I saw this video posted on another blog recently and wanted to share. If you have just 4 minutes, it is a GREAT snapshot of the impact of social media on our lives. I was really shocked by the data on how LONG it took for TV & Radio to gain an audience of 50 million users, compared to Facebook. Astounding.
Are you currently involved in ‘Social Media’? If not, why not? Top reasons I have heard folks tell me why they are not: 1) Don’t have time for it (250 million users of Facebook have the same number of hours in a day that you do!) 2) I don’t want to put my personal info out there – Especially in Customer Service, the question is if you are not putting it out there, who is?) 3) It’s too confusing to use – YouTube has over 100,000,000 videos(found this out in THIS video). Go there and search for How To ___________. You are sure to find it. Then, you don’t have to ‘embarrass’ yourself and ask someone how!
If you area involved in Social Media, are you connected with me? If not, why not? Just click on the links at the side of this Blog post. I would love to stay connected with you.
Today was the first day back at another school year for our sons,Brendan (7th grader) and Joseph (5th grader). I know they were anxious, even thought they did not want to tell Mom & Dad that! We were anxious, no doubt.
Of course, we told them the story about how “When we were kids ________________.” They rolled their eyes. Each year I make breakfast for them on the first day, too. This year, there was one eggo waffle request and a frozen sausage, egg & cheese muffin. Made it easy on me!!
The first day of school is a new beginning. Chances for them to get new clothes, new books, make new friends, and hopefully, learn a few new things. It should be a good calibration point for me. Generally, in life, there are not many ‘First days of _______(school, job, etc.).” But, when there are, it tends to be exciting. It tends to be a learning experience. We get to meet new people.
So, if we are stuck in a rut, how do we make that “First day of school” feeling all over again? I need to ask myself that question. You see, today is the “First day” of the rest of your life( I didn’t make that up. I am sure someone else said it!). What can you do to create that anxiousness, that excitement, that knotted up stomach feeling when you walk through the front doors? I need to create that feeling again.
Maybe I will go get myself a pair of new school shoes today! Have a great week, friends.
God, I pray that you watch over our boys this year at school. Introduce them to great opportunities, great friends/relationships, and keep them safe. I pray that you grant their parents wisdom, patience, and understanding. Help us all grow closer as a family this year. – Amen
Recently, I completed the book Duct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch. It was a gift from a friend that I received about 4 years ago and really have just gotten around to reading it. I wish I would have read it three years ago when I made the choice to enter in to the real estate business.
This book is chalked full of pragmatic tips for putting together a marketing ‘system’ for your small business. I filled the front and back inside bindings with notes and ideas as they popped into my head while reading the pages.
I appreciated the author’s definition of Marketing:
Getting people who have a specific need or problem to know, like, and trust you
I believe that definition is spot on for small business marketing. The book is broken out into 3 parts:
1) The Duct Tape Foundation
2) The Duct Tape Lead Generation Machine
3) Getting on a Roll – Finding out what ‘sticks’ and do more of it.
I implemented ideas he suggested and saw immediate results:
1)Webinars – We did a Webinar and generated three new leads and closed one in less than a week! Our average sales cycle is 4 months. Needless to say, we have another Webinar scheduled!!
2) Wake up the senses with an Image to Match Your Message – I updated the look of the header on our website and added this ‘image’ to our advertising, and marketing materials, and have already had comments about the improvements from potential clients. See some of the changes at http://www.whitegallagher.com/
And, I used the book to help set new measurements for Sales & Marketing including: Lead generation numbers and Lead conversion rations.
I have shared this book with team members and look forward to using it as a guide to put together our marketing plan for the future. I highly suggest this book to small business owners looking to leverage their marketing. The book was published in 2006, so it just started to delver into how to use social media as well, but as you read it, you can visualize how to make improvements via blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and other creative ways to get your message out to as many prospects as possible.
This book gets a ’10′ on my dogear rating system. My highest ranking. If you can’t find the ideas to help you improve your marketing system in this book, I don’t know where you will find it!!
Do you project an image and back it up as well as cheese does to the burger ensemble? Are you complimentary to almost any combination of team members that may be slapped together at a moment
One of the favorite tools I like to use when presenting on Leadership is a movie. There are so many movies out there that have great Leadership principles embedded in them, so to speak. Maybe unknowingly, even.
I am preparing a presentation that I will do this week titled “What Got You Here…Won’t Get You There“. I will be using the clip below to chat about what it will take us to get from the 10-yard line to the “end zone”. It is a clip from “Facing the Giants”. If you have a few minutes, it is a good clip to watch.
Other movies I have used in the past include:
Dead Poet’s Society – Carpe Diem (Seize the Day) – Make a Difference
Hoosiers – The Underdog and overcoming fear
Sister Act (Yes, Sister Act!) – Great parts for Identifying Strengths and Putting People in the Right Seats on the Bus
Miracle – Several great leadership stories in this movie, including Team before Individual, Standard Work, Passion
Who’s on First – Communication skills!!
I know there are more that I have used and will use in the future. A couple questions for you as a leader:
Is there a movie you have seen that has a great Leadership topic embedded in it?
When you are watching a movie, are you ‘watching’ for that possible teaching moment you can use in the future?
Please share if you do. Also, if you have a few minutes, watch this clip below and let me know what Leadership Principles you see ‘embedded’ in it.
I had a recent non-WOW experience with a service company that has been disappointing, at best:
1) Company ‘X’ installed a lawn in my customer’s home in December 2008 (knew there was no way yard would come in and agreed then he would need to come back in the spring to finish the job)
2) I call back in Spring and hear- “Soonest I can come out is a month” – Thus, we miss another good planting season.
3) Comes over does ‘some’ work…then leaves without finishing…regular ploy by several building contractors
4) Proceeds to push ‘blame’ on the a) homeowner, b) builder, and c) the excavator as to why the lawn didn’t come in
5) Completes work (although he says he does “the best he can” on a $700,000 house). So, the homeowner wasn’t happy. They basically give up and do some of the work themselves
6) Bills the wrong people
7) Sends me a SECOND notice with no terms.
30 days later, his accountant calls me and proceeds to tell me her side and is prepared to turn me over to collections without even taking a breath! Guess she didn’t want to hear my story at all.
9) She gives me the amount and says she will place the bill in my mailbox the next day
10) Next day, she hands the bill to my wife at the door: “John knows what this is!”
11) When I review it, I find that she has added a 2% late charge. No mention of that on the phone…OR any previous correspondence (2nd notice invoice with no terms).
Now, I am not totally innocent in the matter. I could have paid the bill immediately even though there were no terms OR I could have ASKED what the terms were when I got the second notice.
However, I am:
1) the Realtor in the sub-division who represents the developer of 225 acres
2) the Realtor who represents three other builders in the sub-division who will need to put in more yards over the next 15 years. You see, this development will be 150 home sites and thus, need 150 lawns. Only 12 homes have been built thus far.
3) a builder building a speculative home. I will need a lawn there and I need some lawn work done on my home as well. I had asked this gentleman early on if he had any interest in working on these two areas and he said ‘yes’ but did not follow-up with any interest.
4) a resident of the sub-division, so I will get to meet each future owner when they come in at the pool or their new home
5) thus, a potential referral machine for this organization in the future.
What are the lessons to be learned?
Business, like life, is relationships…the rest is just details. People do business with people they LIKE.
Don’t burn bridges – life is too short. You don’t know who you may need in the future. (or, don’t tell someone the amount of an invoice over the telephone and then when delivering the invoice, add on a fee you did not previously discuss!).
Take responsibility for your own ‘stuff’ – don’t play the ‘blamestorming game’
First, seek to understand…then to be understood (the accountant clearly went the opposite direction)
I am sure there are more.
So, now I must find a new lawn installer…Can you suggest someone who can make it a WOW experience?
And, I probably need to be better at seeking first to understand. Where in my business am I burning bridges?
Do you have a non-WOW experience you want to share?
A friend of mine, Kim Chaney, once used an analogy in a meeting. He said “This is like peeing in a wetsuit. It feels kinda good when you do it, but you KNOW it’s gonna chafe later on.” I don’t remember the exact situation we were in at the time, but I do know that I wouldn’t soon forget it!
At the time, I believe he was referring to a situation where our group was doing something that may have been easier at the time(peeing in the wetsuit), but would not be better for us in the long run (chafing!).
In life, we are presented with these opportunities all the time where we have to make a choice as to the right action to take. It gets back to ‘Discipline’ – Doing WHAT you need to do…WHEN you need to do it…even though you DON’T want to at that time. You KNOW you should, in essence, take off your wetsuit!
I like to think there are ways to be more disciplined. Here are a few tips that I would suggest:
1) Write down your ‘want’ and look at it on a regular basis (hourly, daily, weekly). It is harder to avoid when you see it in writing. 2) Look for an accountability partner to help you. Ask a friend or mentor to periodically ‘check-in’ on you to see how you are doing with your ‘want’. It is even more difficult (and embarrassing) to tell a friend or mentor that you have not been working on your disciplines!! 3) Pray about it. Ask God for strength. 4) Just do it! – You know you are going to feel better after you have completed the discipline. Why would you not want to feel better?
I am sure there are other ways.
Did you “Pee in your wetsuit today?” – What other ways are there that you have used to be more disciplined at what you ‘want’ so that you don’t become “chafed” in the future?
Thanks, Kim, for the inspiration for this post. I had a a couple friends who nearly fell off their chairs laughing this week when I used the analogy in a meeting.
30 days later, his accountant calls me and proceeds to tell me her side and is prepared to turn me over to collections without even taking a breath! Guess she didn’t want to hear my story at all.