Before we move to lessons: #3: Roll and #4: Go, I want to emphasize something from lesson #2: The capital “S” is not a typo. The Self is you as a whole human being who embodies all the potential you were born with, all the capacities actualized and not yet actualized. The “self”, little ‘s’, is the one that judges, doubts, criticizes us. It’s the know-it-all, puny, little self.   Tim Gallwey (The Inner Game of Work) when referring to these 2 selves says: Our best performance happens with the “self” is quiet and the “Self” is allowed to act.

#3: Roll.  Move in a different direction.  Break the  unconscious, automatic patterns of action.

Take a different route to work, have a picnic lunch outside with a book of poems or a sketch book, not your blackberry.  Listen to unfamiliar music, spend time with someone you wouldn’t normally.  Changing your physical routine has the possibility of changing your mental outlook because you can’t rely on muscle memory or cruise control.  Re-arrange your cubicle physically. Get a stand-up workstation.  Move to a conference room to do even a short task. You’ll be amazed at how a physical change increases your productivity.

See what people say about the Camille LIVE presentation of The Bright Side of Burnout. Invest in yourself and watch the lively, fun 30-minute video.

#4: Go. Go beyond your comfort zone.

Go 1 more inch. Where you normally stop, withdraw, go silent or give up or give in, go 1 inch more. Not 10 inches, 1 inch. BTW: This inch usually is often an inward measurement, going into yourSelf for the courage to speak up, to reconnect when you’re dis-engaged.

Ask for support. You feel good when you support others. Share the opportunity: let others support you. We all know you can do everything all the time.  What’s the point of that, really?

Draw boundaries. If there’s a situation that always pulls you in, a vortex that sucks your energy and aliveness, get out in front of it. Talk to those who are involved BEFORE the situation turns into the same old emergency that you don’t say No to.

Reduce your insatiable need to achieve. What??? Achieve less? Are you kidding, Camille? No, I am not. If you are comfortable always pressing, working hard and long, continually raising your goals, do what isn’t comfortable: reduce your need to achieve. Do it for 1 week. See what, and more importantly who, shows up when you aren’t fixated on the goal. You aren’t a slacker. You can achieve goals and not run over yourSelf or others in the process. This may be the most uncomfortable thing to do, and it may help the most to reduce burnout.

I’m not saying this is easy, I’m saying this is a way to be alive, engaged, and being your best, rather than burning out.  New mantra: I have more important things to do than burnout!

Because burnout can be invisible until the meltdown, there’s something fundamental to having this tool work for you.  You need a personal, heart-felt reason or commitment that inspires you and makes being burned out unacceptable.

Here’s mine: I am committed to supporting people being fully self-expressed, making their contribution, having a blast and being satisfied in the process, including me.

Invent your own commitment. Something that speaks to you, that brings you joy, that reminds you of who you are and what matters to you at your core.

When we’re centered in our Self, in who we are as human beings, not a cog, a job, a role, we see ourselves differently.  When we embrace our humanity, we see ourselves less as a commodity, more as a possibility.  We see others in that same light. When we see ourselves as a possibility, we make choices about how best to use our energy, talents, time.  We see ourselves as a source and a resource to ourselves and others.

We – your family, friends, co-workers – need you to be engaged, appreciated for your talents and making your contribution. More importantly, you need to be meaningfully engaged for your own sake and aliveness.

Don’t “Stop – Drop – Roll – Go” because I said so, do it because you said so.

The bright side of burnout is that it illuminates what matters so you can come back to your center, to your authentic Self. Pay attention to your Self. Ask, answer and act on your inner intelligence and commitment to be the amazing natural resource you are.

All together now:  I have more important things to do than burnout.

If you have been dragged into the land of commoditization, your job is to escape as quickly as you can. It is a dubious place to live with marginal value or spark.Things will not improve–unless you are willing to experiment with customer-centric marketing ideas to uncover category-killing innovations. With some determination, planning, and a bit of luck, you may just position yourself to become the next Apple in your industry.

Let me illustrate why this is the ideal time to consider customer-centric marketing. Most of your competitors are still hoarding cash and focusing inward. Worse yet, they may be buying into the media naysayers, who are claiming that the U.S. is ostensibly in the midst of a “lost decade.” You can’t make this stuff up–I heard it on the BBC this week (I guess the BBC reporter forgot that Facebook, Google, Apple, Zappos are defining a new decade. But I digress).

I recently interviewed two executives who live and breathe customer centric marketing strategies: Chris Golec, CEO of DemandBase and Jim Bampos, VP of Customer Quality at EMC Corporation. This roundtable recording will provide details.

Here are our collective recommendations to help you engage your customers in your commodity “escape plan”:

1. Accept the fact that sometimes, your products and services cannot escape the commodity trap. The only remaining area where you can outpace competition are your relationships with customers, vendors, your employees, and your community. Zappos, now an amazon subsidiary, does this very well.Their culture is obsessed with delivering fun, weird, memorable customer experiences. Golec reported that DemandBase’s unique customer relationships and customer success program have enabled them to discover an unmet need, which resulted in a new product idea that now comprises nearly 90% of their total revenues.

2. Track how often you put your customer first while making strategic and marketing decisions. Customer-centric cultures share one thing in common: the entire company is oriented and incented around customer success, and a single customer metric shapes behavior.

3. Be mindful of end of quarter pressures to close business at any cost. They will undermine your customer-centric efforts and core competencies. Whether you are a startup or a publicly traded company, this can become a huge obstacle to long term success. Avoid succumbing to unique customization requests. Jim Bampos indicated that EMC mitigates this risk. “We take a holistic view of what is most important to the customer, then we tie it back to each business unit. The proof points are if the business units are using our customer metrics to drive business decisions.” While it is important to be responsive, it is even more critical to know your core strengths–or, to quote Jim Collins, your hedgehog.

4.  While enrolling customers in key decisions, and gathering valuable feedback, monitor how your stakeholders going to take action on the data. Your customers want to know that their input is valued beyond the interview or advisory board discussion. EMC distributes mirror surveys to the entire organization to assess employee’s perception of how well EMC is managing the customer experience.

5. Get creative on metrics. If you are truly committed to building a customer centric culture and marketing plan, look beyond customer renewal rates. Golec indicates that time to value is a priceless measure: “We track the time from when we close the sale how long it takes before they have a measurable benefit from our technology. The minute that happens, we improve our relationship with that account.” Find a way to temper sales’ innate desire to drive a bigger sale and boil the ocean.

6. Focus your customer centric efforts on your ideal customers. Any program will fail if you administer programs across all customer segments and try to serve anyone with a pulse and a budget.

7. Let customers know you are building a customer-centric company. They may just have a new idea on how you can further strengthen the program.

8. Build social media incentive programs for your initiative. EMC is launching several new online forums where they will announce the agreed upon action steps generated from from their Voice of the Customer programs.

Gatekeepers play an important role in managing expenses. That doesn’t mean you have to live in their world.These strategies will help you escape their commodity trap.

Lisa Nirell helps companies grow customer mind share and market share. Since 1983, Lisa has worked with Zappos, BMC Software, Adobe, Microsoft, and hundreds of entrepreneurs in nine countries. Lisa is also an award-winning expert speaker, FastCompany expert blogger, and author of the acclaimed “EnergizeGrowth® NOW: The Marketing Guide to a Wealthy Company.” Download your sample chapter and business energy booster survey at www.energizegrowth.com.

[Image Source: respectalliance.com]

This post originally appeared on fastcompany.com.

copyright 2011, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved.

I sat next to Joe on a flight home to San Diego, California, a few months before the September 11, 2001 attacks forever changed and heightened my global views. What struck me about Joe was his calm reserve and thoughtful presence. We enjoyed discussing world politics, his career as former Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), and the good life in Southern California.

I asked Joe one question that elicited a response which will stay with me forever. When I asked him the secret to his decades of successful military service, he said, “I dedicate time every day to quietly reflect.” This week, Joe’s simple yet profound statement became even more relevant as responses to bin Laden’s death exploded across every media channel.

Over the past 27 years, I have witnessed many forms of military exercises in the business world. They certainly do not compare in magnitude to the events witnessed this week. But the principles and lessons in the battle for market share still apply. In the business world, these “exercises” come in two flavors:

1. Defeat your competition at all costs (meaning, sell products at a loss, plant traps for your competitors, spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt about their viability, etc.)
2. Spend as little time as possible focusing on the competition. Instead, create an entirely new playing field. This may appear by launching a game-changing product or service, developing an untapped market, or becoming obsessively effective at customer intimacy to the point where they would never dream of switching to your competitor.

It took me several days to reflect on this momentous week. My emotions vacillated from the levity of the Royal Wedding to the gravitas of the Abbottabad compound attack. After much turmoil and contemplative thought, I realized the opportunity ahead. Not just for me, but for all business owners and leaders.

This attack represents, to some degree, closure. We have defeated a major competitor. The costs are far too great to enumerate, even though some self-anointed economists and experts will try convincing you otherwise.

We have not obliterated the Taliban, but we have at least weakened their cause considerably. We are at a crossroads: As a nation, we can continue to fan the anti-terrorist flames, mindlessly expand our military complex, and feed the Homeland Security three headed dragon. Or we can channel our immense talent, resources, and passion towards education, innovation, and creating private sector jobs — the essence of what makes American business shine.

Think back at your most recent competitive or company-wide victory. Ask yourself these questions:

1. What motivated us to succeed and win? Was it fear, pride, greed, or some other fleeting vice?
2. What makes our company strong? How much have we strayed from those core values and strengths to get ahead or satisfy short term investor demands?
3. How can we return to our core strengths and values again?
4. How do our products and solutions make the world a better place? Where are we making the greatest difference?
5. Where can we re-allocate resources from firefighting and competitive battling to innovation and customer focused endeavors?
6. What can we commit to stop doing so that we can make white space on our calendars for these renewed efforts?

Joe Hoar contributed the earlier half of his life to fighting the bad guys in faraway places such as Yemen, Somalia, and the Persian Gulf. Since his retirement in 1994, this spry 77 year old spends his time advising global companies and staying physically active. Joe reminds me that it is never too late to re-invent yourself and leverage your natural gifts.

For the first time in ten years, I am hopeful that the era of mass fear and terrorist-driven paranoia is over. Let’s use this historical moment to re-direct our actions and resources towards purpose-driven growth planning, global understanding, and innovation.

[Photo courtesy of wikipedia.org]

[This post originally appeared in FastCompany.]

Copyright 2011, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved.

Lisa Nirell is the Chief Energy Officer of EnergizeGrowth®. She helps companies grow customer mind share and market share. Since 1983, Lisa has worked with Trend Micro, Adobe, BMC Software, Microsoft, IBM, and hundreds of entrepreneurs in nine countries. Lisa is also an award-winning expert speaker, business columnist and the author of “EnergizeGrowth® NOW: The Marketing Guide to a Wealthy Company.” To download your five complimentary educational bonuses and sample chapter, visit www.energizegrowth.com and register for EnergizeNews.

Set the stage for success by creating a high-impact meeting framework and follow up strategy.

After interviewing over two dozen B2B companies who actively manage CABs, I discovered strategies they have in common that keep CAB programs vibrant:

1.     Allocate ample meeting preparation time. Well-established CAB program leaders told me that it is not unusual for each executive sponsor to invest at least 15-20 hours per quarter in preparatory activity. Provide the agenda at least a week in advance to participants, and don’t be shy about requesting they complete homework in advance.

2.    Select locations conducive to creative thinking and collaboration. Choose modestly upscale retreat settings over over-stimulating adult playgrounds. The managing partner of a management consulting firm based in Seattle recently chose Las Vegas for an upcoming advisory board meeting, and began to re-consider his choice of location.

3.    Create a collaborative container at every meeting. Effective customer board meetings begin with a clear purpose and ground rules. Transplace, a supply chain technology firm based in Dallas, launches every meeting with the mission of “Providing a forum where Transplace customers can share ideas, discuss solutions and plan activities that achieve global supply chain excellence.” Marnie Ochs-Raleigh, CEO of Evolve Systems, says: “During the CAB, you should not complain about other clients, employees or competitors. Instead, focus on what is going well and what needs to improve. I also make a point while introducing each person to the group what the reason was they were chosen to participate and provide a 30 second commercial about their skill set and business.  In all things, add value and credit where it is due.”

4.    Balance structure with white space. Deb Bradley, Senior Vice President of Client Solutions at Verisk Health, adds “In the early meetings, we found that we were mainly the ‘talking heads’ and provided more of a status update. We found that by asking for topics ahead of time, assigning homework, and then scheduling dedicated time on the agenda for open discussion, we increased the value of the meetings. Also, as the client interaction grew, so did the communication outside of council meetings.  Clients began using each other as support groups.  Issues addressed between meetings were then shared with the group at the next session.”

5.    Engage seasoned external CAB experts. According to Luc Vezina, VP of Product Management and Product Management at Kinaxis, “it really helps to have an outside facilitator. We feel uncomfortable telling a very loud customer to allow time for other members to contribute.”  Luis Ramos, CEO of The Network Inc., suggests “A facilitator is seen as a neutral party. This encourages open participation and allows members to feel less pressure from the company concerning their responses.” Consider hiring companies such as The Geehan Group and Advisory Board Architects to minimize costly trial and error. Both companies have launched and managed over 100 advisory boards. (full disclosure: I have no financial ties to either firm).

6.    Create positive forums for interaction. Ian Knox, VP of Worldwide Marketing for Daptiv, a privately held technology company based in Seattle Washington, suggests smaller lunch breakout groups and discussion topics. Daptiv also invites well-known industry analysts as guest speakers. Some B2B organizations have customers who are very comfortable with virtual meetings. Chris Pick, VP of Marketing for Apptio, designed the CAB to help CIOs run IT more like a business. Their audience feels comfortable using web-based collaboration tools.

7.    Implement the best ideas. You want the CAB members to feel heard and valued–respond quickly to their recommendations, and implement the best ones. Every CAB host also shared meeting minutes immediately following the gatherings.

8.    Maintain strong follow up systems. Betty Otter-Nickerson, President of Sage Healthcare in Tampa, Florida, recommends virtual web-based monthly meetings. Beware of becoming overzealous with technology. Depending on their learning orientation and preferences, your advisory board members may not prefer crowdsourcing tools and online forums over live face to face meetings.

9.    Aim for transformation, not just conversation. The key to CAB longevity is engaging your members in different and deeper ways over time. If you are effective at adding more value to their business lives during each meeting, you will notice that they start helping you solve really tough issues. CAB members naturally begin to care as much or more about the individuals as they do the companies.

10.    Conduct meaningful ROI analysis. Colin Gounden, the President and Chief Marketing Officer of Integreon, tracks the growth rate of customer advocate growth and innovation that is spawned by the group. John Fuller, Toro’s Product Manager for the Irrigation Golf Business Division, tracks both the number of individual product improvement submissions received and attainment of year to date product sales goals. By the end of Toro’s latest fiscal year, they exceeded product sales goal by twenty percent. Fuller says “we would have probably met these goals without the Council, but it would have taken significantly more time. Furthermore, our R&D costs would have been higher.” Huang Vuong, CEO of Unisfair, measures customer retention and renewals. Since they launched the Customer Advisory Board in 2009, this technology startup saw retention and renewals for their tier A accounts grow 20% year over year.

Doug Mow, Senior VP of Marketing from Virtusa, reminds us that assessing ROI extends far beyond the sponsoring company’s strategic objectives. “The real value to the participant is the opportunity to be heard.”

READER BONUS:  Hear this exclusive interview with Chris Smith, Founder of Arryve Consulting, on launching and sustaining strong CABs.

www.energizegrowth.com/audio/Arryve_Chris_Smith.mp3

In this 33 minute audio, Smith shares the reasons why this 45 employee firm launched a CAB, and the powerful business results it has generated after just three years.

[Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net]

[This post originally appeared in FastCompany.]

Copyright 2011, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved.

Lisa Nirell is the Chief Energy Officer of EnergizeGrowth®. She helps companies increase their wealth, improve their performance and attract great clients. Since 1983, Lisa has worked with Trend Micro, Zappos, BMC Software, Microsoft, IBM, and hundreds of entrepreneurs in nine countries. Lisa is also an award-winning expert speaker, business columnist and the author of “EnergizeGrowth® NOW: The Marketing Guide to a Wealthy Company.” To download your five complimentary educational bonuses and sample chapter, visit www.energizegrowth.com and register for EnergizeNews.

While enjoying breakfast with a client in California last week, the topic of civility surfaced. We were strategizing on how he could accomplish his aggressive 2011 revenue goals. He is chartered with accelerating growth in their services division, but could not do it without support from a senior executive in Sales. His situation may just sound similar to one you have faced in your company.

Here’s how the conversation ensued.

Lisa: It seems like the only way you can attain $50M in additional revenues is by engaging a senior sales executive. What about Jeff?

Client: Oh, that won’t happen.

Lisa: Tell me more.

Client: One of our company’s core values is trustworthiness. And Jeff does not always demonstrate that.

Lisa: What happens?

Client: Our global executive team includes a mixture of Germans, Canadians, Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese, Americans, and Indians. And then there’s Jeff. He is not only brusque; he talks about people behind their backs in public meetings.

Lisa: Hmmm…based on what I know about your culture, his behavior must really stand out. And it definitely sounds like we need a different approach.

Client: Yes, and I expect that Jeff will continue to lose headcount because The CEO heard about this. In fact, the CEO has re-assigned most of the sales organization to another Senior VP.

Do you know someone like Jeff in your company? A solid dose of civility just might help restore the desired behaviors and culture you want. Here are some places to start:

1. During meetings, turn off your smart phone. Unless you are an ER doctor or are just waiting for someone to arrive, show respect for others in the room. High touch trumps high tech.

2. Learn table etiquette. While flying home from Southern California, a young professional woman was munching on a sandwich. In between bites, she continued to lick mayonnaise from her fingers. Imagine the impression she makes in business meetings. These barbaric gestures reduce one’s business prospects immediately and subtly. Besides, napkins and a quick visit to the restroom are more appropriate options.

3. Free yourself from whining and gossip circles. If you continue to find yourself getting sucked into the negative conversation vortex, visit www.nocomplainingrule.com and download your favorite free poster. Reinforcement helps. Sometimes you need to address a sticky financial or client performance situation and share bad news; that is understandable. But hourly kvetching by you and your team members is counterproductive.

4. Regulate the time spent watching network or online news. You may find this surprising, since I am a member of the media. But here’s the issue: many business owners and CEOs invest their precious time and energy in react mode. Think of the number of times you turn on the news (or worse yet, check your email) immediately upon awakening. Circumstances immediately draw you in, and trigger worry, false interpretations, and opinions. Instead, create new morning habits, such as writing down your daily tasks or gratitude list, an exercise routine, or journaling. The news will still be there thirty minutes later.

5. Never tolerate passive-aggressive behavior again. This appears in many insidious forms. Here is an example. You confirm a standing meeting time with someone and they are consistently late–or never show up. Or when you brag about reaching an important sales goal, the passive aggressor says “Oh, too bad you didn’t hit your stretch goal.” Confront them immediately and tell them how offensive their comment is. I promise you are one of the few who have ever said anything to them.

I have met many company leaders whose civility speaks louder than words. And their consistent positive business performance results are no accident. Although you may never change the Jeffs of the world, you can be the change you wish to see in the corporate world. Choose your actions wisely.

Copyright 2011, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved.

Lisa Nirell is the Chief Energy Officer of EnergizeGrowth®. She helps companies increase their wealth, improve their performance and attract great clients. Since 1983, Lisa has worked with Trend Micro, Zappos, BMC Software, Microsoft, IBM, and hundreds of entrepreneurs in nine countries. Lisa is also an award-winning expert speaker, business columnist and the author of “EnergizeGrowth® NOW: The Marketing Guide to a Wealthy Company.” To download your five complimentary educational bonuses and sample chapter, visit www.energizegrowth.com and register for EnergizeNews.

On an international flight from China, the captain’s voice woke us: “Will the doctors on board please press their call buttons.” I looked at my watch. It was the middle of the night.  I automatically reached for the button, then lowered my hand. If I get sued, I put my family at risk — the litigation will bankrupt us.

I know there are 500 people on the flight. Surely, there are other doctors who can answer the call. The captain called again: “Will any doctors on board please push their call button and make themselves known.” I looked at my watch again. 7 minutes had passed since the first call.I was really struggling with myself. Come on, someone. I don’t believe I am the only doctor on board!

What do I do?

I pressed my call button and went to the flight attendant. “I’m a doctor.”

I followed her to the business class galley. The person in need was unable to stand unassisted. One of the flight attendants said, “Well, he’s not bleeding. He must not be too bad.”  Fifteen years ago, I would have come down hard on her as I am sure I did on nurses making unqualified assessments. She was ignorant, not ill-intended. She saw what she saw. I saw a guy going downhill quickly, about to go into anaphylactic shock.

The purser had already retrieved the plane’s medical kit and had a syringe in her hand, knowing that if no doctor showed up, she was accountable for injecting something generic into the man that hopefully would help. She gladly handed me the syringe. I inserted an IV, pushed lots of fluids. He stabilized. When we landed, he was put in the hands of the waiting medics.

Days later, back at my corporate desk, as I was answering emails, attending meetings, pushing papers, I heard myself wonder: Is this the right job for me? Is this how I want to use my talents and skills? Does it match my values? Am I satisfied in a way that matters to me?  Am I contributing what I want?

[Note to Managers and Leaders: Values impact employee performance. Listen to my free webinar, Values: The Energy Source for Employee Engagement. There's a special offer at the end.]

During the incident, as the man’s pulse returned to normal, the purser patted me on the back, saying “you’re an angel.”  That respect is what I crave. I don’t always get it, or as much as I want, at my corporate desk.  I was happy the guy stabilized, not just for his sake and his health, but for mine, too.

On that plane, in the middle of the night, life was telling me something. I’m listening. I also heard your voice, Camille, and our conversations about my values. When my actions match what matters to me, everything seems to work better. I’m going to stabilize myself and take care of my health and my ability to perform and be at my best by taking care of my values.

Camille Smith understands what it takes to change at the individual, team and organizational levels. It’s not easy, it’s worth doing, and it’s required of everyone today, not just leaders. Specializing in transformational leadership, she provides the knowledge and coaching to teach others to create and sustain breakthroughs in performance. She doesn’t have all the answers, she brings them out of you. Reach her at camille@wipcoaching.com.

I just completed twelve months of travel…and really enjoyed meeting with C-level B2B executives in Scandinavia, Canada, and every corner of the United States. Thankfully, some companies are waking up from a two year hibernation. Here are five compelling B2B business trends to watch them pursue in 2011:

1. Forward-thinking CEOs will finally loosen their purse strings and invest in top line growth. In 2010, U.S. companies sat on over $1.8T in cash reserves. Their investors are getting restless and want to see them innovate again. And you cannot lead your industry by just tweaking your balance sheet. That is so 2009. Now is the time to bolster your value proposition and give them a reason to invest with your firm.

2. Interactions with your employees, shareholders and customers will need to be even more transparent. Think about your website, email messages, tweets, and online posts. Are you being completely open and responsive about your strengths and weaknesses? If not, you can expect someone to do this for you. After five years of interacting with some savvy media moguls (think All Things Digital Conference), even the brazen Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook has improved in this area.

3.  Mobile technology will become more mainstream. “Smart phone” is an outdated term. Consider them as “smart devices.” They serve as e-wallets, instant messaging consoles, geo-locators, portable entertainment centers…oh, and phones too. These devices will force you to be even MORE clear, conversational, and succinct to grab mobile eyeballs. Staging short messages over time versus crafting long email messages will gain momentum (think multiple lessons, modules, and themes over a period of days, weeks or months).

4.  More people will pay others to simplify their lives. The Web has caused people to feel overwhelmed by information. Aggregators will emerge the victors. Alltop and Ragan Communications’ Daily Headlines services are fine examples of effective data aggregation. I predict a surge in personal shoppers and concierge services designed for the masses.

5. “Push marketing” is dead. Long live pull marketing. Take a long look at your online presence. Are you engaging your customers and community, or are you posting static pages? Push marketing happens when you spend time telling others why they should work with you. Pull marketing showcases key insights and lessons that will repeatedly draw your ideal customers to your community. Have you formed a customer advisory board yet? If you still rely primarily on your direct team members or impersonal online surveys for market input, you’re missing out on some major breakthroughs and customer retention opportunities. Listen to my recent interview with Geehan Group’s founder, Sean Geehan, for more insights on the value of “gloves off” customer advisory boards.

2011 is bound to be an exciting year. Some of your competitors will wait for all of the economic indicators to align before they launch new innovations and pursue new markets (even though some economic indicators no longer tell the whole story). While they continue to wear blinders, what will  you do to improve your line of sight?

This article originally appeared on FastCompany.com.

Photo courtesy of [http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/]

Copyright 2010, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved.

Lisa Nirell is the Chief Energy Officer of EnergizeGrowth®. She is one of the only marketing experts with 27 years’ experience advising and working exclusively with B2B growth companies. Lisa helps her clients improve their top line revenues and attract more ideal clients. Lisa has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, as well as BMC Software, Sony, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, and IBM. She is also the author of “EnergizeGrowth® NOW: The Marketing Guide to a Wealthy Company.” Visit www.energizegrowth.com and http://blog.energizegrowth.com today to download free educational resources and join the Energize News community.

Most CPAs, attorneys, investment bankers and business brokers will tell you to focus on some fundamental issues to improve your wealth prospects; namely, your company valuation and viability.  They will assert that certain criteria are the key to maximizing your eventual exit potential or sales price.  They will refer to these as “value drivers.”  According to Ned Minor, an attorney and author of Deciding to Sell Your Business,   “Value drivers are those characteristics that influence a buyer’s decision about how much to pay for a company. These include–but are not limited to–a stable, motivated management team, effective financial controls, a realistic growth strategy, and a facility appearance consistent with asking price.”

While these value drivers sound logical on the surface, they only provide a partial definition of wealth for B2B companies. Today, many business leaders are seeking a more meaningful balance between money and happiness.  And they understand that money and wealth are not the same. If you want to create meaning and significance in the world, it is essential to define wealth in a way that honors your values, your vision, and your core strengths.

Before you begin to worry that you’re being transported into a spiritual dimension, recognize that this expanded mindset about wealth can simply lead to greater self-awareness, a more clearly defined sense of purpose, and more committed teams moving in the same direction. 

Our CEO research helped us discover seven contemporary criteria to help you assess your “Wealth Quotient:”

1. You consistently and confidently express and demonstrate your value to the market. Try this simple experiment.  Walk the hallways of your offices, and call your top business associates and advisors.  Ask them “What is our company’s elevator statement, and why do our customers love to buy from us?” Then record what percentage would provide a consistent answer. If you are like many technology or professional services firms, you will assert (mistakenly) that your tools or methodology make you unique. Sadly, buyers really don’t care about them. They DO care about how you can improve their condition.

2. You are paid handsomely for that value.  In these tumultuous times, value is being challenged more than ever.  Some law firms are being forced to provide alternative fee arrangements and abandon the antiquated hours for dollars pricing models for this reason.  Clients no longer equate hours worked with value received.   

3. You continuously innovate.  Many companies were launched during previous recessions, including Microsoft, FedEx, HP, and Procter & Gamble.  They filled needs that others were ignoring. Don’t let a downturn stop you from regularly assessing your products, services, and relationships.  If you are selling services that fall into the competitive category, chances are you are competing on price and can barely distinguish your offerings among the crowd (whose members include “not invented here” and “status quo”). Ensure you are developing breakthrough and distinctive offerings where you encounter few, if any, competitors.

4. You focus on business endeavors that do not exploit and degrade other people. Michel Kripalani, CEO of Oceanhouse Media in San Diego, California, started a successful gaming company several years ago, and grew to 40 employees. But he eventually lost his passion for running a traditional bricks and mortar gaming firm.  According to Kripalani, “We were ready to do something that would have a more positive impact on the planet.”  Today, Oceanhouse Media has developed over 80  iPhone and iPad apps for Dr. Seuss’ children’s books and Hay House Media. They have experienced consistent growth using a well-managed, virtual business model.

5. Your business endeavors honor the natural environment.  Wal-Mart launched the Sustainability Index Initiative in 2009 with the intention to reduce the carbon footprint of inventoried products by millions of tons by 2015.  If the world’s largest retailer– a frequent target of environmentalists and labor advocates–can step up to the plate and walk more softly on the land, anyone can. 

6. You have enough of the “right” clients – in other words, you know who they are; you can explain your ideal client to others very clearly; and you market to them in an authentic, consistent, systematic way. During the recession, you may have been tempted to accept any client with a checkbook. Today, it’s an ideal time to re-visit how you define ideal clients, and the systems you are using to attract more of them.

7. You provide your stakeholders, investors and employees enough time for family, friends and personal growth.  Your culture defines your brand.  Your brand defines your value. Your value defines your wealth.  Just ask Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos. Over the past few years, Zappos employees became accidental role models for living company values. Some of the Zappos core values include “pursue growth and learning,” “create fun and a little weirdness” and “build a positive team and family spirit.” Last summer, they sold Zappos to Amazon last year for $847M in stock.

When you apply these seven criteria, you have greater control of your daily activities and growth decisions, and your brand and value is no longer at the mercy of rogue bloggers, finicky customers, and overworked employees. These seven criteria will help keep your company out of the emergency room.

This post originally appeared on FastCompany.com.

[Photo courtesy of http://www.matrubhumitrust.com/]

Copyright 2010, Lisa Nirell.  All rights reserved.

Lisa Nirell is the Chief Energy Officer of EnergizeGrowth® (www.energizegrowth.com).  She is one of the only marketing expert speakers with 27 years’ experience advising and working for B2B growth companies.  Lisa helps her clients improve their top line revenues and attract more ideal clients.

Lisa has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, as well as BMC Software, Sony, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, and IBM. She is also the author of “EnergizeGrowth® NOW:  The Marketing Guide to a Wealthy Company.”   Visit www.energizegrowth.com and http://blog.energizegrowth.com today to download free educational resources and join the EnergizeNews community.