BRIAN WEBB BLOG

Momentum begets momentum, and inertia begets inertia. Did you know that the rules of exercise apply just as much to your business as they do your body?

In my experience… I’ve found that moving organizations tend to keep moving. Ones that rest… on their laurels, or otherwise… actually atrophy, grow weaker and die young. Regrettably, “not moving” never seems like a bad idea… “at first.” Because nothing immediately goes wrong… and furthermore, nothing signals the dangers of standing still.

“Hey… we waited to see if we were “right,” and nothing bad happened… so waiting is good… right?”

If they only knew.

As a result, not moving inspires more not moving. Employees become dormant too, and are no longer faced with exciting new challenges and positions. A few employees tolerate this condition. And others…creatures of habit and opponents of change, actually relish it.

But dynamic people require dynamic environments. Go dormant, and your action-oriented team will bolt, and take your greatest source of vitality with them. Without these people, your organization becomes even “more waiting oriented,” and you grind to a halt… and so many times… even shift into reverse.

Exercise works for business too. Keep stretching. Keep pushing!

Imagine this… What if you were to highlight the details of a business problem to the executives of a particular organization… What do you think their response would be?

The CFO would likely say… “It’s a resource problem.”
Human Resources would likely say… “It’s a people problem.”
R&D would likely say… “It’s an information problem.”
Marketing would likely say…“Let’s double the marketing budget.”

While I fully advocate that marketing is an absolute necessity for any business or organization to thrive… more marketing isn’t always the answer. To be successful, any organization needs to have their ducks in a row. Marketing; however, is just one duck.

Better marketing is good. A better reality is even better. Evaluate your business, your service, your systems, your leadership, your marketing. Keep getting better at what you do.

Your brand is the perception your clients and prospects have of your business or organization.

Keep improving your brand.

James Carville said… “It’s the economy, stupid,” and helped to win the presidential campaign for Bill Clinton. This campaign relentlessly focused on the economy… and the results? Well… you know the rest of the story. Bill Clinton was the “economy” candidate. Focus won. Clinton won.

Here’s another example. Sears used to be America’s department store. Now… they’re a casualty. Consider their competitors though…

NEIMAN MARCUS - Stuff to die for.

WAL MART - Good stuff so cheap you won’t believe it.

BLOOMINGDALES - Shopping as entertainment.

Sears focused on everything, and ultimately nothing. If you do not have a focus, you may soon not have a business.