As an entrepreneur when it comes to sharing your ideas there are three types of people you will encounter...negative, positive or indifferent. Here's the scenario, you schedule a meeting, everyone arrives and you commence with your presentation. The presentation comes to an end and now it's time for some feedback. (You can exchange meeting for product launch, new service offering, etc) As you go around the room everyone you hear from falls into one of these three categories -negative, positive and indifferent. The question you should be asking yourself is how do you deal with them and what's your response. Dealing With Negative People At first glance, you would think these are the types that you should try an avoid. It seems like no matter how great of an idea you bring forward these people always have a reason it can't, shouldn't or won't be done. The problem is we tend to immediately discount the criticism based on the negative attitude that comes with it. What you need to know is that out of the three types this one can be of the most benefit to you and your idea. Sounds crazy? Here's why it isn't. First, the negative types are going to bring you objections that others will also bring. Preparing yourself to deal with those is something that will help you make your presentation and idea better. Now the objections may not be warranted, but it will help you prepare an answer to why it's not.  In addition many time the negative comments can be used to improve your idea. Second, if you can explain to a negative person why the idea will work, then you are preparing yourself to sell the idea, product, service down the road.  Handling objections is part of sales and this will help you develop that skill.  Oh and typically if you can change a negative persons perspective to see your idea is a good one, you have a champion for your idea.

Are you interested in selling something? Products, services, ideas, brands, charities, organizations, even yourself are all things that as entrepreneurs we focus on selling. In fact the very essence of being an entrepreneur is selling.  If you want to take something and turn it into a business then at some point you will need to sell. Sales is as old as time and while there are certainly timeless truths and techniques to being successful at making a sale, one thing that has changed over the centuries are the methods and tools. 1995 Seems Like Another Lifetime When I started my business career full time over 15 years ago the tools we had at our disposal for making sales were, TV, the phone, fax machine, direct mail, print media and trade shows.  There really wasn't any Internet to speak of.  Sure it existed but it hadn't made its way into the average household. Fast forward to 2010 and the sea of Internet tools available to small businesses is deep and wide.

What happens when good customer service becomes the norm? Good customer service the norm?  Have I lost my mind? Within the last week I have dealt with the customer service departments at five major companies: Apple, Dell, Verizon, At&t and Cadillac. Not one of them was a bad experience.  In fact, it's not the first time I have had to deal with the customer service departments of those companies and I can't recall one bad experience with any of them. So it got me thinking about what happens when good customer service becomes the norm and not the exception. We Have Come To Expect Good Service There has been such a push over the last decade by companies to focus on good customer service that I have seen a real difference in the way they approach this opportunity.  Yes it's an opportunity. More and more companies have a primary focus on creating an experience that is more than just the product.  For decades the products were the differentiators.  Then as the competition increased we started to see customer service become a differentiating factor. Today we expect good service and when we don't receive it the negative response on our part can be amplified greater than ever before.

You've heard it said before, less is more.  But is it really? I mean in a world where you can have it your way and get nearly anything customized beyond belief is it wise to pursue the less is more design theory? A problem that many of us face today is that we are all pressed for time.  So when it comes to consuming something, be it content, products or services, the simpler the idea the easier it is to decide whether that's something we need or want. There is a shift in the marketplace in which products and services that offer less will actually succeed more. Take the restaurant 5 Guys Burgers and Fries.  It's a burger chain that is growing exponentially that offers just what it claims to and nothing more. The decor is always simple red and white, everything is packaged in a brown bag whether your dining in or out and you can order burgers or fries. Simple, easy, successful. If you look at the iPhone a reason for its success can be attributed to the app store. While the app store does have thousands of choices, the choices perform very vertical simple tasks.  This is counter intuitive to what had historically been the norm in software. By purposefully limiting the capability of the software on the iPhone it allowed the options to flourish and the product to succeed even greater. Where is the opportunity for you to take an overly complex process or product and simplify it down to the basics, make it less.  Find those opportunities and there will be more customers. photo credit

All those business ideas in your head just bouncing around are being held captive by the don't. As in.. I don't have the time. I don't have the skill. I don't have the money. I don't have the knowledge. I don't have the energy. Perhaps all those are true, but what do you have? I do have the desire. I do have the passion. I do have a dream. I do have a vision. I do have hope. I do have excitement. Most of the time you find that the things you don't have can be obtained why the things you do have are innate.  Sure the innate traits need to be stimulated and encouraged (that's a purpose of this blog) but you already have those.  The don't is the thing that is holding you back.   Recognize the don't and navigate your way around it. Tak the leap, don't let the don't get in your way. photo credit