Davinci Virtual

I am very excited!  One of my favorite business authors, David Allen, is coming out with his third book, “Making It All Work,” a book that takes his popular “Getting Things Done” model to the next level.  This new book focuses on helping people who fall victim to common organizational “syndromes,” such as the micro-manager, or the person who just does what is necessary to slide by, by offering a full-fledged road map for processing life and work in tandem.

Fast Company calls David “one of the most influential thinkers on productivity,” for his innovative steps to help us excel in dealing with our daily commitments, the unexpected, and the information overload that threatens to drown us.   This new book addresses the following key points:

• How to figure out where you are in life and what you need to succeed
• How to be your own consultant and the CEO of your life
• How to Move from hope to trust in decision-making
• When not to set goals
• Harnessing intuition,spontaneity, and serendipity
• And lastly, why life is like business and business is like life.

David’s last book, “Getting Things Done” has become a international hit, with his system being implemented in many Fortune 500 companies today.  I am excited to read this new book, and once I am finished I will come back to give you all a summary of what has been learned.

One of the best methods to gain visibility and recognition in your particular market or industry is to become a “thought leader,” described by Wikipedia as: “A futurist or person who is recognized among their peers and mentors for innovative ideas and demonstrates the confidence to promote or share those ideas as actionable distilled insights.”  Becoming a thought leader is not easy, despite the term being used so openly nowadays.  Here are a few pointers to help get you started…

The first step in this process, is develop a method of communicating with your public.  Blogs and Microblogs (i.e. twitter) are great mediums to spark communication, but be careful, you must be 100% transparent in your messaging, or you will push readers away.

Once you have a communication medium set up, your next step is to begin writing.  Write about what inspires you.  Write about new, innovative technologies in your market.  Develop white papers, or guides, to pass along to your audience.

Spread the word about your writing.  One of the great things about social media is the abundance of tolls at your disposal.  Push your content out to Social Networks, Bookmarking Sites, and even other bloggers by commenting on their posts.

Now that you have been writing for a few months (that’s right, this will not happen overnight), begin applying for speaking engagements to get your name out there.  Start small (local) and work up to the big leagues (national).

Lastly, remember, this will take significant time and effort.  You won’t see an overnight shift.  You must be willing to work hard to achieve the results you want to see.

Many successful people in business share similar traits, such as organizational skills, that help them succeed and grow their business, but what really sets these people apart from everyone else?  I am about to tell you!  Here are my thoughts on what makes successful people successful.

1. Networking capabilities.  Successful people understand the importance of networking, and while not everyone may enjoy it, they understand it is a necessary evil, and have made a significant effort to constantly improve their skills in this arena.
2.  Adaptability. Being able to find creative and innovative ways to grow your business is critical if you want to succeed in today’s world.
3. Acceptance of Change.  Those who are afraid of change, or fight it, never see the other side of the door.  You have to be willing to embrace change, and learn to grow from it to succeed.
4. Hunger for Knowledge.  Innovators are always educating themselves on the latest trends, applications, or strategies out in today’s world.  Stay on top of your game!
5. Lastly, Enjoy Life (outside of work).  In my experience, those who love life away from their jobs, are usually much more driven and productive in their work.  Having something you love at home to return to at the end of the day will help motivate you to improve and grow, and growth is the key to your success!

Though the holidays can be a wonderful time, both for consumer and retailer, companies selling services often have a harder time finding customers. This year will certainly be no exception. In fact, all indicators point to a tough sell for everyone.

Nonetheless, there are steps you can take to market your services more effectively and build your customer base. Here are my top four ways service companies can thrive during the holidays.

1. Re-invent yourself: what can you do to change the service you offer? Can you provide it in a more season-appropriate way? If you are a lawn maintenance crew, can you switch to snow removal in the winter?
2. Re-package yourself: How are you currently positioning your brand? What ways can you change the language, symbols and/or graphics that will boost your company’s profile?
3. Research your market:What is there new about your primary target market? New studies, new stories? What do you know about the customers you serve? When is the last time you updated that information?
4. Re-sell your services: Can you contact your current customers and offer them special pricing and services? How about suggesting gift certificates for friends and families? Maybe calling a list of lapsed customers and seeking their feedback and re engagement?

These are only four of the many ways you can be getting your company out in front during the holidays. But the most important thing is for you to be creative and involved. Though the rest of the nation tends to take a break for festivities, you must continue to put your brand forward. Show up at all of those holiday parties with business cards, ready to take down contact information. Make a detailed note after every gathering with follow up call information…some of which you may want to do now and some of which  you will want to do after the holidays.

Your service company can survive and even thrive, during the holidays…it just takes a bit of thought and clever planning.