Do you live by Expected Outcomes

Happy Easter Everyone

Today, is Easter…it is the day that Christians around the world celebrate the one true risen Lord. We had a great service at Church on Sunday around the message of coming home, and this to me is the true message of Easter. It is the day that Christ was risen from the dead to prepare are place in the Father’s kingdom.

This message today got me thinking about “Expected Outcomes“. Many of us in today’s world have expected outcomes and desires that we expect to happen. If it is client signing a contract, a technician doing a wonderful job on a server recovery or a particular piece of correspondence making its way to us. However, what happens when the unexpected happens?

Our organist at First Lutheran has been away from Church with an illness and we had one hymn that was schedule to happen as part of our Easter services today, now we could have elected not to have done it, because we really needed the organ there to bring out the magic of this one hymn. It is an expected outcome of our service. We did the hymn anyways and it sounded wonderful without the pipe organ being a part of it. Thanks to Pete for making it wonderful.

Are you able to adapt to whatever life throws at you?

How flexible are you?

Many IT Professionals say that they are flexible – that is not the complete truth. The honest IT professinals are not flexible at all. Now, don’t confuse what I am saying here with my post from yesterday on “consistent experience“, there is a huge difference. Being flexible in the IT community is about being able to adapt when a patch breaks a server, or a bug in software forces us to change midstream on what we do…there are many examples here that I can use.

Great leaders in business plan for a desired outcome, however they don’t live by an expected outcomes. There is a huge difference between having a desired outcome over an expected outcome. Which is better?

Consistent Experience

The one thing that I love about Starbucks is that it doesn’t matter if I am sitting in my neighbourhood Starbucks in West Springs (Suburb of Calgary) or at the Starbucks in CLT (Charlotte Airport), the consistent experience is a critical key to the Starbucks success story.

My good friend Erik Thorsell even mentioned it in our webcast on Small Business Server 2008 the other day that he strives for a consistent and repeatable system that guarantees his company, Success Computer Consulting in Minneapolis will have happy clients and a profitable business.

Listen to the show online here

Are you striving for a consistent experience?

Can you guarantee your clients a consistent experience?

The number one complaint I hear from many clients is the ramp up period or paying for the learning curve with new system engineers. What would happen in your business if you had everyone on the same page providing that consistent client experience? It has to start somewhere, from dress and deportment, the way we answer the phone right up to the way we install Small Business Server. The Small Business Specialist that can provide a consistent end user experience will win in the end. You just have to ask Erik the benefits that this brings to Success Computer Consulting.

I will go out on a limb here, the IT consulting firm that can deliver the consistent user experience will win over those the fly by the seat of their pants.

Which firm are you? The fliers or the grounded firm?

Thanks to the young lady at the Starbucks in Westhills for the inspiration for putting the paper tag for my China Tips Green Tea in the cup and not attaching it to the sleeve that has consistently happened up to today.

I am planning to sleep on Saturday

I am writing this posting on Friday night instead of my normal early morning posting. I have been reading a number of blogs this week on the importance of sleep. One was in Jim Estill’s blog at http://www.jimestill.com/. I know I am sharing the same thoughts as Jim now has on this topic, it is getting harder and harder to function daily on 6 hours of sleep. So starting now I am getting up a 6 AM instead of 5 AM. I believe the extra hour of sleep every day will allow me to become more productive throughout the day. I am not Superstu anymore…

Jim’s blog also pointed out an article from CBS News that you can read here – http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/14/60minutes/main3939721.shtml

It is now time to adjust the schedule by one hour and that doesn’t mean going to bed an hour later.

I started my IT Success Mentor program a while back, I have a few IT professionals across Canada and the United States that I help on a monthly basis to kick start their business or get their businesses back on track. I have defined my program to a greater depth today. I have an executive member now which is the guys that I work with one on one every month and a regular membership which is half the investment and only gives you a portion of what the executive membeship provides you. Get more information here – http://www.itsuccessmentor.com/.

I also had the opportunity to discuss Windows Small Business Server 2008 with Steven VanRoekel from Microsoft, Aaron Booker from Hardlines in Bellingham, WA and Erik Thorsell from Success Computer Consulting in Minneapolis. We discussed SBS 2008 and what partners need to do to get ready for this new solution for Small Business clients all across the world. Listen to our show here – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/smb/2008/03/21/Inside-Cougar-Get-the-scoop

Oh yeah, I almost forgot – Happy 7th Anniversary to IT Matters. It was seven years ago on March 21, 2001 that we opened the doors to start servicing the small business market and junior energy sector with reliable IT services built on best practices and proven technologies. My dream of having the leading IT company in Calgary is now 7 years old. Thanks to my partners Rob and Tony for your valuable role in this dream and everyone who worked with us in the present and the past. Also a huge thank you to every client that we have serviced. The clients that we deal with make this experience wonderful.

Now it is time for bed!

Good Friday

Today is the day that we observe the day when Jesus Christ was crucified some 2000 years ago. What does this day mean to you? At our church today, everything will be in black to observe the death of our Lord, and then on Sunday we will celebrate the arisen Lord. This is my first Easter since I reconnected spiritually and I am looking forward to everything that happens this weekend.

My eldest son Alexander is playing Thomas in a play at Church today, I am looking forward to seeing him play this role. I am so proud of both of my sons for the fine young gentlemen that they have become in life. The great thing about them is that their lives have only started.

I don’t have a lot of time to post today, I am going to see my good friend Wendy this morning at 6 AM for my bi-weekly massage. I enjoy spending time with Wendy, so is the only massage therapist that has ever put me to sleep on the table. She is a wonderful person and great at what she does. I highly recommend her if you are looking for a massage therapist. Email me at stuart@stuartcrawford.com and I will introduce you to her. Her rates are awesome and normally her sessios are two hours long.

Last night we had Business After Hours with the Calgary Chamber of Commerce at Canada Olympic Park, it was the BAH I exhibited at in some time. I have disconnected myself from the Calgary market with some of my activities and it is time to get the IT Matters name back out into the community. Of course we promoted our WIN A WINDOWS PHONE contest and handed out flyers from our contest, you can still register online at http://www.winawindowsphone.com until May 31, 2008. IT Matters and Cellcom Wireless are giving away a Samsung Jack Windows Mobile 6 phone as the grand prize.

Time for my massage….

The Drill and the Hole

I had breakfast with a very good friend of mine yesterday, Rene is the owner of Compuconsult, another local Microsoft Small Business Specialist here in Calgary and someone that I really look up to for guidance and help in our local IT community. Yesterday, we were discussing GOALS. Rene had a great way of putting goals…many of us (including me sometimes) confuse our end goals as methods or as Rene puts it – The DRILL.

During our chat we determined that the HOLE is the end result or the goal that we want to achieve and the drill is the mechanism in which we come to the end result of the HOLE that we want. So my question to all my blog readers is this…what is the drill and what is the hole in your goals.

I wish I would have met with Rene prior to writing my “Goal Setting for the IT Professional” eBook, which is available online at http://www.goalsettingfortheitprofessional.com. This would have been awesome to put in the book.

Thank you Rene for your guidance during our time together.

Yesterday was a “time together” day, I spent time during lunch with my good friends Doug and Arif from Popcorn Technologies, another great Microsoft partner. Popcorn is Calgary’s leading Microsoft Office SharePoint application shop and Microsoft Office developers. I think that is the right way to describe them, they are the glue in the middle between your data and the input mechanisms to which we input our data. During lunch we shared business learnings, there is so much I can learn from these guys.

I also had coffee with my good friend Regina Minger. I met Regina through the Calgary Herald, she had an ad in the Small Business Section of the paper and we have been friends ever since. She is a remarkable person and runs Business Lifestyle. A great service for the busy professional.

“Business Lifestyle Corporation gives you focus and direction for your business. We offer cost effective ways to help you manage your business, implement your marketing strategies and assist you in unique office situations and projects. Let’s take the busy out of your business!” – Regina Minger, CEO

So what was yesterday about, it was a clarification day. What really matters to me and what do I need to do in my life. These messages were load and clear yesterday. I am pretty confident now that I know what I need to do in my own life as well as the impact I can have on others. It is time for me to get back in that mindset of creating a positive impact with every interaction I have with people.

Thanks to everyone I met with yesterday for your help, even us guys need a helping hand from time to time. It is very much appreciated!

The Mind Is A Terrible Thing to Waste

What are you doing in your business? Are you satisfied? Are you happy? Do you feel fullfilled?

Actually this is the second post today, the first one I deleted…didn’t have the right feel (if you want to read it, I still have it – email me at stuart@stuartcrawford.com and I will send it to you).

I see many IT Professionals just going through the motions, having no sense of fullfillment in their life, unsatisfied with the current state of affairs in their business. Who do you blame? Well actually no one (Read Jay Fiset’s book “Reframe your blame” to understand what I mean). You do need to be personally accountable for the state that you are in right now, no one controls this but you. You are responsible for the exact situation you are in right now. Not your business partners, your employees, your clients, your family – NO ONE BUT YOU!

So what does the average IT professional do when they are totally unsatisfied with their life? First you need to change your state immediately. This mindset or state of mind that you are in is exactly this, a state of mind…if you are in a state of mind that you are angry, guess what, you are angry. If you are in a state of mind that you are not appreciated, guess what, you feel unappreciated…the list goes on and on.

I recommend that you subscribe to an awesome podcast, this dynamic duo (not Batman and Robin) but Shane and Scott are from Vancouver, BC and they run a podcast called “Weightloss and the Mind“. Shane is an awesome friend that I met a few years ago at T. Harv Eker’s Millionaire Mind Weekend (I recommend the teleclass) in Vancouver and he helps me daily when I listen to his show. Sure it has weighloss in the title (I have lost 35 pounds) however Shane approaches it from a mindset play. The mind controls are weight gain and loss, it controls how are golf game is, it controls if we are happy or sad, it controls if we love or hate our job . The mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Watch this video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7HB3W2Y8zM, these guys really nailed it.

What can you do today to prevent your mind from becoming a wasteland?

You and only you own your state! Reclaim it now!

Back in Calgary

Last night I made it back to Calgary, I am home for the next month and time to focus on some local activities. I have a “Goal Setting” seminar coming up on Thursday based on my latest book “Goal Setting for IT Professionals“, this seminar is more general for the “Busy Professional“. If you are in Calgary you want to check this out on Thursday morning at the Calgary Coast Plaza Hotel. It will be a great couple of hours of networking and learning.

I received some photos from my good friend Ken Edwards in Phoenix via email from the event that I spoke at last Thursday in Phoenix. I have posted them up onto my Facebook Profile for everyone to see. Here is one of them as I discuss the “Nine Tips for creating a life outside of your business”. I love doing this talk and I will have the opportunity to team up with Karl Palachuk at SMB Summit this upcoming April as we do a tag team event around this topic and Karl “Relax, Focus, Succeed” topic.

I received this email from Dianne from Phoenix Computer Specialists on this same seminar, I always enjoy receiving feedback like this, it really lets me know that I am delivering value to people. This is why I enjoy business mentoring, which I know have almost 10 clients. I picked up another one yesterday from Toronto, so the word is starting to spread.

Thank you for all the valuable information in your presentation last night! Roger, Dave and I have been working on many of the things that you spoke about…we have learned so much and are beginning to see the payoffs for our work. It was nice to hear these things again as a bit of a refresher course – it keeps us motivated and focused. So, thank you for what you do!

Dianne Poore
CRM Director, Secretary, Treasurer
Phoenix Computer Specialists

I also had the chance to chat with my good friend Steve Riat last night and Steve has told me that he has a new blog up and running on “Sales and Marketing in IT”, Steve is the best marketing and sales guy I have ever had the chance to meet. Steve is with Nex-Tech in Hays, KS and does some pretty remarkable stuff from this part of the world. Check out Steve’s blog at http://sriat.blogspot.com/

Steve also asked me about my reviews of “Celebrity Apprentice”, since I got home yesterday, I finally had a chance to review last week’s show. The final four is going to be interesting. I think Carol is the next to go, I am wondering how she can compete against those 3 other guys. Trace is on the bubble with me as well, he is a living, breathing testimonial about being honest and true to yourself and others, however this can only take you so far. You need to “ask for the sale” and I think Piers can do this over all the others that are left. He just strikes me as the type of guy who just “asks for the deal”, which is a critical component to succeeding in business.

Do you ask for the sale when talking to your clients?

Are you the type that says “they will buy when they are ready”. Guess what, this doesn’t work as effectively as asking for the business people. You must ask for the business at all times. Success factor in the small business IT space number 1.

“The Donald” has a blog now…visit it here.

I took a freedom day in Mexico

I was very fortunate yesterday to spend the day blackberry and laptop free in Puetro Penasco, Mexico yesterday. It is a 3 hour drive from where I am staying in Casa Grande, Arizona and I need my ocean fix, especially out here in the desert. I love having the opportunity to run off to Mexico whenever I have the opportunity. I am on the search for a great opportunity to invest in some real estate outside of Canada right now. I did some looking around in this area and in Mexico. There are some great deals in the US right now for us Canadians who are looking.

We had an awesome day in Rocky Point, the weather was alright, not super hot, but hey I am a northerner and anytime I can wear shorts outside of our summer months is a bonus. It was also Spring Break down there, so it was very busy. On the return trip we had a 4 1/4 hour wait at the US Border to get back in through Lukeville, Arizona.

On Saturday night, I was blessed to spend some more time with my good friend Ken Edwards and Mark, we attended the Phoenix Coyotes vs. Edmonton Oilers at Jobing.com arena on the west end of Phoenix. I always appreciate how Ken makes a big effort to be open about who he is and what is stands for. Ken runs a great small business consulting firm in Phoenix called Maverick Mesa Computers and he is very active in the small business IT space in the southwest and actually all across the USA. Ken is one of these guys who you can see at almost every conference and trade show. Ken, thank you for being a great host and awesome friend.

Life is truly amazing right now! Why do I say this? I am truly blessed to have a wonderful family, a beautiful bride who I love dearly, wonderful kids, amazing friends (to many to single out right now) and a great firm with a wonderful team at IT Matters. As I was sitting in the lineup waiting to enter into the US last night it hit me. “You know Stuart, you are doing OK”.

Since I spent the day out in Mexico yesterday, I didn’t have a my chance to spend time with the Lord like I usually do on Sunday’s however, He did touch me yesterday as we were sitting in the lineup. I looked up to see a younger Mexican lady sitting in the doorway to her home, it wasn’t anything fancy, and maybe smaller than my master bedroon (this was her whole house). Somehow we looked at each other and smiled. I can see in her face telling me that life was perfect and she was happy, so why can’t you be happy.

I responded – I am

Another Great Day in Arizona

Every year I volunteer some of my time to help out the residents of the Las Colinas Park where my Mom and Dad snowbird in the winter. It is something that gives me a sense of fullfillment in life and that I love to do. If I can help one person with their computers that is an awesome experience. Is this how you feel about what you do in your life?

I went into Scottsdale last night to spend sometime with my good friend Don and his lovely wife Nola at their place just east of Camelback Mountain. What an experience! Don is a great friend of mine and he is also the President and CEO of Welton Energy. Don and I have known and worked with each other for a number of years and he is truly one of the guys that I respect the most in the Calgary Oil Patch. I am blessed to have him as a friend, mentor and as a client of IT Matters.

As some of you may also be aware that I am big in volunteering my time and efforts to a number of great causes across the world. One of them is the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada where every year I bring together a team of Microsoft Partners to help with finding a cure for this horrible disease that affects a tonne of people throughout the world. If you are in Calgary and wanting to join our team of walkers in June or if you can not walk then please help us with a donation to support our efforts. We have setup a special website at http://www.mspartnersforms.ca to solicit donations. Please consider supporting our efforts.

Here is my lesson for today - I heard this during my interview with Will Kriski yesterday on Small Business IT Radio.

People can sense desperation in sales people

I have been working with a partner over the last few weeks that I have had a number of my staff complain about and clients express concern over. The concern is being over agressive in the sales approach and the sense of desperation and almost forcing them to “sign” on the dotted line. This is definitely not my approach and I highly recommend to you that this should not be your approach to sales. Prospects and clients can sense this big time and they will not buy from you.

I elect to use a more laid back approach, yes you need to be following up and sending our reminders, however, the pushy, aggressive sales person will always fail and the sales person that can put themselves in the client shoes will always win in the end.

I love what Karl Palachuk has to say about life “Focus, Relax, Succeed”

I do sleep well in the desert

I love being in the Arizona desert, I sleep great out here, that is never a problem, still love to get up and at her no later than 5 AM. The early bird does in fact get the worm.

Yesterday was an awesome day here in Arizona, I spent most of the morning yesterday back on calls to Calgary to help along with the business there. The cell phone was pretty hot and I had to recharge the battery at lunch time. Good thing I have a talk North America plan on my Telus Mobility account.

In the afternoon, I invested some of my time to meet our new SonicWALL team in Tempe, AZ. I was greated by Tim our new rep that takes care of all the SonicWALL Gold and Silver partners in Western Canada. I love our relationship with SonicWALL, I feel that we are more than just another partner to them. I even got to techie out a bit in their lab yesterday. The IT Matters and SonicWALL relationship is a great one and in the end our clients are the ones that win from the investment we all have made in building a strong tie. Tim told me that I was the first partner ever to visit the new Tempe office…very cool…goes good with my ego thing

After my visit at SonicWALL, I drove down to downtown Phoenix to link up with the Arizona SBS User Group, which my dear friend Ken Edwards is involved with. It was great to see some familiar faces once again and meet some new people. We met at the Old Spaghetti Factory on North Central, great venue. I was blessed to deliver my “Are you creating a life to remember” talk to the group of SBSC’s in the room. I love delivering this talk because having a life that affords you the ability to do what you want to do without being tied to a desk is very important to me. Technology today proves that you can be anywhere in the world and be totally productive.

Are you leveraging technology to allow to travel and have freedom from your office desk?

I do want to draw your attention to a recent blog posting by Vlad – a well known and outspoken champion of small business IT. Vlad talks about the death of the SBSC program and who will be blamed for this. In a nutshell it comes down to execution and the “sense of entitlement” that exists today. Hey SBSC Partners…Microsoft owes you nothing. SonicWALL owes you nothing. How do you create strong vendor relationships? Simple you need get out from behind your desk, stop playing techie for a day and visit their offices, make phone calls, get involved in the community. Vlad mentions that there are 10% of the people out there involved. I think that number is high. At the recent Heroes Happen Here event in Calgary, I met only one other SBSC (Frank from Compuconsult) at that event and we have over a million people in Calgary and maybe a good dozen or more SBSC members. Vlad I think you nailed this one. Read Vlad’s posting here – http://www.vladville.com/2008/03/ouch-the-death-of-sbsc.html

It all comes down to building a relationship and stop having that mindset that you are entitled to everything, you are not entitled to anything, you need to get up and earn it.

Just like respect, it must be earned.