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I’d Rather Be Fat…
It doesn’t matter what you say about me as long as you spell my name right. That was the long held belief of many advertising and PR pros. It assumed people don’t remember the details, just your name. I saw this in practice 11 years ago when I was at Conseco. As we slid into bankruptcy, there were countless news articles describing the mismanagement of the company in great detail. While our agents noticed, consumers seemed to be oblivious. They just heard the name over and over again and remembered us. The Shane Company has...
read moreFrom Real Time to My Time
Things move faster today than they did 50 years ago. Letters which took several days to arrive were replaced by fax, overnight mail, email and text. Today we expect immediate responses to questions, inquires and requests. We want our news as it happens. Everything is now, now, now! But it doesn’t need to be. Recently I have noticed a subtle shift as I take back control of my time by unplugging occasionally. Reading an article by Louis Gray, I realize it isn’t just me. The same technology which allows us to be connected...
read morePinterest: The Next Big Thing or a Waste of Time?
Everyone’s been talking about what 2012 will be “the year of” in social networking. Will it be the year of Google Plus, the year of monetization, the year of authenticity? In all likelihood, 2012 will have all sorts of interesting new networks, developments and changes to social marketing. But if I had to choose one thing to keep an eye on this year, I’d choose Pinterest. If you haven’t heard of the new darling social network of the moment, Pinterest describes itself as a visual pinboard. I like to think of it...
read moreVisiting A2 University
I have a lot of fun visiting with Troy Hanna ( @the funsalesdude) on the new A2 University podcast today. This month they were talking about networking, so I had a chance to share a few of my favorite tips. You can listen to the program here, and be sure to check out the entire series, every Tuesday afternoon from 4:00 – 4:30. Check it out. Troy definitely brings a level of fun to the broadcast. It has been awhile since I have talked about or written anything about networking so it was fun to share some of my favorite tips, because I...
read moreMore Than a Few Words: No Bullshit with Erik Deckers
These days, everyone is talking about social media, and almost everyone is an expert. Well today on More Than a Few Words we will talk with someone I really think is an expert. Our guest is Erik Deckers one of the authors of No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide to Social Media Marketing (Pearson, 2011). We talked about social media users who are serious about using this tool as part of their business marketing strategy. Podcast Powered By Podbean More about Erik. He is the co-owner and VP of Creative...
read moreAre You Really My Friend if We Just Chat Online?
I am a networking junkie. I love being in a room with people I don’t know, hoping to start interesting conversations, build relationships and maybe even get business referrals. But I have noticed that I don’t spend much time networking face-to-face anymore. I am still meeting and talking to people and having conversations about business. I am just doing it online. I am not the only person experiencing this transition. It is just the state of business interactions in 2012. When I am challenged by others who don’t think you...
read moreBreathe out the Old, Breathe in the New
For Korea Taekwondo Academy, it was time to let go of an old design. Their passion is the practice and perfection of an ancient martial art, yet the school is on the competitive edge, always innovating and expanding. The outdated style of their website did not reflect this. With their move to a sparkling new facility, KTA was ready to invigorate their website with a crisp new look and a user-friendly engine. Their previous website was built with technology and an art style long surpassed. KTA’s exciting pictures and demonstration videos...
read moreKnow Thy Business
In order to be a success in life, you must know thyself. In order to be a success in business, you must know thy company. Does it all sound just a little too metaphysical and self help-y for you? Stick with me. In order to have a successful business, you must understand your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of your staff. Even the best built team will have flaws: too many introverts, too little attention to detail, too big and unwieldy. By understanding these deficits, you can position your company in a way that can minimize...
read moreFaces of Roundpeg: My Coach Matt
Ask people who know him to describe Matt Nettleton. They will tell you he is direct, sarcastic, opinionated, smart, funny and abrasive. In short, he is the perfect coach for me. There is nothing warm and cuddly about Matt. He won’t tolerate whining or self pity. What you get is simple, straight-forward advice and a not so gentle nudge to action when you need it. After convincing myself for years I didn’t need sales training, I took one of Matt’s classes. I realized (ok, with some not so gentle nudging) that maybe I did....
read moreThat’s A Wrap, Week Ending Jan. 6
The first week of 2012 was exactly what I expected. It started a bit slow, with the Monday holiday, but definitely picked up steam as the week progressed. We launched our 1st quarter seminars and we are almost sold out for our first class. (If you are interested in attending, don’t wait, reserve your seat now. We have already started two new web design projects, and we are excited about what else is in the works. With everything going on, we still had time to write some interesting blog posts. If you didn’t have a chance...
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