Be Brave! Disrupt Your Business

Be Brave! Disrupt Your Business

Disruption is one of the new buzzwords being beaten to death in media and business discourse. And that bothers me. It doesn’t bother me because I’m tired of hearing it already – quite the opposite. It bothers me because the general business population is going to get tired of hearing it and disruption is one of the most powerful business tools we Small Business Owners (SBO) can wield.

Perhaps the definition for general use is a little different in that we hear about it as being a “disruptive” business or business idea. The application may be slightly different, but the basic concept is the same.

I first read about disruption in Bill O’Hanlon’s book, Do One Think Different. The scenario used was a couple who fought a great deal, but I saw it for what it could be in all business applications. The couple was spinning steadily down into the realm of divorce when a counselor advised them to identify situations that escalated into arguments and do one thing differently. Instead of the same response pattern, try something different. Make a different comment, laugh, walk away, share a Popsicle – anything that breaks – or disrupts – the pattern.

Change a reaction that is habit in a situation. Do something different. Disrupt a patten and improve your results.Lo and behold, it made a huge difference and the couple was able to change their patterns and reduce the arguments.

Immediately my thoughts are of Einstein (Ben Franklin or Mark Twain or whoever gets to claim it) and the definition of Insanity: “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Now to bring this full circle, I want to challenge you to do one thing differently in 2016 that will make a huge difference for you and your business. I am always looking for ways to build business, so, of course, I am thinking along those lines. Here are a few suggestions:

Increase communication with your clients and customers. Develop a system, like a weekly email or monthly newsletter that keeps you in contact with your customers on a regular basis. If you have ever heard someone talk about a need they have that you can fill and you didn’t come to their mind – you know you have work to do. Every one of your clients should know what you can do for them, and should be reminded often that you are ready, willing and able to solve some of their problems.

Use speaking to generate leads and get new customers. You are an expert in something and you have a product or service that will benefit others. When you speak to a group that includes your target market, you increase the number of potential clients you touch at one time.

If you want to know more about how to do that, I have an interesting, very reasonably priced option for you: The Speaking Excellence Mastermind. It will center on the skills, challenges and solutions in using speaking to promote and grow your business. This is an 8-month program during which you learn how to use speaking effectively, how to secure speaking engagements, refine your signature talk and get feedback to make that talk the best it can be – in addition to the power you get from a Mastermind Group. It’s going to be spectacular! It’s starting in February and space is limited. In fact, there are only a couple of spots left, so get in touch with me if you are interested (jack@gybcoaching.com).

Be strategic in your networking. If you attend networking events and aren’t seeing them for anything more than social events, something needs to be disrupted. Networking should be bringing new faces into your circle. If that’s not happening, it may be time to move into some other circles. While having lunch or cocktails with familiar faces is comfortable, it’s probably not growing your business. I am not saying leave your friends, I am suggesting you expand your reach, and, if time or budget is strained, I know which I would choose. (Just in case you don’t know, I would send the familiar faces my newsletter and invest my time in new programs.)

Try something new and different and see what kind of affect that has on your business.

To Your Success!

Jack Signature

B3 – Be Bold, Brilliant and Boundless!

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Posted in Growth Strategy, Leadership, Learning, Mindset
2 comments on “Be Brave! Disrupt Your Business
  1. Laurie says:

    I love this Jack – thank you for the great suggestions. I agree speaking – in-person and online in a webinar or other format – is the best way to get in front of our ideal people as quickly as possible AND help position ourselves as an authority on the topics that our customers and clients want to learn about. A win-win-win! Thank you for the post!

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