Archive for the ‘Life’ Category
No Fear in 2013
No Fear in 2013
This is the year to quit being afraid. Let’s start with these 7.
- Don’t fear having to memorize all your product specs and prices. What matters is you remember how the darn thing helps them do what they really want to do.
- Don’t fear social media. Embrace it. More people, customers and employees talking to each other is way better than silence.
- Don’t fear the so called demise of the offline marketing world. I don’t know any business that is moving totally away from it. Blend is always the key. In fact, that integrated offline/online mix might get a little more attention than it used to these days.
- Don’t fear the board game. It’s OK to make eye contact with your kids now and then.
- Don’t Fear the Reaper. Classic tune. Have a Listen. I heard they played at my High School way back in the early 70’s. Yup they did.
- Don’t fear going back to school. In fact, everybody should be in school. If you are not dedicating to learning something new at least an hour a day at least (and I don’t mean watching or reading “news”, timelines or posts) you are behind your competitors tomorrow.
- Don’t fear Neuroscience and Neuromarketing. Get into it. How you think, why you think the way you do. Why your clients and team react to things the way they do is important to know . As someone once said… “Just because it is your brain, doesn’t mean you know what it is doing”.
Till next time,
Grow The Business.
Mark
A Can’t to Change
A Can’t to Change
And so yet again many of us come upon moments we can’t understand. We come upon moments we can’t watch or can’t even think about. We come upon moments we just can’t bear.
But these moments, these times when we simply can’t are wrong. They always are.
Nothing changes in can’t. Nothing.
It’s in these moments where can counts.
I do not care what side of can you care about. I do not care what can means for you at home, for your children, at work, in our towns or in our nation.
I do care that you know that things do change when can’t is retired in moments like these and is replaced by can. For whatever the change – whatever the change! – it is certainly better than what exists today.
Till next time,
Grow The Business.
Mark
Scroll-Worthy
Scroll-Worthy
I have a friend I won’t name (but his first name rhymes with “Sperry”), who said something to me recently that I just can’t shake. He has a disturbing and ominous opinion about reading things like blogs, articles or pretty much anything online.
“If I have to even scroll down a tiny bit to get to the end, I usually won’t do it. I have other things to do.”
Is this what we’ve come to? Is this Scroll thing (or lack thereof) the new thumbs up or down about the value of content? Is scrolling just too cumbersome and hard now? How awful is that?
“How did everyone like your email?” you are asked, “Um gee, nobody scrolled so I guess not well.”
It takes almost no effort “scroll” but now it must be earned? Is being “Scroll-Worthy” now a badge of honor?
What else does this mean?
- That being on the first page of Google results is great – but you better be above the “scroll”???
- That you’d better be more thoughtful about how large the picture at the top of your blog post is because you may not get a single swipe??
- That you need to march out there and protest the smaller IPAD mini and the death of PC’s and large monitors because your content needs more time to be seen and deemed Scroll Worthy?
- That Eye tracking glasses are next for all and forget the scroll issue – just looking down and left to right will need be earned?
Hey “Sperry”, your view on what you’ll read online scares me man, but with this post at just 299 words, I’m praying it stays above that scroll line so you can get to the end without having to judge me Scroll – Worthy or not.
Till next time,
Grow The Business.
Mark
No Wins, Not Quite
No Wins, Not Quite
This High School football team didn’t win a single game this year. Not one.
But you’d never know it looking at the faces of the kids and everyone else I saw at the season-ending banquet on Saturday.
I didn’t get to see many Varsity games this year with the kickoff times being mostly held at 4pm on Friday nights. But I know that what had to be tough games to watch, would likely carry over into a somewhat depressed pall cast over the season ending banquet. How could there not be, having gone this year without a single win and having just one win last year.
But what I saw was a room full of cheering parents, proud young men and a half a dozen coaches who spoke of their players as if they were their very own kids.
I saw a Head Coach who talked glowingly and positively about every player from Freshman to Senior as they were introduced. It wasn’t what you think; time flew. He found something unique and great to say about each. He found affirmative things to say about their work ethic, their progress, their spirit, their unselfish willingness to help each other and refreshingly for many, their outstanding grades.
My son didn’t play a down this year having suffered a pre –season injury requiring surgery but he had his name called and was acknowledged for his commitment to supporting the team throughout the year. He wore not only a tie (that was as required for all players) but a broad smile shaking the hands of coaches and teammates as he walked onto the floor.
There was continued talk of overcoming more injuries and obstacles, of learning new positions and new offenses, of learning a new culture and of responsibility and accountability. There was talk about the honorable values and the unique contributions of team captions, assistant coaches and supporters all around.
There was talk of shunning the individual accomplishment and focusing on bonding as a team, in a concerted effort with a common focus. There was talk about reaching out to each other and encouraging each other to work together not just during football season but all year round. And finally, there was talk that in the end of all this important stuff, one of many great results, (but not nearly the only one), will be some games to be won.
It’s trite of course, but these games are not the lead story – at least for the gatherings of these young men who yearn to push a ball across a goal line just a bit more than their competitor. My guess is that if there were two seasons of winning records already under his belt, this Head Coach would have talked about the same things.
I sat there thinking how wonderful these presentations and speeches were and asked myself how different are they than what the gatherings of families, groups or even companies in good times or in bad should be hearing? These messages are the ones that we and not just our sons benefit from. These messages are at the root of what is valuable, at the root of what drives achievement across a wide swath of life.
Thanks for the pep talk Coach. Thanks for the shot in the arm of prioritization and principles. Better luck next year in that win / loss thing but regardless, there’s no doubt you’ll truly win.
Till next time,
Grow The Business.
Mark
Horrid Phrases
Horrid Phrases
Don’t know if any of you fly a lot. I kind of do – at least of late. At the airport, there is one phrase gate agents of a certain airline sometimes say ( actually proclaim over the loudspeaker) that just crushes me. It’s horrid. It makes me instantly hang my head in depression. It ruins my flight, my day and my mood immediately.
“Our flight is completely full today..”
I’m not a small man; (thankfully not ready for the seatbelt extension just yet) but Lordy, when you hear that phrase, thinking about getting into and sitting in those seats and aisles built for middle schoolers, is now horrid on a grand scale.
I think there are some other horrid phrases agents of many industries say these days that can give that same kind of instant feel of dread and depression.
“OK, let’s see what they did here..”. Are you kidding me? As soon as your client with a question hears “they”, the horridness kicks in: Oh my, you are not in charge. Oh my, I’m gonna have to talk to someone else. Oh my, I’m talking to an idiot with no authority. Oh my, this place is so big, I’m never going to get the answer.
“Can I have your phone number in case we are disconnected?“ It’s 2011! The only disconnections are when someone does it on purpose. Your client or prospect is in the horrid zone immediately: Oh please, you want my number to pester me at dinner or in a middle of a meeting to sell me something with your silly outbound program. Oh please, now I’m in your database and all I had was a darn question. Oh great, they have crappy phone systems with disconnect issues, can’t wait to do business with them.
“Mark”, “Mark” , “Mark” Yeah that’s right, my first name. You say my first name more than twice in a conversation on the phone or face to face and a horrid sickness overcomes me and your customers too: Oh I get it, someone trained you to use ” the customer’s first name” often in your calls- that feels genuine! Oh I get it, you are as slick a sale rep as I’ve ever seen – you make me wanna take a shower. Oh I get it, you think using my first name a lot makes us like family or brothers and I will buy your stuff- lol!
The thing about horrid phrases is the emotions they elicit have staying power. They linger. They stick. They can even leave a lasting impression about you or your company as a brand that is as uncomfortable as seat 28B.
Till next time,
Grow The Business.
Mark
Real Small Biz – Good News
Real Small Biz – Good News
Go golfing when you want. Play with the kids more. Coach a team. Be around so I can act in a play. Get a new truck. Sleep late when I want to. Don’t want to be told what to do. I like my life now. I can change it up every couple of years. I could always do it better anyway. Leave an impression. Make my wife proud. I can fire my clients. Work from home. Help my brothers and their kids. Be the boss. Take control. Have some fun. Challenge myself.
“What is the good news about having your own business?” was the question.
These are the real answers by real small business people. I know because I’ve heard them say it first hand. And these answers aren’t so unique or rare. These are, when you really get down to it, what real people who own businesses say.
And now that you know that, what the heck do you have to offer that helps these people keep rolling in this good news?
Yeah, you’ve got some thinking and reworking to do. Have at it.
Till next time,
Grow The Business.
Mark
Bigfoot Anyone?
Bigfoot Anyone?
Preparing for marriage, I hear that very smart couples often schedule time to talk about things like goals, finances, religion and planning for a family.
But what about other important things like whether Bigfoot exists?
Really, shouldn’t we talk about this?
Of course we should. Believe in Bigfoot? Well that’s a darn good sign you have the creativity gene, the adventure gene or the intangible wonderment of someone eternally optimistic that despite seemingly insurmountable odds, something so tall and hairy could indeed survive undetected in the mountains of the Northwest.
Don’t believe in Bigfoot? Well that’s a darn good sign you are have that realist gene, that smart analytical gene or that intangible honest ability to discern, dissect and derive what is or isn’t happening with the follicle King of the forest.
Maybe we need to discuss Bigfoot outside of the marriage thing too – Like when you are trying to hire your next employee or interviewing a potential consultant, interior designer or accountant, why not ask him or her “What are your feelings about Bigfoot ?” Don’t you think the way they answer is important?
I’m just sayin’, but I know Apple believes in the big guy. Every time you type his name in their stuff (like this blog I’m writing), they auto- correct it to one word with starting with a big ol’ capital “B”. (Why am I not surprised?)
So get your night vision goggles ready and that plaster footprint cast liquid stirred up ( or not) and go ahead and sit your significant other down for a talk, or add the question to the interview guide, or even add it to today’s meeting agenda cuz’ Bigfoot is a big deal.
Till next time,
Grow The Business.
Mark
Not Transforming? Might As Well Be Dying
So we decided to have contest among Learning & Development pros here focused on making a short, entertaining training video that sticks. So um… I though I would give it a go. What do you get when you get mix One minute of video, Halloween, an important business message and bad acting? This sad ( but funny - I think) video. Enjoy.
This movie was created with iMovie, an iOS application created by Apple. I do not own any rights to this video. Sound effects, and graphics were provided by iMovie and iTunes. The recorded video is of family, friends and myself.
Till next time,
Grow The Business.
Mark
The Perfect I’m Sorry
The Perfect “I’m Sorry”
I was in awe and actually stunned last week. Like the cool, slow motion, jaw dropping kind of stunned. Really I was.
I had realized right then, while sitting there next to Eric and listening to both he and the upset customer, that I had never ever heard it like that before. And I have heard thousands and thousands of customer service calls over these last 25 years.
Until last Wednesday I don’t think I’ve ever heard those two words said just like that and in that way.
“I’m sorry”.
But alas, here is how he said it! He said “I’m sorry” and then said nothing. Nothing! You know, the dead air kind of nothing, the “you can hear a pin drop” kind of nothingness.
The two words “I’m sorry” weren’t rendered meaningless by adding moronic drivel like “…..that happened” or “…we did that” or ”…this happened to you” or “…we made a mistake” or “ …we won’t do it again” . None of those polluted words were suffixed to the most perfect “I’m sorry” I’ve ever heard.
That’s it. Two words. “I’m sorry”. And then, no more sounds. No clickety clack keyboard sounds of moving on. No blathering, babbling or god forbid – cross selling. Not even a cough. Nothing – just nothing.
Wait was important. Wait for it to sink in is what I realized he was doing. Wait for it to really mean something to the customer.
And then, on the other end of the line, the soft voice of the customer finally, agonizingly and mercifully said “OK”.
Perfect. That’s all Eric needed to hear.
Think about his choice of using those particular words. There is so much personal lasting ownership in the two words “I’m sorry” when they are left the heck alone. There is vulnerability and sincerity in just those two words and in exactly those two words.
I suspect he already knew what I also had just realized sitting next to him. That using an “I apologize” or any variation of that is just not the same when you compare. I’ve heard it a million times and truth be told, it antiseptically washes over people. “I apologize” rings emptily of what you did while “I’m sorry” rings importantly of how you feel.
You (and I) have two words to practice now with the 3rd part being the perfect silence that follows. I never expected to get taught such a wonderful service lesson on a late Wednesday afternoon from a guy I never met before named Eric who has been on the phones for only 4 precious months. And over the years and maybe even in this blog, I’ve written inaccurately now it seems, about how to apologize and make amends with customers in need. For that I simply say
I’m sorry.
Till next time,
Grow The Business.
Mark
Bake Sale Confessions
Bake Sale Confessions
Last week at the Bake Sale I lied, cheated and deceived.
And while I kind of feel bad about it, I kinda don’t.
I did it all for charity.
And OK, I did it to prove a point too. One you need to remember.
Jeanie and I were in charge of the Bake Sale table for that hour. Sales needed a boost. It was all for a good cause – a charity that needed money to do good. Jeanie and I go way back in the sales world. We knew we needed to apply our skills. I winked, she smiled and knew what I was going to do.
One large plastic tray laying on the table had a single package of wrapped homemade cookies left in it. “$1.00 for 2 cookies” it said. A lady walked by, saw that it was the last one and ….poof!…. she bought it and it was gone. An empty tray now. A nice big empty tray. Perfect. I took 2 sorry looking single packages of other homemade cookies hadn’t sold at all and placed them along with their description and price tag in the newly emptied large tray and walked away.
Those unsold cookies looked so puny in that big tray but they also looked like the only two left in what must have been (perceptually anyway), a full spread of those cookies at one time.
What hadn’t sold at all; these 2 cookie packages – were gone in less than 5 minutes. Charity Cha – Ching!
That tray was gold. When it emptied, I placed other items ( many that were single sole items to begin with) and put them that tray tucked up against the corner looking like the last of the most popular product on the table. Disappeared they did.
On occasion, I admit I threw in a whispered “That’s the last one….” to the unsuspecting passerby while pointing to the giant tray of what must certainly look like the hottest selling treats in the Bake Sale. Folks stopped, then stared, then snagged the item and shelled out the cash.
The ultimate of course, was the single $10 raspberry pie that was always just a single pie made for the Bake Sale. I realize as I write this, that my local Priest reads this blog but I have to admit my white lies went eggshell on me and I shouted ”This is THE last raspberry pie!” and placed it carefully in what had become the Solid Gold Tray of Charity. It sold right away along with my soul perhaps, to the Devil.
I’ll take my chances with the Devil because of the Cause (Rev. Paul, help me out here will ya? ). No one was hurt. And the event was something that totally outweighed the means I suspect.
It’s not rocket science; this Bake Sale behavior. It’s Psychology. We are simple, good people who act way more on emotion and peer pressure than logic. Way more than we’d like to admit. So if you mix popularity ( it must be good) with scarcity (there aren’t many left!) like the “last remaining” baked items put in that big tray – you create a recipe most people can’t avoid tasting.
It’s why we stand in line for IPhones, why we rearrange our lives in trying to get tickets for one of only two shows and why we pay high prices for the best seasonal seafood.
But it’s also why we look twice at the last products on a shelf amidst a sea of like products in a supermarket or club store. It’s also why QVC still tallies “how many left” on the bottom of the screen during a pitch. It’s why in the end, we respond so well to things that are popular and scarce. It makes us want.
I’m not advocating lying or cheating or deceiving. (OK, maybe a little for charity). But you all have products or services or even people that are truly popular and scarce. Shout it out! Find your Solid Gold Tray and place them there. Let your customers, prospects, colleagues or employer see what is so precious and rare.
From a Bake Sale, to your company’s Biggest Sale, to just Better Sales for you no matter what you sell – remember the power of the near irrestistable mix of popularity and scarcity; it’s an influence like nothing else.
Till next time,
Grow The Business.
Mark
