Ideas To Help You Power Your Vision From Passion To Profit

What does the word “tactical” mean to you? It might conjure up images of heavily armed soldiers storming a building, a swarm of tanks overrunning enemy defenses, a squadron of aircraft dueling it out over the English channel. Tactics rhymes with execution, punch, getting things done.

Are you thinking tactically enough to win?

Most entrepreneurs have a big-picture idea of what they want, recorded in a business plan or vision document or a simple list of goals. But then the document stays in a drawer or on the hard drive as they stumble into reactive mode, day after day, and not accomplishing what they initially said they wanted.

Planning requires two levels of thinking: strategic and tactical. Strategic planning is vision-focused, the “who am I”, “what do I want to create” and “why is this important to me”.  Strategic is longer term, one, three, five, ten years out. Strategic planning is important, because it gives a context and a purpose for action.

Tactical planning is goal-focused, the “how“, the detailed actions needed to move the yardstick forward toward the big vision.

Where the strategic plan can be done in the abstract, because it deals with possibilities and assumptions, the tactical plan is how we dance with reality, respond to the actual situation on the ground, execute to create results. Tactical plans are meant to be short term: created quickly, executed boldly, then superseded by the next tactical plan based on the new situation. Rapid execution of a succession of tactical plans moves you step by step towards realizing the overall strategic plan.

For the entrepreneur, thinking tactically means creating a daily, execution-focused, tactical plan. [Read more →]

As I was doing my morning GoogleReader scan, I came across a sentence relating the famous Chilean solidarity chant: “The People United Will Never Be Defeated”. But in my half-awake state, I read “The People United Will Never Be Delighted”.  It took me a couple of minutes to realize what I (mis)read, by that time I had clicked too far forward and could not trace back to the original page.

The misread phrase has been rattling around in my head for a few hours, until it connected to an incident I experienced.

If you meet me during a networking event, one question I will certainly ask you is “Is there a specific client or profile of ideal client you are looking for at the moment?” Most of the time the answer I get is “Well, anyone!”.

Well, I’ve just lost interest. What you’ve communicated to me is that you don’t know who you want as a client, therefore I (and anyone I might refer to you) will probably be disappointed with your service…because you don’t really care for ME.

The biggest problem I see with solos is that we are so desperate hungry to get clients that we try to be all things to all people. However, there is only one of me and there are many of you. If I want to satisfy every one of you, I will definitely spread myself too thin, and end up delighting no one, especially myself. And if I’m not happy providing my services to you, then what’s the point for me to be in business? [Read more →]

I’ve just attended the Gamechangers Roundtable call today on “Creating a Game-Changing Culture” with Jonathan Fields, Chris Guillebeau, Pam Slim and Reese Spykerman, moderated by Elizabeth Marshall.

The core of the discussion was about Branding, what it means and how to create a brand that expresses your own personality and quirkiness… because that is what will attract the right people to you.

To give you a sense of what was discussed, here are the notes I tweeted during the call (bottom of the list = start of the call): [Read more →]

Here is my latest e-mail newsletter, sent February 10.

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This looks like a great teleconference series to add to your calendar! Sarah Robinson is hosting a series of conversations with “Game-Changers” – twelve innovators who’ve worked hard – and succeeded – at figuring how how they wanted to be different, how to stand out and yet still be exactly who they are without compromise. Here is the impressive lineup:

[Read more →]

You’re good at what you do…but how many prospective clients know that? Most professionals rely on their credentials and certifications to communicate their competence. The problem is that most certifications mean little to your market, because laypeople usually do not understand (or don’t care about) the meaning of those letters after your name.

To get more and better clients, you need to stand out from the crowd by proactively positioning yourself. The real question is: Do people know what you’re good at…and how it benefits them? Communicate that clearly, and you will build huge trust capital with your market, and they will choose you before any of your colleagues.

This short course will equip you with strategies you can use right away to break away from the herd and become the preferred choice of clients who recognize the value of what you offer and who are ready to commit.

The result? You get happier clients who enthusiastically refer you to other people who are also the right fit for you. This means you will earn more, work smarter, and be happier!

People always have a choice. Make it easier for them to choose you.

[Read more →]

Why is it so tempting to procrastinate when faced with an otherwise simple task? Even if you have the skills, knowledge, experience, resources and even a great motivation to accomplish the task, there is something that can sabotage your best intentions, and before you know it, there goes another blown promise or missed deadline…

The culprit lies within the deepest recesses of our brain, in a primitive organ – the amygdala. This “lizard brain” is the centre of our basic emotions: fear, anger and sexual desire.

If fear exists is because it the amygdala senses a threat to our survival. Since the beginning of evolution, our natural fear reflex helped us to either avoid or react to the often fatal dangers we faced.  But does this visceral reaction still serve us well in our modern environment?

[Read more →]

Is your business project running off the rails, or turning into a “Death March”: a daily slog with no hope of any outcome?

If your project or your business is heading towards disaster, what can you do to get it back on track? In this discussion, Coach Davender Gupta will show you a simple process to take control of the situation and steer it back onto the path to progress.

Join Sharon Sayler as she interviews me about a simple five-step process to get you back on track, during her BlogTalkRadio podcast “Beyond Lip Service” this Tuesday at 1pm East / 10 am Pacific at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/BeyondLipService

Air Date: Tuesday Feb 2 2010, 1pm East/10am Pacific
Direct Link: http://bit.ly/9TzGvt

[Read more →]

Do you want more clients who recognize the value of what you offer? No matter what your profession, your qualifications, degrees or certifications are not enough for your prospective clients to distinguish you from dozens or even hundreds of equally qualified colleagues. So how do you become the one they choose?

Join Coach Davender as he shares five simple principles you can use right away to break from the herd and become THE “Go-To” professional that your clients choose and trust.

This show is an episode of “From Passion To Profit Radio”. Hosted by Coach Davender Gupta, “From Passion To Profit Radio” presents interesting stories, ideas, tools and techniques to help you power your Vision from Passion to Profit. The audio podcast can be accessed at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/frompassiontoprofit

Monday January 25, 2010 – 6pm-6:30pm (Eastern)
Direct Listen Link: http://bit.ly/61P8oS

This podcast is also simulcast on video at
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/from-passion-to-profit

See the Facebook Event listing at
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=264219449698

UPDATE 25 January

The video is now available at UStream.TV: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/4224861

The situation in Haiti is appalling.

It is virtually impossible to break away from the news, it is on the television, the front page of the newspapers, on the radio, in the Twitter stream I follow. The images, the sounds, the stories…it is overwhelming.

But before the earthquake in Haiti struck, what occupied our collective attention? Was it the swindle or terror attempt du jour? The war, or scandal, or the crotch-bomber or whatever the crisis of the moment, imagined or real? I don’t remember, there were so many. It is important to know what’s happening, but what is the potential effect of that constant bombardment of bad news?

And most importantly, in what way does this bad news help me to live better, right here right now?   [Read more →]