I promised the good things that came out of Ali Brown's SHINE event - and here they are (if you missed yesterday's post, that's where I put the yucky stuff).
For as much as I was disappointed about Ali's content and delivery of the event, there were a TON of great things to take away from Shine. The first was the environment itself. Imagine a room of 450 entrepreneurs that are all on a journey of discovery and upleveling together. That's what Napoleon Hill talked about when he was discussing Masterminds. And his group was a cross section unlike any other. CEO's and start-ups, men, women, billionaires and people who spent their very last dollar to be at the event. Truly an amazing blend of people.
I pretty much had my values locked down before the event. So while I only took away a small a-ha from the values exercise, SO many people continued to talk about it well into Day three. I discovered that I value experiences, and that I need them - and that's something I didn't know about myself that will definitely change the way I approach business in 2010.
A ton of great new connections were forged. People that were silent followers were reaching out to say hi - and even thanks - to the ones they've been following. And those people were gracious, considerate, and even helpful at times. It was good to know that there were so many good folks at such a large event.
I left my laptop in the ballroom repeatedly and my bag was never touched. The integrity, compassion and genuine helpfulness of the attendees was tremendous. The bulk of the group were women, and all of them were genuinely appreciative of one another, willing to help each other, support each other, and cheer for each other. Often, when one person would voice a concern or an ah-ha, that person would be approached at a later time by a throng of attendees seeking to assist.
The speakers all shared some great sound bites. Julie Clark, an accidental millionaire, has worked hard to help children have better lives. She's overcome a few obstacles to do it. That story was well recieved. Barbara Corcoran was an absolute RIOT, being completely honest, blunt, and entertaining at the same time. The lessons from her Mother were priceless.
But the star of the show was far and away Marlee Matlin. Honest, direct, and uber positive, she shared her triumphs so candidly, interacted with participants and even spoke a few words. She shared the realities of being a wife, mom and business owner - the joys and struggles. That was something we could all relate to. I felt she was the most "like us" of the bunch of speakers.
Anne McKevitt was very approachable throughout the event. Answering most questions, and creating quite a stir in the back of the room between breaks. I stood off to the side a few times listening to her share stories, offer advice, and try to be a genuine help to the women in the room. I look forward to getting her slides from the presentation.
Ali provided some good overview material. The only piece of "deep thinking" was on day three, with Dr. Jill's TED video. That was a smart move on Ali's part. Call in a female brain expert to explain the abilities of the left and right brain. I've seen this video numerous times, and it never fails to impress.
The hot seats were fun and entertaining. You could see the wheels turning for these entrepreneurs - and they also made a ton of new connections after sitting in the "Ali Halo" for a few minutes. There was lotsof learning going on in the room.
I met a faerie godmother. For as open a person as I am, she was able to connect the dots on some issues I've NEVER publicly shared before. It was an eye opening experience for me. It answered so many questions, and raised a few more I'll be exploring in 2010.
My swipe file is FILLED with ideas from Ali's event. I learned a TON about how to effectively run a live event (and what not to do). I took more notes on that than anything else. Ali puts on quite a show, and anyone paying attention could see how much behind the scenes work was going on right in front of our eyes.
I also learned a TON about upselling a big ticket coaching product. Ali had dozens and dozens of women making a beeline to the front of the stage as the scantily clad Vegas showgirls brought the MPC applications to the front of the room. Ali used her clients as examples for each of the business blueprint "models" she offered, allowing her the opportunity to not only showcase her handiwork, but to get live testimonials from her clients.
The bulk of day two served to set up the pitch for her program at the end of the evening. Presenting James Roche to deliver content focused on helping people see the logical steps in building a business set him up as a content expert. Then drawing the connection that he'll also be teaching not one but two tracks for this year's MPC program got the crowd even more excited.
Ali sealed the deal for many with her promised live event mid 2010 all about setting up and running a multi-tier coaching/mastermind program, and free VIP access tonext year's Shine event for those that opted to join at either the platinum or diamond level.
This was a HUGE opportunity to observe the upsell, as well as cleve ways to pre-fill the seats for a live event.
We were also able to see and connect with people that were getting results. In a year of depessing economic news, it was good to hear that some people (myself included) were having their best year EVER in business. Many of them were doing something new, out of the box, or testing an entirely different market, but they were doing SOMETHING - and it was working. It wasn't one particular market that was seeing success, these industries were as varied as the women that worked them.
Michele DeKinder-Smith's JaneOutOfTheBox.com direct mail campaign was genius! Complete with what NOT to do, it was so cool to see what happened, what worked and what didn't in a way that we could translate into our own business. That was AWESOME!
You get what you take out of an event like this. I came not expecting much in terms of content (Ali was still creating content only a couple of weeks before the event, according to social media posts). My focus was on learning from others in the room, seeing what new "tricks" Ali had up her sleeve, and hearing from the celeb speakers.
The event totally matched my expectations, although I was hoping for more. When things become predictable for me, that's a sign that it's time to uplevel my thinking and connect with more ambitious folks. That was a huge take-away for me.
Whenever major upleveling happens in my life, it's usually coupled with a major weather disturbance (weird, I know). So after Sunday's earthquake AND the tropical storm we flew through on my way home, I knew I made a good decision to attend Shine - even if the content wasn't all that was promised.
So for as much belly aching as I did yesterday, you can see there was still a ton of awesome goings on in Vegas. Plus, I made a few new friends, and even spied a celebrity or two in the lobby of my hotel after the event. And yes, staying a couple of extra days definitely gave me time to get some clarity on my 2010 directions as well. New ideas, new biz ventures, and some great new connections means that 2010 will likely be my best year yet.
Bring. It. On.
Showing posts with label TMI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TMI. Show all posts
Deception-Success Connection Dilemma: #SHINE Wrap-up Part 1
This wrap up has many facets. As such, I wanted to make separate posts for each of them. A lot of good came from this event. A LOT. And I will give ample room on this blog for that. But I'm a "bad news first" kind of girl, so here's where it gets a little - as my friend ElizabethPW would say - snarky.
So I didn't plan on going to the Ali event for content. In fact, after hearing Ali herself profess to watering down her content at previous event, I really wasn't expecting much. I looked at this as an investment in meeting new people, forging some great new business conacts, firming up some online friendships in real life, and possibly getting some content along the way.
In fact, the content was frosting. I was hoping for some face time with the speakers, but it was made clear early on that we probably wouldn't get that. So I expected a big pitch for her Platinum/Diamond program along with a sprinkling of ideas from Think and Grow Rich and some business math - since she told us to bring our calculator.
I pretty much got what I expected, which is all at once disappointing and promising at the same time. Day one was by far the most content packed day of the event - but mostly it was the inner game of business. As I had recently come from a mastermind goup meeting of my own, I had already done the values activity, and made light work of that task. For the investment, Day one was really where the hard work of the event happened.
A lot of people took a lot out of the values exercise. People talked about it all of the three days we were in session - and it was a great way to start the event. In fact, if it weren't for one glaring issue on day one, I would have said it was the best day of the entire event.
And no, I'm not talking about the fire alarm. That was incredibly hysterical.
The problem I had was that after the values exercise, Ali openly revealed that "truth" was one of her top 5 values. I'm all for truth, and I think it's great. I also know that we all lie, so there's a very fine line you have to walk as a public persona that values truth so highly.
So imagine my shock and awe when both of Ali's speakers for day one openly admitted to lying in order to achieve success. Julie Clark, founder of Baby Einstein lied to a buyer, telling her that the previous buyer "loved her video and was planning to put it on the shelves in the stores", when in fact, she hadn't even heard back form the buyer in the first place. Anne McKevitt lied about her age after running away from home to score a job with celeb hair stylist John Frieda.
Some people I talked to said "Hey, you do whatever it takes." or "Act as if, right?" Everyone has their own ethics barometer, and I'm not here to debate that. What bothered me was that Ali said she valued truth, and then put two very successful women on her stage that openly admitted to lying.
That REALLY bugged me. She didn't call them out on it or anything. If truth is such a highly valued commodity in Ali's world, why was it so lacking in two of her featured speakers? The message I walked away with is "the truth is okay, but you have to lie if you want to be successful." I tweeted about it several times because it really got to me.
These women were incredibly inspiring - from an "over come any obstacle" standpoint. I'll talk more about that on my next post.
Then there was a short message from one of the three event sponsors. And by short I mean incredibly long and unintelligible to an audience that doesn't do much in the way of day trading. And why did only one sponsor get to speak from the stage? Did the other two not pay enough? That seemed goofy to me. I know that they sponsored the VIP party, but MichelePW sponsored the sponsored the elegant morning breakfast on all three days, which was far more valuable to the entire group. She could have given a USEFUL presentation that would have captured the hearts of all in the room. She's a COPYWRITER after all!
The last bummer of the day was Anne's lambasting of branding. She began with a graphic depicting the top of a soda bottle, a coffee cup, a tennis shoe, and a hamburger - all unidentified. She then asked us to write down the first brand that came to mind.
Her point was to convey the power of branding. But her point got lost in translation as she proceeded to tear apart nearly every woman in the room by telling us we're wasting time on social media, that we shouldn't put our twitter id or picture on our biz cards, and that glossy stock screams cheesy "realtor" or something to that effect.
She further went on to say that we needed a business name that tells people exactly what we're about, and that if our tagline could do it, then we were "okay", but that we really needed a name that was clear to identify.
Ironically, the four brand names that were most popular in the above mentioned quiz? Coke, Starbucks, Nike, McDonald's - NONE of which tell you a damn thing about their product.
Anne tried to construct a corporate advertising brand on a personal/personality-based branding frame. In several of the inpromptu moments when Anne was "cornered" between sessions, she was found analysing and collecting business cards, telling people what was "wrong" with them. At least three times I heard her tell people that if they couldn't afford to spend the few hundred/couple thousand dollars to have a quality business card designed and printed, that they shouldn't be in business.
Them's hard words to swallow in a room of people where many spent their last penny (and then some) just to get to the event, let alone order business cards.
And yes, my card totally violated the Anne McKevitt rules of engagement. It was a temp I made on glossy stock just for the event with my pic, twitter id and a blurb on the back that said we met at Shine.
They're collectors items now. hee hee.
But as an Idea Coach, I had three people approach me to help them come up with a new name for their business based on Anne's suggestions - and they were able to find me again in that sea of people because my picture was on my card! How sad is that?
Day two began by trying to play catchup on content that we couldn't finish thanks to the fire alarm. Unfortunately, what I was HOPING would be implementation and strategy to help us make use of the business models she provided, ended up being overview. I can already read the diagrams, thanks. Overview wasn't particularly value added to me.
Ali was clever in that she was able to sprinkle in more testimonials about how her current clients were successful with the business models - and nearly all of them ended with some kind of "you're the best!" testimonial for Ali's MPC program.
Knowing Ali's live event format, I expected testimonials, but I expected them to come during the panel in the evening (and I wasn't disappointed). I also expected them to be subtantive - especially in light of the new FTC rules taking effect Dec 1 (A question Ali wouldn't field during her Q&A session). I even expected a session with James Roche to set the positive frame of his role in the MPC program, and his session on the entrepreneur's path wasn't too bad.
Barbara Corcoran was a pip - and I enjoyed her stories immensely. I didn't enjoy the recurring theme of having to BS her way to billions, which again seemed to be the antithesis of what Ali said she held as a core value (truth).
The highlight of Day two was Adam Haroun's makeover during the late night hot seats. He was able to immediately see the value of his offerings, and make some powerful connections to grow his business - something I think we were all hoping would happen for us on day two.
Day three was incredibly rushed. In fact, the peer-to-peer reviews were what I was waiting for all weekend - and they never materialized. Ali didn't even have time to complete a portion of the event and promised to continue it on a teleclass at a later date. I'm wondering how the return policy will be affected by this turn of events.
The business plan was an interesting cross between vision board and action plan, but seemed to lack substance. There were a lot of A-ha's being shared, and Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's TED video about the left and right hemispheres of the brain drew quite a response. Highlight number one of Day three.
When it came down to "studying" Napoleon Hill's book, Think and Grow Rich, I chuckled at Ali's gaffe, when she said she wished there were "Cliff Notes" for the book. Apparently she didn't know it was taken from a much larger work of Hill's -so in essence it WAS the Cliff Notes. Hee hee. Ultimately, though, Ali let the audience lead this session with their own a-ha's, and shared relatively little insight of her own.
And no, we didn't need a calculator. Ever.
We did need a few tissues either from laughing too hard or crying a bit at the AMAZING Marlee Matlin. I was disheartened to hear that of all our successful speakers, it was the most honest, hard working, no b.s'ing of the bunch that didn't have a multi-million dollar company under her belt.
But perhaps, that's because her definition of success is a more holistic one.
Marlee was definitely Highlight number ONE of the entire event.
And yes, we did contact Ali's team about the content that wasn't delivered. They indicated they're "checking into" it to see what Ali plans to do.
I can't help but wonder as a handful of folks are actually speaking out about the daashed expectations and disappointments at Shine, how many other people are watching the empress and not telling her she's unclothed?
So there's the ugly, the bad, and some of the good.
More good to follow. Promise.
So I didn't plan on going to the Ali event for content. In fact, after hearing Ali herself profess to watering down her content at previous event, I really wasn't expecting much. I looked at this as an investment in meeting new people, forging some great new business conacts, firming up some online friendships in real life, and possibly getting some content along the way.
In fact, the content was frosting. I was hoping for some face time with the speakers, but it was made clear early on that we probably wouldn't get that. So I expected a big pitch for her Platinum/Diamond program along with a sprinkling of ideas from Think and Grow Rich and some business math - since she told us to bring our calculator.
I pretty much got what I expected, which is all at once disappointing and promising at the same time. Day one was by far the most content packed day of the event - but mostly it was the inner game of business. As I had recently come from a mastermind goup meeting of my own, I had already done the values activity, and made light work of that task. For the investment, Day one was really where the hard work of the event happened.
A lot of people took a lot out of the values exercise. People talked about it all of the three days we were in session - and it was a great way to start the event. In fact, if it weren't for one glaring issue on day one, I would have said it was the best day of the entire event.
And no, I'm not talking about the fire alarm. That was incredibly hysterical.
The problem I had was that after the values exercise, Ali openly revealed that "truth" was one of her top 5 values. I'm all for truth, and I think it's great. I also know that we all lie, so there's a very fine line you have to walk as a public persona that values truth so highly.
So imagine my shock and awe when both of Ali's speakers for day one openly admitted to lying in order to achieve success. Julie Clark, founder of Baby Einstein lied to a buyer, telling her that the previous buyer "loved her video and was planning to put it on the shelves in the stores", when in fact, she hadn't even heard back form the buyer in the first place. Anne McKevitt lied about her age after running away from home to score a job with celeb hair stylist John Frieda.
Some people I talked to said "Hey, you do whatever it takes." or "Act as if, right?" Everyone has their own ethics barometer, and I'm not here to debate that. What bothered me was that Ali said she valued truth, and then put two very successful women on her stage that openly admitted to lying.
That REALLY bugged me. She didn't call them out on it or anything. If truth is such a highly valued commodity in Ali's world, why was it so lacking in two of her featured speakers? The message I walked away with is "the truth is okay, but you have to lie if you want to be successful." I tweeted about it several times because it really got to me.
These women were incredibly inspiring - from an "over come any obstacle" standpoint. I'll talk more about that on my next post.
Then there was a short message from one of the three event sponsors. And by short I mean incredibly long and unintelligible to an audience that doesn't do much in the way of day trading. And why did only one sponsor get to speak from the stage? Did the other two not pay enough? That seemed goofy to me. I know that they sponsored the VIP party, but MichelePW sponsored the sponsored the elegant morning breakfast on all three days, which was far more valuable to the entire group. She could have given a USEFUL presentation that would have captured the hearts of all in the room. She's a COPYWRITER after all!
The last bummer of the day was Anne's lambasting of branding. She began with a graphic depicting the top of a soda bottle, a coffee cup, a tennis shoe, and a hamburger - all unidentified. She then asked us to write down the first brand that came to mind.
Her point was to convey the power of branding. But her point got lost in translation as she proceeded to tear apart nearly every woman in the room by telling us we're wasting time on social media, that we shouldn't put our twitter id or picture on our biz cards, and that glossy stock screams cheesy "realtor" or something to that effect.
She further went on to say that we needed a business name that tells people exactly what we're about, and that if our tagline could do it, then we were "okay", but that we really needed a name that was clear to identify.
Ironically, the four brand names that were most popular in the above mentioned quiz? Coke, Starbucks, Nike, McDonald's - NONE of which tell you a damn thing about their product.
Anne tried to construct a corporate advertising brand on a personal/personality-based branding frame. In several of the inpromptu moments when Anne was "cornered" between sessions, she was found analysing and collecting business cards, telling people what was "wrong" with them. At least three times I heard her tell people that if they couldn't afford to spend the few hundred/couple thousand dollars to have a quality business card designed and printed, that they shouldn't be in business.
Them's hard words to swallow in a room of people where many spent their last penny (and then some) just to get to the event, let alone order business cards.
And yes, my card totally violated the Anne McKevitt rules of engagement. It was a temp I made on glossy stock just for the event with my pic, twitter id and a blurb on the back that said we met at Shine.
They're collectors items now. hee hee.
But as an Idea Coach, I had three people approach me to help them come up with a new name for their business based on Anne's suggestions - and they were able to find me again in that sea of people because my picture was on my card! How sad is that?
Day two began by trying to play catchup on content that we couldn't finish thanks to the fire alarm. Unfortunately, what I was HOPING would be implementation and strategy to help us make use of the business models she provided, ended up being overview. I can already read the diagrams, thanks. Overview wasn't particularly value added to me.
Ali was clever in that she was able to sprinkle in more testimonials about how her current clients were successful with the business models - and nearly all of them ended with some kind of "you're the best!" testimonial for Ali's MPC program.
Knowing Ali's live event format, I expected testimonials, but I expected them to come during the panel in the evening (and I wasn't disappointed). I also expected them to be subtantive - especially in light of the new FTC rules taking effect Dec 1 (A question Ali wouldn't field during her Q&A session). I even expected a session with James Roche to set the positive frame of his role in the MPC program, and his session on the entrepreneur's path wasn't too bad.
Barbara Corcoran was a pip - and I enjoyed her stories immensely. I didn't enjoy the recurring theme of having to BS her way to billions, which again seemed to be the antithesis of what Ali said she held as a core value (truth).
The highlight of Day two was Adam Haroun's makeover during the late night hot seats. He was able to immediately see the value of his offerings, and make some powerful connections to grow his business - something I think we were all hoping would happen for us on day two.
Day three was incredibly rushed. In fact, the peer-to-peer reviews were what I was waiting for all weekend - and they never materialized. Ali didn't even have time to complete a portion of the event and promised to continue it on a teleclass at a later date. I'm wondering how the return policy will be affected by this turn of events.
The business plan was an interesting cross between vision board and action plan, but seemed to lack substance. There were a lot of A-ha's being shared, and Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's TED video about the left and right hemispheres of the brain drew quite a response. Highlight number one of Day three.
When it came down to "studying" Napoleon Hill's book, Think and Grow Rich, I chuckled at Ali's gaffe, when she said she wished there were "Cliff Notes" for the book. Apparently she didn't know it was taken from a much larger work of Hill's -so in essence it WAS the Cliff Notes. Hee hee. Ultimately, though, Ali let the audience lead this session with their own a-ha's, and shared relatively little insight of her own.
And no, we didn't need a calculator. Ever.
We did need a few tissues either from laughing too hard or crying a bit at the AMAZING Marlee Matlin. I was disheartened to hear that of all our successful speakers, it was the most honest, hard working, no b.s'ing of the bunch that didn't have a multi-million dollar company under her belt.
But perhaps, that's because her definition of success is a more holistic one.
Marlee was definitely Highlight number ONE of the entire event.
And yes, we did contact Ali's team about the content that wasn't delivered. They indicated they're "checking into" it to see what Ali plans to do.
I can't help but wonder as a handful of folks are actually speaking out about the daashed expectations and disappointments at Shine, how many other people are watching the empress and not telling her she's unclothed?
So there's the ugly, the bad, and some of the good.
More good to follow. Promise.
Strategic Planning: A Gift and a Skill
So I'm getting out of the shower Saturday morning, and the phone rings.
At 6:30am. Highly unusual in my home.
It's my sister. She lives in Arizona, so it was 3:30 in the morning where she was.
Had she not been so pleasant, I would have thought the world was on fire.
She called just to catch up, see what's shakin' and share a little news in her life. She didn't know I was packing to get on a plane to D.C.
My sister works for an incredibly wonderful company and one of the highlights of the year was the fact that she exceeded corporate expectations by 132%.
So not only did she reach the goals attained by her company, she blew them out of the water.
And after I complimented her work ethic, I quickly joked that she just made it that much more difficult for herself the next year.
Then with all seriousness she revealed her strategic vision for the next 5 years - which didn't include staying in her current position as a sales rep. We talked about management opportunities and things she'd like to pursue - all of which are still on the table - and she laid out a definitive vision of how she'd like the next few years to go.
In that moment, it occurred to me that my sister has an incredible gift of foresight.
She worked at AOL (I can say this now) during a time of "save the customer no matter what" and could see there was no profitability in that. She got out just before her head own was on the chopping block - and she was one of the top performers in her facility, probably in the country!
She's always been two steps ahead (at least) when planning her career moves, and every time, her focus and determination have put her head and shoulders above everyone else in her organization.
As her sister, I'm uber proud. As a business owner, I'm impressed with her gift of vision and skill for strategic planning.
As a coach, I want to convey the lesson clearly to all of you: You can't sit comfortably. Ever. Even if you're outperforming your colleagues and besting your own performance by 130%, you can't rest on your laurels.
You need to have a vision for yourself, your life, your future.
Most people don't get into direct sales thinking they're going to be at the top of the food chain someday. Oh sure, they may win some recognition, earn a few incentive trips, but the real, underlying reason for direct sales has nothing to do with being a direct seller.
We have some kind of vision for our lives and see Direct Sales as the vehicle to take us there.
This is what I talk about when I talk about your "what" being more powerful than your "why".
Behind it all is some kind of vision of what you want your life to be like. How you see everything shaking out in the next few years - or at the end of your life, depending on how far out you plan.
I've learned that some people have an amazing GIFT for forethought and planning. It just comes naturally.
I've also learned that while my sister excels with the gift, I have learned the SKILL.
It's work for me to plan. I have to think and process and sift out tons of ideas. My head gets so cloudy with all the "what if"s and bright ideas that it's hard to see the forest for the trees - that's one of the reasons for this Mastermind planning session. To help us clear out and focus on the ideas that are most impacftul and significant to ourselves and our businesses. And while you're reading this, I'll be heavy duty in the thick of it.
Once I get clear, as I'm sure is the case for most people, the planning almost takes care of itself.
So to all of you that say "I'm no good at planning", I offer myself as the poster child of the unbalanced checkbook - even though I was a licensed financial planner, and the person who was voted most likely to succeed - and still feels the pressure of an unkept home.
This year I've already doubled my income - and tripled my profitability (probably quadrupled, but I don't have the final numbers for the year yet). And you can talk income all day long - it's the profit that counts. The key to all of that is clarity, focus and planning.
But as Robert Frost would say, I still have "miles to go before I sleep". With strategy and planning, I too will leave this weekend with a forward look into how I want my life to be - instead of letting life happen to my business and to me.
Eat your heart out, sister mine!
At 6:30am. Highly unusual in my home.
It's my sister. She lives in Arizona, so it was 3:30 in the morning where she was.
Had she not been so pleasant, I would have thought the world was on fire.
She called just to catch up, see what's shakin' and share a little news in her life. She didn't know I was packing to get on a plane to D.C.
My sister works for an incredibly wonderful company and one of the highlights of the year was the fact that she exceeded corporate expectations by 132%.
So not only did she reach the goals attained by her company, she blew them out of the water.
And after I complimented her work ethic, I quickly joked that she just made it that much more difficult for herself the next year.
Then with all seriousness she revealed her strategic vision for the next 5 years - which didn't include staying in her current position as a sales rep. We talked about management opportunities and things she'd like to pursue - all of which are still on the table - and she laid out a definitive vision of how she'd like the next few years to go.
In that moment, it occurred to me that my sister has an incredible gift of foresight.
She worked at AOL (I can say this now) during a time of "save the customer no matter what" and could see there was no profitability in that. She got out just before her head own was on the chopping block - and she was one of the top performers in her facility, probably in the country!
She's always been two steps ahead (at least) when planning her career moves, and every time, her focus and determination have put her head and shoulders above everyone else in her organization.
As her sister, I'm uber proud. As a business owner, I'm impressed with her gift of vision and skill for strategic planning.
As a coach, I want to convey the lesson clearly to all of you: You can't sit comfortably. Ever. Even if you're outperforming your colleagues and besting your own performance by 130%, you can't rest on your laurels.
You need to have a vision for yourself, your life, your future.
Most people don't get into direct sales thinking they're going to be at the top of the food chain someday. Oh sure, they may win some recognition, earn a few incentive trips, but the real, underlying reason for direct sales has nothing to do with being a direct seller.
We have some kind of vision for our lives and see Direct Sales as the vehicle to take us there.
This is what I talk about when I talk about your "what" being more powerful than your "why".
Behind it all is some kind of vision of what you want your life to be like. How you see everything shaking out in the next few years - or at the end of your life, depending on how far out you plan.
I've learned that some people have an amazing GIFT for forethought and planning. It just comes naturally.
I've also learned that while my sister excels with the gift, I have learned the SKILL.
It's work for me to plan. I have to think and process and sift out tons of ideas. My head gets so cloudy with all the "what if"s and bright ideas that it's hard to see the forest for the trees - that's one of the reasons for this Mastermind planning session. To help us clear out and focus on the ideas that are most impacftul and significant to ourselves and our businesses. And while you're reading this, I'll be heavy duty in the thick of it.
Once I get clear, as I'm sure is the case for most people, the planning almost takes care of itself.
So to all of you that say "I'm no good at planning", I offer myself as the poster child of the unbalanced checkbook - even though I was a licensed financial planner, and the person who was voted most likely to succeed - and still feels the pressure of an unkept home.
This year I've already doubled my income - and tripled my profitability (probably quadrupled, but I don't have the final numbers for the year yet). And you can talk income all day long - it's the profit that counts. The key to all of that is clarity, focus and planning.
But as Robert Frost would say, I still have "miles to go before I sleep". With strategy and planning, I too will leave this weekend with a forward look into how I want my life to be - instead of letting life happen to my business and to me.
Eat your heart out, sister mine!
Online Marketing: 10 lessons from the James Ray incident
Many of you know I'm not a news watcher, so when my mastermind group shared the news about the James Ray 'death lodge' incident today, I was a bit taken aback, but not totally surprised.
I can't begin to comment on the tragedy that occurred, nor on anything that Ray represents. That's not what this post is about. Anytime someone dies unexpectedly - for any reason - there are questions, pain, and more suffering than anyone should ever have to endure.
I'll save that for others better qualified than I to investigate.
This is not to negate or downplay ANYTHING that happened in Arizona. On the contrary, these 10 lessons are important for everyone in business to learn - and fast, regardless of the outcome of the investigation:
First, at least one major media outlet was compelled to include James' twitter id in their article. James couldn't be reached for comment, so the outlet ripped quotes from his twitter page regarding the incident.
Lesson one: Make sure what you're sharing online is fit to print.
Lesson two: Even the media recognizes the marketing value of sites like twitter - and has no compunction about using it to THEIR advantage either!
At seeing his twitter id, I got curious - as I'm sure many others did. After a small amount of digging, I discovered that even after the news reports reaching national media, James' follower count continues to increase - by nearly a hundred a day!
Lesson three: Even bad press can bring you new followers
Lesson four: It doesn't mean those followers are quality - they could be waiting to watch you hang.
James has recently come under fire for his high-pressure sales tactics - in fact, many have alleged "brain washing" during this tragedy - to the extreme. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, our job is not to sell people stuff. Our job is to help people make informed decisions that will improve their lives.
Anything less than that, and we're doing a disservice to our clients and to ourselves.
James, one of the featured 'stars' of "The Secret" has been delivering a message of profound impact for years. Just because the messenger "falls from grace" doesn't make the message any less meaningful for the people it has impacted.
Often times we, as a society (even a global one) put a person on a pedestal that they do not rightly belong on. Remember, we are all fatally flawed. Again, this is not to downplay anything that happened in Arizona. But how often have we falling in love with the music of a singer, the athleticism of a pro ball player or the work of a master artist only to have our graven image of them dashed on the rocks when they inevitably mar our picture perfect image of them with some human error?
It doesn't negate the beauty of the work, only the character of the person. I know several people that have been positively impacted by Ray's message. The deep disappointment they are dealing with now, is difficult to navigate. AND there are fans of Ray's that are defending him to the end.
Lesson five: Never place yourself above anyone else. You are no more, and no less than any other human on the planet.
Lesson six: When you do your job well, you will have die hard fans that will follow you to the ends of the earth and defend your honor in any situation.
In reading the reports, I read the name "Howard Bragman" as Ray's Publicist. Bragman is considered one of the greatest PR guys in the industry. In fact, I just picked up his book "Where's My Fifteen Minutes?" at my local library last week, so I'm watching with interest to see how this shakes out. Jim Lampley said "When you're on the ropes, you want Howard Bragman in your corner." That's a quote from the back cover of Bragman's book.
No doubt, Bragman is keeping his client quiet until there's time to sort through everything - which is smart. While many people are railing agains Ray's silence, the WORST thing he could do is open his mouth and "insert his foot".
As a business owner, everything he has is at stake here - and he knows it (along with the rest of the world). He may be dying inside to offer apologies, or tell his side of everything (or not), but even a well-intended apology could come off as a makehift admission of guilt if the media has an opportunity to spin it.
I'm reminded of the fortune cookie where it's better to remain silent, than to open your mouth and "remove all doubt". Innocence (or guilt) should be determined by qualified authorities - and I ain't one of them.
Lesson seven: everything you say can be used against you in times of trouble. Make every word count
Lesson eight: even when you're trying to do right, it can be misconstrued, and you'll never make everyone happy.
We as a public, want answers. We as business owners need to look at this situation and learn.
Be proactive, remember we're dealing with people's lives - whether we sell shoes or inspiration. Whether we offer $.99 widgets or $10,000 week-long retreats. Whatever we're doing needs to be focused on serving others, providing value and reaping the benefits of the work we've done. That implies the work must be done before the reward is received.
Coaches, trainers and speakers need to be on the offensive here. In just a few short hours since I've learned of this tragedy, already the barrage of "snake oil", "shyster" and other epithets have already created a firestorm online. Let's be sure we're not slapping an unwarranted label on an entire industry just because things went awry. Should there be failsafes in place? Absolutely. Inasmuch as direct sellers have gotten a bum rap for the slimy, pushy salesmen that have weasled their way through our organizations, so too may we find the motivational industry likewise marred by this horriffic event.
Where's the justice in that?
Lesson nine: those who paint with broad brush strokes make great white washers
Lesson ten: It takes great effort and much patience to work with a detailed hand.
Probably not the lessons you were expecting, but I'm known for my irreverence.
When I originally created this blog - as "Real Life Marketing" - the objective was to show how we could learn significant lessons for marketing our business from the everyday things that go on around us. While this is one event I hope never becomes an every day occurence, you can certainly see the lessons we can all walk away with from this tragedy. There are others, to be sure. As business owners, we need to be mindful, and ever ready to protect ourselves, our investment and our business.
I can't begin to comment on the tragedy that occurred, nor on anything that Ray represents. That's not what this post is about. Anytime someone dies unexpectedly - for any reason - there are questions, pain, and more suffering than anyone should ever have to endure.
I'll save that for others better qualified than I to investigate.
This is not to negate or downplay ANYTHING that happened in Arizona. On the contrary, these 10 lessons are important for everyone in business to learn - and fast, regardless of the outcome of the investigation:
First, at least one major media outlet was compelled to include James' twitter id in their article. James couldn't be reached for comment, so the outlet ripped quotes from his twitter page regarding the incident.
Lesson one: Make sure what you're sharing online is fit to print.
Lesson two: Even the media recognizes the marketing value of sites like twitter - and has no compunction about using it to THEIR advantage either!
At seeing his twitter id, I got curious - as I'm sure many others did. After a small amount of digging, I discovered that even after the news reports reaching national media, James' follower count continues to increase - by nearly a hundred a day!
Lesson three: Even bad press can bring you new followers
Lesson four: It doesn't mean those followers are quality - they could be waiting to watch you hang.
James has recently come under fire for his high-pressure sales tactics - in fact, many have alleged "brain washing" during this tragedy - to the extreme. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, our job is not to sell people stuff. Our job is to help people make informed decisions that will improve their lives.
Anything less than that, and we're doing a disservice to our clients and to ourselves.
James, one of the featured 'stars' of "The Secret" has been delivering a message of profound impact for years. Just because the messenger "falls from grace" doesn't make the message any less meaningful for the people it has impacted.
Often times we, as a society (even a global one) put a person on a pedestal that they do not rightly belong on. Remember, we are all fatally flawed. Again, this is not to downplay anything that happened in Arizona. But how often have we falling in love with the music of a singer, the athleticism of a pro ball player or the work of a master artist only to have our graven image of them dashed on the rocks when they inevitably mar our picture perfect image of them with some human error?
It doesn't negate the beauty of the work, only the character of the person. I know several people that have been positively impacted by Ray's message. The deep disappointment they are dealing with now, is difficult to navigate. AND there are fans of Ray's that are defending him to the end.
Lesson five: Never place yourself above anyone else. You are no more, and no less than any other human on the planet.
Lesson six: When you do your job well, you will have die hard fans that will follow you to the ends of the earth and defend your honor in any situation.
In reading the reports, I read the name "Howard Bragman" as Ray's Publicist. Bragman is considered one of the greatest PR guys in the industry. In fact, I just picked up his book "Where's My Fifteen Minutes?" at my local library last week, so I'm watching with interest to see how this shakes out. Jim Lampley said "When you're on the ropes, you want Howard Bragman in your corner." That's a quote from the back cover of Bragman's book.
No doubt, Bragman is keeping his client quiet until there's time to sort through everything - which is smart. While many people are railing agains Ray's silence, the WORST thing he could do is open his mouth and "insert his foot".
As a business owner, everything he has is at stake here - and he knows it (along with the rest of the world). He may be dying inside to offer apologies, or tell his side of everything (or not), but even a well-intended apology could come off as a makehift admission of guilt if the media has an opportunity to spin it.
I'm reminded of the fortune cookie where it's better to remain silent, than to open your mouth and "remove all doubt". Innocence (or guilt) should be determined by qualified authorities - and I ain't one of them.
Lesson seven: everything you say can be used against you in times of trouble. Make every word count
Lesson eight: even when you're trying to do right, it can be misconstrued, and you'll never make everyone happy.
We as a public, want answers. We as business owners need to look at this situation and learn.
Be proactive, remember we're dealing with people's lives - whether we sell shoes or inspiration. Whether we offer $.99 widgets or $10,000 week-long retreats. Whatever we're doing needs to be focused on serving others, providing value and reaping the benefits of the work we've done. That implies the work must be done before the reward is received.
Coaches, trainers and speakers need to be on the offensive here. In just a few short hours since I've learned of this tragedy, already the barrage of "snake oil", "shyster" and other epithets have already created a firestorm online. Let's be sure we're not slapping an unwarranted label on an entire industry just because things went awry. Should there be failsafes in place? Absolutely. Inasmuch as direct sellers have gotten a bum rap for the slimy, pushy salesmen that have weasled their way through our organizations, so too may we find the motivational industry likewise marred by this horriffic event.
Where's the justice in that?
Lesson nine: those who paint with broad brush strokes make great white washers
Lesson ten: It takes great effort and much patience to work with a detailed hand.
Probably not the lessons you were expecting, but I'm known for my irreverence.
When I originally created this blog - as "Real Life Marketing" - the objective was to show how we could learn significant lessons for marketing our business from the everyday things that go on around us. While this is one event I hope never becomes an every day occurence, you can certainly see the lessons we can all walk away with from this tragedy. There are others, to be sure. As business owners, we need to be mindful, and ever ready to protect ourselves, our investment and our business.
Online Marketing: Know Like and Trust
Several of the entries in the 12 week challenge contest talk about how difficult it is to "make the transition" from online acquaintance to business client or associate.
Before we can make that transition, however we have to establish the relationship.
That's the "sermon" for today's post.
The "KLT Factor" - know, like, and trust - are always a hot topic in the business world. People have to know you, like you, and trust you, at least to SOME degree to be wililng to do business with you.
For example, you may not know a thing about that pimply faced, rookie salesman trying to sell you a dryer, but because they work for a well-respected mega store in your community, you trust that they won't steer you wrong - or if they do, you'll be able to sue the pants off the mega store.
Some level of KLT has been established.
If you have NO desire to work with the consultant down the street because she bad-mouthed a competitor during a presentation, her KLT factor with you is pretty low - even if she's your sister.
To be blunt, telling everyone how grat your product is, or how wonderful your company is, or that you just won an all-expense paid trip to the Bahamas is NOT building your KLT factor in the eyes of your customers. IF they already know you, or like you, they may be happy for you, but they don't care about your good fortune anymore thant they care about themselves.
It's always about them.
Period.
If I closed the post there, it should suffice for those serious about building a servant-minded enterprise. Disney built an empire around the concept of caring for the customer - and they have the overpriced burgers to prove that what they do works.
The companies that have stuck around for centuries or more are those that put the right thing in front of the ROI. They care more about their customers than themselves.
But many of us are too concerned with ourselves to have that kind of concern for our customers.
And the words "get what you want by helping other people get what they want" become only so many nice words.
You've heard me talk before about providing value. Mike Dandridge, in his book "The One-Year Business Turnaround" says that Value is in the eye of the customer. You can give them a 10% off coupon, free shipping, and tickets to "Riverdance", but if your customers find no value in that, those aren't valuable additions to the product.
And fast turnaround, or "excellent customer service" are supposed to be standard. Again, not value added benefits for a customer.
Sometimes, doing something of value means making a sacrifice. Sometimes a BIG sacrifice. Not always, but sometimes.
Why did thousands of people sign up for my Direct Sales Super Summit in March? There are dozens of free training calls all over the place. There are many speakers that talk on similar topics for a fee.
The reason people signed up is because they saw the VALUE in what I was providing: quality information they could use to impact their lives, their businesses right NOW at a reasonable investment.
That's value.
And when my customers email me they say things like "do you remember last month when I placed that order?"
Of COURSE I remember. You're my customer. You put food on my table and clothes on my kid's back. You are my livlihood, my bread and butter, keeping the wolves from the door! I try to touch every single transaction at least once to remind myself to be grateful for everyone that comes through "the doors" of my business.
That's value to some of my customers. They want to know that someone - a REAL human being - is behind all the blog posts, emails, newsletters, etc.
To others on my list, it's no big deal, they rarely communicate with me, and they like it that way. And that's okay with me, too.
The point is to meet people where they are, provide what THEY believe is valuable. THAT'S when you build a real relationship. Help people. Maybe they could care less about your biz opp today, but need their flat tire fixed.
Taking the time to help with their flat could be the thing that they remember 6 months from now when they stumble on your card after having lost their job. You thought you'd never hear from them again, and what a waste of a perfectly good afternoon, and oh my, your hands were so dirty. But they remembered that when they needed help (something of the UTMOST value), YOU were there. And now they need "help" again. So they call you.
It happens more times than I care to count. Building trust isn't a dog and pony show. you don't do it just when it's convenient. You do it because it's part of who you are, part of what you stand for. When you establish trust, people begin to like you and then they want to get to know more about who you are and what you have to offer.
It's about integrity. It's about helping first, and selling later. Or maybe not selling at all. you never know who's watching you perform the random acts of kindness that make us better people.
But if you invest yourself in your business this way, you can't help but win. It's how the Carnegies and Motts and Rockefellers of the world managed to KEEP the wealth they worked so hard to earn.
During the horrible market crach in the 20's a 3+million dollar embezzlement scheme was found out in one of the biggest banks in my community. The former president of the bank, having virtually no liability for the debacle, could have easily washed his hands of everything, leaving all the depositors to fend for themselves, most likely ending up with nothing.
But he chose to front his own money - and approach lenders in the bigger markets to help cover the debt so that the honest, hard working people in my community wouldn't lose everything. He didn't have to do it. He CHOSE to do it. Not to save face, but to helpa community of which he'd grown very fond. Not only did he save the financial lives of so many people, he got all his money back and then some - and lived out his days as one of the wealthiest members of our community.
He was a man of intergity, ingenuity, trust, respect and strong moral character. He gave and gave of himself, his finances and more. And in return, grew a powerful company, built a foundation for the less fortunate, and left an amazing legacy that fuels this community to this day.
I never met the man - he died before I was born. But his life is an integral component to what makes my community what it is today.
That's the kind of value we need to be providing to each one of our customers. If we don't enjoy what we're doing, or who we're working with enough to be willing to make sacrifices to help them, why are we doing it in the first place?
Direct Sales isn't for everyone. Being a business owner or an entrepreneur isn't for everyone. It requires great sacrifice - of ourselves, our time, energy, money - sometimes our families, our finances, our homes.
What are you doing to provide REAL value to the people in your business? Are your business contacts like family to you?
I remember a class I took once when I was in real estate. the instructor said as an agent, we had to treat all our buyers like they were our grandmother and all our sellers as if they were our little sister. The idea is that you'd want to get them the very best possible deal, so that everyone wins, and no one feals cheated. that doesn't mean doing "just enough" but giving out UTMOST.
And frankly, so many of us just don't do that. We've learned how to get by. We look for the "magic pill" and we want everything to come easy.
To quote The Princess Bride "Whoever said life is fair?" Where is that written? Life isn't always fair."
But if we give our utmost, the hard work is rewarded in more ways than we can ever imagine. That's when real trust is built, lives are changed and business is done.
In business, there are many ways to build relationships, and the beauty of online marketing is that you can move through this process at a more predictable pace by using tools and strategies designed to decrease the germination period. The sooner you can establish trust, build rapport and create likability, the sooner business can be done.
In the 12-Week Challenge, we'll take a look at several tools you can use to not only build rapport, but automate some elements of the relationship building process, so that you can run a more efficient business that focuses on serving your perfect fit customers. There's still time to enter the contest before next week. Winners will be announced on October 20.
Before we can make that transition, however we have to establish the relationship.
That's the "sermon" for today's post.
The "KLT Factor" - know, like, and trust - are always a hot topic in the business world. People have to know you, like you, and trust you, at least to SOME degree to be wililng to do business with you.
For example, you may not know a thing about that pimply faced, rookie salesman trying to sell you a dryer, but because they work for a well-respected mega store in your community, you trust that they won't steer you wrong - or if they do, you'll be able to sue the pants off the mega store.
Some level of KLT has been established.
If you have NO desire to work with the consultant down the street because she bad-mouthed a competitor during a presentation, her KLT factor with you is pretty low - even if she's your sister.
To be blunt, telling everyone how grat your product is, or how wonderful your company is, or that you just won an all-expense paid trip to the Bahamas is NOT building your KLT factor in the eyes of your customers. IF they already know you, or like you, they may be happy for you, but they don't care about your good fortune anymore thant they care about themselves.
It's always about them.
Period.
If I closed the post there, it should suffice for those serious about building a servant-minded enterprise. Disney built an empire around the concept of caring for the customer - and they have the overpriced burgers to prove that what they do works.
The companies that have stuck around for centuries or more are those that put the right thing in front of the ROI. They care more about their customers than themselves.
But many of us are too concerned with ourselves to have that kind of concern for our customers.
And the words "get what you want by helping other people get what they want" become only so many nice words.
You've heard me talk before about providing value. Mike Dandridge, in his book "The One-Year Business Turnaround" says that Value is in the eye of the customer. You can give them a 10% off coupon, free shipping, and tickets to "Riverdance", but if your customers find no value in that, those aren't valuable additions to the product.
And fast turnaround, or "excellent customer service" are supposed to be standard. Again, not value added benefits for a customer.
Sometimes, doing something of value means making a sacrifice. Sometimes a BIG sacrifice. Not always, but sometimes.
Why did thousands of people sign up for my Direct Sales Super Summit in March? There are dozens of free training calls all over the place. There are many speakers that talk on similar topics for a fee.
The reason people signed up is because they saw the VALUE in what I was providing: quality information they could use to impact their lives, their businesses right NOW at a reasonable investment.
That's value.
And when my customers email me they say things like "do you remember last month when I placed that order?"
Of COURSE I remember. You're my customer. You put food on my table and clothes on my kid's back. You are my livlihood, my bread and butter, keeping the wolves from the door! I try to touch every single transaction at least once to remind myself to be grateful for everyone that comes through "the doors" of my business.
That's value to some of my customers. They want to know that someone - a REAL human being - is behind all the blog posts, emails, newsletters, etc.
To others on my list, it's no big deal, they rarely communicate with me, and they like it that way. And that's okay with me, too.
The point is to meet people where they are, provide what THEY believe is valuable. THAT'S when you build a real relationship. Help people. Maybe they could care less about your biz opp today, but need their flat tire fixed.
Taking the time to help with their flat could be the thing that they remember 6 months from now when they stumble on your card after having lost their job. You thought you'd never hear from them again, and what a waste of a perfectly good afternoon, and oh my, your hands were so dirty. But they remembered that when they needed help (something of the UTMOST value), YOU were there. And now they need "help" again. So they call you.
It happens more times than I care to count. Building trust isn't a dog and pony show. you don't do it just when it's convenient. You do it because it's part of who you are, part of what you stand for. When you establish trust, people begin to like you and then they want to get to know more about who you are and what you have to offer.
It's about integrity. It's about helping first, and selling later. Or maybe not selling at all. you never know who's watching you perform the random acts of kindness that make us better people.
But if you invest yourself in your business this way, you can't help but win. It's how the Carnegies and Motts and Rockefellers of the world managed to KEEP the wealth they worked so hard to earn.
During the horrible market crach in the 20's a 3+million dollar embezzlement scheme was found out in one of the biggest banks in my community. The former president of the bank, having virtually no liability for the debacle, could have easily washed his hands of everything, leaving all the depositors to fend for themselves, most likely ending up with nothing.
But he chose to front his own money - and approach lenders in the bigger markets to help cover the debt so that the honest, hard working people in my community wouldn't lose everything. He didn't have to do it. He CHOSE to do it. Not to save face, but to helpa community of which he'd grown very fond. Not only did he save the financial lives of so many people, he got all his money back and then some - and lived out his days as one of the wealthiest members of our community.
He was a man of intergity, ingenuity, trust, respect and strong moral character. He gave and gave of himself, his finances and more. And in return, grew a powerful company, built a foundation for the less fortunate, and left an amazing legacy that fuels this community to this day.
I never met the man - he died before I was born. But his life is an integral component to what makes my community what it is today.
That's the kind of value we need to be providing to each one of our customers. If we don't enjoy what we're doing, or who we're working with enough to be willing to make sacrifices to help them, why are we doing it in the first place?
Direct Sales isn't for everyone. Being a business owner or an entrepreneur isn't for everyone. It requires great sacrifice - of ourselves, our time, energy, money - sometimes our families, our finances, our homes.
What are you doing to provide REAL value to the people in your business? Are your business contacts like family to you?
I remember a class I took once when I was in real estate. the instructor said as an agent, we had to treat all our buyers like they were our grandmother and all our sellers as if they were our little sister. The idea is that you'd want to get them the very best possible deal, so that everyone wins, and no one feals cheated. that doesn't mean doing "just enough" but giving out UTMOST.
And frankly, so many of us just don't do that. We've learned how to get by. We look for the "magic pill" and we want everything to come easy.
To quote The Princess Bride "Whoever said life is fair?" Where is that written? Life isn't always fair."
But if we give our utmost, the hard work is rewarded in more ways than we can ever imagine. That's when real trust is built, lives are changed and business is done.
In business, there are many ways to build relationships, and the beauty of online marketing is that you can move through this process at a more predictable pace by using tools and strategies designed to decrease the germination period. The sooner you can establish trust, build rapport and create likability, the sooner business can be done.
In the 12-Week Challenge, we'll take a look at several tools you can use to not only build rapport, but automate some elements of the relationship building process, so that you can run a more efficient business that focuses on serving your perfect fit customers. There's still time to enter the contest before next week. Winners will be announced on October 20.
Direct Sales Muscles Need Stretching
[Note: This is an excerpt from me free Build a Better Customer Program that's available to all members of the Home Party Solution Community. Register today to recieve the entire program as my gift to you. That's how important I think it is to target market. My brother-in-law is presently in the hospital as the final stages of his disease make their move. - Lisa]
When I was writing yesterday, I thought about my brother-in-law, who lives with a horrible crippling disease that essentially erodes his bones from the inside out. It's very rare, and few who are diagnosed live past childhood. He's a miracle, still living in his 30's. Though he's paralyzed from the waste down, he lays himself out every single day to stretch his muscles. He's on a strict regimen of medications, exercises and nutrition to help keep his bone density as high as possible.
Muscles that aren't stretched will atrophy. The nature of building muscle is such that you create small tears in the tissue when you exercise. The muscle then repairs itself during rest, making it stronger than it was before.
You have to stretch if you want to grow stronger. If you want to die, stay where you are.
How can you stretch yourself in healthy ways? I don't mean dong MORE things than you can handle, but rather DIFFERENT things that would broaden your horizons, extend your business network, or build your skills. Small stretches that will build your "comfort zone" muscles.
When I was writing yesterday, I thought about my brother-in-law, who lives with a horrible crippling disease that essentially erodes his bones from the inside out. It's very rare, and few who are diagnosed live past childhood. He's a miracle, still living in his 30's. Though he's paralyzed from the waste down, he lays himself out every single day to stretch his muscles. He's on a strict regimen of medications, exercises and nutrition to help keep his bone density as high as possible.
Muscles that aren't stretched will atrophy. The nature of building muscle is such that you create small tears in the tissue when you exercise. The muscle then repairs itself during rest, making it stronger than it was before.
You have to stretch if you want to grow stronger. If you want to die, stay where you are.
How can you stretch yourself in healthy ways? I don't mean dong MORE things than you can handle, but rather DIFFERENT things that would broaden your horizons, extend your business network, or build your skills. Small stretches that will build your "comfort zone" muscles.
A Tale of Two Direct Sales Moms
Normally, I'm not one to go on about my kids. I like at least a small sense of anonymity and privacy for them, since they didn't choose to grow up in the limelight or the shadow it casts from being aimed at me.
And while this story isn't so much about them, they are involved, so I felt it only fair to warn you.
This story, however is a tale of two moms: one's an ambitious, "big thinker", who constantly strives to grow her business, builder her "empire" and make the world a better place for her clients and customers. She believes that she's the best product her company has to offer, and shares her time, talent and treasure to help others make the most of their business.
She does her momly duties, of course: getting up at the crack of dawn, tries to make sure the kids are fed and ready for the trip to school, and even shares her laptop with her 3 year old so he can get a jump start on academics at pbskids.org. She does her best to have dinner cooking and ready by the time her husband arrives home at 5pm and even manages to clean a little: a couple loads of dishes (by hand, of course), and sometimes gets the table set too!
She loves to entertain, has a big house with plenty of room for company and KNOWS how to cook. Her Momma taught her how to make virtually anything from scratch - except anything made with asparagus (her Mom HATED Asparagus), and she's quite a performer, too. Her haminess runs in the family: both her sons are musical and while her husband couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, they make for a cute "perfect" family photo.
She works with an INCREDIBLE support team that keeps her business running like a well-oiled machine, even in her sleep.
I'm sure you've figured out who this is, but before I do the big reveal, let's talk about our other mom...
This woman does her best to get to bed at a decent hour each night, but is usually up WAY past her bedtime. She's always got way too much on her plate, and sometimes finds herself wading through 4,000 emails in her in-box trying to find a message that was sent a while ago that she knows she needs to act on. She loves her two kids dearly, and her husband has his moments, too, but sometimes she'd just love to use the mute button on her remote control to find a little peace and quiet in the home.
She's lucky if she can find the time to take a shower in the morning, and occasionally brushes her teeth on the drive to take her oldest to school!
This woman is far from perfect. Her childhood is not something she looks back on with many pleasant memories: abuse, loneliness, and not many friends were hidden behind her very intellectual veneer. She's smart, but was never able to make friends easily, and to this day struggles with strong, lasting friendships.
Her husband and oldest son just don't see eye to eye, and it's a horrible point of friction in her family. She insists they fight like brothers, and hates "being in the middle" when things come to a head.
And if that wasn't difficult enough, now her oldest son is in the hospital. She's blessed to have a job that allows her to 'be there' for him when he needs her most, but struggles with the guilt of not being with her 3 year old son. Hubby's off at work during the day, and doesn't like hospitals, so hasn't visited his step-son much at all. She feels like her support system is crumbling around her ears...
hmm... those two people sound strikingliy different, don't they?
Yet the are one in the same.
This is probably one of the hardest, and most personal posts I'll ever make, but I'm at the point where I need to share this because it might just help someone else.
The beauty of direct sales is that we have the power to do as much or as little as we choose in our business. We control our income, our hours and the freedom we make for ourselves in this industry.
It has been an amazing blessing to me this past month as my son has moved in and out of hospitals while they work to find the answers for his pancreatitis.
And ironically, it has been my friends in the industry - my leader, fellow coaches, recruits and my clients and 'friends' on Facebook and twitter that have been the most supportive bunch of all.
I've gotten emails, calls, tweets and amazing shows of support from people that barely know me in real life. And I can't get my husband to take a day off from work to help around the house.
To be clear: we are not fighting about this. He has a horrible aversion to hospitals, and he's extremely busy at work right now. I wish he could be more supportive, but he's doing the best he can with his situation. Plus, we're grateful beyond grateful that he hasn't lost his job yet when so many others are struggling to survive! If it wren't for his job and his insurance, there's no telling how God would manage to cover the hospitalization & testing costs.
I've done some pretty BIG things this year in the face of a tightening economy - all when people said it couldn't be done. I took that a God's message to me that I was in fact heading in the right direction, and fulfilling his will to serve others the best way I knew how: as a direct sales consultant and marketing coach/mentor to the Direct Sales Industry. I've even started the ICF certification process to complete the requirements to make that an officially recognized designation.
I have a LOT on my plate - I almost always do. And I don't mind so much most of the time. I've got a fantastic business coach, and a new VA that I love - plus an assistant that's also a friend of my family and a powerful prayer warrior. I have a handful of really close friends that I know are praying me through all this.
And with the small exception that I wish my husband was a little more accessible, I have a LOT of peace in this whole ordeal. I can be at my son's bedside in the hospital and work from my laptop, or have a coaching call on my cell phone.
God bless technology!
My 3 year old is well tended by an incredible nanny that is also one of my team recruits for my direct selling business. My income continues to roll in on autopilot, my kids are tended, and I can focus on the needs of my oldest son right now.
But I'm FAR from perfect. There are days when I don't want to get out of bed - yes even while my kid's in the hospital. There are days when I don't even SEE the shower, much less take one (perhaps a little TMI, but hey, it's trh truth). And I know that the phrase "who has time to exercise" must have been coined by me - I have the spare pounds to prove it.
The office has clutter piles - like the rest of the house. And while I love to entertain, I very rarely do.
I struggle with self-esteem issues, even though I know my business is awesome and I'm serving some amazing women with an amazing mission that I KNOW God put firmly in my heart. I feel like I'm not moving fast enough, not doing near enough, to be the person God has called me to be.
This isn't a personal plea for people to feel sorry for me, or even to cheer me on. It's just a statement that I had to make before I exploded all over the place one day. And I figured that if I'm going through this, it's for a reason, and God placed it on my heart to share it in this manner today.
If I may be selfish for a minute: I want to know what's wrong with my kid. I want him to be okay, and I want to not have to worry about the cost of getting that answer. I want my husband to participate in all of this and realize how much he's needed around here. I also want him to know that I understand how he feels and that I'm doing my best to honor him and his needs, too. I want my
business to thrive and flourish and be a example of God's light in the world.
But most of all, I want to serve. And if this post does that for you, then once again God's got it goin' on, because I think that sharing this is one of the most 'out there' things I've ever done. I started a Facebook group a few weeks ago because He suggested it through a friend, and I've been amazed at how on target everything is. I'm learning each day that the more I listen to Him and follow his lead on even the most outrageous things, He provides. He doesn't fail. There are so many things I feel like I need to be doing on a daily basis, and God keeps it all in perspective. The peace I feel is directly related to a "system" he's shown me to help keep it all together - even when everything seems to be falling apart.
So it's a weird way to say thank you, but Thank You. I've got over 100 posts on this blog, and I did say there might be an occasional personal post about me or the kids. This was the best way I knew to reach out to all of you and let you know how much your prayers, words and thoughts have been a tremendous blessing this past month.
I know not what God's next move for me is in the great playbook of life, but I do know that I have to just keep on making the plays, and moving down the field until I reach whatever goal he has planned.
It's been a crazy start to 2009 - which means I know it's ging to get even bigger and better as it goes along. I hope you'll be on the ride with me.
And while this story isn't so much about them, they are involved, so I felt it only fair to warn you.
This story, however is a tale of two moms: one's an ambitious, "big thinker", who constantly strives to grow her business, builder her "empire" and make the world a better place for her clients and customers. She believes that she's the best product her company has to offer, and shares her time, talent and treasure to help others make the most of their business.
She does her momly duties, of course: getting up at the crack of dawn, tries to make sure the kids are fed and ready for the trip to school, and even shares her laptop with her 3 year old so he can get a jump start on academics at pbskids.org. She does her best to have dinner cooking and ready by the time her husband arrives home at 5pm and even manages to clean a little: a couple loads of dishes (by hand, of course), and sometimes gets the table set too!
She loves to entertain, has a big house with plenty of room for company and KNOWS how to cook. Her Momma taught her how to make virtually anything from scratch - except anything made with asparagus (her Mom HATED Asparagus), and she's quite a performer, too. Her haminess runs in the family: both her sons are musical and while her husband couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, they make for a cute "perfect" family photo.
She works with an INCREDIBLE support team that keeps her business running like a well-oiled machine, even in her sleep.
I'm sure you've figured out who this is, but before I do the big reveal, let's talk about our other mom...
This woman does her best to get to bed at a decent hour each night, but is usually up WAY past her bedtime. She's always got way too much on her plate, and sometimes finds herself wading through 4,000 emails in her in-box trying to find a message that was sent a while ago that she knows she needs to act on. She loves her two kids dearly, and her husband has his moments, too, but sometimes she'd just love to use the mute button on her remote control to find a little peace and quiet in the home.
She's lucky if she can find the time to take a shower in the morning, and occasionally brushes her teeth on the drive to take her oldest to school!
This woman is far from perfect. Her childhood is not something she looks back on with many pleasant memories: abuse, loneliness, and not many friends were hidden behind her very intellectual veneer. She's smart, but was never able to make friends easily, and to this day struggles with strong, lasting friendships.
Her husband and oldest son just don't see eye to eye, and it's a horrible point of friction in her family. She insists they fight like brothers, and hates "being in the middle" when things come to a head.
And if that wasn't difficult enough, now her oldest son is in the hospital. She's blessed to have a job that allows her to 'be there' for him when he needs her most, but struggles with the guilt of not being with her 3 year old son. Hubby's off at work during the day, and doesn't like hospitals, so hasn't visited his step-son much at all. She feels like her support system is crumbling around her ears...
hmm... those two people sound strikingliy different, don't they?
Yet the are one in the same.
This is probably one of the hardest, and most personal posts I'll ever make, but I'm at the point where I need to share this because it might just help someone else.
The beauty of direct sales is that we have the power to do as much or as little as we choose in our business. We control our income, our hours and the freedom we make for ourselves in this industry.
It has been an amazing blessing to me this past month as my son has moved in and out of hospitals while they work to find the answers for his pancreatitis.
And ironically, it has been my friends in the industry - my leader, fellow coaches, recruits and my clients and 'friends' on Facebook and twitter that have been the most supportive bunch of all.
I've gotten emails, calls, tweets and amazing shows of support from people that barely know me in real life. And I can't get my husband to take a day off from work to help around the house.
To be clear: we are not fighting about this. He has a horrible aversion to hospitals, and he's extremely busy at work right now. I wish he could be more supportive, but he's doing the best he can with his situation. Plus, we're grateful beyond grateful that he hasn't lost his job yet when so many others are struggling to survive! If it wren't for his job and his insurance, there's no telling how God would manage to cover the hospitalization & testing costs.
I've done some pretty BIG things this year in the face of a tightening economy - all when people said it couldn't be done. I took that a God's message to me that I was in fact heading in the right direction, and fulfilling his will to serve others the best way I knew how: as a direct sales consultant and marketing coach/mentor to the Direct Sales Industry. I've even started the ICF certification process to complete the requirements to make that an officially recognized designation.
I have a LOT on my plate - I almost always do. And I don't mind so much most of the time. I've got a fantastic business coach, and a new VA that I love - plus an assistant that's also a friend of my family and a powerful prayer warrior. I have a handful of really close friends that I know are praying me through all this.
And with the small exception that I wish my husband was a little more accessible, I have a LOT of peace in this whole ordeal. I can be at my son's bedside in the hospital and work from my laptop, or have a coaching call on my cell phone.
God bless technology!
My 3 year old is well tended by an incredible nanny that is also one of my team recruits for my direct selling business. My income continues to roll in on autopilot, my kids are tended, and I can focus on the needs of my oldest son right now.
But I'm FAR from perfect. There are days when I don't want to get out of bed - yes even while my kid's in the hospital. There are days when I don't even SEE the shower, much less take one (perhaps a little TMI, but hey, it's trh truth). And I know that the phrase "who has time to exercise" must have been coined by me - I have the spare pounds to prove it.
The office has clutter piles - like the rest of the house. And while I love to entertain, I very rarely do.
I struggle with self-esteem issues, even though I know my business is awesome and I'm serving some amazing women with an amazing mission that I KNOW God put firmly in my heart. I feel like I'm not moving fast enough, not doing near enough, to be the person God has called me to be.
This isn't a personal plea for people to feel sorry for me, or even to cheer me on. It's just a statement that I had to make before I exploded all over the place one day. And I figured that if I'm going through this, it's for a reason, and God placed it on my heart to share it in this manner today.
If I may be selfish for a minute: I want to know what's wrong with my kid. I want him to be okay, and I want to not have to worry about the cost of getting that answer. I want my husband to participate in all of this and realize how much he's needed around here. I also want him to know that I understand how he feels and that I'm doing my best to honor him and his needs, too. I want my
business to thrive and flourish and be a example of God's light in the world.
But most of all, I want to serve. And if this post does that for you, then once again God's got it goin' on, because I think that sharing this is one of the most 'out there' things I've ever done. I started a Facebook group a few weeks ago because He suggested it through a friend, and I've been amazed at how on target everything is. I'm learning each day that the more I listen to Him and follow his lead on even the most outrageous things, He provides. He doesn't fail. There are so many things I feel like I need to be doing on a daily basis, and God keeps it all in perspective. The peace I feel is directly related to a "system" he's shown me to help keep it all together - even when everything seems to be falling apart.
So it's a weird way to say thank you, but Thank You. I've got over 100 posts on this blog, and I did say there might be an occasional personal post about me or the kids. This was the best way I knew to reach out to all of you and let you know how much your prayers, words and thoughts have been a tremendous blessing this past month.
I know not what God's next move for me is in the great playbook of life, but I do know that I have to just keep on making the plays, and moving down the field until I reach whatever goal he has planned.
It's been a crazy start to 2009 - which means I know it's ging to get even bigger and better as it goes along. I hope you'll be on the ride with me.
Breakthroughs Are Often Disguised as Breakdowns
If your whole world tipped on it's axis 3 degrees, what would you do?
What if your whole world dried up and blew away?
Welcome to December, 2008 for me!
In the last 2 weeks, my entire upline at my primary company was dismissed due to breach of contract - the problem? Recruiting downline members into a new biz op using genealogy lists while they were still associated with my company.
We lost 6 Director-level leaders in our state which could be an incredible blow to my business.
Essentially, I am "leaderless".
But honestly, I'm dancing in the streets.
The dead weight is finally gone. YAHOO!
Then I got word that a coaching client was now without a direct sales company because they're closing at the end of the month.
She's also dancing in the streets.
Why?
Because we're both using the concepts of personal branding to grow our reach even in hat would seem like hard times.
But also, because we recognize that BIG Breakthroughs are often disguised as breakdowns.
You know:
Whenever God closes a door...
That's TRUE even more now than ever before. The problem most of us have is that we're too busy looking at the closed door - and knocking on it - that we don't hear or see the window open.
Don't keep staring at a closed door - look for a window!
What's happening for me? Because of the recent changes, I now have more opportunities to create a name for myself in this area - lead training and grow a new culture that doesn't include dead weight.
Plus my new coaching system - Build a Better Customer is slated for release in early 2009 - and having the ability to devote my time to helping others create teh same level of freedom just jumped incrementally.
Can you say excited?
December really came in like a lion for me - and it seemed to be NOT in a good way. But when I stopped staring at a closed door (which didn't last long, I'll admit), The big gaping picture window sure looked inviting.
Where's your window?
What if your whole world dried up and blew away?
Welcome to December, 2008 for me!
In the last 2 weeks, my entire upline at my primary company was dismissed due to breach of contract - the problem? Recruiting downline members into a new biz op using genealogy lists while they were still associated with my company.
We lost 6 Director-level leaders in our state which could be an incredible blow to my business.
Essentially, I am "leaderless".
But honestly, I'm dancing in the streets.
The dead weight is finally gone. YAHOO!
Then I got word that a coaching client was now without a direct sales company because they're closing at the end of the month.
She's also dancing in the streets.
Why?
Because we're both using the concepts of personal branding to grow our reach even in hat would seem like hard times.
But also, because we recognize that BIG Breakthroughs are often disguised as breakdowns.
You know:
Whenever God closes a door...
That's TRUE even more now than ever before. The problem most of us have is that we're too busy looking at the closed door - and knocking on it - that we don't hear or see the window open.
Don't keep staring at a closed door - look for a window!
What's happening for me? Because of the recent changes, I now have more opportunities to create a name for myself in this area - lead training and grow a new culture that doesn't include dead weight.
Plus my new coaching system - Build a Better Customer is slated for release in early 2009 - and having the ability to devote my time to helping others create teh same level of freedom just jumped incrementally.
Can you say excited?
December really came in like a lion for me - and it seemed to be NOT in a good way. But when I stopped staring at a closed door (which didn't last long, I'll admit), The big gaping picture window sure looked inviting.
Where's your window?
First Annual Backwards Gratitude List
Every year, millions of Americans take this time to sit down and think about the things for which they're truly grateful.
I'm not to be left in the dust here. But I didn't want to be like everyone else.
God says that we are to praise hime and be grateful for even our troubles. So I'm starting my own tradtion - things that wouldn't appear on a "normal" gratitude list. can you think of a few to add?
This year, I am grateful for:
Having to yell at my oldest to stop playing around every time he takes a shower - because it means he can hear me, we have running water, and the time in which to enjoy it - maybe even a little more than he should.
Burning the macaroni and cheese - because it means we can cook our dinner in the comfort of our home and not over a campfire - although my oldest would think that's cool.
For having no door on my office - because it means when my baby wants to come bug - I mean visit - me while I'm working, he can just climb up in my lap and say "come on, Mommy!"
For having a quiet, shy husband - because it means I can do all the talking sometimes - okay, most of the time.
For the check engine light that keeps coming on in my car - because that means there's still hope for this one!
For my teeny weeny itty bitty office - because it means I get to work from home every day, and enjoy the perks of being a mom and a business owner.
For the deaths of my Mom and Grandfather in the same week - because all my family was able to be there, and I know that Grandpa didn't have to wait long for a Euchre partner up in Heaven that can keep up with him.
For having serious issues with the leadership team of one of my party plan companies - because it gave methe gumption to find a new home party company.
Honestly this list could go on for a while. What are YOU grateful for this year?
I'm not to be left in the dust here. But I didn't want to be like everyone else.
God says that we are to praise hime and be grateful for even our troubles. So I'm starting my own tradtion - things that wouldn't appear on a "normal" gratitude list. can you think of a few to add?
This year, I am grateful for:
Having to yell at my oldest to stop playing around every time he takes a shower - because it means he can hear me, we have running water, and the time in which to enjoy it - maybe even a little more than he should.
Burning the macaroni and cheese - because it means we can cook our dinner in the comfort of our home and not over a campfire - although my oldest would think that's cool.
For having no door on my office - because it means when my baby wants to come bug - I mean visit - me while I'm working, he can just climb up in my lap and say "come on, Mommy!"
For having a quiet, shy husband - because it means I can do all the talking sometimes - okay, most of the time.
For the check engine light that keeps coming on in my car - because that means there's still hope for this one!
For my teeny weeny itty bitty office - because it means I get to work from home every day, and enjoy the perks of being a mom and a business owner.
For the deaths of my Mom and Grandfather in the same week - because all my family was able to be there, and I know that Grandpa didn't have to wait long for a Euchre partner up in Heaven that can keep up with him.
For having serious issues with the leadership team of one of my party plan companies - because it gave methe gumption to find a new home party company.
Honestly this list could go on for a while. What are YOU grateful for this year?
Real Life Strikes Again: How NOT To Brand Yourself
My oldest is a handful.
That's being polite.
He's struggled with ADHD and behavioral issues since he was small. Until last year, his issues were somewhat controlled with medication, although I never felt convinced that his Psych was really conerned about his well being, and more concerned with the drug mill he was pushing people through.
I think my suspicions were confirmed today.
I'll skip the intervening time and many personal details, but since my Mother's death in March, my son has not been the usual cantankerous kid we've grown to love. He's been more voilent, reclusive, explosive and difficult to manage. Add to that a request to return to regular school (I homeschooled last year), and it's been a combustible year, to say the least.
A school incident got us involved with our local Community Mental Health department in an effort to get him expedted service and treatment for what is looking more and mor like it might be high functional autism or a form of Asperger's, due to some new symptoms now presenting. So an appointment was made for a "full psych eval" to be held today.
Here's where I scratch my head in disbelief. the exact same psychiatrist that had been seeing him once a month for 3 years walked out, called him by the wrong name (again), and ushered us into an office.
Once in the office, my oldest said "Hey, I Know you!" and the Doctor put his oot in it royally.
"No, I don't think we've ever met before."
"Oh yes, you have!" I corrected him. "You were his psych for 3 years at a different facility!"
"Oh. Well, what brings you in today?"
Other than that inane question, he listened to my tale of increasing violence and disturbing symptoms, copied down a few notes, then asked me the following EVEN MORE STUPID question
"If we could give a magic pill, what would you want it to do?"
Are you kidding me? You saw this kid for 3 years and have no recollection of him, and you want me to diagnose him?
I said, "frankly, I see medication as a last resort, and would like to find out what the underlying issues are before we stuff drugs down his throat. I mean, if he needs drugs, fine, but if the drugs end up masking what the real issue is, then that's not fine."
He asked my son 4 questions, handed me 2 scrips and recommended I schedule an appointment with the child psychiatrist at his next available opening.
"He has more symptoms than I feel comfortable with. I'm calling in the specialist."
My question is, why wasn't I seeing the child psych in the first place?
At that moment, his NP came around the corner, and my son said "Hey! I know you too!"
The NP said "No, I don't think you do."
"UGH! Yes you do! You work with that Doctor and he was my kid's doc for 3 frickin' years!"
Can you tell I wasn't too happy?
Let us break this down so that you NEVER EVER have this happen in your business.
1. Know your client's name. Maybe he read it wrong, but once I corrected him, the doctor STILL called my child by his last name, instead of his first name. Come on! This is common courtesy, folks.
2. Make eye contact. This sounds like a no brainer, but for the entire time we were in the office, I counted a whopping 1:22 of total eye contact, give ot take a few seconds. If he had an intensive questionnaire or computer form he needed to complete, I would have been a touch more understanding. I've had more compassionate, friendly service at WalMart's self-service lane!
3. Spend time understanding your customer. You don't diagnose in 15 minutes, when one of the 4 questions you ask is botu a magic pill! That shows you're not trying to understand anything - you want them to do the work for you. In business, you need to make connections with your customers. In this country, medicine is very obviously a business. this guy didn't even try to make a connection with either of us.
4. Solve the client's problem - or get out of the way so someone else can. He knew immediately that my son didn't belong under his care - yet instead of taking charge to ge me set up right away with the proper doctor, he pushed us out the door to seek help from the receptionist - who was conveniently not at her desk for 10 minutes. I stood in the hallway waiting patiently and silently for someone to return until that NP rounded the corner. Even HE didn't get me any help.
Perhaps I'm just a grumbling bumbling mom. But I was sore when I realized the very doctor I took issue with for 3 years was back as co-pilot of my child's psychiatric care.
You can bet my son's case manager will be hearing from me.
The real life marketing lesson? Take the time to care. Even within that small 15 minute window, there were plenty of opportunitied for that Doctor - or anyone in that office - to turn that situation around. And yet, NO ONE took the time to care. Don't let that be you. One good thing could have made this a POSTIVITE memorable experience.
Instead of a horrifyingly negative one.
That's being polite.
He's struggled with ADHD and behavioral issues since he was small. Until last year, his issues were somewhat controlled with medication, although I never felt convinced that his Psych was really conerned about his well being, and more concerned with the drug mill he was pushing people through.
I think my suspicions were confirmed today.
I'll skip the intervening time and many personal details, but since my Mother's death in March, my son has not been the usual cantankerous kid we've grown to love. He's been more voilent, reclusive, explosive and difficult to manage. Add to that a request to return to regular school (I homeschooled last year), and it's been a combustible year, to say the least.
A school incident got us involved with our local Community Mental Health department in an effort to get him expedted service and treatment for what is looking more and mor like it might be high functional autism or a form of Asperger's, due to some new symptoms now presenting. So an appointment was made for a "full psych eval" to be held today.
Here's where I scratch my head in disbelief. the exact same psychiatrist that had been seeing him once a month for 3 years walked out, called him by the wrong name (again), and ushered us into an office.
Once in the office, my oldest said "Hey, I Know you!" and the Doctor put his oot in it royally.
"No, I don't think we've ever met before."
"Oh yes, you have!" I corrected him. "You were his psych for 3 years at a different facility!"
"Oh. Well, what brings you in today?"
Other than that inane question, he listened to my tale of increasing violence and disturbing symptoms, copied down a few notes, then asked me the following EVEN MORE STUPID question
"If we could give a magic pill, what would you want it to do?"
Are you kidding me? You saw this kid for 3 years and have no recollection of him, and you want me to diagnose him?
I said, "frankly, I see medication as a last resort, and would like to find out what the underlying issues are before we stuff drugs down his throat. I mean, if he needs drugs, fine, but if the drugs end up masking what the real issue is, then that's not fine."
He asked my son 4 questions, handed me 2 scrips and recommended I schedule an appointment with the child psychiatrist at his next available opening.
"He has more symptoms than I feel comfortable with. I'm calling in the specialist."
My question is, why wasn't I seeing the child psych in the first place?
At that moment, his NP came around the corner, and my son said "Hey! I know you too!"
The NP said "No, I don't think you do."
"UGH! Yes you do! You work with that Doctor and he was my kid's doc for 3 frickin' years!"
Can you tell I wasn't too happy?
Let us break this down so that you NEVER EVER have this happen in your business.
1. Know your client's name. Maybe he read it wrong, but once I corrected him, the doctor STILL called my child by his last name, instead of his first name. Come on! This is common courtesy, folks.
2. Make eye contact. This sounds like a no brainer, but for the entire time we were in the office, I counted a whopping 1:22 of total eye contact, give ot take a few seconds. If he had an intensive questionnaire or computer form he needed to complete, I would have been a touch more understanding. I've had more compassionate, friendly service at WalMart's self-service lane!
3. Spend time understanding your customer. You don't diagnose in 15 minutes, when one of the 4 questions you ask is botu a magic pill! That shows you're not trying to understand anything - you want them to do the work for you. In business, you need to make connections with your customers. In this country, medicine is very obviously a business. this guy didn't even try to make a connection with either of us.
4. Solve the client's problem - or get out of the way so someone else can. He knew immediately that my son didn't belong under his care - yet instead of taking charge to ge me set up right away with the proper doctor, he pushed us out the door to seek help from the receptionist - who was conveniently not at her desk for 10 minutes. I stood in the hallway waiting patiently and silently for someone to return until that NP rounded the corner. Even HE didn't get me any help.
Perhaps I'm just a grumbling bumbling mom. But I was sore when I realized the very doctor I took issue with for 3 years was back as co-pilot of my child's psychiatric care.
You can bet my son's case manager will be hearing from me.
The real life marketing lesson? Take the time to care. Even within that small 15 minute window, there were plenty of opportunitied for that Doctor - or anyone in that office - to turn that situation around. And yet, NO ONE took the time to care. Don't let that be you. One good thing could have made this a POSTIVITE memorable experience.
Instead of a horrifyingly negative one.
Convicted: Whirlwind Weekend Ends Fireproof
File this one under TMI, but it's important and it's good.
By Friday, I was so excited about the Vampire Ball in downtown, that I was twittering every few minutes as I was finishing up the program. My costume was all picked out, I had a great makeup artist to do my vampire face and I was rambling!
Then the day of the ball, I had all I could do to wait around my home for the witching hour. So I troddled up to the theater to assist in anyway they'd let me so I could be not at home for the remains of the day.
But it wasn't because I was excited about the party. No.
I was tired of being me.
Do you ever have those days? Where you just want to crawl into a shell or disappear and pretend you're not who you are?
My husband was tired. He lumbered into my office and announced his fatigue, and then asked (rhetorically, I think), "Why am I always so tired?"
Flippantly, I replied "It's the weekend, it's your M.O. You're always tired." I resumed my clickety clack on the keyboard.
I flashed a cheesy "I'm teasing you" grin, and he replied "WHy am I always tired on the weekend?"
I really should have held my tongue, but it was an open door to disaster. "Good question." I replied.
But I think he heard the coldness in my voice. Because he went upstairs to take a nap.
In my defense, I have told him repeatedly to see a doctor about what could be apnea, but he refuses. I get tired of "playing the game" with him. I love him, he needs help, he won't get it, don't come whining to me.
See? It was a day I didn't want to be me.
The baby had pink-eye. The oldest was grounded because he's failing at school.
I just didn't want to be me.
So after he slept for a couple of hours, I woke him, told him I was going down to the theater to help, and left.
That was around 1:30 on Saturday Afternoon.
I didn't get back home until almost 7 the next morning.
Don't roll your eyes. I was 3 minutes from home the entire evening. At 1:00 there was an "after party" and because I was such a good helper, I got to stay. I rubbed elbows with the headlining musician at the party, and because I was the unofficial DD, I got the honor of helping Voltaire load his gear into my pal's Hummer and chauffeur him back to the hotel.
He was every bit the gentleman - we talked about our kids, music and branding. He wouldn't even let me help him unload his gear from the car.
That was 3:30 in the morning.
But I still didn't want to go home. So I drove the Hummer back for my friend and helped clean up at the theater. By the time everything was wrapped it was 6:30 in the morning. I sad a few last goodbyes to Ted and JAcque and drove as slowly as I could to get back home.
It took me about 15 minutes.
My baby was up eating breakfast. My husband had already showered for church. All I wanted to do was sleep.
I wasn't even naughty in the traditional sense of the word, but I felt so bad about how I felt. I hoped sleep would "fix" me somehow.
Sunday afternoon, I wake up, as my husband is returning from church. I'm usually a church-goer myself, but not today. He also didn't take my oldest and left him home with me. Good thing he didn't set the house on fire - I would have slept right thru.
But my oldest noted that Dad took the baby to McDonald's - and he didn't get anything.
Argh! Inequity rears it's ugly head AGAIN this weekend. Where's that rock I want to crawl under?
So as my husband once again ascends the stairs for another nap, this time with baby, I move to appease the oldest with lunch and a movie.
We made a good lunch choice and a horrible movie choice. The kid will probably have nightmares, because I didn't take the time to listen to my conscience on this one.
And I came home ready for something else to fall apart.
My check engine light came on.
But then I saw another movie I really wanted to see: Fireproof
You know, that new Kirk Cameron movie from the makers of Facing the Giants and Flywheel. I'm starting to think every one of their movies is going to start with the letter F.
At any rate, it took some finagling - and of course I was the one that had to finagle - but I found a sitter for the 9:40pm showing of the movie.
And hubby and I went to an empty theater - we were literally the only two people in the whole theater for the film.
It was like God had set it up just for the two of us.
The story echoed through me like a recent memory: a couple drifted apart, a spouse wanting to save the marriage, the other not so sure, God's intervention and the obligatory happily ever after for which Hollywood is famous.
I wanted to see this movie because I thought - no, I KNEW, my husband needed to see this movie. He was excited about seeing it, so I had that in my favor. But I just knew that if he saw this movie, he'd change his behaviour, his attitude, his disposition. Like some kind of magic wand, he'd be all fixed and I'd stop wanting to be someone somewhere else this weekend.
But it didn't turn out that way.
It turned out better.
I realized that God can do anything, but I can't. All I can do is work on me. I can be the change I want to see in the world. In my husband. In me.
Why is all this in a marketing blog? Two reasons: First, this movie very cleverly comes wrapped in a pitch for an upcoming book: The Love Dare, and second, because this is a "real life" marketing blog, and in revealing things about my real life, I hope to share ideas, concepts and beliefs that will empower you to make yourself a better person, not just a better marketer.
By Friday, I was so excited about the Vampire Ball in downtown, that I was twittering every few minutes as I was finishing up the program. My costume was all picked out, I had a great makeup artist to do my vampire face and I was rambling!
Then the day of the ball, I had all I could do to wait around my home for the witching hour. So I troddled up to the theater to assist in anyway they'd let me so I could be not at home for the remains of the day.
But it wasn't because I was excited about the party. No.
I was tired of being me.
Do you ever have those days? Where you just want to crawl into a shell or disappear and pretend you're not who you are?
My husband was tired. He lumbered into my office and announced his fatigue, and then asked (rhetorically, I think), "Why am I always so tired?"
Flippantly, I replied "It's the weekend, it's your M.O. You're always tired." I resumed my clickety clack on the keyboard.
I flashed a cheesy "I'm teasing you" grin, and he replied "WHy am I always tired on the weekend?"
I really should have held my tongue, but it was an open door to disaster. "Good question." I replied.
But I think he heard the coldness in my voice. Because he went upstairs to take a nap.
In my defense, I have told him repeatedly to see a doctor about what could be apnea, but he refuses. I get tired of "playing the game" with him. I love him, he needs help, he won't get it, don't come whining to me.
See? It was a day I didn't want to be me.
The baby had pink-eye. The oldest was grounded because he's failing at school.
I just didn't want to be me.
So after he slept for a couple of hours, I woke him, told him I was going down to the theater to help, and left.
That was around 1:30 on Saturday Afternoon.
I didn't get back home until almost 7 the next morning.
Don't roll your eyes. I was 3 minutes from home the entire evening. At 1:00 there was an "after party" and because I was such a good helper, I got to stay. I rubbed elbows with the headlining musician at the party, and because I was the unofficial DD, I got the honor of helping Voltaire load his gear into my pal's Hummer and chauffeur him back to the hotel.
He was every bit the gentleman - we talked about our kids, music and branding. He wouldn't even let me help him unload his gear from the car.
That was 3:30 in the morning.
But I still didn't want to go home. So I drove the Hummer back for my friend and helped clean up at the theater. By the time everything was wrapped it was 6:30 in the morning. I sad a few last goodbyes to Ted and JAcque and drove as slowly as I could to get back home.
It took me about 15 minutes.
My baby was up eating breakfast. My husband had already showered for church. All I wanted to do was sleep.
I wasn't even naughty in the traditional sense of the word, but I felt so bad about how I felt. I hoped sleep would "fix" me somehow.
Sunday afternoon, I wake up, as my husband is returning from church. I'm usually a church-goer myself, but not today. He also didn't take my oldest and left him home with me. Good thing he didn't set the house on fire - I would have slept right thru.
But my oldest noted that Dad took the baby to McDonald's - and he didn't get anything.
Argh! Inequity rears it's ugly head AGAIN this weekend. Where's that rock I want to crawl under?
So as my husband once again ascends the stairs for another nap, this time with baby, I move to appease the oldest with lunch and a movie.
We made a good lunch choice and a horrible movie choice. The kid will probably have nightmares, because I didn't take the time to listen to my conscience on this one.
And I came home ready for something else to fall apart.
My check engine light came on.
But then I saw another movie I really wanted to see: Fireproof
You know, that new Kirk Cameron movie from the makers of Facing the Giants and Flywheel. I'm starting to think every one of their movies is going to start with the letter F.
At any rate, it took some finagling - and of course I was the one that had to finagle - but I found a sitter for the 9:40pm showing of the movie.
And hubby and I went to an empty theater - we were literally the only two people in the whole theater for the film.
It was like God had set it up just for the two of us.
The story echoed through me like a recent memory: a couple drifted apart, a spouse wanting to save the marriage, the other not so sure, God's intervention and the obligatory happily ever after for which Hollywood is famous.
I wanted to see this movie because I thought - no, I KNEW, my husband needed to see this movie. He was excited about seeing it, so I had that in my favor. But I just knew that if he saw this movie, he'd change his behaviour, his attitude, his disposition. Like some kind of magic wand, he'd be all fixed and I'd stop wanting to be someone somewhere else this weekend.
But it didn't turn out that way.
It turned out better.
I realized that God can do anything, but I can't. All I can do is work on me. I can be the change I want to see in the world. In my husband. In me.
Why is all this in a marketing blog? Two reasons: First, this movie very cleverly comes wrapped in a pitch for an upcoming book: The Love Dare, and second, because this is a "real life" marketing blog, and in revealing things about my real life, I hope to share ideas, concepts and beliefs that will empower you to make yourself a better person, not just a better marketer.
Tweet me, baby
Yep, I'm finally on twitter.
After much dawdling, I'm there, now.
Look me up when ya get a chance!
After much dawdling, I'm there, now.
Look me up when ya get a chance!
7 Secrets of Multimillionaire Entrepreneurs
My mind has been blown wide open.
I took a huge risk and it's been paying off in spades - and it's only been a week!
I made a commitment to invest in a teleseminar series with Ali Brown and David Neagle called "The 7 Mindset & Manifesting Secrets of Multimillionaire
Entrepreneurs". This was not a cheap experience, to say the least - but for coaching direct from Ali and David, the price was well worth it.
We sit on the phone for 5 calls each about an hour and a half long. Each call reveals one or two of the 7 secrets, and we're getting ready for call three tonight.
But those first two calls really had me taking a look at priorities, life focus and "the ultimate questions" for me.
Here's the biggest highlight from the first call:
If you knew you could not fail, and that money, public opinion, and other external factors did not matter, what would you choose for your life?
That question left me - a woman with many words - silent. For a very long time.
I had to take a lot of time to dig down past years of subterfuge and enculturation to get at what was really tugging at my heart.
And what I found almost shocked me. I say almost because I knew it was there all along, it was just hiding under the years of dust and grime.
No. I don't REALLY want to be a rock star. Although music does play a role in this.
No. I don't REALLY want to leave Michigan - contrary to what my husband thinks. I do want to do a bit of travel, but I like being based in the Midwest.
I'm still having a hard time putting it all into words. One thing for sure, I want to start a scholarship fund for young women. So I'm getting the wheels going on that this month. It'll be a while before it's fully realized, but I've learned that you've got to start somewhere, and you've got to START, or dreams never become reality.
So stay tuned. Big things are happening in my life. What about yours?
I took a huge risk and it's been paying off in spades - and it's only been a week!
I made a commitment to invest in a teleseminar series with Ali Brown and David Neagle called "The 7 Mindset & Manifesting Secrets of Multimillionaire
Entrepreneurs". This was not a cheap experience, to say the least - but for coaching direct from Ali and David, the price was well worth it.
We sit on the phone for 5 calls each about an hour and a half long. Each call reveals one or two of the 7 secrets, and we're getting ready for call three tonight.
But those first two calls really had me taking a look at priorities, life focus and "the ultimate questions" for me.
Here's the biggest highlight from the first call:
If you knew you could not fail, and that money, public opinion, and other external factors did not matter, what would you choose for your life?
That question left me - a woman with many words - silent. For a very long time.
I had to take a lot of time to dig down past years of subterfuge and enculturation to get at what was really tugging at my heart.
And what I found almost shocked me. I say almost because I knew it was there all along, it was just hiding under the years of dust and grime.
No. I don't REALLY want to be a rock star. Although music does play a role in this.
No. I don't REALLY want to leave Michigan - contrary to what my husband thinks. I do want to do a bit of travel, but I like being based in the Midwest.
I'm still having a hard time putting it all into words. One thing for sure, I want to start a scholarship fund for young women. So I'm getting the wheels going on that this month. It'll be a while before it's fully realized, but I've learned that you've got to start somewhere, and you've got to START, or dreams never become reality.
So stay tuned. Big things are happening in my life. What about yours?
STOMP out loud
My 11 year old and I went on a "date".
Naturally, I paid, drove, parked, and all that, but we had a blast at STOMP.
This international sensation stems from century old street performing traditions in England.
My son could care less about all that.
In his own words, "I like to make noise and hit stuff". So this show was the perfect bit of culture for him.
As a musician, this show was a thrill. I've always wanted to create a "toy band" of my own, using toy instruments to create some sort of child's symphony, so the idea of taking every day items like lighters, brooms and trash cans to create a rhythmic tapestry of sounds and movement is pretty exciting to me.
But STOMP is also a marketing machine. They get it. And they market well.
The merchandising display features trash can lids that have been spray painted with pricing. VERY clever.
The performers are keen on audience interaction. They involve you from the very opening until the very closing of the performance - and even in the encore. Few shows engage the audience in such a personal way. And we all know that the personal touch makes us more endearing to our audience - whether we're in a theater, doing a home party, or teaching at the head of the class.
And the best part? I was leery about shelling out my hard earned cash for a night out with an 11 year old that could have spelled disaster. Then when I arrived and saw there would be no intermission, I thought the performance was going to be even SHORTER and LESS worth my money.
I was wrong. When I left the theater, I was just another crazed fan of STOMP. I didn't even flinch at the ticket price. I got my kid the best seats available for the show, and I had no qualms about plunking down the coin to get them. I knew they had earned every penny for that show each performer was on the stage at least 80% of the time, and all of them were working up a sweat jumping, slamming, thumping, snapping, clapping, and creating sounds with some of the most unlikely objects. My kid is STILL trying to figure out how they made all that noise without tap shoes.
I didn't tell him they miked the floor.
Disbelief suspended, these performers were not just musicians or dancers, they were characters in my world. No dialogue to guide them, but a whole lot of entertaining sweat and old-fashioned work.
And I gladly paid for every minute of it.
Naturally, I paid, drove, parked, and all that, but we had a blast at STOMP.
This international sensation stems from century old street performing traditions in England.
My son could care less about all that.
In his own words, "I like to make noise and hit stuff". So this show was the perfect bit of culture for him.
As a musician, this show was a thrill. I've always wanted to create a "toy band" of my own, using toy instruments to create some sort of child's symphony, so the idea of taking every day items like lighters, brooms and trash cans to create a rhythmic tapestry of sounds and movement is pretty exciting to me.
But STOMP is also a marketing machine. They get it. And they market well.
The merchandising display features trash can lids that have been spray painted with pricing. VERY clever.
The performers are keen on audience interaction. They involve you from the very opening until the very closing of the performance - and even in the encore. Few shows engage the audience in such a personal way. And we all know that the personal touch makes us more endearing to our audience - whether we're in a theater, doing a home party, or teaching at the head of the class.
And the best part? I was leery about shelling out my hard earned cash for a night out with an 11 year old that could have spelled disaster. Then when I arrived and saw there would be no intermission, I thought the performance was going to be even SHORTER and LESS worth my money.
I was wrong. When I left the theater, I was just another crazed fan of STOMP. I didn't even flinch at the ticket price. I got my kid the best seats available for the show, and I had no qualms about plunking down the coin to get them. I knew they had earned every penny for that show each performer was on the stage at least 80% of the time, and all of them were working up a sweat jumping, slamming, thumping, snapping, clapping, and creating sounds with some of the most unlikely objects. My kid is STILL trying to figure out how they made all that noise without tap shoes.
I didn't tell him they miked the floor.
Disbelief suspended, these performers were not just musicians or dancers, they were characters in my world. No dialogue to guide them, but a whole lot of entertaining sweat and old-fashioned work.
And I gladly paid for every minute of it.
I'll give you $20 if you'll give me $2.50
Let's talk about Chuck E. Cheese for a minute.
I've started affectionately calling him Charles Edward Cheese III lately, just to be silly.
After all, isn't that how all super-rich bluebloods should be addressed?
These people have the best racket in town. And the funny thing is, we LOVE them for it.
I took my son last night, as a reward for being so well-behaved and performing exemplary with his choir at our local children's museum.
I'd tell you that the place gave my sticker shock, but I'm not so shocked anymore.
We've been going there for over 10 years - heck, I even went there as a child with my aunt and cousins. Back then, though, it was called Showbiz Pizza, and the star of the show was a purple gorilla, not a mouse.
And there weren't security guards patrolling the place, but I digress.
I went to the counter, ordered my "small" pizza and the obligatory tokens. I opted for the "deal" where I saved $6.25 because they gave me 29 bonus tokens for buying 80 tokens all at one time.
So I paid $20 for this little cup full of jingly coins. And just to be sure you don't use that cup at the over-priced soda dispenser, they drilled little holes in the bottom.
Classy.
Did I mention a bottle of water was nearly $2? Seriously.
But like I said, we love it. Because there's nothing else quite like it. Our kids love it, and because of that we're willing to pay for it.... and PAY for it.
The idea behind tokens is clever. You're trading value, so you don't really think about how much money you're actually pouring into the machines at this place. The token machines even take credit cards these days.
Ahh, the age of convenience!
So you put a token in, and a little over half of the games will spit out at least one ticket in return. The other half of the games are entertainment rides, pinball machines, or video games - that will take longer to "eat" your token if you've got some skill.
But the attractive nuisances are the games of chance that loom in nearly every corner of the place. The ones where you can drop in a token for a chance to win 50-250 extra tickets.
And the odds of winning the extra tickets are slim. Very slim.
I remember when Skee-ball paid out tickets for every 40 or 50 points you earned. Now, until you hit 450 points, you're lucky if you get 3 or 4 tickets when you play.
And when you go to cash in those tickets, they are only worth about a penny a piece.
Did you just see what happened?
They traded your value down. WAAAAY down. And our kids jump up and down and celebrate!
Because in trading down value, they offer a little bit of entertainment along the way.
And I even tried to just give my kid $20 to go to the "prize" table and pick out some stuff, but he wanted to play "like the other kids".
So my $20 turned into about 270 tickets - or about $2.70.
Plus a little "entertainment" on the side.
But gone are the days of the big stage shows with the anima-tronic characters, or even the big TV's with videos for the kids to watch while they wait for pizza. So the adult entertainment value has REALLY dwindled.
So your marketing lesson? Well, it's two fold today. First, if you can find a way to convert value like Chuck, you're in luck. Creating a perceived value that's higher than your actual cost is what creating a profit is all about, but in this case, not only are you making a profit, you're virtually gouging your clients AND they're saying "thanks, we had a great time, see you soon!"
And before I get cards and letters, I know that there are overhead expenses for a place like that, but I also know that if they're SELLING those prizes, there's already a mark up on them, so to reduce the value even further with tickets only validates my point.
The second lesson is that if you can go the OTHER way and provide even MORE value for your clients, you'll reap an even greater reward. Chuck did this after months of customer complaints regarding the "price" of the games. Now, all single player games only "cost" one token. And they advertise the heck out of that value. So your "money" goes even farther now at Chuck E. Cheese's....
Where a kid can be a kid, and a parent can be broke by the time the pizza arrives at the table.
I've started affectionately calling him Charles Edward Cheese III lately, just to be silly.
After all, isn't that how all super-rich bluebloods should be addressed?
These people have the best racket in town. And the funny thing is, we LOVE them for it.
I took my son last night, as a reward for being so well-behaved and performing exemplary with his choir at our local children's museum.
I'd tell you that the place gave my sticker shock, but I'm not so shocked anymore.
We've been going there for over 10 years - heck, I even went there as a child with my aunt and cousins. Back then, though, it was called Showbiz Pizza, and the star of the show was a purple gorilla, not a mouse.
And there weren't security guards patrolling the place, but I digress.
I went to the counter, ordered my "small" pizza and the obligatory tokens. I opted for the "deal" where I saved $6.25 because they gave me 29 bonus tokens for buying 80 tokens all at one time.
So I paid $20 for this little cup full of jingly coins. And just to be sure you don't use that cup at the over-priced soda dispenser, they drilled little holes in the bottom.
Classy.
Did I mention a bottle of water was nearly $2? Seriously.
But like I said, we love it. Because there's nothing else quite like it. Our kids love it, and because of that we're willing to pay for it.... and PAY for it.
The idea behind tokens is clever. You're trading value, so you don't really think about how much money you're actually pouring into the machines at this place. The token machines even take credit cards these days.
Ahh, the age of convenience!
So you put a token in, and a little over half of the games will spit out at least one ticket in return. The other half of the games are entertainment rides, pinball machines, or video games - that will take longer to "eat" your token if you've got some skill.
But the attractive nuisances are the games of chance that loom in nearly every corner of the place. The ones where you can drop in a token for a chance to win 50-250 extra tickets.
And the odds of winning the extra tickets are slim. Very slim.
I remember when Skee-ball paid out tickets for every 40 or 50 points you earned. Now, until you hit 450 points, you're lucky if you get 3 or 4 tickets when you play.
And when you go to cash in those tickets, they are only worth about a penny a piece.
Did you just see what happened?
They traded your value down. WAAAAY down. And our kids jump up and down and celebrate!
Because in trading down value, they offer a little bit of entertainment along the way.
And I even tried to just give my kid $20 to go to the "prize" table and pick out some stuff, but he wanted to play "like the other kids".
So my $20 turned into about 270 tickets - or about $2.70.
Plus a little "entertainment" on the side.
But gone are the days of the big stage shows with the anima-tronic characters, or even the big TV's with videos for the kids to watch while they wait for pizza. So the adult entertainment value has REALLY dwindled.
So your marketing lesson? Well, it's two fold today. First, if you can find a way to convert value like Chuck, you're in luck. Creating a perceived value that's higher than your actual cost is what creating a profit is all about, but in this case, not only are you making a profit, you're virtually gouging your clients AND they're saying "thanks, we had a great time, see you soon!"
And before I get cards and letters, I know that there are overhead expenses for a place like that, but I also know that if they're SELLING those prizes, there's already a mark up on them, so to reduce the value even further with tickets only validates my point.
The second lesson is that if you can go the OTHER way and provide even MORE value for your clients, you'll reap an even greater reward. Chuck did this after months of customer complaints regarding the "price" of the games. Now, all single player games only "cost" one token. And they advertise the heck out of that value. So your "money" goes even farther now at Chuck E. Cheese's....
Where a kid can be a kid, and a parent can be broke by the time the pizza arrives at the table.
The Attitude of Gratitude Pays Big Dividends
I've been trying to "take my mind off things" by reading a book. Mayflower Madam is out of print, and I picked up a copy on eBay the other week. It arrived the day my mom died.
Needless to say it took me a minute to get around to reading it.
For those of you that aren't familiar with the story (it was in the 1980's after all), Sydney Biddle Barrows, well-heeled socialite, built a successful "escort" service in Manhattan - and was busted after about 5 years of serving the "John" Q. Public in style.
Now I haven't finished the book yet, but my first big takeaway was a comment in the early chapters of the book: treat your people with respect - customers, employees, etc. and they will reciprocate.
More to the point, when you treat them with respect and appreciation for how they serve your business, they will be more willing to do anything to make you happy.
I have 3 very recent examples that drive this point home.
After completing a recent in-home party for my company, I mentioned that my grandfather had passed and that I would not likely be available for a few days to tend to the arrangements. The hostess was very understanding - and we got 3 bookings at that party for her.
One of the soon-to-be hostesses called me a few days later to provide me her guest list over the phone. I returned her call and sad that my mother had also passed, and that I would greatly appreciate it if she would just mail the list to me and I would still give her the special offer for getting the list back to me in 3 days' time.
Two days ago, I was out making deliveries to touch base with customers and hostesses, and I apologized for my tardiness in delivering because of the death of my mother. I mentioned that I would be at the funeral the next day, so to call and leave a message if there were any issues.
Yesterday morning, I received a call from that hostess. She said she was "in the neighborhood" and had something for me. When she arrived at my door, she had baked sliced and wrapped some home-made banana bread. I was dumbfounded.
At the church, when we were wrapping up and heading out the door, I walked into the kitchen, where at least 10 volunteers were cleaning up from the dinner held in mom's honor. I wanted to make a point to tell them thank-you, because many of them knew my mom, and while she wasn't always the easiest to get along with, I know they respected her and cared at least enough to give of their time and elbow grease to help comfort and feed her family and friends. Many of them could have been on the other side of the kitchen, sitting with us and telling stories about mom.
As I offered my thanks, one of the grumpiest of the men in the church turned to me and said "You are always welcome here, Lisa." Again, speechless.
Which, if you know me, is virtually impossible.
I'm skipping over a lot of details here, but as I stopped at home to drop off a bouquet of flowers, I checked the mail. In with the bills and usual junk (which, I love, by the way), there was a card from someone I didn't recognize. The would-be hostess that I had asked to mail her guest list had slipped that list inside a sympathy card, with a thoughtful personal note attached.
I've never spoken so few words in a a day in my whole life.
It's unfortunate that it takes an event like a funeral to give you a perspective about what matters - and to whom you matter. I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of people - some I barely even know - who came to provide support and encouragement just for me - because I know no one else in my family knew who they were.
We packed that church - which is lucky to have 30-40 people on a Sunday morning. People were parking on the street because there was "no room at the inn" so to speak.
And I am so grateful to each and every one of them. I'm sure I didn't say hello to everyone, but I am truly blessed to know that I and my family matter to so many people. I am so grateful for all the kind words, donations, and thoughtful gifts.
I didn't deserve any of it. I am infinitely grateful for it.
So our marketing lesson (not to be disrespectful of my mom's passing, but I needed to share this while it was still fresh) is this:
Give freely of yourself - to your customers, clients, employees. Make them feel respected and equal - and treat them like friends. The rewards will come back to you ten times over. I've said it before, but it's true: friendliness is the root of all good things. The more friendly you are, the more genuine respect and appreciation you will garner.
You can't do any better than that. It takes time, but all things worth doing are worth doing well.
Be on the lookout for some big changes in the coming months, as I start assessing what's important to me in light of these recent events.
Needless to say it took me a minute to get around to reading it.
For those of you that aren't familiar with the story (it was in the 1980's after all), Sydney Biddle Barrows, well-heeled socialite, built a successful "escort" service in Manhattan - and was busted after about 5 years of serving the "John" Q. Public in style.
Now I haven't finished the book yet, but my first big takeaway was a comment in the early chapters of the book: treat your people with respect - customers, employees, etc. and they will reciprocate.
More to the point, when you treat them with respect and appreciation for how they serve your business, they will be more willing to do anything to make you happy.
I have 3 very recent examples that drive this point home.
After completing a recent in-home party for my company, I mentioned that my grandfather had passed and that I would not likely be available for a few days to tend to the arrangements. The hostess was very understanding - and we got 3 bookings at that party for her.
One of the soon-to-be hostesses called me a few days later to provide me her guest list over the phone. I returned her call and sad that my mother had also passed, and that I would greatly appreciate it if she would just mail the list to me and I would still give her the special offer for getting the list back to me in 3 days' time.
Two days ago, I was out making deliveries to touch base with customers and hostesses, and I apologized for my tardiness in delivering because of the death of my mother. I mentioned that I would be at the funeral the next day, so to call and leave a message if there were any issues.
Yesterday morning, I received a call from that hostess. She said she was "in the neighborhood" and had something for me. When she arrived at my door, she had baked sliced and wrapped some home-made banana bread. I was dumbfounded.
At the church, when we were wrapping up and heading out the door, I walked into the kitchen, where at least 10 volunteers were cleaning up from the dinner held in mom's honor. I wanted to make a point to tell them thank-you, because many of them knew my mom, and while she wasn't always the easiest to get along with, I know they respected her and cared at least enough to give of their time and elbow grease to help comfort and feed her family and friends. Many of them could have been on the other side of the kitchen, sitting with us and telling stories about mom.
As I offered my thanks, one of the grumpiest of the men in the church turned to me and said "You are always welcome here, Lisa." Again, speechless.
Which, if you know me, is virtually impossible.
I'm skipping over a lot of details here, but as I stopped at home to drop off a bouquet of flowers, I checked the mail. In with the bills and usual junk (which, I love, by the way), there was a card from someone I didn't recognize. The would-be hostess that I had asked to mail her guest list had slipped that list inside a sympathy card, with a thoughtful personal note attached.
I've never spoken so few words in a a day in my whole life.
It's unfortunate that it takes an event like a funeral to give you a perspective about what matters - and to whom you matter. I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of people - some I barely even know - who came to provide support and encouragement just for me - because I know no one else in my family knew who they were.
We packed that church - which is lucky to have 30-40 people on a Sunday morning. People were parking on the street because there was "no room at the inn" so to speak.
And I am so grateful to each and every one of them. I'm sure I didn't say hello to everyone, but I am truly blessed to know that I and my family matter to so many people. I am so grateful for all the kind words, donations, and thoughtful gifts.
I didn't deserve any of it. I am infinitely grateful for it.
So our marketing lesson (not to be disrespectful of my mom's passing, but I needed to share this while it was still fresh) is this:
Give freely of yourself - to your customers, clients, employees. Make them feel respected and equal - and treat them like friends. The rewards will come back to you ten times over. I've said it before, but it's true: friendliness is the root of all good things. The more friendly you are, the more genuine respect and appreciation you will garner.
You can't do any better than that. It takes time, but all things worth doing are worth doing well.
Be on the lookout for some big changes in the coming months, as I start assessing what's important to me in light of these recent events.
I'm an American Idol Wannabe
I do it in the car, the shower, the kitchen, my bedroom, on the couch, in my head, even at my computer. Yes, I'm doing it right now. So we'll file this under the TMI category yet again.
But it's also a great lesson in Marketing.
What is "it" you ask?
I sing.
Yes, I'm one of those people that does spontaneously break forth in song (giving truth to the notion that life IS a musical). But lately, it's been very specific snippets of song. Like about a minute to a minute-and-a-half of the gutsiest part of a song.
Which is when I realized I'm an American Idol Wannabe.
I'm not a big fan of American Idol the TV show, and honestly I can barely remember the names of the past winners. I don't really think that matters so much anyway. Because in the grand scheme of the music biz, it really comes down to how you market yourself, not whether or not you're the Annual AI winner. I even have some evidence to that fact that I'll post at a later date.
But I still find myself wishing I was a few years younger, or that the stupid fools that made "the rules" for AI would open up the age limit for entrants.
You see, I'd like to be an entrant in American Idol. Sounds stupid, I know. And frankly, I don't really even want to win. I just want to get my picture taken with Randy and Paula and... who's that other guy? Oh yeah, Simon. That's his name, right?
Wouldn't THAT be a cool pic on my blog?
Seriously, I don't follow the show. I think I've seen 5 or 6 episodes in my lifetime, and one was the Finals last year, I think.
Wasn't that when "the grey hair" won? For the life of me I can't remember his name either... some sort of hick or something.. Oh Taylor Hicks. Thank God for Google!
I thought for a fleeting moment that I still had an AI chance when he won. Then someone told me he was only like 28 and my heart sank.
:)
See, I just turned... ahem... 33.
Which means I'm TOO OLD for American Idol. Which frankly sucks.
I mean LaKisha Jones (is that how you spell her name?) was from Flint. I am STILL in Flint. She went to the same high school I did, sang in the same choir I did.
Are you laughing yet? Well, stop it, because it's all true, you know.
It's true. I've tried to deny it for over a year now, but I'm an American Idol Wannabe.
But I'm not about being on AI to win. I'd really like to just make it to the televised audition portion of the competition.
But I can't decide if I'd take it seriously and sing my best (because I can sing fairly well, I think), or if I'd like to do something kind of "Weird Al" and change the words to a song just enough to rip on that Simon guy - who no one really seems to like anyway.
I "rehearse" my audition periodically throughout the week. Most of what I "practice" though is my pithy comeback for Simon's snide remarks.
Which is when it REALLY hit home that I'm and American Idol Wannabe.
I'm not caught up in the culture of the show. And the only reason I can even remember Paula and Randy is because Randy is a "Jackson" and Paula sang "Cold Hearted Snake".
You remember that video don't you? Man! That was back in the day when she could really move. And I still own a copy of her "dance workout" video. On VHS. SERIOUSLY.
But I digress...
Yes, I can tell you the exact time marker in Mark Schultz' "Walking Her Home" that I start the song (2:11 to be precise). It probably has wear marks on the back of the CD from me fast forward and rewinding so many times. I know my kids are getting sick of hearing me do it. Sometimes I get sick of hearing me do it.
How is this a great marketing lesson?
You've heard of the world famous "elevator speech" right? Or the 30 second commercial? You've essentially got about as much time as my 11 year old ADHD/ODD son can sit still to engage a probable purchaser and gain interest enough to get to the closing interview. For some people that interview may be an actual sales presentation, or in the home party market: a booking. Or in the case of an AI Wannabe, it's 3 yeses and a "Welcome to Hollywood, Dawg!"
So I've watched a few auditions here and there over the last week (and I can't ever sit through a whole episode because I have 2 sons that would much rather see something more "thrilling" than bad singing).
Ho-LEE-COW! Talk about a BAD elevator speech!
Think about it like this. You'll never get a second chance to make a first impression. And THIS is on NATIONAL TELEVISION. Can you believe that some of these jokers actually thought they were putting their best foot forward?
Now I will grant that nerves can take you out of tune in a heartbeat, you can lose your place in a song and all those good things, but this is the BIG TIME, people. You need to be polished, prepared and ready to knock the wind out of Simon's bag with the absolute best performance you've ever done in your life.
So goes Marketing. Only it's even MORE important.
With National coverage, you're sure to get at least your 15 milliseconds of fame. But up close, and personal, where your dinner is on the line? It's even MORE important.
You need to know yourself. Know your product and your opportunity down cold.
When I was in middle school band, I played saxophone (I still have that horn, too). My Band teacher, Ms. Smith, made us learn our music in the dark.
Did I mention our bandroom had NO windows. It was in the "basement" of the school, and the only light you could pray for was the sliver of hall way light that might slip under the crack in the door, but it was so far from your music stand you still couldn't see the notes on the page to save your arse.
Ms. Smith would say if you know it in the dark, with no music, and no director to guide you, you know that you know it. Besides, if the lights went out at festival, we had to keep playing no matter what.
So we'd turn our stands around, turn the lights out, get the count off....
And some of the music in that room was some of the best music I've ever heard played to this day.
She demanded excellence - not because she was nitpicky, but because she knew we could deliver. And we did. Under her direction, we constantly earned superior ratings at local and state music festivals.
Do you demand excellence? Do you know your material cold? Could you survive an "elevator speech" in the dark?
Everyone's elevator speech is different. It's that window of opportunity you have to take the sum of everything you are and let it shine in such a way that people want to know more about you.
What are you doing to be ready for your elevator moment?
What do you mean "it takes work!"? OF COURSE IT TAKES WORK!
Many good things come to people that do nothing to deserve them. Nothing great EVER came to anyone that did nothing to deserve it.
Trust me on this. Working at being great (or being the greatest) may be challenging, but the rewards of being great are exponentially better than doing nothing and getting the occasional "good" scraps.
So think about your "elevator speech" moments. Do a postmortem on the ones that didn't go so well and figure out how to be ready for the next time.
Because contrary to popular belief, there is ALWAYS a next time.
Think of all the people who DIDN'T win American Idol that went on to get a record deal.
I reset my case.
But I'm still gonna petition them to open up the age limit on AI. And when I do, I'm bringing my workout video to see if Paula will autograph it. It might actually fetch a couple of bucks on eBay if she does.
I mean, it's not like I'm actually USING it or anything.
But it's also a great lesson in Marketing.
What is "it" you ask?
I sing.
Yes, I'm one of those people that does spontaneously break forth in song (giving truth to the notion that life IS a musical). But lately, it's been very specific snippets of song. Like about a minute to a minute-and-a-half of the gutsiest part of a song.
Which is when I realized I'm an American Idol Wannabe.
I'm not a big fan of American Idol the TV show, and honestly I can barely remember the names of the past winners. I don't really think that matters so much anyway. Because in the grand scheme of the music biz, it really comes down to how you market yourself, not whether or not you're the Annual AI winner. I even have some evidence to that fact that I'll post at a later date.
But I still find myself wishing I was a few years younger, or that the stupid fools that made "the rules" for AI would open up the age limit for entrants.
You see, I'd like to be an entrant in American Idol. Sounds stupid, I know. And frankly, I don't really even want to win. I just want to get my picture taken with Randy and Paula and... who's that other guy? Oh yeah, Simon. That's his name, right?
Wouldn't THAT be a cool pic on my blog?
Seriously, I don't follow the show. I think I've seen 5 or 6 episodes in my lifetime, and one was the Finals last year, I think.
Wasn't that when "the grey hair" won? For the life of me I can't remember his name either... some sort of hick or something.. Oh Taylor Hicks. Thank God for Google!
I thought for a fleeting moment that I still had an AI chance when he won. Then someone told me he was only like 28 and my heart sank.
:)
See, I just turned... ahem... 33.
Which means I'm TOO OLD for American Idol. Which frankly sucks.
I mean LaKisha Jones (is that how you spell her name?) was from Flint. I am STILL in Flint. She went to the same high school I did, sang in the same choir I did.
Are you laughing yet? Well, stop it, because it's all true, you know.
It's true. I've tried to deny it for over a year now, but I'm an American Idol Wannabe.
But I'm not about being on AI to win. I'd really like to just make it to the televised audition portion of the competition.
But I can't decide if I'd take it seriously and sing my best (because I can sing fairly well, I think), or if I'd like to do something kind of "Weird Al" and change the words to a song just enough to rip on that Simon guy - who no one really seems to like anyway.
I "rehearse" my audition periodically throughout the week. Most of what I "practice" though is my pithy comeback for Simon's snide remarks.
Which is when it REALLY hit home that I'm and American Idol Wannabe.
I'm not caught up in the culture of the show. And the only reason I can even remember Paula and Randy is because Randy is a "Jackson" and Paula sang "Cold Hearted Snake".
You remember that video don't you? Man! That was back in the day when she could really move. And I still own a copy of her "dance workout" video. On VHS. SERIOUSLY.
But I digress...
Yes, I can tell you the exact time marker in Mark Schultz' "Walking Her Home" that I start the song (2:11 to be precise). It probably has wear marks on the back of the CD from me fast forward and rewinding so many times. I know my kids are getting sick of hearing me do it. Sometimes I get sick of hearing me do it.
How is this a great marketing lesson?
You've heard of the world famous "elevator speech" right? Or the 30 second commercial? You've essentially got about as much time as my 11 year old ADHD/ODD son can sit still to engage a probable purchaser and gain interest enough to get to the closing interview. For some people that interview may be an actual sales presentation, or in the home party market: a booking. Or in the case of an AI Wannabe, it's 3 yeses and a "Welcome to Hollywood, Dawg!"
So I've watched a few auditions here and there over the last week (and I can't ever sit through a whole episode because I have 2 sons that would much rather see something more "thrilling" than bad singing).
Ho-LEE-COW! Talk about a BAD elevator speech!
Think about it like this. You'll never get a second chance to make a first impression. And THIS is on NATIONAL TELEVISION. Can you believe that some of these jokers actually thought they were putting their best foot forward?
Now I will grant that nerves can take you out of tune in a heartbeat, you can lose your place in a song and all those good things, but this is the BIG TIME, people. You need to be polished, prepared and ready to knock the wind out of Simon's bag with the absolute best performance you've ever done in your life.
So goes Marketing. Only it's even MORE important.
With National coverage, you're sure to get at least your 15 milliseconds of fame. But up close, and personal, where your dinner is on the line? It's even MORE important.
You need to know yourself. Know your product and your opportunity down cold.
When I was in middle school band, I played saxophone (I still have that horn, too). My Band teacher, Ms. Smith, made us learn our music in the dark.
Did I mention our bandroom had NO windows. It was in the "basement" of the school, and the only light you could pray for was the sliver of hall way light that might slip under the crack in the door, but it was so far from your music stand you still couldn't see the notes on the page to save your arse.
Ms. Smith would say if you know it in the dark, with no music, and no director to guide you, you know that you know it. Besides, if the lights went out at festival, we had to keep playing no matter what.
So we'd turn our stands around, turn the lights out, get the count off....
And some of the music in that room was some of the best music I've ever heard played to this day.
She demanded excellence - not because she was nitpicky, but because she knew we could deliver. And we did. Under her direction, we constantly earned superior ratings at local and state music festivals.
Do you demand excellence? Do you know your material cold? Could you survive an "elevator speech" in the dark?
Everyone's elevator speech is different. It's that window of opportunity you have to take the sum of everything you are and let it shine in such a way that people want to know more about you.
What are you doing to be ready for your elevator moment?
What do you mean "it takes work!"? OF COURSE IT TAKES WORK!
Many good things come to people that do nothing to deserve them. Nothing great EVER came to anyone that did nothing to deserve it.
Trust me on this. Working at being great (or being the greatest) may be challenging, but the rewards of being great are exponentially better than doing nothing and getting the occasional "good" scraps.
So think about your "elevator speech" moments. Do a postmortem on the ones that didn't go so well and figure out how to be ready for the next time.
Because contrary to popular belief, there is ALWAYS a next time.
Think of all the people who DIDN'T win American Idol that went on to get a record deal.
I reset my case.
But I'm still gonna petition them to open up the age limit on AI. And when I do, I'm bringing my workout video to see if Paula will autograph it. It might actually fetch a couple of bucks on eBay if she does.
I mean, it's not like I'm actually USING it or anything.
My Daily Dose of Feel Good
One of the leaders in my organization sent me a link to one of those "daily inspiration" websites.
Now I'm not one to sit still long enough for a slide show that builds up your character, and just plain old makes you feel good, but this one gave me pause.
Why? Because Ralph S. Marston Jr. Takes time every day to compose these little inspirations himself.
It's not a bunch of famous quotes. These are actually thoughts and ideas he's taken the time to compose himself, create a slide show and set it to music.
Now I'm still not one to sit through them all, but the fact that he's been doing this for nearly 2 years is pretty impressive.
His first "Daily Motivator" slide show was posted in May of 2006. And yes, you can view all the past archives. Pretty groovy, no?
But here's the one I actually sat through for the entire run of the show. Pretty powerful, "makes you think" kind of stuff.
If you're looking for a reason to feel more grateful, if you are just looking for a kind kick start to your morning. Try Ralph's "Right Now" presentation. It's good.
Real good. I sat through the whole thing - so that should say something.
Now I'm not one to sit still long enough for a slide show that builds up your character, and just plain old makes you feel good, but this one gave me pause.
Why? Because Ralph S. Marston Jr. Takes time every day to compose these little inspirations himself.
It's not a bunch of famous quotes. These are actually thoughts and ideas he's taken the time to compose himself, create a slide show and set it to music.
Now I'm still not one to sit through them all, but the fact that he's been doing this for nearly 2 years is pretty impressive.
His first "Daily Motivator" slide show was posted in May of 2006. And yes, you can view all the past archives. Pretty groovy, no?
But here's the one I actually sat through for the entire run of the show. Pretty powerful, "makes you think" kind of stuff.
If you're looking for a reason to feel more grateful, if you are just looking for a kind kick start to your morning. Try Ralph's "Right Now" presentation. It's good.
Real good. I sat through the whole thing - so that should say something.
Is THIS what it's like to be old?
Okay, I'm going to classify this under the "TMI" heading - but if it helps even one person, I have to share it - you know me.
I am sick. I mean ill, as in acute bronchitis and creeping crud and all that yucky stuff... but my boys are sick, too.
You know what that means... My husband's next.
It starts with a bad headache that comes and goes....and comes and goes... My husband just had a few yesterday.
Then a wave of dizziness and coughing. My oldest got that today.
Then heavy coughing, body aches, and fever - my baby's got that today.
Then it gets really yucky. I had that yesterday. I'm feeling a bit better since I went to the hospital. The doc loaded me up on turbo antibiotics and an inhaler to alleviate the bronchitis.
But the worst part is the stress incontinence.
Yes, I said it. There it is. Laugh if you must, but it's true.
I pee when I cough really hard.
I pee when I sneeze.
I pee when I am hacking up a lung.
Here a pee, there a pee, everywhere a pee-pee.
Are you done laughing yet? Me neither.
I pee when I laugh, too.
Nope. It's not funny. And it got me to thinking, this must be a glimpse of what it's like to get old. Losing control of parts of you that your THOUGHT were firmly under your control.
OY.
So I had a clever idea. My baby wears diapers, so he doesn't care if he pees all over everything. My oldest wears pull ups on occasion, so this is no big thing for him.
Yes, you can do the math and make the linear connection here. I got "adult diapers".
Seriously, you can stop laughing now.
But let me tell you, these are NOT comfortable. I mean, they may help to fight against wetness, but they aren't winning any beauty contests. They are scratchy, cling in all the wrong places, sag in all the other wrong places, and while they're effective, I certainly don't feel confident when I wear them.
No wonder old people are crabby all the time. If they have to wear these ungodly things I TOTALLY understand.
On the bright side, my issue is temporary - which is good because I'm headed out to Leader Retreat in glorious Dallas, Texas this weekend. Actually, we're hanging out at the Embassy Suites in Frisco, Texas, which is North Dallas, but this place is SWANK! Check out the photo gallery here.
This is a picture of the atrium (courtesy of the hotel). I've never been to Dallas (that's a blog post all by itself!), but they weren't kidding when they said things are bigger here:
Our Annual Leader Retreat will feature prominent speakers in the Direct Sales Industry. Last year, for example, Belinda Ellsworth was our Keynote speaker. This year, Jane Deuber will present a special session for Directors only. Pretty exciting - if you're into direct sales!
But I also look at the amenities of the event, and this one purports to be full-blown awesome:
I am sick. I mean ill, as in acute bronchitis and creeping crud and all that yucky stuff... but my boys are sick, too.
You know what that means... My husband's next.
It starts with a bad headache that comes and goes....and comes and goes... My husband just had a few yesterday.
Then a wave of dizziness and coughing. My oldest got that today.
Then heavy coughing, body aches, and fever - my baby's got that today.
Then it gets really yucky. I had that yesterday. I'm feeling a bit better since I went to the hospital. The doc loaded me up on turbo antibiotics and an inhaler to alleviate the bronchitis.
But the worst part is the stress incontinence.
Yes, I said it. There it is. Laugh if you must, but it's true.
I pee when I cough really hard.
I pee when I sneeze.
I pee when I am hacking up a lung.
Here a pee, there a pee, everywhere a pee-pee.
Are you done laughing yet? Me neither.
I pee when I laugh, too.
Nope. It's not funny. And it got me to thinking, this must be a glimpse of what it's like to get old. Losing control of parts of you that your THOUGHT were firmly under your control.
OY.
So I had a clever idea. My baby wears diapers, so he doesn't care if he pees all over everything. My oldest wears pull ups on occasion, so this is no big thing for him.
Yes, you can do the math and make the linear connection here. I got "adult diapers".
Seriously, you can stop laughing now.
But let me tell you, these are NOT comfortable. I mean, they may help to fight against wetness, but they aren't winning any beauty contests. They are scratchy, cling in all the wrong places, sag in all the other wrong places, and while they're effective, I certainly don't feel confident when I wear them.
No wonder old people are crabby all the time. If they have to wear these ungodly things I TOTALLY understand.
On the bright side, my issue is temporary - which is good because I'm headed out to Leader Retreat in glorious Dallas, Texas this weekend. Actually, we're hanging out at the Embassy Suites in Frisco, Texas, which is North Dallas, but this place is SWANK! Check out the photo gallery here.This is a picture of the atrium (courtesy of the hotel). I've never been to Dallas (that's a blog post all by itself!), but they weren't kidding when they said things are bigger here:
Our Annual Leader Retreat will feature prominent speakers in the Direct Sales Industry. Last year, for example, Belinda Ellsworth was our Keynote speaker. This year, Jane Deuber will present a special session for Directors only. Pretty exciting - if you're into direct sales!
But I also look at the amenities of the event, and this one purports to be full-blown awesome:
- Complimentary made-to-order omelettes each morning (or if you don't like eggs, there's a complimentary breakfast)
- A full course of fine dining between each training session (no box lunch here, folks!)
- Complimentary business center access and Wi-Fi
- A COMPLIMENTARY reception every evening in this glorious atrium (yes, drinks of all kinds, folks)
- On-stage recognition for leadership levels
- Tons of Free products from our new catalog
- Networking opportunities galore
Plus, did I mention I'm NOT taking the family with me this time!?! Can you say working vacation? Woo hoo!
Yes, while I'm living "la vida loca" in Dallas for afew days, my husband, who should be hard and heavy into that cold by then, will be tending to our precious children at home alone.
Yes, you did hear me snicker. Hee hee.
But before you think I'm cruel and callous, I did save a few "adult diapers" for him.
And for me, there' be no "wee wee wee all the way home".
You saw it coming. Admit it.
Okay, you can stop laughing now. Seriously.
Seriously.
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