On our team, we deliver business systems.  The amount of thinking, planning, people, information, systems and communications is mind boggling.  There are a number of failure points.  There are many other projects which have to be managed at the same time. This all has to be delivered in the midst of uncertainty.

The uncertainty comes from all the other knowledge workers pushing on us for time, energy, solutions and mindshare.  It’s part of the new deal in the new economy.  We are all in the collaboration game.  You have access to others much more easily now.  You are most likely dealing with similar demands and expectations.

There are two types of people in this game today:

1. Complainers
2. Competitors

Complainers will always talk about how much work they have.  It is their excuse for under-delivering.  A year from now, they will still be talking about all the emails they have to answer and the feeling of being overwhelmed.  They will always say that they have too much to do.  Why not?  If they can sell that to their customer and their boss, then there is no motivation to change their bad habits.

Competitors understand that they are in a game.  While others are complaining, they are solving problems.  They invest in their business in money, time and attention to manage what they know is coming every day – a pipeline of work.  These are the fun people to work with and the ones we observe taking business away from the complainers every day.

If you want to find out if someone is a winner, just listen to them talk.  They are a winner inasmuch as they don’t complain and instead focus on solving problems.  Show me the problems you can solve, and I will show you what you are worth.  After all, that’s the whole value today.

We are all overwhelmed trying to solve problems. I love watching the show HowStuffWorks on the Discovery channel.  I watch it with my kids to teach them one thing above all – everything we see is a result of a process.  There were steps, materials and organization to make it happen.

When we watch how candy is made or how mechanical parts are built, we see conveyor belts, timing mechanisms, computerized controls and lots of movement in a cohesive system.  This is what allows millions of widgets to be produced from a factory. As a knowledge worker, you are a factory.  There are raw materials (information) coming into your world and finished goods (knowledge) going out.  Your ability to turn information into knowledge allows you to produce more and deliver value.

The funny thing is that instead of figuring out how to make a more efficient workflow, people and teams merely keep grinding away with poor tools, processes and talent.  Improve any of these three and you get a different result.

Do you want to sell more?  Then work on your factory first.  Without control you cannot deliver value that your customer is looking for.  Your competitor, whether a company or another person who wants your job, who is willing and able to bring a better process will prevail.

Customers have enough friction in their life.  They want it to be easy to do business with you, and they don’t care about your excuses.  You are only one item on their long list of options, just as your vendor list is long as well.

Today, stop the insanity.  Get control of your business by focusing on solving the main problem which is the root of lack of sales, weak customer relationships and too many urgencies in your business.  Clear the runway before trying to fly or you will never take off.

Get the help to implement the systems for your success. If you are continually overwhelmed, it is likely you have inefficient systems and thus, you are not solving the problem, only tolerating it.  Life and business can be much more if you will see the problem.

If you don’t solve the problem, then your customer or your employer will do business with those that are easy to do business with not those who keep talking about the problem.

What are your thoughts?

Guarantees meet our need for reducing perceived risk. We have all been burned. We have all experienced unmet expectations. Thus, our guard goes up.

I can remember years ago when my wife and I were seduced into one of those typical honeymoon events – a timeshare presentation. Why not? We were in high spirits, our guard was down and everything was just a good time.

We were definitely entertained. It was salesmanship from the get go. There were multiple hand-offs between the street salesman to the breakfast reception to the keynote speaker. The experience was one giant show. The emotions and pressure were high. Promises were made and we bought. We bought what we thought were years of good times and a return on a small investment.

What we did was sign a guarantee. A guarantee that was for the timeshare company’s success, not ours. I learned a multi-thousand dollar business lesson and the education has served me well since then.

Now, no doubt, there are plenty of good timeshare companies out there making good on what they commit to. I happened to get the short end of the stick in my naivete and emotion in the moment. I was looking for a guarantee of happiness, comfort and a dream. In and of itself, these are good things. Whether a business delivers on it or not is another thing altogether.

I have also had great experiences with companies that give me a guarantee and then they do deliver. Everyone wins. The cost felt less risky because of the guarantee I saw delivered firsthand to help me get what I want.

As a customer, I want to feel confidence from who I buy from. I want to know they have conviction, believe they are the best and deliver. I want to know that when failure happens, they step to the plate and do two things: 1) say sorry and 2) make it right.

In business consulting, it is rigorous and hard work to put together the systems and approach to give guarantees to our customers. However, all the hard work has allowed us to have convictions and guarantees which we stand behind. If our clients apply what we implement, then they will see more sales. They will experience stronger customer relationships, and they will become more productive. It’s a guarantee.

If you want to win in the game of business and in life, dare to guarantee what you deliver. If you are having trouble doing this, then something is broken, likely your confidence that you can deliver. Tell your customers about your guarantee. Tell your friends. Let them know what you stand for and are committed to. That is what great brands and great people do. They commit, and they deliver in the midst of challenges. May you achieve higher levels of success because of your ability to guarantee results.

Every business has the same challenge today. They are competing for attention. The number of choices available for any service or product are vast.

It used to be different. There were less choices. Thus, companies needed merely to advertise, and they would get calls.

Today, the game has shifted. In your business, you have lots of competition. Yet, if you are using old methods to try and reach your customer, you are invisible to your customer.

If you had to stop and think, what would make sense for reaching your customer? It does take thinking. Unfortunately, most people do not do this. Here is a simple truth. What do you do with all the mail when you get home? Surely, you do not keep it and read each piece of advertisement. It is called junk mail for a reason. You throw it away.

Multiply that behavior by millions, and we have customers everywhere ignoring a medium which once worked. As Al Ries stated, “Advertising is dead.” A simple method like mailers has a 99% failure rate. What a waste. If you ignore it, then why would anyone use it as a way to reach customers? It is because they are not thinking. They are hoping.

Everyone wants to grow their sales. Everyone wants to have strong relationships with their customers. If you will stop and think, let us show you how this is done in today’s economy. You must meet people in a precise way in how they buy, not how you want to sell. Click here and read this carefully. It will change your business.