I recently saw the film Silver Linings Playbook and thought it was fantastic. It had universal themes of love and pain, an all-star cast, including Bradley Copper (my hometown favorite), and a compelling story that draws you in from start to finish. It’s a movie that stays with you long after it’s over.
As a Philly native, who grew up in house filled with die-hard Eagle’s football fanatics, and a mom who made everyone’s favorite food on game day, it had a lot of familiar overtones … if you see the movie you’ll understand.
Without giving the story away, there’s a scene in the movie where Bradley Cooper’s (who suffers from bipolar disorder and is prone to rages when a certain song plays) psychiatrist tells him he needs to have a strategy to handle the situation. This got me thinking that in life, as well as in business, we all need to be proactive and have strategies to handle difficult or unexpected situations, which if you’re in business, are certain to happen.
One of the things I recommend to my coaching clients, as well as something I did in my own business, is to create an operation’s manual, a book of procedures to follow, so that when the difficult or unexpected happens you know what to do. Document procedures such as how and when you pay your invoices, how you answer the phone, how you handle requests for proposals and step-by-step strategies for handling mistakes or disputes on orders. Being proactive and having strategies in place will go a long way in making your promotional products business more successful.
I would enjoy hearing from you. What strategies are you currently using in your own business that have helped you be more successful? Have you ever had an “aha moment” from a movie or a book that influenced your business? Please comment below.
Rosalie Marcus, The Promo Biz Coach, teaches people in promotional products sales how to sell smarter, attract choice clients and increase their sales quickly and easily. She is the creator of The FAST TRACK to Making Money in Promotional Products Sales, Niche to Be Rich Secrets and the Women Selling Smarter Program. Get a free special report: 10 Big Mistakes Promotional Products Professionals Make and How to Avoid Them and Double Your Sales and a Skyrocket Your Sales Audio download at http://www.promobizcoach.com. Reach her at [email protected] or 215-572-6766.
