Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/267025
MARCH 2014 24 THE JOURNAL Business Ideas That Drive The Right Results BY JOHN GRAHAM SALES MARKETING Americans spend more than $12 billion a year on the nation's most pervasive addiction. Like other compulsions, we can't get enough to satisfy our longing. It's self-help and the seem- ingly insatiable desire to be more successful. Every couple of weeks, there's a new self- help book, video or seminar. Malcolm Glad- well's latest addition to his shelf of self-help books is totally enticing — "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Gi- ants." How can anyone resist the appeal of get- ting to the next rung on the job ladder, of making the numbers every quarter and of going from the bottom to the top? If self-help were so ef- fective, then tens of mil- lions more of us should be the most engaged and highly motivated people in the world, smashing every performance record where we work. That's not the case, to say the least. The problem isn't how we think or feel, but what we do. It's the doing that makes the difference. Here are business ideas that get the right results: 1. Stop talking to ourselves. As individu- als, it's so easy for us to think we're right. And it's the same with companies, too. A recent cars.com TV commercial makes the point. When the "team" hears the new plan, every- one cheers — all except one guy, who says, "It's a stupid plan." In the next shot, he's standing at the curb holding a box with his per- sonal stuff. Many companies, like individuals, become so enamored with their own ideas (read bril- liance) that they shut out other views. Amid the cheering, no one dares say, "That's stu- pid." Ideas, plans, initiatives, campaigns and just about everything else benefit from diverse input. 2. Never stop improving. While this Lowe's tagline has a clear double meaning for that home improvement company, the words apply to all businesses and employees. Many get to a certain point — a plateau — and stop, as if they've gone far enough, while a few keep on improving. "From the time she was very young she as- pired and achieved, and often did it by breaking down barriers," said her son David of his mother, Myril Axelrod Bennett, a Young & Rubicam VP and a pioneer in adver- tising research. "Every- thing she did, she did to perfection, and she de- manded that of herself," as the Boston Globe report. And she was doing a weekly blog until just before her death at 93. A never stop improving attitude puts the focus on what matters: performance. 3. Avoid corporate narcissism. Facebook's phenomenal success is no surprise, as a recent Boston University study, "Why do people use Facebook?" points out. It meets two basic human needs: the need to belong and the need for self-preservation. Businesses aren't much different, always seeking opportunities to showcase themselves. The pull is irresistible, as compelling as that of Facebook. For example, a regional daily news- paper sent subscribers a letter with a $50 or $100 voucher charities can use to "purchase" advertising. Ironically, the first half of the letter was de- voted to talking about the newspaper. In fact, the headline started off this way: "We are proud to launch…." The final sentence thanked sub- scribers "for helping us support our commu- nity." From start to finish, the focus was on the publication. More than a community service, the program came across like an "ad" for the newspaper. It takes enormous willpower, discipline and skill for companies to keep the spotlight on their customers. 4. Get good at connecting the dots. In spite of a major recession, high unemployment, and pervasive wage stagnation, we might think that few, if anyone, could be heard to say, "Hey, what do you expect? I'm doing what I was hired to do," as if that were a remarkable accom- plishment worthy of special recognition. Most people can describe what they do at work, but far too few can recognize opportuni- ties, identify problems and come up with solu- tions that have a positive impact on the company. It's the ability to connect the dots that separates average employees from those displaying superior performance. 5. Seek ownership opportunities. Work- ers come in two varieties, those who see them- selves as employees and those who act as owners . The problem isn't how we think or feel, but what we do. It's the doing that makes the difference. Here are business ideas that get the right results: