Are you Creating Buzz in the Clubhouse?

Blogging creates business assets like practice and play create winners!

By Chuck Sink and Dianne Beaton

Call it a feature article, a white paper or a blog post. Maybe your written wisdom is a work of art like a tribute, reflection or poem. Whatever it is, if it’s thoughtful, articulate and valuable to an audience, it’s an asset and should be leveraged as such. Businesses need to create and disseminate information today or they will become obscure and lose relevancy in a crowded marketplace. Like an exceptional round of golf, there’s a story for each hole. Have plenty to talk about at the 19^th and back in the clubhouse.

The good news for all businesses is there are myriad ways to share and disseminate information freely now. There’s a perfect iron or wood for every approach shot. Effectively reaching a target audience of a few thousand used to cost tens of thousands of dollars in the glory days of old media. Today the same distance and accuracy can be achieved at no dollar cost other than spending some of the time you’d be playing an extra nine or watching TV, by building your online networks instead.

Websites are the central communication hubs for businesses today and blogs are where visitors go to find out if the organization has a pulse. Blogs are best leveraged as an integral part of the organization’s website so search engine crawlers can detect the origins of the relevant, fresh, visible content for which they are sniffing. Google looks for dynamic, relevant content that is viewed, shared, back-linked and repeated so it’s best to keep your blog on your website. So if your ball is away, master the next stroke; make sure what you write is relevant to the target and use the right key words.

Setting up 3 or 4 social media accounts and strategically syncing them for blog content sharing can get your message out instantly and to hundreds or thousands of people FREE! When you play a particular course you bring the right set of irons so likewise choose the platforms and tools that are right for your particular audience. Each course has a unique style and contour so you play it differently. Each client has her own individual tastes and preferences so you need to share appropriately on different platforms to reach your various targets.

Then there’s email marketing. Newsletters work when the information is valuable. Every blog post can be a newsletter and vice versa. By the way, don’t make the mistake of only pushing your own promotional messages. Be alert. Pay attention to your network and what other people share. Learn from the pros.

Twitter is a wellspring of fresh valuable ideas and thought leadership. It’s where I often get ideas about which to write articles and blogs. Read people’s tweets and check out their linked content when it catches your eye. Leverage the work of others by sharing it. Engage valuable new business connections, clients and partners by commenting on and sharing their posts. Compliment people when they teach you something new and invite them to comment on your stuff or answer your questions. LinkedIn is exceptionally valuable for this, especially when you participate in Group discussions.

“But I don’t have enough content, I don’t know what to write about and I just don’t have the time with how busy I am…” Every course pro knows a certain game fundamental better than even some of the best tour players. Everyone reading this post is an expert at something, maybe a few things so saying you don’t know what to write about isn’t true. If you think you’re a bad writer, just dump your ideas out on paper and hire a good writer to edit your messages – it’s not expensive if you provide all the facts. Saying you don’t have time to write your blog and mange your social media networks usually doesn’t wash either. Do you have time for your favorite TV shows every weeknight or a few drinks “after work?” Does your alarm clock have an early morning setting? Sometimes it’s best to hit the practice range instead of the course even though playing a round is more fun.

It’s true that some professionals really don’t have the time to devote to content creation and online networking development. An architect’s time is better spent designing buildings; a lawyer’s time is most profitably spent litigating, counseling or defending clients. In some cases it makes sense to hire a professional communicator or agency to keep your blog content dynamic and social media pages updated while you go out and slay dragons or bag trophies… or win tournaments!

So, in blogging it’s your call. Spend the time or spend the money. In some cases it’s ideal to spend both. There is a cost to playing golf and even though social media is “free” to master, that course takes time and time is money. The idea is to increase the value of your business by increasing the quality and quantity of your information assets. Like a bank, you’ll see a nice ROA – return on assets.

By Chuck Sink       Subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter by clicking here

One of my clients (we’ll call her Sarah) is a fine representative of hard work and ambition guided by honesty and enlightened self interest – the desire to do well in business with the noble goal of providing greater service to her family and community. She’s also an example of how good work is still rewarded in a relatively free country like the United States. Greedy, corrupt, money grubbing people need not apply to Sarah’s company, not as employees, suppliers nor even clients.

Sarah shared with me an email from a prospective new client. In her first meeting with them, the discussion rose to ethics and morals in business. The prospective client was extremely impressed with her overriding notion that greed is NOT good! Sorry Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas’ character in the 1987 film Wall Street). The soon-to-be client’s email went on to lament how gains from greed are short lived and that Sarah’s company will prosper and endure with her kind of attitude. It concluded with an invitation to discuss new business.

Sarah and I have begun to really hit it off in our business relationship. We’ve only known each other a short time and yet I felt comfortable revealing more about my life situation than I would tell most other people. I trust her and that trust has paid off in serious discussions about doing significantly more business with her firm. I’m hopeful there are enough of us left in America to regain economic growth but here’s the problem:

Macroeconomics, Cultural Decay and the Leadership Deficit

On a macro level in this country, I believe we’re losing the moral and ethical basis for being a great nation. Our government and institutions, including universities and many large corporations are suffering the death of strong, honest leaders. Shortcuts and favors are granted to companies like General Electric which paid no federal taxes in 2010. The linked story is from ABC News, hardly a conservative blog site!

GE actually shed over 21,000 US jobs in 2009 and 2010 sending them overseas while paying no taxes on over $14 billion in profits! And yet Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of GE, is the point man on President Obama’s so called “Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.” Jobs and competitiveness? Where, China? If the Wall Street protesters are going to scream foul against corrupt chief executives why not start with Mr. Immelt and the president himself?

Political correctness has stifled creativity and hogtied fearful leaders from solving many of our country’s systemic problems. Greed and corruption at the highest levels of government and institutions, excused by a large plurality that has lost its moral compass, are the reasons the country is in a rotten economic and cultural state. Corruption leading to extremely bad policy is on overdrive in the current Administration and most of the Congress. It’s been this way far too long. The American People put them all in power. Our “leaders” are the ugly reflection of ourselves in the mirror.

Washington is where the powerful greedy flock. The boomlet around DC is a house of cards supported by reckless borrowing and massive spending by the Federal Government. It will eventually collapse of its unsupported weight. This will either be very good or very dangerous. I suggest prayers for the country are in order.

Unions, special interests and corporate lobbyists are strong forces constantly tempting the powerful. The dominant political parties are controlled by varying degrees of this nastiness. One party is completely possessed of it and the other is fractured with an elitist faction desperately trying to cling to power. The vacuous “hope and change” message people fell for in 2008 was nothing but a fatuous distraction to continue business as usual and much worse, in my opinion. I’m actually holding back here which I suppose is the prudent thing to do. I trust by now the reader knows where I stand.

Real prosperity can only be created and sustained by providing real value; fulfilling the desires and needs of a willing marketplace. Every transaction, every deal must be win-win and everyone must understand there’s no free lunch. Certainly those who are physically and mentally unable to provide for themselves through no fault of their own need our help. Personally I provide assistance locally and know some amazing heroes doing wonderful, selfless work.

Unfortunately, too many people today think they’re owed a good living by virtue of birth and nothing else. They are a huge drag. These people actually include certain lawyers and business executives who are out for the quick fixes and fast money without working too hard. They go for cronyism, frivolous law suits and corrupt deals instead of real enterprise.

On the contrary, thank you Steve!

Steve Jobs was an example of real American greatness. His fortune came only as the result of clear vision, intense hard work and commitment to making products people love; products that make life better. His ideas and their implementation have thoroughly transformed computing, communications, movie making, the internet, music production and distribution, the arts and more.

Politically, Mr. Jobs was very liberal and supported Democrat candidates for office almost exclusively. He did not, however, expect competitive advantages handed to him in return by way of government largess, policies or special interest loopholes. He didn’t want them because he was driven to create and build superior technologies and wonderful products that people want to buy. Steve Jobs wasn’t motivated by politics and power grabs. His recent death drew showers of accolades from people across every spectrum; people now hungry for the birth and rise of principled, steadfast, honest leaders. Where have they gone? Where will they come from? We need look no further than inside our own hearts.

Ten Step Guide to Personal Brand Success  

The key to professional growth - part 2 

By Chuck Sink   Subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter by clicking here

Are you known for the reasons you want to be known? Do people in your market perceive you and your organization according to your brand strategy? What percentage of your target market know who you are? What percentage have never heard of you?

Consider these questions as rhetorical for now. We don't need precise numbers for this exercise. The objective of this article is to move your name and business awareness from relative obscurity to top-of-mind awareness.

There are two key metrics to branding: awareness and identity. Awareness is about how many people know of you. Identity is about how they perceive you. Both are important. You need the numbers to capture market share. More importantly, you need strategic identity so people know you for the right reasons; that you are the top specialist in... you name it. When they have a need for... your name comes to mind right away. They call you with interest and a budget. 

Here is your promised step-by-step digest of how to increase awareness and build strategic identity in your personal/professional brand. The results are fewer obstacles and lower stress in growing your business.

1. Articulate it clearly. There is tremendous power in word choice. Choose words that paint the picture of successful outcomes from doing business with you. Shelve the mission statement and write a clear positioning statement. What's your brand promise, your elevator pitch? 
2. Choose your networking groups. This is a necessity. Unless you get out in the field and start shaking hands, getting to know key players in the market, you will remain obscure. Join chambers, BNI, free open networking groups (these are on the rise), trade associations, clubs, boards, churches, community centers... the list is long. There is no excuse to be a hermit. Online networking alone probably won't work. There is no substitute for human contact and warm relationships.
3. Invest time on LinkedIn. This is the place where serious businesspeople network online. You need to build your profile to be 100% complete. Then you have to participate in the amazing discussions and content sharing. To save space, here are a couple links to comprehensive LinkedIn articles: Are you LinkedIn to your market?  Online Business Networking. What about social media like Facebook, Twitter, blogs? The short answer is yes, yes, yes. Budget time as best you can. 
4. Deploy email marketing. This doesn't mean e-blasting promotional messages. It means delivering valuable information to your target market. Email newsletters work. The out-of-pocket cost ranges from totally free to upwards of $150/month, sometimes more for large corporate or enterprise-class programs. How's your email database looking these days? Stay tuned for a dedicated article on email marketing.
5. Shut up and listen! Get interested in what other people are saying and forget about your own needs when engaging in networking conversations. Be a connector when you spot a good fit. Bring referrals to other people before asking for them. This is how you become more attractive as a person.
6. Engage in free speech. You're the industry expert! Show 'em what you know! Go out and speak at civic clubs, business events, luncheons, trade shows, conferences - keynotes and breakout sessions; anywhere gatherings of potential clients, vendors and partners take place. Follow up with the connections you make and answer the questions you get.
7. Draft relevant, value based articles. Submit them to business editors in your industry publications online and off. Editors need content. Give it to them! Use a copywriter if you lack good editing skills.
8. Advertise when you can. For some, such as retailers, this is a constant necessity to keep awareness high and perceptions accurate. For others it's a good investment in building awareness and identity for long term growth.
9. Tell your business story. Contrary to some beliefs, clients do want to know the backgrounds and unique experiences of people with whom they do business. It isn't only about nuts & bolts capabilities. Bottom lines are also affected by congruence of fit and strength of relationships.  
10. Expect results in due course. People make the mistake of testing these methods and giving up after they fail to get new business from a short term effort. This isn't about getting, it's about building. Builders attract people (customers) to the edifices they create.

Invest time in the steps above and, as importantly, give these initiatives time to work. Realistically, you should start seeing measurable results after several months to a full year. If you have any specific questions about how to implement these techniques, please feel free to call me.

I wish you the very best in your personal branding endeavors!

I know I'm not alone in this notion. My oldest brother, 20 years my senior, wrote a piece about how he feels inside at age 67. When he's walking down the sidewalk and looking at the cracks, he feels exactly the same as he did at 8 years old.

I've been in business a long time now. I'm raising 4 children and have already put 2 through college. Still, I feel like I'm just starting out. When I consider my prominent business connections, I think: "Wow, I'm starting to arrive. I can actually talk business with these professionals!" It's a sense of being always green, always wet behind the ears. I never feel like a middle aged man, never! I never actually feel like an established homeowner, tax payer, businessman and adult citizen.

There is always a newness to this decades old experience of doing business and interacting with adult leaders in the community. When will I ever grow up?

This has nothing to do with mid-life because I've always felt this way. Maybe that's healthy and to be cherished. Maybe God wants me to feel this way. Maybe life is still dawning and I have a lot more to do!

Interruption or Invitation

The key to professional growth - part one 

By Chuck Sink    Subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter by clicking here

The first 20 years of my career were spent interrupting businesspeople at their doorsteps and through their phone lines. My hope for success depended entirely on my prospects' moods at the time of my calls. Audible sighs and body language often told me these people were straining to be polite and hide their annoyance at my persistent sales calls. But I'm a pretty cheerful guy and was able to establish rapport in enough cases to open relationships and develop some business. It was an uphill battle in almost every situation.

Described above is the classic cold call > follow up > proposal > close model of "business development," the respectable way to say sales. The method worked for a long time. It was common for company lobbies to have streams of salespeople strolling in with no appointment to call on some purchasing agent or executive to sell everything from copiers, computers, printing, office supplies and business services to custom software and industrial raw materials. Before the advance of internet search and e-commerce, companies actually relied on salespeople to bring them the latest industry and product information. In those cases, vendor sales calls were sometimes welcomed. Even so, the salespeople with the best relationships and strongest brands always won the lion's share of business.

Without a strong brand and best-in-class reputation, every company needs to push and push hard to gain new business. That means proactive entrepreneurs or salespeople introducing their wares to unsuspecting and uninterested prospects. It means interrupting people during their busy days, and in their minds, wasting valuable time. Pushing often does just that. It pushes buyers away, especially today when they have all the product information they need at their fingertips. So what are salespeople and entrepreneurs to do now?

Move to the positioning model. Build a brand - a personal brand congruent with your business. Earn a reputation in the marketplace by being a valuable resource. Create a strategic awareness about yourself and your business; be known for the reasons you want to be known.

Now here's the challenge: Give yourself the time and apply the effort needed to achieve enough positive brand awareness that prospect invitations start to replace your sales call interruptions. This doesn't mean eliminating sales calls. What it means is that your targeted, well planned calls will be more welcomed because people have heard of you and are intrigued by your perceived value messages.

What about this positioning? What exactly is it?

Positioning is what you and your business uniquely stand for in a crowded marketplace. It's your distinction from being another commodity. It's what makes you special and unique in the market. You must first believe it's real and then you must clearly articulate its message consistently and frequently - and you must deliver. A few big brand examples are: Volvo = safe cars, IBM = smart business, Google = web search and tools, Southwest Airlines = be treated like a person. There are many smaller local examples: Steve Gamlin of Jigsaw Consulting = motivational firewood, Trudy Sutherland of Clear Channel Communications = loves to help people succeed, Kathy Bacon of Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce = the people connector, Tom Raffio of Northeast Delta Dental = giving back to the community. Deb Titus of Human Capital Solutions = confident engagement and leadership skills.

These people have personal brands that harmonize well with their respective organizations. They are known for a specific reason. They all worked hard to achieve their strategic awareness. These companies and people are all measurably successful as a result of their positioning and consistency of messages. Prospective customers call them, already interested in doing business.

My hope is to be positioned as the go-to wordsmith; to be known for writing the best marketing and public relations messages. I've been at it for a while and now I'm getting inbound calls more frequently than ever. These aren't returned calls; they are inquiries from people I may or may not have met and never called on. At networking events, strangers recognize me and want to introduce themselves. It sure beats elbowing my way into a conversation as I did when starting out.

When this starts making sense the question becomes, "How do I go about positioning my brand and attracting new business, new donors, new investors, or new partners?" Our next article will center on specific strategies and tactics for positioning and building your brand without having an IBM or Google budget. You can do this and I'll tell you how. Stay tuned!

By Chuck Sink

Subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter by clicking here

My recent article about LinkedIn was first published as an email newsletter, then a blog post, a LinkedIn update with synced Tweet and finally a feature column in our statewide business newspaper of record (NHBR). It raised a few eyebrows with the lead sentence: "If you're in business and have decided to forego using LinkedIn, you might want to consider retirement soon."

LinkedIn absolutely rules online business networking and it keeps getting better. The platform has slowly and steadily grown and added rich publishing features, apps, sophisticated organizing tools and lately its own value content. The communities of business-focused user Groups have exploded over the last couple of years. Eclipsing 100 million active users in March of this year, it's no wonder LinkedIn scorched the New York Stock Exchange with its IPO on May 19^th. 

I launched my own business, thanks in part to the confidence gleaned from my LinkedIn network. And, my last job search a couple years ago required no traditional resume. My LinkedIn profile was all the potential employers needed and I'm certain it was a key factor in delivering 3 job offers out of 3 companies considered. Finding a job, connecting with trusted clients, vendors and business partners; these are some of the valuable gifts waiting for you on this colleague-connecting powerhouse.

So let's look at the title-mentioned triple A's of how to network successfully online.

Active

First you must build a full and compelling Profile. This is your live resume not only for potential headhunters or employers who may have your dream job waiting, but also for potential clients and new, rich relationships. LinkedIn will prompt you to complete your profile and you should heed the prompts until you reach "100% completeness." This is your chance to shine so don't squander it!

Next you must work the network. Join Groups you're interested in. Participate in the discussions with valuable ideas and linked content. Make new connections - reach out to people and invite them to connect using a personal note. Keep your profile fresh with regular updates - weekly or even daily. You've got to devote some time, effort and patience here or it won't work for you.

Attractive

My crusade to convince everyone to include a picture on their LinkedIn profile won't cease until we get to 99.9% compliance. Not having a profile picture is like vacating your seat at the conference room table or going to a networking event with a bag over your head. Here's a fact: Behavioral science has proven that the human face is the most arresting image to the human eye. Without a picture, important eyes will scan right past your profile and may not even notice you in group lists. This is not about being a model; it's about showing your face, that's all.

Being attractive on LinkedIn has nothing to do with looks. It's about demonstrating how good you are at what you do and how much useful knowledge you have to offer your connections. Use LinkedIn apps like SlideShare, Box.net or Blog Link to share content-rich links and files including video. Keep that content fresh and dynamic. Stay on your value propositions and quality people will be attracted to doing business with you. Tie the Tweets by LinkedIn app to your account if you're on Twitter and tweet selected LinkedIn updates - there's even a built in URL shortener.

Alert

Here's where you get proactive in studying what's going on in your networking media. Twitter and LinkedIn combined are a treasure trove of news you can use as long as you filter who you follow based on your interests and business category. Pay attention daily to your Twitter feed and LinkedIn updates for what's going on in your business networks. I've gained two clients in the last few weeks on LinkedIn just by paying attention, reaching out and responding in a timely fashion.

I recently followed some bread crumbs to a new client by seeing a competitor's tweet while scanning my Twitter feed. He bragged about his category experience in a public reply (mistake) to a tweeted announcement made by a regional organization. I was able to discern who the social media manager was, called him and he gladly put me in touch with the Marketing Director. My company and I were able to pitch and win some business while my competitor seemingly forgot all about it.

These are just a few examples of how business development is effectively and efficiently achieved using free online social/business networking tools. I hesitate to use the term "social media" to describe LinkedIn because, while there's a social component involved, it isn't about putting up playful posts about your backyard barbeque or afternoon at the ballpark. It's about connecting for business. That said, business is people and finding the way to their hearts and minds is the key to success. An active, attractive and alert approach will help you gain more traction in this powerful communication space.

By Chuck Sink       Subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter by clicking here

This article was originally published by Core Detailing LLC.

Visit www.coredetailing.com

Do you have a sales team or a business development person on your staff? Are you it? What about project managers who can also sell or up-sell? New business is the lifeblood of any going concern.  It should be job number one for the president/CEO of any organization. We're talking about new business from current as well as prospective new customers. The controller or CFO may scoff and think controlling expenses and positive cash flow is the lifeblood of a strong company but without the next lucrative sale, even his job could be on the chopping block.

The next project in the shop can mean the difference between keeping good jobs alive and laying good people off. Such uncertain economic times as these demand a continuous and multi-pronged effort in developing new business. The effort comes in many different shapes and sizes. It shouldn't always be the salesperson's sole responsibility to identify business opportunities and make sales. The fact is relationships rule in business development. Any company with a team of salespeople knows this well.

There is always an elite minority that makes the majority of sales in any company. To the struggling or mediocre sales reps, these individuals seemed charmed. Sometimes, it's a person completely outside the direct sales role who delivers the most new business in a walk. He might be the Operations Manager or the CEO. Perhaps it's the senior Project Manager who effectively deals with clients on the job and connects well with vendors who then give him leads.

The point is this. Almost everyone in the organization can contribute to winning new business. And whoever does should be duly rewarded. A culture of amazing service, friendliness and great salesmanship is what separates top performing companies from their competitors. Have you noticed this? Think about when you've left a meeting or a store having purchased more than you intended. It was probably because the salesperson or manager was a real pro.

The author was recently considering leaving his cell phone provider of many years to go with one of several recommended competitors and upgrade to a digital plan. iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices were all being considered. I walked in to my usual cell phone store out of curiosity but my plan was to shop 2 other options and make a decision. Well guess what, this company showed how much they valued my business and made me a fantastic deal. The woman I dealt with demonstrated so much product knowledge including that of the competition (without criticizing them) that she put me at ease. She convinced the area manager to knock a big chunk off my next bill and the phone was even free. I walked out with a new smart phone, a significant monthly service increase and a smiling face (I went with Android by the way). I was saved the hassle of more shopping to boot!

In the world of general and trades contracting, the executives, managers and salespeople with the best relationships and most developed networks are the rainmaking heroes. How you treat your current customers determines how much business they'll give and refer to you.  Putting yourself and your people out there with an attitude of genuine friendliness and a desire to help people is what the sales game is really all about. The surprising news to some is that it doesn't take a flashy personality or the power of persuasion to be good at selling. You can attract business by the value you demonstrate in the marketplace. So if you're good at what you do, don't be a stranger!

By Chuck Sink                  Subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter by clicking here

The need for conventional catalogs, brochures and product literature is dramatically less today than it was 5 or 10 years ago. So, is printing dead? Hardly! Has its marketing function changed? Absolutely!

Think of printing today as environmental, not in the sense of a green planet (although today's printing is more eco-friendly), but in the sense of the physical world which we cannot escape. Environmental branding involves creating the spaces and especially the graphic images that we see and experience when interacting with a business or product in the real world. Experiential marketing always involves printing and graphics to provide the branded experience on the street, in the mall, at the festival, the sporting event, trade show; wherever consumers congregate as a potential audience for your message.

Signs, posters, wallpaper, vehicle wraps, banners, displays, coupons, booklets, point-of-sale materials, handouts and of course, packaging are all printed materials that are as important today as they have ever been. What you print and how you print will help determine how successful your overall marketing strategy will be, not only in the field but in the digital world as well. Today, mobile devices like iPhones, Androids and Blackberrys make it possible to interact with print and experience the digital world immediately.

Let's look at just a few of the ways that today's printng technology helps you extend your marketing reach while driving more traffic to your online assets such as websites and social media pages.

1. QR Codes such as pictured above can take any smart phone user with a mobile app right to a website or landing page just by scanning or taking a picture of the 2D image. They can be printed virtually anywhere!
2. Variable Data Printing utilizing Personalized URL's (PURLs) give direct mail recipients a personalized message as well as a customized personal web page to visit.
3. RFID Printing/Encoding - labels or tags can be imprinted and embedded onto packaging, tickets or many other kinds of materials tracking and recording movement and other data for digital messaging to individual consumers.
4. Social Media Ties - displaying social media affiliations and addresses or "handles" on packaging, marketing materials and signage, etc.
5. Use your imagination - What about guerrilla marketing tactics? 

The world of printing today offers marketers some pretty stunning ways to get consumers' attention. The offset press is no longer the graphic artist's exclusive prideful realm. Digital and wide format printing is becoming the experiential and environmental branding vehicle of choice for the creative marketing director.

Contact Chuck Sink: chuck.sink@comcast.net  (603) 345-7223

This article was originally published by Eprint, Inc. of Hudson, NH. For more information visit www.eprintinc.com email: eprintinc@aol.com. (603) 594-0009

Everything Starts with Belief

By Chuck Sink                    Subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter by clicking here

Attitude may be the fulcrum point of willingness but faith is the purveyor of a good attitude and the neutralizer of fear. Simply stated, unless you believe that a goal or idea is real, you'll hardly lift a finger to make it happen. Fear of failure or unbelief will destroy human motive power to succeed.

My best professional accomplishments occurred when the odds were stacked most against my favor. Objective outsiders would question why I was doing what I was doing, going against the conventional grain. In one case it was selling high-end printing services manufactured a great distance away to a market where local printers had a huge advantage in shipping costs, turnaround time and equal or better quality. In another it was jumping into high pressure national sales within a service industry I had scarcely any experience and no business contacts. I only succeeded because I believed I could and I plowed through fear and naysayers knowing success was around the bend if I would only persist.

Henry Ford was a master of simple language. He had little formal education and no college degrees. What he had was common sense and a belief system that made him and his objectives unstoppable. Perhaps his most repeated quote is this: "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right."

When you believe in an idea, a business, a profession or a cause so strongly that you're days are filled with dissatisfaction and anguish over not working productively at it, that's probably a time for you to leap. If you work at a job because it pays the bills but your best skills and talents aren't being used, get proactive - very proactive in pursuing work for which you'll deliver the most value to customers, an employer or organization.

Human creativity and work talent, wasted, are tragedies if unused. It may take a decade or more to actually discover your greatest talent but when you do, your belief in it will be your ticket to great contributions and a more successful career. Most importantly, you'll better fulfill God's purpose in creating you.