78 1 Percent Improvements to Grow Your Business Exponentially

In a previous post I asked people to send me their 1 percent improvements as they took what I call their Next Best Steps after the Exponential Internet & Business Building Bootcamp.

These are the responses I received… I was going to share them only with the participants, but as you can see we fell short of the 101 that I was hoping for.

That tells you a lot doesn’t it?

MOST PEOPLE CAN’T MANAGE even a 1% improvement per day…

You know what that means… When YOU improve 1% per day, you’re in fact improving 2% per day BECAUSE your competitors aren’t improving 1% per day!

Check out these submissions – I forgot to ask for peoples’ names so the submissions are anonymous, but PRICELESS.

78 1 Percent improvements to Grow your Business Exponentially

1. I called GTAX and spoke to Gary Tuminello about tax options for Platinum Program and discovered that he used to manufacture lingerie.
2. “I know you don’t know, but if you DID know, what would the answer be?”
3. Added my USP to the first page of my website
4. After watching a few Tony Robbins YouTube videos, I’ve started asking myself “why?” I have chosen to do something. Why? So I have a clear outcome to expect rather than “It seems like a good idea”.
5. Changed my voicemail message to Marc’s exponential version
6. Choose what you want to be the best at
7. Contacted various people i met at the bootcamp ragarding conversations we had
8. Create something that is bigger than your business… such as an industry association or club.
9. Create, upload, and embed onto your homepage a YouTube video of yourself delivering the long version of your USP.
10. Decided to join the Business Mastery Platinum Program
11. Developed new pricing structure to be communicated this week
12. Diarise your expended time. When you start listing it… even for 3 days….you seriously start to question what you are doing. It becomes apparent what is and what isn’t your highest and best use of your time.
13. Don’t use any “institutional” advertising. Make all marketing direct response marketing – this makes it measurable, and almost always gives a better response.
14. Don’t aim for perfection. It is too hard and our built in ‘fear of failure” mechanisms mean we won’t start. Do SOMETHING…then improve it.
15. Don’t be satisfied with a good outcome. Look at what caused that outcome, and ask yourself how you can duplicate it and leverage it.
16. Don’t try and change people. If they are lazy, work out how that laziness can help you. If they are greedy, work out how that greed can help you. If they are busy, work out how their business can help you.
17. Every day when you wake up write down the three things you want to achieve.
18. Find a virtual assistant who can look after any job that you do on a regular basis that takes you more than about 25 minutes. You’ll pay between $8-15 an hour, and free yourself up for your work which should be worth more than that (otherwise, get a job as someone’s virtual assistant ! )
19. Find your own voice in your writing. Ditch corporate speak. If you can’t read it out and sound natural, it’s not ‘you’.
20. Get a 3rd party to call prospects and clients and ask them what they think about you. Do this in an anonymous manner with all results being aggregated…so no comments are directly attributable. This is the format which will get the most blunt comments. The feedback might well sting but will be extremely useful.
21. Have a workshop with your staff and list the 11 most common things that people call into your business for. Devote 3 minutes to each to come up with the optimal answer for each scenario. No more “making it up on the spot”. You don’t have to be scripted, but you will have the essence of the answers.

22. Have started going through my notes from the bootcamp and am adding best idea, second idea and also expanding on a few as well
23. I added an outside the box, unique, creative game to the beginning of my next group coaching session.
24. I changed my voice mail and from it have had great results
25. I connected to Marc Dussault on LinkedIn.com
26. I contacted a guy that I never got around to going out on a date with months ago…have lined up to see him this week !
27. I contacted Empowernet as I did not receive the first two emails sent.
28. I contacted Louis Vuitton in UK to start the recruitment process again.
29. I contacted Salesforce.com, attended a webinar and found out more about what they do and had a client manager allocated to me
30. I copy the first cheque received from a new customer and file it. Why? It gives me information that I can use to followup on if the cheque bounces.
31. I created a personal USP (short and long)
32. I filed my tax return with GTAX
33. I followed up with key contacts made at Bootcamp within 48 hours
34. I found a new unit to move into by myself.
35. I gave the gift of setting up internet networking to another
36. I got out my Tony Robbins ” Get the Edge” CD’s and listened to them and did the Pain vs Pleasure activity assocaiting lots of pain if I DON’T have an exponential mindset !
37. I honed and re-honed by USP for my new business venture launching in September
38. I learn how to increase my productivity by using an Apple Macbook Air. It is brilliant!
39. I now let a majority of phone calls go to the message bank. Why? To encourage people to “self-select” into my sales funnel and allow the “tire kickers” to go to the competition.
40. I only exchanged business cards with those who I felt presented opportunities for mutually beneficial exchanges
41. I re-wrote my USP AND did Pathways to Profit creating a website overview for my graphic designer
42. I registered and contributed to a forum to keep in contact with exponential mindset bootcamp participants and share exponential ideas
43. I researched the lingerie departments of David Jones to prepare to write an article on improvements that could be made to increase their sales and efficiency.
44. I review and ponder a couple of pages from my bootcamp journal notes every morning and jot down my ideas to take action on
45. I reviewed my entire Bootcamp Journal and used highlighters to identify every distinction I can act on NOW and over next 12 months.
46. I secured 12 new URLs and linked them back to our business website. Why? To differentiate our product offerings from the competition.
47. I sent a survey to all my current clients asking them about where they like to shop,surf the internet etc as well as key words they associate with life coaching so I can get REALLY clear about them and the conversations I’d like to have with them to add value
48. I use Nova Mind Maps now in multiple ways in both business and to help me better organize my time and be more efficient
49. I used Guru.com to out source what others can do as well as me
50. If I have a customer in the shop and the phone rings, I don’t answer the phone even though they say they can wait. Why? To show I am listening to what they are saying and they are the most important person to me at that time. Would you ask your immediate customer to wait while you started serving another customer that just walked in?
51. If you are at 100% capacity, you are not charging enough. Your prices should be high enough that at least a proportion of your prospects think you are way too expensive.
52. If you often quote people for your product or service (as I do) ask them what their most important criteria are (you should be having this conversation anyway…) and when you quote put that in the quote to them ie if it was based on timing… “I have chosen the best option which will will make sure we deliver this project by 25th September, guaranteed”. This reminds them that you understood, and it they are evaluating multiple proposals yours will stand out.
53. If your product or service is unique (and it should be) make sure your marketing communication tells a story so that people know what to expect by the time you have a conversation with them – you then maximize the value of the conversation talking about new stuff rather than covering the basics
54. In every situation where you make a mistake or lose money STOP and ask yourself… ‘What is the lesson in this’. How can I use it to my advantage. How can I change what I do so this is the last time it happens.
55. Invite all your clients and contacts onto LinkedIn. Adds credibility to you. As people change jobs it means you can stay in touch.
56. Make your best point first. People are too busy to decipher a long and cryptic message. If they keep reading make your next best point.
57. Market towards those that might not be ready to buy right now…. in any given market of qualified prospects only 7% are buying right now. At least another 37% are interested but have not decided on a supplier. Another 40% don’t know they have a problem. The rest are loyal to who they have. Make sure your marketing aggravates those that don’t know they have a problem, and lead them to you as a solution. Swing the undecides to you in a risk free way… then they at least enter your sales funnel.
58. Purchased related URLs about my business
59. Put customer testimonials inside your quote/proposal. They are not just for ‘marketing materials’. Acknowledge that your quote or proposal with the $ on it is also part of your marketing.
60. Re-designed my business card to include my USP
61. Re-worded email signature to request referrals
62. Replied to Marc about the newsagent clip
63. Run spell checker on all my emails and request a reply receipt. Why? To improve my email professionalism and to show I care whether they have received my email.
64. Sorted out a few problems with a significant person in my life.
65. Spend your time on what you and only you can do. Anything that is left, that costs less than your target income, get someone else to do the rest. If you get someone to do it for free, make sure there is something in it for them.
66. Started reading ‘Secrets of Marketing Experts Exposed‘
67. Started the development of a marketing plan for the business, revolving around exponential thinking and ideas
68. “Stop trying to sell who have not self selected somehow. Once they have raised their hand and entered your sales funnel THEN devote energy to them.”
69. Submitted a project on Guru.com for the body copy of my website to be re-written by a pro
70. Taking a few days off to recouperate and absorb the bootcamp
71. Tell people how you are unique. Don’t hide it!
72. “The more you niche, the more you are attractive to those in that niche. By being a generalist you cast a a wider net, but not very deep. Your clarity about your niche is the brightness of the spotlight that makes the fish jump in your boat.
73. “There is so much happening that you cannot stay the same. To stay the same is to go backwards. (if you are wondering about how much is changing, what ShiftHappens again!)
74. Took professional photos of staff to use on promotional material
75. Understand and use permission marketing.
76. When you work, work 100%. When you play 100%. Most people spend their work hours dreaming about when they are not working, and their non-work hours worrying about work.
77. Work like you are going on holiday tomorrow. Work fast. Don’t accept interruptions. When you give someone instructions anticipate areas they might not understand and clarify in advance.
78. Yes, I’ve changed my voicemail message to Marc’s Exponential Voicemail message.

Onward and upward!
Dr Marc Dussault

P.S.
If you have additional 1 percent improvements you’d like to share, please add them as comments to this post. I’d love to share them with THOUSANDS of our readers!