The Wealthy Business - by EnergizeGrowth

The Power of F2F in B2B relationships

How many times this week did you avoid calling a colleague and send them a text message? Or participate in email banter in lieu of a 30 minute coffee date? Your B2B business opportunities may be slowing due to the lack of F2F (face to face) contact.

Alan Weiss, my consulting mentor and prolific communicator, recently shared this comment in his weekly news flash:

In Memory of Crazy People (Like Steve Jobs)

A good friend of mine just forwarded an Apple commercial that was never aired in 1997. I find it a propos for our times. (listen to the actual Virgin ad by clicking here). In fact, I think it is an excellent way to channel Steve Jobs. Goodness knows we all miss him--and his borderline crazy ideas--dearly:

"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward.

And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

True Transparency: Zappos, Tribal Leadership, and Charity Water - May 5 Live Event

Are you proud enough of your company to broadcast your annual meetings? Are you willing to enroll strangers--not just business partners--in the future success of your business?

Zappos certainly is.

 

In the true spirit of transparency, my friend Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, will be live streaming the company kickoff meeeting on Thursday, May 5 from 4pm- 8 pm ET.

Zappos has been a fan of my book since 2009, and it's suggested reading in their business library. One of the areas that Tony and I can agree on is that more companies need to be completely open about what is working in their company, and what is not. For Zappos, core values drive the culture, not the ups and downs of parent company Amazon's stock price. Zappos uses their kickoff meetings to showcase those key points, not just to motivate and inspire teams.

Special guests Scott Harrison, founder of Charity Water www.charitywater.org and Dave Logan, co-author of Tribal Leadership www.triballeadership.net will be speaking at the Zappos Family All Hands Meeting.

You're invited to view this meeting online and take a peek into Zappos' culture. The event will be webcasting Thursday May 5, 2011 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time. If you can't view it live, they will make the recording available.

Click the link below to RSVP.

https://zapposinsights.infusionsoft.com/link/133e8e6ce0/1ecdbe0

How can you incorporate some of their ideas into YOUR organization and drive a more successful growth plan? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

copyright 2011, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved.

The Intelligent Rite of Spring

When my Dad was alive, he always reminded me that my pursuit of education would only take me so far in life. He said that wisdom would (hopefully) come with time. He encouraged me to challenge conventional wisdom, and learn how to ask really good questions.

He was teaching me the multiple facets of intelligence. And I will be truly grateful to him.

Business development and planning are not a series of left-brained script writing exercises. As you assess the impact of your growth planning and marketing investments, consider these timeless thoughts from Rumi.

 

How to Manage Up in A Down World

Here is a provocative summary of Roberta Matuson's new book, Suddenly in Charge. It just launched this month. You will enjoy her tips for Managing UP in a DOWN World in this article. Alan Weiss' synopsis will incite you to think differently about how you influence others. These time-tested principles apply to anyone who collaborates, leads a virtual team, or operates within a formal organization.

 
Click here to download the review:

How to Manage Up in A Down World

 

Join the world’s top business minds—October 25-29

I’m inviting you to the Enlightened Business Summit from Oct. 25-29th. When my friend Chip Conley asked me to join the faculty, I was honored!

 

The event features a fantastic lineup of top-tier CEOs, bestselling authors, and visionaries, all sharing their most important insights for free:

http://enlightenedbusinesssummit.com/feature/Lisa-Nirell  

Names you might recognize include NY Times bestselling authors such as Tim Ferriss, Stephen M. Covey, and Tony Schwartz, plus CEOs like John Mackey of Whole Foods, Tony Hsieh of Zappos, and George Zimmer of Men's Wearhouse.

The event is hosted on the phone and you can participate in as many sessions as you like. You will hear the best insights from these leaders, so I hope you can join me.

P.S. Feel free to forward this invite to your community using this link: http://enlightenedbusinesssummit.com/feature/Lisa-Nirell

Skip Best Practices – Think “Next Practices”

 

The term "best practices" is SOOO yesterday.

In this guest post from Patricia Wheeler of The Levin Group, you will hear why.She proffers three strategies you can implement immediately to ensure you are defining the next big thing, and avoid falling behind the leadership curve. Without these strategies, you will find your products and services becoming commodities faster than the hottest song from Lady Gaga.

  

How to Promote "Joie De Vivre" With New Investors

Chip Conley and his investors were forced to make some tough decisions.

Several months ago, Conley, the CEO of Joie de Vivre Hotels in San Francisco, California, witnessed competing hotels facing potential foreclosure. According to the Wall Street Journal, "there is about $5.6 billion in securitized mortgages tied to hotels coming due this year and next...27.8% cover properties now estimated to be worth less than their mortgage balances." (source: Trepp LLC's Foresight Analytics). Billions of dollars of mortgages are coming due in the coming years. Analysts are forecasting that the hotel industry will not regain its full strength until 2013.

Photo courtesy of Chip Conley 

Forks in the Road, and Other Business Growth Hazards

While knowledge, skill, education, and intelligence are key elements to a company’s success during good times, decisiveness during challenging times may just keep you afloat. And sometimes it means you will make mistakes when facing a fork in the road.

 Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., is one of the world's leading researchers in the field of motivation and has identified two basic types of mindsets in her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.  She refers to them as either fixed or growth mindsets.  People with a fixed mindset (those who believe their intelligence is fixed) prefer to take on projects that will make them look good.  They are generally obsessed with their image and are afraid of looking bad.  This prevents them from doing things that can stretch them and help them increase their competency -- even when they might badly need those new skills.

A Zen Business Development Process

I'm in San Mateo, California attending the Action Plan Marketing InfoGuru Summit. Robert Middleton, my friend and mentor, is a hub for authors, consultants and coaches and organized a powerful event. He publishes one of the best weekly publications for solo-preneurs that reaches over 55,000 readers.  Now he is taking his network to a whole new level -- by bringing together the experts that he recommends to his clients. I am also thrilled to reunite with my good friend and colleague Samantha Hartley.  She inspires me with her commitment to everything related to strategic marketing.   I am honored to be among these Zen Marketing Masters!

Twenty of us from Canada and the USA are enjoying the art of collaboration. Many of us will forge new business alliances and marketing plan strategies as a result of this conference.

Tonight, Robert shared a koan that I hope you will ponder. Koans are Zen "puzzles" that really offer no solution. Their purpose is to ask questions that are intentionally beyond the power of our minds to solve. Permit me to apply just a modicum of rationale to this koan. Then I will get out of the way and let you take your own intuitive leap about how it applies to your 2010 business plan and marketing plan strategies: