PART 1
April 13, 2011 – Marketers and sales trainers often rely on the metaphor of the funnel as a visualization of the business growth process. We create a funnel with a wide opening on one side to pour in all our referrals and leads. The wider the funnel with the more leads we put it, the greater the chances that some real prospects leading to real business will come out the narrow end of the funnel.
A few weeks ago, I challenged a good friend of mine who is a proponent of the funnel metaphor to reconsider the proper positioning of the funnel. While discussing how to increase sales and income, he sounded perplexed by the recent downturn in his business. He said he filled his funnel religiously, yet found little in the way of tangible results, i.e., new business.
That’s when I challenged him and asked how it would look if he reversed the position of the funnel. Through our conversation he came to realize that perhaps his focus was too narrow due to seeking his results in the narrow end of the funnel. Perhaps if he poured all his experience and skill set into the narrow end of the funnel and considered the wide swath of avenues to pursue coming out of the wide end of the funnel he would discover previously unthought of possibilities for business.
That shift in thinking gave my friend a more positive approach to building his business.
Consider which positioning of the funnel works best for you in your current situation.
For more on this topic, read Part 2 of “The Funnel” below.
Consider the possibilities.
Adam J. Krim www.driveconsulting.net
PART 2
April 27, 2011 – Consider: What is the secret of success? Trick question in a way. The only way to truly answer that question is to put it into a context. Let’s dream big, set the bar high, and define success as mastery of our lives. Broad context to be sure. I leave it to you to decide whether to apply the personal life or professional life context: You can consider ways to master your professional life; You can consider ways to master your personal life, i.e., your relationships whether ongoing or those which are ending.
So, what are the elements of Mastery?
Well, the primary element is simply the mindset that mastery and success are attainable. As in The Little Engine that Could, first think that you can do it, then go out and do it (I think I can, I think I can. I knew I could, I knew I could).
Let’s delve more deeply into this mindset. We’ve talked elsewhere about shifting perspectives to allow for achieving the goal. What techniques can we utilize in realizing this shift in perspective?
Marketers and sales trainers often rely on the metaphor of the funnel. We create a funnel with a wide opening on one side to pour in all our referrals and leads. The wider the funnel, the more leads we put it, the greater the chances that some real prospects leading to real business will come out the narrow end of the funnel.
Great theory with practical applications. The real trick, though, to making the theory workable is knowing which end of the funnel to hold up in any given situation.
For our broad context – mastery of our lives – it might be argued that, when considering what mindset best helps us achieve mastery and success in our lives, the proper positioning of the funnel is wide end facing inwards. We pour ourselves, our skills and strengths, into the wide end of the funnel. And success and mastery come out the narrow end, narrowly focused on our chosen direction. Such positioning of the funnel is what we all do intuitively when we evaluate the choices we’ve made in our lives. We rationalize. We create the story – the legend – of our lives and our successes.
But how do we recognize what direction to choose? In what avenues can our skills and strengths be put to the best use? For this exercise, we simply reverse the position of the funnel. That is, we pour ourselves, our skills and strengths and our experience into the narrow end of the funnel. We then allow that admixture to shine over a broad spectrum of directions in which the sum of who and what we are can be utilized. Broadening our perspectives in this manner allows us to see our full range of choices. From among those directions we now can choose the path we find most appealing and most promising.
Whether we are contemplating advancing in our careers, or the terms on which we seek to end a primary relationship, the more options we perceive the greater our chances of achieving a successful conclusion. Contemplating a broader range of options helps move us away from getting stuck in positional thinking; i.e., posturing. In short, flexibility of thought is the key.
Placing the narrow end of the funnel inwards and looking through the funnel, we broaden our field of vision – our perspective. Broadening perspectives allows for recognizing more options to choose from. Greater choices yield greater results. Simple formula. Implementing it takes more effort. Yes, it is easier said than done. And the rewards make the effort worthwhile. So spare no effort in challenging yourselves every day. Challenge your daily assumptions. Ask yourselves why this way and not that way. Don’t get caught in the trap of narrow perspective-ness.
Consider the possibilities.
Adam J. Krim www.driveconsulting.net
