The Most Powerful Marketing Tool You’ll Ever Need!

Adriene Mishler is the producer and host of Yoga with Adriene. She dominates the online yoga space with over 8.53 million YouTube subscribers.

She is called the ‘People’s Yogi’.

But,

It wasn’t always like this.

Back in 2012 when Adriene got introduced to the online space and started uploading weekly yoga video content to her YouTube channel, little did she know that by 2020 she would have built a very successful business and an online global community of over 8 million people.

What was her secret?

The MOST powerful tool you can have in your marketing toolbox.

Consistency.

By sharing free high-quality yoga content on her channel every single week for over eight years she eventually became the online Go-To yoga instructor she is today.

Adriene is quick to point out that she was NOT an instant sensation.

For three solid years, she consistently uploaded weekly yoga videos – that’s 156 videos- with no love in return.

What she got instead were crickets.

Silence.

No subscribers.

Zero engagement.

When she eventually reached 100 subscribers, it was a moment of great jubilation.

Undaunted, Adriene stayed committed and consistently upload high-quality yoga videos every single week without missing a beat until she got to the tipping point, three years later.

That’s well over 600 videos in eight (8) years. Impressive!

Seth Godin Too

This level of discipline and consistency also reminds me of my personal marketing hero – Seth Godin, one of the world’s leading marketers, and Mr. Purple Cow himself.

If you subscribe to Seth’s newsletter, you’ll get an email EVERY SINGLE DAY, bar none. I mean 365 days of the year.

I guess that’s why he is worth millions.

So, it bears repeating.

CONSISTENCY is the MOST powerful marketing tool you’ll ever possess.

And, it’s FREE.

By harnessing the power of consistency, you outcompete, outsmart and outsell your competitors even if they are more talented and have more resources.

Consistency doesn’t mean you are always winning; what it means is that you are always taking action and moving one step closer to your goals.

Here is the flip side, inconsistency makes you stale, out of touch, and out of mind.

Just imagine if Adriene had thrown up her hands in despair during those three barren years when nothing seemed to have been happening.

What if she got frustrated and exited YouTube altogether? She would have missed the huge wins she now enjoys.

How about Joe Girard?

Considered a marketing genius and title holder of the World’s Greatest Salesman (conferred by the prestigious Guinness Book of World Records), Joe Girard sold a whopping 13,001 vehicles over the span of 15 years,

Joe was a car salesman at a Chevrolet dealership in the United States between 1963 and 1978.

In 1973 alone he sold 1,425 vehicles; an average of 127 per month or 32 per week.

In his best month, he sold 174 vehicles, and on his best day 18.

Let those numbers sink in for a bit.

Did Joe sell to the rich and famous?

Nope.

Did he sell wholesale or in bulk?

Nope.

He sold the old-fashioned way. One vehicle at a time.

Amazing! Right?

Are you wondering how could ordinary Joe accomplish such an extraordinary feat?

The secret to his mega-success?

Maybe he had a large team.

Maybe he had a HUGE network.

Maybe he wooed prospects with expensive gifts.

None of that was true.

For sure, he worked hard and was likable – so were his peers.

But what did he do that was so superior that propelled him to a league of his own?

He harnessed his marketing superpower. The power of consistency.

For 10 years, month after month.

Year after year.

Joe stayed top of mind without missing a beat.

Joe’s extraordinary system

Here is what Joe did extraordinarily well:

Every month he would send a personalized greeting card to his entire customer list
At the beginning of the new year (in January) he would send a card saying: “I like you”
Every February for Valentine’s Day he would send a card saying: “I like you.

Just imagine the time and labour it took to send out 13,000 cards to his customers each month.

Eventually, Joe had to hire an assistant.

Every card was handwritten, addressed, and sent through the postal system.

Joe was so successful that eventually, customers had to book an appointment in advance to see him.

His sales pipeline overflowed while other sales associates paced back and forth, praying and hoping for foot traffic.

What if:

Adriene had given up in frustration after three barren years when nothing was happening?

What if she had exited YouTube altogether?

She would have missed the huge wins she now experiences.

Would Seth have become a multi-millionaire and be recognized as one of the world’s top marketing influencers?

Would Joe have been awarded the prestigious title of World’s Greatest Salesman if they decided to throw in the towel when the going got rough and tough?

What if this group of standouts got up one day and ‘didn’t’ feel like it’ or got so ‘busy’ they slacked off or caved to someone who ticked them off?

You see, this is what truly separates the mediocre from the extraordinary.

Staying focused and remaining consistent with your marketing.

How about you? Share your thoughts.

Submitted By:

_{Dorothy Vernon-Brown helps business owners and entrepreneurs grab attention, convert leads faster and scale more quickly by using a proven end-to-end digital automation solution. She is the owner of AKB² Small Business Marketing}

December 16, 2020April 8, 2022

Dimensions of Modern Accounting

pensive female worker choosing folder with documents in modern office

Accounting as a discipline has evolved over a period of centuries. In the initial phase, it was thought to be restricted to mere bookkeeping or record-keeping of business transactions. However, gradually the importance of numbers contained in the accounting records of businesses became prominent and experts started generating a variety of reports to assist businesses to make informed decisions. In modern times accounting has thoroughly integrated with information technology to transform itself into a real-time information-based system that serves the needs of a variety of stakeholder groups interested in making an objective assessment of the financial health of a business. However, it is pathetic to know that majority of small businesses still regard accounting as mere bookkeeping and thus they remain oblivion to many of the benefits that modern accounting can render to enable them to make informed decisions.

Since the owner is the primary beneficiary of a business, therefore, it is imperative that he or she must take accounting as an essential support system to monitor the performance of the business from a variety of perspectives. Some of the key dimensions of modern accounting that are ironically ignored by owners of small businesses include the following.

Price setting of your products and services

The majority of small businesses set the prices of their products and services by following a rule of thumb approach or based on gut feeling. However, this is a naïve approach to price setting. Unless a business knows about its costs and their classification into fixed or variable components, a sustainable pricing policy cannot be adopted. Since price is a critical factor in generating sales, therefore, it must be viewed from a strategic or long-term perspective, which is not possible without analyzing the business’s cost structure. A variety of accounting methodologies, such as activity-based costing, marginal costing, absorption costing, and breakeven analysis may be used to determine a realistic pricing policy that ensures long-term growth in sales and profitability.

Proper understanding of profitability and liquidity of a business

For the majority of small businesses, profitability is the key determinant of the success of their business. However, it must be understood that profitability alone is not a guarantee that a business may survive in the long term unless its liquidity or solvency position remains intact. Profitability is the outcome of matching business expenses and receipts, while liquidity focuses on cash generation and the spending capacity of a business. Since cash is the king, therefore, a business with a strong liquidity base is more likely to survive in the long term than a business that merely generates more profits by relying on overtrading.

Knowing about Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of a business

For many small businesses, the only KPI is the overall profitability of a business. However, if a business is asked how that profitability has arrived, they remain clueless about the factors that are responsible for the profitability or losses of a business. These factors may include classifying business expenses as avoidable and unavoidable, fixed and variable, marginal and incremental; and classifying sales of products and services as profitable and loss-making, stagnant and exponential, retrograde and progressive, etc. By developing and monitoring KPIs that focus on critical factors impacting a business, a successful business strategy may be developed that ensures long-term profitability and growth in the net worth of a business.

Tax impact of capital and revenue expenses:

A proper understating of the tax impact of capital and revenue expenses is vital to arrive at an accurate profitability figure. Many small businesses wrongly classify certain capital expenses as revenue expenses and vice versa. Consequently, the profitability figure may show erratic patterns and the tax liability of a business may be miscalculated.

Real time accounting systems:

Many small businesses keep their record in a conventional manner. However, nowadays many bookkeeping software are available in the market that may be used to develop a real-time-based accounting system that can be connected with spreadsheets for financial analysis.

Submitted by:

Baqar Bhatti LLB, CPA, CMA, CGMA | CEO & Owner of Panacea at Zenith | 289-952-3494 | accountants@pazca.com | www.pazca.com

April 30, 2020August 7, 2024

A Leader’s Journey

What does management actually mean? Does it automatically make you a good leader? I mean just because you are gifted at what you do, doesn’t mean you will be able to step into your boss’s shoes, does it?

“Congratulations, you are hired!” …words we all long to hear when we take a chance and apply for a job, that we are confident we are skilled at.

We work so hard to become great at a skill or an ability that makes us invaluable to others.

For many of us, our growth goals are synonymous with getting some form of promotion and a dream would be just becoming part of the coveted management team, which often means higher bonuses, company shares, maybe an office and ultimately a better connection with fellow C-Suite.

But what does management actually mean? Does it automatically make you a good leader? I mean just because you are gifted at what you do, doesn’t mean you will be able to step into your boss’s shoes, does it?

The part most fail to realize, in their leadership dream, is that becoming part of management doesn’t translate to you being a great leader, but it’s something you work at and learn over time in steering the course of an organization and its people.

Managing a team, whether big or small requires the ability to be able to step back and let others take the lead in their tasks, see the big picture, and, most importantly, become the coach and mentor on a regular basis for those who now look to you.

More often than not, many newly appointed leaders often end up more insecure and frustrated because of the spotlight on them from both above and their direct reports below. It’s so important to recognize that it takes time to develop your own leadership style and it will not be the same as someone else.

As you transition into a leadership role, you have to shift your focus from doing the job to coaching others to do the job, from looking up to others to being looked up to. The reason you are now leading a team is because of your expertise and how you chose to transfer your knowledge is what can define your leadership style

In my experience, there are a few important factors that any leader must always remember.

✔️ Trust in your team’s ability to do their job, until they prove you otherwise.

I have come across many leaders who either can’t let go or just feel they can do a better job. What they don’t realize is that this undermines their staff and destroys confidence, which is a basic need for any individual. Stepping back to allow another to shine and recognizing their achievement has a lot more mileage than just taking over.

✔️ Seek opportunities to coach your team as often as possible.

Both positive and negative experiences are great opportunities to reinforce the business strategy and goals. Frequent team meetings or just checking in with individuals is a proactive approach to make sure the ship is on course.

✔️ Make sure you adhere to and continuously evaluate your processes, as they are your checks and balances.

The appropriate controls in place give your team the autonomy to operate within their boundaries. Your team should always be clear on when to escalate or communicate potential situations, good or bad. As a leader, your role involves recognizing industry trends, evaluating strategy and seeking new opportunities to ensure your organization continues to grow, rather than micromanaging day to day activities. The right checks and balances is a combination of clear processes and procedures, coupled with regular evaluation and communication.

✔️ Recognize effort and forgive blunders.

Now the latter is very situation-specific, as some costly mistakes have no recourse but regardless of the result, use the situation as an opportunity to coach your team to prevent re-occurrence.

I have worked in many environments where extreme or negative reactions have become a part of the culture and a poor reflection on the organization as a whole. Good or bad situations happen all the time, the key to handling it is our reaction. As a leader, a negative reaction and resulting actions can prove more costly than the blunder itself. Not only are your direct reports watching you but so are your peers and other leaders. To me, a good leader is a combination of expertise, ability and being a good coach. A leader should always be open to seeking coaching and mentoring themselves and recognize when they need to brush up on their own skills.

Submitted By:

Ritu Kohli-Sethi, Managing Director at Greater Toronto Executive Centre. Ritu has over two decades of experience in operations, marketing, and business development. Married and a proud mama of two, Ritu enjoys writing about her professional and personal life experiences. For more articles by Ritu you may visit her blog.

“Forget race, forget gender, forget religion, and become a human my friend. Become a human above everything else, and all great things shall follow.” Abhijit Naskar