Posts tagged as:

success

Repetition, repetition, repetition

by Tim on December 12, 2012

Repetition Today’s a funny date. 12/12/12. Lots of repeats there. It also happens to be a significant birthday for me, one with a repeated number.

Repetition is a funny thing. Some folks hate it. For example, D.H. Lawrence once said,

“…better die than live mechanically a life that is a repetition of repetitions.”

(Well, sure, when you put it that way.)

Of course, not everyone sees repetition negatively. That great philosopher Reggie Jackson stated,

style=”float;position:relative; left:25px;”"A baseball swing is a very finely tuned instrument. It is repetition, and more repetition, then a little more after that.”

And Norman Vincent Peale noted,

“Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex.”

Though I suppose that last one could be both positive and negative.

So here’s a thought for today, this very repetitive date: What’s worth repeating in your life? What’s so worthwhile that you’d do it again and again and again, happily honing your life’s habit? What’s automatic? And are you glad that’s so?

If not, what’s stopping you from changing?

Habits can ease you through your day. They can just as easily hold you back. Don’t forget, one habit worth repeating is changing the things that don’t work for you.

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Tagged as: leaders, Leadership, Personal, success

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What creates success?

by Tim on December 3, 2012

in Creativity,Leadership,Personal,Strategy

What drive success? The Atlantic has a great interview with author and, more relevant to the story, bookstore owner Ann Patchett discussing why her new venture succeeded. And there are lots of reasons: good market, strong demand, excellent timing, amazing PR. But I can’t help thinking the main reason comes down to this quote:

“Amazon doesn’t get to make all the decisions; the people can make them, by choosing how and where they spend their money. If what a bookstore offers matters to you, then shop at a bookstore. If you feel that the experience of reading a book is valuable, then read a book. This is how we change the world: We grab hold of it. We change ourselves.” [Emphasis mine]

Just because you want something, won’t make it so. You have to work for it.

But, if you really want something and are willing to work for it and are willing to change yourself and what you do? Then very little can stop you.

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Technorati Tags: leadership, strategy, success

Tagged as: leaders, Leadership, success

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Raindrops Make a River

by Tim on July 25, 2012

in E-commerce,Strategy

Raindrops make a river

“Raindrops make a river” – Unknown

Let’s talk baseball for a quick second — don’t worry, this will come around to your business in few moments. In baseball, and just about any other sport for that matter, the objective is to outscore your opponent. So it probably won’t surprise you to learn that teams that score the most, win the most.

But, in baseball, there are two ways you can score. One is to hit lots of home runs. The other is to just keep hitting the ball, getting player after player on base, and moving your teammates around the bases more or less one at a time until you reach home (score).

Guess which one results in greater scoring?

If don’t follow baseball closely, you probably suspect it’s the teams that bash the most home runs who score the most.

But that’s not the case.

In practice, it’s the team who get the most hits, irrespective of the number of home runs, who score the most runs (i.e., “points” for those non-fans among you).

So, what has this got to do with your marketing? Well, it’s another demonstration of what I was talking about in my Biznology post the other day. You see, to use an old baseball phrase, “raindrops make a river.” Just like in business.

Many people I talk with are overwhelmed by all the possible things they could do. They struggle to prioritize. They chase every single latest thing, looking for another ever more elusive “home run.”

But, here’s the thing. You don’t have to crush the ball over the wall. You can build meaningful results a bit at a time. Instead of worrying about the home run (not that they’re not nice), you can continue to churn out one base hit after another, learning from your actions when things go right (or not), adjusting when they don’t, and continually moving your results forward.

Using this approach doesn’t mean you’re not trying to move the needle. It means you’re taking a deliberate approach on how to get there. Instead of chasing “the next big thing,” you’re building towards a big thing one step at a time. Among the great things about this approach: If you stumble or step off course (i.e., have an initiative that doesn’t work as well as you want), getting back on the path is much, much easier. And you build on each success to drive your overall results.

Just remember, raindrops make a river.

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Technorati Tags: marketing, marketing best practices, measurement, metrics, strategy, success