How can you think inside the box?

If you have ever attended one of my sessions you know I am very passionate about helping businesses make it happen! If you know anyone who could use over 100 ideas for finding more business and creating more opportunity I would appreciate hearing from you!!

If I hear one more creativity person say, “you’ve got to think outside the box” I am going to pop someone. I don’t know about you but I don’t have the time, money or resources to go outside the box. Heck, I can barely afford the box! The secret to moving your business or career forward in these tough and challenging times is to learn to think inside the box. Ask what can you do with what you have that will take you one step closer to your vision. My guess is that 70% of all “out of the box thinking” goes nowhere and then because we can’t do it, we do the next best thing… NOTHING!

So let me ask you, how can you think inside the box? What can you do with what you have that would make a difference?

If you are in sales, what can you do with the leads, product and customers you have? In marketing what can you do with the budget, channel and sales force you have? In customer service what can you do with the process you have? Inside the box means making do with what you have, Keeping it simple and taking baby steps that let their cumlative effect make the difference.

Many times I find we spend too much time stuck in “wishful thinking” trying to be more than we can be at the moment. In fact, according to Baha Habashy, Canadian Information Overload Guru, (http://www.integrity-plus.com/) knowledge workers today are spending on average 42% of their time in “planning and reacting” meetings (which sure doesn’t leave a lot of time for the doing!). Inside the box thinking means moving forward with what you have. You don’t get anymore time, money or resources you make it work with what you have.

So what could you do to increase sales using just the things you already have? What could you do to increase customer satsifaction? Why not look all around your business and apply “in the box thinking” and see what comes out.

Now I’m not saying that there is no room for thinking outside of the box. In fact, there is great money to be made, outside the box. What I am saying is choose your battles wisely, its great to go big but don’t put all of your energy going outside the box especially when you know 70% of businesses never ever get there.