If you have ever watched a football game, I expect you are familiar with the end run—a football play in which the ball carrier attempts to run around one end of the defensive line.

Another definition of an end run is “an evasive maneuver,” and that is where the connection to the term lies with EOS^®.

Just like in football, there is an offensive tactic EOS Implementers™ recommend leaders and managers use to eliminate end runs in their organization. More on the offensive tactic in a moment.

Organizational end runs occur in one of two ways. First, a team member goes around the Integrator generally to complain and occasionally to request assistance. The second way in which end runs take place is when the Visionary goes around the Integrator and gives direction to team members in one or more departments.

This often occurs prior to an organization having a well-defined company structure in place. Team members typically seek out the person with whom they are most familiar, or who they know best. And end runs are often disguised as “open door” policies.

Once an organization defines their company structure via the Accountability Chart, it is critical to develop a new behavior that will stop end runs. Allowing end runs to continue damages relationships, creates confusion, and undermines the role of the Integrator.

What is that new behavior? I’m glad you asked—we call it “The Question.” Here’s how it works. Let’s say Elmer goes to the Visionary to complain about something. The Visionary should listen carefully, and then respond, saying, “I hear you. I have one question. Are you going to tell him or am I? Because one of us has to tell him.”

Asking this question doesn’t change the need for team members to brainstorm or for leaders and managers to listen. Communication in an organization is critical to organizational health. Using “The Question” simply serves the organization and team members best when we allow the Integrator to be effective.

How have you been dealing with end runs in your organization? Maybe you didn’t realize it was happening and how counterproductive it can be. If you would like to talk through your Accountability Chart, your challenge with end runs, or the best way to pose “The Question,” lets chat. Simply fill out the contact form below to set up a 15-minute phone consultation with me. I would be happy to answer your questions and help set you up for success.

When something isn’t quite right in a company, it is not uncommon to see leaders and managers focus on what they think is going on. That approach leads to crafting a solution without having reliable data. Leaders and managers in this situation are attempting to solve a problem in isolation.

Enter the Scorecard—one of the foundational tools EOS Implementers™ help Leadership Teams create and use. A well-designed Scorecard gives you a weekly pulse on your business, which allows you to do two things:

1. Identify and correct immediate issues
2. Recognize trends so you can identify and correct long-term problems

A Leadership Team’s Scorecard is made up of five to 15  forward looking, activity based numbers, with weekly goals that lead to desired outcomes. The italicized phrase is critical to the value of your Scorecard.

In order to construct an effective Scorecard, you must believe The 7 Truths:

1. What gets measured gets done
2. Managing metrics saves time
3. A scorecard gives you a pulse and the ability to predict
4. You must inspect what you expect
5. You can have accountability in a culture that is high trust and healthy
6. A scorecard requires hard work, discipline, and consistency to manage, but it’s worth it
7. One person must own it

Need some help getting started? Here are five generic outcomes every company wants:

1. Get new customers
2. Get orders from existing customers
3. Make sure customers are happy
4. Serve those customers profitably
5. Have cash

Be patient when you design your first Scorecard. Invariably you will come up with a number that really doesn’t tell you anything meaningful. There also is the potential that a number that sounds useful takes four hours to gather each week—not a good use of anyone’s time. It usually takes a Leadership Team three to six months before they have the right set of measurables and love their Scorecard.

Remember: five to 15 forward looking, activity based numbers, with weekly goals that lead to desired outcomes. You’ll get there. And I’m here to help if you need it.

If you’d like to set up a time to discuss your company’s Scorecard or any other EOS-related topic, please fill out the form below. We’ll get a consult call on the calendar so you can start gathering data, measuring progress, and recognizing the trends and problems in your business.

The Vision/Traction Organizer™ includes a section called “Marketing Strategy.” It is designed to identify who your ideal customer is and what you should be saying to them in all your marketing and sales campaigns.

A clear, well-defined Marketing Strategy must align with your Core Focus™. A clear, well-defined Marketing Strategy enables your people to make better decisions.

The heart of great sales and marketing strategies answer four simple questions:

1. What is our target market? 
2. What are our three uniques? 
3. What is our proven process? 
4. What is our guarantee?

Three elements define your ideal customer or target market:

• Demographic—who are they—i.e.: companies with at least 2,000 employees and five physical plants
• Geographic—where are they—i.e.: within a 100 mile radius of our location

The third element is the psychographic, and the focus for today’s discussion. Your ideal customer’s psychographic describes what they value most.

It identifies:

• how they think, act, and feel
• what they appreciate; and
• what motivates them

Your ideal customer may value a relationship with your company over price. Perhaps they want a single point of contact for all their locations. Maybe a well-proven track record is most important to them. Then again, lowest, best price may be the most important consideration when selecting a service provider. It is possible just-in-time delivery is critical to their production capabilities. You get the picture.

The value in understanding your customer’s psychographic is this is where your real magic and value live. This is your opportunity to shine.

So gather your Leadership Team in the conference room, close the door, and start making a list of what your ideal customer wants. Then identify how you can give your customer “that”—because otherwise your sales and marketing efforts are wasting time and energy.

If you know your target audience but not how to reach them, or need assistance identifying their demographic, geographic, or psychographic, I’m here to help. Please use the consult form below if you’d like to schedule a free phone consultation with me. I would be happy to help you get inside the minds of your target market so you can understand their psychographic and make your marketing strategy as effective as possible.

I recently saw a commercial that asked a question I found interesting: “If you looked at America as a bird does, would you understand it?” I don’t remember what the commercial was promoting, which is my usual practice.

The question caught my attention because it correlates to what EOS Implementers™ do when we engage with a Leadership Team to implement EOS^®.

If you think about your business, I bet there is a lot of activity on a day-to-day basis. I expect there are a lot of interrelated components to what you do. And your employees, vendors, and customers routinely interact with each other, as well as all those aspects of your business. You and your team are busy. As a leader in your company, it is important that you understand the intricacies of your operation and the internal and external relationships.

In order to effectively implement EOS^®, the Leadership Team needs to step out of the business.  We need you to disconnect yourself from your ego, your role, and past beliefs and do what is best for the greater good of the organization going forward.

The only way for a Leadership Teams to do that is to elevate above all that “stuff” and work on the business as if they are a board of directors.

Looking at your company from a 30,000-foot view allows a Leadership Team to survey everything that is going on and identify those aspects that may be out of alignment.

That can be hard to see when you are so close to the business, working in it while also working on it. Business owners may need a guide—someone whose wings they can hold on to and soar above the daily operations to get to the birds eye view. That guide is your EOS Implementer™. We see things you often can’t because you are in the weeds. We can offer a fresh set of eyes, help you see your business the way we do, while helping you implement EOS^® in your business.

If you’d like to talk about this or any other aspect of EOS^®, please fill out the contact form below to request phone consultation with me. Grab my coattails and I will lead you to the horizon until you can view your business from that vantage point on your own.

Remember EOS^® shines a light on every corner of your business. It’s time to take a bird’s eye view. Let’s set up a time to talk about how to get it done.

The Vision/Traction Organizer™, also known as the V/TO™, is one of the tools we help Leadership Teams create. It is a 2-page strategic plan, and it is all you need to manage your company.

The Marketing Strategy is one of the eight sections of the V/TO™. Included in the Marketing Strategy is the identification of your 3 Uniques™. These are often known as differentiators or value propositions. Your 3 Uniques™ are what make you stand out in the mind of your ideal customer. You may share one unique with one of your competitors—but you are the only one that exhibits all three.

Once your Leadership Team defines and is in 100% agreement with what your uniques are, they then need to become a common thread through all your marketing and sales communication. The purpose of this approach is to create a consistent message in the marketplace.

At some point during a Quarterly Pulsing™ Session, I will ask the Leadership Team how they are using their 3 Uniques™ in their marketing tactics. In my experience, most of the Leadership Teams with whom I work have not thought about using their 3 Uniques™ to market their product or service.

So, here are three ideas you can adopt so your ideal customer has a clear understanding of why they should engage with your company:

1. Create a standard “About Us” description. Keep it simple; 2 – 3 sentences. Show your ideal customer what they will miss by not engaging with your company.
2. Craft a 30 second elevator pitch; teach it to every employee. This is a great way to tell a prospective client how you help them.
3. Create a “What Makes Us Different” webpage or video. This is an opportunity to demonstrate how you help a client solve a problem.

Clearly communicating your 3 Uniques™ creates awareness and excitement. And it helps a prospective client point to your company and say, “I want that!”

Some leadership teams have trouble drilling down and coming to an agreement on their business’s 3 Uniques™. It often takes an outside perspective to listen to everyone’s thoughts and suggestions, ask questions, and facilitate conversation that gives clarity to those 3 Uniques™.  That’s one of the many jobs of an EOS Implementer™. If you’d like to share where you are in the EOS^® process and get my input on your 3 Uniques™, please complete the consult form below. We’ll set up a phone call that will answer your EOS^® questions and help you narrow down what makes your business different from your competitors.