Half my immediate family trained in Judo and excelled in competition. I was always fascinated by the way in which my younger brother and sister (who were small for their age) were able to throw much bigger opponents with seemingly little effort.
I remember vividly watching a training session where my sister easily threw another student flat on his back. What staggered me though was the size of the student.
He was huge.
But she didn't strain or struggle. She simply appeared to step calmly backwards as he approached and let him fall over her in a big circle to land flat on his back.
I was amazed and by the look on his face so was he.
You may be mistaken in thinking he was going easy on her, but he wasn't. There was something in the way she reacted to his movement which gave her this enormous power.
Something in the technique she used that enabled her to lift a 20 stone man off the ground and plant him flat on his back.
I'm now going to share her secret with you with ideas for applying these principles to your own business...
Dr. Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo devised a theory known as "kazushi" which essentially means, "Using a minimum amount of strength, it is possible to throw your opponent if you force him off balance by breaking his posture."
Kazushi (unbalancing your opponent) is effectively promoting the idea of "Minimum Effort - Maximum Impact". Which, by no coincidence, happens to be the key concept behind Lean Marketing.
This understanding of Kazushi is what gave my 10 year-old sister the power and belief she needed to throw the 20 stone man.
She yielded to his forward momentum and put her foot in a position low enough to act as a lever which had the effect of disturbing his balance with the full force of his own momentum and weight behind it.
In other words she harnessed all 20 stone of his weight, combined it with her own and used it all against him!
So How Do You Use Kazushi In Your Business?
Key #1 - Balance Jim Rohn once said, "The same wind blows on us all, what matters is the set of the sail." You need to make balanced, reasoned decisions to be most efficient.
This means you need to realise the harmony in all parts of your business. It's no good chasing new business if you ignore the clients you already have. There's no point in striving for financial success at the cost of your health, friends and fun.
Balanced thinking also means the ability to put things in perspective. Small problems affect us all. It's when we see these small things as big that we get carried away and can over-react.
Key #2 - Momentum I talk a lot about using pain and gain as a motivator. This is essentially a tool for creating momentum. But momentum without a direction is waste.
Make sure you have vivid, powerful goals. Keep your end in mind and be willing to go with the flow and will of others where necessary so that your outcome can still be realised.
Don't tackle problems head on but guide people in a direction that is mutually beneficial. Argument and conflict is wasteful and should be avoided where possible.
Pace people. Show them you understand them. Then guide them and allow their own momentum to do the rest.
Don't get carried away pursuing things that do not lead to your desired outcome - otherwise your momentum may be the very thing that trips you up.
Key #3 Leverage By recognising levers you'll be able to harness the power of momentum and make it your own. Effectively harnessing energy in the same way that a sail on a boat uses the wind to make it move.
Knowing where and when to take action and understanding that the little adjustments and small things can make the big difference will give you unlimited power.
Gain support. Ask for favours. Use your network. Make other people's time and money work for you and them simultaneously and you'll achieve a lot more a lot sooner and with a lot less effort.
As the saying goes: "If you give enough people what they want - they'll help you to get what you want too.
4 Out Of 5 Small Businesses Go Bust Inside 5 Years! Finally - A Guaranteed Way To Make Sure You're Not One Of Them... http://www.leanmarketing.co.uk/toolbooks
Expanding your subscriber list, whether it be for your ezine,... Read More
The term business marketing strategy might sound like it is... Read More
Have you ever sat down to write a sales letter... Read More
We all know the English language contains hundreds of thousands... Read More
Your marketing weak link could be undermining the rest of... Read More
With the Internet opening up the doorway to the global... Read More
We all know the value of writing articles for promoting... Read More
It used to be you that if you had a... Read More
We all work hard to attract even one paying client.... Read More
"Necessity is the mother of invention!" The first time I... Read More
Are you planning an event or participating in a trade... Read More
One of the most critical but overlooked parts of business... Read More
Here are 5 high-impact marketing tips you can use to... Read More
When it comes to your marketing message, the little things... Read More
Used the right way and with the right audience, postcards... Read More
Wouldn't it be great to have a year where your... Read More
To tell you the truth (and about 53% of this... Read More
It goes against the grain, especially for those of us... Read More
Hello everyone! Have you ever been curious about something, and... Read More
It's interesting to see how resourceful people become when starting... Read More
Entrepreneurs pay a lot of attention to the mechanics of... Read More
Just like there are reverse dictionaries, there is a reason... Read More
I Hate Cold CallsLong before I started my business, I... Read More
Whether you are already running your own business, or still... Read More
Trade show booths are one of the best direct contact... Read More
Special Requirements for Reprint: we ask only that... Read More
A provocation for the coming year, decade, century or millennium.By... Read More
You will always have more people that turn down your... Read More
Anybody that frequents shopping malls are familiar with the bar... Read More
"How to Earn the Right..."Marketing your professional services is a... Read More
There's a secret to marketing, which is so simple, yet... Read More
There are many different ways to market offline, each important... Read More
As a business professional, you probably realize the value of... Read More
One of the most cost effective marketing strategies you can... Read More
1) Word of mouth is the most cost-effective, powerful form... Read More
No matter if you're publishing your first book or producing... Read More
You followed time-honored online marketing techniques to the letter: you... Read More
Over the last few years the buzz about CRM (Customer... Read More
One person tells another, who tells another, who tells another... Read More
I love my dentist! When is the last time you... Read More
Marketing expert and author, Geoffrey Moore, has a useful fill-in-the-blank... Read More
Whether you market online or offline, you already know the... Read More
"Dig your well before you're thirsty" is the title of... Read More
I was saddened to hear of the passing of one... Read More
It's a great concept, - and it has a 'cool... Read More
This really and truly is the easiest (and most profitable)... Read More
Which pulls the best response, a postcard, a self-mailer or... Read More
It was the fall of 1998 when I had just... Read More
If ever there was a lazy way to easy profits... Read More
The steps to creating an effective marketing plan begin with... Read More
Marketing Marketing |
|