How to Deal With the Weeds

Weeds inhibit growth in farming. They grow around your crops and sap energy and life from the growing plant. It is a regular part of farming to eradicate the weeds and in relationship farming you have to apply the same principles to grow your business.

There are what I call “weedy people” out there. You know who I’m talking about. These are the people that try to sap your energy, your time, your money and all the good that you do. Some do it consciously trying to harm you. Most will do it without even thinking about how they are hurting you. That is why you, as a successful relationship farmer, have to be on the lookout for those who would inhibit your success.

It is most important to be careful when doing your relationship farming weeding. Those who are weeds today can become viable paying customers later on (I know, the analogy breaks down here). A good rule of thumb I’ve found is to always treat everyone professionally and graciously, no matter who they are and what they’ve done. Even if they are a weed, you remain professional in all your own actions and words.

Here are some steps that can help as you encounter weeds in your own relationship farming:

Identify the Weeds Early

If a weed grows for a long time, it saps the poor growing plant of vital nutrients. Have a built-in “early detection system” to ID the weeds in your business. Watch for those that are takers and don’t believe in value-for-value relationship. If all they want to do is take, you don’t want to hang around them. The sooner you can ID this by their words, their willingness to work with you on even small items and be kind, the better off you’ll be.

Always Be Professional

When you find the weedy people, remember it is imperative for you as a successful businessperson to never stoop to the level of name-calling and belittling the person. Too much is done today attacking the person, not the action. This ad hominem (or “arguing to the man”) approach doesn’t solve the problem. It only creates friction. Focus on the solution — not cutting down the person — and you’ll achieve much more success.

Eradicate Weeds From Your Business

When you identify time-wasters, profit-takers and others who only hurt your business, do what you can to eliminate them. Much like in firing an employee, it is best to identify the person who “should be encouraged to be successful somewhere else” and help that person move along. Don’t waste your most precious resource — time — with people who drain you of your time, money and efforts.

A farmer has to diligently cultivate the soil and watch out for weeds which sap the life of plants. Proper spraying can help prevent weeds from growing. It is critical to have proper plans for your business and your mind-set on how to deal with weeds when you see them.

Be a good relationship farmer and prepare in advance for weeds. It will help your harvest be stronger and much richer.

Camtasia Studio 5 for Relationship Marketing and More

One of the tools that can help you in your relationship marketing (and relationship farming) is Camtasia Studio from Techsmith. The company recently released version 5 (CS5) and it has improved on an already good program.

The interface seems tighter and better managed. It flows even smoother than in previous versions in my experience working with it. One of the best features I have seen is what they call “smart focus.” It allows the software to automatically zoom in on those areas where you need a sharper focus.

Let’s say you’re showing someone how to use a special Excel spreadsheet and you want to focus on how you calculated a particular formula. With CS5, you can create the movie of how to do it (with your voice explaining it as you go) and position your cursor on the area where you want to focus. You won’t see anything happen while doing the recording, but in the editing, CS5 automatically inserts a zoom onto that area of the screen. This makes the process easier for those creating the movie and much easier to follow for those viewing it.

You can produce videos for the Net, for CD and for iPod distribution. You could send marketing messages to potential buyers through this system. CS5 is worthy of serious consideration for professional marketers and business people. Consider it a valuable tool in your relationship farming toolshed.