Author Archives: Jeffrey Lee

About Jeffrey Lee

At WMA, we combine technology and expert agency services to drive cost-effective Internet Marketing strategies. By utilising our management and reporting platform we help online advertisers in Australia improve website performance. Jeffrey works closely with clients to understand their business objectives, their target audience and the competitive environment to create a comprehensive, tailored web marketing program that drives success.

aim high

Set Your Goals and Aim High

I once managed a pop band, composed of musically gifted people. We thought we already have all the perfect ingredients to succeed, and yet everything went down the drain. I found out the reason of our demise; we did not aim high enough.

Aiming high is something we hear too often but never got around to doing it; one good reason why we end up on the losing end. I hope we have the spirit of children, who aim high and will not settle on doing things halfway. I have a son who exactly aims for as high as he could imagine. It does not matter what kind of pursuit he is after, as long as in everything that he does, he does it with a lofty goal in mind.  I wish I was like my son when I managed that pop band. I wish I did not settle for less or climbed the ladder halfway. The other band members I guess were of the same mind; though they are highly talented people, they do not just have the strategy of goal setting which is basically to aim high.

What we did that time was we concerned ourselves too much on the temporal part of the business. We were only after the petty things which do not last. We got so comfortable from where we were that we forgot to extend our reach beyond the horizon. We did settle in our comfort zone and never made our way into the far reaches of success. We wasted so much time and resources being half-baked artists. I often wonder if things could have gone differently if we set our goals properly. I believe yes, we could have been way better if only we did things the right way, if only that we aimed high enough to push us to become better.

Success is a gradual process borne out of a conscious decision. You should be able to decide what your goals are. After that, you need to set your goals way higher than you thought possible, the idea is to allow yourself to extend beyond your current capacity. It is so you could craft the needed ability to shatter the existing boundaries. Your capability has no end. It only ends when you decide that it ends. You have the power to become what you have envisioned yourself to become.

Did you aim high enough? If you have any comments and feedbacks, please feel free to say it all.

 

vision-board

Vision Board

There is no better opportunity of having a clear vision than grabbing an instantaneous moment of forming your resolve. You have to have focus in everything, and focus is nowhere to be found without vision, so create one now, and post it in a board.

If you find yourself in the middle of deep contemplation, but without the single idea what exactly to do, or you have hundred other things that need attention but you have no hint where to start and what to prioritize, it only means you lack vision and you needed one, so badly. Your plans will only make sense if you know exactly where you are going. I do not even think it is possible to craft sensible plans without a sensible vision.

About 30 years ago, I learned about making up ‘vision board’ from recycled materials of used magazines. It is quite simple. You secure for yourself some magazines (this should not be hard, there could be plenty in recycle bins) with pictures of the things that you want. The pictures could depict cars, jewelry, town houses, universities and top rated vacation destinations. Cut out anything that appeals to your senses, anything that you envision of possessing, make small cut outs of them and then paste it on some board. To make the objective somehow worthwhile, the board has to be ideally large and have it hung on a wall on an area that can easily and readily be seen.

All those things that you place and pasted must be consisted of the projections of your life, current and future. It has to give off an idea of the life you wish to live: successful, happy and full. The images have to be powerful to convey a strong message of self determination on your part. It has to make a statement; statement of success and happiness.

Just recently, I uncovered my own vision board that I made a couple of years ago. It contains images of people and things that project the life that I have now. Most of the projections I placed there indeed became a reality. The people I wanted to work with then indeed exactly became the people I work with now. The success I wished to have is now progressively becoming a reality.

Make your own vision board, and make things happen. Have the life you wish to have. Project the life you wish to live .And in time, it will be yours.

accountability

Accountability is Directly Proportional to Credibility

When a crisis pops up, do you readily craft solutions and contingencies, or you eagerly list down all available excuses?

Your credibility goes through a testing by fire when you are made accountable for your actions. Your business’ success primarily depends on your ability on being accountable of all the things under your care. Your credibility is only as great as your accountability. Clients judge you by your character.

When you do business alone, there’s no way to share the work, nor the blame. You shoulder everything, so the temptation to make excuses is great. The true test of your credibility is in handling unforeseen glitches or delays. Do you face and meet it head on with your arsenals of solutions or you fall back and find anyone and anything to throw the blame. For you to truly succeed in business, you must not seek the easy way out in every crisis. The following are the common lines from people who care not to stand on their accountability:

  • I missed the meeting because the heavy traffic held me off
  • We missed the deadline because of the power interruptions
  • My computer is not in great shape, so there’s no way I could submit the reports on time

Compare these lines to people who own up to their responsibility; people who are ready for the inevitabilities:

  • I know that there could be a heavy traffic, so I left early and rode the public transport to catch the meeting on time
  • We’re calling you to let you know that we are experiencing power interruptions, but rest assured that we will try our very best to stay true to our original commitment of delivering it on time.
  • My computer is not in great shape so I better head to the nearest computer shop to do my report there

You establish and you strengthen your credibility when you begin being accountable for everything you do. You get to convey to your clients, both current and potential, that they could securely do business with you because they know that you hold yourself true to your words. Your credibility climbs as your accountability grows. They always come together. That is why it is imperative to groom yourself to being a responsible and accountable businessman because it is want clients need. People want to work with people they know they could trust. And without accountability, there is no way to build trust. Therefore, be true to your responsibilities, own it up. Do not make excuses, rather, look for solutions. And make your way to success.

I will love to hear any idea or feedback from you.

 

action

Simple strategic plan that works

The effectiveness of your plan is not dependent on its complexity but it is in how it is being implemented. Your goals need not to be vague and wordy; it is your commitment that counts.

A lot of people are having difficulty of crafting a plan; all the more of devising a plan that is workable yet simple in structure. This prompted me to craft simple steps to help you craft simplified plan but rich in wisdom and one that really works. What you need is a guide in how to come up with this plan, so I have prepared the following to make it easier for you:

Reinforce your Vision

Reinforce your vision from time to time. Remind yourself everyday about your vision. Update your vision continually, make changes, and make it grow as you also grow. Your vision must become a part of your system, and not just a composition of useless statements. Consult with it when deciding on important matters, and make it your inspiration for striving.

Identify possible ways to gauge results

You must craft strategies of measuring results. It will help you identify the key areas for which your business is strong and where it is weak. This you could give you enough preparation to make improvements.

Make your strong points stronger

After you have identified the strength of your business, you have to craft ways to make it way better and stronger. You must not get lax with your successes. Continually seek for improvements.

Prioritize things

You must know the things that you consider relevant so that you could give it priority over the others. The tendency is when things begin to improves, a businessman get entangled with so many affairs that he gets lost as to what is important and what is not. Devote your resources to things that you consider relevant. And for you to do this, you must be clear with your vision.

Keep track of things

It helps to keep track of everything that you employ with your plan. Record your progress and setbacks. Mention the specific details for future reference. As much as possible, do not left things out, include even the minute fact. This will help you to have a solid reference once you start analysis of your business.

Act and React

You need to act accordingly and react to feedbacks appropriately. The reason of having a plan is so you could organize your actions. Be prompt with your responses. If you have seen things that need rectification, attend to it immediately.

Make your plan work. Improve on areas that need improving, and celebrate with your successes.

bplan2

Make your business plan work

Many people have no problems crafting plans. It is in sticking with the plans and making it work that makes people go gaga.

Plans are an integral part of running and grooming a successful business venture. Nothing is greatly achieved in the absence of a sensible plan. It has to be a part of the system of every business entity. It is the blueprint of a business, without it, things could really get chaotic in the process. Plans however, no matter how grand, are rarely implemented the way it is designed to be implemented. Sometimes people craft plans just out of necessity and not really for the sake of making it as a concrete guide as it really is. Businessmen make carefully crafted plans, with impressive goals and strategies, and then leave it as it is. They come up with great plans at the start, and then come up with petty excuses when implementation is called for.

If you wish to succeed in your business, you really have to learn to stick with your plans. Make it useful. Or should I say use it as it is designed to be used. It could be your map of driving your business towards the path that you want it to take. Having a plan and implementing what it says makes it easier for you to manage your business and will give you desirable results. If plans are so crucial, then why so many people ignore implementing it? To help you in making your plan work for you, remember these:

  • Put your plans into writing. It makes it easier for you to implement it if the details are written.
  • Make your goals specific. Leave nothing in ambiguous terms.
  • Keep your focus at all times. Never be swayed by the threats and challenges along the way. Think of it as natural occurrence of nature.
  • Make your plans practically sound. Meaning that it is workable under any circumstances. If the point is to make your goal achievable then make your plan doable as well.
  • Share your plans with like-minded people. Withhold no details. Explain your plans and ask for their feedback how to make the plan better.
  • Keep track of all your victories and challenges. This will help you gauge the soundness of your plan and it could also tell you whether you need to do some revisions with the plan.
  • Gauge the results objectively. Any unfavorable results should be met with a positive attitude to make it work somehow
  • Never give up!

So if you have a plan, make it work!

lifecyc

Business life cycle: dealing with its inevitabilities

Everything moves in cycles; the weather, the night and day and the season. What happens now is a repetition of the past and inevitability in the future. Business even follows this law and knowing exactly how cycles work, you are better prepared to handle all the challenges that go with it.

Nothing stays the same in this world. Either one progresses or the other way around. Failure is followed by recovery, and then eventually success, and then another failure which is again succeeded by another recovery and then not long after, success, and so on.  The cycle never ends and the loop continues even long after we are gone. The economy has its own cycle, and if only you know exactly what a cycle means, then you would not have been caught surprised when the recession happened. It happened before, sure it will happen again.  Your business whether it’s small or not, will take its own cycle. It will have its own ups and downs, but as long as you know that cycles are inevitable, then you can get through anything. Fashion does not stay the same for quite long, it changes, but it does not actually introduce an entirely new style but only a slight improvement of yesterday’s. Your life is quite the best example of a cycle, starting off with vitality and tries everything with reckless abandon. Just like any business, it starts with a seemingly inexhaustible energy until it reaches a certain point that everything needs recharging. So when your business hits a snag as it courses through the business cycle, you must consider some simple ways to bring it back its enthusiasm, here are the following:

  • Innovation – Do not cease from innovating and introducing innovative products. No product stays marketable forever without even a slight modification. People are hungry for innovations. People have an insatiable hunger for something better, bigger and faster. Therefore, you have to know how to reinvent; either you reinvent the company’s image or the product line it produces. Innovation is adaptive in nature, and adaption is nature’s way of preserving itself. If you can keep a profile of being highly innovative, you will come out as fresh. And this will eventually translate to something greater.
  • Joint venture – A joint venture is a picture of power poised for a great new start. It is a very good opportunity to overhaul your system to rightly fit with your partner thus giving you better capability of preparing for business cycles’ ups and downs.
  • Self reinvention – you will also have to reinvent yourself even if you are a soloist businessman. Reinvention is not limited to big corporations. Rather, everyone is encouraged to tap its richness and experience firsthand its benefits and advantages. In doing this you are encouraging and conveying to your employees the importance of innovation.

How else to adapt to the new changes that confront us everyday? Let us hear you deal with business cycles.

bizperf

Business performance: Procedures and Reasons

If you wish you track about the progress of your business and to test whether your employed techniques have anything to do with the noticeable improvements, measure it!

Every other detail in our life needs to be measured. If we have set for ourselves a defined goal, whether in business or personal, we have to measure our development, otherwise, there is no way of telling whether the improvements we notice are relevant. Most businessmen neglect to include measuring in their business procedures and they pay for it dearly. To know whether you are practicing business performance measuring, read the following questions and evaluate your answers.

1. Are you keeping updated accounts?

You have to account your activities, time and again. Do not put it down in bulk or just twice a year. It is more productive if you could do it prompt and consistent.

2. Are you measuring your results?

Every after accounting your results on time, you have to make sure that you measure it for what it is. You need to gauge whatever there is to gauge.

3. Are you measuring the right data?

You have to know to identify which data that needs measuring. Otherwise you might end up wasting time and resources. You have to know which one goes where.

4. Are your measuring procedures extensive and comprehensive?

When you measure, make sure to include not only the internal but also the external factors that have contributing influence over the data that you are trying to measure.

5. Are you practising benchmarking?

When measuring is employed, it is practical that the data you have will be used for comparison for reasons of benchmarking. You may benchmark all the major consideration points so as to come up with a sound conclusion.

6. Are you using ratios for easy presentations?

Get into the habit of using ratios when you wish to present the results of your measuring procedure. When you use ratios, it is easy to interpret. A data expressed in ratio explains extensively without having to get into many intricate details.

7. Are you capable of interpreting the results?

Every item discussed above should be able to tell you much more about the anatomy of measuring and its results. More than anyone else, you should be able to understand the implications of the results so that you can fully utilize its uses.

8. Are you actively responding on the results?

The core reason why you need to measure your business performance is so that you could actively make relevant response to its implications. If the results are positive, your response should be to devise methods to maintain your operation in its current state. If the result is negative, you should be able to come up with ideas in how to rectify your current procedures so as to make the business way better.

Extend an effort to gauge your business performance. Take time to measure as to how you are fairing. Your business needs measuring from time to time.

Asian chinese business man

Learn how to do business in Asia

Australia has an entirely different structure of doing business with Asia. Some pointers below might just help you exactly how to do business in Asia the right way.

Lend your ears and don’t talk too much

Most Australians convey their passion in their works through words. We tend to make our conversations verbose and lively. This is our way of establishing connections. For us this is the way to do business. By talking, we could get our messages across better. But in Asia, this is not necessarily so, people deal business through focusing in details by listening attentively.  For Asian, talking too much might come off negatively than intended. So to deal better with Asians it is better to lend your ears fully and convey your interest by giving your earnest attention.

Make your presentations excellent

I once had been one of the Australian business delegates sent to China, and I was clearly impressed by the business literatures they hand around. It says there all the needed details about China with all the enticing pointers laying out the reasons for the investors to invest in China. It was such an impeccable material with the context prepared with much thoughtfulness by having it in both languages, English and Chinese.  I believe it cost them a lot to produce such document, but it was more than enough to convince any prospective investor that indeed China is serious to accommodate investors. So if you wish to establish an impression of good reputation and capability, then learn the lesson from the Chinese. Learn the way how excellent their presentations are and how impeccable they make their materials to promote their credentials.

Diversify your approach

Penetrating the Asian market will require diverse and different approaches. Asia is a continent of many nations, all with an entirely different culture and tendencies. A generic approach to all the Asian countries are bound to fail since the diverse needs and lifestyle. You will have to customize your strategy to each of the countries you wish to penetrate and then from there start to modify some of the details to be used for yet another country. Do not take it as a single market; rather, view it as a group of diverse markets with diverse marketing strategies and techniques.

Build solid relationships

The success of your business venture in Asia heavily depends on your capacity to build solid relationships with your potential business partners. You should not consider talking about business dealings unless you have already made an effort to discuss any personal topics first; otherwise, you risk having your actions interpreted as an affront.  This may not be your way of doing business because this is not the way you were oriented, but you will have to adapt to the Asian culture if your wish your business to flourish in their market. You have to take time to build connections, show genuine concern, talk about some relevant personal matters. You must earn their trust way before you make business deals.

Have your company represented by your best delegates

Asians are bright people, and they do not like the idea of dealing with people who do not consider them an equal. Needless to say, they expect to deal with the best minds. To have them deal with your second class business teams will get you nowhere. Either you personally close the deal with these Asian people or at least send in the best of your best. You only need to remember that you have so much to gain from Asia considering its huge emerging market. Therefore, as much as possible, concentrate your resources where the potential is great.

 

father

Are you willing to pay the price of business success?

Have you ever considered that every success you achieve, you pay the price in one way or another? Success alone is glorious; it’s the price that could get us to muse long and hard.

Most of the times we only view success as it already is. What we see are just the products and what we do not realize is the sacrifices and all the other things we need to give up in our pursuit of this elusive prize. Success always happens for a fee, for most of the time, it is costly.

When I was still a 13 year old kid I used to play foot ball. My Dad seldom comes to watch me play because his schedules are always full chasing after his lofty dreams and ambitions. So when one day he showed up, it really made a difference. I was playing the best game of my life at that time. I have a friend named Patrick who has a dad like my own. A businessman and successful and have as much reasons as my Dad for not coming to watch us play football. But his Dad always makes it a point to come every game and cheers loudly for his son. He would always shout at the top of his voice for bill. As children, we would make fun of this kind of gestures but it is only when I was already a grown up that I view this in an entirely new and higher perspective. I have grown so much respect for Patrick’s Dad by the time I realize his commitment to support his son. Both my dad and Patrick’s were highly successful in their ventures and I would say it was my dad who paid a higher price for his success. And I wish to emulate Patrick’s Dad’s fatherhood style when I already have my own children.

You have to draw a line between your priorities. And you have to identify which comes first in your priority list. I would say that you need to learn to balance things out so as not to make any unnecessary cost along the way as you tread towards your ladder of success. Make your family be your greatest motivation, and do not neglect them on the process of achieving your dreams. Value them much more than you value your business clients.

I have had my down times I admit. There are times that I had my difficulties along the learning curve. But in the end, I realize I want to be the father that my children will remember as someone who is always there for them, for love and support. Do not miss important family dates for the sake of business meetings. You don’t get to hold the years, sooner or later, your children will grow faster than you could ever notice and you will realize that you have missed their golden years of growing up.

As a businessman, you have to take good care of your business with utmost passion without compromising your quality time with your family. Every time you are faced with a decision to choose between work and family, choose family, all the time, every time.

 

splittest

Split testing and its advantages

It is imperative that you employ testing process with any of your procedures especially in business. This is so you could legitimately tell the actual results of your employed methods, which is definitely impossible to do with just mere guessing. The following are the few advantages of split testing:

It helps to learn about your average conversion rate from time to time, but it is way better to know exactly which of the particular methods or techniques led the most of your conversions. I had been devising several ways of measuring my conversion for a time already and the most I could do is to track my sign up rate. I automatically thought it’s the best way of doing things. However, on the course of doing this, I discovered one particular method to double my productivity within a short amount of time. I was sent an invitation for a free webcast. And I noticed that the company who sent me the mail was using an entirely different format and structure with the one I had been sending with my webcast sign up. Their structure follows an order and they chose not to personalise their mails. Mine was the complete opposite of what they practise. I thought I was doing it the right way because it was supposed to be the standard and the best, but this time I really want to find it for sure if indeed it is true.

I employed the technique called split testing, which entails and prompts me to split my subscribers roll into two select teams. I sent my original email structure to the first team, and to the second team the new structure. And all I needed to do is just wait for the number of sign up for each of the 2 groups. The result shocked me, the new structure got more sign up than the old one and what really shocked me is that it got more than double the number of sign up. The effect was really convincing that I readily switched my strategy. I’m not saying that you pattern your email after a generic style, nor would I say that my new style now will work with your own business. Everything else is still heavily dependent upon the involved factors such your type of business and your target audience. Whenever you have any new ideas, you do split testing and find out for yourself if that certain idea works. And then do not cease from collecting new methods and keep testing them until you acquire your most desired results.

You may start now by thinking of your own business and its particular details, which one you want to see some improvements and which one needed change. Then apply split testing method to help you track which of the ideas work for your benefit.