Author’s program note. One of Broadway’s happiest and most enduring musicals
is “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.” Written by Frank Loesser;
it was released in October, 1961 to immediate acclaim — and a Pulitzer Prize to
boot. Most recently it was revived with Daniel Ratcliffe — famous for his
eponymous role in the Harry Potter films — starring in the lead role originally
done to mischievous perfection by Robert Morse, simultaneously menace and
mastermind.
I have selected one of the lesser tunes from the production for the
occasional music to this article. It’s called simply “Coffee Break”, and you
should go to any search engine now to listen to it. It’s about how the absence
of coffee — and therefore the coffee break — raises more anxiety and lamentation
than a plague of locusts and completely stops the whole company, convinced that
the end of the world as they know it is at hand. Oh, my! So much grief for one
missed cuppa. However, the real shock is not that the coffee was late for the
company coffee break, no indeed; the real shock is that more time, trouble,
energy, irritation, and anger was expended on this event than on anything else
that entire day… including the company’s business they were hired to
transact…until the outrage about the coffee break was surpassed by certain stale
items on the lunch menu… thereby diverting everyone’s outspoken attention to
this even greater snafu.
The sad part is that this kind of ludicrous “crisis” and massive waste of
time does not occur solely or exclusively on Madison Avenue or in Broadway
shows… it is most likely the way you are running your “business” and why it
doesn’t prosper.
That’s why today, I am going to put you and your “business” under the most
minute scrutiny, the better to help you understand that your business, as you
currently organize and run it — cannot make the desirable profits of your
imagination… until such time as you rethink everything — absolutely everything —
so that the focus of your energy and action every day is NOT the coffee break…
but actually doing BUSINESS. And as this analysis develops right before your
very eyes, you are most likely to be chagrined, embarrassed, and horrified – and
that’s just for openers.
On the acute need to perceive what you are really doing every single day.
You say you are in business, correct? You say you want substantial,
increasing profits, correct? You say you are a hard worker; indeed that the sun
never sets on all the work you do, the tasks done, the challenges confronted,
correct?
In short you are about as swift, intelligent, able and valuable a business
person as business has ever seen and that your DNA should be donated to the
nation so that generations yet to come may have the benefit of you and your
unmatched business expertise and execution.
You, of course, are even now nodding your head in sage agreement with this
flawless description of you and your business acumen. Modest though you are, you
cannot but admit that you are the very paragon and model sketched above… just
like Kansas City, you’ve gone about as far as you can go.
It is this proposition swallowed hook, line and sinker by the overwhelming
majority of business owners of every kind that keeps you trapped in a business
that doesn’t grow, expand, prosper and that does not make and will never make
the profits you consistently and repeatedly say are the reason you are in
business to get and enjoy.
YOU and your business under our microscope.
Now, it’s time to knuckle down to the important, sure-to-be-shocking analysis
of what you do during your “business hours”… for you cannot improve your
business until you know precisely what you do and precisely when you do it.
Business is about two things and two things only…
Quick! Can you guess what they are? The correct answer is 1) the generation
of qualified prospects and 2) contacting these prospects, making them the most
lavish, persuasive offer ever, then closing the deal forthwith. This is the two-
step dance that keeps you in business, expands your business, and leads to
money, money, money… yours, all yours.
Now let’s see just what percentage of your average day focuses on these two
key points… and what percentage of your business day goes to anything but these
two essential tasks.
You’ll need a pad, a watch, and total honesty.
To make this crucial scrutiny work, you will need to be clear about what you
do, when you do it, and how long it takes to do it. In other words, you must
start by creating a detailed picture of your average business day… and why it
either works to produce the prospect leads and orders you need… or why it
doesn’t. Give this essential project which can launch the most profitable epoch
for your business your fullest attention. Nothing will come of this project
unless you are careful, thorough, and complete.
Your first task is to list all the things you do during your average business
day. These will include but will certainly not be limited to
* all breaks, kind and duration;
* non-business related telephone and other communications;
* time spent “surfing” the Web, especially at sites unsuitable for visits
during business hours;
* gossip with friends and co-workers;
* writing ad copy;
* creating offers that make sales;
* time on the telephone etc where you connect with prospects, and either
upgrade them to be qualified prospects, or close them by making sales.
Get the picture? What you’re trying to do is this: show yourself in
unanswerable detail what you do on the average day that has absolutely nothing
to do with the identification and closing of prospects… and how much time and
effort you expend generating prospects and closing them.
Reforms must follow identification of what you are doing wrong, over and over
again.
Chances are, you will be shocked and abashed by what you discover, for
instance now seeing that you spend far more time surfing the Web and gossiping
on the phone than you do on that same phone contacting prospects and closing
deals. Such pernicious reality must be dealt with at once, for it is costing you
money every single day.
Start today.
Do you care whether your business succeeds or fails? Do you care whether you
make more money than less? Do you care whether the limited time you have on this
planet is transformed into the maximum amount of coin of the realm, and so
serenity, security, satisfaction?
That is why you must do this necessary exercise, and do it today. For you
see, succeeding in business without really trying makes a dandy theme for a
witty musical… but can in no way be regarded as a truth to build your ever more
prosperous business by. That truth will be vividly apparent to you as you
implement the recommendations of this important article.
*** We invite you to post your comments to this article below.
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