This point is made in the first part of the book because, all too often, successful companies become order takers. They have been wooed by the good times in which the phone would ring and now they sit and stare at it aimlessly, forgetting that, yes, it can dial out, too.

One of our colleagues and contributors, sales scientist Adrian Davis, President and CEO, Whetstone Inc explains, “marketing must now tie the end of their funnel directly to the beginning of the sales funnel”.

The success of innovation depends on telling people about what it is that you have innovated. Yes, there are some very strong traditional and marketing tools that can help raise awareness of your company or brand, and increase the number of people phoning in to you. But, don’t be complacent. Ensure that your lead generation process systematically ties together your innovation and marketing to a strong, proactive sales program.

I know, it can be tough. I am definitely not a born salesperson so I have made myself into a disciplined one – actively attending events, making well researched introductory calls and generally making sure that everyone in the company opens their eyes to opportunities and feeds them back to me to follow up on.

Remember, your phone is still your company’s best friend … but nobody can dial it for you.

-Ken Tencer

At Spyder Works, whether it’s working one-to-one to solve a client’s immediate problem or making enough time to write a book, the process we use is geared to achieving a balance that meets the immediate demands of running the day-to-day business and the need to work towards our longer-term plans.

Each business day I start by asking myself three questions:
• What am I going to sell today?
• What one thing can I do today to make my business better?
• How will the answers to these previous questions mesh with the long-term vision of the company?

The answers to these questions keep me constantly thinking about growth, innovation and long-term focus. Making them a part of your daily routine will help you to replace short and long-term with continuous and sustained.

- Ken Tencer

Mega corporations are no longer the backbone of our economy. An entrepreneurial climate is taking hold as small enterprises become more competitive, and are starting to beat out their larger scale counterparts. Smaller, more adaptable, and more innovative businesses are using an economic downturn as a leg up.

Extraordinarily, recession seems to propel start-ups and entrepreneurs. Studies show that self-employment rates are growing and the number of small businesses created during the recession has increased slightly. Enrolment in entrepreneurial university programs and privately held seminars, such as our very own 90 Percent Rule Seminars , is increasing dramatically. Government programs on both sides of the 49th parallel are popping up as politicians are recognizing the importance of small business. In Canada, for example, the Federal Government is working on passing a bill to offer Employment Insurance benefits to self-employed individuals for parental, illness, regular and compassionate care leave. This dramatic move will particularly encourage more young women to consider self-employment as a practical career choice. In the U.S., The Commerce Department is establishing a new Office for Entrepreneurship and Innovation to help entrepreneurs bring their great ideas to market.

Unexpected positives for entrepreneurs have included cheaper office space, increased negotiation room with suppliers and the facilitation of outsourcing. Internet based services to manage inventory, project planning, accounting, shipping, direct marketing, human resources and other services have facilitated and made affordable many aspects of starting a small business. Further, it’s no longer necessary to hire a large pool of specialists, who require large office spaces, when web-based services and the use of occasional consultants will do the trick. Due to the upsurge in unemployment rates, more qualified professionals are available to do freelance consulting for reasonable rates while they look for permanent employment. And, more of these qualified professionals are deciding that consultant work is a viable and desirable career path and are continuing on.

Smaller entrepreneurial enterprises are taking the lead with more agile business strategies. For example, as cited in Jason Daley’s article in Entrepreneur Magazine; Vizio, the number one manufacturer of flat screen monitors, has taken an agile and scalable business model. Their approach has been to keep their workforce small by purchasing the cheapest high quality parts possible from overseas manufacturers rather than concentrating their efforts on expensive in-house research and development and high-end self-hosted manufacturing plants. The employees that Vizio does have on payroll are mostly marketing and sales driven. They also use a low-inventory model which means that they can change the focus of their business quickly when market conditions dictate the need. These elements make it difficult for larger scale players, like Philips and Pioneer, to compete against them.

In difficult times, smaller and more agile companies are gaining ground, and sometimes surpassing, the mega corporations of old who used to be able to crush the small scale competition. The key is finding ways to follow an agile business model by continually changing and adapting in business culture and technology. Our economy was based on a market of a few large players, now it’s made up of a large patchwork of smaller entrepreneurs.

- Ken Tencer

Do you know how your business will survive and grow over the next decade? Do you even know how to begin planning for the post-recession future?

I don’t so much care about the product you have sold for the past twenty years, or what you sell today; I want to understand the benefits that your company is already 90% capable of delivering, and how those benefits can change your customers’ lives. This is the 90% Rule. It can help you identify your most promising new markets.

In working with clients on marketing and branding campaigns, I have discovered, over and over, that the answers are rooted not just in who you are and what you do, but in what you believe you can be. It’s about exploring the passion that got you here and transforming it into benefits that improve your customers’ lives.

When you see your company through the lens of the 90% Rule, you begin using benefit-driven thinking that is anchored in what your customers want and need, not simply in what you do now. This fundamental perspective is the bedrock on which clear corporate vision and strategic intent are built. It opens the door to new opportunities and profitable growth.

- Ken Tencer

By entrepreneurial thinking I mean the ability to envision and think about opportunities at many different levels; see both the big picture and the relevant details within the big picture; act on those details in the most innovative way possible; and do it with limited resources.

Entrepreneurial thinking is creative, innovative and resourceful. And it is anchored in the power of leverage. That means getting the maximum leverage out of 90% of the resources you already have. We call it the 90% Rule. It focuses on cultivating and expanding your individual and collective capacity for entrepreneurial thinking in order to significantly accelerate change, innovation and growth.

Our seminar, upcoming book – and all our thinking and action – is instilled with the spirit of entrepreneurial thinking because we have found that it is the driving force behind all the requisite elements of any successful business (regardless of shape or size): Opportunity, vision, mission, strategy, tactics, execution … and most importantly, passion, will, innovation, creativity and, an organization’s most fundamental “tool,” leverage.

But entrepreneurial thinking on its own is not enough. It needs a “means” to reach its end, a way of converting all its power into actionable, measurable, profitable opportunities. Therein lies the strength of the 90% Rule. It is an organizing principle designed to provide a systematic process for capturing a business’ inherent entrepreneurial thinking and converting its best opportunities into innovative new action. And leveraging 90% of the business’ current assets into profitable and sustainable growth.

Visit www.90percent rule.com seminars and network.

- Ken Tencer

Driving the 90% rule is the use of operating leverage as a marketing tool™.

Operating leverage is, essentially, the reliance on or commitment to fixed assets. Financial leverage is the reliance on borrowing, or debt, to increase production volume.

What differentiates pure operating leverage from the idea behind using operating leverage as a marketing tool? The latter focuses on how to get more out of what you already have (or almost have). It’s a five step approach that will change the way that you view your business … and help to identify, rank and map potential markets, services and products that you are already 90% capable of providing.

Think of the math. If the core 90% of your business grows at 5% a year, then that generates 4.5% annual growth. Now, add a new product, store, vertical or service that further expands your sales base by 10% and you achieve annual growth of 14.5%. At this rate, your business doubles in size in +/- five years and remains manageable in terms of financing, staffing and operating.

What business are you really in?

Re-think. Re-understand. Grow.

You are already 90% of the way there.

- Ken Tencer