I was reading through Os Hillman’s TGIF: Daily Workplace Inspiration,
 an excellent devotional for businessmen, and came across this quote in his January 5 article:

We need to understand that failing does not make us failures. It makes us experienced. It makes us more prepared to be useful in God’s Kingdom – if we have learned from it. 

- Os Hillman

What a refreshing thought! It’s too easy to let certain failures bring us down and keep us from reaching higher still. But if we know that learning comes from mistakes (and it does), then we can’t shy away from making mistakes, or we’ll wallow in our ignorance forever.

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Just read this quote by Ken on Bly.com:

Find a starving crowd…find out what they’d like to eat, then feed it to them.
 - Gary Halbert

Somehow, I’ve managed to never hear this quote. But I’ll never forget it now.

It’s simple. It’s profound. It’s true.

Is your crowd starving, or just looking for the next meal? Are they plump and content, is the skin sagging from the bones?

We too often chase a market someone else has already capitalized on. Find the customers who will chase the crumbs all the way to your full entree, not those that expect a five-course meal right off the bat.

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Stop the press: I’ve been quoted.

Here’s a pretty interesting summary of an ITSMA article from this summer where Bob Baginski explains how he deals with the fact that Everyone’s a Marketer. Glad my little rant could help frame the question.

The highlights, in Baginski’s words:

Each time I begin to market a new business or new company, the last thing I want to have happen is that my boss comes in on my first day and sets the marketing agenda.

There are four key areas of the business analysis that I would like to highlight because they are so important: 1) client issues and opportunities, 2)  client anecdotes, 3) competitor innovation and 4) your company’s financials.

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I heard my dear friend Rick Loy state a quote a few nights ago at the Roaring Lambs banquet that is, ironically, quite powerful:

We all know that intention is powerless.

Thankfully, Rick has also written a post on the same topic, so enjoy.

I’m guilty of banking too much on intention. My gut tells me that, if you asked around, the people I work with and interact with would probably tell you I’m a driver, a “get-it-done” guy. But in my heart, I know I rarely complete 25% of what I intend to do, or even what I verbalize I will do (ask my wife). Like Yoda said to Luke, “There is no try. Do, or do not.” Which means I’m still a long way from becoming a Jedi.

Much like a faith without works is dead, so intention without action dies just as easily.

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Excellent quote I found over at the Sayings blog.

Sometimes you just have to take the leap, and build your wings on the way
down.

Kobi Yamada

Apply as needed.

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Steve Jobs of Apple once said this:

It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” (Business Week, May 25, 1998)

Thanks to Harris for passing this one along.

It’s true. Focus groups have their place, but they can never be considered the law. They still only represent a segment, and it’s a segment that is naturally being encouraged to be opinionated. My experience with focus groups has shown that they are best at giving you new ideas, but don’t deny your on convictions over them. Lead the way. Like Apple does.

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Great quote – thanks to Sayings for passing it along. I usually don’t finish this equation:

The best way to escape your problem is to solve it.
- Unknown

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Heard this quote today from Neil Jeffrey at the Men’s Bible Study at Prestonwood:

 ”If you want to take out the sheep, then take out the shepherd.”

 No commentary – just like it.

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Here’s a great verse from 2 Corinthians that spoke to me last night: 2 Corinthians 6:11-13.

The line that hits me the hardest is “Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way.”

That single line has the power to fill you full of hope and make you feel like a waste of potential all at the same time.

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Brian brings it back to the future with this post, The David Ogilvy Playbook for Business Blogging. In a nutshell, as we’re all learning, stop shouting at people to be your customer and start a conversation with them so they want to be your customer.

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