Lesson From Yogi
In Yogi Berra’s 2007 commencement speech to the graduating class of St. Louis University, he said, “Be careful if you don’t know where you’re going in life, because you might not get there.”
Yogi’s latest take on his own funny and famous quote from years ago certainly describes the unfortunate situation that many professionals and business owners find themselves in.

While focusing on the tactical nature of doing business, the strategic vision is often lost, and in some cases it never gets established in the first place.  We’re sure that we need to make the month. We’re sure that we have to pay the bills. We know that we have to keep our customers happy if we have any hope of survival. But in the end, will the business activities we engage in every day deliver the end result we wish for?
We can only answer that if we know what the desired end result is. What will your business look like at its most successful moment? In other words, what is the ultimate state of your business? Armed with a crystal clear and compelling vision of your destination, you can lead your organization to accomplish it.
Today and tomorrow Promotional Consultant Today will look at a few ways you can leverage your strategic vision to create change in your organization.

A Vision
A strategic vision encourages business and personal alignment. In the absence of a clear strategic direction, employees and even business owners will do what they think will provide the most value in the given moment, as they individually define it.
Whether you know it or not, you’re operating according to a personal vision right now, and every person in your organization is as well. Even if everyone has the best intentions, growth of the business will be slowed because everyone is working on their own definitions of success.
Once you’ve clearly defined your vision and shared it, your activities, the activities of your employees and the resources of your business will come into alignment with that common destination.

A Focus
A strategic vision creates focus. When the economy is in a down cycle, the tendency is to focus on the difficulty of conducting business, the lost opportunities and the impact to the bottom line. This attention to the negative can erode confidence and become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
By keeping the vision at the forefront of the organization’s awareness, employees and management alike can focus on generating new ideas, planning for the future and seeing new possibilities. It’s much like deciding to buy a particular new car, and then noticing the car everywhere. When we’re focused on a positive outcome, coincidences, resources and opportunities arise as if by magic.

Source: A speaker and consultant, Kim Marcille’s 25-year background in business leadership ranges from Fortune 500 experience to small business ownership. She’s founder of Possibilities Amplified, Inc and author of the forthcoming, Amp It Up! Secrets from Science for Creating the Life of Your Dreams.  She is formerly vice president of new initiatives for the Miami Herald Media Company, and former CEO of Catalyst.

Get Out Of Your House And Thrive

All week we’ve talked about the increased productivity, efficiency and profitability you get when you run a business out of your house.

But working at home doesn’t mean you should be in isolation. In fact, networking is even more crucial when your office is at your fingertips all the time.

Without a networking strategy, you run the risk of feeling alone. You might miss talking to people, which could lead you to socialize with a neighbor rather than network with a prospect. And you might miss the companionship of someone to BS with around the coffee station.
The answer is to schedule networking into your work plans. Doing so is good for business growth and your personal development.
So what to do?

Join Professional Organizations
This approach keeps you abreast of trends in your field and lets you participate in regular meetings with people like you. Often you get the combination of professional education, new contacts and relationship building.

Participate In Business Groups
You might find it valuable to join a local chamber of commerce, the Rotary, volunteer organizations and other groups that bring people together. After all, you don’t know where your next best client might come from.

Seek Lunch Partners
I’m not saying eat out every day. But a few times a week is pretty good. You can arrange meetings with prospects, clients, suppliers or people on your virtual team (you do have a virtual team helping you, don’t you?). This meeting gives you opportunities to explore possibilities, brainstorm or look for projects to collaborate on.

Attend Trade Shows And Conferences
These events are great opportunities to mingle with people who are geared toward meeting someone new. Just as you are.

Create Opportunities To Meet People
Talk to other entrepreneurs and business people. You never know what the person sitting next to you does. Perhaps she’s the buyer of promotional products for a Fortune 500 company. If you don’t reach out and launch into conversations — not sales calls — you may miss an opportunity to create a business connection.
Recently, I was at a minor league baseball game. One of the newest stadium advertisers had signage near the visiting dugout. It turns out a guy sitting near me was wearing a shirt with that same company name. We got into conversation and that led to a meeting, which led to a proposal.
The point is, you’ve got to get out there and network. Naturally, this is true no matter where you hang your office sign. But it becomes more important when you need the social interaction with other people that you may miss when you work from home.
Of course just showing up at an event is never enough. You’ve got to be bold and reach out to meet people. Be friendly and subtle so you don’t overly pitch your business. Remember that you’re creating a relationship first, and a sale second.
There’re more tips for how to network once you’re in the arena, but that will have to wait for another column.

      Source: Roger A. Shapiro is an independent marketing communications consultant with 25 years experience helping people use words to reach results. He works out of his home office as he consults, teaches writing and speaks on writing and communication issues. He is the author of Write Right, 26 Tips to Improve Your Writing Dramatically.