Most business owners are eager to see a lot of things happen for, and in, the business each year. So eager that they usually try to do too much. This usually results in very little, if any, of the goals actually being achieved for the year. This lackluster performance is likely due to one of two reasons. First, a lack of commitment by others on the team. The owner/founder is typically a Visionary who sets high and lofty goals. Others on the team weren’t asked for their ideas or input or didn’t speak up. So, the owner sets all the goals and the rest of the team just goes along with no buy-in. They agree to the goals, but don’t own them. The other reason is that too many goals are set. The Visionary has a lot of ideas and high aspirations for the business. But when it comes to

To help focus their company’s limited marketing and sales resources, and define how to best serve their customers, EOS® businesses also define their 3 Uniques™. he three uniques are those characteristics about your company that help set you apart from the competition. Some call them their differentiators or value proposition. They can be based on your values, offerings, people, location, etc.. The important thing to remember is that you cannot be all things to all people. Defining your 3 Uniques puts blinders on your business so that you are focused on being the best at those things that matter most to your target market. While each of the three characteristics itself is not unique, you’ll find that the combination of all three truly makes you unique in your market. For example, “On-time delivery” does not, by itself, make a business unique. Yet when combined with two others like “Truthful communication” and

Just a little over 20 years ago Zappos went live as an online shoe retail store. Naysayers argued that it would fail. Can you guess why? Because we want to know the shoes fit before we buy them. We are (were) accustomed to going to a shoe store, having our foot measured, trying on two or three different pairs of each style, and selecting the one that fit and looked the best. You just can’t do that online. Or can you? Assurance that a product or service will “fit” – meet expectations – helps the prospective customer choose to buy. Zappos created a guarantee for their customers: Free shipping, free returns. No questions asked. In fact, four years after they launched, Zappos offered a unique warranty – 365 day returns, for free! This essentially eliminated the consumers’ barrier to buy shoes online. What are the barriers your prospects have? Is

When driving my truck I often look down at my speed, and occasionally at the “miles left” in my gas tank. I hardly ever check the oil pressure or engine temperature. I never monitor the engine’s oxygen sensors. Unless a warning light comes on, I don’t go any deeper into the status of my truck’s engine because I have just enough information on my dashboard. What are the key metrics for your business that are essential for you to monitor its health without going too “deep?” EOS® businesses learn to simplify their business Scorecard — listing 5-15 “measurables” (less is more!), and setting goals that can be impacted by weekly activity. Year-to-Date sales is important to know.; yet, measuring the number of weekly prospect calls gives you more concrete insight that you can take quick action on. Similarly, measuring days of backlog provides you a good forecast of potential revenue. The goals

Have you ever wondered what your contractor or supplier is doing, or questioned: “Where are we?” As a buyer, no one enjoys not knowing. Your customers don’t either. So, why not tell them upfront what the process is and what they can expect from your organization? By eliminating the unknowns and uncertainties, your prospects gain confidence in your ability to deliver. The EOS® Proven Process is a simple visual that communicates how your business delivers your product or service. It’s your process that has proven over and over again to provide consistent, predictable results. And when shared with prospective customers, their questions and hesitancies are alleviated. Two things to consider: Teams often confuse the proven process with their operational processes. The two couldn’t be more different. The proven process communicates what your customer can expect – their experience. The objectives is to tell them their story and what it will be like to

Your marketing strategy is essential to finding and attracting the right customers for your business. Do you know who your “right customers” are? If not, you may be trying to get everyone and anyone to do business with you. Defining your ideal client helps you focus on how to spend your limited time, money, and resources. In EOS®, businesses define who they want as ideal clients or customers by answering questions from three different viewpoints: their geographic, demographic, and psychographic attributes. GEOGRAPHIC: While we would love to take over the world, we have to recognize that we only have capacity to serve a small part of it. What part do you want to serve? Are you willing to travel 3 hours away…or within 50 miles? Could you serve the entire US – or even the world? DEMOGRAPHIC: Which customers will appreciate you the most? Who has the need and money