Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Successful People is one of the most owned but least read books. Nearly every professional I know has bought it or has received it for a gift or both. And, so few have actually taken the time to read it. That means even fewer people have actually put this great advice to work.
Today, I will save everyone some trouble and focus on one of his most important messages. It’s good one for this time of year. Small businesspeople tend to do one of two things in the summer. They either try to take a big step forward, preparing for the next big run once summer schedules are over or they coast through the summer thinking they will make improvements after they are through relaxing. This is just like the fable about the ant and the grasshopper. The businesses that get ahead are the ones who are like the ant and work diligently to get ahead through the easy days. You don’t want to be the grasshopper wishing you had prepared better.
Covey has a great way of putting it. Habit 7 is Sharpen The Saw. This means find ways to renew and improve yourself. Refreshing and renewing in all aspects of your person makes you stronger and more capable. In terms of business, it means making an effort to renew what has grown stale, what has plateaued and what needs a jump start. I have noticed a very strong trend in the improvements most prospects and clients are buying. Most are buying video to enhance their web site and buying mobile sites to increase their visibility. But almost no one is retooling or redesigning their web sites. Bells and whistles are being added and those are good. That sharpens the saw. But, what about the Internet strategies that really need some work? Adding video there is not nearly as impactful as having a much improved site, especially if a redesign makes it more user friendly and search engine friendly.
So, I suggest to things: First... be the ant. Second... be honest about your web site. If you need a new one, sharpen the saw for your business. And, to empower and offer incentive for you to do this, Dog Star Media is going to make a standing offer that is good through August 31, 2010. If you buy a 30-page Flash/HTML web site ($7500), then we will offer four-minutes of web drop video (the doctor speaking to the site visitor on a transparent background) for free. This is a $4800 financial value and a highly significant site upgrade. The HTML/Flash/Video site is the most competitive site out there. It is search engine friendly, makes a high-end impression and is highly competitive with the doctor making a video first impression.
How can we make this offer even better? We will customize payment plans to your convenience. Normally, we break up a web site into three equal payments. But, if it helps you make this step, I will bend our rules and we can work out a payment plan of equal payments that makes you comfortable with choosing to sharpen this saw.
Please let me know if you are interested in our Summer Web Site Special. Free video with an HTML/Flash web site only through August 31, 2010. Get it while it’s hot! If you are interested, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.
