I learned two important principles recently that I wanted to pass on to you. What do they have to do with each other? Nothing, except that they can both be related to how you can enhance your business and maybe your life.
Jerky
We recently took a trip to Las Vegas. Driving back across the desert to our home in Southern California, we noticed several billboards advertising a place selling jerky that claimed to be “the best jerky in the universe.” Of course we had to check it out – we didn’t want to miss out on the best jerky in the universe! So we stopped and bought a package. It was a fun place to stop once. Out front they had a real car tricked out to look like a spaceship, including aliens sitting inside, and another flying saucer craft that were fun to look at. But although the jerky was good, it certainly wasn’t the best we’ve had. Needless to say, we won’t be stopping there again.
What’s the moral of this story? You want a good, solid message for your business that entices prospects to work with you or buy from you. We would have never stopped there if they hadn’t claimed to be the best. But your product or service has to deliver on your message. People might try you out but if what you deliver isn’t what you promise, they won’t keep using or buying from you. Rather than over-promising and under-delivering as the jerky people did, you want to under-promise and over-deliver so your customers are delighted with the result and feel they got good value.
Zumba
I love taking Zumba classes at my local fitness center. I’ve always been a dancer at heart and Zumba helps fulfill that need without the cost of paying for dancing classes (ballet being my favorite). But there have been times when I’ve gone to class feeling pretty tired and not really getting into the routines until we do one I especially enjoy doing because it’s very “dancy” with fun moves and is to music I especially like. I suddenly have lots of energy for those and give them my all.
My takeaway from this for business is: if you do what you really enjoy doing, you’ll have the energy and drive to keep going and persevere through the tough times.
I’d love to hear your comments on this. And what lessons have you learned from your life outside business that you can apply to your business?
