Tackle the tough stuff, by George

When I was a young guy in advertising, I was invited to be on the board of the local advertising federation's club. I was nervous. After all, I was a young punk surrounded by these real ancient statesmen and stateswomen. That's when a real old guy (he must have been 45 years old) named George pulled me to the side and gave me some great advice:

Volunteer to take on the toughest assignment - the one that no one has done well, the one that no one wants.

George told me this with a wry smile on his face. Honestly, I wondered if he was pulling my leg. I nervously asked why and he gave me more sage advice:

If you take on a task that has already been done well, you'll have to deal with everyone's very high, maybe unreasonable expectations. Taking on the task that no one wants will give you a chance to do what no one else has done before. You almost can't lose.

I followed George's advice and took on an undesirable board task that was a perennial failure and, in doing so, became a hero in the eyes of the board. Truthfully, I did nothing particularly great. But I did take on the task that no one else wanted.

Sometimes, half of the battle is tackling the thing that nobody wants to.

Barry LaBov
LaBov and beyond Marketing Communications
http://www.labov.com/

What's so difficult about growing your business?

In theory, it seems really easy to grow business. You go out, meet people, talk to them, they like you and your company, and everything is just perfect. You have a new customer.

But that's exactly what makes it so difficult to do. It doesn't happen that way. True, you do need to connect with a person, have them at least respect you and hopefully like you. And, of course, they have to have a need for your company.

But the problem is you don't know if or when that investment of time and effort will pay off. Indeed, it may never pan out. Or maybe it'll be a bonanza. The problem is that we can't count on it happening - and that's just why the vast majority of people give up.

Want to grow your business? Stop wondering whether you should follow up with that prospect. Stop considering whether it's worth it to send an email or a newspaper clipping or a new idea or a reminder to your prospect. Stop thinking about it, just go ahead and do it.

Growing business is not just a science, it's an art, it's a gamble, it's a crap shoot and it's a commitment. And, boy, does it feel good when it pays off. But you'll never know that unless you do all the things possible to make it happen.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
http://www.labov.com/

Stress is Stress

I have a friend named Felice Dunas - a real smart lady. She's an MD, an expert in Chinese medicine, a nutrition expert and a counselor. Very brilliant. Here's one thing she told me I'll never forget:

Good stress and bad stress have one thing in common. They're are both stresses. They both wear you down.

Why is this important? Because, if you're stressed out over having to deal with a plant shutdown or a lay-off, that's understandable. But if, in addition, you have new opportunities that require you to travel and to stretch to land new clientele at the same, that, too, is stress (even though it's a positive). And it all adds up.

Don't feel guilty, either. It's not wrong if you're feeling beaten up and drained during these times. There's plenty of bad stress and good stress going around. And it all adds up.


Barry LaBov
President, LaBov and Beyond Marketing Communications
www.labov.com