You’re pretty good at what you do, right? That’s a big reason why you went into business. No reasonable person starts an accounting firm if they struggle with math or opens a computer repair shop if they don’t know the difference between CMOS and a C prompt. 

You need to do more than just be good at something to stay in business though. You have to let people know that you’re good at what you do, and more importantly, that you’re good for them. In our series on Connecting with Your Customer, we’ll look at a number of ways you can form a strong, authentic bond with potential customers. The first step, of course, is to find said customer. And not just any customer either. You want to find your target customer.

You could be pardoned for not finding caterpillars particularly appealing. They’re ungainly, unshapely and sometimes downright hideous. However we also know from science class that many caterpillars will enter a cocoon and emerge as beautiful butterflies. It’s not hard to see how the analogy applies to a business coming out of a restructuring. Like the caterpillar, your business didn’t look particularly attractive. Otherwise you wouldn’t have gone through the painful process of reworking it from the ground up. You have emerged from your metaphorical cocoon and it’s time to spread your wings and show the world who you are now.

How long have you lived in your house? Did you just move in or have you spent many comfortable years under the same roof? If you’ve lived in the same place for a while you probably have noticed how your stuff seems to accumulate. That shelf full of knick-knacks fills up and there hasn’t been room in the garage for the car in some time. When we’re on the move, we often have to make choices about what to take and what to leave behind. Yes, we have some great memories with that trusty sofa, but there isn’t room in the moving van.

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After a long string of holidays, starting with Labor Day and culminating in New Years’ Eve, 2020 is finally here. You might be forgiven for wondering where all the flying cars and outer space colonies got to. The year 2020 won’t turn out like many prognosticators thought, but it’s still a new year with plenty of wonderful possibilities. While you won’t be preparing to buy that flying car any time soon, there are some other preparations you can make for the coming year.

In the comedy film Multiplicity, construction supervisor Doug Kinney wishes he could be in two places at once since the demands of his job are interfering with his family life. Thanks to Doctor Leeds, a scientist with a handy cloning machine, Kinney is able to make his wishes a reality. Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a comedy if things went according to plan, and Kinney soon finds himself with a lot more of himself than he bargained for.

Kinney isn’t alone in his desire to be everywhere at once. Running a business often stretches us more than we would like, especially when it comes to our marketing. One great way to keep that from happening is with marketing automation software.

Your business can get pretty complicated, especially once you start to become successful. Your marketing opportunities will multiply, your customer base will multiply and your sales will multiply. In fact, everything will start to multiply. Each new customer needs his or her own special touch. Each new product requires its own unique brand of knowledge and experience to get it from conception to market. It’s a good problem to have, but it can become increasingly difficult to keep track of it all. That’s where a good CRM software suite like Keap’s Infusionsoft can be a life-saver.

Gotta love Thanksgiving! Where else in the world would cranberry sauce that’s perfectly shaped like the can it came from combine with a deep-fried turkey to complete a holiday tradition? Then there’s family. Some of them you’ve been around all your life, others are flying in from Timbuktu, Walla Walla, Washington and other exotic locales. Like your immediate family, they’re a colorful cast of characters. Add in some great football, some strategic naps between helpings and you have all the makings of a great day.

You can’t really be telling me that you don’t have a membership site?

I’m here to tell you that you need one.

I don’t care what business you are in, whether it is online or bricks & mortar, whether you do coaching and consulting, whether you are in the professional services or food services, or maintenance services or whatever. Do not fall into the “But, my business is different!” trap.

Because it is not.

Here are just a few reasons to have a membership site:

Change isn’t easy. After all, we’ve already got a lot invested in the status quo. Large scale change in a business means disrupting the very foundation we’ve relied upon. It means tough choices that will affect not just us, but our vendors, employees, stockholders, not to mention their families. It involves extensive, often emotionally laden discussions on what’s going well, what’s not going so well and what’s the best path forward. However to remain competitive a business must be nimble, and that means change whether we like it or not.

The world can be a tough place to make a living, as naturalist Charles Darwin aptly observed. The environment is always changing, and when it does species are faced with two very stark choices: adapt or perish. Of course, the same is true with businesses. A successful business will change with the times to remain relevant, while an unsuccessful one will eventually be consigned to the dustbin of history.

With the craziness of the holiday season in full swing, you may not have given much thought to your business model. But now that Christmas and New Years’ are in the rear view mirror it might be time to take another look. In our upcoming series on business models, we’ll examine some basic questions about these valuable tools, including whether it’s time to give them a fresh coat of paint or remodel them entirely.

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