Will Your Business Pass The Family Guy Test?

I must say that Stewie Griffin from Family Guy is an absolute genius. I realize that it may seem a tad crazy that I'm pulling business and motivational lessons from this hit Fox television series, but we must look for inspiration and innovation anywhere we can find it! For those of you yet unfamiliar with Stewie Griffin, he is menacing toddler who is highly observant, cynical, has high expectations, manipulative, and vocal. In other words, he is probably a lot like 90% of your customers.

Like most toddlers, Stewie wants the world and his parents to cater to his every need. Unlike most toddlers, however, he has quite an extensive vocabulary to express his desires. (Come to think of it, he also is rather fascinated with world domination as well.)  How do you discover what your customers desires? While there are a number of ways of trying to figure out what people really want, many of them tend to be rather time consuming and expensive. I prefer a bit more of a grass roots approach to this essential business need by simply asking them.  "What product or service would you enjoy that we don't currently offer?" is usually simple and sufficient.
Stewie has a number of pre-conceived opinions regarding nearly everything. However, they are not always based in fact. Keep in mind that your customers may have a negative opinion about a product or service because their great aunt Ethel told them something ten years ago. I'm not slamming Ethel, but sometimes just as you may need to challenge a toddler's opinions, everyone's opinions need to be challenged as well.
The Family Guy star, Stewie is also very vocal. He will share his experiences with people around him. Most two year olds are quite easily coached. Most clients are also easily coached. Why not ask them for simple introductions to people that they know who may enjoy your product or service. A third party testimonial and introduction is far more valuable than any other piece of marketing that you could invest in.
Some say that business is complex. I would challenge you to remind yourself that business can be simple and rewarding.  A great way to approach opportunities is by starting with a clean slate. Take my 10 day challenge by clicking here. It is free, and it can help lay a great foundation for your business and personal successes!
It is amazing what great life lessons that you can learn from Family Guy!

For more information about booking The Shef for your next event, visit http://www.theshef.com or call our offices at 1-800-863-2591

Say It With Sales

Momentum is a crazy thing. 283 years ago, Isaac Newton told us that an object in motion tended to stay in motion, and an object that habitually sat his butt on the sofa eating potato chips tended to stay put.

If you are a runner or habitual exerciser, you can identify with the idea that when you are actually moving and regularly working out, you have a burning desire to keep working out. If you get derailed due to an injury or illness, it is much harder to get back on track.

If you are in sales and are in the habit of telling X number of people about your product or service, it becomes second nature. If you are not making sales calls on a regular basis, you manage to find time to gripe about the economy, the compensation plan that your company has you on, the attitude of the consumer, and everything else under the sun!

My friend, Gary Schmidt, ran a very successful sales organization. When his team would tell him about the great things that they were going to do, he would respond by saying, “Say it with sales.” If they were talking about how tough things were, he’d respond by saying, “Say it with sales.”

Whatever position you are in currently, you most likely made an appointment to be here based upon your actions and decisions 90 days ago. What you eat, the books you read, the number of calls you make, and your personal development habits all play a huge factor in your happiness (or lack thereof) right now.

Here’s a thought: If you are not where you want to be, why don’t you choose to do something small every day to work toward that goal. The difference won’t be immediate, but the result will be amazing.

For more information about booking The Shef for your next event, visit http://www.theshef.com or call our offices at 1-800-863-2591