Many years ago, my brother sat bolt upright in the middle of a dream and yelled, “Send in the Marines!” He could never remember the exact details of this nocturnal scenario, but he did recall a powerful sense of urgency around getting help, and he knew that only the leathernecks would do.
I’m a mild-mannered copywriter, not a militarist, and yet, I find the U.S. Marines irresistibly appealing. When a tough situation is in their hands, one feels, things will get done and done right. In an excellent article, Gordon G. Andrew discusses how the “Every Marine a Rifleman” motto instills a sense of competence and duty that translates wells into the B2B arena.
In the military context, the motto means that every Marine is expected to apply combat training wherever needed. The same, Mr. Andrew believes, should hold true for anyone in business. “’Every Employee a Sales Rep’ should be fully ingrained across a company’s workforce, from the front desk to the corner office.”
As always, I recommend you read this article. It’s short but pithy and has ideas you can put to work immediately, even if you’re a solopreneur. Here are my three favorites (with my own special twists):
- Manage your personal brand ‒ Keep your profile on LinkedIn and your company’s website up to date. And engage in at least one activity that isn’t directly linked to work
- Convey your business’s value proposition ‒ Even if you’re at a cocktail party and someone asks who you work for. (Just don’t be annoying about it. I leave it to you to be both enthusiastic but pushy.)
- Nurture your network ‒ That includes pretty much everyone—from former clients and people in other disciplines to the mom you met at the silent auction at your kid’s school.
The world of business (and the world in general) never stops. And a self-renewing commitment to developing new competencies and acting on current ones is what keeps your business alive. (Besides that, it’s kinda fun. The startups I’ve worked for and with function this way, and it keeps the juices flowing.)
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