Author: whatifconcepts

Empowering those that inspire so they can excel at the work that matters.

Ready for Tomorrow

The service bays at the local tire store are always full with cars that have been parked inside overnight and are waiting to be worked on the next morning.  The scene provides visible confirmation that the enterprise is busy.  The tire store requires a high volume of traffic and therefore the approach makes sense.  If you cause is not based on volume but rather a specialized craft, does it matter if you demonstrate the amount of traffic that comes through your enterprise?  Do you need a capacity sign or does that represent a mass market approach that is against your company’s values?  Does a crowd draw future business?

   

Great Preparation
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A few key workouts make a dramatic difference in preparation.  Marathon runners often champion the psychological and physiological benefits of their long training runs.  Reaching the twenty mile mark makes the reality of completing 26.2 miles on race day seem achievable.  Committing to these important steps lead to a successful race.


What are your critical workouts?  What does it feel like when you have completed them? 

A Better Question
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What would it look like if we asked better questions?  What if we consider how to inspire our fans instead of getting more of them?  What if we wonder what my best look and feel like?  How would my clients feel if they could see and feel that they were my top priority?  What would be the impact of my next presentation if I brought my best first and confidently?  How would a key conversation play out if I were fully engaged and actively listened without distraction?  What if I approached each interaction as if there was paradigm shift about to take place?  How would it feel if I brought my best energy to the event that is most likely to fatigue me?  What if asking a better question changed my day?

Seats for Sale
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Certain business models work better the closer the enterprise gets to reaching capacity.  The goal is to fill every seat.  Airlines understand that closing the cabin door is the end of the window of opportunity to sell seats.  Once the flight departs they can offer high priced amenities but not seats for sale.  Airline business models are based on projecting need and filling 99% of the demand (somebody always doesn’t show).  If your cause thrives on capacity then the airline business models is ideal.


However, if your cause requires a deep personal connection then the capacity metric is not the preferred measurement for success.  Open seats in an independent school classroom should not be sold at a discount to anyone willing to pay a last minute entry fee.  Schools need students and families who are going to enhance the community experience.  If they accept everyone using the airline capacity model there are sure to be conflicts.  Purposes and expectations will clearly be misaligned.  When the airlines board a passenger who in intoxicated and unruly the other passengers get upset with the airlines.  They report via social media how they will never fly the airline of record again because of poor customer service quality.  Airlines can afford to find more customers.  Schools and deeply connected causes cannot.  Therefore, get the right people on the plane.  Leave a few seats open if you cannot find those ideally suited to join your cause.  Individual experience is essential and creating scarcity and a waiting list are high quality problems.


Decide if your enterprise needs everyone or just a select few.  Then get disciplined about your strategy.

Once You Arrive
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Knowing your desired destination is essential.   Equally important is understanding what you are going to do when you arrive.  A surfer’s destination may be a big wave.  Once on the wave’s face the real ride begins.  If we do not plan for our own success we find ourselves unprepared for the big moment we have journeyed so far to reach.  Never forget to prepare to celebrate.

Sensational
From my son’s telescope

How many of us found ourselves searching the night sky over the weekend to catch a glimpse of the super moon?  The same moon that shows itself in full display every twenty-nine and half days was suddenly delivering its best and we viewed, discussed, and posted photos.


What makes a for a sensational presentation?  The answer is simple.  Lead with purpose.  Connect so intensely with the audience that everyone forgets to tweet, blog, pin, or instagram.  Leave it all on the stage, collapse at the end in exhaustion and exhilaration.  Absorb the spotlight and radiate it back, drawing others into a setting worthy of a tale around the campfire.  Give your best first; it is challenging to overcome a slow start (as I have learned in many children’s science museum demonstrations).  Sally Hogshead theorizes that an individual has nine seconds to fascinate.  Cut out the extraneous, you can always talk about the peripheral in the question and answer session.  Light the fuse, walk into the light, and share your best!



Change
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No matter the storm that has you pinned down on a mountainside, it cannot undo the miles hiked, the scenery captured, the topics explored in conversation, the expansion of your world map.  No matter the headwinds that blow against you, it cannot undo the miles pedaled, the high speed descents, and the cols climbed.  If you find yourself off the map it cannot undo the journey that has taken you to this place, the canyon walls echoing your thoughts and the river singing your praise.  An experience once embedded in your spirit is yours.  It rewards you with permanent change in exchange for your exploration.  You may leave no trace of your journey through the wilderness but it has left its mark indelibly on your soul.

Recommendation
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If one cannot recommend the best enterprise because they are not a member of the cause then one should disclose that they make recommendations based on affinity.  If membership is the criteria for a recommendation then it devalues the sharing of information.  When somebody asks for a recommendation, I direct them towards the master.  The person or entity who is uniquely positioned to deliver the experience they are seeking.  It is not about loyalty, it is about trust and authenticity. 

Better than Facebook?
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MarketPlace on American Public Media had the following exchange between Kai Ryssdal and Phil Fernandez regarding Facebook’s pre-Initial Public Offering roadshow:

Ryssdal: But if it goes bad in one of these 10 to 15 minute meetings, you’re probably have like nine more set up that day, right?
Fernandez: Nine or 25 or something like that. I’ve done them from San Diego to Los Angeles to Denver to Minneapolis to New York, all in the same day.
Ryssdal: Yeah, sounds grueling. Sounds like not a whole lot of fun.
Fernandez: You know, it’s an incredible high because what you’re doing is one of the most exciting things in a career, and at the same time, it’s about as hellish as anything I’ve ever been through.
Ryssdal: This might seem like kind of a rookie question to ask, but why do we need roadshows? Why do you guys have to go do this? Isn’t there a better way?
Fernandez: You’d sure like there to be a better way. In all things, there’s this adage that says ‘people buy from people.’ And I think this is exactly what this is — it’s people looking people in the eye and choosing whether they’re going to do business with them.
The interview highlights a fundamental point that people connect with people.  A corporation, (even Facebook) cannot create an emotional reaction by itself and with all it knows about us.  The people involved with a cause are the ones who ultimately give it a heart and soul.  This is why direct mail campaigns rarely move the needle when it comes to participation and transformative giving.  It is easy to ignore or select a token gift in response.  However, when your best friend takes you by the arm and says you have to have a very specific experience that resonates with your belief system, it can generate a chemical, biological, and physiological reaction.   If you are moved emotionally, you are ready to do what you can in your power to make a difference.
So often we are afraid to meet face-to-face with another person and ask them to take action.  We hide behind envelopes, emails, websites, and proxies.  This offers a massive advantage to those who are willing to step forward and connect with a peer.  Our fear keeps us off the stage and withholds our greatest gift, the ability to facilitate a shared experience. 
If you are better than Facebook than perhaps avoiding face-to-face meetings is a realistic business strategy.  For the rest of us, maximizing a human connection is the greatest act we can take on behalf of a cause we support.