I am thinking a lot about 2024 and which of two professional paths I should take. In the past month, I've read three great books on positioning -- Muting the Microphone by Kate DiLeo and Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch (both by April Dunford). I've also been considering whether I should reduce the number of services I offer to give prospects greater clarity.
As I considered different themes for this week's newsletter, "strategic planning" jumped out at me, given that we're just six weeks from the New Year. Let's face it: We're all being inundated with blog posts and articles on planning, but I hope the links below will offer a different perspective and, in keeping with my goal for this newsletter, help you ask better questions at this time of year.
But those three books also reminded me that positioning and how I ultimately frame my sales pitch are critical parts of strategic planning, as is updating my website and other marketing collateral to help me execute my strategic plan.
For solopreneurs, the planning process requires assessing where the economy is going, whether rising benefits costs are choking you -- particularly if your business ebbs and flows -- and defining your ideal client or customer. And tough questions require thoughtful answers.
For all of us, this is an excellent time to start blocking your calendars based on the realities of your business and your family-time goals. When are prospects and clients out of the office? When do school holidays happen? Do you want to schedule long weekends around important events like anniversaries and spouse birthdays? Will four-day weeks due to holidays give you time to complete a one-off project, clean out your emails and computer files, or grab a breather? Do that now.
And one final thing: As I look back on the year and its not inconsiderable challenges, I'm proud that I ditched Facebook and am considering doing the same with Twitter (I'll never refer to it as X) to avoid the toxicity. Some people have proposed creating lists of influencers who deliver value and ignoring my feed in favor of focusing on the responsible voices. But I thought I'd leave you with this link to Douglas Rushkoff thoughtfully explaining his decision to leave Twitter and other social media platforms if you're considering a similar decision for yourself or your company.
Have a great Thanksgiving, and take the time to reconnect with your families, even if they don't share your views on different topics.
Brian O'Conner serves up the tools you need to create your business strategy and outline your strategy docs. Lots of valuable information that you may have seen in the past but packaged in a different way.
This is a bit off the theme, but here's 67 seconds of goodness from Dan Pink (with the help of the Washington Post) on becoming a better writer and perhaps more clearly communicating your strategic initiatives. This will take you to his LinkedIn post because many of the comments are valuable.
I help clients identify the questions that will deliver clarity to their customers and differentiate them from competitors. Just hit Reply and tell me how I can help. Here are two ideas:
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My weekly Frictionless newsletter coaches readers to ask better questions so they can resolve customer pain points. Think of me as Communications Windex -- an experienced ghostwriter and award-winning business journalist who supports executives and teams with lots of knowledge but a scarcity of time & resources to answer the questions their customers and prospects have. Between the newsletter and my services, I coach busy executives to POLISH their unique insights, transforming them into sought-after industry experts who drive visibility, trust, and revenues. I also help sales teams move prospects through the sales process more quickly. My tagline is "Answer Their Questions. Close More Deals." I subscribe to 80+ newsletters and Google Alerts so you don't have to.
STARTING LINE Quick reminder that I've got a survey to learn more about how this newsletter can help me help you. The average time it has taken readers to complete it is under three minutes. I helped a client last week whose most significant customer is up for renewal. She wanted help with questions she and her team should ask themselves (and the customer) during the early stages of the renewal. Allow me to share a few of them, keeping in mind these do have other applications than contract...
STARTING LINE Quick reminder that I've got a survey to learn more about how this newsletter can help me help you. The average time it has taken readers to complete it is under three minutes. I helped a client last week whose most significant customer is up for renewal. She wanted help with questionsshe and her team should ask themselves (and the customer) during the early stages of the renewal. Allow me to share a few of them, keeping in mind these do have other applications than contract...
STARTING LINE I'm going to eat my own dog food this week and ask you, in the immortal words of Jerry Maguire, to "help me help you." I'd appreciate it if you'd answer a few questions about this newsletter -- including the areas where you could use help asking better questions -- and about you, my subscribers. It shouldn't take more than 2-3 minutes and it will benefit both of usl. Thanks! I'll keep the rest of this short. My suggestion for the week is to consider the last time you updated...