Growing Your Biz in 2013 - Deadheads

Guest blog from Carol Ritter of CarolTalks.com

I’ve always wondered where the greatest ideas come from.  What makes an idea work and why do some people have great ideas but somehow they just never leave the ‘great idea’ gate?  

I like to look back on the minimal success of some and the over the top success of others.  It’s always the same, the greatest ideas in the world cannot be great without the TRIBE.  I have worked for some brillant people over the years, watched them manuver through their goals, have plans that are wildly focused but yet sometimes two things were missing;

1. They have no idea how to gather a TRIBE, in some cases they didn’t even want to
2. And, they don’t focus on surrounding themselves with and taking care of great people

If you look up the many definitions of  the word TRIBE, you will find they have one thing in common, a TRIBE is a community, a social group with simular values, interests or common bond.  A good example of this are the Dead Heads who were commited to and followed The Grateful Dead’s music in the 70’s.  The Dead Heads were loyal, obsessed and completely committed to following, listening to and, most importantly, spending money on the Grateful Dead.  

All businesses need Dead Heads.  Loyal, obessed and willing to spend dollars on that obsession.  

So, how do you go from having an out of this world product or service with no 

Dead Heads to a business with an out of this world product or service and a TRIBE?  

Building the CLAN or gathering the TRIBE is not a science but takes complete focus and commitment.

Here we go:

Remember this...the founding members of your TRIBE are your employees! If they don’t have the Dead Head passion and loyalty, there will be no TRIBE

1. Listen to your customers, learn why they love what you do
2. Create situations where your customers feel valued - ask them for advice
3. Take care of people - give them something once and in a while, pay attention to               their needs
4. Just like your plan to improve your product, create a plan for growing your TRIBE
5. Take the focus off of you and your service and put it on them
6. Learn everything about what makes your customer tick so you can transfer that       loyalty to new TRIBE members
7. Don’t ever assume TRIBE members will stay forever, you must nuture them, create new services or products  (or new songs like the Greatful Dead)
8. Recognize creative people and surround yourself with them (creative people sometimes aren’t great rule followers, so you will have to cope)
9. Embrace a true entreprenurial spirit, if you are not passionate about what you do how would you expect the gather a TRIBE
10. Always prioritize, 

1. EXCELLENT PRODUCT OR SERVCE
2. OBSESSION WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE
3. COMMITMENT TO THE TRIBE

YOU JUST CAN’T BE OVER THE TOP SUCCESSFUL WITHOUT THOSE DEAD HEADS! 

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Carol serves as a featured writer for the Home News and the Lehigh Valley Chamber Blog.

Carol is an accomplished professional speaker, coach and educational consultant specializing in innovative leadership, outrageous fundraising, million dollar marketing, and building organizational alliances throughout the country.  Carol’s creative  leadership with bullet proof ideas for recruiting MORE MEMBERS, MORE MONEY AND TER LEADERS. www.caroltalks.com610-442-4545 tellkids@aol.com  Like Carol on  Facebook at Caroltalks and CarolCoaches!  Carol S. Ritter, Immediate Past President, National Speakers Association Philadelphia

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