A simple tale of conversion

I’m sanding my floors. 2500 square feet of wood floors exist in my home and they all need sanding. Needless to say, this is a stressful and exhausting time for my family.

So, we need a lot of polyurethane. We talked to the folks at Home Depot and Lowe’s but neither sold it in 5 gallon buckets. So I remembered a vague ad I’d seen on TV and called a store called DIY Floors. Here’s how the call could have gone and how it did go with service folk at the aforementioned stores.

Me: “Hi, do you sell poly in 5 gallon drums?”

Salesdude: “Nope. Sorry.”

The end.

Here’s how it went with the gentleman from DIY Floors:

Me: “Hi, do you sell poly in 5 gallon drums?”

Bob: “Well, no we dont have any on the shelves, but let me call around for you and give you a ring back.”

Me: “Thanks, here is my number.”

That there is an information capture and an easy way to maintain contact with a customer who is IN YOUR TARGET MARKET. He couldn’t help me immediately, but he opened to door to further communications. I would like to also point out that we were walking into Home Depot to rent the pad sander for $41/day at the time this conversation took place.

While I was looking over the inventory at Home Depot, Bob called back and stated that he had called three manufacturers. Not only had he discovered that there were no 5 gallon drums of poly to be had but he had figured out the reason why. Too hard to mix. He explained that he could get me some if I wanted but it would not be a great result and would also more expensive than buying it a gallon at a time.

Here, Bob establishes himself  a service person willing to go the extra mile for someone who was not yet a customer. He also positions himself as an expert in my eyes by discovering the reason for my problem.

During our conversation, he threw out what the gallons of polyurethane would cost and stated repeatedly that he could knock off a couple of bucks a can. I was, at the time, looking at similar prices on the cans of polyurethane on the Home Depot shelves. Prices were a couple of dollars less, but he mentioned a topline brand that was comparable in price, mentioning that it was DIY Floor’s base line.

Again, Bob showed himself to be an expert in understanding that while the products at Home Depot were cheaper, they were also consumer brands, as opposed to the commercial products he carried. He also mentions price repeatedly in an offhand way, giving me assurances that as a smaller store, he could deal a little on final price.

As I went to wrap up the call, I asked offhandedly, if Bob rented sanders. He said he did, in fact they had just purchased a dustless unit for $12,000 bucks and rented the sander, edger and vaccuum attachment for $100 per day. “I could let you keep it for a couple extra hours if you need to, since it’s nearly noon now,” said Bob. At that moment, my husband came back with plastic, tape, dust masks, and the sandpaper for the $41/day sander and the $23/day edger. I thanked Bob for his help and hung up. I told my husband that I thought this was a better deal and we should get it all for one price, from a local business person. We drove to DIY Floors, picked up the sander and several pads, purchased all of our polyurethane there and Bob showed us exactly how to use the unit.

Here, Bob’s investment in me as a customer paid off. I bought all of our supplies for the project at his establishment because I trusted his judgement (he said the new kind of sander was a great choice), he was willing to work a little to earn my business and he tailored his offer around my needs (giving me a few extra hours, bending a little on the price of the poly).

I was completely impressed by this. As an avid DIY-er, I am always in the market for building supplies. So I am this store’s target market. But notice, I am also Home Depot’s target market and Lowe’s as well. They are closer to my house, usually cheaper and I know them, all marks in their column. So, the reason I made the switch to a new supplier, a new type of product and a more expensive system were Bob’s actions as a salesperson. It took him 5 minutes longer to find me that additional information so that he could contact me again and that resulted in a sale that day and likely future sales.

Just a simple tale of conversion. .  .

Emotional Languages, Bucket Fillers and the Material Girl

I had the best conversation with a colleague of mine the other day. We were talking about my amazing friends ( I really do have amazing friends who care for me very well) and I expressed ignorance as to what I could have ever done to deserve such kind people in my life. Jake said (that’s the guy I was talking to):

“Easy, you’re a bucket filler.”

OOOOOkay, that sounds not familiar and slightly naughty so I asked him what he meant by that.

“Well we all have this bucket and we walk around every day and people either fill it up or they dip in and drain some of your emotional reserve (the proverbial stuff in the bucket),” he explained.

I said thanks (because that was nice of him to day) and went on my merry way. But I have been thinking about that in conjunction with another post I wanted to write about supporting your boss and colleagues in the way they want to be supported, loosely tied to school of thought around emotional  languages. Although everyone has a bucket, there are likely different ways to fill that bucket:

Here are the archetypes as I see them and how to best serve them in the workplace. (Servanthood has a bad rap. It trumps ego when it comes to likability, you get more done when you know how to serve people in their language and people recognize you as a person they can trust with important assignements. Just don’t overdo it on the humility part. If you did a good job, say so and if you have too much work, say so.):

- What have you DONE for me lately? This person needs acts to prove that you are following up, following through and getting it done. You quickly leave their radar if the project isn’t done and on their desk. She’s not trying to be rude, there just tends to be a one track mind that goes along with this type. I have a friend who holds the door open for me when I walk into his office so that my arms will be free for the load of work he dumps into them. But the smile on his face when I get it all done? Priceless.

-I can’t wait to see you again. She wants quality time baby. Brain dumps, meetings, conference calls are all excellent ways to let this person know that you are on the job. Face time trumps all, and barring that a webinar or conference call. This type can be a litle frustrating to Gen Yers or those who feel constricted by regular office hours but knowing how to make them feel valued can actually lead to more freedom in the long run. If this type knows you’ll be at the office for a private meeting every Thursday at 3 pm,and will update her with phone calls or online file sharing periodically, she’s a lot more likely to allow you to work away from the office on a regular basis.

-Tell me all about it. This is the typical boss. Positive speech will turn this guy around faster than anything. He wants to feel valued by his team, he wants to know exactly how they feel about him (but only if it’s good, negative words carry equal weight with this type) and he wants to hear and see “good words” associated with his name. Now don’t assume that you HAVE to “suck up” or . . .lie. What you can do to make the working relationship smoother is to find specific things that he/she has done right and simply verbally praise them for it. This is the easiest and cheapest of the types BTW.

-The Material Girl. This person likes. . .presents! “World’s Best Secretary” mug or the free calendar that came with your marketing order, it really doesn’t matter, as long as you give them to her. This doesn’t have to be expensive. One time, someone gave me a pack of my favorite gum and her project got thrown straight to the top of the pile. I am a sucker for gum. (Guess which type I am?)

- I don’t want another Pretty Face. This type is no-nonsense and pretty much without guile. They are interested in you getting your job done and going home. If you are all hype as a boss, you will get called out by this type because they practice what they preach. They will never buy you a mug, toot their own horn or focus on how great you look in that suit. They will work hard all day, sans status updates and hand you a finished product at the end of the day.

Which type are you? How about your colleagues? See if you can guess and then try out one of the tactics. Get out there and fill some buckets!

Burn, baby, burn

If you think that a company can be a living and organic thing. If you agree that a company germinates as an idea, grows into something different and adapts over time to change, then this post is for you.

I while I back I heard a pastor at my church speak about forest fires. He explained that a long time ago, forest fires just happened, and after a time, man took it upon himself to try and make it so that they did not happen. A plan was made, a public relations campaign was devised (Smokey the Bear anyone?) and every school child over the age of five knew that “Only YOU can prevent Forest Fires“. After all, fire is BAD. It kills adorable little bunnies and wrecks majestic trees and scares us.

But, my pastor continued, they found that not all of the forest was harmed by the fire. In fact, some species depended on the high heat to germinate. Dead underbrush never gets cleared without a forest fire. Diseased wood and leaves are often cleared out by fire. And worst of all, because forest fires were being eradicated, when a fire couldn’t be put out, it was usually devestating to the area, burning up years of underbrush and dead wood.

So, a practice called “prescribed burning” was put into effect. A controlled, beneficial fire was allowed to rage in a pre-determined area, in a sense, to ensure its future.

Have you ever found that some “cleaning out” was necessary? What about a vicious, searing change in policy? Has THAT ever been needed? Using “prescribed burning” as a business strategy might make very much sense. Why?

-As we heard in President Obama’s inauguration speech, change is coming and the old ways of doing things will no longer work. For years, people have pushed for change, wanted change, talked about changed, written about change, made webinars about change but only a few actually changed. Now it’s not an option. We’re backed up the edge of the cliff now and must figure out how to fly.

-People are begging for it. No one wants to lose a job, be forced to work harder to learn a new skill or deal with new training, but when leadership says: “This is not optional, ” respectfully, people often comply and even appreciate the chance to grow and learn.

-Not everything has to go. The redwoods survived years of forest fires, growing taller and stronger after every scorch. So to will tried and true business imperative survive a “prescribed burning” or a drastic change. If your process if working but your marketing strategy stink, don’t change everything, change your marketing. Keeping the ideals that make your company unique can make other changes easier to bear.

-Change allows new things to grow. I can’t tell you the amount of good ideas I have seen fall by the wayside; how many bright young stars squelched; new processes not given time to produce results, because there was too much underbrush for them to ever see the light of day. When dead wood and underbrush is cleared away (and I not talking solely about people, this analogy carries over to outdated policies, silly rules, I could even make a case for outdated environment) then new ideas can grow unhindered.

Where can you use prescribed burning in your company? Career search? Life?

Props to Josh Ballard, who gave this great sermon and to WayPoint Church.

Some kind of freak

What propels a career?

I’ve been asking myself that over the last day, week, month, year and I have yet to come up with an intelligent answer. What I do know is that career is not synonymous with job. At least not for me, and not for lots of people I know. Tracking the progression in many people’s career trajectory hardly ever goes in a straight diagonal (if I were David Armano, I might have a sweet graph for you right about here) but in a sort of jagged, mountainous line.

When I try to explain to people what I do, it confuses them, and sometimes me. And I feel like kind of a freak. Because there is no neat, tidy title for what my current job is. And now that the new media elite have ruled that words like “stategist”, “expert” and “guru” are a big no-no, I find myself with little to describe my day to day activities.

However, I never find myself short of clients, projects or people requesting my opinion. You know what all this says to me? Actions speak louder than words. It doesn’t really matter what you call yourself (although it does make business cards clearer and personal branding simpler) but what you DO.

I feel that we are in the middle of a bit of a renaissance. As a cultural movement, it encompassed a revival of learning based on classical sources, the development of linear perspective in painting, and gradual but widespread educational reform.These are all things I see happening as new media and shared experiences bring the four corners of the world a little closer together every day.

Why I am a freak:

My parents: Between the three of them, my parents have been: a lawyer, a telecom manager, a flutist, a singer/songwriter, a pilot, a special ed teacher, a playwright, an editor, an event coordinator. Although I don’t recall paying attention to their careers at the time, when I look back, they always followed their dreams.

My children: I had two of my three kids before I graduated college. Being at home with them when they were small was extremely important to me, so I sought out work that I could do from home or in a few hours a week. Now, even though I work at least 50 hours a week, I can still be around and my 7 year-old helps me with logos. He’s a whiz with Illustrator, which I think is AWESOME!

My passions: It started as writing, then morphed into design, which led to PR, which prepped me for marketing, which I parlayed into recruiting, which introed me to social media, which fed back into all the other skills. Because of my personal love for travel, fashion, style, design, technology, I manage to seek out folks in those areas and turn them into clients.

My pragmatism: I spent a good deal of time studying my strengths and weaknesses and realized that there are some things I am just not good at. And some things I downright SUCK at. Taking a 7 year hiatus from the corporate ladder after college forced me to find out how to do things cheaper, better, faster, smarter. And if I can’t do them better, I hire them out.

So what to do with this broadening pool of interests of mine? Can I dabble in each? Sharing my knowledge as it transfers from one industry to the next? Can I use marketing as a sort of gondola to navigate through whatever professional waters I please?

The branding folks would say no. The Subject Matter Experts would say no. The venture capitalists would say no. But the freaks? They’d say “Rock On!”

The latest social media innovation

I wouldn’t call myself an expert or a guru or even very good at it, but I do like and USE social media quite a lot. And in doing so, have become pretty proficient at using many of the tools at my disposal. There are some very nice things about social media and the applications that support them, namely: portability, ease of use, instant access and immediate gratification in many cases.

However, this past week, I learned (as I tend to every few months) about the latest, greatest social media innovation of all! This tool takes the contacts you’ve made on Twitter and Facebook and makes them even more useful, meaningful and valuable, and all with the touch of a few buttons.

This tool is (gasp) the phone. You might roll your eyes at this one but the phone (or a face to face meet if possible) really does all of those things. A phone call can:

–Show a new contact that you are serious about getting to know more about what they do.

–Make a friend or ancilliary business contact aware of a professional move.

–Take a fleeting conference ‘buddy’ and make them a part of your inner circle

–Give you access to people you never though would give you the time of day.

–Get you a book deal.

–Grab a great guest post for your blog.

–Create lifelong friendships across the nation.

Social media has done some amazing things to make the phone even more potent. You know those LinkedIn invites that “introduce” someone? What if you got a follow up call from someone you genuinely didn’t know but who was interested in your business? Would you be more likely to accept?

What if a potential colleague DM’d you via Twitter and asked to set up a call to see if you could work on projects together?

So what if YOU picked up the phone?

1) DO Cultivate the relationship over whatever medium you met the person on. Don’t follow someone and then immediately call their iphone. That’s weird. Instead, read their blog, look over their last few tweets, or see if you know anyone at their current company. Then interact.

2) DO Mention that you might have some ideas for that book they’re writing, or a great t-shirt designer if they need some for that conference. Make sure that you actually have a reason to deepen the relatiosnip via phone, even if it’s something as simple as wanting to pick their brain about the industry they are in.

3) DO remember to schedule the appointment ahead of time and be respectful of their time. I would plan on about 10-15 minutes for the first call. That way, if the call goes well, you can ask again later and they know your call length will be exactly what you say it will.

4) DON’T Ask them to wait while you get to a quiet spot, find a pen and paper, or subject them to loud car driving. It’s irritating

5) DON’T use social networking as a dating service unless . . . you are using a dating service. Call those people, not some hottie you only want to “get to know”.

6) DON’T be all take and no give. Even if the person you are calling is eons beyond you in the professional sphere, you can still help them. You can try our their product or service as a user, beta test something, tweet about how great they are, drive traffic to their blog, buy their book, copyedit, any number of things. Everyone can learn something from someone else.

Books aren’t flashy but they sure are FUN!

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the things that shape us. While much of my time and probably much of yours (if you are reading this) is spent online, I don’t think we always get to experience our true selves there. And while social media provides inumerable benefits for most of the folks involved, there are entire subjects out there that are just as interesting as social media. Chris Brogan recently called reading “a superpower”. I happily agree. And while this post is not flashy or attractive and it won’t make you $1k in 30 days, it might give you a little glimpse into the people that contributed to it and it might encourage you to sit down with one of these great reads. Did you know that 58% of us never read another book after high school? (The Slight Edge via a twitter user). Let’s bring that number down a smidge eh?

All I did was ask some people what their fave book of 2008 was. Here goes:

@billbarhydt -Predictably Irrational is a breakthrough book. It was a TED choice in 2008 and I have read it twice. You should read it!

@AmitaiGivertz -On Paradise Drive by David Brooks but not because I I’ve read it!

@wabbitoid  -It hasn’t come out yet, but “Yankee Invasion” by Ignatio Solares blew me away. Out in May from Scarletta Press.

@Mamtower -Oh and The Da Vinci Method by Garret LoPorto and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
@randallkane I read this early in the year and it is a superb book on business strategy and ideas

@kimmance Do you mean this year as in the last 6 days? If so, I get to be one of the three Guy Kawasaki book fans (1st one this year

@highonbeingdave  The Four-Hour Workweek is hands-down the best book I read all year. Second place goes to “Good to Great” by Jim Collins.

@guykawasaki  Yes! by Robert Cialdini et al

@joegerstandt Leadership and Self Deception, Theory U, Lucifer Effect, Halo Effect, Mistakes Were Made, Wisdom of Crowds

@tmonhollon  The War of Art! Already changed my year just a few days in

@joegerstandt The Answer to How is Yes, The Book on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, Watchmen, Deep Survival, Sources of Power, The Watercourse Way, Crossing the Unknown Sea

@StaceyHylen  I like the War of ART, great for marketers and content creation also Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet holmes I could list a bunch

@David Gosse Smart Startups by David Silver (total user-based model evaluation), Moral Intelligence by Doug Lennick

@TalentSynch Re books – Can I have two . A Whole New Mind by Pink & Yoga Sutras by Heathman

@megbear ok joking aside, I’d suggest Presentation Zen for 2008, it made me realize an obligation to have presentations not suck

@jshihadeh  will absolutely nominate “The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg and John David Mann

@BeckyMetcalf  I just finished Twilight, but I didn’t really think that’s what you were looking for… ;P

@uberbabyboomer outliers – fascinating and def. life changing for me

@john_bacon  Into the Wild

@andreasmiling  Twilight was my fave and I’m not afraid to say it!

@sassy001  I know its cheesy but the Twilight series were my favorite books of ‘08

@Mark_Salinas  In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan

@CincyRecruiter – Best Book Ever – Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Black Book of Connections: 6.5 Assets For Networking Your Way to RICH Relationships

@joemescher  Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is my favorite book of 2008. I enjoyed learning about successful people through a new lens.

@nickashley  I don’t read much, but I did read “Predictably Irrational” last year and loved it.

@HealthBeautyDr “Go-Giver”

@pamclaughton  Hey Maren! Best book I read in 08 was, The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale. Also, Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell

@sgordon70  groundswell…hands down!

@DavidGosse Smart Startups by David Silver (total user-based model evaluation), Moral Intelligence by Doug Lennick.

@FandangoChica  I’m reading “Three Cups of Tea” and LOVE it. http://www.threecupsoftea.com/

@JonathanGoodman  Fav book was “Tuned In” by Stull, Myers and Scott. Also “The Speed of Trust” by Stephen M.R. Covey. So many more though!

@stelzner  “Orbiting The Hairball” by Gordon MacKenzie of Hallmark fame. Original, funny, dead on and a good guide to survivability.

@kg4now The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama.

@socalgirl Simplicity Lessons A 12 Step Guide to Living Simply by Linda Breen Pierce–I’ll all about taking it down a level…:)

@Seiden  best book I read in 2008 was _Charlotte’s Web_. Good reminder of what loyalty is all about.

@dennissmith did i meet the deadline? Leadership and Self-Deception (The Arbinger Institute) and Love is the Killer App (Tim Sanders)
@CoolHandNuke  If you haven’t gone there already, it should be your first read of the year Freakonomics…it’ll change you’re life as well

@sharlyn_lauby  Thanks for the nudge…Meant to answer all day. “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi and, “Born Standing Up” by Steve Martin.

@lisarosendahl  If I am not too late. . “Healthy Sleep habits, Happy Child!” and “A Big Splash in A Small Pond” by R. Linda Resnick

@StevenGilbert  The book that seems to stick with me from 2008 was Cialdini’s INFLUENCE. If you deal with humans it is a good read.

@MNHeadhunter  A good business read “Twitter Means Business” http://yourtech.typepad.com…

@xylem  Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink : The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. C’mon, it’s Malcolm.

@jimhandi the little golden book of YES! atttitude jeff gitomer

@ramhatter  A great book I read last year was Ted Kooser’s “Local Wonders”, but it came out in ‘04. Doesn’t really help you out I think.

What I love about this list is that each person remembers the most impactful book of the year (in Joe Gerstandt’s case, there were um. . .more) Many people chose a current book, while others went with old classics. I enjoyed seeing what sparked creativity in my friends and what helped them through the year. What entertained them and swept them away. Which tomes lit a much needed fire under them. If you hadn’t already thought of it, these are all GREAT people to follow on Twitter as well.

Oh my favorite? I read Little Women and it was as great today as it was 15 years ago.

How you can make a difference. Be Different. Do Different. Act Different.

Here we go with the advice again. I can’t help it. I got a lot of good advice growing up and it stuck and helped me through a great many scrapes that my headstrong impulsiveness got me into. Anyway one of the trusted maxims that my Sabbath School Teacher always doled out besides that Jesus wanted me for a sunbeam was: “People are like fruit, you don’t know what they’re really like until they get squeezed“. Meaning that, an apple could look shiny and amazing (I’m looking right at you Red Delicious, oh temptress of apples) but when squeezed, the juice would tell how sweet it really was.

Now, this is true in personal life and very relevant. However, in business (some would say the line between personal and professional no longer exists but that’s niether here nor there) it’s doubly important, as it speaks to your personal character and your business prowess. What if you’re not sweet enough to survive this? Companies don’t reach irrelvancy in one day, it happens over time. And it takes tough times to really strain out the seeds (okay I am done with fruit, I promise).

For example, if you don’t provide actual VALUE and SERVE your clients, they will quickly cut you out of the budget. Not because you’re not a really nice person and great to work with but because they can’t afford you. It’s a simple business choice. Now if you are an essential service (and I believe with the right market share and the right level of service you can make any service/product essential to the client) then this should not happen. And if it does, you have a rock solid plan in place to generate new customers.

Currently, there are thousands of people looking for work. They are very nervous and seeking out any possible service or advice that can help them find a job, hold on to that job, make more money or start a business. And what are two of the biggest job boards doing? Sending them SPAM. That’s missing out on a huge opportunity at a time when they could be reinventing themselves and proving their value.

I will add my voice to all the others screaming it: Adding value and creating a niche and being successful are not about doing the same things that you dide before. This video, courtesy of Dennis Smith (another innovator) proves that. We’re training kids for jobs that do not yet exist. If your company is only repeating an old winning formula you will lose. Try these idea creation ideas.

Businesses doing things the NEW way:

GoGalavanting.com- Recently became the first travel site to livestream in real time from location in Colmar, France.

Jason Falls- Here he dicusses the sponsored post which could be relevant even more as magazines and likely online content providers, start shedding ads.

Get Lost- These women quit their jobs and are traveling the world, and making headlines.

Free Info- Chris Brogan uses his social media know how to explain how to find work.

Getting to Know You- Always popular, barcamps and podcamps are attracting those in niche areas who are finding that our marketing tactics are more alike than we thought. Also, they are usually free-ish.

Good idea much? Cool services , like @luckystartups that have given others a “leg up” will find they are even more valuable and sought after no