Greetings Floor Dealers!

In it’s simplest definition, “Massive Action” means applying multiple solutions to the resolution of a problem at the same time.  Usually there is more than one solution to any problem, business or personal.  With “Massive Action,” instead of trying one solution at a time, you implement each possible solution simultaneously.

Dan Kennedy (the first person I heard give the concept this name) tells the story of a woman who owned (I believe) a manufacturing business.  She had a severe problem with non-payment of accounts receivable; so severe that she was about to be put out of business.  None of the local banks would give her a line of credit.  She approached Dan at one of his seminars and he gave her a solution, which included the following:

  1. Get a map of your part of the state and draw a circle 100 miles in diameter around your city.  Contact every bank within that circle at the same time and try to secure a line of credit.
  2. Offer financial incentives for clients to pay 100% of their bill up front.

The benefit of this approach should be obvious: what if there were 100 banks within that circle, and only one would give her the financing she required.  By the time she applied with each bank—one by one—she could be out of business before she happened upon the one that would help her.

I have learned to use this kind of approach with any challenge I am facing in business.

For example, when I first started my carpet cleaning business in 1997, I needed to get new clients fast.  Here is the massive action list I made back then (I actually still had it in my computer after all this time):

  1. Pray  (Yep…this was at the top of my list!  But I believe God honors it when we get off our butts and actually do something, so the list doesn’t end here.)
  2. Finish 24-hour consumer message
  3. Contact all endorsers (after newsletter)
  4. Contact 40 endorser prospects before August 1st
    -vets
    -allergists
    -realtors
    -Abby carpets
    -re-contact Arla Chalmers
  5. Direct mail to homeowners
    -pre-natal
    -household income of $100,000+
  6. Test market 24-hour message
    -newspaper flyer insert
    -doorsteps
    -newspaper ad
    -val-pack ad
  7. Letter to previous commercial clients
  8. Joint venture w/carpet retailers
    -reminder notices
    -kit for new carpet owners
  9. Letter to Décor & Design referrals
  10. Referral contest
  11. Awards for repeat clients
  12. Market to commercial clients
  13. Letter to C-21 marketing lady
  14. Free carpet cleaning contest (lead generation)
    -all endorsers
    -newspaper insert
    -households w/income $100,000+
  15. “Worst carpet cleaning” testimonial contest for new clients (lead generation)
    -all endorsers
    -newspaper insert
    -households w/income $100,000+
    -hand delivered letters
  16. Put consumer message 800# on everything
  17. Letter and marketing system for new homeowners met through realtors
  18. Consumer message teaser—“leave your name and number and I will send you a scratch off lotto ticket as my way of thanking you for taking the time to educate yourself.”
  19. Testimonial contest—include new clients for rest of July’s contest
  20. Direct mail—lotto ticket stapled to top of letter
    -households w/income $100,000+
  21. Referral cards for thank you letters

After reading through it again, it’s interesting how many of the items on this list that I created over a decade ago are found on the list of 119 ways to get a new client.

Since then I have made dozens of “Massive Action” lists.  Whenever I’ve faced a challenge that  needed to be solved quickly I’d go to Carl’s Jr. (my “office” away from the office), get out my notepad and start brainstorming.  If I came up with more than 10 (like the list above), I would put a star by the 10 I thought had the best chance of success and start with those.

Here’s something that I discovered: I never once got all the way through my list before the problem was solved.  Never.

As an aside, here’s something kind of strange, that’s totally personal, and I only mention it because it would be interesting if you discovered the same phenomenon happening in your business when you implement massive action.

Here it is: the solution to my problem almost never came 100% from the actions I implemented.  For example, if the challenge was increasing revenue, I would implement, say, five of the ten solutions and my revenue would increase to a point where I physically could not implement anything else…so, problem solved.  But only about half of the revenue increase would come from those strategies.  The rest of the extra revenue tended to come from unexpected sources, completely disconnected from the action I took.

Kind of strange, and, while I have my theories, I’ve never conclusively figured it out.  But I have had other business people I respect tell me they’ve experienced the same thing. One thing is for sure: movement beats meditation.  Action beats contemplation.

Anyway…

I’ve also implemented massive action to solve challenges in my personal life.  A challenge many parents may be facing right now is helping your child find a college, and helping her prepare scholastically. There are several criteria you may be looking for in a college.  Here is partial list of massive action items you may consider in your child’s junior/senior year of high school:

  1. Meeting with her youth pastor, who may have done a lot of research on colleges that meet your criteria.
  2. We are meeting with a trusted family member or friend to get input on applying, grants, etc.  You might know someone who’s got this process dialed.
  3. Appointment with a college guidance counselor.
  4. Ordering beginner-level books on the subject of nursing (your your child’s area of interest) to get her feet wet.  (There is actually a “Nursing For Dummies” book.  Amazing.)
  5. Online research
  6. Possibly enroll her in summer college classes in biology and/or chemistry to give her a head start.

Now, she may wind up changing her mind on her major, she may change her criteria for the college, etc., etc., etc.  But for now, this is her goal, and this is the “Massive Action” plan to help her meet that goal.

I can hardly take on any project or challenge without implementing some sort of multiple-solution plan; in other words, implementing massive action.  When I’m coaching clients, it’s rare that I give them only one solution to a challenge.  I think in terms of massive action.  I highly recommend that you learn to do the same.  One benefit that should be obvious to you is that “Massive Action” solves problems quickly, and that’s especially nice if the problem is causing you a lot of stress.

 

To Tons Of Customers!
Jim Augustus Armstrong is The “Coach”

Jim Augustus Armstrong is the President of Flooring Success Systems, a program that equips dealers to double their profits, cut their work hours in half and beat the boxes! Many dealers have totally transformed their businesses and their lives for the better after joining Flooring Success Systems.
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