(And, no...I'm not putting a link or posting the picture of it! I care about you too much!)
A few days ago a video popped up a bunch of times on my Facebook feed…and I am still trying to get the image out of mind! AUGH!! The title of the video was something like “You’ll Never Use Soap Again!” and while I didn’t watch it, the video was supposedly showing the awful health effects of using soap or shampoo. Then to accentuate the point of the video, the screen shot of the video on my Facebook feed had some kind of horrific looking skin condition or growth on it, which ostensibly is what could happen to you if you used soap.
(And, no...I'm not putting a link or posting the picture of it! I care about you too much!)
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As a motivational speaker and trainer I get to attend trade shows and conferences around the country-and one of the things I love to do is just to walk the trade show floor to see what’s going on. At every trade show I see exhibitors who seem to have a knack of inviting people to visit…and others who have a knack of encouraging people to leave quickly, or not visit at all. Here are some tips that I think will help you…
Have you seen those videos featuring Southwest Airlines flight attendants doing their pre-flight instructions in VERY untraditional ways? Here is a link to one of their videos. One of my favorite video series are the ones that IBM produced called “The Art of the Sale.” This is what happens when “The Office” meets corporate video. Here is the link to a video. Before I ever set foot on a Southwest airplane I had already “fallen in love” with their brand and their company, because of the reputation they’ve developed through videos like these. I was even more suprised to see the IBM videos, and it made me like them even more; especially since I always imagine IBM to be like stuffy business folks in extra pressed white dress shirts all sitting around a corporate conference room table. It was refreshing to see a different side of IBM. What does this have to do with you? You can harness the same power of video to reach new clients or to strengthen the bond you have with your existing ones. Let me explain further... When I managed a large apartment community I decided to create marketing videos with an inexpensive Flip camera, inexpensive (even free) editing software and some creativity. What we did was to make short (usually 30 second to one minute) videos that we uploaded to YouTube. We then put the links in our Craiglist ads to try and make our postings a little “stickier.” Obviously, you're not limited to using these only on Craigslist! With Facebook and Twitter and whatever new fangled social media site comes up tomorrow, your message can reach a wider audience of people. Now, most of our videos were intentionally quirky and funny and were usually spoofs or parodies of famous commercials, movies or TV shows. All of them were a lot of fun to make~and did expand our audience. I remember one woman walking into our office and looking at me and saying, “Hey, you’re the guy in the cowboy hat!” I blushed and said, “Yep...that was me.” Here is a sample of one of the videos we created, which is a spoof of those ubiquitous technical college commercials: Now, if the quirky and funny is not yet your thing, you can use video in a traditional setting too.
I know many of you have hesitations, I understand. This may not be your thing and that’s okay. But for some of you, the idea is exciting and I bet there are others on your team who would love to jump on board and get the ideas flowing. Think about it! How and where could you use videos? How have you used videos? Please share and we can all grow together! I am a fan of the show A Taste of History with Chef Walter Staib on Public Television. Chef Staib is the owner and chef of City Tavern in Philadelphia, which is a recreation of a tavern that was at the center of our Revolutionary War history~with the Founding Fathers as frequent guests. The show features Chef Staib cooking dishes as it would have been prepared during that period in history; often in historic kitchens and locales such as Colonial Williamsburg or Thomas Jefferson’s home in Monticello. As a history buff and someone who loves watching cooking shows, the whole theme of A Taste of History really appeals to me.
So…when I found out that I would be speaking for the New Jersey Apartment Association Conference and Trade Show (great show BTW!), I decided to fly into Philadelphia and do a little sightseeing while I was in the area … and City Tavern was high on my list of places to visit where I couldn’t wait to try the Colonial Pot Pie! As someone who has spent the vast majority of my career in a management or supervisory role, I think I am uniquely qualified to tell you what your boss really wants from you. "Why is this important", you ask? After all you say, "My boss is a complete moron!" Meanwhile some of you reading this are thinking that if your boss got up to the level of moron, that would be a huge improvement over his or her current condition. I have no doubt that many of the people that I have managed over the years are probably thinking the same thing, but nevertheless, I still feel it important to know what your boss really wants from you. In a nutshell, your boss really wants you to make him or her look good. I mean, really good. There was nothing more frustrating as a manager than to be chewed out or embarrassed by the actions (or inactions) of someone that I supervised. Whenever I have had employees who consistently underperformed, or just said and or did goofy things, this immediately reflected negatively on me (which it should)...and which I didn't like.
Right now in your organization there are people who suck. You know who they are. (Hopefully it's not you.) These are the people that make managers feel less like they are professionals leading a team of talented individuals, and more like a kindergarten teacher on the first day of school. The difference is, kindergarten students usually figure things out after a few weeks, while many of the people in the organization who suck, never really figure things out. For example: Manager: (Sarcastically) "Hey Johnny, we missed you at the morning briefing today. The CEO was there and wondered where you were." Johnny: "Oh...I didn't know we had a morning briefing." Manager: (Angrily) "We have a meeting everyday." Johnny: "I figured it was cancelled." Manager: (Blood pressure rising dangerously) "Why?" Johnny: "Because you didn't remind me." Johnny then proceeds to let his boss know that he is going to take a "smoke break." These are the people that populate the offices of corporate America. These are the very same people that are the reason that HR departments exist and the reason that every document from the human resources department seems to be 100 pages long. These are the people that encourage many managers to take up early retirement...or to try a new career in, say fast food. So, if you make your boss' job easier and make him look by doing your job, taking initiative and leadership when needed, by being positive and motivating to your co-workers, and not saying or doing anything that is embarrassing to you or to your immediate supervisor(s), you will set yourself apart from the "ding-dongs" in your company who seem to have forgotten who signs the paycheck on the front and who signs the paycheck on the back. If you want to succeed in your career, be sure to do what you can to make your boss look good. And if you're not sure what exactly would make him or her look good, I would recommend simply asking two questions:
Have you ever experienced times in your life when you just wonder, "Seriously...what else can go wrong??" For those of you who know me, you know that our life's journey has not always been a smooth one. As we have walked through the season of valleys I have often asked the question, "When does the road finally turn?" This phrase reminded me of a song that means a lot to me and always gave me a smile and encouragement whenever I listened to it. The song is entitled "Man Who Walks" and it is by a group called "The Goads".
Here are the words... "Going back to where I came from, Now that I've learned a thing or two. Life for all of us, I know it hasn't been easy. But we've got a lot of living, left to do.... You know a man who walks by the side of the road, can turn himself around. He can pick himself up and dust himself off, start all over again. Days I didn't want to get up in the morning. My family and friends, they got down on me. I tried to tell them where I was going. But they couldn't see the winner, I saw in me. Now some folks even called me a "dreamer". While others just laughed and they called me a fool... You know a man who walks by the side of the road, can turn himself around. He can pick himself up, and dust himself off, start all over again." (Words and music by The Goads) While I don't know when the road will turn for you (or even me in some areas), I do know that wherever the road takes us (whether good or bad) we can always pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again! What are some of your stories while walking down the road? When I was a kid I was a huge fan of the television show Tour of Duty which chronicled the life of a platoon of American soldiers in the Vietnam War. The show made no attempt to glamorize war, to justify the war or even to provide an explanation of why our nation was there in the first place; it’s goal was simply to tell the story of the often forgotten people who were charged with fighting it. In one episode the men of Bravo Company were assigned the task of relocating villagers to a new village that was considered more “secure.” Some of these people had lived their entire lives in that village and were now being forced to leave the only life they knew. The journey to the new village would take a few days as they all crossed miles of jungle. I love the movie “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, and I refer to the movie a lot in my seminars because I think people in sales can learn a lot from the movie...and many other “romcoms” too. (After all, you are trying to get a customer to fall in love with your business, aren't you?) Recently, I have been watching clips of the movie while preparing a workshop for a client and it motivated me to write this post ... “How to Lose a Customer in 10 Seconds" for all of you sales professionals who have way too many customers to handle!
The sad part is we have all either been guilty of some (or all) of the things on the list, or we have interacted with people who have done these things! Remember, you are trying to win the heart of your customer ... not lose it! What would you add to this list? A few weeks ago CBS had a special commemorating the 50th anniversary of The Beatles appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. Even if you’re not a fan of the Beatles, you probably know songs like “Yesterday” or “Yellow Submarine”...and even if you don’t know the songs, you know the names, John, Paul, George and Ringo. For all of the adulation and praise that The Beatles receive today, there was a harsh reaction from a large sector of the population when they came on the scene. Here are some reviews of the group in 1964 (compiled from a Los Angeles Times story):
Not too long ago I decided to grab some breakfast at McDonald’s. I ordered my usual “Big Breakfast” which has eggs, sausage, hash browns and an English Muffin. McDonald’s started offering a “Deluxe” version of the Big Breakfast that included pancakes--so I have learned to let them know upon ordering that I wanted the “Big Breakfast with NO pancakes.” Easy enough, right? Not this morning.
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Rommel AnacanI am a national speaker, trainer, and strategic consultant to companies and organizations. I'm also Most Read PostsArchives
April 2016
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