How can you charge more for your product?
Especially if you have competition is under pricing you?

And you're feeling the pressure to go lower and lower.+
It kills your profit margin and de-values what you're 
trying to sell.

The key - Add more value

You can bundle other items if you wish
or you can add emotional value.
Ex - an electric bicycle is expensive, but what if the
salesperson said you'll fall in love with
exercise all over again? You've just added more value.

The social value is 'you will be seen as the leader of the pack'
In other words, how will my friends see me?

And on the bigger picture.. you are riding to work and saving the environment
and my friends will respect me and I will love exercise again.
You have just increased the perceived value of that bike..

* What are the emotional, social and philosophical values of your product/service?

Source: Donald Miller

How to increase focus with your team?
Lack of focus is costing businesses thousands and thousands.

If a team member isn't thinking about how to save the company
money or how to make the company money, they are being
unproductive as what they're focused on isn't helping.
And the bottom line is the company isn't moving forward.

Have your team members write down 3 things they will be
focused on this week and turn it in. The very act will help
focus the team and you can edit their lists so everyone
is on the same page. Do this every week.

Recognize your team..

Take time to read them and acknowledge everyone while
offering any edits or suggestions and you'll
see the company moving forward again.

Source: Donald Miller

​Being 'cute' or 'clever' are usually huge mistakes. Why?
A few years back the NFL did a campaign called 'crucial catch'
and they painted in the endzone. Some ad agency charged
a ton of money to paint those words and no one knew 
what they meant.

It turned out it was a cancer awareness campaign! Sure you 'catch'
cancer and it is 'crucial' but who understood the message? No one
watching was in on the decsion. It only delivered confusion.

The only time you can be clever or cute is if you are also clear.

If you sell lawn sprinklers, don't say 'singin in the rain'
tell them what it is.. reliable sprinkler systems that work every time.
Tell me somthing I am getting and be super clear about it.

It used to work, but now we have thousands of tv channel, radio
stations and podcasts to compete against. Clarity works now.

Source: Donald Miller  

When you’re struggling with a business decision, what can you do? Stress-eat donuts, sure. 
Or, you can ask yourself this one critical question. It will help you find the clarity you need to solve the problem. 

What to do when struggling with a team member or a customer problem?
Or sales being low or any other seemingly difficult decision?

Don't choose to be confused on something that isn't confusing.

Suppose you have a problem customer that doesn't pay on time and
they always complain. But you tell yourself they have lots of money
and could be a great client for you.

They don't pay on time and you don't like dealing with them, so
don't choose to be confused.. let em go.

We get confused when we think I don't want to hurt their feelings
or I don't want have that meeting, etc
We agonize over too many possibilities.. 

Ask yourself these 2 questions

1) The unfortunate truth about the situation is ____
2) Therefore the right action to take is ____
 
This will help bring clarity...

Source: Donald Miller 

It derails businesses, yes, but also relationships, projects, and goals.

It’s playing the victim, and it will tank your success every time. Here’s what I mean, and the key mental shift you can make each day to ensure it doesn’t happen to you.

There are four major roles in movies.. victim, villan, hero and the guide.
Key is to move away from the victim and villan

Playing the victim only ensures your lack of success
as they don't change or transform. They just make
the villan look bad and the hero look good.

Sometimes it's easy to play the victim because they
attract a 'rescuer' to help and never have to do
any of the actual work themselves.

So, if you fall into that trap..
Pretend the world is conspiring to make you successful
Everything and everyone throughout your day now
is helping you to be successful. That is the opposite of a victim mentality.

The victim thinks the world is against him and if you view it that way,
then that's the way it will turn out. A victim mentality
derails success everytime.

Source: Donald Miller  

The biggest mistake in customer service doesn't sound like one, 
but saying 'I understand' is not the answer. If you're on the phone
with a customer service rep and they say that, doesn't that tick you off?

Saying you understand without really understanding!
When you say I understand, we're sorry, you position
yourself on the opposite side of the customer.

Best way is to get on the customer's wavelength.
Imagine you're staying at a hotel while on a vacation.
The toilet handle isn't working right no matter how
you jiggle it and it makes enough noise that makes it hard to sleep.

You call the front desk not sure how they will respond and you hear..
'Oh my goodness that has to be so annoying! I'm going to send
someone right up'

See the difference? You are on their side and 'we together' can be 
annoyed at the toilet.

Be authentic with your customers. Actually understand instead
of pretending to. We tend to feel guilty when we call and complain
about things, but a good response makes customers feel more at ease.
​Source: Donald Miller

A lot of businesses try to explain what they do with business 
jargon like R.O.I. and so forth. And even though
other businesses know what you mean, customers find them confusing.

What this really says is 'I want to sound smart, because I'm not smart'
That's exactly what business jargon does...
You don't want to do that. Make it simple and easy to understand.
Simple language makes you stronger.

Here's one - 'customer-centric ecommerce solutions'
what the heck is that? If you throw business jargon at 
people, they can't understand so that means they cannot
respond by making a purchase from you.

Go through your website, promotional materials, etc and 
just circle any words that may seem confusing to customers.
Change them so their meaning is clear. 
Throw the jargon out the window and make more money.

The irony here is that business jargon is for those who don't
understand how to do business!
Source: Donald Miller

Some of you just don't like your customers..
they make you angry or call you and complain.
Perhaps you feel like you have to babysit them
and that kind of talk gets around your office or store.

A new rule.. You are not allowed to bad-mouth a customer
or complain about a customer. The reason is that 
95% to 99% of your customers aren't painful at all.
And that one customer you complain about reflects on the whole group.

You can stop complaining about customers, because complaining is
a way of framing reality. If I complain about my kids, my home,
the long lines at stores, traffic, etc. then I am framing my
reality in a negative way.

If you do that with your customers, you are putting the very
group of people on whom you are financially dependent
in a negative light. And that's a bad business move.

How do you deal with challenging customers? See them just
as that.. challenging. I am challenged today by this customer
who came to me today with this request. Big difference between
a challenging customer vs a bad human being.

We've all had bad days... customers have em too.
When you say customers are bad people, it's like you are
setting them up as enemies. Don't do that.

See if you can figure out ways instead to talk about 
those challenges and frustrations in a new way.
Never bad-mouth customers and you'll find that you will like
them and your work environment more, plus they
will sense it as well because you are for them now.
​Source: Donald Miller

​Key Statistic: 7 out of 10 consumers will post a review for a business if they’re asked to.
A common concern among business owners is wanting more reviews but also
not wanting to pressure their customers. This statistic helps to qualm those concerns.

To ramp up your review marketing, you need calls-to-action asking for more Google reviews.
Not only is it difficult to receive more reviews without asking (unless your business is gaining customers at a steady rate),
but not asking for them while your competitors are ensures you fall behind.