Business

What Is Trust? Can I TRUST You?

November 8, 2018 By kwmccarthy

What is trust?

TRUST = Truth, Respect, Understanding, Sincerity, Time

Can I TRUST you? is a question living at the heart of every relationship.

Trust is a precious and valuable state of being.

Trust in business and in sales is an essential and valuable character quality that pays dividends.

Squander your trust and you ruin your business. Build trust and you grow your business.

Standard poodle apricot Hamlet — **What is trust? Hamlet (above) isn’t your shining example of being trustworthy. Because of trust issues, it costs him freedom and fun.**

By way of a negative example, meet our dog, Hamlet (shown a few years ago before he died). Here was a great family dog—but a shining example of the cost of lost trust. His intelligence regularly surprised us. His one great flaw, however, was being off leash.

Within the home and fenced backyard, Hamlet would come when called (about half the time). Off the leash, however, at the dog park or when he escaped, Hamlet was a standard poodle gone wild. He would wander for hours, generally, circling the house in large walkabouts through the neighborhood.

Disobedience has a price.

He rarely got to go to the dog park to play with other dogs. When it was time to leave, he wouldn’t. He was too fast to catch and too smart to be caught. He would seemingly taunt us to catch him by coming within feet of our reach only to dash away. As a result of this distrust, Hamlet lost out on all sorts of privileges and benefits that a more trustworthy pooch would earn.

Hopefully, today’s On-Purpose Business Minute gives you “paws” for thought on what lack of trust could be costing you in terms of sales, customer relationships, employee turnover, and other challenges potentially undermining your business profits.

Are your relationships, options, and opportunities limited because of trust issues?

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I’m a member of Trust Across America, a membership-based organization making the strong case for trust and integrity as business imperatives. Check out the website and join me.

Is Fear Avoidable?

November 1, 2018 By kwmccarthy

My research with over 850 small business owners reveals that 32% of the respondents say fear is their greatest obstacle to success.

So what is it with fear?

Can we avoid fear? How do we overcome fear? Is fear really, as the old acronym goes, False Evidence Appearing Real?

In this On-Purpose Business Minute, let’s address the question Is Fear Avoidable? After watching the video, read The 7 Most Common Fears Business Owners Face and what to do to conquer them.

The 7 Most Common Fears Business Owners Face

Fear of rejection
Fear of success
Fear of failure
Fear of exposure for who I really am
Fear of looking stupid or incompetent
Fear of what they will think of me
Fear of making money and exploitation

Overcome your fears using the “For PETE’s Sake” Approach described in The On-Purpose Business Minute:

Perception
Emotion
Training
Experience

Many fears are unnatural but very real to us.

Generally, for every fear you have, someone probably makes a living from it. So what is it they have that you don’t? Oh, For PETE’s Sake, they don’t have a thing on you. They simply have an abundance of improved Perception, Emotion, Training, and Experience. Your fear is their joy! How remarkable is that?

Dig into this topic more by reading FIT 4 Leading. This is the least known of my books and part of the On-Purpose Leadership Series. At only $10 plus shipping this small but powerful book provides you with strategies to be a better leader of your life for the rest of your life. Use the link to the book to find a free, introductory webcast at our shopping cart or visit the website.

Do You Know Your Target Audience?

October 25, 2018 By kwmccarthy

Are your sales not where you would like them to be?

With many new clients, I often find that the failure to aim narrowly at a specific target audience is

confusing clients
extending the sales process
demanding on salespersons
losing them business

Is your marketing strategy and plan truly promoting your goods and services to the right people?

Time and again when interviewing business owners, salespersons, and marketers, I find their marketing message falls short because of confusion over a target market versus a target audience. This simple strategic marketing mistake costs dearly as the customer is left confused with messages that speak at them instead of to them. Confused customers are less inclined to buy.

Conducting a target audience analysis identifies specific needs, wants, hopes, and aspirations.

When you speak the customer’s language it offers assurance that you understand them and know how to solve their problem. Their comfort that you can identify their specific problem draws them to a conclusion that you are more appropriate and capable of caring for them.

When you’re perceived to be a less risky purchase, then the value proposition tilts in your favor. More sales can follow.

Communicating in generalities leaves customers guessing.

Here are two examples of ads from home heating and air conditioning companies in a local paper.

Ad #1 reads: “We’re the number one HVAC specialists. Call us for all your needs.”

Ad #2 reads: “Has your home air conditioning system just stopped? Call and be cool soon.”

Advertiser #2 has invested a bit more time that speaks to the specific needs of his target audience. It may appear a more expensive and narrow strategy, but the real test is not the number of calls, but the number of qualified calls. What do you think, will #2 beat #1?

Follow this simple On-Purpose Business Person rule of thumb:

Now that you’re thinking about the concept, who’s your target market and target audience? Want to talk it out? We’re here to help you.

How Are Your Marketing Strategy and Plans?

October 11, 2018 By kwmccarthy

Tactical terror is on the face of many a business person these days thanks to the fundamental shift in marketing due to the internet, especially as it relates to social media. Despite all the change, the core of marketing remains much the same as it has for the past 50 years.

In today’s On-Purpose^® Business Minute, may I introduce you to the importance of purpose in your marketing strategy and plans?

Purpose brings the power, spirit, or juice to the business model and marketing plan that engages employees, customers, and shareholders alike, yet each differently.

Before you design that new website or write that new brochure or ad, please give the fundamentals of great marketing the investment of your time and energy on the front end. It will save you a ton of time and money on the back end.

Having the fundamentals of marketing in place provides a higher probability that your goals will be met or exceeded.

Regardless of your company size, do you feel overwhelmed, confused, or frustrated with your present marketing strategy and plans?
Are you facing the tactical terror of chasing your tail and not getting the results you want?

Please place On-Purpose Partners CMO Services on your mind to help you order, focus, build, and expand your business so it can go to the next level of performance. If you need help, please drop me an email at kwmccarthy@on-purpose.com.

As promised, here is a link to the Marketing Mix concept by Jerome McCarthy, the author of Basic Marketing (and who is not related to me).

How Solid Is Your Leadership?

October 4, 2018 By kwmccarthy

The self-awareness and inner strength of the leader get transmitted throughout the team, division, or business.

It is hard to see ourselves for how we really are.

Some of us are hard on ourselves.
Others of us overestimate the strength of our leadership.

There’s one defining benchmark that will clarify how solid your leadership is.

I address it in this On-Purpose Business Minute.

Have you ever been led by a solid core leader? Count your blessings!

Can I Profit AND Gain My Soul?

September 27, 2018 By kwmccarthy

The 3 Tips for Profiting The World AND Gaining Your Soul

Guard your heart
Focus on the soul of people
Be about excellence on-purpose

In the book of Mark (8:36–37) it reads, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?“*

Here is a sharp warning about allowing the pursuit of such fleeting things as money, advantage, pleasures, and fame to so cloud our being that we yield our character, personal leadership, respect, dignity, and relationships. We are wise to take heed because worldly temptations are alluring, but they may not be profitable.

Alarmingly, in that last phrase in Mark, there is an oblique reference to an inevitable transaction—you will have to exchange something for your soul. What will that be?

Does this mean that profiting and soul-losing are inextricably one?

I say, “No!” We can have both. We’re designed for it. In fact, to gain our soul and profit the world is the truest standard of living. Proof: how many times have you said you want to make a difference or make a contribution in your life or your livelihood?

How many times have you felt conflicted between balancing your life and your work? (Remember that life-work balance is a myth.) Purpose integrates your life and work into a meaningful whole.

So here’s the crux of the matter—you must choose which master you will serve first and foremost.

What is the exchange you’re willing to make for your soul?
Will you first serve mankind or make a profit?

There’s a reason that your personal 2-word purpose statement has a generic beginning of, “I exist to serve by …” That’s a big hint in terms of my recommendation.

After watching this On-Purpose Business Minute, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

What’s your take on the matter of gaining your soul and profiting the world?
Do you have an example of someone who is doing both with excellence?
Where is your greatest struggle with integrating what seem like two opposing masters?

* The Message is a modern translation that uses more common language to bring forth powerful principles and insights found in scripture. Here are the same verses from The Message:

“What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?”

Are You a Fathead?

September 25, 2018 By kwmccarthy

Dumb decisions come from dumb people or fatheads, right? Wrong!

We’re all subject to making poor choices.

Would you knowingly inflict brain damage on another person or yourself? Would you willingly diminish your brain capacity? Of course not! Hmmm, then again …

What if a particular series of your choices repeated over time is making you especially susceptible to being a fathead?
What if those choices were within your control and could help prevent you from the compound effect of one bad decision after another?
Would you be interested in learning how to improve your decision-making and to stop the waist?

At the risk of offending, this On-Purpose Minute challenges you to look down on yourself for the answer to the question, “Am I a fathead?”

Your waist size is a dead giveaway.

You’ll know immediately if you suffer from this condition while watching this video. 70% of the U.S. population is overweight or obese according to the Center for Disease Control.

This is the confession of a recovering “fathead.” In 2008, I lost 50 pounds and have kept it off since. Honestly, it has been a struggle. I discovered I was an emotional eater when I was really happy or really sad. Doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room, does it?

I found my right mind by working with Lori, my Health Coach. She gently spoke truth in love into my life and health. She provided me with a meal replacement plan plus regular food while helping me to become more mindful of what and how much I was consuming on a day-to-day basis.

You, too, can work with a Health Coach who can guide and support you in your decision to reboot your brain, bottom, and life. It is very affordable. I’m not talking about a personal trainer who will attempt to grind the pounds off you. Don’t do that! Exercise is great for toning and conditioning but lousy for weight loss. Nutrition is 600% more effective than exercise. The problem is you probably don’t really know how to create a safe, effective, portion-controlled menu for yourself.

If you have Health Coach, then really lean into what he or she has to say. Borrow from their training, experience, and certification to regain your vitality, vim, and vigor.

Do you want to talk with a Health Coach? If so, I’ll make the arrangements for you. I have an affiliation with health coaches across the USA who will gladly clear your thinking. Email me for a recommendation. Each Health Coach will help your life, health, and style of living be more on-purpose.

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Some great weight loss/health quotes:
A waist is a terrible thing to mind. – Tom Wilson
The one way to get thin is to re-establish a purpose in life. – Cyril Connolly, The Unquiet Grave
Never eat more than you can lift. – Miss Piggy

How Can I Be a Better Leader?

September 20, 2018 By kwmccarthy

“How can I be a better leader?” is a question I am regularly asked by clients and audience members at speaking engagements. Leadership development is 1 of 3 competencies to master to increase one’s contribution and call to service.

Let’s explore the central, inescapable reality of how to be a better leader—The On-Purpose^® Principle.

By understanding and applying this concept to your life and work, you’ll see that authentic leadership comes naturally rather than being a forced effort.

To become a leader, become a better you by beginning with knowing your purpose in life—your inherent worth and reason for being that live in your heart. Your purpose is an amazing gift too often buried under layers of doubt, pride, wounds, and challenges. Rather than seeing these layers as prevention from getting you to know who you really are, what if they are protection and preparation for just this time in your life to really understand the power of your two-word purpose, and being on-purpose?

Purpose is the bedrock of all leadership development.

Once you know your purpose, it will not be denied in spite of obstacles and setbacks. It works toward expression and contribution. The only person, circumstance, or condition that can stifle it is you.

Take 100% responsibility for being on-purpose (Think Inc!). Even in the worst of circumstances, you won’t get caught up in the blame game which distracts and chokes the pathway to being on-purpose.

Let’s take to the whiteboard for insights and practical application of the On-Purpose^® Principle so you can create high alignment of your personal purpose with your organizational purpose. That’s how you can create peak or TOP performance as a leader of your life and work.

Keep the On-Purpose^® Principle in mind, and you’ll discover that your matters in business, psychology, or management just got a whole lot easier and cheaper to understand and lead.

The bedrock of leadership is all about the purpose of the person being aligned with the purpose of the organization.

Be On-Purpose!

Kevin

P.S. Want to read and learn more about The On-Purpose^® Principle? Order The On-Purpose Business Person by clicking here or buying it from amazon.com.