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Are you possessed? No, I don't mean by the demons thatenabled The Exorcist's Regan to turn her head a full 360degrees. But I have a theory (previously unspoken) that mostsuccessful people are possessed by some force (or spirit, if youwill) that drives you toward your goals. Sometimes this canmanifest itself literally as a voice in your head. Or it can bejust a feeling you get in your gut that leads you in a certaindirection. However your possession manifests itself, it'simportant to pay attention. Too many of us are so fixated on thereal and tangible that we ignore the more ephemeral, though it canlead us to the answers to our questions and challenges.
Now, I'm not telling you to go on a retreat, head for thebeach or take up meditation or yoga. (Not that those arenecessarily bad suggestions, but I, for one, am incapable ofclearing my mind.) Frequently the best solutions come to you whenyou aren't even actively seeking them. Suddenly a "whatif" pops into your head. The key here is to not ignore theniggling thought, but to play it out. What if you lowered yourprices? Would you make more by selling more? What if you changedyour marketing message? What if you targeted an entirely newaudience for your products and/or services? What if you teamed upwith a partner or another business for easier expansion? You getthe picture, right?
I have two good friends in the sunglasses business. The tighteconomy (sunglasses are an impulse purchase) and the terroristattacks (they sell their sunglasses primarily at touristattractions) have hit their business hard this year. Thoughrevenues still easily top the million-dollar mark, they've hadto scramble to keep up. They've done everything they can toroll with the punches: lower prices, offer discounts and give awayaccessories. These ideas have kept them afloat, allowing thebusiness to ride out the tough times.
But in the middle of the tumult, one of the owners had an idea.It wasn't fully formed, but jumped into his head in the form ofa "what if." Without giving away his idea, I'll tellyou he basically came up with a whole different style of sunglassesto sell. In a few short months, they had prototypes made, logosdesigned, a business plan written and alliances forged. They'reabout to go to a trade show to see if this idea will fly. The keyis, when the idea sprang into one of the partner's heads, hewas open to it.
If you think ideas never come to you like this, I would arguethat you're not listening. A psychic once told me every one ofus has psychic abilities; some just pay more attention than others.So if the ideas are not popping into your head, make them. Play the"what if" game. Just write down all the "whatif" questions you can think of that are related to yourbusiness. Then look over your list and see what's doable.Before you undertake any radical changes, ask yourself, what'sthe worst that can happen if you do this? If your answer is, itcould put you out of business, don't do it. If not, why nottry?
This has been a rough year for many of us. As I've saidbefore, rough times don't last forever. Many of us have goneback to business basics, which is a good thing. But now is the timeto go forward. Spring is about rebirth. 'Tis the season to trysomething new. Something different. Anyway, that's what thevoice in my head is telling me.
