November 2013

Episode 195 – The Gunfighter’s Mentality: How Speed And Hitting Your Target Can Kill The Competition

Have_Gun–Will_Travel
From 1957 to 1963

Professional Gunfighters Shoot From The Hip (But Only After Lots Of Preparation & Practice)

Have Gun – Will Travel was more than a TV show. It was a perfect marketing message. It told you everything you needed to know about the man’s business. His name was Paladin. He was a gunfighter, but he was a gentleman who would try to resolve conflicts without a gun.

My dad, who turned 90 back in September, loved Paladin. He still does. What’s not to love?

He wore black. He was cool. And intimidating. A black knight of the old west. He was simple, direct and skilled. No wonder he had a thriving business.

In 2002, while leading a Dallas-based retailing company, I crafted a presentation for my staff. It was a small inner circle of people I relied on to operate a multi-million dollar enterprise. Each person led their own part of the operation. It was the beginning of a new year and my speed freakiness was kicking in as usual. That was often the case during Q1. I hated slow starts. Still do.

The Gunfighter’s Mentality

It was a Keynote (Powerpoint for you Windows folks) presentation, but I printed out the slides. My meetings were informal and intimate. A slide show didn’t fit my style at the time. The title was, “The Gunfighter’s Mentality: How Speed And Hitting Your Target Can Kill The Competition.”

This week I thought about that presentation as I was working to help some people attack some roadblocks in their business. I dug it out of my files and started to review it and figured it might be helpful for you in building your business.

First, let me give you the backstory of recent observations that compelled me to remember this presentation.

• It’s easy for some people to confuse motion with action.

• If you’re too busy to plan your actions, then you’re too busy to succeed.

• Ready, fire, aim only works if you’ve skillfully practiced the move.

• It’s unprofessional and impolite to impose on others at the drop of a hat simply because you didn’t prepare or plan.

• My grandmother had a sign in her kitchen that said something like…

The more hurried I am the more behind I get.”

Paladin wasn’t a frenetic character. He moved rather slowly, but deliberately. He was the epitome of purposeful action.

PaladinCard
Simple. Direct. One call to action.

He also had a killer business card (pun intended).

The message was clear and to the point. Have Gun, Will Travel.

The location was simply, “San Francisco” which is likely all you needed in the old west. After all, if you lived on the east coast Paladin wasn’t likely your man.

The call to action was simply two words, “Wire Paladin.” No, Wire isn’t a proper first name. It’s a verb that had meaning in the pioneer west. Telegraphs were wires strung all over the country. People would send and receive “wires.”

Gunfighters can teach us how to build better businesses, more efficient practices and become more profitable.

You can download the 21 page PDF of my original 2002 staff presentation here. No opt-in or anything required.

Some of the key points of this presentation speak directly to the problems facing many business owners, especially professional services entrepreneurs:

1. There is competition. Don’t underestimate them.
2. Paying attention is an often under-valued skill.
3. You may not have to be first, but you must aim to be the best.
4. Preparation and practice solve tentativeness.
5. Focus on what matters most.
6. If everything is important, then nothing is important.
7. Focus only what is critical to the fight.
8. Prepare in advance.
9. Ask quality questions.
10. Craft quality answers.
11. It takes more time to prepare to move faster.
12. Show me the results.

Randy

 

Episode 195 – The Gunfighter’s Mentality: How Speed And Hitting Your Target Can Kill The Competition Read More »

Special Episode – 3 Women Who Prove That You May Not Always Know Why People Are Driven To Achieve Success

SugarraeRae Hoffman is Sugarrae

It was about 8 to 10 years ago when I first encountered her online. I didn’t know her. Still don’t. But I found out she was brassy and candid with her opinions. I liked that.

She was and still is in the affiliate marketing space. I wasn’t terribly interested in operating in that space so I didn’t dive too deeply into her past or present. Like all of us, I just looked at what she was doing, tried to see what I might learn from her and kept glancing casually at her content. No, I wasn’t a devoted follower so I didn’t intently look for any back story.

When Rae moved to Texas a few years ago, I did perk up my interest. I was curious what may have brought her to Texas. Leaving the humidity of Florida could be understandable, except going to Houston is like jumping out of the frying pan into the fryer when it comes to humidity. It wasn’t until late last year that I stumbled onto the real story. Or as Paul Harvey would say, “The rest of the story.”

Just today, Jonathan Fields released part 1 of an interview he did with Rae where she talks about “the rest of the story.”


Carrie_Wilkerson-300x254Carrie Wilkerson is The Barefoot Executive.

Some weeks ago Carrie and I recorded a conversation that I hope to release as part of my ChasingDFWCool.com project.

I likely stumbled onto Carrie about the same time I found Rae, but I can’t be sure. She seemed perky. In fact, maybe a bit too perky for a guy like me. 😉

I was running a multi-million dollar company so I wasn’t really in her target market. I wasn’t working from home. I sure wasn’t barefooted.

I knew Carrie’s story a bit better than Rae’s, but that was only because Carrie talked about it more than Rae. And I don’t profess to have known the details because once again…I didn’t pay close enough attention.

Like you, I was in and out with my attention span. I was looking only at what I could learn from what these two ladies did. Being an affiliate marketer or working from home didn’t resonate with me so I wasn’t as observant as I should have been.

Lynn Terry

Lynn Terry operates ClickNewz.com.

I think I ran across Lynn before Rae or Carrie. She occupied the same space as Rae – affiliate marketing. Her story was one I knew from the get go. I think it’s because she was candid about it. Understandably, private things are easier for some to share. Harder for others. Or maybe not. I can’t judge why I personally knew Lynn’s story – or felt I did – better than Carrie’s or Rae’s.

I do know that I paid attention to Lynn longer when I stumbled onto her. She was involved in “internet marketing” but seemed to be very different from the others I encountered in that space. I’m going back a decade ago. It wasn’t affiliate marketing, but it was her dedication to her customers (her audience) that resonated most with me. I was fanatical about customer service and she seemed to share that. So I hung around and got to know her online presence a bit more than Rae or Carrie.

I respect all three of these women and I only use them in today’s episode because for a few weeks now I’ve observed privately and in some personal conversations how, “Things aren’t always as they seem.”

The fact is, we don’t always have it right. Quite often, we’re wrong.

We judge a book by the cover. I’m not blaming us. We all do it. In fact, we have to.

It’s just that sometimes, we judge incorrectly.

Simon Sinek is the modern godfather of “why.” I love his work. I’m a big fan.

Peter Drucker and W. Edwards Deming talked of it. And Tom Peters. Countless others.

Why has always been an important, if not urgent question for me. Yet, I have failed to ask it as often as I should.

When looking at these ladies, and many others like them, I’ve not asked. Or dwelt on it much.

When looking at my own inspirations and motivations, I’ve not asked. Or examined it much.

Or even allowed the “why” to really bubble to the surface.

Maybe that’s a guy thing. Maybe there’s a reason why 3 successful stories of today’s show are all women. Very driven, determined women. Women on a mission.

But in the end, it’s really not “Why?” that’s important. It’s “Who?”

Randy

P.S. Sam Hurd is the professional football player I referred to in the show. Late today, he was sentenced to 15 years for drug trafficking.

Special Episode – 3 Women Who Prove That You May Not Always Know Why People Are Driven To Achieve Success Read More »

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