What Works E-Book

Robert Cornish

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 200

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Two weeks into a recession, business partners Robert Cornish and Wil Seabrook started their company with two people, two laptops, a handshake, and an idea. They ignored the conventional wisdom that was burying their industry and forged their own path. Their mantra? "Do What Works." Only three years later, the company, Richter10.2 Media Group, attained million dollar revenues and over 300 percent growth in one year. Today, it is one of the fastest growing small businesses in America with more than fifty employees, and debt-free, having never borrowed a penny. What Works is the blueprint to Richter's success. Now more than ever, the old models of how to start, promote, and run a successful business are no longer viable. What Works delivers real, applicable knowledge that will help you to grow your business and create the outcomes that you're striving for. What Works offers critical advice such as: * Know Your Public: Focus all sales and marketing efforts only on companies and people that fit the audience you defined in the profile, which will dramatically drive growth as you direct your efforts to the people most likely to do business with you * Measure by week and manage by week: Avoid catastrophes that would be hard to correct if you only measure quarterly * Say No and Walk Away: Focus on distilling the deals that don't fully align with your goals, purposes, and policies * And much more! What Works offers the opportunity to learn how a couple of successful entrepreneurs did it themselves. Gain an edge by getting inside information that you can put into action today. No fluff, no filler. Only what works.

Leseprobe

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: On Sales

Care

Pipeline Comes before Sales

Sales, Selling, and Getting Your People to Sell

Saying No and Walking Away

The Art of the Follow-up

The Sales Team’s Role

The Tough Part of Sales

Asking

Long Sales Pitches

If They Were Sold, It Would Be Done

Decide for Them

Hold Your Position

Time to Cut the PR and Hit Them Straight

Taking Money Is Good for Them

It’s Your Consideration or Theirs

Sales Is a Game of Intention

Considerations Bog Sales

Order Taker versus Salesperson

Two Comments on Sales

Additional Sales Tips

How to Fill Your Day

Causative Sales

Chapter 2: On Operations

A Note on IKEA

Fast Decisions Make Time

Excitement Fuels a Company

Can I? Yes. Should I? No.

Time Is Not Your Friend, But Speed Is an Ally

Basic Operating Basis Rules

Getting into Communication

Getting Organized

Introductions

Speed

Client Prediction

Chapter 3: On Focus

Successful Principles

Identifying the Common Denominators

Goal Attainment

Learn to Hate Butterflies

Look

Work Ethic (Hustle)

Do It Now

All Things to All People

What Does It Take?

Be Focused to Drive Statistics

Chapter 4: On Marketing

A Lesson from Red Bull

Proactive versus Reactive

Speaking Human

Communicate to Impinge

Focus on Help

Why Illusions Help Solidify Sales

Chapter 5: On Management

Increasing Production by Defining What to Do

Knowledge and Management

Contraction and Expansion

Order and Expansion

Shed Duties

People

What Makes a Group

Get Rid of Bad Apples

Remove Nonproducers off the Line

True and Accurate Management

Chapter 6: On People

Client Needs, Not Wants

How to Handle Critical Clients

Customers Aren’t Always Right

The Best Time to Fire Them Is Before You Hire Them

Criticism and Considerations

On Being Promoted

Chapter 7: On Viewpoint

Aim Small, Miss Small

Busy or Disorganized

Dreams and Goals

Focus

What You Did Yesterday Doesn’t Matter

Second Wind

Isn’t It a Sport?

Be Honest with Yourself

The Buck Stops with You

Find Inspiration

Staying the Course

Dragging Decisions Is Bad Business

Adding Time

Decision Comes First

Doubt

Spend More Time Planning

Simple Is Smart

Write It Down

You Have to Love Feeling Causative

Pushing Purpose

Making Friends

Title versus Task

Be a Ball Hog

Being a Martinet about Neatness

Manage Objectives Like LEGO Instructions

Why You’re Unique

Don’t Get Too Serious

Genuine Interest and Care

Damn the Torpedoes . . . They’ll Swerve First

Money Motivation and Caring about What You Do with Passion

Know Who You Are

Push Yourself

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Copyright © 2012 by Robert Cornish. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at [phone], outside the United States at [phone] or fax [phone].

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Cornish, Robert.

What works / Robert Cornish and Wil Seabrook.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-118-39169-3 (cloth); ISBN 978-1-118-41201-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-41202-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-49146-1 (ebk)

1. Entrepreneurship. 2. Strategic planning. 3. Industrial management. I. Seabrook, Wil. II. Title.

HB615.C657 2012

658—dc23

2012012431

Preface

With most business books, you open the cover and read the introduction, which says something along these lines: “I wanted to create a book to help others with . . . ” or “I’m writing this book to show people how to . . . ” In my case, I wrote this book because I didn’t want to forget all of the valuable things I have learned through actual experience. While writing down the information I personally have found to be true and useful (and wanted to have written down so that I can manage and run my companies better), I realized that these lessons and information could be converted into a book that I could sell as well. After all, if I find this valuable, most likely others will, too. So there you have it: honesty. Refreshing, isn’t it?

This book is composed of my notes on business—what works. I wrote it down so that I wouldn’t forget and turned it into a book that I could carry with me. You might benefit from doing the same. This is a book about what works in business.

Introduction

Although there are thousands of business books, tips, and articles out there, I think you would agree with me when I say that most of them are fluff—a lot of trendy concepts but very few hard-won ideas, based on actual experience, that have true applicability in the real world. You read business books because you’re looking for answers. I know; I’m the same way. I’ve read hundreds of them—and continue to read them—out of a sheer craving for knowledge and a desire to be better, to fine-tune, and to glean a few great ideas and put them into application. But in all that searching, very few books have offered what I’m looking for.