by Marvin Kane | Mar 6, 2012 | Sharing
Here’s something I’ve struggled with for a long time. Maybe some of you have too. Balance… that state of being where the pieces of your life exist in some reasonable proportion to each other. I’ve long believed, long hoped really that I would get to a place in my life where my skills, talents and interests would all be in play at once resulting in a fully formed me. Instead, at a point in my life where there are certainly more yesterdays than tomorrows, I’m still chasing balance. I’m not sure it exists. Or maybe balance simply means different things to different people. When one considers the great masters of art, music and literature it’s hard to imagine their lives being balanced. More than likely they spent disproportionate amounts of time perfecting their craft… and neglecting everything else.
Balance For the Rest of Us
But most of us aren’t masters. We’re regular people with diverse interests and varying degrees of talent. So how much time do you spend doing the different things you love to do? Perhaps the more important question is why? Why do you do the things you do? I suspect that if you asked someone who has talent, whether it’s knitting, playing a musical instrument, filling a canvas with color and shape or painting the Sistine Chapel, why they do it, the answer would simply be “I would not feel alive if I didn’t.” Passion. But how do passion and balance coexist? I don’t know.
It’s A Discipline Thing – I Think
When I was at Berklee College of Music in the mid seventies, I had a friend – a fellow guitar player – who brought a timer into the practice room with him. I don’t mean a metronome that helped him keep time to the music. I mean an egg timer he brought from his kitchen. You see he created a practice schedule for himself and the timer helped him stick to the schedule. Scales for an hour, improvisation for an hour, ear training for half an hour then back to scales. When the timer bell sounded he moved on to the next segment of his schedule. To me this sort of regimentation seemed more suited to an engineer than a musician. At any rate this technique never worked for me. But I’m not very disciplined. Are you?
It’s An Inspiration Thing – I Think
How can you schedule inspiration? How can you time creative surges? You can’t. But if you play music, or write, or paint, or quilt or knit only when you’re inspired, your passion will live in the shadows. That’s not where it belongs. Passion must be nourished. It has to be in the front of your being where everyone can see and feel it. What I think is that if you can pursue your craft when you’re not inspired, inspiration will come more frequently. And your passion will light you up. Isn’t that we want?
It’s a Sharing Thing – I Know
We don’t own our talents. We have stewardship over them. And when we don’t share them with others we are in breach of a fundamental, albeit unwritten contract. Thinking of my talents in this way helps me get unstuck. Would that work for you?
And Now Back to You
Do you have trouble finding the time to pursue your passions and interests? Does it feel like a waste of time when you do? How do you get unstuck? Talk to me.
Photo credit: Yogendra 174
by Marvin Kane | Feb 6, 2012 | Sharing
Linda Samuels, educator,entrepreneur
Linda Samuels has a rare psychological condition. She doesn’t hear the word no. It’s not that people haven’t said no to her. They have. Many times. She just turns it into an opportunity to re-invent herself. As a young woman growing up in Mansfield, Ohio, she had the grades and the desire to follow her father into the medical profession. Prevailing cultural attitudes changed the plan. It was, after all, still a man’s world and medicine was man’s work.
Moving On
Linda didn’t become a doctor. Instead, she took her degrees (University of Cincinnati BA in biology and Masters of Science in population genetics) and her husband, moved to the Boston area and began a stellar career teaching biology at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Linda is no ordinary person and she was no ordinary teacher. During her more than 25-year tenure at Dana Hall, she was named Outstanding Biology Teacher in Massachusetts by the National Association of Biology Teachers, inducted into the Massachusetts Hall of Fame for Science Educators, and chosen as a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
Seeing a Need and Filling It
Most would call this a fulfilling career but Linda wanted more. Recognizing that biology textbooks were failing to get young girls motivated, Linda decided to write her own. In 1999 she published Girls Can Succeed in Science! One reviewer on Amazon had this to say about the book:
“This innovative book is a must-buy for all middle school and secondary science teachers and parents. Chock-full of unique classroom activities and demonstrations, and guided by a new philosophy for boys and girls that really works! You can tell it’s based on over 25 years of real classroom experience, and it’s fun as well as educational. This is a one-of-a-kind book that fills a special niche in the science book market, and fills it to a tea!”
See what I mean about Linda?
Second Chances
“I’ve had to reinvent myself and these men should have the opportunity to reinvent themselves too. As far as I was concerned, they started with a clean slate”
Recently, Linda designed and taught a course on entrepreneurship which she titled Passion to Profit. Nothing extraordinary here (not for Linda, anyway) except for one thing. Her students were inmates and her classroom was the library at the Pondville Correctional Center, a minimum security prison in Norfolk, Massachusetts. Did I mention that she is fearless?
Changing the World
Linda thinks big. She wants to change the world. BillionaireBabies, LLC, her latest and most ambitious project seeks to empower today’s children to become tomorrow’s leaders. She has already made significant progress toward her uplifting goal. Imagine teaching kids the importance of planning, budgeting, research and analysis and making it fun. That’s Linda’s gift. Better yet, imagine future generations of children growing into adulthood already knowing how to run a business, balance a checkbook, write a business plan, respect the environment and one another. Stephen Aveling-Rowe is one of these children. “I’ve got a new goal, new excitement,” says Stephen, adding that Linda’s BillionaireBabies program has taught him to act on his ideas, “not just let them sit in your brain.” Stephen Aveling-Rowe is 12 years old and lives in Australia.
Learn more about Linda’s diverse activities:
It’s tempting to label Linda Samuels a “late bloomer.” Tempting but not true. Linda is always blooming. Not late, not early. Just constantly.
And Now Back to You
If you were writing a Someone You Should Know column, who would you choose to write about and why? Have you thought about it? What makes someone extraordinary? Talk to me.
by Marvin Kane | Jan 29, 2012 | Business, Rants, Sales and Marketing, Sharing
The good folks at Starbucks in Winchester, MA get it.
Here’s a secret. It’s all about customer service. Here’s another secret. Simple isn’t the same thing as easy. There’s a huge difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it. With that said, here goes.*
1. Answer Your Phone
I can hear the moaning. What’s that you say? You’re too busy to answer the phone? Really. How do you feel when you call a company and are told, by a recording, to “listen carefully as our menu options have changed?” I’m used to it by now but I still don’t like it. When I was working with John Webb from Webb Transportation Services, LLC several months back, it was clear to me that his business was thriving. I asked him what he was doing that his competition was not. “Simple,” he said. “I answer the phone.” I tested him by calling the company several times. Guess what. He, or his Director of Operations answered the phone every time. Not every other time. Every time! How refreshing.
2. Return Phone Calls and Answer Emails
This is a tough one. Our inboxes are littered with emails – many of which are spam or plain junk. I get that. What I’m saying is this. Identify which messages are relevant to your business and answer those quickly – the same day if possible. If you’re being asked about something you’re supposed to do but haven’t done yet, politely say that in your response. Responding quickly and honestly is better than waiting a few days to finish what you’re working on and then responding. If you’re in a meeting or at a client site, answer as soon as you can. (I have to say this: if you’re in your car, pull over. There. I’ve said it.) You get the point. I try to practice what Brain Tracy calls single handling. That means responding to important emails right away instead of leaving it for later. You will be more likely to forget if you don’t do it right away. The main point is this. Don’t ignore emails and phone messages (unless you’re doing it intentionally and with knowledge of any consequences). Doing so will eventually erode your reputation and damage your business.
3. Do What You Say
Nothing will hurt your business more than making promises you don’t keep. If you tell a client you will have their proposal to them by Thursday, get it to them by Thursday (Wednesday would be better). If you promise to gather some information and email it to them by Monday, email it to them by Monday (the previous Friday would be better). How annoying is it when a client tells you they will get you something by a certain day and then doesn’t do it? But here’s the thing, if you don’t do what you say, don’t expect your clients to either. Remember Ghandi’s famous quote “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
4. Show Up
“Eighty percent of success is showing up”
Woody Allen
For some reason – I have no idea what that reason might be – general contractors have a reputation for showing up late or worse, not showing up at all. (General Contractors, don’t send me hate mail. I’m only stating what I’ve observed and what others have told me.) When Alan Weisner started his interior painting and home fix it business several years ago, he knew that simply showing up at the time promised would separate him from his competitors. So committed was he to this mission that he named his new company We Show Up. Brilliant! Several years into his enterprise, We Show Up has consistently garnered the Better Business Bureau’s highest A+ rating, qualified for Angie’s List’s Super Service Award in 2010 and 2011 and won Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston Home Award in the Small Repairs category north of Boston for 2010. Amazing what happens by just showing up.
*Disclaimer: I have not mastered all four of these points. I work on them consistently. I thought you should know that.
And Now Back to You
As a business owner, what is your take on the four points mentioned above? What about as a consumer? Do you agree? Is it unrealistic in today’s fast paced world to expect businesses to do these four things? Talk to me.
Photo credit: SierraTierra
by Marvin Kane | Jan 24, 2012 | Business, Design, Rants, Sales and Marketing, Sharing
Think a logo isn't that important? Guess again.
Last week I met with a company on the verge of big things. I can’t talk about what they do because the legalities aren’t in place yet and I don’t want to be sued. The point is they’re on board with the importance of a great website. They just seemed to “get it.” I love working with companies that “get it.” Then they pulled out their business card with the company’s “logo” which they insisted we use. Ouch!
The Logo Police
In my previous life as the Web Production Manager at a promotional services firm, I worked with some big name companies. Each of them had strict brand guidelines – rules for how their logos should and should not be used. I’m talking about things like always maintaining a one inch each area of white space around the logo, never superimposing text or images over the logo, how to properly invert the colors when using the logo on a white or dark background. Why all the fuss? Because these companies (and eventually me too) understood the importance of branding. In fact most of these companies employed entire divisions whose job it was to make sure their logo was being used properly. We affectionately called them the logo police.
It’s About Psychology
Here’s how my handy pocket dictionary defines logo: n. a symbol used by a corporation, business or company as its emblem. Fine. Here is what a logo really is. It’s a visual expression of your company’s identity, core values and beliefs. It’s durable, flexible and transferable. You can put it on a golf ball, a coffee mug, a tee shirt or a hat. You can put it on anything anywhere. It travels well. It builds equity and power over time. The site of it evokes a visceral response. It makes people think about what it’s like to own your product, eat your food or drive your car. Think I’m overstating? Look at the logos in the box at the top of page. See what I mean?
“I don’t love it, but it will grow on me”
Phil Knight, CEO of Nike after his first glimpse of the now famous swoosh
Trust Professionals
Back to my meeting last week. It seems the good folks at the company designed the “logo” themselves because they believed it depicted the essence of their newly patented process – and since they knew that process better than anyone else it followed, according to their logic, that they would be best qualified to design their logo. Logical but wrong.
Quick Summary
- Think about the power and importance of your company’s logo and let an experienced, talented, professional designer design it for you. Hint: think Nike swoosh
- You’ve invested countless hours and had sleepless nights conceiving your business. Don’t get cheap when it comes to the symbol that will be the face of your business. Hint: spend less on that cushy leather chair and more on your logo
- Give it up. I know it’s hard but if you work with the right designer he/she will treat your ideas with respect. Hint: you have kids but they eventually leave
And Now Back to You
Are you happy with your logo? How important do you think it is? Am I making too big a deal out of it? Talk to me.
by Marvin Kane | Jan 16, 2012 | Business, Rants, Sales and Marketing, Sharing
Sales is a difficult profession. That’s why I have respect for good salespeople and contempt for bad ones. It can be very challenging out there when you have to make a sale to put bread on your table, or to satisfy a belligerent boss. Sadly, caving in to the pressure often takes the form of compromising your values. I witnessed this first hand last week.
Starched White Shirts and Baklava
I have been patronizing a small family owned dry cleaning business for the past two years. I’ve gotten to know the family and look forward to stopping in. Sure, they’re very good at what they do but my visits are more about pleasant conversation and home made baklava than crisply starched shirts. I’ve mentioned what I do for work a couple of times but never tried to sell them anything. One day last week they called me to ask if I would be interested in redesigning their website. “Of course,” I said. So after throwing a pile of dirty clothes on the counter and getting my pickup slip, we sat down to discuss the possibilities. There was a problem.
Right Place Right Time
They were at the end of what they believed to be a one year contract with a large, well known company whose specialty is traditional phone book ads. I won’t mention their name. Just imagine a book being the color of a banana. Subtle enough hint? As we talked, their sales rep pulled into the parking lot. Pure serendipity. To avoid a potentially awkward situation I respectfully offered to leave. The family patriarch grabbed my arm and said, “please do me a favor. Just sit here reading this magazine (note: the magazine was in Greek. I don’t read Greek.) and listen to what he says so we can discuss it later.” Well, I thought. This is kind of different. I didn’t see any harm in it so I complied.
Making the Sale at all Costs Just Might Cost Too Much
What I heard was a toxic mix of lies and misinformation.
- lie – “You can’t redesign your website or move it to another provider because you will lose all of your search engine standing.”
The truth is that you can redesign or move your website any time you choose. By using 301 permanent re-direction code, a technique any web designer knows about, anyone looking for an old page will be redirected to the new version of that page. The permanent nature of the redirect tells Google to remove the old page(s) from it’s directory and replace it with the new page.
- misleading information – “Don’t worry about your domain name. We’ll take care of it for you.”
I cautioned about this in an earlier post. While this may sound like one less thing you have to worry about, what it really means is that they will own your domain name. One more way they make it difficult for you to leave and take your business elsewhere. Your domain name is a vital part of your business. You should own it. They should tell you that.
- selective memory – “You signed a two year contract”
Before the sales guy arrived, both brothers emphatically stressed that they were told they were signing up for one year. It was a precondition to signing the agreement in the first place. The sales guy suddenly had a different recollection. Guess who I believe?
Now Back to You
I’m pretty steamed about this. I know it’s easy for me to say but if making a sale requires that you lie, please look for other work. There are plenty of terrific salespeople out there who blend their skill (make no mistake, selling is a skill) with good values and strong ethics. What do you think? Have you been manipulated by a shady salesperson? Did you know it when it was happening? What’s your take? Talk to me.
Photo credit: Supermac1961
by Marvin Kane | Jan 7, 2012 | Business, Sharing, Social Media
If You Want People to Listen to You - Listen to Them
Last August I wrote a series of posts dealing with the four most common objections to social media:
My purpose was to “handle” each objection – which is really a salesy way of saying I wanted to counter each objection with logic, facts and common sense. I hope I succeeded. But in the past few days I’ve been asking myself (what is it about a new year that makes us talk to ourselves?) a more basic question about social media .
Why Do We Do It? Why Do We Really Do It?
There’s an urban legend that’s floated around Hollywood for years. (Note: I’ve never been to Hollywood.) The legend has it that a young Dustin Hoffman once asked his idol, the great Lawrence Olivier, “why do we act? I mean really, why do we do it?” Pausing for a moment, Olivier looked at Hoffman and said, “there are three reasons why we do this. Look at me, look at me and look at me.” Dustin, it seems was hoping for a deeply philosophical answer. What he got instead was a heavy dose of honesty. For businesses the objective of social media is simple – to connect with your customers in a way that increases your potential to sell whatever it is you sell. For the millions (or is it gazillions by now) who tweet and twitter for personal reasons, I suspect the motivation has more to do with Olivier’s response to Dustin Hoffman’s question. Make no mistake, there is ego involved here. We do it because in doing so we are exercising our very human need to be heard, to be validated. And in the world of social media there is no greater validation than to have people follow your tweets and comment on your blog posts.
How to Increase Your Following
Ah! The holy grail. Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet here. There is no “one thing” that is guaranteed to build your following and have hordes of consumers clambering for more. But as Oprah would say, here is what I know for sure. You will NEVER get anyone to follow you if you’re not following anyone. You will NEVER get anyone to read your posts and comment on them if you don’t read and comment on theirs. Keep this word in the front of your brain: Community. To get people to participate in the conversation (and that’s how you should be thinking of your social media efforts) you must participate. Think two way street. Habit number 5 in Stephen Covey’s wildly popular and important book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People states “seek first to understand, then be understood.” I’m sure Mr. Covey would not mind my slight adaptation: Seek first to follow then be followed.
And Now Back to You
Do you blog or tweet on a regular basis? Do you have followers? Do people comment on your posts? If so, how are you building your community? Who do you follow? Do you participate? Talk to me.
Photo credit: Joe M photo
