friend? A loyal spouse? Are you loyal to your own journey of success?

2. Observing Examples of Excellence – I believe another reason we see fanatical fans is that they realize in a deep way, the effort, guts, determination and sheer hard work it takes to play and excel in their sport. It’s not all glitz and glitter; there’s constant preparation, both mental and physical; it’s moving beyond average into greatness with every single decision.

Think about examples of excellence you’ve observed from people in your own sphere of business and personal relationships. Who has spurred you onward to your own pursuit of greatness? Who has inspired you to move past your challenges and to not allow them to penalize your own determination? Have you thanked them lately for being part of your team?

3. Because of the “great ones” who have gone before – When I think of great ones, I tend to think of the legendary coaches of times past like Tom Landry, George Halas, and Vince Lombardi. Of course, there are players who will forever be etched in my memory for their consistent excellence on the field; players like Emmitt Smith, Roger Staubach, Walter Payton, Joe Montana, and Jerry Rice.

Think about the great business and entrepreneurial mentors of times past as well as current ones. Who can you “adopt” as a personal mentor, whether through books, DVD’s, e-newsletters, or seminars? Whose example can you follow to take your own business success to the next level? Who can YOU be an example to?

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