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Mark Silver's Articles in General Business
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If you resist marketing, then you can be great
"I've tried to market myself for years. I've worked with coaches, counselors and healers of all stripes. They all tell me I need to work through my resistance to marketing, and yet I still hate it." My heart was breaking. I was speaking with someone who had the seeds of an amazing business, one that had been limping along for years, never expanding beyond a small handful of dedicated and raving fan clients. Is this you?
When you feel so pressured to make money you can't think.
Your marriage falls apart, you or your partner is laid-off, or your spouse gets ill and you lose half your household income. The financial pressures sweep in like a sudden high tide, and as one of my clients wrote me, "I feel so pressured to make money I can't think." What do you do in a situation like this? "Forget about the bladdy-blah-blah of patience and organic growth, man! I need to make the rent like, yesterday!"
How to use systems without turning into a heartless zombie.
You can tell as soon as you pick up the phone before the other person has even said anything. That little silence, the clattering in the background, tells you that it's a telemarketer on the other end of the line, and there is nothing they have to say that is worth your precious time. With those experiences, it's easy to have strong opinions about using systems, and to avoid them like the plague in your own business.
How to avoid the funeral after a big breakthrough.
Okay, forget all this organic growth stuff. Let's say you hit the big time, and suddenly dozens, hundreds, even thousands of people are flooding towards your business. Exciting, isn't it? Sure, exciting as a funeral. If your business isn't ready, this could be The End. It's easy to want to hit it big. But, the truth is, rapid expansion is the most dangerous time for any business.
What Moses knew about getting ready to teach.
There's a class you've been thinking about offering for some time now. But, you're not quite ready. A little more research, a little more thinking, and you're sure you'll finally be ready. But, despite your passion, it's flat. Even practicing it in front of a friend or colleague, it still feels flat. Oh no! When will you ever be ready to offer this to people? There is a missing ingredient, and Moses knew what it was.
How to Choose a Business Name.
As far as making first impressions go, it seems like your business name is right up there. So you've spent a lot of time soul-searching, brainstorming, sweating up the perfect business name. And then, when you do, what happens?
Why less passion is better for business.
I just googled 'Passion in Business' and came up with 82,900,000 hits. And, according to the first several pages of hits, everyone says that you must have passion to succeed in business. 'Fuel your passion' is the watchword. Why this quest for passion? Of course, passion can feel wonderful, but do you really need it to succeed in business? What happens when you don't have it?
The one project missing from your strategic plan.
It's a given for your business: you want next year to be different than this year. And so all kinds of projects and tasks end up on your to-do list. Marketing, office structures, product/offer creation, client care, technology. Very important, this doing of things. Without action, very little manifests, no matter how clear your intentions are. And yet, will next year look different? What gives? Is it too much action?
How your friends destroy your marketing message.
A lot of blood, sweat, and tears goes into crafting your 'elevator speech' (I hate that term). You've probably agonized over it, striving to catch just the right tone and wording. Finally, you're (hopefully) finished. For the final blessing, you turn to your friends and colleagues, and test it out. They respond: "That's great! I love it. Go for it." They've just killed you with kindness.
The true measure of money in your business.
Shiny new cars. Big mansions. The good life. Even if you're not a particularly material person, it's easy to be caught by those images, and to wonder: "Why don't I have that? Is there something wrong with me?"
How being outnumbered will gain you raving fans.
You're sitting in class, and the teacher at the front has just said something that doesn't entirely make sense to you. "You see, the world is flat. It's always been flat. And it always will be flat. Flat, flat, flat." The year is 1400 A.D., and you're thinking, "But, what if it isn't flat? What if it's round?" Do you stick your hand up and tell the teacher?
Repeat after me: "I have only one business."
Imagine you're ten years old, and there are huge stacks of cardboard boxes towering over you. It's a maze. It's a fortress. And you're allowed to climb all over them. Inside every single one of those boxes is a dozen bottles. Fine wines, liquor, you name it. It may sound like a caterer's dream, but I was just hanging out in the warehouse of my grandfather's wine store. My parents worked with him, and so I kinda grew up there.
How to keep mistakes with clients from turning cancerous.
Don't you hate it when a client emails you: "You know, I feel really ignored. Why haven't you responded to my last email?" Or how about: "This class isn't working for me. I'm in a completely different place with my situation from the other participants, and you aren't following me at all." You make mistakes with them all the time. Really heartening, ain't it?
Why your business needs two types of accountability.
The tide's coming in, fast. Your kayak is there on the sand, starting to get gently nudged. Meanwhile you're flat out on a beach towel. Hot sun. Cool breeze. Iced tea. Are you going to get up in time to save your kayak from floating out to sea? Your business may be calling, all kinds of important things to get done. But who can lift a finger when the sun is so bright?
Are We There Yet?" How To Create "Overnight Success" In Your Business.
A person I admire has a very successful business. He's sharp, personable, funny, smart, and helpful. And, the products and services he provides are top-notch. He's sold thousands of them, and his business is operating at a level much higher than mine. Then he announced that he was celebrating three years in business. What! Only three years? How'd he get so far, so fast?
Grief- Your surprising tool for momentum
Business momentum is when a series of "events" build upon each other, and multiply their efforts. It's when your business starts to have some steam of its own, and you get carried along for the ride. For instance, we had some February sunshine here in Portland, and I went bicycling. Each time I pedalled was an "event." But, that pedaling only creates momentum that carries me forward when I'm not peddling IF...
Why strangers are worried your business is stalking them.
There you are at a party, and you notice someone you'd like to get to know. So, you start staring at them. And staring. And staring. You're hoping that your googly-eyed stare is communicating your interest in them. No surprise what happens next. He or she gets up, crosses the room, and whispers to the host, "That weirdo in the corner keeps staring at me... I'm worried... is he a stalker?"
Are We There Yet? How To Create "Overnight Success" In Your Business.
A person I admire has a very successful business. He's sharp, personable, funny, smart, and helpful. And, the products and services he provides are top-notch. He's sold thousands of them, and his business is operating at a level much higher than mine. Then he announced that he was celebrating three years in business. What! Only three years? How'd he get so far, so fast?
When To Get Business Help And When To Go It Alone
It's a sorta no-brainer when you need help in business: flummoxed, bewildered, stuck. But what kind of help do you really need? It's a big question. Without the right support and education, everything you're working for can fall apart. But, the wrong support can be expensive, time-consuming and overwhelming.
Offering A Guarantee Without Losing Your Shirt
You may be offering a guarantee, but nervously, or perhaps not offering one at all. What if a bunch of your clients ask for their money back? Sluuurrrrrpppp... there goes your business, down the drain. What makes a guarantee safe for you?
Why the practical always beats up on the sacred in business.
When you're doing your best work with your clients, it's magical, sacred. There is almost something holy about what you do, like you aren't there at all. And that's what your clients love most too- those moments of transcendance. Yet, when you try to talk about this sacredness in your marketing, it doesn't make an impact. It gets swallowed up in the marketplace, like an insignificant cotton ball swept away in a hurricaine. What gives?
Is it okay to cancel if no one responds?
You've planned the class. You've marketed it like all git-out. The early-bird deadline has come and gone. You're five days out, and you've got 3 people registered. The big question: Do you cancel?
"How Long Does It Take To Get A Business Going?"
Question: What would you think of someone who said this to a five year old? "It's about time you start earning your keep! I want you to get out there and get a job so you can pay your share of the mortgage. And, while you're at it, here's the keys to the car". Doesn't make sense, does it? This person is either cruel, crazy, or out to lunch on the next planet over. This is exactly what many folks do to their new businesses.
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