Now is Not the Time to be Sensible

Being cautious is what causes slowdowns which lead to a run on the bank. The time when everyone wants to cling on to what they've got, to not take risks and bury heads in sand is exactly the time when you should get up and get out there.

We call the area around us where we feel safe our 'comfort zone'. This is where we retreat to when we feel under threat. But the answers to our problems are not to be found in our comfort zones. We have to step out and that means taking risks.

Creativity is all about taking risks. What happens if it doesn't work? What happens if I look foolish? The creative individual doesn't even ask those questions. Only a risk-averse, self-judging, low confidence loser even bothers to waste time worrying about such things.

Why? Because the creative winner knows that if the same path is followed, it will get the same results. And if the economic landscape is shifting, those results aren't even going to be as good as before. So doing the same (or less) is very, very bad.

"Oh, the phones aren't ringing". Why not try calling someone? Doing something different - actually trying to 'sell' for once (see quote at top of page) - actually doing some targeted measurable marketing - actually defining what your key problems are and working on solutions - improving service and quality. These are the things we need to be doing.

After all - if no-one else is doing it (including your competition probably) you'll have the playing field to yourself.

Being sensible is dangerous and deadly. It's boring. Being boring will destroy your business. No-one cares about you - they're too busy thinking about their own problems. Why should they look up from their own wonderfully delicious doom and gloom to see what you've got? They won't want to risk good money and time on boring and sensible - they won't even notice you.

But if you took the risk and stood out from the crowd and stopped talking about what you've got and what you do and started talking about other people and their pain and how you can solve their problems. What would happen then?

Perhaps you'll not only survive - but thrive. What a silly thing to do.

If you want something entertaining, motivational, unusual and highly relevant in today's climate for your conference or company training have a look at a clip here and visit my keynote page here.
Click here to read more about creativity.
Click here to read articles on creativity, design and branding.
www.aydinstone.com

There has never been a better time to do business than right now

"But times are hard, the economy's slowing and inflation is up" say the little voices all around us. That may be the case, and that's precisely why right now is the best time to do business.

Many small businesses think they're in the business of selling their products or of supplying their services. Successful businesses, those that thrive in more trying times, are those that realise this is not quite the case. In reality, every business is a problem-solver. They exist to solve their customers problems. They exist to make the customer money by driving up profits, save the customer money by reducing costs, or to make the customer look and feel good in some way.

These are all problems that our customers have, and in trying times these problems do not go away, in fact they often increase. So to a keen problem-solving business there's plenty to be getting on with. We have to work out ways that we can be more creative in selling, marketing and positioning our problem-solving products and services. Can we turn our troubleshooting skills in on ourselves to hit upon the ideas that will reduce our own costs or increase our own profits? How can we become expert, flexible and creative problem-solvers?

We must understand and unlock our individual and our company’s collective creativity. In affluent times, creativity and innovation are often seen as soft skills, nice to toy with, but not really taken very seriously. In more troubled changing times, your creativity and the creativity of your team become your biggest asset. Creativity has become a hard skill. Fortunately it is one that can be enhanced through training and practice.

Here’s a tip to start you off.
Get a piece of paper and write at the top your biggest problem right now as a question, e.g.. ‘How can I increase sales’, ‘How can I use the internet to drive business’ or ‘How can I improve cashflow’. Then write on the sheet twenty-one answers to the question. Do not stand up or do anything else until you have twenty-one answers. (You’re allowed to shout across the room for help from your colleagues!)

To complete the list, some of your ideas will have to be fanciful or even silly. If you fail to complete the list it is because you’re trapped in judgmental thinking and that is what is holding you back. Be more open and think of some ridiculous ways to answer the question. Just doing this exercise will open your mind to possibilities. You may even find that your stupid ideas are actually inverted good ideas. Do this every day and you will soon become an expert problem solver. Who knows, on one of those lists you just might find the big idea that will change everything and take your business to the next level.

If you want something entertaining, motivational, unusual and highly relevant in today's climate for your conference or company training have a look at a clip here and visit my keynote page here.
Click here to read more about creativity.
Click here to read articles on creativity, design and branding.
www.aydinstone.com