Professional Ideas

The best new ideas are often old ideas brought back to life. Sometimes the ideas are altered to fit particular circumstances but, many times, the application is altered to fit current circumstances.

Over twenty years ago, when I was in the financial services industry, I decided to alter our business from commission-based to charging a monthly fee based on a percentage of assets. This was a radical thought at the time because the brokerage business was based on commissions. The change was also difficult to execute because it took some time for monthly income (based on a lower rate) to catch up to handle current overhead. The change required confidence that the new monthly fees would last and we had to temporarily cut overhead at the same time.

Fortunately, it proved to be the best decision I ever made in business. Since that pivotal moment, I have never had a business that did not have a continuity component attached to it. Additionally, every business we consult with is taught the value of continuity and has it structured into their business plan.

Continuity income is simply income that is based on a monthly plan or membership program. If you have a continuity program, you can count on a certain income stream coming in each month whether you find a new client or not. This is not to say that you do not need to keep looking for new clients, because you do. Instead, it is a mechanism that produces income so that, should you have a bad month in finding new business, or should the economy falter, you still have money coming in regularly, allowing for time to make adjustments. If you do not have a continuity program in your business or profession at this time you have to get a certain amount of new customers or you are going to have serious problems in a short amount of time.

The ideal goal in a continuity program is for the continuity to first cover your monthly overhead. When you do that, all new business goes to profit and expansion. The next goal is to make money just on your continuity.

When we present the continuity factor to clients, some have an immediate experience. Others struggle with how the application could possibly be structured into their business. These clients frequently say the same thing: But my business is different. Trust us. It’s not. Let me give you some examples so you can see the applications of continuity in different businesses. Our goal is for you to consider how continuity can be applied to your business so you can enjoy its benefits.

A real estate broker in Iowa works exclusively with investors. He has a successful track record of finding good income-producing properties. He offers a tiered continuity program where investors pay different amounts each month for the opportunity to be higher up on his investor list in order to see new properties first. For $1,000 per month, you get to see them immediately. In addition, he must agree to work with you exclusively and give you a fee as a buyer’s broker when you buy the property. He also represents you when you sell the property. The continuity factor in his business takes the pressure off having to find something new in a particular month.

Frequently, continuity is designed around a marketing service or an ad campaign that a company has developed to consistently produce new clients. For example, a client we are working with has a commercial cleaning company. They have developed a very successful lead generation system. We are developing a monthly payment program based on providing leads to other cleaning companies in non-competitive areas that pay a fee for the exclusive rights to those proven marketing methods.

Our latest client is a pizza business, which our law firm is franchising. The pizza delivery company sells a monthly membership service that gives discounts and higher priority for phone orders based on membership levels.

And to blow your mind even more: We actually know of a funeral director that guarantees recovery for the family of a lost one and charges a continuity fee for counseling and grief services.

Continuity in your business will improve your income and your stress level. We encourage you to think about how continuity can be used in your business.

arketing should be done on a consistent basis. Otherwise, the snow balling effect cannot be achieved. And article marketers will only see a trickle of traffic to their websites, which in most cases, is not enough for them to build a list quickly. So a consistent effort is certainly one of the key factors to success in article marketing.

However, there is a problem that stands in the way. And that’s coming up with new ideas and topics for the articles. Say you want to write and submit ten to twenty articles per week. So that means you will have to come up with ten to twenty different topics each and every week to write on, so that the articles are unique. Where to find so many topics to write on? This problem can be easily overcome if article marketers take the time to follow the following tips.

First, make sure that you plan ahead. Plan for for you are going to write for next week. If your goal is to write ten articles, come up with more than ten topics that you can write on. You don’t even have to sit down and brainstorm for ideas. Just let the ideas come naturally to do. Once the ideas start flowing, you’ll find that it’s often the case one follow the other. So you’ll have a stream of ideas coming to you very quickly. Other times, if you find that even when you sit down and think, and you still can’t come up with any good ideas, then just relax your mind and put the pen away. But remember to always keep a notebook nearby so that when the ideas do come, write them down. You’ll be surprised how many ideas seem to come out of nowhere.

Next, when you actually sit down and write the articles, just let the ideas flow. Let your mind bring you to wherever it wants to go, and don’t fight your thoughts. Too many writers attempt to get organized right from the very beginning. As a result, they put themselves in a box very early, and find that it’s hard to be creative or keep the thoughts flowing. When thoughts don’t flow, your articles will certainly not be as good as you want them to be. The key is to just keep typing. You can always go back to edit or re-organize the content later on.

Some writers prefer to follow a template when they write. I personally find it harder to write this way, but do whatever works for you. A template is simply a fixed format for you to write. For example, if you’re going to offer some tips, your article can follow a template like – introduction, tip one, tip two, tip three, and finally the conclusion.

Your notebook will be your most important tool. Many times, writers run out of ideas not because they can’t come up with any good ideas. It’s because they often fail to keep a good record of their ideas. If you can develop this habit, you certainly won’t be facing this problem. So keep adding new ideas, don’t be too uptight about getting them organized in the beginning, and you’re well on your way to article marketing success.

Customers are getting ever more demanding, they constantly expect something new, different and exciting. Competition is fierce for just about every business and it is only by generating new ideas that you can keep ahead and attract more clients.

The problem with generating new ideas is often working out where they will come from. Those of you who believe you are not creative need to stay with me here. When you were a child of around 5 years old, 90% of you had lots of ideas, played imaginary games, and dreamt of doing things you didn’t know were impossible. By the time you were 10, that number had dropped to just 2%. No wonder so many of us believe we aren’t creative, we’ve become so conditioned to thinking logically that our creative “what if?” side hasn’t a chance to show itself.

Get Those New Ideas Flowing

· Consciously do different things – take a different route to the office, buy a different newspaper or magazine, read a completely different kind of book, try a meal you’ve never had before.

· Keep on learning – people who think they know it all soon get left behind by new ideas and technology unless they are prepared to be open to continue learning. Spend time surfing the internet, subscribe to publications that will keep you up to date.

· Ask your customers – what new products or services would they like to have?

· Talk to someone unconnected to your business – they will have a completely different perspective.

· Create the right environment – colour of decoration, type of music, furnishings, inspiring pictures. Whatever you need to get in the mood for thinking.

· Create some space – even 15 minutes a day spent ‘day dreaming’ can bring surprising results. Is it worth 15 minutes of your time each day to be more successful in your business? Put it in the diary!

How much more money would you make if you developed a new idea that just 50% of your customers bought?

© Louise Barnes-Johnston, 2007