As Much as You Know About Your Car?

We just bought a new GMC Yukon.

Let’s just say it’s part of our personal GM bailout program .

It really is an amazing vehicle. It’s much safer and way more technologically advanced than the Yukon we traded in. I’ve still not figured out all the features and gadgets.

It can burn up to 85% ethanol and has Active Fuel Management. Which means it runs on 4 cylinders most of the time and only 8 when actually needed.

I could go on and on about all the other features, but that wouldn’t leave room for me to make my point.

What I think is particularly impressive is the OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics. Once a month, it remotely connects to the Yukon, runs a series of diagnostics and then sends a detailed report to me via eMail: tire pressure, required maintenance, engine/transmission details, emission system, etc.

Much of this information is available from the instrument panel, but just in case you don’t cycle through it all, you have this helpful and very detailed monthly report—including any attention or actions that are needed or recommended.

Wouldn’t it be great to have that kind of detail automatically available to you about your business? It sure would make running your organization easier, wouldn’t it?

However, I find VERY FEW small business owners who have more than the very basic metrics. Most of the information is usually too historical to be of much value, isn’t easy to understand and in many cases should be presented in a report cover titled “Surprise”.

I’m thinking that most entrepreneurs know more about their cars than they do about their businesses.

When you drive your car, you have a rear view mirror and dashboard with the most critical information available to you at a glance. But that’s not usually true for your business.

Do you know what your company’s key metrics are and do you track them as well as you do your vehicle’s data?

Sadly, most small business owners do not.

These key performance indicators vary some from business to business, but I’ve developed a number of common and important benchmarks to get a handle on where a business is and how to make it better.

And later this week, we’ll be unveiling our Small Business Checkup™. It’s a simple, but very thorough self assessment of your business.

If you haven’t already registered for Thursday’s webinar on “The 7 Top Strategies for Making 2009 Your Best Year Ever” I urge you to do so now, as we will be talking about the Checkup on that call and you will be given access to the first version at no cost.

Click on this link to register. There is no cost.
And you must be registered in order to receive the many bonuses we will be giving away.

Dawn and I were in Yosemite Valley two weeks ago. It was our first visit and I can only describe it as stunningly spectacular.

I’d seen many pictures of this magical basin, but pictures don’t do it justice. It’s one of those places you just have to see and experience for yourself. If you’ve been there you know what I mean. If you haven’t, I urge you to add it to your “Bucket List”.

When we first entered the valley we were awestruck. Without realizing it, I found myself speaking in hushed tones. I felt like we’d entered a cathedral. It was that impressive.

We stayed at Yosemite Lodge right at the base of Yosemite Falls. So from our room, we could see and hear the tallest waterfall in the United States.

We hiked up to the upper falls about 1100 feet above the lodge. It was a 3-hour hike with what seemed like 100 steep switch-backs, but the view was certainly worth it.

One of the most photographed peaks in the world is Half Dome—located at the eastern end of valley. At 8,800 feet (some 4,700 feet above the valley floor) it’s the largest hunk of exposed granite on Earth.

So what does this little travelogue of Yosemite have to do with your business?

Well let me describe Half Dome for you. It’s big, it’s distinctive, it’s impressive and it’s solid. It’s lasted a very long time and will last even longer.

That’s a pretty good metaphor for a business, don’t you think?

You may not want to build a huge business. But why not? It takes no more work to build a big business than a small one.

The distinctive shape of Half Dome is noteworthy, too. Your business must have a way to distinguish itself from others. You need to stand out from the crowd. Distinctive and impressive is a nice combination indeed.

Is your business solid? Will it stand the test of time? No business is as old as Half Dome—but having a solid and long-lasting business is a worthy objective.

Rock-solid, with the ability to endure, distinctive and impressive—that’s the kind of business we endeavor to help you build.

See some of the pictures we took at Yosemite here . . .

SuccessNet is committed to helping you and your business grow so you can have a world class business.

As a member of SuccessNet, you have a trusted and ongoing support structure to keep you crystal clear, fiercely focused and uncommonly consistent in growing your business.

If you are a member, you know what I mean. If not, you should be—especially now that we offer a one-time payment for a lifetime membership. That means no recurring charges. Get it now at $100 bucks off.

Full details (and your $100 coupon) can be found at
http://SuccessNet.org/join/

Also, if you’d like to see how your business stacks up against ‘The Ten Pillars of a World Class Business’, go to http://WorldClassBusiness.com

One of the key objectives of a mastermind team is to gain greater clarity and focus in order to take consistent and effective action toward our goals.

And if you want to maximize the power of your mastermind team, it’s best to begin with as much clarity as you can muster on your own.

All too often, when we present our case—be it a problem to be solved, an issue to overcome or an idea to brainstorm—we don’t plan ahead enough to articulate it clearly.

It’s always best to invest a few minutes in planning and even practicing what you want to present to your team. In doing so, you will be clearer yourself, you will be better understood and the result will be even greater clarity and feedback from the rest of your team.

Less is More
It’s important to be succinct. You do not have to explain in detail, provide all the history and justify things in order to present your case well. Fewer words have more power than many words. Provide only enough information to illustrate the context and the content needed to be understood.

When you are long-winded, people stop listening. Don’t make them work hard—get to the point.

MY point is to encourage you to plan well, deliver well and receive well.

The same goes for your feedback to your teammates. Share in a bullet-point format in order to leave as much time for additional feedback.

In doing so, you’ll make your mastermind team or your brainstorming meeting ever more powerful.

Quote du jour . . .

A problem clearly stated is a problem half-solved.

PS: If you’re not already part of our Diamond Club Mastermind program, and you would like to have your own team and the support structure you need to achieve your most important goals, you can get started this week here . . .