Be Like Matt

I want to be like Matt dancing with new friends all over the world after dancing solo in so many places. So many of us go through life dancing solo. Not only is this a great example of grass-roots international relations, it's a perfect example of how I, at least, want to interact with my clients, customers, co-workers, and everyone else in my life. "What a wonderful world," heh? What a great approach to customer relationship management!

If you want to learn more about Matt and how he came to dance all over the world, you can find his story at WhereTheHellIsMatt.com.

Enjoy!

It's A Bike Day

Well, not really. It's a run day in my training schedule, but thought I'd lighten up a little with some bike-related news and fun.

Many of us have been eagerly awaiting the new Campagnolo Super Record grupo featuring 11, yes, 11 speeds. The "official" release is June 18th, but Roues Artisanales has pics and info here.

If you are easily offended, then skip this video of naked cyclists in Boulder, CO. As they say, "Less gas, more ass."

In this video, the B:C:Clettesperform to SexyBack because as they say, "I wear a helmet so you can drive like an idiot...."

I love the medical study that was publishes this week that found that up to five cups of coffee daily will protect women from heart disease! Of course, the caffeine is another thing. Take this quick test to see just how caffeinated you really are! Drop me an email with your score.

Of course, we all know that a little coffee is a cyclist's best friend. Not only does it give you boost before your ride, but also facilitates recovery afterwards. Yes, that is the finding of another medical study.

Man! I am loving the doctors and scientists this week!

Always love cyclists.

Quote for June 17, 2008

"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." -- George Bernard Shaw

When I read this earlier today, I was reminded of the last job I had before starting Private Label.

I was fired.

It was the summer of 2000. Companies were imploding right and left. The DotCom where I was Managing Editor was running out of money and the CEO was scrambling for more angel or VC money. The problem was that he did not have a clear vision of what the business was, so he rewrote the business plan after every meeting. It was as if he were jumping from one piece of flotsam to the next piece of jetsam after the boat had already gone down miles from shore.

When I was hired, we, or, at least, I had what I thought was a very clear picture of our mission. And, it was working as evidenced by all the emails I got every day from our faithful readers. But, no one wanted to hear that our site visitors were SAHMs home schooling their kids. They thought it was 25-34 guys.

So, I was fired for being negative, counter-productive, not a team player, and a general PITA. The company crashed and burned six weeks later, out of ideas and money.

In this challenging economic environment, it's easy to get spooked and lose the faith, lose the vision, and stray from the company's mission. Business evolves and companies need to adapt. However, if the map of a clear vision and mission has been drawn at the beginning, the route to the future is already there to follow. It takes accurate observation, a clear action plan, and strong, confident execution minus the Pollyanna-ish platitudes.

In other words, this ain't a popularity contest, except to serve the best interests of the customers!

And, they will give the company kudos when they talk about you!

Is "Lynda" There?

Just to be perfectly clear, my name is Lydia. But, it seems that not only will telemarketers calling from thousands of miles away stumble over my name, but also inside sales people, the majority of whom have degrees in Business or Marketing or English, can't seem to manage my name.

Just to be perfectly clear, Lydia is a very old name. It was the country in the Middle East where King Croesus ruled and the first country to use money, rather than barter.

So, why do so many people have a problem with my name?

Don'tcha think that if someone is calling to ask for something, they'd bother to figure out how to pronounce the name of the person at the other end, uh, before they get on the phone!?

Click!

The next kind of call which is even more common is where the "professional" calling requests to speak to whomever, usually me, by name (after I've answered the phone with my name) without identifying him/herself, the company they represent, or the purpose of the call.

Excuse me! Why should I want to waste my time or anyone else's time on a total stranger? What's with the subterfuge? Am I supposed to be more disposed to give them time? these are inside sales people who are following up on my having downloaded a white paper or registered for a Webinar, a warm lead. So, why am I being treated so disrespectfully? Is this how they've been trained to initiate phone calls? Have they even been trained?

The only people I know who are reluctant to reveal who they are and the purpose of the call are bill collectors. Why do I know this? Because I was a bill collector a million years ago!

Click!

So, if you're an inside sales person, employ inside sales people, responsible for training inside sales people, operate from a position of professionalism and integrity. Be proud of what you do and the information and resources you bring to the people at the other end of those calls. Introduce yourself, your company, and the purpose of your call, then ask for the person you want to reach, then ask that person if s/he has a couple of minutes to speak.

I will respect you and what you're doing and give you the time and attention you deserve.

That doesn't mean I'll buy!

A Father's Day Meditation

I miss my Dad all the time, but more so around Father's Day. We didn't speak, or rather, I didn't speak to him for nearly 15 years. My dear cousin Jane finally got through my stubbornness, reminding me yet again that he wouldn't always be with us and I reconciled with him a couple years before he went on to the next chapter.

Daddy never stopped loving me, never stopped trying to reconnect, never stopped being proud of me. We all make mistakes in our lives and fortunately, we were each able to forgive and get past them to reaffirm our love for each other as parent and child.

In the days around his funeral, I repeatedly received private eulogies to my dad from all the people he'd mentored and whose lives were changed for knowing him. What an incredible legacy to carry with me always.

So, I wanted to share a little of what I learned from my Dad. Right now this is a Quicktime moviet, but please don't let that stop you. And, when we get it converted into Flash, I'll alert the media!

Lessons My Dad Taught Me

GSD Degree

"Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is a nobler art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials." -- Lin Yutang

One of my commitments is to make daily posts M-F. Another is to make them relevant! To that end, as evidenced by the title, the subject of today's post is about the GSD, the most valuable degree one can hold because it is essential to Get Stuff Done.

But, then that quote above caught my attention this morning.

I am reluctant to write more, it is complete in its advice and philosophy. Sometimes, the best course of action is to take no action and resolution follows. It requires being quiet within oneself. Not reacting to nervously fill what feels like a void.

How does one relate this to the customer experience or online marketing?

At the lowest common denominator, it could be simply delivering exactly what the customer needs and nothing more or less.

Twitter by Machiavelli

Whether you're already a Twitter aficionado and know nada about Twitter, Twitter by Machiavelli will define many of the different users and help you avoid commiting Twittercide with poor Twitter-quette. Oh, yes, it's addictive!

Seriously, if you aren't savvy about Twitter, drop me an email. It's part of the marketing mix we help our clients with when building an online presence. And, check out the link in the right-hand column and click to follow me on Twitter.

Today's Quote 5/6/08

Integrity is not a ninety percent thing…not a ninety-five percent thing. Either you have it, or you don’t.
~Peter Scotese~

More on this later...

The More Things Change...

"The art of progress is to preserve order amid change, and to preserve change amid order."

- Alfred North Whitehead
British Mathematician and Philosopher

As we hurtle through each day in the name of progress, it might well behoove us to pause, consider, and contemplate what Whitehead's words mean. It's not an easy or simple thing with which he charges us. But, I'm so glad that progress is viewed as an 'art.'

Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

Like me, you may have recently received an excerpt from Lee Iacocca's bookWhere Have All the Leaders Gone? If not, you will! It's making the rounds.

It's really a great, thought-provoking piece. Not only is it timely because we are where we are in this far-too-long slog to choose a new leader for this country and it reminds us of some very valuable criteria for choosing that leader when we go to the polls. But, considering how Iacocca brought Chrysler back from the brink, it's also a great list of qualities any business leader or entrepreneur should emulate.

I'll leave the politics out of it. Just do yourself a favor and take a coupla' minutes to read what Mr. Iacocca has to say.

*Disclaimer- I happen to be an owner of a rare cherry '91 Chrysler TC by Maserati, exotic red w/ black leather interior.

More Food for Entrepreneurial Thought

"Pearls do not lie on the seashore, if you desire one you must dive for it." ~ Asian proverb

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage". ~ Anais Nin

"The opposite of courage is not so much fear as it is conformity." ~ Wayne Dyer

(Compliments of my friend, Lisa Zimmerman.)

If I read every book, listened to every CD, podcast, watched every Webinar, DVD, etc. that're recommended every day for 'improving' whatever, I'd never have time for anything else, like, building a company, training for a triathlon, spending time with friends. That being said, I will go out on a limb and say that one of the best things I've ever done for myself was load a complete set of "The Power of Intention" by Wayne Dyer on my iPod and listen over and over.

From the site Dr.WayneDyer.com - "he transforms conventional thinking about making things happen in our lives into a profound understanding of how each person possesses the infinite potential and power to co-create the life he or she desires."

Isn't that what an entrepreneur does? Isn't that what we all want to accomplish in our lives?

Best wishes for a fabulous weekend!

I Took The Other Road

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
- Robert Frost

We've all seen, read, and heard this quote many times. But, just like a piece of music that you listen to over and over or a book you re-read every year or so, it can speak differently to you each time and evoke a flood of thoughts, memories. Today when I read it, it seems the perfect description of an entrepreneur.

Recently, when interviewing David Stein of Automatic Mail for The National Networker, he offered his description of an entrepreneur, "...what many call entrepreneurs are business owners responsible for their own destiny, but they are not trailblazers and that’s what I think defines an entrepreneur."

Not that it doesn't take courage to buy a franchise or a small business and build it up through blood, sweat, tears, and years, but that isn't the same as creating something new. Think McDonald's franchises vs. Ray Kron's creation of that model.

In a conversation yesterday, we talked about what we wanted to do, build, create. The other person said he wanted to create something that has a big "wow" factor, e.g. Google Maps. As I've said so many times before, I seek to solve problems by taking what already exists and combining these in a new way to make something that is greater than the sum of the parts and offers ease, efficiency, and economy for our users.

Does that fit the entrepreneurial model? What do you think makes an entrepreneur? Send me an email, please!

Twitter for Dummies

Twitter, everybody, well, most everybody loves it, but just like Facebook, there are a lot of questions about how to leverage it for your own purposes. Following threads can be challenging. Wondering if you're following the "right", "cool" people. Just trying to sort topics out and make sense of all the chatter.

Enter TweetScan. Enter any topic that's on your mind and TweetScan will deliver a list of up-to-the-minute tweets from all kinds of people that you may or probably aren't following.

Needless to say, I am in love with TweetScan.

Thought for April 7th

"The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution." -- Bertrand Russell