If you are anything like me, as in rehearse interview questions in the mirror till you are blue in the face, you'll more than likely end up not knowing where to start when choosing the best interview outfit. Well don't fret: here is a list of steps that I like to go through to keep my mind sharp as a tack, and keep me looking sharp as well.

I have been asked by one of my clients why I think having a personal mission statement is important.  The first thing that came to mind was my own personal mission which I wrote 20 years ago and is still to this day the guiding light upon my life’s path. I will share it with you at the end of this blog. To answer the question as to why it’s important I would quote Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

We all know Aesop’s Fable “The Tortoise and the Hare.”

The story concerns a rabbit who taunts a slow-moving tortoise and is challenged by the tortoise to a race. The rabbit soon leaves the tortoise behind and, confident of winning, takes a nap midway through the course. When the rabbit awakes however, he finds that his challenger, crawling slowly but steadily, has arrived before him. I can remember hearing this story as a child and to quote a famous Looney Tunes character Elmer Fudd, “Silly Rabbit” is what I thought about it back then. Well I’m not a child anymore although my grandchildren would tell you I am.

Think of your target market like fishing; if you don’t know what to fish for, then how do you expect to know what kind of bait, poles and sinkers you should use to catch them? How do you expect to catch something if you don’t even know what you’re trying to get? Once you can determine your market, you can tailor your media towards them and make your marketing so much more effective and efficient! Associate any media with that market, and with the correct combination of media, placement of ads and potential customers, you will certainly get people headed for the doorstep of your business.

With the constant change that we experience in today’s society and culture, things don’t work like they used to. A lot of companies nowadays think that just by conducting some form of advertising that their sales will increase, they’ll gain greater market share, and become more successful. However, just like how society has shown us many times before, things have changed, and what used to work in the past no longer applies. Before, you could just put an ad on television or the radio and you would increase your sales, market share, and success; but this could not be further from the truth.

Have you ever heard the saying, “You’re a natural-born leader”? Odds are you probably have, but that statement couldn’t be further from the truth.

It’s a fact, people don’t like change. People are all too comfortable doing everything the same as they have always done before. But why are we so content with the status quo? Why do we insist on keeping things the same? Well I’ll tell you why… It’s because of fear.

There is a question I would like to pose to you; why is creativity so important in business? How do we develop our creativity to the extent that it can change people’s perception of a product or a brand?

First let’s start off with the, “why is creativity so important in business,” question. When the word creativity is mentioned, the thought that comes to mind for most people is either art, music, or something else of that nature. However, creativity goes much deeper than that. Creativity is what you use to solve everyday problems more efficiently, to find new ways to generate more income, to create a new product, or even turn problems into opportunities. Creativity is needed in so many more areas that just painting and drawing.

What is the one thing that virtually every business has in common? The answer would undoubtedly have to be customer service. Customer service is usually the most significant component of any business. You can always lower your prices; you can always advertise all over the world and promote your business until you’re blue in the face, but that doesn’t guarantee that your business is going to retain its customers and attract new ones.

Do you remember any jingles from when you were a kid? Depending on how long ago that was, you will immediately know that when you hear the word “Pokemon” that you “gotta catch ‘em all” or that the ingredients for a Big Mac are “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.”

Effective marketing is much more than buying a couple of ads. To grow your business, you need a comprehensive branding campaign. You have to identify your target audience and reach them BEFORE they are ready to buy. That way when they need your product, they will come to you first. After that, your winning customer service will keep them coming back.