Trent365

It does make perfect sense that your plan for TODAY should be mindful of YESTERDAY's plan and also the plan for TOMORROW.

But that doesn't mean it's the right way to make your plans for TODAY.

The problem comes when you spend too much time focussed on considerations in yesterday's plan or on where you'd like to ultimately end up tomorrow, that you lose sight of what's important today. Right now.

You can find yourself trying to just make things fit.

Instead, you should approach today's plan as if it's Day 1.

You walk in today, you have what you have. Can't change anything about what's already done.

Don't worry too much about the end game. 

Just focus on what you need today.

#dayone #hereandnow #focus

I think we'd all accept that the world is not just Black or White. It's Grey.

Yet when it comes to something like Professional Ethics, we tend to think that it is Black or White.

But it's not.

That's why I believe it's important for you to understand where your own Ethical Line in the Sand is.

Know it. Get comfortable with it. Be prepared to live with the consequences of it.

And, like all lines in the sand, be aware that it may shift slightly over time, depending on the prevailing winds and circumstances.

#drawtheline #lineinthesand #integrity

Your Hero Product is that one product that your customers really love.

The one they can't get enough of.

It's important that you understand exactly what it is about that product that makes it a Hero.

Why does everyone love it?

What makes it special?

Then, as you build product/line/brand extensions, you'd better make sure that they have the same special thing.

If not, you'll just end up creating Zero Products.

#heroproduct #brandextension #secretsauce

Some like to believe that the difference between Truth and Reality is really just a semantic one. It's just words.

Well, maybe.

But there can be a Semantic Gulf between Truth and Reality.

Not just a little difference. It can be a massive gulf in between.

The Truth is, the harder you work, the better your chance of a promotion.

The Reality is, if you're not the boss's favourite, then no matter how hard you work, you may never get that promotion.

That's just the Truth...AND...the Reality!

nb: Credit to 'Operation Buffalo' on Netflix for the great quote!

#truth #reality #realitycheck

Back in Ep. 1068 I spoke about how, 'If You Can Make Them Stop...There's An Opportunity - http://bit.ly/3eY6Xj9 

One of the best ways to do that inside your store is with creative merchandising.

But the problem with merchandising is that sometimes we try to be too creative. Too clever. 

We spend lots of money on fancy displays that don't really create that STOP moment.

Brian Roemmele shared an image of a really simple example of great merchandising.

A multi-shelf display of 100+ Heinz mustard bottles and just one of those bottles was displayed upside down. 

It really stood out.

And the additional cost of this display? Zero!

So, when you think about merchandising, think about just one thing...

Make Them Stop.

That's it. Nothing more.

#merchandising #selling #creativity

If you think you know the answers, then there's no need to diversify your approach.

You just do what you know.

When you don't have the answers, you're much more likely to try different things until you find out what works.

In the context of today's business environment especially, it might be a real good idea to assume you don't know the answers...even though you might think you do.

With so much uncertainty in the world right now, having some diversity in your approach is probably a good thing.

If you do, you should be more able to adapt when it turns out that you didn't know the answers.

What was true before simply may not be true tomorrow.

nb: thanks to @naval for the idea & @visualizevalue for the great graphic

#diversifying #agile #businessstrategy

The reason you can't break through, the reason you can't get people to pay attention to your thing, is there's just too much noise out there and people have short Attention Spans.

Right?

Wrong! 

According to Julian Shapiro it's our Consideration Spans that is the issue.

The time within which we decide whether we want to continue.

People still listen to a 3 hour Joe Rogan podcast.

People still binge watch an entire season of a series on Netflix.

So don't obsess about making your content short.

Obsess about making it good. And then obsess about hooking people in quickly. If you don't do that, they'll just give their attention to someone else.

#attentioneconomy #attentionspan #marketing

It's fascinating to me how much time and effort we spend agonising over having the right answer, when in fact there is no way of knowing what the right answer is.

If you don't know what the right answer is, remember that the only answer you can really give is...

...the answer you feel comfortable with.

Some would say the right answer in this situation is the truth.

Whilst I'd agree with that to a certain extent, there is the Truth...and then there is the Whole Truth.

Just because I have given you an honest answer does not necessarily mean it's the whole truth.

So reconcile yourself with the knowledge that the only answer to give when you don't know what the right answer is...is the one you feel comfortable with.

#answers #questions #truth

'I think bringing your own chopsticks and a spoon is a good idea.'

That's part of a conversation I overheard today between two elderly Chinese ladies in Kuala Lumpur.

It got me thinking.

Is this now going to be a thing?

Will we need to start bringing our own cutlery to eat in a restaurant?

How long will a shift in behaviour like this persist after Covid-19 fades from our memories?

And the BIG THINK...

What other cultural shifts, like this one, are happening and how can we leverage these shifts into future opportunities?

So, tell me, what cultural shifts are you seeing that will likely remain well into the forseeable future?

#postcovidworld #cultureshift #opportunities

Gary Vaynerchuck says 'One Step Back is Always A Good Strategy'.

Whilst I wouldn't necessarily agree that it is ALWAYS a good strategy, I certainly agree it's never really a BAD strategy.

We're often scared of taking a step back, just in case we get stuck back there.

But sometimes it's not only necessary, but also a good idea. 

It gives you time to reflect. To take a breath. To catch up. To re-focus and re-align.

And, as we touched on in Ep. 1198, this Covid-19 crisis may actually give you the Cover to take that step back now.

Think about it. It'll be pretty easy to explain to a potential employer in a year or two why you took a step back in your career at this time.

So, don't overthink it.

If you feel you need to take a step back right now, take it.

It's probably not a bad strategy.

#careerjourney #careerprogression #careerchange