The Steve Jobs Question

This morning I read a quote from Steve Jobs that hit me harder than a fourth cup of coffee.

It goes like this:

“I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

Now, I had been having a bad couple of days this week; nothing earth shatteringly awful, just a nagging sense of boredom and frustration at sub-par results in my business.

But here’s the thing: If you're in business for yourself, like me, and you find that you're bored or unmotivated by your work, it's going to kill your business faster than any competitor ever could.

So I looked in the mirror and asked myself the Steve Jobs question: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And ... I knew I needed to change some things -- right away.

So I did.

First, I put on some different background music in my office and promptly wrote a really good promotion for a client that I know he’s going to love. Oh, and, I finished two hours early.

Then I shaved and put on a clean shirt with a collar (two things I don't do a typical work day) and I recorded two promotional videos for my business. Now I would rather drink paint than shoot a video. But by making the videos, I forced myself to get out of my comfort zone and grow a little bit.

So, anyway here's the point of this piece: I want to challenge you to look at your schedule for today, then look in the mirror, and ask yourself the Steve Jobs question. “If today were the last day of your life, would you want to do what you're about to do today?”

The answer, yes or no, is probably true -- if you listen to your heart.

At the risk of sounding obvious, if the answer is no, make changes to your plan. Even if you don't have 100% control over your schedule, you do have 100% control over your attitude, which controls everything you do. And you can change your attitude by changing your surroundings: the music in your work space, pictures on the wall, conversations you have (or don’t have), the blogs you read (or ignore), the thoughts in your head.

That's my thought for today. It’s made my day today more productive than all of yesterday -- and it’s not even lunch time yet.

What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment below.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands.

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

Want Competitors to Refer Business to You? Thank Them! How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 15 of 15)

This final post in this Thank-You Marketing series is a lesson within a lesson on how to get more referrals.

Take a look at my thank-you note below, written to a fellow copywriter here in the Twin Cities ...

Digby is one of about a half dozen copywriters I know pretty well and have referred business to.

What? Send my leads to another copywriter?

Of course. I do it all the time. You should, too.

Because no matter what your business or how versatile you are, there will always be projects you can't or won't want to do. You can either turn those leads out into the cold with a simple rejection, or say something like this: "My expertise doesn't match with your needs, but I know a guy/gal you should talk to ..." Then send your lead to a competitor whom you know and trust.

Your prospect will appreciate your help steering them to another vendor -- and possibly refer a more-suitable person or project to you later.

Your competitor will appreciate your sending them a lead -- and probably refer a person or project to you later.

That's a win-win in any book.

Bonus: If you have a network of super-cool competitors to refer to you, as I do, they might send you thank-you gifts in the mail, as Digby did. He sent me a copy of Gary Vaynerchuk's The Thank You Economy as a thank-you for my latest referral to him ...

... which makes it about 100% likely that I will continue to send referrals his way.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands.

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

Want More Vendors to Refer Business to You? Thank Them! How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 14 of 15)

You could file today's thank-you note under Strategic Gratitude.

That's because I'm writing to thank a potential referral partner for her work on a recent copywriting project. She's manager at one of America's leading printers for direct mail -- a potentially fantastic referral partner for me. She did a great job for my client and me recently. So, I want to make sure she knows how much I appreciate her efforts.

Thus, this note (with my client's name covered up and kooky handwriting around a cutout in the middle) ...

Here's the thing: I'll bet you my next 12 car payments that I'm the only copywriter to mail her a thank-you notes for a job well done. My appreciation is genuine. And, hey, if she remembers me with favor the next time a printing client asks for a referral to a good copywriter, well, that's nice too :-)

Remember: You're not remarkable if nobody is talking about you. Simple little thank-you notes, written and mailed with a stamp, are an easy way to start conversations about you -- for all the right reasons. And that always leads to referrals. 

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands.

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

You Can Recession-Proof Your Business If You Do This One Thing: How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 13 of 15)

First, here's WHY I'm writing today's thank-you note to a vendor ...

That incredibly delicious box of chocolates was dropped off on New Year's Eve by my ace printer, Jim Beckman from Full Throttle Print.

Almost every business depends on referrals, but few businesses deserve them to the extent that Jim's does. He's more like a concierge than a printer -- I've never heard him say "No" to a request in the 3 years I've been using him to print business cards, newsletters, flyers, and sales letters for me.

The fact that he delivers at no charge is just icing on the cake. And the nice gift of chocolates? Wow. That's icing on the ... chocolate. Or something.

Anyway, why I will never use another local printer as long as Jim is in business. And I will continue to refer my local clients to him.

That's why I was so happy to write the thank-you note below to Jim ...

Bottom line: You can recession-proof your business (heck, you can Obama-proof it) by delivering service that surprises and delights your clients. They will buy more and refer others to you. It's just that simple.

Because, in a world where nearly everything can be copied or done for $1 an hour in China, there's one thing no competitor can copy: your service. Make sure yours is memorable -- for all the right reasons -- and you will have clients for life. Like Jim does.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands.

Grab your free copy now, while they last.