It’s time to peel back the layers and reveal some of the thinking behind the “alchemist” analogy.  My allusion is not to the trite fantasy of turning lead into gold.

This is more of a thought provoking conversation than a ‘how-to.’  So I decided we’d do this in podcast form, a more personable medium.

Let me know what you think below in the comments section.

Click here to download the .mp3

Dov Gordon

Do you ever tell yourself “I need to…“, or “I don’t have a choice…“, or just feel frustrated that you’re not yet the person you really want to be?

Here’s what I learned: It’s critically important to be unreasonable.

Unreasonable defined:  When you want – and expect to get – something you can’t have.

Being unreasonable is an entrepreneurial necessity.

When you think “I need this sale” you’re being reasonable.  Stop it.  Try this thought on instead:

“I need a business where I’m not needy of anything.”

“I need this employee.” Cut it out.  Try this:

“I need a business where no one employee will make us or break us.”

“I don’t have time.  That’s why I need to work 12 hours a day.”  You’re lying again.

“I choose to work the hours that I do.  And if I had 36 hours, I’d tell myself the same lies.  What if I only had 6 hours to work?  How would I guard and use every one of them? How would I be different?  What would I do differently?”

Is it unreasonable to think you could get it all done if you only had 6 hours? Well, there we go again. It’s time to start being unreasonable.  Be the person you WANT to be, but “can’t” be for whatever reason.

As far as I can tell, when you are unreasonable:

• – You focus your thoughts and energy on what you CAN control now.
• – You focus on what you CAN do TODAY.
• – You accept responsibility for your life, for your choices and behavior.
• – You focus your thoughts and mind on images of the person you WANT to be instead of dwelling on your weaknesses and who you’re not.
• – You start acting that way right now.
• – You FIRST figure out where you want to go, and THEN you work to get there.
• – You make time for what’s truly important to you FIRST and let everything else fall into place.
• – You refuse to allow others to make irrational demands of you.
• – You expect life to be DIFFICULT and so you don’t shrink in the face of possible failure or hardship.
• – You refuse to accept “advice” and guidance from people who don’t have your best interest in mind.
• – You don’t allow others to get you worked up or upset. You remember that they are just being who they are in the moment and you can’t change them. So you focus on what you can influence.
• – You refuse to give into pressure to rush when you know that the natural order of things will insist that you either go with the flow, or drown in it. (For example: You can’t rush a sale because you need the money.)

Looking back, this whole idea about being unreasonable is sounding very reasonable!

What do you think? Where have you started being unreasonable? And how has that improved your entrepreneurial life? Talk back below.  And consider using the retweet button over there—–>

Al had been in the air force, overseen a national tragedy and then went on to be CEO of a mid-sized manufacturing company.

And there he was – sitting at a meeting I had organized with a dozen other CEOs.  They’d come to share their thorniest dilemmas and be reminded that their businesses and their troubles are not as unique as they liked to imagine. Whatever it was, someone else had already conquered it.
—

Amazingly, I got to nearly all of these heavy hitters by cold calling. At first I was shocked at who you can reach by phone when you first put some thought into it.  But then I remembered that just about anything can be done when you put some thought into it.

And so, my CEO peer advisory group met about two dozen times over a couple of years in board rooms up and down the country.

I had a real problem though: It wasn’t turning into enough business. And so eventually, I was forced to end the group.
—

So yes, I know what it’s like to be smart, talented, know you have a lot to give through your products and services – and to be desperately frustrated at your inability to get the customers.

Sure, I had some of the critical pieces down to a system.  The cold calling, for example. That’s what prompted Al’s “chutzpah” comment. He had been impressed with the way I got through to him. Impressed enough to meet for coffee and then join my group.

But I never did get a decent project with his company, nor most of the others.
—

In the years since then, I’ve figured out what I was missing:

An end-to-end sales system.

Turns out, most business owners have lots of the pieces, they’re just not putting them together in a useful way.  It’s like having all the parts for a slick sports car stacked in your driveway. It ‘aint going to get you anywhere.

You need the big picture first.  Then you know where each piece fits.
—

And so much of my work recently has been with small business owners who love what they do, are exceptionally smart and talented, KNOW that their products are important and improve the lives of
many – but they’re having trouble actually getting those great customers.

Which is why I recently created a MANUAL that teaches business owners how to create your own end-to-end sales system.

It walks you through the five main steps in a sales system that actually leads to consistent, predictable sales:

1. Your ideal customers ‘raise their hands.’ They self-select and essentially say “Hey, that sounds
interesting.  Tell me more.”

2. Your ideal customers come to trust you and your company.

3. You earn the right to lead them and make a recommendation – your product.

4. You close a profitable deal.

5. You generate consistent back-end sales.
—

So if you’re looking for more than just compliments on your products - or on your chutzpa - and you want actual sales, go have a look at my new marketing and selling system manual.

But DON’T BUY it right away!

Since you’ve been on my list for a while, if you read the sales letter and you think “This may be just what I need right now” send me an email with your story.  Tell me WHY you think it may be just what you need right now.

And if you’re thoughtful and open, I may just send back a coupon code to knock that price down a bit for you.

I care. And I appreciate that you’ve been reading my emails.

And if you need some help and I can give it to you - I’m eager to do so.

As always, consider this a dialogue.  You can post a comment below.  Or by email.

Looking forward,
Dov Gordon

Business authors often conjure up the most bizarre management theories and then “prove” them by pointing to current business media darlings like Google, Apple and _____ (who will it be today?).

Book after book and article after article points to what this or that company did to achieve their success – and advises that you and I do what they did to succeed.

The problem is that no one company can stay on top forever. So it’s very tempting for the average author to attempt his 15 minutes of fame by showing how the advice in last year’s bestselling book no longer applies. And unless you listen to HIS brilliant new ideas, your company is doomed as “likely to be a victim of the next market shift. At least you’ll be in good company in the history books.”

Such was the advice of consultant Adam Hartung in a recent Forbes.com article.  Hartung advised that you “Stop focusing on your core business. It has become the fast track to oblivion.” He then proves it with stunningly shallow analysis during which he writes off both “Good to Great” by Jim Collins and “In Search of Excellence” by Tom Peters.

His article included gems such as “When markets can shift quickly, focus simply loses its value.” And “If you’re trying to improve your returns with execution, you’re likely to be a victim of the next market shift.”

What does Hartung advocate instead?  I had to visit his website to find out. Turns out he advocates his “Phoenix Principle” and something called “Disruptions and White Space.” I’m not going to comment, because I haven’t spent enough time to know what he means.

But astute reader “dave” commented politely that

“…Won’t the time come, if it hasn’t already, that Disruptions and White Space will go the way of ‘the Kraft approach’ or RIM’s ‘app-oplexy’? I seem to recall that ‘In Search of Excellence’ was viewed as the great salvation for business at one time. I assume you don’t believe that there won’t be a successor to the Phoenix Principle?”

“dave’s” comment still awaits a response.

Here’s my thinking on all this:

It’s important to study “Best Practices” because it gives you tactical ideas. But far more important is to study and master “Best Thinking.”

Best practices were best for a company in a particular industry at a particular time.  And they were probably the result of careful thought and analysis.

Then 98% of business people go out and thoughtlessly imitate what the model company “did,” forgetting that what they “did” was preceded by clear thinking.

At The Alchemist Entrepreneur™ we focus on clear thinking first, and then on wise practice. As you read through the articles here or go through any of our programs, you’ll start to notice that.  My tagline has long been “Clear thinking is your most valuable work.”

Here is the comment I left at Forbes.com below Mr. Hartung’s article:

There are so many problems with this analysis. Where to begin?

1. It is a waste of time to study “best practices” if you haven’t first studied “best thinking.”

A “best practice” that made one company a star, was probably the result of some really good behind the scenes thinking.  To imagine that you can imitate the practice without the thinking is not a very mature approach to business or life.

Yet this article, as well as the books it criticizes, focuses on what practices do and don’t “work.”

2.  To say “When markets can shift quickly, focus simply loses its value” is plain silly.

“Focus” is not a specific enough concept. Even the author must agree that focus is not an on-or-off switch, but a continuum.  At one end would be tunnel vision while on the other would be excessive diversification.

So how can you write an article saying that something as vague as “focus” is either good or bad?

3.  This author, like so many others, uses the scare tactic that “Times have changed. What worked yesterday doesn’t work today!  Listen to me or you’ll be doomed!”

This, too, is shallow.

Yes, some of the “best practices” that worked in 1975 may no longer work, but the Best Thinking is timeless. What worked for King Solomon works for us.

At The Alchemist Entrepreneur™ http://DovGordon.net we teach Best Thinking first, and best practices second because when you learn to quickly zero in on the key issues and decisions of your business, you have no need to mindlessly imitate today’s business darling.

Dov Gordon

PS – Isn’t it interesting that after a couple of minutes of clicking around on the Forbes billionaire list I came across James Leprino at # 374.  How did he make his billions?  Cheese. He’s the largest manufacturer of mozzarella cheese in the world. Would the author advise James to start selling sauce or pizzeria tables?

My point: You can always find a company to illustrate one practice or another.  So be smart and train yourself in clear thinking. Clear thinking is your most valuable work.

Are you struggling with profit, satisfaction, or both?

Some business owners are doing what they love, but not making money.  Others are making money, but get no satisfaction. Many make no money and get no satisfaction. But they sure do put in many hours!

Then there are the few, the artists, the Alchemist Entrepreneurs™, who both make money and feel immensely satisfied. They approach their business as a work of art.

In the best works of art, every element fits. Think of your favorite song. Every note fits. Every instrument adds something and together it’s magical. When you hear it, it lifts you up.

Your business can and should give you, your employees and customers the same feeling. Think of Warren Buffett who likes to say that he and his partner Charlie Munger enjoy what they do so much that they “tap dance to work each morning.” And look at what they’ve built.

Let me tell you why most business owners never achieve the rank of artist…

The answer is simple: They’re in a rush.

You can always justify your rush. One day it’s the competition and you need to keep pace and stand out. Another day it’s a demanding but important customer. Still another day, it’s your cash flow.

But whatever the explanation, this frantic rushing rarely gives you the profit and satisfaction you really want.

To build a business work of art, you DO need a sense of urgency.  Things are constantly changing and if you’re not moving, you’re falling behind. Move fast and you learn, adapt and turn ho-hum systems into systems that hum.

So what’s the distinction between rushing, which stifles and traps you and a sense of urgency which is a basic ingredient?

Rushing: When you try to make things move faster than they’re meant to move. For example, trying to make a sale before you really understand your prospect.  Or throwing someone on a job without proper training because you “don’t have a choice.”

A sense of urgency: When you’re committed to not let things take any longer than they absolutely need to. All this while acknowledging and respecting the reality that some things do need to evolve, mature and ripen.

To the point: If you want more profit and satisfaction from your business, don’t rush. But do act with a sense of urgency. That’s the way of Alchemist Entrepreneur™.

Has this clarified something for you? I’d love to get your reactions in the comments section below.

It happened not too long ago. You were talking with your Ideal Prospect and you could just about feel yourself holding the check that would make him your newest Ideal Customer.

Suddenly, something went very wrong and somehow you lost control of the conversation.

Your product and service were exactly what he needed.  It didn’t matter.  Your Ideal Prospect got stuck in the quicksand of distractions, “what ifs” and “second thoughts.” You tried to pull him out with your best answers, explanations and efforts to “overcome objections.” But nothing worked.

In the end, he was sucked under with a loud “sluuuuuuuuurp” and went straight to the Place where the best lost deals go.

Why did you lose control? And how can you be sure that next time you will confidently direct the conversation to a closed deal?

*

If you want to attract and close deals with first rate customers, you need to be highly skilled at controlling and directing conversations. Not in a stifling way, but in a way that exhilarates your AAA prospects. A way that leaves them  feeling free, understood, and hopeful because of the new possibilities you helped them see for themselves.

“Robert,” who is currently enrolled in my “12 Weeks to Your Ultimate Selling System” one-on-one coaching program, recently had some frustrating conversations with a few active customers. 

It turns out that Robert’s combination of outsourced products and services had done such a good job that:

“All my clients now talk about, ‘Geez, I really need a full time person, Robert. I need somebody in my office.’

“They don’t need anyone in their office, but that’s what they’re thinking…”

Hiring someone full time would make Robert’s company unnecessary. So I asked Robert how he responds.

“I say, ‘Really!  You haven’t even maximized this, and now you think you need a full timer, which is $80,000+ in salary, and that’s not including all the technological infrastructure…’”

I could almost hear the dreaded sluuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrp.

*

Here’s the simple secret for controlling and directing conversations:

You need see beyond what your customer SAYS to what she really MEANS.

So Robert’s customer SAYS

“Your XYZ has proven so important, that we need someone in-house to run it going forward.  And since you can’t be here yourself, we may need to find someone who can…“

BUT, what Robert’s customer MEANS is

“I can see how valuable this is. And we’re only just scratching the surface. And that’s the problem! I don’t like the feeling of not getting all I can from this.

“Help me figure out how we can get even better results with you so that I’m not tempted to look elsewhere!”

If Robert responds to what his customer SAYS, he’ll talk about how his company’s solution is really much cheaper than someone in house.  And about how it doesn’t pay for them to invest in all the infrastructure.  And about how if the customer would do just a bit more of what Robert was telling her, she would see that there’s no need for someone in house.

But none of this answers the customers REAL frustration, what she MEANT.

Here’s how you respond to what the customer MEANT:

“Customer, this is what I live for!  I love when someone gets it like you do.  You’re so pleased with the results so far, and frustrated with your inability to really maximize your results, that you want to explore ways that we can help you more easily get the full benefit that my products can bring to you, isn’t that right?”

If you have a good relationship, and you did correctly hear what your customer really wants, this kind of sentence will make your customer FEEL GREAT because you’ve just articulated what she really wants far better than she could ever do it herself.

*

POP QUIZ FOR MY REGULAR READERS: There is a simple “structure” lying beneath what Robert’s customers have been telling him. Robert didn’t see it, so he almost broke himself over it.  I did see it, and therefore I was able to formulate a powerful reply.

What’s the structure?  Post your thoughts with an explanation in the comments section below.

Years ago my brother-in-law was driving across the U.S. with a friend. After half a day of driving through the Midwest, they pulled over at a truck stop to rest and stretch their legs.

They were getting back into the car when a middle-aged man came up to them.

“Hey, fellas, can I have a lift?”

“Where do you need to go?”

“New York.”

“Sorry, we’re going to LA.”

“Hey, that’s good too.”

They looked at each other.  There was no way they wanted to be stuck in a car for the next few days with someone who had no idea where he was going.

“Uh, sorry bro. It ‘aint gonna work.  Maybe the guy behind us is going to New York.”

Most small business owners are settling for what they have instead of creating what they want.

You’re settling if you look at where you are today, at the options you see available to you today, and you choose.  “You have a ride to LA?  OK, I’ll take it.  I’ll go to New York another time.”

You’re settling if the customers in front of you are not the customers you really want. You’re settling if the products you buy, sell or build are not the kinds of products you’d LOVE to buy, sell or build.  You’re settling if the people working for you are the ones who were available when you needed to hire and not the ones you really want.

But you can’t “settle” your way to a business that makes you proud and free. You need to create it.

“Creating” is when you say “I really want to be in New York.  I don’t know how, but I’m going to figure it out.”

When you stop settling, you’re creating time, life and freedom.

To create a business that gives you time, life and freedom, a business where you lead with your mind, not minutia, you first get really clear as to what you want.

Often we’re too busy with the details to step back and think it through.  Are you making time to think through what you really want? Do you really know what you want in a customer?  Is it clear enough that you come to work with a single minded focus?  Is it clear enough that you’ll walk away from someone who doesn’t meet your standards?

The first step to building your freedom through entrepreneurship is to be clear about what you want – not settle for what you have.

—–

Free “Attract First-Rate Customers” Strategy Session

One area where small companies struggle is in attracting first-rate customers who gladly do business with your – on your terms.

If you are tired of small orders, B-grade customers and one-off sales your next step should be to claim your free  45 minute “Attract Great Customers” Strategy Session with me.

In this session you will:

• – Create a sense of clarity about the AAA customers you really want to have

• – Find out the essential building blocks for having the first-rate customers you’ll love to work with

• – Discover the #1 thing stopping you from having the AAA-repeat-customers you want

• – Identify the most powerful actions that will move  you towards the customer base you desire

• – Complete the consultation with the excitement of knowing EXACTLY what to do next to create the loyal customers you truly want

“I highly recommend Dov Gordon’s complementary ‘Attract AAA Customers’ strategy session.  In just 45 minutes Dov helped me zero in on the one thing that can really help my sales team right now.

“We began to use Dov’s insights immediately.  After just one week, my sales team is spending far less time on the wrong prospects.  This, of course, freed up much more time for the right ones.

“Thank you, Dov.”

Shai Etzion,

EMEA Sales, Clarizen

Clarizen.com

“We began to use Dov’s insights immediately.  After just one week, my sales team is spending far less time on the wrong prospects.  This, of course, freed up much more time for the right ones.Shai EtzionEMEA Sales, ClarizenClarizen.com

To reserve your private 1-1 session, email me at dovgordon@gmail.com or call +972-2-992-0396.  Include your contact information and time zone.  We’ll get back to you to schedule your session ASAP.

“Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.” — Abraham Lincoln

We all have moments of clarity amidst spells of confusion.

Like when lighting flashes across a dark and stormy plain, you’ve got only a brief moment to take in the full picture and burn it into your mind – or you’ll soon be groping around the dark again.

If your business is growing, you need to make frequent decisions that will affect its nature and direction.

And if your business isn’t growing as you hoped, the confusion is all the more oppressive.

How to catch that lightning bolt and make it stay.

It’s amazing when you think about it: Most people don’t know what they really want out of life.  And so they go this way and that.  Their scattered and random actions don’t add up.

A smaller number do know what they want to HAVE in life.  Sometimes – not always – this tells them what to DO.  Which is a pretty good place to be.

You’ll achieve more knowing what you want to have, but it’s not enough.   It comes and goes.  And it’s often accompanied by moments of severe doubt.  You question whether this or that is really what you want.

And it’s not unusual that success comes hand-in-hand with that empty feeling of “OK, here I am. Now what?”

There’s another approach that gives you constant clarity.

The other approach begins with who you want to BE.  Who do you really, really want to BE?

If you’re unclear, confused and you don’t know what to do, look again at the kind of person you want to BE.

Do you want to be someone who feels pulled this way and that by the people in your life, or do you want to be someone who can set clear priorities and has the discipline to follow through?

Be that way today.  Do what such a person would do in the situation you are in.

How do you want to behave in the face of great uncertainty?  Do you want to be thrown off kilter, or do you want to go into your deep reserves of confidence and take it one day at a time?

Be that way today.  Do what such a person would do.

Do you want to be frantically trying to keep a table full of plates spinning, or do you want to be pursuing excellence in a focused slice of life?

Be that way today.

Do you want to be another spectator alongside the parade, or do you want to be boy who isn’t afraid to say “The emperor has no clothes!”

Be that way today.

Do you want to be worried that there won’t be enough, or do you want to be someone who feels and exudes the confidence that there’s more than enough.

Be that way today.

Do you want to be someone who moves his business this way and that to satisfy your varied interests, curiosity and talents – and to avoid decisions – or do you want to be someone who makes difficult choices and then uses his interests, curiosity and talents to place one brick upon the next until your castle is built?

When you have a clear picture of who you want to BE, you’re never at a lost for what to DO.

You can BE what you want right now, even if it takes some time to HAVE what you want.

Your Next Action Step:

Get a pen and paper, get away from distractions and and answer this one question:

Who do you want to be?

For now, write out five or six qualities you most want to own.  Get that image of how you want to BE crystal clear and you’ll never be at a loss of what to do.  The more you act like that person, the more you’ll BE him.  And it’ll just be a matter of time before you have what he has.

And that’s really what you want, isn’t it?

Two clients.  Each runs a small company.  One is hiring and the other is firing. What’s the difference?

Both are in multi-billion dollar markets.  Neither can blame the recession because each only needs a fraction of a percent of an enormous market to double or triple in size.  So it’s not the economy.

As an outside consultant to both these owners I see the difference and it’s simple: Passion.

The owner of the growing company is passionate about what he’s doing.  He loves it and loves helping his customers.

The other owner wants to make money. He doesn’t have any special fondness for his products or customers and is guided by what he believes will earn the company more money.

Interesting, isn’t it, that he’s the one hurting and laying people off?

Several years ago another client asked if I thought it was important that he have passion for what he was doing.  “Umm, yes.  Absolutely!” He confessed that although he enjoyed his job, he wasn’t particularly passionate about it.

The company wasn’t doing so well then and things haven’t improved much. They continue along from one crises to the next, with just enough successes to keep them alive.  Market value is lower than ever.

I once served as chairman of the board for a non-profit. When I joined I was enthusiastic and passionate.  But I soon discovered things I had not known before joining the board and this new awareness completely sapped my passion.  So I resigned.

If you lead a company that you aren’t passionate about, either get passionate about it fast (real, sustained passion) or get out – fast.  You owe it to the shareholders.  You owe it to the employees.  But most of all, you owe it to yourself.  Why spend your life in a role that doesn’t thrill you?

Long before Ronald Reagan was president of the United States, when he was climbing the ladder of Hollywood celebrity, he wrote the following:

“Lots of kids write and ask my advice about how to make their mark in an indifferent world… So what I’d like to tell ‘em is this: Look, you must love what you are doing. You must think what you are doing is important because if it’s important to you, you can bet your last ducat that other people will think so, too…”

What can you do if you’re stuck in a business you don’t have the passion for?

It will depend on why you don’ t have passion, of course.  Common reasons include:

- Values: You don’t believe in what you’re doing.  It’s not consistent with that you believe is important.

- Confused: You don’t know what you want to do.  You don’t know what you’re passionate about.

- Pessimism and / or Disillusionment: You simply don’t see how this business will give you what you want.  You continue because you don’t see a better option.  You thought things would develop faster.

Let’s start with these.

1.  Values: In some ways this is the easiest. In other ways, this is the hardest.

It’s easiest because you know it’s time to move on.  It’s hardest because you’re probably need to leave a comfortable situation.

What you need most here is (1) an unambiguous decision to move on and (2) personal courage and the support of your loved ones and close friends.

2. Confused: If you don’t know what you’re passionate about, here are a few suggestions:

- Often people who say they don’t know what they are passionate about, really do know WHAT they’d LOVE to do.  They just don’t see HOW they could make it happen.

Other times, they really don’t know WHAT it would be.

If your situation is the former, then keep your goal clearly in mind and your eyes open for omens, ideas and opportunities to take small steps in that direction. Take them.

If the latter, commit to do what’s in front of you today with excellence. People who don’t see a direction often drift.  This is a killer because they feel unproductive.

When you do what’s in front of you as well as you can do it – TODAY – you feel good about yourself.  And the better you feel, the more opportunities will begin to prevent themselves.  Try it if you doubt me.

3. Pessimism and / or Disillusionment: This may have a variety of symptoms.  But my bold claim is that the root here is that you’re too worried about yourself.

Focus your mind on your customer, on others you can help, on ways you can make a positive impact and things will soon fall into place for you as well.

Are you stuck in a business without the passion?  Did you successfully move out of one?  Do you have a different view on the subject?

Chime in below.