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They say using the same methods over and over again and expecting different results will likely drive you crazy. At the very least it will be a source of frustration and negatively impact many of your other decisions.

Whether we are talking about life or business the same holds true. So why continue to generate the same results? Usually because we fear the unknown. And more importantly we mistakenly  find ourselves following the 'devil we know' thinking. Finally, we tend to make decisions in a vacuum. 

4 Quick Steps to Changing Your Life  - Business or Personal 

1. Take a good look around and realize you are surrounded by friends, family and business associates ready, willing and able to help you. You actually have unlimited resources at your fingertips via the internet to find and contact one or more people who can literally help you with any conceivable challenge.  

2. Pick one thing you want to change and focus on it. No one says you have to change everything about you or your circumstances all at one time. It's not an all or nothing situation. Just one thing will do to start.  One small step at a time.

3. Determine your end game. What would the ideal result be if this worked. Imagine how cool it would be if this one part of your life personal or business changed. 

4. Put your team together. You can't do this alone and in fact one person helping may not be the complete answer. So put a team together. And remember, your degree of success will reflect the quality of your team.  

To get the most out of selecting and working with your team read  10 Tips to Success with a Team Approach.
When it comes to your sales and marketing You Are Not Alone 
Eric Gilboord 416-270-2466

10 Tips To Success With A Team Approach
From 'Just Tell Me More' by Eric Gilboord - Get the complete book FREE in PDF.

1. Don’t Get Swayed. Be careful not to get swayed too far from the original vision while remaining open to new ideas. The benefit of a team approach is to provide insights and viewpoints different from yours. The downside is becoming overwhelmed by all the new ideas. You could forget the original motives,  objectives, and strategies. Don’t become so overwhelmed you decide to do nothing.

2. Listen To Your Internal Resources. Sometimes owners assume they require an outside source of information. But your internal team is invaluable in providing information about customers, products, and services. They are close to the purchaser and possess first-hand daily knowledge of product use, demand for services, and old and new customer profiles. They will be able to advise you on internal resources such as the development of and capacity to handle special sales, increased demand for services, and order processing.

3. Use External Resources. If short on staff, the external team you gather around you is even more important. To be effective, members of an external team must bring with them a good understanding of your business, a desire for quality, and a clear appreciation of timing. The external team can provide ideas that are outside the day-to-day life of your company. It brings an objectivity not found within an internal team.

4. Don’t Assume The External Resource is Correct. Rightly or wrongly, you will likely find yourself becoming more open to ideas from an outside resource than from your own staff. Don’t jump blindly into the new ideas just because they come from an outsider. Challenge the information and check with the internal team for their views. Make sure the external source can contribute information you do not already know.

5. Integrate Resources. Your external team may be made up of representatives from more than one company. Some effort may be necessary to integrate this collection of individuals and instill a true team spirit. Watch out for a marketing supplier who does just what you ask him or her to do. The last thing you need is a ‘‘yes man.’’

6. Your Idea May Not Be The Best One. The opposite of NIH, but equally destructive, is IHMBR (invented here, must be right). Some people go from idea straight to execution and nothing will sway them from this path. These are the marketers who will by any means and at any cost do it their way. They are usually the same small business owners who jump from one marketing supplier to another. They often move for the wrong reasons.

7. Avoid Ego Justification. Be careful you don’t fall victim to NIH (not invented here). Many solid ideas never make it past the investigation stage because an owner didn’t think of it. Be open to new ideas and study them. Check with others for objective, educated, and reliable opinions. You’re looking for more than a ‘‘What do you think?’’ opinion. Asking someone what they think without first identifying objectives or strategy is like opening ‘Pandora’s Box.’ You will receive personal opinions based on their limited marketing experience. You risk abandoning a potentially logical and valuable marketing approach for the wrong reasons.

8. Don’t Expect Results Right Away. Marketing is a constantly changing set of circumstances. Your company changes internally, competitors are often unpredictable, and customer needs evolve.

9. If It Sounds Too Good, It Is. Be wary of the marketing supplier who claims to have the power to solve all your marketing problems instantly. Marketing is your job, the team will change from time to time, and you will get stronger as your experience grows.

10. Cover Your Bases. Make sure all departments and all aspects of your business are covered. If you use outside resources, such as sales agents or distributors, to perform functions of your business, ask a representative from those companies to participate. There should not be an issue uncovered after the marketing materials have been prepared. Use your resources to test ideas as you go through the development process.

To begin putting your team together click here. You are not alone.

It Takes A Team To Get It Done
From 'Just Tell Me More' by Eric Gilboord - Get the complete book FREE in PDF.

It’s time to get down to the hard work, executing the plan. You can’t and should not do this alone. You will need to work with a team. A marketing project can require many different skills and a wide variety of experience from industry related to communications. 

A familiar story:
Bruce owns a thriving service business, which he has built up over the past thirty years. He started it on his own when he had a young family. Over the years, the members of his family joined the business at different points in its evolution. The children worked there on weekends and during the summers. As they got older, Bruce planned to bring them in full time. Bruce’s son Paul went to business school and took some marketing courses. He enjoyed working with computers and experimented with some of the graphics software as a hobby.

9 Signs It's Time for a Change
Guest Post by MarcandAngel.com

It’s never too late or too early to be who you are capable of being.  There’s no time limit, you can simply start and stop whenever you want.  You can change or stay the same.  You can make the best or the worst of it.  It’s up to you, so make the best of it.  Do things that startle you.  Feel things you never felt before.  Spend time with people who help you grow.  Live a life you’re proud of.  And if you find that you’re not, have the courage to make a change.

You know it’s time for a change when…

1. Fear is holding you back. – Realize that fear is the worst of it; fear is your real enemy.  So get up, get out in the stormy weather of the real world, and kick fear as hard as you can right in the teeth.  Do so by staring at it dead in the eyes and then walking right through it into the storm.  Let the rain kiss your skin.  That’s the first step.  Because a wet man doesn’t fear the rain anymore.  Read The Road Less Traveled.

Story 25: The Self-Produced Brochure
From 'Just Tell Me More' by Eric Gilboord - Get the complete book FREE in PDF.

Steve owned a manufacturing company with a reputation for producing top-quality instruments that were considered the gold standard within the industry. Over the past few years, he had success selling his products without the aid of brochures. With assistance from his local printer, he only produced a specification sheet to hand out to prospects.

Business became tougher as stronger competitors entered the market. Steve’s sales reps were starting to compete head to head with these companies and they noticed that the quality of competitors’ marketing and presentation materials were higher than Steve’s. The customers began to make assumptions about the quality of Steve’s products based on the calibre of his marketing materials. They asked questions and compared Steve’s products to his competitors’. The selling process became more difficult and Steve’s company was faced with the challenge of creating comparable brochures in order to maintain its status with prospects and customers.

Marketing, It's Harder Than It Looks
From Just Tell Me More by Eric Gilboord - Get the complete book FREE in PDF.

Many small business owners/managers view the creative development of marketing materials as a burden to be avoided at all costs. Conversely, others look upon the task as a source of excitement and amusement. After all, everyone is constantly exposed to marketing materials on a daily basis. Since you know all about your business, how difficult can it be to make a brochure?

Neither attitude is in the best interests of your company. The preparation of your marketing tools is a serious and often frustrating experience. Many small businesses (and many larger ones) have been known to run around at the last minute, creating brochures and handouts for a trade show that will be starting the next day. Printers, who often bear the brunt of the pressure, usually ask for the delivery date when they first discuss a new job.

It's up to you and the marketing suppliers you choose to work with. If you want each word and every picture in your creative to reinforce a specific message you need to work with professionals. If you want strategically sound tools for your sales force you won't work with just anyone. You'll source a team of professionals who all know how to work together and get the very best from each other. 

Call 416-270-2466 to learn more or click here for our Creative Portfolio.