STRATEGIC LIFE PLAN

VISION

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GOAL/BIG THING

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Expect Icebergs

No enterprise is unsinkable; the Titanic sank its first time out. Businesses fail. Employees get downsized. But when your enterprise has a solid foundation and when you act like a CEO, only an enormous iceberg can knock you off course.

In 1990, I hit an iceberg when my largest clients dissolved their law firm. I hit another huge iceberg when the recent recession struck. Thankfully, I had the necessary lifeboats in place, and my business stayed afloat both times.

The first iceberg took me on a new course, which changed my business and the nursing profession forever. If I'd missed the iceberg, I might have continued in my original direction, satisfied with a much smaller business. And you'd be reading someone else's book. The recession iceberg caused me to power and fund my business in new and innovative ways.

Stay on the lookout for icebergs. Don't get lost in the details or in creating the glitz and glitter. You can easily lose sight of what's ahead and forget to watch where you're going.

Unfortunately, you don't have to hit an iceberg head-on to sink your enterprise. The Titanic's collision wasn't head-on. Instead the iceberg glanced along the side, tearing a gash no wider than three inches in six purportedly watertight compartments; but that minimal damage still sank an “unsinkable” ship. As with the Titanic, even a small amount of damage can have catastrophic effects.

You do have to sail before you can fail. You can maneuver around icebergs. But if you never leave the dock, you'll never have an enterprise to keep afloat. Will your enterprise be a Titanic-sized failure or a Titanic-sized success?

COMMAND FINANCIAL CONTROL IN YOUR ENTERPRISE

A competitor once commented sarcastically that my clients pay for my big house, my big vacations and my big smile. Of course they do. That's what a business is supposed to do. An enterprise is profitable or it isn't an enterprise—it's a charity.

The word profit stems from the Latin word profectus, which means “advancement or improvement.” Women should profit from their advancement.

As CEO of your life, you deserve to achieve your desired level of financial growth. When I researched my first business idea for a patient education company, I was naively ready to go for it until I realized the enterprise wouldn't even support my modest lifestyle, which at that time amounted to $28,000 a year. I had to refocus my vision on an enterprise that could feed and shelter me.

Money to start, maintain and advance your enterprise is part of any sensible plan. Even carving your niche within a corporate structure may require an investment in education or training. But that doesn't mean you have to rush to the bank for a loan.

I started my business without one scrap of outside financial support and only $100 in my savings account. I started with one client, then gained a second and a third. I continued to work full-time for 15 months while I built my business. It was a challenge running the business at night and on days off, but I knew that if I was willing to bust my butt for a short time, I wouldn't be busting it for the next 40 years in the hospital.

Statistically, fast-growing women-owned businesses rely on earnings as their primary funding source, and women-owned businesses whose revenues are below $1 million are less likely to access commercial credit than those whose revenues exceed $1 million. That can be a good or bad thing, depending upon how much you want your business to grow and whether or not you need outside money to finance expansion or improvements. My recommendation: Call on outside financing only when it's absolutely critical to fund the next bold step.

In my years of owning a business, I've never taken out a loan. Growing from $100 to $16 million at my peak, without outside capital, took time and effort, but not other people's investments. Outside investors, be they angels, venture capitalists or family, will often want a say in the business.

This is what happened to Laura:

Needing less is also a financial asset. Do you know people who can't finance a vacation, much less their passionate vision, because they want, want, want? Nothing will sabotage your enterprise more than financial worries. Freedom from such worries enables you to make bold decisions. While I encourage stretching way out when choosing goals, I never encourage living above your income.

Operating from my 1,100-square-foot condo until my business was extremely profitable freed me to grow my business without the stress of high overhead. It also allowed me to set aside substantial savings for the future. I didn't splurge on overly extravagant vacations or buy new cars or redecorate my home.

Distinguish ambition from greed. How much money is enough? A 12-hour day of passion—that's fun. A 12-hour day of hating what we do and being driven by a wrong motive, such as money—that's torment. Don't get me wrong. I'm ambitious and competitive, but I've literally left millions of dollars on the table because the opportunity was not something I was passionate about. I make distinctions between what I love, what I need and what I don't.

Apply CEO financial management tools to your enterprise:

• Make a budget and stick to it. Keep the cash flow positive. That means taking in more money than you pay out, plain and simple. Question every expenditure.
• Create a monthly income statement and a balance sheet to monitor the financial health of your enterprise.
• Keep your new enterprise money separate from family money. This is a business, not a hobby.

When you're confident that your enterprise can support itself and eventually become profitable, focus on the next part of the enterprise model—the framework.

ASSEMBLE AN EXTRAORDINARY FRAMEWORK

I could not imagine running the company I have now without the extraordinary framework of staff, subcontractors, vendors and consultants who support it. In the early days, I didn't need that, nor would I have known what to do with it.

Even if you work solo, you can benefit from talented consultants, vendors and subcontractors. From day one I hired subcontractors to assist me with projects. This worked so well that I put off hiring my first employee for 10 years. Eventually I recognized that to stretch toward a bigger vision, I had to add employees to the framework. Expect your framework to change as your vision changes.

If you've chosen the corporate route, create as many connections as you can with vendors, clients and professional peers. They will be your framework, an invisible but substantial scaffold to support your climb up the corporate ladder.

Don't Run Over People on Your Way to Wicked Success

I live in what could almost be described as a pastoral setting. Although I live in Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, I actually reside in a city within the city of Houston, a small neighborhood with its own fire and police departments. On Saturday mornings, I can watch the hunky firemen wash and wax their fire trucks. We have soccer and little league fields and when the weather's nice, the air is filled with the sounds of children engaging in organized chaos.

Except for one small thing, it's like living in a Norman Rockwell painting: Right in the middle of these fields of fun is an elementary school. On my morning drive to the office I have the misfortune to pass through a school zone full of frenzied, caffeine-deprived soccer moms jockeying for position to drop off their little ones.

Suddenly a quiet street turns into a heavy-metal demolition derby, death race, Indy 500 and bumper-car ride teeming with median-strip-hopping SUVs the size of small aircraft. Dropping off children is a competitive sport, likely to become the next bad reality TV show.

Like a pool of armored piranhas, they come at you from all directions—U-turning, 16-point-turning, stopping and waiting, turn signal on, for a parking spot that won't be available until that other driver gets off her cell phone, walks her child to the school, has a conference and cookie with the teacher, walks back, adjusts her makeup in the rearview mirror, punches up her favorite song and heads off to Starbucks for a scone and Skinny Latte before yoga class.

The relentlessness makes me a little crazy. At the center of this race for the door stand the gatekeepers who patiently wave the cars in, one after the other. These wizards have the power to banish an unruly mom to a second lap around the loop before discharging her precious cargo. The person who, two seconds ago, was threatening to pull your intestines out through your teeth suddenly becomes as docile as a lamb when faced with the power of the gatekeepers.

Do you act like these soccer moms in your business world—only being nice to the people who can help you, and sometimes not even them? Be careful, or you may get banished to a few more laps, delaying your wicked success.

In the corporate world, it never pays to alienate a person who holds the cards. Do you ever wonder why some employees get 10 percent pay raises while others get the standard 3 percent? Most people think it's their boss's decision, but often it's not—it's theirs.

Be nice to everyone, not just the gatekeepers, on your way to wicked success. Think of your enterprise as a relationship business. Treat everyone as an ally, even those who can't advance you. The world is becoming flatter and smaller. It pays to play nice with others and to fly lightly.

I have a paperweight that reads, “Angels fly because they take themselves lightly.” Any enterprise requires involvement with another person. Take what you do seriously, and yourself lightly. Have fun and make the people around you happy you're there. Make everyone in your enterprise (small and large) feel heard, valued and important.

Get Your Hands Dirty

I always joke that I'm a working CEO, a style that makes things happen. Successful CEOs get their hands dirty. All great chefs work in the kitchen. You can't cook from behind your desk. The best leaders lead by example. Get out from behind your desk and chop some onions. If you're down in the trenches, instead of always standing on the sidelines giving orders, it's easier to convince others to fall in with you. And you'll consistently demonstrate the standards you expect.

This doesn't mean you're doing someone else's job; it means your team sees you as working as hard as they do.

Vote Them Off Your Island

Satisfying relationships are a joy to have in your enterprise. We all prefer working with people we like, who deliver what they promise. It could be a boss who mentored you into a promotion, a business advisor who helped you through a tough period or an employee who's always the first to show up and get the day started.

My marketing director, Megan, jumps on each and every project on her to-do list like a serial killer. She attacks, delegates, completes and moves on to the next item without pause. I know I can trust her with an assignment, and once I do, it's as good as done.

Certain individuals, however, no matter how positive you are about your enterprise, can wreck your framework. It might be a subcontractor who's always late with work product, a Debbie Downer dragging at you and sucking the fun out of the room or a drama queen who makes mountains out of the tiniest molehills.

If a client, vendor, boss or employee isn't meeting your vision's criteria, vote them off your island! You have the sole power to hire and fire. No, you can't fire your boss, but you can look for another job or a transfer to another department.

This is America. Be enterprising and exercise your freedom of choice. Is there someone you need to vote off your island to ensure your foundation and framework stay strong? How long have you been putting it off? Just do it.

EVERYTHING IS MARKETING

The old saying among entrepreneurs, that nothing happens in business until “somebody sells something,” is equally true in life. From the moment you were old enough to realize that a smile could “sell” your parents on giving you another cookie, you've been marketing your ideas.

• Getting a pay raise means selling your supervisor on your abilities, attitude and experience. That's marketing.
• Convincing your spouse it's okay to turn off the ballgame and cuddle up for some intimacy may require charm and persuasion. That's marketing.
• Convincing your property owners' association to resurface the tennis courts might require a benefit analysis and presentation. That's marketing.

When I earned my master's degree, I learned the hard way that this valuable asset had no value unless I marketed it. No one at the hospital said, “Thank you for pursuing higher education. Here's the pay raise you deserve.” I attempted to market that idea to my manager, but she didn't buy in (not even 25 cents/hour), so I marched my asset out the door. I marketed that same concept to a different hospital and got the raise I deserved.

Perhaps your passionate vision doesn't include career or financial goals. Perhaps your vision is to bring together a widely separated extended family for a big reunion.

Note that for the remainder of this chapter I will be using the terms “clients” and “prospects” in a broad way, not just for selling in the business world. Your supervisor is a client. Your spouse is a client. For purposes of the family reunion, family members are prospects. The concepts of marketing apply to the family reunion—you'll have to sell your reunion idea, including the date and place, to all family members.

Here's the question you must answer for any enterprise you pursue: Why should a prospect choose you and your enterprise?

Find a Need, Fill It and Get People to Buy In

What Need Will You Fill?

A woman seeking promotion spots an opportunity to use her skills and experience in an area that will benefit the company or department she works for. An entrepreneur spots a need for products or services in her industry that's not being adequately met. What do they have in common? They both have insight into a need that will potentially spark a successful enterprise.

Purchasing any service or product is an emotional event. The primary reason a customer buys is not to own the item or have the service, but to meet emotional needs: to seek comfort, reduce stress, fulfill social needs, achieve something significant, change status or lifestyle or even invest in the future.

For example, a woman shopping for lipstick at a makeup counter is satisfying the emotional need to feel good, look pretty or indulge herself after a hard week at her job. An employer or supervisor who hires or promotes you may be satisfying high-stake emotional needs, such as winning at the corporate game, attaining status and gaining a promotion.

Understanding that people use emotion to make buying decisions gives you an edge in marketing to them. There's probably no purchase more emotional than buying a wedding dress. Emotion is the very reason I accidentally purchased a very expensive one (not in my budget) on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. I was just out browsing that day. Within seconds after I entered Fred Hayman, an enterprising saleswoman approached and asked if I was looking for anything special. I joked, “Just a wedding dress.”

Without taking her eyes from mine, she reached into the rack with her left hand, pulled out a dress, held it up against me and commandingly snapped the fingers of her free hand. I was swept into a dressing room by winged monkeys and before I knew it, not only was I wearing the dress, but also shoes, purse, earrings and necklace—fully accessorized and ready to walk down the aisle. Sipping champagne, I was living my wedding in full-blown color. I didn't just want that dress; emotionally, I needed it (accessories too). No other dress would do. My American Express card was distressed, but I was an ecstatic bride-to-be.

How Will You Fill the Need?

The corporate woman must have experience and knowledge that benefit her company. The entrepreneur must provide products or services that fulfill a need or perceived need, in the marketplace. Likewise, your prospects need to believe they're making a wise choice when they buy your product, purchase your services or hire you into their corporate world. Credentials and qualifications are nice, but that's not why people buy.

The most common mistake I see people making, whether job searching or advertising a business, is stating generic qualities that anyone can claim, such as, “organized and analytical” or “on time and dependable.” Who among us would say we're not organized, analytical, on time or dependable? If you have a unique quality, sell it.

A second common mistake I see is stating expertise or credentials without a benefit statement; for example, “I have 10 years of experience.” The prospect might not instantly understand all the benefits these 10 years of experience offer.

Instead, entrepreneurs or aspiring employees should research the prospect or company before entering the market or interview. From that research they should not only demonstrate that they understand the prospect's needs but also offer concrete examples of how they can fill those needs.

No one demonstrates how they're going to fill a need better than Abercrombie & Fitch. They cordon off the entrance of their New York City flagship store with a velvet rope, like a nightclub, forcing shoppers to stand in a long line on Fifth Avenue. Add heavy clouds of fragrance, loud music and a live model posing just inside the entrance, seducing you to step in for a photo. All this buzz entices more people to get in line to be part of this happening experience.

This not-so-subtle practice is a shout out that A&F understands their prospects need to be hip; and this is only the beginning of how they will fill that need. If you stand in line, you're already wicked cool and certain to be more so when you've surrendered your hard-earned cash to walk out with their hip, loaded shopping bag and that photo of you with the young stud-muffin flaunting his six-pack abs.

Who Will Buy It?

The corporate woman must sell her promotion to her supervisor, who must then sell it to management. The entrepreneur must identify and understand her market to sell her products or services.

Walking through the Houston Galleria one evening with no particular destination in mind, no goal or focus, I found myself taking in the shops from a different perspective. Normally, I'm what Tom refers to as an F&F shopper—fire and forget. I usually enter the mall with laserlike focus, make my purchases and come right back out, paying little attention to the in between.

This night, I strolled past one window after another featuring mind-numbing displays of solids, stripes, plaids and every color under the sun. I started to wonder, “With such intense competition, how does a store persuade a prospect to buy?” The answer: by understanding who will buy their product and catering to that knowledge.

For example, when you walk into Neiman-Marcus, everything about that store, from displays to customer service, suggests you've already arrived, and you probably have. When you walk into bebe, everything about that store suggests you're 18 years old, size 2 and just discovering sex for real; and you probably are.

Are you trying to be all things to all people, or is it clear you understand your buyer?

Finally, the most effective marketing strategy is the work product itself. Quality work product (or lack of it) has the last word in determining who will return to buy again. The quality of your work product precedes you, and, good or bad, hangs around long after the sale.

Add Pillars to Your Marketing Foundation

There's no single magic bullet for effective marketing. Marketing is most successful when based on a foundation with multiple pillars. If your whole enterprise depends on one marketing strategy (one pillar), your business or career could easily fall, knocked off its lone marketing prop by unforeseen circumstances.

Add one pillar at a time, systemize that strategy, then repeat the process, adding pillars and systemizing each one, with the goal of adding as many effective strategies as possible. For example, if you choose to focus on word-of-mouth referrals, first systemize how you request and obtain referrals. Once you're satisfied that you've mastered the art of winning referrals, add the next pillar (e.g., social media), then the next (e.g., advertising).

Free and inexpensive strategies, such as networking, can be equally as effective as marketing strategies that require an extensive budget. Market smart by first creating as many free marketing pillars as you can.

A single additional pillar could increase the growth of your enterprise 5 percent, 20 percent, even 100 percent or more. As you add solid pillars, each one effectively attracting customers, you'll become a true marketing pro.

Women Aren't the Only Ones Who Love a GWP

Like most women, I'm a sucker for a gift with purchase (GWP) at a makeup counter. I never met a GWP offer I could refuse, so I try to steer clear of the mall when I know they're being offered.

I have a favorite sales rep, Lisa, who tried to sell me a new product, but I didn't bite. To my surprise, when I got home, that very product was in my bag! That's right, the actual product, not the sample size. That free gift turned out not to be free at all because I love this product so much I'll probably be buying it for the rest of my life, or its life.

“Free” is the single enterprising strategy that keeps going and going and going. It has gathered so much momentum that today it's expected. If there's no GWP, we'll pass.

My first attorney-client was interested in one service from me: research. So what did I do? I completed the research and, additionally, wrote him a report. On the second case, he said “Vickie, write me one of those reports.”

If you're seeking a promotion, don't just do your job well. Get in the middle of something that's not your job. That's how you'll get noticed and recognized. I rarely promote someone who only does what his or her job description requires. Why would I? If I have to tell you what to do, you're not going to be on my promotion list.

One woman in my company almost single-handedly took over the automation of our online program—not a small task. She steeped herself in the details and built rapport with the vendor. She created meticulous policies and procedures to capture the processes so anyone in the company could work comfortably with the system. Today Brandy is a manager in her department because of the enterprising way she “owned” that project.

If you believe strongly in what you have to offer, you'll find a way to get a GWP into the hands of your prospects. Warning: If your prospects like it too much, you may not have time for your own shopping anymore.

Don't Market Up the Wrong Tree

Sometimes entrepreneurs get so caught up in marketing to prospects that we forget one of the most lucrative marketing sources—our existing clients. In the corporate setting, sometimes employees are so busy seeking out their next job that they miss the opportunity right in front of them.

Focusing your marketing efforts on existing and prior clients will often yield a much higher return on your efforts than prospecting for new ones. A satisfied client is your hottest prospect because she already appreciates the benefits of using—and is willing to pay for—your product or services. The relationship dramatically increases the odds of successfully selling yourself again.

It takes time and effort to create a business relationship with a stranger. Creating and distributing your marketing packets or resumes, making phone calls, scheduling and attending interviews, then following up, can swallow precious time you could devote to working on your enterprise.

Even experienced entrepreneurs sometimes forget to go back to existing clients for new business. I mentored an entrepreneur who was providing one or two services to approximately 30 clients. We focused on growing her business by providing just one more service, then one more after that, to each of her clients. By concentrating her marketing efforts on existing clients, she made better use of her time and has tripled her revenues.

We're all in a relationship business, and I like to think of client relationships as long term. Once you've invested the marketing time and money to establish a relationship, it's nothing short of criminal to abandon it.

DON'T JUST CREATE AN EXPERIENCE—CREATE AN UNFORGETTABLE MEMORY

Why do we pay big bucks to Disney to stand in long lines, for long periods of time that challenge any woman's bladder? And why do we laugh and smile while we're doing it? Why do we pay 30 times more for that 12-ounce cup of Starbucks coffee than it costs us to brew it at home? The product? No. The experience? No. It's the unforgettable memories of the experience.

Fifty-year-olds vividly remember the experience of their first trip to Disney, but what they cherish most are those unforgettable memories and the feelings wrapped around them. Starbucks lovers remember the experience of the coffee, but cherish the unforgettable memories that go with the cozy coffee shop atmosphere. Creating an unforgettable memory is what enterprising women exploit in all ventures they undertake.

Every New Year's holiday, Tom and I head to one of our favorite places in the world, Napa Valley. This is a secret I shouldn't tell you, but New Year's is one of the best times to visit Napa—few tourists, no traffic, a stark beauty to the empty vines and, my favorite reason to go, the wine.

Wineries offer two types of tastings. The first is the generic over-the-counter tasting available in the winery's public space. You walk in, plop your money on the counter and, depending on the winery, toss back either some decent wine or a glass of grape juice. If you like it, you buy it and move on to the next tasting.

Less common is the “estate” tasting. Usually by appointment only, some estate tastings are so exclusive you need the right networking contact to get in. Once you're there, it's free. But better than free, you get to taste the best wines offered by that winery; and the event often ends with the winemaker making referrals and inviting you to the next estate tasting.

Over the years Tom and I have done many tastings of both types, but nothing compares to sitting in a wine cave exploring the complexities of a great wine with the actual winemaker. Tasting in the cloistered ambience of the cellar is an unforgettable experience. I know intellectually that I should never buy wine after drinking in the cellar, but I'm the sucker who always does. Spending a glorious afternoon chatting and sipping Continuum with Robert Mondavi's granddaughter, Carissa, in the sunroom of her family's hilltop winery created an unforgettable memory that will enhance every bottle of Continuum I drink. Have I tasted a better wine? Sure, but not every bottle in my wine cellar is infused with that tasting memory.

Now, I'm not recommending that you serve wine to your clients or colleagues (unless it's after noon). But I recommend that you go above and beyond the same old wine tasting experience that less enterprising people offer in similar ventures. Don't create a pedestrian, over-the-counter offering when you have the ability to create something spectacular that will capture more business, more job promotions or more lucrative deals.

Customer Service Rants and Raves

David's Folly

Tom and I were having dinner in a fairly chic restaurant. Our waiter, David, asked what we wanted to drink. Having already reviewed the menu while waiting at the bar, we proceeded to order wine and appetizers.

He came back with our wine and proceeded to tell us about the appetizers. He had his script down and launched into it as if he'd never seen us before.

I politely interrupted his litany to remind him that we'd already ordered appetizers and wanted to learn the daily specials. That seemed to jog David's memory somewhat, but a little disconcerted by our preempting him, he skipped over the specials and told us he'd be right back with our starters.

I heard the woman at the next table say she “would have loved the fried soft-shell crabs, but fried foods are so bad for you.” My ears were on it and I was all in. Being from New Orleans, the idea of sentencing a soft-shell crab or two to a quick, cornmeal-battered, deep-fat-fried death doesn't bother me.

I wondered why David hadn't mentioned the crab, or any entrée specials, and then I realized—it was because he couldn't handle the script change. I asked him about the soft-shell crab special when he returned with the appetizers, and he compounded his errors by denying they were offering such a dish. My guess: he'd already put in our dinner order and was unwilling to retract it from the computer.

Throughout dinner, this waiter's service was distracted, snooty and too serious for what was supposed to be a fun night out. David cost the restaurant future business. We never went back.

Tiffany's Enterprise

Tom and I went to purchase a new mattress. Immediately a young salesperson named Tiffany walked up and introduced herself. She asked what we were looking for, and actually listened to our answer. After helping us with the mattress set, she pointed out other products we might love, without exerting any pressure tactics. She was so good at marketing, I thought I'd just met a new best friend.

We went in shopping for a mattress, but on her recommendation, we tried out all the recliners and added two of them to our growing list of purchases. I had to draw the line when I heard her telling Tom about cup and snack holders for his recliner.

When she rang up our purchases, she noticed the store's inventory indicated it would be a week before the mattress set could be delivered. She offered to send over the floor model, along with a complimentary set of sheets, to let us sleep on as a test until ours arrived. We walked out of the store the proud new owners of not only a mattress but also two new recliners, two reading lamps and other accessories—a not inconsiderable sale for a couple of hours work.

On the day of delivery, Tiffany arrived at our house with the delivery truck. She supervised the load-in and helped set up everything. After the crew left, Tiffany stayed to orient us to our purchases and to go over our invoice. The next day she called to see how we'd slept and asked if we had any questions or needed any adjustments. She also updated us on the delivery date for our mattress.

Who was this woman? And why aren't there more Tiffanys in the world? Tiffany not only took charge of the sale from the minute we walked into the store but also did everything she could to make our experience memorable. To this day, I'm in awe.

The Airline Industry's Idiocy

Christmas and the holidays are supposed to be the merriest time of year, so why is airline customer service at that time of year the gloomiest? It starts with the smiling (not) faces of the check-in staff. They're the first impression you get of the service you're about to receive (or not).

I'm sure everyone dislikes some part of their job, but excuse me, sir, you're there to help me check in, tag my bags, get them on the belt and tell me my gate number. If you don't like your job, rotate to something else. Don't make a face because my bag looks heavy or because I have three. Yes, I know you're going to charge me to check them, but you don't have to be so stern about it. I'm a customer, not a prisoner—at least not until I board.

Once onboard, being a nurse makes it impossible to sympathize with a flight attendant who's upset that I asked for a second glass of lukewarm water. Here's what nurses do every day: change catheters, clean suppurating wounds and get sprayed by bodily fluids we shouldn't discuss in mixed company, but still do.

Some flight attendants make me want to stick them with an oversized needle in their most tender body part while saying, “Look lady, I asked you for a napkin, not to wipe my ass. Yes, I know there are other passengers, but right now the three of you are standing in the back of the plane kvetching about your upcoming layover in Poughkeepsie.”

Remember, your client isn't always right, but he's still your client. Just be grateful he didn't ask you to wipe his butt. If he's paying you to do a job, it's your job to do it with a smile on your face, if not in your soul.

Apple's Awesomeness

The Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York City is the mecca of customer service. Like an airline, this store is open 24 hours a day, and there's usually a line to get inside. Unlike an airline, people wait patiently, even expectantly, because they know that once they're inside, the experience will be extraordinary. When's the last time you heard someone say their flight or shopping experience was extraordinary—unless they were talking about extraordinary prices?

Apple sets the highest bar for customer service, plus the store is wicked cool inside. The staff helps you with your purchase and stays with you until you're finished shopping. They accompany you to the checkout line or point out one of the roaming checkout staffers, who come conveniently equipped with a wireless credit card machine. You walk up to any of them with your purchase, joyfully swipe your credit card and get on your way without a hassle. My receipt is emailed to my iPhone before I'm out the door.

Even if you don't buy anything, staffers will patiently answer any question about all the cool stuff on display. And you get to play with it as long as you want, without the stare-downs aimed at making you feel guilty for not buying. You can even make an appointment to bring in your computer, iPad, or iPhone to get whatever service or training you need, including how to turn it on. The entire experience is exhilarating. It makes me want to turn my whole office into Mac users.

And when you purchase an Apple product, you're getting not only the glitz and most amazing sensory experience, you're getting products of real substance. You feel special and cooler for owning them, as if you've received the most wonderful gift, even though you probably forfeited your entire paycheck to buy it.

Like Disney, give your clients, customers, boss, spouse, or significant other a reason to stand in line and pay big bucks for you.

Like Tiffany, offer a seamless experience from beginning to end. Offer lagniappe, something extra.

Like Apple, make your client feel cooler for using you or your product.

Whether you own a business or work for someone else, know this—we exist because of the people we service. Aim to be like Tiffany, Disney, Starbucks and Apple, not like David and the airline industry.

BE YOUR OWN NUMBER ONE FAN

CEOs promote their companies and their achievements. They know that buyers don't want to purchase from losers. Announce your achievements. This is hard for many women, but if you don't do it, who will?

With humility, let people know when you've won an award, finished a big project or expanded your services. Studies show that women will underestimate their own abilities, judging themselves lower than their skills prove, while men overestimate their abilities, judging themselves more competent.

Men are bold about taking credit for everything they do at work. They do it at home too. “Honey, I took out the trash!” And you say, “Thanks honey, that was sweet to help out since I just worked a full day, bought groceries, cooked dinner, helped the kids with homework and cleaned the house. Would you like another beer?”

Who you know is important, but even more important is who knows you. Achievements spotlight your resume and expand your credibility. Keep your name in front of everyone—your supervisor, your banker, your grocer, your Facebook friends. You never know where opportunity will strike.

Announcing your achievements also validates the choices people have made on your behalf. The boss who promoted you, or the buyer who purchased from you, wants to know they bet on a winner.

DON'T BE A COMMODITY

Top CEOs build businesses that are not easily duplicated. Ease of duplication creates commodities, and a commodity business is the kiss of death.

Water used to be a commodity, until companies like Fiji and Perrier changed our perception. Today, water, available just about everywhere for free, outsells almost every other bottled drink, at a high price and high profit margin.

When you build relationships, you can never be duplicated. Our company doesn't sell seminars, online education or DVDs, although those are the media we employ. Instead, we sell a relationship, which includes mentoring. Our ideas might be duplicated, but our relationships with our customers cannot be. After the purchase, our relationship doesn't end, it intensifies.

We also have a six-month guarantee, unprecedented in the education industry. Our guarantee earns the trust of our prospects when they see the $13,000 sticker price. When you choose to not be a commodity, and price yourself accordingly, a guarantee helps to take some of the risk off the shoulders of your prospects.

If you're advancing through the corporate route, don't be a commodity. Don't shrink into your chair and become the invisible employee. Get in the middle of everything. Bring new ideas to the table. Make yourself invaluable and hard to replace by building relationships throughout the company.

Don't Underprice Yourself

Top CEOs reject the common thinking that “if you drop your price, you'll get the job” or “lower price equals higher sales.” For 29 years people have said my products are expensive—until they purchase and use them. Smart buyers understand that anything cheap can be expensive in the long run; they will buy in to your enterprise as long as you provide value for the dollar. You actually lose credibility when you underprice yourself.

When recruiting, I weed out the candidates who underprice themselves, assuming they wouldn't work at the level I expect. In my office I've had to give women pay raises because they underprice themselves, but don't expect your boss to do the same for you.

Don't underprice yourself in relationships. Surveys reveal that one of the least happy groups of people are married women. I suggest that these unhappy married women are underpricing themselves in the marriage enterprise.

Don't underprice yourself by exhibiting unprofessional behavior. What your boss really wants is a personal clone in terms of work ethic and loyalty to the company. Model your boss. Know what your boss needs and wants, and deliver it. Become indispensable.

Most people socialize with coworkers at their same level while considering executives unapproachable or, worse, the enemy. The real secret to advancement is to spend time with coworkers at all levels, especially the one who decides your next raise.

To ensure you never become a commodity, set your own standards. Someone else's may not be high enough. Mushing a dog sled across an Alaskan glacier, I learned firsthand that if you're not the lead dog, the view from the rear never changes. And the rear is exactly where you'll be if you compete only with others.

To excel in enterprise, be the lead dog. Be aware of competition, but don't allow that awareness to veer you off course. If you focus on your competition (someone richer, more successful or better looking), you'll always be one step behind them. If you focus on your own enterprise and compete with your own best performance, you'll be the lead dog your competitors imitate, leaving them in the rear. Be an innovator, not an imitator.

NEGOTIATE LIKE YOU MEAN IT

As a woman, you already negotiate every personal enterprise you're involved in. You negotiate with your spouse about family finance. You negotiate with your children to get them to eat their dinners. You negotiate with your in-laws to spend a holiday with your own family.

You are constantly negotiating, so add the following strategies to your already existing arsenal when you negotiate for any enterprise.

Ask for Everything at the Beginning of the Negotiation

Don't add on as you go along. It makes you appear unfair. For example, if you tell a prospect your consulting fee is $150/hour and his reply is, “That's very reasonable,” you can't jump in and say, “I really want $175/hour.”

Think through what you really want before you sit down to negotiate. Prepare the list of points you must have and the points you're willing to give up. Some people do keep score. Being able to track what you really need helps you let the other party win points as you score big.

Ask for More Than You Think You Can Get

Don't jump too fast to say yes to the first offer, even if you think it's fair. Assess the situation, the person making the offer and how far you can go. This is not being greedy; this is being a strong negotiator. You might be surprised at what's yours for the taking if you only ask for it.

I mentored an entrepreneur whose client firmly told her that instead of her hourly fee, he would pay her a flat rate for a project. The problem: The project involved too many moving parts. Locking herself into a flat fee could cost her. She was concerned that she would lose this project unless she agreed to those unfavorable terms.

My advice was to stand firm on her hourly fee. She did, and as I predicted, the client agreed to her hourly rate.

You must be willing to ask for more than you think you can get, especially when the offer is not favorable to you.

Appear Detached Even When You're Not

The most pivotal day in the early years of my business was recognizing that my success did not rely on any one attorney-prospect. If one said no, there were a million more out there. This insight gave me the ability to detach when negotiating. One attorney wouldn't make or break my business, but entering into bad deals because I was too caught up in making a deal certainly would.

If you don't like the deal with one person, remember there are plenty of others waiting for you to call.

Negotiate with the Person, Not the Billion-Dollar Company

Don't assume your bargaining power is weak just because your business is smaller or you need the deal more than the other party. Negotiating can be challenging when you're faced with the perception of uneven power positions, but weakness is one thing you can't allow the other side to see.

I have rewritten entire contracts sent to me from companies much bigger than mine that claimed I must sign their contract “as is.” Everything is negotiable, so if you have something to offer, go ahead, negotiate.

I successfully negotiated a contract with a company that exceeds $1 billion in revenue, simply by remembering it was the person, not the company, I was negotiating with. Eight contract drafts and numerous negotiations later, we reached an agreement beneficial to both of us. That's negotiation.

Go in knowing and believing in what you have to bring to the business relationship. Even if you believe the other party holds the power card, don't underestimate what you have to offer and how it benefits that party.

Never Talk Off the Record

Never tip your hand. “Just between you and me, I want X but I'll settle for Y.” In negotiations everything is on the record, and if you say you'll settle for Y, that's what you'll end up with—or worse, even less.

Never Let the Other Party Bully You

I've worked with plenty of attorneys, met some tough negotiators, and seen many different negotiation styles at work. When I'm up against a pit bull, I'll take a walk and role-play with Tom, who can be a pit bull himself. I anticipate every possible objection and get myself into a Zen-like state. When it comes time to negotiate for real, I am centered and ready. If I go head-to-head like two pit bulls, instead of remaining calm and professional, the negotiations are destined to fail.

RETIE THE CONNECTION OVER FRIED OYSTERS

Enterprising women understand the importance of nurturing meaningful connections. Connections deepen relationships and foster loyalty for that day when a competitor knocks on your client's door, or that new talent sucks up to your boss.

Connections are also important with people who can influence your business or career. And one of my favorite benefits of connecting is referral to new clients or new opportunities.

I recently got together with one of my oldest attorney-clients over some fried oysters. I'm crazy busy, but I always make time for important relationships and fried oysters, especially with well-respected clients.

When was the last time you retied a connection with a client? If someone is important to you, get out and get them out. Even if he or she doesn't have something to give you that day, you're strengthening the relationship for future opportunities.

Ask for Referrals While You're Connecting

Referral is my favorite enterprising strategy, not just because it's free, but because it works more effectively than any other strategy I've ever used. Referral works so well because people prefer to avoid unnecessary risk. When the right person refers you, that's instant credibility. You're risk-free in the prospect's mind.

Referral, however, is not a gift. Referral business is something you have to earn. It's the result of consistently providing an excellent product or service. Put these referral strategies into action:

• To get referrals, you have to ask and women don't always ask. How many times have you said to your spouse or significant other something like, “Honey, are you hungry?” or “Is it cool in here?” when what you really mean is, “Honey, pull the darn car into the next McDonald's, I'm starving,” or “Turn up that air conditioner; it's cold enough to hang meat in here!” Ask and be specific in your request for referrals.
• Request letters of recommendation from your client or referral connection. I've had busy clients ask me to write the letter for their signature, and I was happy to oblige. If you do write the letter of recommendation, interview the connection to capture their words, so it sounds like them.
• Ask for referrals when the timing is right—that is, when a client or connection is raving about you. Assure clients of your commitment to them. Express appreciation for referrals. Say thank you often in a variety of ways.
• Follow through on the names provided and contact each referral. When you follow up, mention specifically how the connection suggested you could benefit them. Invoke the referring connection's name at every opportunity. Use information learned about the referral in all communications.
• Always try to get your foot in the door. The odds of advancing your enterprise are much stronger if you meet in person. Where possible, avoid selling yourself over the telephone or with an email—a meeting or interview is your goal.
• Systemize the referral process, and soon you'll be begging your connections to keep your name to themselves.

Retie connections often, and when you do, remember to pick up the tab. Stay connected on Facebook or through email. The connection is what's important—although I'll take fried oysters over Facebook any day.

NETWORKING IS NOT WORKING

People often say to me, “You must have known a lot of attorneys when you started your business,” suggesting that the adage “It's not what you know, it's who you know” is the guaranteed path to success. Actually, I didn't know any attorneys. I didn't live in their neighborhoods or get invited to their parties.

Networking did lead me to my first client, but it works best when you're selective. Unless you're selective, networking events become nothing more than a waste of your time, and that's when networking is not working.

Successful people are selective about where and with whom they network. You won't find them at your typical breakfast club meeting. They research what they need, locate the source and ask. They create a network of colleagues, clients, consultants, vendors and acquaintances they can depend on to deliver anything from information to referrals.

One woman entrepreneur shares:

That year she spent in the wrong networking group is an example of networking not working. Ultimately she wisely sought out and found the appropriate group to network with, but at what cost?

Be cautious also with how much power you give established networking groups, such as associations. Such groups can absorb time while distracting you from engaging big. And you could be taking advice from people who mean well, but are not qualified. Always assess the validity of advice offered.

Cast your net selectively. Don't confuse networking with socializing. Choose opportunities that put you in the middle of people who are even more successful than you are. Cultivate your network using your relationship skills to include successful people outside your industry.

Expect to give as much as you get. I receive requests daily from people I don't know or know marginally. If I said yes to them all, I wouldn't get my own work done or I'd be in a psychiatric unit. Most successful people get bombarded. That's why networking is often not working, and that's where the relationship makes a difference.

An ex-employee I respect and like asked me to speak to a group of 50 college students. I said yes. This is time I wouldn't have donated if we had just met casually through networking. The power of networking comes in the strength of the relationships you build, not just showing up and asking people to do something for you.

Engage in powerful and meaningful networking, not just a pocket full of business cards and a glass of cheap white zinfandel. Expect high performance from your network. If it's not productive, move on.

KEEP THE WIND IN YOUR SAILS

Every business is made up of thousands of details. Entrepreneurs like to spend their time creating, so the smartest are adept at systemizing routine tasks. Don't reinvent the wheel every day.

Someone once commented that processes take the wind out of his sails. For me, it's just the opposite. When I or my staff try to manage complex details without processes and systems, the wind goes right out of our sails.

I want as many practices as possible to be automatic. I don't want to be distracted by incidentals when I can be concentrating on something big. I don't want to be searching for a lost file because someone misfiled it; I want to focus on important projects.

In the early years of my business, I woke up one morning and had a reality check: My lack of systems and processes were kicking my butt. My office looked like a shipwreck with the debris and detritus strewn about by the tide of day-to-day business. I was so busy working projects I had completely ignored my business and the systems necessary to manage it properly. I could no longer afford to take 10 minutes to locate this file or that file.

I needed to act fast to avoid drifting out to sea, so I tackled the problem with a vengeance and determination equal to Captain Ahab's in his pursuit of the great white whale.

Systems and processes not only help you, they are essential, as you grow by leveraging others' time and talents. If you can systemize a task so that it's reproducible, you can delegate it, which means you create time to do more important things.

Systems help to ensure quality and continuity:

• Create templates for emails, letters, forms and other documents that must be re-created or used frequently.
• For any new document, first review what already exists. Then copy, adapt and pull from previous efforts.
• Finally, automate any and every process possible, whether online, computerized or physical.

Make Perpetual Lists

CEOs have assistants to remind them what to do. Like executive assistants, lists can save you hours of fumbling and head-scratching. When you're managing a lot of moving parts, lists can keep you organized and prevent the tragedy and panic of forgetfulness. Our conference timeline has 708 tasks that 23 people must accomplish. There is no way we could successfully execute a conference without it.

For home, I keep a perpetual grocery list on my computer, which I simply update and print out when it's time to shop. I keep a list of travel items to pack, no matter where I'm going. Of course that hasn't prevented me from forgetting my underwear and having to take an “emergency” shopping trip to Victoria's Secret.

Which of your routines would benefit from being perpetualized on a grab-it-and-go list?

Move Like a Maverick to Solve Problems Quickly and Decisively

Top CEOs move so quickly they sometimes exhaust the people working with them, but speed is one of their success secrets. Not haphazard, as some might believe, fast-moving CEOs use a process even to guide their rapid decisions as they strengthen their enterprise.

To become an enterprising problem solver, use the genius strategies in Chapter 5. Then apply the following eight-step problem solving system. You'll never be daunted by problems again.