At Tuesday's meeting of the Austin Chapter of the American Marketing Association, board member and former chapter president, Tracy Sullivan, led the "structured networking" segment of the meeting. This is a new edition to the Austin AMA lunches, and I found it to be a quick and useful tool to facilitate introductions.
Before the end of the meeting Tracy told the audience to break up into groups of two, with the caveat that your partner had to be a stranger. On each table she had placed small blue slips of paper with about twenty questions printed on them. Each duo was told to take turns asking each other the questions until discovering something in common. Everyone was left to talk for about five minutes.
The questions included:
Are you originally from Austin?
Where did you grow up?
Have you ever traveled to Europe, Asia, Australia or Africa?
What other professional organizations are you a member?
Do you do volunteer work? If yes, where?
What is your favorite kind of food?
Do you like to cook?
Have you ever had your "five minutes of fame"?
What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
Who is your favorite actor or actress?
What is the best movie you have seen this year?
What is your dream car?
What is the best book you have ever read?
What is your pet's name?
What is in your car's CD player right now?
How many songs do you have on your iPod?
Can you tell jokes?
Are you a neat-nik or a slob?
What is your favorite restaurant in the world?
What is your pet peeve at the office? At home?
Have you ever traced your family tree?
Are you an e-Bay junkie?
Do you have your own blog?
This was a great exercise. My partner was Danny Holder, Director of Business Development at Business Ink. He was a very nice guy and we did not have to go far down the list of questions to discover we both enjoy really good Mexican Food (for those reading this blog who do NOT live in the Southwest, there is a difference between "Mexican Food" and "Good Mexican Food". Sorry, Taco Bell and Taco Cabana are not in that "good" category!).
He had some local favorites, but had never been to Guerro's or Curra's (the two best Mexican restaurants on the planet, in my opinion). We had a great conversation, and he decided to take his wife to Curra's that night and test my theory about Curra's having the most incredible tamales.
Congratulations to the American Marketing Association for creating a unique way to encourage members making new connections. I hope Danny enjoyed the tamales!!!
Have A Great Day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
PS- If your job is related to marketing and you are not currently a member of the American Marketing Association, you should discover the chapter in your community and become involved. You will learn a lot and make many important connections with other marketers. Click here to learn more.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Audio Blog - "Hello, My Name Is..."
Below is an audio blog on the importance of nametags at business networking events. Some folks do not like nametags, but they are useful tool to help initiate conversation.
Click on the arrow to play the audio blog. If that does not work, double click on the "MP3" link.
powered by Audioblog.com
MP3 File
Have A Great Day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Click on the arrow to play the audio blog. If that does not work, double click on the "MP3" link.
powered by Audioblog.com
MP3 File
Have A Great Day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Monday, July 18, 2005
Attitude Is Everything
When trying to build your network and grow your career it is important that you have a positive attitude. If you want to succeed in a sales, marketing or public relations career you have to be the type of person that others enjoy being around, and that means projecting an upbeat demeanor.
Does this mean that you have to be happy all the time? NOBODY has a pleasant outlook 365 days a year. It is not normal without medication. However, that does not mean that you have to wear your sour mood on your sleeve. When at the office or out networking in the business community you do need to be positive or you must pretend. Nothing can help derail your future faster than being labeled as a nay-sayer.
But is this just important for those who are starting out in their careers? Nope, this advise is universal. In fact, those who are more seasoned business executives.....especially those who have had previous successes in their working lives..... should take a close look on how they behave in regards to their attitude.
For many years I have known a woman we will call "Mary". Mary has had a spectacular career and developed a wonderful reputation in her industry over two decades. She was always considered one of the most upbeat and positive individuals in the local business community, and the was a senior executive inside the company where she worked.
However, over the past few years Mary has seen many changes in her job that were out of her control, and she is not happy with the direction her career is headed. Her company was sold to a large, national competitor and she now has a new manager in a far away city. She openly second-guesses every decision that her new company makes and mocks the people in the company's headquarters.
I feel bad for Mary. She really is an amazing business person, but because of her past successes she feels she has earned the right to become a pre-madonna. At some point she forgot how she got to the top in her career and began to believe that she was better than those around her. It was not really noticeable when things were going her way, but once the economy turned cool and her company was sold, she could not hide her poor attitude.
How about you? Are you like Mary? I think it is a good idea to have an annual attitude check. Much like going to the doctor for an annual physical to make sure everything is working right in your body, an annual attitude check is the time to make sure that you are behaving correctly toward those around you and finding ways to uplift the collective, rather than tearing it down.
How do you emotionally react to your work environment? When others have ideas that you did not think of first, do you immediately see them as dumb or silly? Is your first response to tell enthusiastic co-worker "how it really is" around your company? Do you find yourself rolling your eyes when your boss has a new initiative? Do you think the company would collapse if you left for the competition? If you answered yes to these questions than you need overhaul your attitude.
Instead of immediately finding the negative, be the person who embraces the changes and looks for ways to help other's ideas succeed. Just because you do not agree with an idea does not necessarily make it wrong (unless you see yourself as simply that much better than everyone else, in which case I would be shocked that your read this whole article anyway!!!). A positive, can-do attitude will always be rewarded. Even if the initiative fails, you will be recognized for your efforts. Plus, people like being around those who want to help the company succeed rather than selfish conceited jerks.
Have A Great Day
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Does this mean that you have to be happy all the time? NOBODY has a pleasant outlook 365 days a year. It is not normal without medication. However, that does not mean that you have to wear your sour mood on your sleeve. When at the office or out networking in the business community you do need to be positive or you must pretend. Nothing can help derail your future faster than being labeled as a nay-sayer.
But is this just important for those who are starting out in their careers? Nope, this advise is universal. In fact, those who are more seasoned business executives.....especially those who have had previous successes in their working lives..... should take a close look on how they behave in regards to their attitude.
For many years I have known a woman we will call "Mary". Mary has had a spectacular career and developed a wonderful reputation in her industry over two decades. She was always considered one of the most upbeat and positive individuals in the local business community, and the was a senior executive inside the company where she worked.
However, over the past few years Mary has seen many changes in her job that were out of her control, and she is not happy with the direction her career is headed. Her company was sold to a large, national competitor and she now has a new manager in a far away city. She openly second-guesses every decision that her new company makes and mocks the people in the company's headquarters.
I feel bad for Mary. She really is an amazing business person, but because of her past successes she feels she has earned the right to become a pre-madonna. At some point she forgot how she got to the top in her career and began to believe that she was better than those around her. It was not really noticeable when things were going her way, but once the economy turned cool and her company was sold, she could not hide her poor attitude.
How about you? Are you like Mary? I think it is a good idea to have an annual attitude check. Much like going to the doctor for an annual physical to make sure everything is working right in your body, an annual attitude check is the time to make sure that you are behaving correctly toward those around you and finding ways to uplift the collective, rather than tearing it down.
How do you emotionally react to your work environment? When others have ideas that you did not think of first, do you immediately see them as dumb or silly? Is your first response to tell enthusiastic co-worker "how it really is" around your company? Do you find yourself rolling your eyes when your boss has a new initiative? Do you think the company would collapse if you left for the competition? If you answered yes to these questions than you need overhaul your attitude.
Instead of immediately finding the negative, be the person who embraces the changes and looks for ways to help other's ideas succeed. Just because you do not agree with an idea does not necessarily make it wrong (unless you see yourself as simply that much better than everyone else, in which case I would be shocked that your read this whole article anyway!!!). A positive, can-do attitude will always be rewarded. Even if the initiative fails, you will be recognized for your efforts. Plus, people like being around those who want to help the company succeed rather than selfish conceited jerks.
Have A Great Day
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Weekend Blog 5
The weekend blog is off the topics of networking, marketing, sales, biz dev and PR. It is my chance to write about any subject under the sun.
An American In Paris
When my now eight-year-old daughter was four, she announced that she wanted to take a vacation to Paris, France. I am sure that it is not just a coincidence that the movie "The Rugrats in Paris" was released at about the same time, and she absolutely loved the mad-cap adventures of Tommy, Chuckie, Phil and Lil..... and Paris became her desired destination.
At the time I told her that it cost a lot of money to go on a vacation to Paris, and we discussed the value of money and the importance of saving for special things, like a vacation in France. At age four, she took it to heart and began putting her money away into a savings account.
She has since acquired Eiffel Tower pajamas, T-shirts, puzzles, and enjoys all things French (she thinks that French Fries are a product of Paris, and I do not have the heart to tell her otherwise).
This year when we decided to holiday with friends in Italy, my wife and I decided that it was not right to fly over France and not make a stop in Paris. After all, for four years our kid has saved her birthday money and allowance, and remained focused on getting to France. We did not tell our daughter that Paris was part of the itinerary until the last day in Italy. While in the airport in Rome we showed her our plane tickets with Paris as the destination, and told her that we were so proud of her setting a goal and saving her money, that we would be going to Paris for three days (NO, I did not make her give me the money in her bank account!!!). Yes, she almost pee'd her pants she was so excited.
This photo shows that anyone can set a goal and accomplish it if they are tenacious, patient, and want it bad enough....even if they are eight-years-old!!!
Have A Great Day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Friday, July 15, 2005
Your Business Card Is A Tool - But Not A Swiss Army Knife
Tom Kane has a good post on his Legal Marketing Blog about business cards. While a business card is a tool, it is not every tool. Your business card should serve to let people know how to contact you in the future. It should have your company name, your name, title, physical address, phone number, cell phone number (optional), email address and website. If you are putting your mission statement and every service you offer on your card, you are trying to make it a brochure. If you need a brochure, then have one printed. Leave your business card alone.
I have a pet peeve with people who only list their email address on their card and not the physical address. This is almost always done by those who work from home and do not want to let others know that they office from their house. Guess what??? By excluding your address you just told everyone that you work from home.
Some of those who work from home do not list their address for security reasons. Okay, then invest in a P.O. Box at your local post office.
I once worked with a lawyer who would not put his email address on his card. He did not believe in email as a legitimate form of communication, and felt it was annoying. He actually told me that "real clients prefer to call on the phone". The truth was that he was not tech savvy, and was trying to hide that fact. Guess what??? Everyone knew it.
Larry Bodine had another good post about business cards on his Professional Marketing Blog this week as well. It talked about how to let others capture information about their meeting with you to ensure proper follow up. It is a good post, and the pictures are worth a thousand words.
Remember, you want a professional business card that gets your information in the hands of prospects and others that you meet. It does not need to come with a toothpick and a cork screw (like the really good Swiss Army knives)
Have A Great Day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
I have a pet peeve with people who only list their email address on their card and not the physical address. This is almost always done by those who work from home and do not want to let others know that they office from their house. Guess what??? By excluding your address you just told everyone that you work from home.
Some of those who work from home do not list their address for security reasons. Okay, then invest in a P.O. Box at your local post office.
I once worked with a lawyer who would not put his email address on his card. He did not believe in email as a legitimate form of communication, and felt it was annoying. He actually told me that "real clients prefer to call on the phone". The truth was that he was not tech savvy, and was trying to hide that fact. Guess what??? Everyone knew it.
Larry Bodine had another good post about business cards on his Professional Marketing Blog this week as well. It talked about how to let others capture information about their meeting with you to ensure proper follow up. It is a good post, and the pictures are worth a thousand words.
Remember, you want a professional business card that gets your information in the hands of prospects and others that you meet. It does not need to come with a toothpick and a cork screw (like the really good Swiss Army knives)
Have A Great Day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Thursday, July 14, 2005
PARTY TIME !!!
Hosting a reception for you clients, prospects and "friends of the firm" can be one of the best marketing, networking, PR and business development tools if done correctly. If done wrong, it is a waste of time and money.
The good news is that it can be done easily and without having to spend tons of cash. This is not to imply that it will be cheap, a quality event will involve a financial commitment. However, this investment, depending on the number of attendees, will be no more expensive than running an advertisement in a business publication.
The bad news is that most firms make mistakes that cause them to spend too much money or fail to turn out their targeted guests.
Here are five tips to help you make your next client event a success:
1. Target your local business contacts. Regardless of how many national clients you have, very few people will travel to attend a party, unless you hold in in conjunction with some other type of user meeting or educational seminar (which is a great thing to do, by the way). I have seen many people make the mistake of expecting their contacts from other cities to come to their event. While extending an invitation is a great courtesy, unless they have another reason to be in the area, you should not expect out of town contacts to come to your party. Keep this in mind when planning how many guests you will actually have in attendance.
2. Selecting the venue and day of the week. Where you hold your event has a lot to do with the success of your party. If you are fortunate enough to have a large reception area or nice patio at your place of business, I recommend you hold the party in your own space (as long as you are centrally located to your local business community). It can help keep your costs down as the many hotels and restaurants charge higher rates than a caterer, especially for the alcohol (shop around, you do not NEED the highest priced catering company in your town.....as long as the food is of good quality, nobody will notice).
In addition to the reduced cost, having people visit your establishment helps build a closer bond with them. Clients and others like to see your facility and this gives you a chance to show off your technological and other competitive advantages.
If you do not have an office that can accommodate a large party, then I suggest renting a whole restaurant for a couple of hours. If your party is scheduled early (before their dinner rush), many restaurants will gladly give you part or all of their space if you are expecting enough people. The right bistro can have a much nicer feel than a hotel or country club ball room. Also look to museums or other unique venues that are not the "same old place".
I recommend doing a business cocktail party on a Tuesday or Wednesday night from 5:30 - 7:30 . Monday's are too hectic, and the weekend is family time for many people. Everyone will have an opinion on what day of the week is best, but you want a day that is not going to have a lot of other competing events happening. Don't make your guests choose, hold your event on a "free" night. Also, hosting it at an early hour will allow people with young children to come to your event and still make it home in time to tuck them into bed. Again, do not make them choose, because you might lose!!!
3. Your Guest List. This is an area where many professional services firms short change their party before it even gets started. They limit their list to only clients or other VIP's, and then their short list does not produce enough live bodies to have a good party. While you do not want to invite EVERYONE in town, you need to invite 3-4 times your targeted attendee number. I suggest you include anyone at a client company with whom you interact. In addition, invite executives from other companies that server your clients (not your competition). If you are a law firm, be sure to invite the partners from all the local accounting firms, consutlancies, venture capitalists, bankers, etc... I call these people "friends of the firm", as they are not your clients or prospects, but they are your friends. They will also be cherished advisors to many of your party guests, and building relationships with these professionals is vital to your own success.
Do not rely on your invitation (email or regular mail) to attract your attendees. It is the responsibility of everyone in your company to follow up with their contacts by telephone to personally invite them to the party. This is a great chance to connect with them and it makes sure that the person got the invitation (spam filters and secretaries often stop invites from reaching the executive). In addition, if they personally tell you they will come, they are more likely to show up.
4. Speeches and other pontifications. Avoid them whenever possible. Unless the event is a grand opening or company anniversary, do not let your senior executives get up and make long speeches. Too often these talks are ignored as the guests continue to mingle and talk over the person making the announcement. This is embarrassing for the speaker and the audience. If you do manage to quiet everyone to total silence, you have successfully killed the momentum of the networking that was taking place. Following the speech, many guests will make this the opportunity to leave the party.
Your guest already know you appreciate their attending (or you would not have hosted the party in the first place!) and they don't really care about any of the other stuff the speaker is saying.
If a presentation is necessary, make sure that you keep it brief. This is not the time to recognize everyone in your company or show a long video that is really just a commercial for your firm. Make the party about the party. Let your guests have fun. When they interact with other VIP's and make valuable business contacts, you win.
5. Name Tags. Always have nametags for business events. Some executives do not like nametags, and will discourage their use. But nametags are an important tool to help facilitate networking. Just because your employees know all the guests, the guests do not necessarily know each other. You will want to pre-print the nametags in advance to avoid causing a back up a the door. Be sure to put their first and last name AND the company name on the pre-printed tag, and make sure the font is as large as possible. You want people to be able to read the name and company from a distance. And do not forget to have plenty of blank nametags and a good black marker available for those who show up that had not RSVP'd.
Have A Great Day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
P.S.- Check out my new book, Some Assembly Required: How To Make, Grow and Keep Your Business Relationships, which will be released in August 2005 (New Year Publishing). You can pre-order your copy today at www.thomsinger.com.
The good news is that it can be done easily and without having to spend tons of cash. This is not to imply that it will be cheap, a quality event will involve a financial commitment. However, this investment, depending on the number of attendees, will be no more expensive than running an advertisement in a business publication.
The bad news is that most firms make mistakes that cause them to spend too much money or fail to turn out their targeted guests.
Here are five tips to help you make your next client event a success:
1. Target your local business contacts. Regardless of how many national clients you have, very few people will travel to attend a party, unless you hold in in conjunction with some other type of user meeting or educational seminar (which is a great thing to do, by the way). I have seen many people make the mistake of expecting their contacts from other cities to come to their event. While extending an invitation is a great courtesy, unless they have another reason to be in the area, you should not expect out of town contacts to come to your party. Keep this in mind when planning how many guests you will actually have in attendance.
2. Selecting the venue and day of the week. Where you hold your event has a lot to do with the success of your party. If you are fortunate enough to have a large reception area or nice patio at your place of business, I recommend you hold the party in your own space (as long as you are centrally located to your local business community). It can help keep your costs down as the many hotels and restaurants charge higher rates than a caterer, especially for the alcohol (shop around, you do not NEED the highest priced catering company in your town.....as long as the food is of good quality, nobody will notice).
In addition to the reduced cost, having people visit your establishment helps build a closer bond with them. Clients and others like to see your facility and this gives you a chance to show off your technological and other competitive advantages.
If you do not have an office that can accommodate a large party, then I suggest renting a whole restaurant for a couple of hours. If your party is scheduled early (before their dinner rush), many restaurants will gladly give you part or all of their space if you are expecting enough people. The right bistro can have a much nicer feel than a hotel or country club ball room. Also look to museums or other unique venues that are not the "same old place".
I recommend doing a business cocktail party on a Tuesday or Wednesday night from 5:30 - 7:30 . Monday's are too hectic, and the weekend is family time for many people. Everyone will have an opinion on what day of the week is best, but you want a day that is not going to have a lot of other competing events happening. Don't make your guests choose, hold your event on a "free" night. Also, hosting it at an early hour will allow people with young children to come to your event and still make it home in time to tuck them into bed. Again, do not make them choose, because you might lose!!!
3. Your Guest List. This is an area where many professional services firms short change their party before it even gets started. They limit their list to only clients or other VIP's, and then their short list does not produce enough live bodies to have a good party. While you do not want to invite EVERYONE in town, you need to invite 3-4 times your targeted attendee number. I suggest you include anyone at a client company with whom you interact. In addition, invite executives from other companies that server your clients (not your competition). If you are a law firm, be sure to invite the partners from all the local accounting firms, consutlancies, venture capitalists, bankers, etc... I call these people "friends of the firm", as they are not your clients or prospects, but they are your friends. They will also be cherished advisors to many of your party guests, and building relationships with these professionals is vital to your own success.
Do not rely on your invitation (email or regular mail) to attract your attendees. It is the responsibility of everyone in your company to follow up with their contacts by telephone to personally invite them to the party. This is a great chance to connect with them and it makes sure that the person got the invitation (spam filters and secretaries often stop invites from reaching the executive). In addition, if they personally tell you they will come, they are more likely to show up.
4. Speeches and other pontifications. Avoid them whenever possible. Unless the event is a grand opening or company anniversary, do not let your senior executives get up and make long speeches. Too often these talks are ignored as the guests continue to mingle and talk over the person making the announcement. This is embarrassing for the speaker and the audience. If you do manage to quiet everyone to total silence, you have successfully killed the momentum of the networking that was taking place. Following the speech, many guests will make this the opportunity to leave the party.
Your guest already know you appreciate their attending (or you would not have hosted the party in the first place!) and they don't really care about any of the other stuff the speaker is saying.
If a presentation is necessary, make sure that you keep it brief. This is not the time to recognize everyone in your company or show a long video that is really just a commercial for your firm. Make the party about the party. Let your guests have fun. When they interact with other VIP's and make valuable business contacts, you win.
5. Name Tags. Always have nametags for business events. Some executives do not like nametags, and will discourage their use. But nametags are an important tool to help facilitate networking. Just because your employees know all the guests, the guests do not necessarily know each other. You will want to pre-print the nametags in advance to avoid causing a back up a the door. Be sure to put their first and last name AND the company name on the pre-printed tag, and make sure the font is as large as possible. You want people to be able to read the name and company from a distance. And do not forget to have plenty of blank nametags and a good black marker available for those who show up that had not RSVP'd.
Have A Great Day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
P.S.- Check out my new book, Some Assembly Required: How To Make, Grow and Keep Your Business Relationships, which will be released in August 2005 (New Year Publishing). You can pre-order your copy today at www.thomsinger.com.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Audio Blog - Who Is The Best Networker?
Ahhhhhh, aint technology just grand. Below is an my first attempt using audioblog.com. I think it is pretty cool. Just hit the play arrow below and you can listen to today's blog. If that does not work, click on the MP3 File link.
Let me know what you think of the use of audio in my blog. Should I continue to make many of my posts this way? Send me an email and let me know what you think. thom@thomsinger.com
powered by Audioblog.com
MP3 File
Have A Great Day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Let me know what you think of the use of audio in my blog. Should I continue to make many of my posts this way? Send me an email and let me know what you think. thom@thomsinger.com
powered by Audioblog.com
MP3 File
Have A Great Day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Monday, July 11, 2005
A Customer Service Triumph
I have been feeling pretty lousy about customer service in 2005 after an minor incident that happened to me in Italy. I don't need to go into the details, other than to say that a restaurant would not let me take my three-year-old to use their "potty" in what was truly an urgent situation for Kate.
Granted, we were not technically customers....but I believe in my heart that if a three-year-old needs to go wee-wee, you let her dad take her into your facilities. Especially when it is early in the evening and you have nearly no patrons in your bistro. Yet this waiter, and the owner, both disagreed with me and sent us running to find another option (most people whom I share this story say I should have had her pee on their sidewalk..... but I didn't).
Anyway, this exchange in Siena left me sad about how people treat each other in today's world.
But tonight I had a great customer service experience...and faith in my fellow man has been restored!!
Back in Austin, I had to purchase some gift baskets for some out-of-town VIP's who will be here for a conference. The plan is to have nice Texas BBQ sauce, salsa and other local goodies waiting for them when they check into their hotel room. I went to the new Whole Foods Market in downtown Austin hoping to find some items that would be appropriate (If you have never been to this particular Whole Foods Market, their "Landmark Store"....you need to check it out as it is phenomenal!!!). What I found was exceptional customer service and a delightful person who worked very hard to ensure that I got the right items in an appropriate package.
It was after 6:00 PM and the store's concierge was closed, so I was told to talk to the floral department. There I found Gena, who was not only willing to help me, but was very creative in finding a way to wrap the items I had selected. She took the time to help me create seventeen gift baskets and was one of the most pleasant store employees I have ever encountered at any company.
I had been worried about being able to get the items packaged, and Gena took my concern and easily solved the issue. Congratulations to Whole Foods....I will shop there more often.
The reason I write about this encounter is because a company can have great marketing, excellent public relations and a strong brand.....but without employees who go the extra mile to make customers feel special....they have nothing. Companies need to remember that everyone is important to properly serving their clients, from the CEO to the person in the flower shop.
Have A Great Day
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Granted, we were not technically customers....but I believe in my heart that if a three-year-old needs to go wee-wee, you let her dad take her into your facilities. Especially when it is early in the evening and you have nearly no patrons in your bistro. Yet this waiter, and the owner, both disagreed with me and sent us running to find another option (most people whom I share this story say I should have had her pee on their sidewalk..... but I didn't).
Anyway, this exchange in Siena left me sad about how people treat each other in today's world.
But tonight I had a great customer service experience...and faith in my fellow man has been restored!!
Back in Austin, I had to purchase some gift baskets for some out-of-town VIP's who will be here for a conference. The plan is to have nice Texas BBQ sauce, salsa and other local goodies waiting for them when they check into their hotel room. I went to the new Whole Foods Market in downtown Austin hoping to find some items that would be appropriate (If you have never been to this particular Whole Foods Market, their "Landmark Store"....you need to check it out as it is phenomenal!!!). What I found was exceptional customer service and a delightful person who worked very hard to ensure that I got the right items in an appropriate package.
It was after 6:00 PM and the store's concierge was closed, so I was told to talk to the floral department. There I found Gena, who was not only willing to help me, but was very creative in finding a way to wrap the items I had selected. She took the time to help me create seventeen gift baskets and was one of the most pleasant store employees I have ever encountered at any company.
I had been worried about being able to get the items packaged, and Gena took my concern and easily solved the issue. Congratulations to Whole Foods....I will shop there more often.
The reason I write about this encounter is because a company can have great marketing, excellent public relations and a strong brand.....but without employees who go the extra mile to make customers feel special....they have nothing. Companies need to remember that everyone is important to properly serving their clients, from the CEO to the person in the flower shop.
Have A Great Day
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Weekend Blog 4
The weekend blog is off the main topic.
Back From Vacation
My family and I enjoyed two great weeks in Italy and France. I have not posted "live" on this blog in two weeks, but had pre-posted some articles while I was away. I look forward to getting back to writing on the topic of marketing, networking, branding and sales. In addition, my book: "Some Assembly Required: How to Make, Keep and Grow Your Business Relationships" is now complete and on it's way to the printer. I am excited that this 18 month project will soon result in a tangible product. You can pre-purchase copies at www.thomsinger.com.
I had never been to Europe, and was amazed by how incredible it was to see all the famous sights. My favorite was Siena, Italy. It was a small town and not as crowded with tourists as Rome, Florence and Paris. The interesting thing was that hundreds of years ago Siena and Florence competed for business. Florence won the battle for commerce, and much of the growth from the renaissance era forward took place there. Florence has much of the great art and architecture of Europe, but Siena was preserved as a Mid-Evil hill top city. The beautiful, BIG church at the heart of the city, The Duomo, was completed before Columbus discovered America. It was amazing to see all of the buildings in Europe that are so incredible and yet so many hundreds of years old. We often forget that not all the great strides in civilization took place in the last century!
Our visit to Siena was during "Il Palio". It is an annual festival, which takes place in July and August, that draws thousands of visitors to the small town to watch a horse race. The seventeen contrade (neighborhoods of Siena) compete for the annual victory. If Italy is ever in your travel plans, you should try to be in Seina during the Palio. The thing I noticed most about this event was that there was no commercialization. No corporate sponsors on the program, no business banners hanging from the buildings and the jockeys did not have dozens of logos sewn onto their silks (think NASCAR). Think of one sporting event you have ever attended in the United States (including your children's little league game!) where there were no corporate sponsors. I was torn by how refreshing this was to see....AND the marketing/sales blood in my veins screaming out "WAIT....they are missing some fantastic financial and branding opportunities!!!!
One last thing, we traveled Europe with our two daughters, ages eight and three. This was limiting in some ways (not all restaurants are kid friendly in Europe....especially in Paris), and we could not always move as fast..... but the kids were great and had a lot of fun. As I told my wife.....if we wanted to travel Europe with our adult children, we needed to wait twenty years!!!
Have a great weekend.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Back From Vacation
My family and I enjoyed two great weeks in Italy and France. I have not posted "live" on this blog in two weeks, but had pre-posted some articles while I was away. I look forward to getting back to writing on the topic of marketing, networking, branding and sales. In addition, my book: "Some Assembly Required: How to Make, Keep and Grow Your Business Relationships" is now complete and on it's way to the printer. I am excited that this 18 month project will soon result in a tangible product. You can pre-purchase copies at www.thomsinger.com.
I had never been to Europe, and was amazed by how incredible it was to see all the famous sights. My favorite was Siena, Italy. It was a small town and not as crowded with tourists as Rome, Florence and Paris. The interesting thing was that hundreds of years ago Siena and Florence competed for business. Florence won the battle for commerce, and much of the growth from the renaissance era forward took place there. Florence has much of the great art and architecture of Europe, but Siena was preserved as a Mid-Evil hill top city. The beautiful, BIG church at the heart of the city, The Duomo, was completed before Columbus discovered America. It was amazing to see all of the buildings in Europe that are so incredible and yet so many hundreds of years old. We often forget that not all the great strides in civilization took place in the last century!
Our visit to Siena was during "Il Palio". It is an annual festival, which takes place in July and August, that draws thousands of visitors to the small town to watch a horse race. The seventeen contrade (neighborhoods of Siena) compete for the annual victory. If Italy is ever in your travel plans, you should try to be in Seina during the Palio. The thing I noticed most about this event was that there was no commercialization. No corporate sponsors on the program, no business banners hanging from the buildings and the jockeys did not have dozens of logos sewn onto their silks (think NASCAR). Think of one sporting event you have ever attended in the United States (including your children's little league game!) where there were no corporate sponsors. I was torn by how refreshing this was to see....AND the marketing/sales blood in my veins screaming out "WAIT....they are missing some fantastic financial and branding opportunities!!!!
One last thing, we traveled Europe with our two daughters, ages eight and three. This was limiting in some ways (not all restaurants are kid friendly in Europe....especially in Paris), and we could not always move as fast..... but the kids were great and had a lot of fun. As I told my wife.....if we wanted to travel Europe with our adult children, we needed to wait twenty years!!!
Have a great weekend.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Thursday, July 07, 2005
What's In A Name
When you are actively networking and meeting new people, on occasion you will run into trouble remembering people's names. While sometimes you can easily fake your way through this embarrassing situation, other times you just feel foolish. If you have previously met them and are put into a situation where it is clear you do not remember their name, I suggest that honesty is the best policy. Appologize and let them know that you cannot recall their name.
To avoid this problem, it is best to learn some memory tricks that will help you remember names and other information of the people you meet in your networking activities.
To begin with, repeat the person's name silently to yourself after you are introduced. Then find a way to work their name into the conversation. Repeating it outloud or introduce them by name to someone else. By articulating their name it will help your future ability to recall their name.
You can also invent a relationship in your mind between their name and their physical characteristics. One example for Shirley Temple could be "her curly (rhymes with Shriley) hair is cut short near her temples". Finding things about them that remind you of other people and them concentrating on that relationship can also be a good trick.
Always get a business card. Getting the person's card is a tool to help you remember things about them. After your intial meeting with someone, take a moment and jot down some information you discussed on the back of their card. If they mentioned their company was planning to go public or their love for modern art, write it down. The act of writing information will help commit the topics of you discussion into your long-term memory.
The following day, review what you wrote on the card, repeat thier name (silently and outloud), and remember any unique connections or rhymes you made about them. Then send them a follow up note in which you recap your conversation.
Immediately add people to you database or file their business card in a card file. Regularly review the names of everyone you have ever encountered. Out of sight is out of mind, by reviewing the information about your contacts regularly, it will stay with you.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
To avoid this problem, it is best to learn some memory tricks that will help you remember names and other information of the people you meet in your networking activities.
To begin with, repeat the person's name silently to yourself after you are introduced. Then find a way to work their name into the conversation. Repeating it outloud or introduce them by name to someone else. By articulating their name it will help your future ability to recall their name.
You can also invent a relationship in your mind between their name and their physical characteristics. One example for Shirley Temple could be "her curly (rhymes with Shriley) hair is cut short near her temples". Finding things about them that remind you of other people and them concentrating on that relationship can also be a good trick.
Always get a business card. Getting the person's card is a tool to help you remember things about them. After your intial meeting with someone, take a moment and jot down some information you discussed on the back of their card. If they mentioned their company was planning to go public or their love for modern art, write it down. The act of writing information will help commit the topics of you discussion into your long-term memory.
The following day, review what you wrote on the card, repeat thier name (silently and outloud), and remember any unique connections or rhymes you made about them. Then send them a follow up note in which you recap your conversation.
Immediately add people to you database or file their business card in a card file. Regularly review the names of everyone you have ever encountered. Out of sight is out of mind, by reviewing the information about your contacts regularly, it will stay with you.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Bloggedy Blog Blawg - Part Two
The following article is one I wrote that appears on the site, Network in Austin. The article is currently on their "Resources" Page.
Bloggedy Blog Blawg – Part Two
By Thom Singer
Why blog?
With so many people starting blogs, it is clear that this form of communication is here to stay. But why would anyone want to read blogs or write one of their own?
To begin with, I recommend that you find five or six blogs that interest you, and read them on a regular basis. This could be business, personal diaries, politics or any other of the hundreds of themes that exist in the blogosphere. Blogs can be a great way to get news or discover specific information. One word of caution, you need to remember that unlike a newspaper that has editorial standards (or at least is supposed to have them!), a blog has no rules. Therefore the information you receive is not necessarily factual. Reader beware!
However, you will also find blogs that provide you with different prospectives than you might find in more traditional publications. I have about a dozen marketing/business blogs that I read regularly, and a few more just for entertainment, and I appreciate all of them for what they provide.
Writing a blog is not for everybody, although if you search the blogs that exist on the web, you might feel that everyone on the planet does have a blog. There are many online services that offer free or inexpensive tools with which you can create and publish a professional looking blog in just minutes. The website where this article appears, NetworkInAustin.com, also has a service to host blogs for its members.
The hard part about writing a blog is making the commitment. Many great blogs get stale if the blogger does not post regularly. In order to be appealing for readers to return to your site, you need to continually offer them fresh material. I try to write a short post every weekday before I go to work. Many seasoned bloggers tell me that this will be hard to keep up over time, and that I may wish to move to posting twice a week. I am not sure what I will do for the long term, but I get to make the rules, so therefore, there are no rules for my blog. I even recently introduced the “Weekend Blog”, where I write about or link to things that interest me that are not about marketing, biz dev or networking.
Another advantage of blogging on a regular basis is that you will create a body of written work that can later be used for industry articles, company newsletters or a future book. I have heard that those who have widely read blogs are often featured as sources for the traditional media who produce stories that coincide with their field of expertise. The reporters found them on-line through their blog. If publicity for your product or service is one of your goals, creating a blog that is full of useful information will help you raise your visibility. Another feature of a blog is that readers can freely add comments to what they read. If you allow this on your blog, you do need to be prepared for some not-so-positive feedback.
A blog can become a community-gathering place for your readers. If you create a business-focused blog, your customers and others can regularly come to read about what is the going on inside your company or industry. This can be a much more personal type of communication than an annual report or standard press release. Many large companies have begun having their CEO, or other executives, post daily messages. Although most companies do not open up these blogs to reader comments, some have found that it allows customers to freely comment, and they can learn from the positive and negative responses.
If nothing else, you should familiarize yourself with blogs and blogging because they are becoming a real part of today’s society. Hopefully if you are at a cocktail party and you are asked; “Do you blog?” you will know what the heck they are talking about. Your answer might even be, “YES, I do!”
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Bloggedy Blog Blawg – Part Two
By Thom Singer
Why blog?
With so many people starting blogs, it is clear that this form of communication is here to stay. But why would anyone want to read blogs or write one of their own?
To begin with, I recommend that you find five or six blogs that interest you, and read them on a regular basis. This could be business, personal diaries, politics or any other of the hundreds of themes that exist in the blogosphere. Blogs can be a great way to get news or discover specific information. One word of caution, you need to remember that unlike a newspaper that has editorial standards (or at least is supposed to have them!), a blog has no rules. Therefore the information you receive is not necessarily factual. Reader beware!
However, you will also find blogs that provide you with different prospectives than you might find in more traditional publications. I have about a dozen marketing/business blogs that I read regularly, and a few more just for entertainment, and I appreciate all of them for what they provide.
Writing a blog is not for everybody, although if you search the blogs that exist on the web, you might feel that everyone on the planet does have a blog. There are many online services that offer free or inexpensive tools with which you can create and publish a professional looking blog in just minutes. The website where this article appears, NetworkInAustin.com, also has a service to host blogs for its members.
The hard part about writing a blog is making the commitment. Many great blogs get stale if the blogger does not post regularly. In order to be appealing for readers to return to your site, you need to continually offer them fresh material. I try to write a short post every weekday before I go to work. Many seasoned bloggers tell me that this will be hard to keep up over time, and that I may wish to move to posting twice a week. I am not sure what I will do for the long term, but I get to make the rules, so therefore, there are no rules for my blog. I even recently introduced the “Weekend Blog”, where I write about or link to things that interest me that are not about marketing, biz dev or networking.
Another advantage of blogging on a regular basis is that you will create a body of written work that can later be used for industry articles, company newsletters or a future book. I have heard that those who have widely read blogs are often featured as sources for the traditional media who produce stories that coincide with their field of expertise. The reporters found them on-line through their blog. If publicity for your product or service is one of your goals, creating a blog that is full of useful information will help you raise your visibility. Another feature of a blog is that readers can freely add comments to what they read. If you allow this on your blog, you do need to be prepared for some not-so-positive feedback.
A blog can become a community-gathering place for your readers. If you create a business-focused blog, your customers and others can regularly come to read about what is the going on inside your company or industry. This can be a much more personal type of communication than an annual report or standard press release. Many large companies have begun having their CEO, or other executives, post daily messages. Although most companies do not open up these blogs to reader comments, some have found that it allows customers to freely comment, and they can learn from the positive and negative responses.
If nothing else, you should familiarize yourself with blogs and blogging because they are becoming a real part of today’s society. Hopefully if you are at a cocktail party and you are asked; “Do you blog?” you will know what the heck they are talking about. Your answer might even be, “YES, I do!”
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Weekend Blog 3
The Weekend Blog is a time to be off the main topic of this Business / Networking Blog
What Is Your Favorite Color????
While vactioning with some friends and their family in a villa in Siena, Italy I encountered many things that could fill the pages of this blog. However a quick and funny story came from watching my three-year-old daughter (who I have nicknamed "The Human Tornado", but that is a story for a different post).
The family we were with on this Italian Holiday also have a three-year-old daughter. Since we do not get to see these friends as often as we would like, the kids have not spent much time together during their young lives. So this was a first meeting, of sorts, for a pair of girls who seem destined to be life long friends. They immediately hit it off and began to play together. Both are outgoing and a bit on the wild side (for three-year-olds). At one point while deeply involved in some serious playing, Victoria looked at Kate and said, "Kate? So what is your favorite color?". Kate enthuiastically proclaimed, "RED!!!! What's yours?".
Then playing resumed.
It made me wonder.....in our busy grown up lives, how often do we take the time to ask those around us such profound questions?
What is your favorite color?
Have a great weekend.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
What Is Your Favorite Color????
While vactioning with some friends and their family in a villa in Siena, Italy I encountered many things that could fill the pages of this blog. However a quick and funny story came from watching my three-year-old daughter (who I have nicknamed "The Human Tornado", but that is a story for a different post).
The family we were with on this Italian Holiday also have a three-year-old daughter. Since we do not get to see these friends as often as we would like, the kids have not spent much time together during their young lives. So this was a first meeting, of sorts, for a pair of girls who seem destined to be life long friends. They immediately hit it off and began to play together. Both are outgoing and a bit on the wild side (for three-year-olds). At one point while deeply involved in some serious playing, Victoria looked at Kate and said, "Kate? So what is your favorite color?". Kate enthuiastically proclaimed, "RED!!!! What's yours?".
Then playing resumed.
It made me wonder.....in our busy grown up lives, how often do we take the time to ask those around us such profound questions?
What is your favorite color?
Have a great weekend.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Bloggedy Blog Blawg - Part One
The following is an article I wrote for a site called Network In Austin. It currently appears on their "Resources" Page.
Bloggedy Blog Blawg – Part One
By Thom Singer
“Do you Blog?”
This seems to be the new question that is popping up in business and social circles around town, across the country and throughout the world. A year ago almost nobody, except those who were really hip, had heard of blogs, and now they are one of the hottest topics on the internet.
What is a blog? A blog is a reverse-chronological log that is hosted on the web, or also called a weblog (blog for short). It can be either formal presentation or a random connection of thoughts. It can have posts from one author or many. There can be open commenting from the general public, or strictly just snippets from the blog’s owner. Individuals, companies and political pendants now have blogs, as they are a very easy tool with which to communicate to a wide audience via the web.
Before the 2004 presidential campaign I had never heard of blogs (I guess I am admitting that I am just not terribly hip). During the campaign both Republican and Democrat supporters began to break news (and some fake or fabricated news) on blogs. A lot of information on the Swift Boat Veterans issue and the CBS Memogate stories were put into the public domain, not by the established news media, but rather by the bloggers. For better or worse, these blogs on both sides of the political isle were widely read and they themselves were one of the big stories of the 2004 election.
Following the November elections, the term blog (or is it “blawg”?) has started to become a household term. I would regularly hear people talking about friends who were “blogging” their vacation, or corporate CEO’s who interacted daily with customers via the “company blog”. In March I attended a marketing seminar on blogging. At the start of the program they surveyed the audience about blogs, and most participants, like myself, had never read or written a blog.
That was when I decided I wanted to figure out why someone would blog in the first place. Since I am a frustrated wanna-be writer, I decided to give blogging a try. I am releasing my first book this summer, Some Assembly Required: How to Make, Grow and Keep Your Business Relationships, and decided that if nothing else, a blog was a good way to help search engines, like Yahoo! and Google, find my website. With this in mind, I decide to make the topic of my book, networking and business development, the theme of my blog.
Thus The Business Development / Networking Blog was born in March of 2005.
Since my book was not due out for another four months, and because the blog was just and experiment, I decided to keep it a secret. I wasn’t looking for any publicity, nor did I care if anyone read my posts. This was just an exercise in regularly writing articles on a topic that I know something about. The benefit was that linking my articles to my book’s website, it quickly succeeded in the goal of helping the search engines find the book’s main page.
But then it got interesting. The more I researched how the blogosphere operated (blogosphere being the cyber world of those who blog), the more I realized that there is a whole blogging community. I discovered that one of the things bloggers do is to create links from their page to the pages of other blogs that they respect and read. I had uncovered many other business, marketing and sales oriented blogs that I began visiting, and linked to these pages from my blog. I also installed a piece of software counted how many people visited my blog. At first there was just one per day, and that was me. But then I started noticing the count was rising. Through my participation in the blogosphere, people were finding my blog and reading my posts. A couple of bloggers would quote my posts and link to my page. I started to receive emails from people who praised my work and then people I did not know began to pre-order my book.
There now appears to be a few regular readers of The Business Development / Networking Blog. I was at a cocktail party recently and was introduced to a local entrepreneur who, upon hearing my name, stated; “Oh, I read your blog!”. Wow. I will admit, that was a very flattering.
Like the fax machine, cell phone, home computers and the internet, blogs are not a fad. The future is here and it involves blogging.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Bloggedy Blog Blawg – Part One
By Thom Singer
“Do you Blog?”
This seems to be the new question that is popping up in business and social circles around town, across the country and throughout the world. A year ago almost nobody, except those who were really hip, had heard of blogs, and now they are one of the hottest topics on the internet.
What is a blog? A blog is a reverse-chronological log that is hosted on the web, or also called a weblog (blog for short). It can be either formal presentation or a random connection of thoughts. It can have posts from one author or many. There can be open commenting from the general public, or strictly just snippets from the blog’s owner. Individuals, companies and political pendants now have blogs, as they are a very easy tool with which to communicate to a wide audience via the web.
Before the 2004 presidential campaign I had never heard of blogs (I guess I am admitting that I am just not terribly hip). During the campaign both Republican and Democrat supporters began to break news (and some fake or fabricated news) on blogs. A lot of information on the Swift Boat Veterans issue and the CBS Memogate stories were put into the public domain, not by the established news media, but rather by the bloggers. For better or worse, these blogs on both sides of the political isle were widely read and they themselves were one of the big stories of the 2004 election.
Following the November elections, the term blog (or is it “blawg”?) has started to become a household term. I would regularly hear people talking about friends who were “blogging” their vacation, or corporate CEO’s who interacted daily with customers via the “company blog”. In March I attended a marketing seminar on blogging. At the start of the program they surveyed the audience about blogs, and most participants, like myself, had never read or written a blog.
That was when I decided I wanted to figure out why someone would blog in the first place. Since I am a frustrated wanna-be writer, I decided to give blogging a try. I am releasing my first book this summer, Some Assembly Required: How to Make, Grow and Keep Your Business Relationships, and decided that if nothing else, a blog was a good way to help search engines, like Yahoo! and Google, find my website. With this in mind, I decide to make the topic of my book, networking and business development, the theme of my blog.
Thus The Business Development / Networking Blog was born in March of 2005.
Since my book was not due out for another four months, and because the blog was just and experiment, I decided to keep it a secret. I wasn’t looking for any publicity, nor did I care if anyone read my posts. This was just an exercise in regularly writing articles on a topic that I know something about. The benefit was that linking my articles to my book’s website, it quickly succeeded in the goal of helping the search engines find the book’s main page.
But then it got interesting. The more I researched how the blogosphere operated (blogosphere being the cyber world of those who blog), the more I realized that there is a whole blogging community. I discovered that one of the things bloggers do is to create links from their page to the pages of other blogs that they respect and read. I had uncovered many other business, marketing and sales oriented blogs that I began visiting, and linked to these pages from my blog. I also installed a piece of software counted how many people visited my blog. At first there was just one per day, and that was me. But then I started noticing the count was rising. Through my participation in the blogosphere, people were finding my blog and reading my posts. A couple of bloggers would quote my posts and link to my page. I started to receive emails from people who praised my work and then people I did not know began to pre-order my book.
There now appears to be a few regular readers of The Business Development / Networking Blog. I was at a cocktail party recently and was introduced to a local entrepreneur who, upon hearing my name, stated; “Oh, I read your blog!”. Wow. I will admit, that was a very flattering.
Like the fax machine, cell phone, home computers and the internet, blogs are not a fad. The future is here and it involves blogging.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Monday, June 27, 2005
Go To The Orchard And Pick Your Customers....Not.
On page 25 of the current issue of Fast Company Magazine (July 2005) you will find a very interesting essay titled "Customers Don't Grow on Trees", by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers. These two seasoned business consultants and authors know a thing or two about customer service, and they have a new book: "Return on Customer: Creating Maximum Value From Your Scarcest Resource" (Currency Books). Their article is an important reminder of how businesses need to place a higher value on their current clients.
Customers are the only reason you build factories, hire employees, schedule meetings, lay fiber-optic lines, or engage in any business activity. Without customers you don't have a business.
But how often do we forget this in our quest to get the sale and hit the numbers for the quarter?
Peppers and Rogers suggest that companies should focus on the ROC (Return on Customer) rather than the ROI (Return on Investment). By doing this you will not only be able to focus on the need for current revenues, but also guard yourself for future income. Too much attention to what YOU need NOW can weaken your bond with your customer. In the end, if the customer feels that your company is putting too much attention on its own short term goals, they will eventually take their business elsewhere.
They conclude the essay by reminding the reader that customers are not an unlimited resource. Getting customers can be harder than raising money, but if you cultivate your relationships with your customers then you will have an source of capital. Thus, focus on your customers instead of your bankers and venture capitalists and you will be more likely to succeed.
(****"Return on Customers" is a registered service mark of the Peppers & Rogers Group).
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Customers are the only reason you build factories, hire employees, schedule meetings, lay fiber-optic lines, or engage in any business activity. Without customers you don't have a business.
But how often do we forget this in our quest to get the sale and hit the numbers for the quarter?
Peppers and Rogers suggest that companies should focus on the ROC (Return on Customer) rather than the ROI (Return on Investment). By doing this you will not only be able to focus on the need for current revenues, but also guard yourself for future income. Too much attention to what YOU need NOW can weaken your bond with your customer. In the end, if the customer feels that your company is putting too much attention on its own short term goals, they will eventually take their business elsewhere.
They conclude the essay by reminding the reader that customers are not an unlimited resource. Getting customers can be harder than raising money, but if you cultivate your relationships with your customers then you will have an source of capital. Thus, focus on your customers instead of your bankers and venture capitalists and you will be more likely to succeed.
(****"Return on Customers" is a registered service mark of the Peppers & Rogers Group).
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Weekend Blog 3
The weekend blog is an "off-topic" section where I can comment on any subject.
"Where A Kid Can Be A Kid"
The Chuck E Cheese Restaurant was obviously founded by a marketing genius. My kids love this place. Really, they cannot get enough of the pizza, the games, the indoor play ground and the live show. The motto of the restaurant is: "where a kid can be a kid",...and is well known to many in the USA from their widely run TV commercials, and it rings true to anyone who has ever been inside a Chuck E Cheese!!
However, the second half of the motto should be "where and adult can lose his mind". This place makes me crazy. And not for the reasons you might think.... it is not the loud cheery music, screaming brats, or grown-ups dressed up in furry animal costumes.
This is an establishment that kids are begging to go and all the parents cannot stand the taste of the food. Granted, I am sure the business plan is to save as much as they can on the ingredients in the pizza, so I will let it slide that the pizza tastes like greasy cardboard. However, they have some other items on the menu for adults (for which they charge a premium price), including sandwiches and a salad bar, .... and none of it has any flavor. I have tried it all, and I have quit eating anything they have to offer.
Also, they did away with the kids meal (at least at my local CEC). I used to be able to take my daughter in for a little pizza and a soft drink for under $4. Then I could give her a few more dollars for games and rides, and it was win-win situation (she had fun, and I did not spend a ton of money). Now the food alone is around ten bucks (and I am not eating any of the slop). We used to go there often, now it is a rare occasion. Thus less money is going from my wallet to Mr. Cheese.
If I ran CEC I would upgrade the food for the adults. The experience is already delightful for the kids. If they had entrees that one could actually enjoy it would make parents bring their kids in more often. I am not suggesting that they go upscale (I mean, come on, it is still Chuck E Cheese)..... but I have been to a lot of pizza joints that have reasonably priced food that tastes good.
But with all that said, what they don't have in the culinary arts, they make up for in their marketing skills, because when I take my kids there today (oh yes, I am going there today!!!), the parking lot will be packed. So what do I know, maybe it is not about the food.
Well, that is my rant for the Weekend Blog.
Oh, a side note, my three year old daughter loves everything about Chuck E Cheese except for the guy in the mouse costume. Anytime the character walks around the restaurant meeting the kids, she cries and screams "GO AWAY, RAT!!!!". Now that makes me laugh.
Have a great weekend.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
"Where A Kid Can Be A Kid"
The Chuck E Cheese Restaurant was obviously founded by a marketing genius. My kids love this place. Really, they cannot get enough of the pizza, the games, the indoor play ground and the live show. The motto of the restaurant is: "where a kid can be a kid",...and is well known to many in the USA from their widely run TV commercials, and it rings true to anyone who has ever been inside a Chuck E Cheese!!
However, the second half of the motto should be "where and adult can lose his mind". This place makes me crazy. And not for the reasons you might think.... it is not the loud cheery music, screaming brats, or grown-ups dressed up in furry animal costumes.
This is an establishment that kids are begging to go and all the parents cannot stand the taste of the food. Granted, I am sure the business plan is to save as much as they can on the ingredients in the pizza, so I will let it slide that the pizza tastes like greasy cardboard. However, they have some other items on the menu for adults (for which they charge a premium price), including sandwiches and a salad bar, .... and none of it has any flavor. I have tried it all, and I have quit eating anything they have to offer.
Also, they did away with the kids meal (at least at my local CEC). I used to be able to take my daughter in for a little pizza and a soft drink for under $4. Then I could give her a few more dollars for games and rides, and it was win-win situation (she had fun, and I did not spend a ton of money). Now the food alone is around ten bucks (and I am not eating any of the slop). We used to go there often, now it is a rare occasion. Thus less money is going from my wallet to Mr. Cheese.
If I ran CEC I would upgrade the food for the adults. The experience is already delightful for the kids. If they had entrees that one could actually enjoy it would make parents bring their kids in more often. I am not suggesting that they go upscale (I mean, come on, it is still Chuck E Cheese)..... but I have been to a lot of pizza joints that have reasonably priced food that tastes good.
But with all that said, what they don't have in the culinary arts, they make up for in their marketing skills, because when I take my kids there today (oh yes, I am going there today!!!), the parking lot will be packed. So what do I know, maybe it is not about the food.
Well, that is my rant for the Weekend Blog.
Oh, a side note, my three year old daughter loves everything about Chuck E Cheese except for the guy in the mouse costume. Anytime the character walks around the restaurant meeting the kids, she cries and screams "GO AWAY, RAT!!!!". Now that makes me laugh.
Have a great weekend.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Friday, June 24, 2005
Believe In Your Product/Believe In Yourself
A post on Tom Kane's Legal Marketing Blog last weekend got me thinking. His post, titled: "Believe in what you are selling" is directed at lawyers (as "legal marketing" is the focus of his blog)....but it is powerfully true for everyone.
If you own a business or are in sales, the lack of commitment to what you are doing can be terminal. A great quote that Kane sites in his blog is from Harry F. Banks: "A salesman minus enthusiasm is just a clerk." Wow. Think about that. Even if you are not in sales, insert any job title in that quote and it is still as powerful.
You have to have passion about what you are doing or you will fail. I know many people who toil along in mediocre careers that just pay the bills. They do not get excited about going to work, nor do they give 100% to succeeding in their chosen vocation. While everyone goes through days or weeks where they feel disconnected from the joy that a thriving career can provide...if this become the normal state of things then I recommend making a change.
I do not necessarily mean changing jobs. A change of attitude can be just as powerful.
To change your attitude is not easy, but you can do it. Focus on what is good about your work situation (come on, there is certainly something good), and do not dwell on the negative. Tell yourself that you are going to go in everyday and find ways to contribute more to your company than you did the day before.
I am a big believer that accomplishment leads to a better attitude. Often we get overwhelmed by the fact that we have so many things to do that we do not see the contributions we are already making. Make "to do" lists daily that show all the tasks that you need to accomplish. Write down all the tasks, not just the big ones or those that are behind schedule. Then cross off the tasks as you complete them. I always find when I do this, that I am getting more done than I had realized and success breeds success (which means I am able to get to more tasks when I feel I have momentum).
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
If you own a business or are in sales, the lack of commitment to what you are doing can be terminal. A great quote that Kane sites in his blog is from Harry F. Banks: "A salesman minus enthusiasm is just a clerk." Wow. Think about that. Even if you are not in sales, insert any job title in that quote and it is still as powerful.
You have to have passion about what you are doing or you will fail. I know many people who toil along in mediocre careers that just pay the bills. They do not get excited about going to work, nor do they give 100% to succeeding in their chosen vocation. While everyone goes through days or weeks where they feel disconnected from the joy that a thriving career can provide...if this become the normal state of things then I recommend making a change.
I do not necessarily mean changing jobs. A change of attitude can be just as powerful.
To change your attitude is not easy, but you can do it. Focus on what is good about your work situation (come on, there is certainly something good), and do not dwell on the negative. Tell yourself that you are going to go in everyday and find ways to contribute more to your company than you did the day before.
I am a big believer that accomplishment leads to a better attitude. Often we get overwhelmed by the fact that we have so many things to do that we do not see the contributions we are already making. Make "to do" lists daily that show all the tasks that you need to accomplish. Write down all the tasks, not just the big ones or those that are behind schedule. Then cross off the tasks as you complete them. I always find when I do this, that I am getting more done than I had realized and success breeds success (which means I am able to get to more tasks when I feel I have momentum).
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Get Over Yourself
You do a great job. You have a great network of highly connected people in your business community. You are praised by your peers for being a peak performer. Now get over yourself!
Often times when someone is very successful in their career they begin to believe their own press. They start to view those they meet as "supporting players" in their life. These individuals are easily annoyed by others who they do not perceive as having their level of knowledge and experience. Their natural instinct is to be rude and dismissive.....and everyone around the knows this is how they operate. Most of the time they do not realize they act in such an unacceptable manner. Other times they might openly acknowledge their behavior,.... not caring how they are viewed by the people around them.
In any conflict, their first reaction is to IMMEDIATELY blame the other person for the disagreement. They would never step back and objectively review the situation. They wont compromise or share the responsibility for the misunderstanding.,,,,and NEVER would they accept the guilt or apologize.
Have you ever encountered a person like this? Have you ever been this person?
Look around at the people with whom you work. Do you constantly ask yourself, "what are these people doing to help me?"....OR do you ponder, "what can I do to help these people, thus helping the whole team to succeed?" If you are waiting for everyone in your life to serve you, then you will be waiting a long time.
Discover ways to assist your co-workers, clients and others. Realize that while you might have achieved high levels of success, that you were not born with all of your knowledge and experience. Most likely someone helped you achieve your accomplishments. If you believe that you made it alone (and if you really believe this, you are probably lying to yourself), you should still find ways to help others. Reach out to those who are "up-and-coming" in their careers, and give them a hand to climb to your level of success.
If you think it is lonely at the top, maybe this is because you have never invited anyone else to join you!!!
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Often times when someone is very successful in their career they begin to believe their own press. They start to view those they meet as "supporting players" in their life. These individuals are easily annoyed by others who they do not perceive as having their level of knowledge and experience. Their natural instinct is to be rude and dismissive.....and everyone around the knows this is how they operate. Most of the time they do not realize they act in such an unacceptable manner. Other times they might openly acknowledge their behavior,.... not caring how they are viewed by the people around them.
In any conflict, their first reaction is to IMMEDIATELY blame the other person for the disagreement. They would never step back and objectively review the situation. They wont compromise or share the responsibility for the misunderstanding.,,,,and NEVER would they accept the guilt or apologize.
Have you ever encountered a person like this? Have you ever been this person?
Look around at the people with whom you work. Do you constantly ask yourself, "what are these people doing to help me?"....OR do you ponder, "what can I do to help these people, thus helping the whole team to succeed?" If you are waiting for everyone in your life to serve you, then you will be waiting a long time.
Discover ways to assist your co-workers, clients and others. Realize that while you might have achieved high levels of success, that you were not born with all of your knowledge and experience. Most likely someone helped you achieve your accomplishments. If you believe that you made it alone (and if you really believe this, you are probably lying to yourself), you should still find ways to help others. Reach out to those who are "up-and-coming" in their careers, and give them a hand to climb to your level of success.
If you think it is lonely at the top, maybe this is because you have never invited anyone else to join you!!!
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Peak Performers
One of the best business books I have ever read is a 1986 classic written by Charles Garfield; Peak Performers: The New Heroes of American Business. Garfield spent nearly twenty years trying to figure out what causes some people to strive to be the best, while others bask in the glow of mediocrity.
He discovered all types of individuals can become peak performers, and that they are made....not born. Regardless of industry, he uncovered these superheros of the business world in every corner of the United States.
Possessing key attributes, a peak performer will very likely:
He discovered all types of individuals can become peak performers, and that they are made....not born. Regardless of industry, he uncovered these superheros of the business world in every corner of the United States.
Possessing key attributes, a peak performer will very likely:
- Be motivated toward results by a personal mission
- Posses the twin capacities of self-management and team mastery
- Have the ability to correct course and manage change
Every field has those who reach the top. There are those who are in the top 10% and then those who are the top 1%. I am facinated by those who have that "spark". Amazing are the people who are able to work harder (or is it smarter?) and do so without visible signs of effort. They accomplish more than others in the same profession. These people stand out in everything they do.
I have a friend who we have call "Midas". Since college he has had a spectacular career, is able to spot great investments, and helps others build their companies.... the whole time having the ability to maintain a phenominally strong network of business and personal contacts. All that, and he still has a great family life.
How about you? Are you a peak performer?
Feel free to post your comments to this blog on what you believe makes someone a peak performer.
Have a great day.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Networking Makes You Live Longer
My blogosphere friend, Bruce Allen, had an interesting article linked on his Marketing Catalyst Blog last week. The article from Reuters.com was titled "Friends May Be The Key To Living Longer" by Merritt McKinney. It reports on a study out of Australia where they tracked the longevity of older people, and found that those with a larger circle of friends (aka: a network) lived longer than those that did not, over the ten years of the study.
McKinney stated, "What the study showed was that older people who reported better social networks of friends were more likely to be alive at the end of the study than people with fewer friends. Similarly, people who reported strong networks of confidants -- people with whom participants shared a close, confiding relationship -- tended to live longer."
All this talk about "networking" is important after all, and there might be more to it than just building up your career! I have always said that everyone should treat their relationships as if they were an item of great value. It turns out that the fountain of youth....the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow..... the holy grail ....have been with us all along,....like Dorothy and her ruby slippers. The prize is in the people we know.
Your relationships with others are important. Cherish those around you and make it a point to enlarge your circle of close friends. Your life might depend on it.
Click here to read the whole article.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
McKinney stated, "What the study showed was that older people who reported better social networks of friends were more likely to be alive at the end of the study than people with fewer friends. Similarly, people who reported strong networks of confidants -- people with whom participants shared a close, confiding relationship -- tended to live longer."
All this talk about "networking" is important after all, and there might be more to it than just building up your career! I have always said that everyone should treat their relationships as if they were an item of great value. It turns out that the fountain of youth....the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow..... the holy grail ....have been with us all along,....like Dorothy and her ruby slippers. The prize is in the people we know.
Your relationships with others are important. Cherish those around you and make it a point to enlarge your circle of close friends. Your life might depend on it.
Click here to read the whole article.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Weekend Blog 2
The weekend blog was created for off topic content.
Father's Day
Sunday, June 19th is when we celebrate Father's Day in the United States. While I am the father of two daughters (wonderful, smart, delightful girls - I might add) and I am almost forty years old, .... I still do not see Father's Day being about ME. Don't get me wrong, my wife and kids treat me great all year long, and especially on "dad's day"... but Father's Day is about MY DAD!!!
Sadly, I do not get to see my father very often. He lives 2000 miles away, and I only make it to California on rare occasions. Yet the man is so much a part of who I am, that it is like he is inside me all the time. I especially see how much of an impact he has had in shaping my life in the way I raise my own children. Sentences like "Don't run with a stick, you'll poke your eye out" or "STOP....no running by the pool, you'll slip and break your neck" just fly out of my mouth without any warning.
(My brother, Bob, points out that he never knew anyone who lost an eye from a stick or broke their neck by a swimming pool....Yet growing up dad made it sound like a regular occurance that we must actively avoid).
He was older to be my dad. He was almost 52 years old when I was born. He and my mother, who was 40, had three sons who were over ten years old. I do not think they were planning on more kids. My mom used to tell me that they did plan on having me, but dad sometimes refers to me as the "surprise"..... and will add that "surprise" is an "accident" that worked out for the best!!! I do know that they were convinced that their late-life baby would be the daughter they had always wanted. Oh well, I did eventually add the only two granddaughters to the family (the other eight grandchildren are all boys). It took them five days to figure out a boys name, as they had been set on naming me "Nancy".
Having lived in this world since 1914 (He was born 11 years after Kitty Hawk and Los Angeles had a population of 500,000 people...think about that for a minute!), he has a great prospective on life in this country. He has lived all of the history than most of us have only read about. Dad was a soldier in World War II and exemplifies all of the traits of those from "The Greatest Generation". He loves his family and friends, and has lived a life that is a great example to everyone who knows him.
I am very proud to be Al Singer's son. Happy Father's Day, dad.
And Happy Father's Day to everyone who reads this blog and their dads.
Have a great weekend.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Father's Day
Sunday, June 19th is when we celebrate Father's Day in the United States. While I am the father of two daughters (wonderful, smart, delightful girls - I might add) and I am almost forty years old, .... I still do not see Father's Day being about ME. Don't get me wrong, my wife and kids treat me great all year long, and especially on "dad's day"... but Father's Day is about MY DAD!!!
Sadly, I do not get to see my father very often. He lives 2000 miles away, and I only make it to California on rare occasions. Yet the man is so much a part of who I am, that it is like he is inside me all the time. I especially see how much of an impact he has had in shaping my life in the way I raise my own children. Sentences like "Don't run with a stick, you'll poke your eye out" or "STOP....no running by the pool, you'll slip and break your neck" just fly out of my mouth without any warning.
(My brother, Bob, points out that he never knew anyone who lost an eye from a stick or broke their neck by a swimming pool....Yet growing up dad made it sound like a regular occurance that we must actively avoid).
He was older to be my dad. He was almost 52 years old when I was born. He and my mother, who was 40, had three sons who were over ten years old. I do not think they were planning on more kids. My mom used to tell me that they did plan on having me, but dad sometimes refers to me as the "surprise"..... and will add that "surprise" is an "accident" that worked out for the best!!! I do know that they were convinced that their late-life baby would be the daughter they had always wanted. Oh well, I did eventually add the only two granddaughters to the family (the other eight grandchildren are all boys). It took them five days to figure out a boys name, as they had been set on naming me "Nancy".
Having lived in this world since 1914 (He was born 11 years after Kitty Hawk and Los Angeles had a population of 500,000 people...think about that for a minute!), he has a great prospective on life in this country. He has lived all of the history than most of us have only read about. Dad was a soldier in World War II and exemplifies all of the traits of those from "The Greatest Generation". He loves his family and friends, and has lived a life that is a great example to everyone who knows him.
I am very proud to be Al Singer's son. Happy Father's Day, dad.
And Happy Father's Day to everyone who reads this blog and their dads.
Have a great weekend.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Friday, June 17, 2005
We All Scream for Ice Cream
Last night my wife and I attended a local comedy club, with the delightful couple who own the local Kaleidoscoops Ice Cream Shop franchise. They had received some free tickets to the club and had invited along a small group of friends, ...and asked us to join them.
We have become friends with them over the past two years, as having two young daughters, my family can always find a reason to go celebrate an event over an ice cream cone. There are many such events worthy of a special occasion: birthdays, anniversaries, report card day, first day of school, last day of school, ....Tuesday, Thursday!!! I laughed that you know you eat a lot of ice cream when the owners of the shop invite you to join them out on the town!!
But this couple is a perfect example of what makes certain small business people successful. They have a great product (Kaleidoscoops has really good ice cream, especially the chocolate chip mint.... much better than that other ice cream chain), but more importantly they have a great "customer service attitude" and create a true sense of community for those who frequent their store.
Everyone in our neighborhood who knows the establishment will tell you that the ice cream is good, but the proprietors are great. Friendliness to all who comes in the door is standard, but they have an extra special way of making everybody feel special. Especially the children, who is what ice cream parlor's are all about anyway!!! My kids love going there and want to see Bob and Dolores as much as they want to get an ice cream cone (well, almost). They are always excited to see their repeat customers walk in the door and get to know their clientele personally.
Business professionals from companies of all sizes can learn from these ice cream entrepreneurs.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
We have become friends with them over the past two years, as having two young daughters, my family can always find a reason to go celebrate an event over an ice cream cone. There are many such events worthy of a special occasion: birthdays, anniversaries, report card day, first day of school, last day of school, ....Tuesday, Thursday!!! I laughed that you know you eat a lot of ice cream when the owners of the shop invite you to join them out on the town!!
But this couple is a perfect example of what makes certain small business people successful. They have a great product (Kaleidoscoops has really good ice cream, especially the chocolate chip mint.... much better than that other ice cream chain), but more importantly they have a great "customer service attitude" and create a true sense of community for those who frequent their store.
Everyone in our neighborhood who knows the establishment will tell you that the ice cream is good, but the proprietors are great. Friendliness to all who comes in the door is standard, but they have an extra special way of making everybody feel special. Especially the children, who is what ice cream parlor's are all about anyway!!! My kids love going there and want to see Bob and Dolores as much as they want to get an ice cream cone (well, almost). They are always excited to see their repeat customers walk in the door and get to know their clientele personally.
Business professionals from companies of all sizes can learn from these ice cream entrepreneurs.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Buzz and Brand
Author and professional speaker Sam Horn tells a great story about a group of pre-schoolers who are asked to tell their teacher what sounds the barn yard animals make. When she said "cow?", the kids all replied; "Moooooooo". To her inquiry of "sheep?", they cried; "Baaahhhh". And when asked what sound a duck makes, all the children screamed; "AFLAC!". Now that is a great example of creating buzz and building a solid brand. Before that funny duck came through our television screens, none of us had probably ever heard of supplemental insurance.
Creating a recognizable brand is something for which every business and businessperson strives. It makes selling your product much easier if the client already knows and trusts you and/or your company. But it is not an easy task.
I have just finished reading a great new book by author Keith Ferrazzi called Never Eat Alone. Keith is considered one of the world's greatest "networkers".... and has a list of accomplishments which proves that he knows how to turn his extensive roledex into profitable business ventures.
While the book is full of wonderful advice for anyone wishing to create stronger business relationships, my favorite chapter was the one called Broadcast Your Brand (Chapter 24). If you read no other part of this book (and I recommend you read it from cover to cover), this chapter contains of some of Keith's best nuggets of wisdom, that apply to everyone who needs to create buzz for themselves or their company.
Intermingled with great suggestions on promoting your cause, dealing with the media, developing your message.....Keith tells the reader the important truth: if nobody knows how good you are, then you and your company are not attaining the full potential. At the end of the day, nobody will do it for you. You are responsible for creating your own image in the business community.
In 1997 I read a phenomenal piece by Tom Peters in Fast Company Magazine titled: "The Brand Called You". While this was written over eight years ago, it still rings true today for anyone who wants to achieve success in their career. Click Here to link to the article.
Keith's book is available at Amazon.com and do not forget to read his blog.
Have a great day
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Creating a recognizable brand is something for which every business and businessperson strives. It makes selling your product much easier if the client already knows and trusts you and/or your company. But it is not an easy task.
I have just finished reading a great new book by author Keith Ferrazzi called Never Eat Alone. Keith is considered one of the world's greatest "networkers".... and has a list of accomplishments which proves that he knows how to turn his extensive roledex into profitable business ventures.
While the book is full of wonderful advice for anyone wishing to create stronger business relationships, my favorite chapter was the one called Broadcast Your Brand (Chapter 24). If you read no other part of this book (and I recommend you read it from cover to cover), this chapter contains of some of Keith's best nuggets of wisdom, that apply to everyone who needs to create buzz for themselves or their company.
Intermingled with great suggestions on promoting your cause, dealing with the media, developing your message.....Keith tells the reader the important truth: if nobody knows how good you are, then you and your company are not attaining the full potential. At the end of the day, nobody will do it for you. You are responsible for creating your own image in the business community.
In 1997 I read a phenomenal piece by Tom Peters in Fast Company Magazine titled: "The Brand Called You". While this was written over eight years ago, it still rings true today for anyone who wants to achieve success in their career. Click Here to link to the article.
Keith's book is available at Amazon.com and do not forget to read his blog.
Have a great day
Thom Singer
thom@thomsinger.com
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Don't Let The Bad Guys Get You Down
Inevitably when you know a lot of people in your business or personal life, somebody will let you down. Probably more than just one person. I am a big believer in the power of networking and building mutually beneficial relationships with lots of people, but with that will come some disappointments. There will always be individuals who are naysayers, critics and those that just suck the joy and enthusiasm out of the room.
A friend of mine was recently upset by the fact that too many people in her network were "takers" and not "givers". She herself works hard to reach out to everyone she knows and constantly helps others in business and personal situations. She had always believed that if you do for others, then others will instinctively reach out to provide you with the same level of support. But recently she noticed that there were many people who not only would take her friendship, but then do nothing to return it.
I think this is common. I wish that the whole world embraced the concept of selflessness, but throughout human history there are countless examples, large and small, of just the opposite. I am reminded of the movie Pay it Forward where each person did a good dead for someone else in the world with the only request they they "pay it forward",... meaning the recipient someday do a miraculous favor for another person. Eventually that good deed would come back to the person who started the chain. The problem is that this only works if EVERYONE reciprocates. Everybody has to "pay it forward" or the chain of good deeds dies. The problem is that that too many people are selfish. Sometimes on purpose, other times simply because they get caught up in their own issues or mistakenly inflate their own level of self-importance.
I thought a lot about my friend's situation. She is a selfless person, and by no means expects people to reciprocate, .... but as human beings, we all have emotions and feelings. In addition to these feelings, we also can have expectations of others that are too high. I am not saying that you should not hold people accountable for their actions, but rather realize that people may be dealing with personal problems that they do not share publicly, thus not allowing us to fully understand what motivates their actions.
I have had many people who have disappointed me throughout my lifetime. But I have many other relationships with people who are amazing friends, co-worker and mentors. If I was to put everyone I have ever met onto some kind of "cosmic scale", the positive experiences would so greatly outweigh the negative ones that the scale would tip over.
My father always told me not to let the bad guys get me down. He has a wonderful way of looking at the world and at society. He instinctively saw that those who cut you off in traffic or are rude in restaurants have their own problems. He always told me to focus on the good in my life and don't spend too much time worrying about the rest. Do I still get angry when I am treated poorly? Absolutely. But I know that my true friends and respected colleagues are the antidote to those who would try to bring me down.
Have a great day
Thom Singer
A friend of mine was recently upset by the fact that too many people in her network were "takers" and not "givers". She herself works hard to reach out to everyone she knows and constantly helps others in business and personal situations. She had always believed that if you do for others, then others will instinctively reach out to provide you with the same level of support. But recently she noticed that there were many people who not only would take her friendship, but then do nothing to return it.
I think this is common. I wish that the whole world embraced the concept of selflessness, but throughout human history there are countless examples, large and small, of just the opposite. I am reminded of the movie Pay it Forward where each person did a good dead for someone else in the world with the only request they they "pay it forward",... meaning the recipient someday do a miraculous favor for another person. Eventually that good deed would come back to the person who started the chain. The problem is that this only works if EVERYONE reciprocates. Everybody has to "pay it forward" or the chain of good deeds dies. The problem is that that too many people are selfish. Sometimes on purpose, other times simply because they get caught up in their own issues or mistakenly inflate their own level of self-importance.
I thought a lot about my friend's situation. She is a selfless person, and by no means expects people to reciprocate, .... but as human beings, we all have emotions and feelings. In addition to these feelings, we also can have expectations of others that are too high. I am not saying that you should not hold people accountable for their actions, but rather realize that people may be dealing with personal problems that they do not share publicly, thus not allowing us to fully understand what motivates their actions.
I have had many people who have disappointed me throughout my lifetime. But I have many other relationships with people who are amazing friends, co-worker and mentors. If I was to put everyone I have ever met onto some kind of "cosmic scale", the positive experiences would so greatly outweigh the negative ones that the scale would tip over.
My father always told me not to let the bad guys get me down. He has a wonderful way of looking at the world and at society. He instinctively saw that those who cut you off in traffic or are rude in restaurants have their own problems. He always told me to focus on the good in my life and don't spend too much time worrying about the rest. Do I still get angry when I am treated poorly? Absolutely. But I know that my true friends and respected colleagues are the antidote to those who would try to bring me down.
Have a great day
Thom Singer
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
How to Reach a Niche Market
As everyone in marketing knows, being able to get your ad seen is easy... but having it seen by the right people is a whole other story. Too often companies buy ads without having really thought about who is their target market. They just market to market.... without any forethought about the results they are seeking. They get caugh up in having to take advantage of the opportunity at hand, and throw large sums of money at advertising that never produces results. If questioned about the lackluster performance of their marketing efforts, they call it "branding".
Harry Joiner, who has a great blog called "Proven Ways To Get New Customers", had a good post the other day that explains this in an amusing way. Click Here to read his post.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
Harry Joiner, who has a great blog called "Proven Ways To Get New Customers", had a good post the other day that explains this in an amusing way. Click Here to read his post.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
Monday, June 13, 2005
Networking for Networkers
The other night I was fortunate to attend the book release party for my friend Steve Harper's book, The Ripple Effect. The book, as I have mentioned in a previous post, is about the importance of building strong personal relationships, helping others, and changing the world. If this launch party was any indication, the book is well on it's way to achieving these goals.
Over 100 people who know and respect Steve Harper came out to buy the book, support the author and network with other cool people from the local business community. It was an eclectic gathering, and everyone there understood the power of networking and how relationships with other people can be incredibly beneficial. While I did not know many of those in the room, it availed me the opportunity to meet many fascinating new people. It was a room a-buzz with networking. Steve instinctively knew how to bring networker together for networking.
One of Steve's mantras is that if you throw a stone into the water...the ripples you create will cross the whole pond. One is not even aware when the ripples begin, just where they will end up. I think that there were many connections made at this event, and only time will tell how those people will effect each others lives.
Congratulations to The Ripple Effect. And don't forget to read Steve's Blog.
Have a Great Day
Thom Singer
Over 100 people who know and respect Steve Harper came out to buy the book, support the author and network with other cool people from the local business community. It was an eclectic gathering, and everyone there understood the power of networking and how relationships with other people can be incredibly beneficial. While I did not know many of those in the room, it availed me the opportunity to meet many fascinating new people. It was a room a-buzz with networking. Steve instinctively knew how to bring networker together for networking.
One of Steve's mantras is that if you throw a stone into the water...the ripples you create will cross the whole pond. One is not even aware when the ripples begin, just where they will end up. I think that there were many connections made at this event, and only time will tell how those people will effect each others lives.
Congratulations to The Ripple Effect. And don't forget to read Steve's Blog.
Have a Great Day
Thom Singer
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Weekend Blog
I thought I would try something new with the blog on the weekends. As the blog has been evolving (and actually attracting readers), I am attempting to provide some useful content and links for readers who have a desire to learn more about networking, business development, marketing, PR, etc.... However, I thought on the weekends I might try to have an "Open House." Just some random posts. So what the heck, I am giving it a try. Please feel free to let me know what you think of the idea and the off topic posts. You can email me or post a comment.
The Best Cookbook In The World
Yes, my first random post of the weekend blog is a blatant commercial for my wife's cookbook: The Mad At Martha Cookbook. Sara and her friend, Kelsey, released this book two years ago. At the time I gained 15 pounds, because I had to sample all 150 recipes in the book. Thus, I can tell you first hand, that the food one can make from this cookbook is delicious.
The premise of the book is that certain food shows and magazines make cooking a gourmet meal an intimidating task. Many men and women would rather cater or serve pre-packaged foods than undertake some of the culinary marvels that they are told they need to create in order to be successful in the kitchen. This book tells you that cooking should be fun and easy. You should not have to grow your own basil or blow your own glassware to properly serve dinner. They make it easy. Every ingredient can be found at a regular supermarket....you do not have to go to some random specialty store in New England to buy anything for these creations.
And the best part, anyone can follow the easy steps to make these foods. Some are very simple, others a bit more complicated....but they tell you in advance how much prep time and cook time you should expect.
My favorite recipes? The Cranberry Chicken, The Fudge (It is my sister-in-law, Yvette's recipe...and it is so good that I feel sorry for all other fudge), and Thom's Chicken Enchiladas (Yes, I made up that recipe....so I have to like it....but others say it is good too!!!)
You can buy the book through Barnes & Noble or at www.madatmartha.com. Oh, and it makes a GREAT GIFT !!!!
Have a fun weekend.
Thom Singer
The Best Cookbook In The World
Yes, my first random post of the weekend blog is a blatant commercial for my wife's cookbook: The Mad At Martha Cookbook. Sara and her friend, Kelsey, released this book two years ago. At the time I gained 15 pounds, because I had to sample all 150 recipes in the book. Thus, I can tell you first hand, that the food one can make from this cookbook is delicious.
The premise of the book is that certain food shows and magazines make cooking a gourmet meal an intimidating task. Many men and women would rather cater or serve pre-packaged foods than undertake some of the culinary marvels that they are told they need to create in order to be successful in the kitchen. This book tells you that cooking should be fun and easy. You should not have to grow your own basil or blow your own glassware to properly serve dinner. They make it easy. Every ingredient can be found at a regular supermarket....you do not have to go to some random specialty store in New England to buy anything for these creations.
And the best part, anyone can follow the easy steps to make these foods. Some are very simple, others a bit more complicated....but they tell you in advance how much prep time and cook time you should expect.
My favorite recipes? The Cranberry Chicken, The Fudge (It is my sister-in-law, Yvette's recipe...and it is so good that I feel sorry for all other fudge), and Thom's Chicken Enchiladas (Yes, I made up that recipe....so I have to like it....but others say it is good too!!!)
You can buy the book through Barnes & Noble or at www.madatmartha.com. Oh, and it makes a GREAT GIFT !!!!
Have a fun weekend.
Thom Singer
Friday, June 10, 2005
Events to Remember
When you are planning a corporate event, try to make it unique. I say this because I am often invited to attend seminars and cocktail parties that could easily be mistaken for any other event in the business community. It seems as though companies want to reach out to clients and prospects and have them attend their sponsored events, but they do not want to push the envelope by creating an event like no other. It is risky to host an event that is different, but the pay off can be huge.
I have two examples of event I have hosted for clients and prospects that I would like to share with you. Both of these took place over four years ago, and yet those who attended still talk about these gatherings. I do not recommend that you copy these events (as that would not make them unique, but rather just another copy-cat party), but rather, let the stories inspire you to come up with your own one-of-a-kind client parties.
A Little Wine. Several years ago my co-workers and I decided to host a VIP reception to say "thank you" to all of our clients. We had the local office open for one year, and wanted to create a special event to honor those who had done business with our company. Rather than simply host a dinner, we created a wine tasting event at a local "hot spot". At the time, Sullivan's Steakhouse was (and still is) a top place for business dinners. On any given night the "whose-who" of the business community in Austin, Texas could be found dining on some very good steaks. We rented the largest private room and enlisted the assistance of the restaurants sommelier to create a memorable experience for our guests. We had room for eighty people, so we invited only one or two executives (and their spouses) from each client we had worked with during the previous year. The sommelier selected six phenominal wines to sample, but he also delivered a great presentation on how to order wine at a business dinner. The food was superb, and the wine amazing, but having one of the city's top wine experts spend an hour with our guests made it unique and memorable.
At the end of the evening, each couple was able to select a bottle of one of the wines they had sampled in an beautiful wine bag to take home. Five years later I still hear compliments about that evening from people who attended. It was a true "stand-out" event.
Whose on First? The other event I would like to share with you was a trip to a baseball game. While taking clients and prospects to major league sporting events is not unique (large and small companies spend tens of thousands of dollars on box seats and luxury sky boxes every year), this outing to the ballpark had a bit of a twist. First, Austin does not have a major league sports team (well, the University of Texas certainly counts in the minds of Longhorn fans around the world). However, we do have a few minor league teams in a variety of sports. I purchased a block of thirty tickets to a Round Rock Express baseball game and invited my clients, and others in my network, who had four-year-old children to be my guest at the Dell Diamond. My own daughter had just turned four, and I knew that the minor league teams put a big focus on other events in the stadium that make it a true family venue. Fourteen busy, career focused men had a great time taking their kids to the game. For many of the children it was their first professional baseball game. The wife of one of my clients shared with me later that while she herself had been invited along to many business events, her son Nicholas had never before been invited to join his dad at a networking function. For the record, NO....I did not have my daughter handing my business card to the other children!!!
If you want to stand out from your competition, look for unique ways to reach out to your clients and prospects. Be creative, have fun, and host events that are remembered forever.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
I have two examples of event I have hosted for clients and prospects that I would like to share with you. Both of these took place over four years ago, and yet those who attended still talk about these gatherings. I do not recommend that you copy these events (as that would not make them unique, but rather just another copy-cat party), but rather, let the stories inspire you to come up with your own one-of-a-kind client parties.
A Little Wine. Several years ago my co-workers and I decided to host a VIP reception to say "thank you" to all of our clients. We had the local office open for one year, and wanted to create a special event to honor those who had done business with our company. Rather than simply host a dinner, we created a wine tasting event at a local "hot spot". At the time, Sullivan's Steakhouse was (and still is) a top place for business dinners. On any given night the "whose-who" of the business community in Austin, Texas could be found dining on some very good steaks. We rented the largest private room and enlisted the assistance of the restaurants sommelier to create a memorable experience for our guests. We had room for eighty people, so we invited only one or two executives (and their spouses) from each client we had worked with during the previous year. The sommelier selected six phenominal wines to sample, but he also delivered a great presentation on how to order wine at a business dinner. The food was superb, and the wine amazing, but having one of the city's top wine experts spend an hour with our guests made it unique and memorable.
At the end of the evening, each couple was able to select a bottle of one of the wines they had sampled in an beautiful wine bag to take home. Five years later I still hear compliments about that evening from people who attended. It was a true "stand-out" event.
Whose on First? The other event I would like to share with you was a trip to a baseball game. While taking clients and prospects to major league sporting events is not unique (large and small companies spend tens of thousands of dollars on box seats and luxury sky boxes every year), this outing to the ballpark had a bit of a twist. First, Austin does not have a major league sports team (well, the University of Texas certainly counts in the minds of Longhorn fans around the world). However, we do have a few minor league teams in a variety of sports. I purchased a block of thirty tickets to a Round Rock Express baseball game and invited my clients, and others in my network, who had four-year-old children to be my guest at the Dell Diamond. My own daughter had just turned four, and I knew that the minor league teams put a big focus on other events in the stadium that make it a true family venue. Fourteen busy, career focused men had a great time taking their kids to the game. For many of the children it was their first professional baseball game. The wife of one of my clients shared with me later that while she herself had been invited along to many business events, her son Nicholas had never before been invited to join his dad at a networking function. For the record, NO....I did not have my daughter handing my business card to the other children!!!
If you want to stand out from your competition, look for unique ways to reach out to your clients and prospects. Be creative, have fun, and host events that are remembered forever.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Do You Have A Peer Group
If you want to advance in the business world, one of the best ways to do this is to surround yourself with other people who are ambitious, connected, smart and want to help you achieve your goals. There are many names for a formal peer group, the most common being "A Mastermind Group", but whatever you call it..... there is no substitute for having a group to turn to when you are faced with making tough decisions in your career.
Eight years ago I helped form such a group. Originally there were seven members. We met twice a month, once for breakfast, the second time for happy hour. The purpose of the group was to build a team of advisors that each member could turn to for advice and support in our quest to advance our careers. We met regularly for one year. Everyone in the group saw the benefit of the association, but then a few members left the group (for various reasons). The second year there were four who remained. The four of us continued to meet for the next three years. Every member achieved great successes during that a time.
While we no longer meet regularly (one member moved away, the other left the business world to become a writer and musician), we are all still great friends who continuously turn to each other for all kinds of advice in our business and personal lives.
If you are interested in forming a business peer group, here are the steps that you should follow:
1. Find a group of five to seven like minded business peers who are not your competitors. You are not necessarily looking for your current friends. I suggest starting with one or two people you know, then each of you invite another person who is unknown to the others.
2. Establish a regular meeting time and place, I recommend twice a month at first so that you can forge deep relationships. Meeting only once a month will make it take longer to build trust and understanding with the whole group. Have everyone agree to attend regularly for one year. At the end of that year everyone can reassess if it is worth their time.
3. Commit to confidentiality among the members of the group. What is said in the peer group stays in the peer group.
4. In the beginning let each member talk about themselves and their business for a few minutes at every meeting. Once everyone knows each other's situation and aspirations, then you can allow whole meetings to be focused on one member.
5. Look for ways to help the other members of your group succeed. Do not focus on what they can do for you. The more you try to help them, the more they will return the favors.
If done correctly, this group will become like your personal board of advisors, and can help you achieve more in your career than you had ever expected. The results that can come from the power of a strong network will amaze you.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
PS- We are making the final edits on my book: "Some Assembly Required: How to Make, Grow and Keep Your Business Relationships" this weekend and will be sending the manuscript to be typeset next week. It should be off the press by late July. You can pre-order the book at www.thomsinger.com
Eight years ago I helped form such a group. Originally there were seven members. We met twice a month, once for breakfast, the second time for happy hour. The purpose of the group was to build a team of advisors that each member could turn to for advice and support in our quest to advance our careers. We met regularly for one year. Everyone in the group saw the benefit of the association, but then a few members left the group (for various reasons). The second year there were four who remained. The four of us continued to meet for the next three years. Every member achieved great successes during that a time.
While we no longer meet regularly (one member moved away, the other left the business world to become a writer and musician), we are all still great friends who continuously turn to each other for all kinds of advice in our business and personal lives.
If you are interested in forming a business peer group, here are the steps that you should follow:
1. Find a group of five to seven like minded business peers who are not your competitors. You are not necessarily looking for your current friends. I suggest starting with one or two people you know, then each of you invite another person who is unknown to the others.
2. Establish a regular meeting time and place, I recommend twice a month at first so that you can forge deep relationships. Meeting only once a month will make it take longer to build trust and understanding with the whole group. Have everyone agree to attend regularly for one year. At the end of that year everyone can reassess if it is worth their time.
3. Commit to confidentiality among the members of the group. What is said in the peer group stays in the peer group.
4. In the beginning let each member talk about themselves and their business for a few minutes at every meeting. Once everyone knows each other's situation and aspirations, then you can allow whole meetings to be focused on one member.
5. Look for ways to help the other members of your group succeed. Do not focus on what they can do for you. The more you try to help them, the more they will return the favors.
If done correctly, this group will become like your personal board of advisors, and can help you achieve more in your career than you had ever expected. The results that can come from the power of a strong network will amaze you.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
PS- We are making the final edits on my book: "Some Assembly Required: How to Make, Grow and Keep Your Business Relationships" this weekend and will be sending the manuscript to be typeset next week. It should be off the press by late July. You can pre-order the book at www.thomsinger.com
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Engage Your Marketing Team
How good is your marketing team? Do you even know what they do on a daily basis? If you are fortunate enough to work for a firm that employs a professional marketing staff, do you regularly spend time with them and engage their talents to help market your practice? Many law firms, accounting firms and other professional service companies now have marketers on staff to help promote and protect the image of the firm, however, not all the fee earners know how to get the most out of these great resources.
Twenty years ago many firms did not have marketing departments. Over the past two decades, marketing and business development professionals have found there way, to varying degrees, to important roles inside these firms. However,they are still under-utilized and not properly respected by many of the professionals whom they serve.
I spent three years as the marketing manager inside two large law firms. I was amazed at how some partners and senior associates viewed my role as a trusted advisor and important member of their team, while others seemed to look at me as a necessary evil. One day I met a senior partner at a rival firm who told me that the fact my role even existed inside a law firm made him sick (his firm also had a professional marketing staff). He said he favored the days when law was a "profession" and not a competitive business, and that he did everything he could to avoid his firm's marketing manager. I think this is very short sighted.
Another lawyer I worked for had a nickname for me: "Cost Center", since my salary and marketing budget was an expense, and I did not bill hours or directly create revenue. While he and I worked closely together, and the nickname was just a joke between friends, it is not uncommon for many professionals to honestly feel this way about their firm's marketing staff.
How about you? Do you avoid your marketing department or use them as a valuable tool to help further your career? How much time have you spent getting to know them, and understanding their background and learning what special skills they many have that you can tap to grow your business?
Here are three tips to help you get the most from your marketing staff:
1. Get to know them. If you have never been to lunch with your marketing team, then you need to remedy this situation. You would be surprised how helpful these people can be to help you get quoted in article, speaking engagements, etc..., but like all humans, they are going to give these opportunities to the people they know best. As a partner in your firm you may believe that the responsibility is theirs to get to know you, but you have it backwards. If you want the support staff to truly support you, you need to reach out to them and build a professional relationship like you would with a client or prospect. Too many senior professionals get caught up in the hierarchy. Some partners will only go to lunch with other senior partners. Get over yourself. The partners that I have seen who work closely with the marketing staff usually are the ones who seem to do the best at business development. Coincidence? Hmmmmmm.
2. ALWAYS treat everyone with respect. I have seen too many partners lose their tempers and treat staff in a disrespectful manner. It is not in your best interest to have the marketing team think you are a jerk. It is very hard to sell a product you do not like. Think about it, they have the power to help promote YOU....if they hate you, they wont do it. While it is very easy in a professional services firm to think that only the fee earners are important to the success of the practice, this is not the reality. Everyone on the team contributes.
3. Help them grow in their career. Too many times we prejudge people and decide in advance the level of their capabilities. Work with them to help them on tasks that are beyond their level of expertise and allow them to develop new skills. I worked for one manager who would assign me projects that we both knew I had never done before. He would acknowledge that we both knew this was a stretch for me, but would assure me that he was confident I was capable, and he would offer to assist me with it at any time. Through these experiences, I was able to grow, but more importantly, I developed amazing respect for my boss....and I would do work extra hours to help him promote his practice.
Do not waste the resource of you firm's professional marketing staff. Reach out to them and make them your partner in success.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Twenty years ago many firms did not have marketing departments. Over the past two decades, marketing and business development professionals have found there way, to varying degrees, to important roles inside these firms. However,they are still under-utilized and not properly respected by many of the professionals whom they serve.
I spent three years as the marketing manager inside two large law firms. I was amazed at how some partners and senior associates viewed my role as a trusted advisor and important member of their team, while others seemed to look at me as a necessary evil. One day I met a senior partner at a rival firm who told me that the fact my role even existed inside a law firm made him sick (his firm also had a professional marketing staff). He said he favored the days when law was a "profession" and not a competitive business, and that he did everything he could to avoid his firm's marketing manager. I think this is very short sighted.
Another lawyer I worked for had a nickname for me: "Cost Center", since my salary and marketing budget was an expense, and I did not bill hours or directly create revenue. While he and I worked closely together, and the nickname was just a joke between friends, it is not uncommon for many professionals to honestly feel this way about their firm's marketing staff.
How about you? Do you avoid your marketing department or use them as a valuable tool to help further your career? How much time have you spent getting to know them, and understanding their background and learning what special skills they many have that you can tap to grow your business?
Here are three tips to help you get the most from your marketing staff:
1. Get to know them. If you have never been to lunch with your marketing team, then you need to remedy this situation. You would be surprised how helpful these people can be to help you get quoted in article, speaking engagements, etc..., but like all humans, they are going to give these opportunities to the people they know best. As a partner in your firm you may believe that the responsibility is theirs to get to know you, but you have it backwards. If you want the support staff to truly support you, you need to reach out to them and build a professional relationship like you would with a client or prospect. Too many senior professionals get caught up in the hierarchy. Some partners will only go to lunch with other senior partners. Get over yourself. The partners that I have seen who work closely with the marketing staff usually are the ones who seem to do the best at business development. Coincidence? Hmmmmmm.
2. ALWAYS treat everyone with respect. I have seen too many partners lose their tempers and treat staff in a disrespectful manner. It is not in your best interest to have the marketing team think you are a jerk. It is very hard to sell a product you do not like. Think about it, they have the power to help promote YOU....if they hate you, they wont do it. While it is very easy in a professional services firm to think that only the fee earners are important to the success of the practice, this is not the reality. Everyone on the team contributes.
3. Help them grow in their career. Too many times we prejudge people and decide in advance the level of their capabilities. Work with them to help them on tasks that are beyond their level of expertise and allow them to develop new skills. I worked for one manager who would assign me projects that we both knew I had never done before. He would acknowledge that we both knew this was a stretch for me, but would assure me that he was confident I was capable, and he would offer to assist me with it at any time. Through these experiences, I was able to grow, but more importantly, I developed amazing respect for my boss....and I would do work extra hours to help him promote his practice.
Do not waste the resource of you firm's professional marketing staff. Reach out to them and make them your partner in success.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Why Network?
Why should any person dedicate the time necessary to create a business network? Many professionals believe that it is not necessary to build personal connections with others, they mistakenly think that if they just do a good job, people will line up to do buy their product or service. One law firm I know actually bragged publicly about being the "best kept secret in the legal field." A senior partner once told me that while his firm was an Am Law 100 firm (which is a listing of the 100 largest law firms in the United States), that they did not believe in advertising or other forms of PR that would raise their visibility. He was strongly convinced that the credibility of the individual lawyers was all that was necessary. He went on to tell me that clients are sophisticated and do not like law firms that promote themselves. He would have even eliminated the firm website. While that might have worked in 1955, that is not a smart way to do business today. If you think that you are succeeding by being a "secret", imagine how much better you would do if prospects who needed to purchase your product actually knew about your existence.
Below are five reasons why everyone should network:
Your career requires you to develop new business. No matter what your role in your company, it is your responsibility to help promote the image and visibility of the firm. To relax and hope that someone else will do it for you could mean that you will eventually be looking for a new job. If you work in a professional services firm, then you must take finding your own clients into your own hands, even if you are not currently being encouraged to do so. Those with strong client relationships are never the ones who get the pink slip in rough times.
People do business with people they know and like. Although it is true that buyers use logic when researching potential vendors, they make decisions based on their gut feelings. Everyone claims to deliver great service (do you have a competitor who claims to suck?), and the prospects can often not tell the difference. An good example is to think about when you are looking at a tall building in New York City. While standing on the sidewalk, they all look very tall. If you are not up in a helicopter, then you may never know which on is actually taller. When a buyer cannot tell which company is "better"....they will always buy from the person they like more.
Knowing others makes the tough questions easier to answer. If you have a large network of business people, then if you get asked a question that is outside of your area of specialty, you can still provide value to your client. If you do not know the answer, you can lie (bad idea), tell the person asking that his inquiry is out of your field (which provides no value), or you can tell them that you personally do not know the answer, but that you can put them in touch with someone who is an expert in that area (thus positioning yourself as a resource).
It strengthens the visibility of your business. Going out into the business community and networking helps promote the visibility of your company, and makes people think of your product or service when a need arises. If your friend was a jeweler and you got engaged, whom would you turn to for a ring (hopefully you said your friend and not a stranger at the mall).
It helps you further your career . In today's business climate, you never know when you could find yourself out of a job. All kinds of companies experience lay-offs or go out of business (yes, even law firms, accounting firms, hospitals and other "professional" firms). If you have a large network of people who know you and your abilities, your phone will ring. It is much better to have people chasing you when you are in need of a job. Even if you are not out of work, you want to be the person who is considered when a big opportunity arises inside or outside your current company. If nobody knows you, they cannot call you to offer you a new job.
The bottom line is that knowing people will always benefit you and your company. Get out from behind your desk and reach out to others in the business community. Do it today.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Below are five reasons why everyone should network:
Your career requires you to develop new business. No matter what your role in your company, it is your responsibility to help promote the image and visibility of the firm. To relax and hope that someone else will do it for you could mean that you will eventually be looking for a new job. If you work in a professional services firm, then you must take finding your own clients into your own hands, even if you are not currently being encouraged to do so. Those with strong client relationships are never the ones who get the pink slip in rough times.
People do business with people they know and like. Although it is true that buyers use logic when researching potential vendors, they make decisions based on their gut feelings. Everyone claims to deliver great service (do you have a competitor who claims to suck?), and the prospects can often not tell the difference. An good example is to think about when you are looking at a tall building in New York City. While standing on the sidewalk, they all look very tall. If you are not up in a helicopter, then you may never know which on is actually taller. When a buyer cannot tell which company is "better"....they will always buy from the person they like more.
Knowing others makes the tough questions easier to answer. If you have a large network of business people, then if you get asked a question that is outside of your area of specialty, you can still provide value to your client. If you do not know the answer, you can lie (bad idea), tell the person asking that his inquiry is out of your field (which provides no value), or you can tell them that you personally do not know the answer, but that you can put them in touch with someone who is an expert in that area (thus positioning yourself as a resource).
It strengthens the visibility of your business. Going out into the business community and networking helps promote the visibility of your company, and makes people think of your product or service when a need arises. If your friend was a jeweler and you got engaged, whom would you turn to for a ring (hopefully you said your friend and not a stranger at the mall).
It helps you further your career . In today's business climate, you never know when you could find yourself out of a job. All kinds of companies experience lay-offs or go out of business (yes, even law firms, accounting firms, hospitals and other "professional" firms). If you have a large network of people who know you and your abilities, your phone will ring. It is much better to have people chasing you when you are in need of a job. Even if you are not out of work, you want to be the person who is considered when a big opportunity arises inside or outside your current company. If nobody knows you, they cannot call you to offer you a new job.
The bottom line is that knowing people will always benefit you and your company. Get out from behind your desk and reach out to others in the business community. Do it today.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Monday, June 06, 2005
Career Karate
I sometimes get caught up in the routines of life, and I believe that I am not alone. We wake up, take a shower, eat breakfast, drive to work, do our jobs, have lunch, complete tasks, drive home, eat dinner, spend time with the family, watch television, go to bed. Then the alarm goes off and we do it all again the following day.
Sound familiar? Do you feel the need to jump start your life? Does your career need a good kick in the pants?
This weekend I attended a karate competition with my eight year old daughter. She has just begun her participation in martial arts, and this was the first time I had ever accompanied her to the dojo. While watching the events of the day, I kept noticing a sign on the wall that listed six words to encourage and motivate the students of the traits that make for good karate. I could not help noticing how easily these words can translate to our lives and our careers.
Below are the six words. If you apply them all into your daily routine, not only will it help you overcome the monotony that might plague your life, but it can inspire you to achieve greater things at your job.
Integrity. Do you always maintain a high level of personal standards that guide you in making decisions? If you believe in always doing the right thing, then it makes it much easier to know what to do when faced with a hard choice. Never allow yourself to take an action that is not in line with your own belief system. Always strive to do the right thing in any situation and you will find that you will have few regrets, regardless of the results.
Discipline. It is sometimes hard to take action, especially when the tasks seem boring or unimportant. If you have the discipline to "just do it" (yes, NIKE has the right idea) you will find that you can accomplish more in your day. Procrastination will always put you behind on your schedule and feeling as if you are not living up to your potential. Make a commitment to roll up your sleeves and conquer whatever assignments are on your plate.
Focus. In today's world of mass media, the internet, cell phones and countless other distractions, it is easy to not stay focused. You need to be sure that when you are working on a project that you are not distracted. You need to have know what your goals are and keep your mind calibrated toward completion of your task. Do not watch TV, listen to music or check emails while working on a project.
Speed. In the highly competitive business world, you need to move fast. The old saying "He who hesitates is lost" could not be more true in 2005. If you want to stand out from your competition you not only have to deliver a great product or service (anything less is not acceptable), but you also must do so in a timely manner.
Confidence. Believe in yourself. People are drawn towards those who know in their hearts that they will succeed. Nobody will follow a leader whom they do not trust, and if you do not trust yourself, they wont either. You don't want to be cocky (cocky is bad), but you must be confident.
Endurance. Nothing quiets the critics better than longevity. I have seen many people come and go in the business world, but those that prove themselves do so by not giving up and showing up everyday. If you can continue to succeed in your career day after day, year after year, then you will have done better than all who have fallen into obscurity. Show up and work as hard as you can.... Then show up the next day and do it again.
If you adopt these five words into your daily routine, then you will be on your way to achieving your own career blackbelt.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
http://www.thomsinger.com
Sound familiar? Do you feel the need to jump start your life? Does your career need a good kick in the pants?
This weekend I attended a karate competition with my eight year old daughter. She has just begun her participation in martial arts, and this was the first time I had ever accompanied her to the dojo. While watching the events of the day, I kept noticing a sign on the wall that listed six words to encourage and motivate the students of the traits that make for good karate. I could not help noticing how easily these words can translate to our lives and our careers.
Below are the six words. If you apply them all into your daily routine, not only will it help you overcome the monotony that might plague your life, but it can inspire you to achieve greater things at your job.
Integrity. Do you always maintain a high level of personal standards that guide you in making decisions? If you believe in always doing the right thing, then it makes it much easier to know what to do when faced with a hard choice. Never allow yourself to take an action that is not in line with your own belief system. Always strive to do the right thing in any situation and you will find that you will have few regrets, regardless of the results.
Discipline. It is sometimes hard to take action, especially when the tasks seem boring or unimportant. If you have the discipline to "just do it" (yes, NIKE has the right idea) you will find that you can accomplish more in your day. Procrastination will always put you behind on your schedule and feeling as if you are not living up to your potential. Make a commitment to roll up your sleeves and conquer whatever assignments are on your plate.
Focus. In today's world of mass media, the internet, cell phones and countless other distractions, it is easy to not stay focused. You need to be sure that when you are working on a project that you are not distracted. You need to have know what your goals are and keep your mind calibrated toward completion of your task. Do not watch TV, listen to music or check emails while working on a project.
Speed. In the highly competitive business world, you need to move fast. The old saying "He who hesitates is lost" could not be more true in 2005. If you want to stand out from your competition you not only have to deliver a great product or service (anything less is not acceptable), but you also must do so in a timely manner.
Confidence. Believe in yourself. People are drawn towards those who know in their hearts that they will succeed. Nobody will follow a leader whom they do not trust, and if you do not trust yourself, they wont either. You don't want to be cocky (cocky is bad), but you must be confident.
Endurance. Nothing quiets the critics better than longevity. I have seen many people come and go in the business world, but those that prove themselves do so by not giving up and showing up everyday. If you can continue to succeed in your career day after day, year after year, then you will have done better than all who have fallen into obscurity. Show up and work as hard as you can.... Then show up the next day and do it again.
If you adopt these five words into your daily routine, then you will be on your way to achieving your own career blackbelt.
Have a great day.
Thom Singer
http://www.thomsinger.com
Friday, June 03, 2005
The Art of the Follow Up
Networking is not just about going out and meeting people. Having met someone does you little good in the business world, since when you do not really know that person, you cannot use that one meeting as an entree into asking for business or a referral. The problem is that too many folks have confused going out and trading business cards with building a real network.
To honestly call someone part of your "network" you must know them at a deeper level, and there must be a mutual relationship. It is common to meet someone one time and then not remember the person a short time later. In other cases it is possible to connect with someone who will grow to be a great friend. Advancing the relationship does not happen automatically, and it will not happen at all if you do not actively work to build on that initial meeting.
While there are many different ways to cultivate a business friendship, today I am writing about the first step in advancing from that first encounter. To leave your network to chance is not in your best interest. You need to reach out to the people with whom you want to know better.
The follow up note is a great tool to get to know someone better
When you meet someone at a networking function and determine that you want to follow up with them, the best way to do this is to send them a short note within a few days. While this seems like "business 101", I am regularly surprised by that this is not a common practice. Even in today's high tech world where sending an email is about the easiest way EVER to correspond with another person, very few people take the time to do it.
This note does not need to be long (you are not writing War and Peace). Three or four short sentences can make you stand out from the crowd of people that others meet on a regular basis:
Dear Bryan,
It was a pleasure to meet you last night at the Chamber of Commerce dinner. I enjoyed hearing about your company and wish you continued success.
Please let me know if I can ever be of any assistance.
Thom.
Better than sending an email is to mail a handwritten note (yes, the good ol' US Postal Service is a great tool in today's business world). While the handwritten note takes more time than an email, it will definitely set you apart. I have always sent handwritten notes to new people I meet, as well as "thank you's" or "congratulations" to those I already know. I write, on average, about ten notes a week. That is around 500 per year, yet I receive less than fifty. It is rare that people will go the extra mile, but those who do are remembered for their effort. You want to be one of those people!
Start today. Look at the stack of business cards from the last event you attended. Pick out the two or three people that you would like to get to know better and send them a follow up note. You will have a much better chance of building that contact into a friend who can refer business if you reach out to them. Don't leave it to chance.
Have a great day
Thom Singer
http://www.thomsinger.com
To honestly call someone part of your "network" you must know them at a deeper level, and there must be a mutual relationship. It is common to meet someone one time and then not remember the person a short time later. In other cases it is possible to connect with someone who will grow to be a great friend. Advancing the relationship does not happen automatically, and it will not happen at all if you do not actively work to build on that initial meeting.
While there are many different ways to cultivate a business friendship, today I am writing about the first step in advancing from that first encounter. To leave your network to chance is not in your best interest. You need to reach out to the people with whom you want to know better.
The follow up note is a great tool to get to know someone better
When you meet someone at a networking function and determine that you want to follow up with them, the best way to do this is to send them a short note within a few days. While this seems like "business 101", I am regularly surprised by that this is not a common practice. Even in today's high tech world where sending an email is about the easiest way EVER to correspond with another person, very few people take the time to do it.
This note does not need to be long (you are not writing War and Peace). Three or four short sentences can make you stand out from the crowd of people that others meet on a regular basis:
Dear Bryan,
It was a pleasure to meet you last night at the Chamber of Commerce dinner. I enjoyed hearing about your company and wish you continued success.
Please let me know if I can ever be of any assistance.
Thom.
Better than sending an email is to mail a handwritten note (yes, the good ol' US Postal Service is a great tool in today's business world). While the handwritten note takes more time than an email, it will definitely set you apart. I have always sent handwritten notes to new people I meet, as well as "thank you's" or "congratulations" to those I already know. I write, on average, about ten notes a week. That is around 500 per year, yet I receive less than fifty. It is rare that people will go the extra mile, but those who do are remembered for their effort. You want to be one of those people!
Start today. Look at the stack of business cards from the last event you attended. Pick out the two or three people that you would like to get to know better and send them a follow up note. You will have a much better chance of building that contact into a friend who can refer business if you reach out to them. Don't leave it to chance.
Have a great day
Thom Singer
http://www.thomsinger.com
Thursday, June 02, 2005
You're Fired!
This is from the Professional Marketing Magazine, Summer 2004. www.pmforumna.org.
"You're Fired!"
By Thom Singer
My wife, Sara, took our five-year-old daughter to the ear doctor. They patiently sat in the doctor’s office. They waited. And waited. After 45 minutes she inquired of the receptionist, who said that the doctor was running behind and would see them any moment. At each of the previous visits, she had also been forced to wait a minimum of 30 minutes.
After another 15 minutes, Sara calmly asked the receptionist for our daughter’s chart. Puzzled, the receptionist asked, “but why will you need it?" As politely as possible, my wife said that she was going to find a new doctor. The receptionist still did not understand. “But you have surgery scheduled in two weeks." “Not any more,” replied my wife, “You have disrespected my schedule every time I have been in this office. YOU’RE FIRED!"
In moments the doctor herself was in the waiting room trying to explain that there were other patients who had more pressing issues, but that she could now see them immediately. “No, thank you," Sara said. "There are plenty of other doctors. You are fired." With that she took the chart and left.
Most surprising to me was that we never heard from the doctor or her staff again. Ever. Having a background in business development and client relations, I was positive that they would call to apologize and reschedule the surgery. They obviously did not care.
Arrogance
Everyone seems to have a story about a doctor who made them wait and then was arrogant about it. However it makes me wonder about our own client services in professional firms.
1. Always be responsive. One of the most common complaints about professionals is that they do not return phone calls in a timely manner. It is not enough to hide behind the façade that you have a hectic schedule. To tell a client that you are too busy is sending a message that you view your own time as more important than theirs. Worse is to tell them that you could not get back to them because you are so busy working for other clients. It actually tells the client that they do not “make the cut” of what is truly important.
Make it a point to always check your messages or have your assistant monitor your voicemail and email. When you are truly swamped, have your assistant or another professional return the call and inquire what is needed. If possible, they can immediately take care of the situation. If the client really needs to speak to you directly, you will know in advance what will be discussed and how much time the call will take.
2. Do not let yourself get into the situation of not being responsive. The doctor in the story was always running late. You do not want this as your reputation. Everyone will have occasions when they are over worked and fall behind, but do not let this be your routine. Schedule fewer things during your day, and plan for breaks in between conference calls and meetings. If your early meeting runs long, you have a time cushion. Time is a limited resource, treat it as such.
3. When you have made a mistake, apologize. If you have made someone wait, or failed to return a call, own up to the mistake. Apologize. Tell your client that you understand that their time is even more important than your own, and that you will not let it happen again. Then, don’t let it happen again.
All professionals need to remember that they are always being judged by co-workers, clients and vendors. Everyone faces the same time constraints. Do not get so caught up your own busy schedule that you disrespect those around you, or you might just hear the words “You’re fired!”
Have a Great Day
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
"You're Fired!"
By Thom Singer
My wife, Sara, took our five-year-old daughter to the ear doctor. They patiently sat in the doctor’s office. They waited. And waited. After 45 minutes she inquired of the receptionist, who said that the doctor was running behind and would see them any moment. At each of the previous visits, she had also been forced to wait a minimum of 30 minutes.
After another 15 minutes, Sara calmly asked the receptionist for our daughter’s chart. Puzzled, the receptionist asked, “but why will you need it?" As politely as possible, my wife said that she was going to find a new doctor. The receptionist still did not understand. “But you have surgery scheduled in two weeks." “Not any more,” replied my wife, “You have disrespected my schedule every time I have been in this office. YOU’RE FIRED!"
In moments the doctor herself was in the waiting room trying to explain that there were other patients who had more pressing issues, but that she could now see them immediately. “No, thank you," Sara said. "There are plenty of other doctors. You are fired." With that she took the chart and left.
Most surprising to me was that we never heard from the doctor or her staff again. Ever. Having a background in business development and client relations, I was positive that they would call to apologize and reschedule the surgery. They obviously did not care.
Arrogance
Everyone seems to have a story about a doctor who made them wait and then was arrogant about it. However it makes me wonder about our own client services in professional firms.
1. Always be responsive. One of the most common complaints about professionals is that they do not return phone calls in a timely manner. It is not enough to hide behind the façade that you have a hectic schedule. To tell a client that you are too busy is sending a message that you view your own time as more important than theirs. Worse is to tell them that you could not get back to them because you are so busy working for other clients. It actually tells the client that they do not “make the cut” of what is truly important.
Make it a point to always check your messages or have your assistant monitor your voicemail and email. When you are truly swamped, have your assistant or another professional return the call and inquire what is needed. If possible, they can immediately take care of the situation. If the client really needs to speak to you directly, you will know in advance what will be discussed and how much time the call will take.
2. Do not let yourself get into the situation of not being responsive. The doctor in the story was always running late. You do not want this as your reputation. Everyone will have occasions when they are over worked and fall behind, but do not let this be your routine. Schedule fewer things during your day, and plan for breaks in between conference calls and meetings. If your early meeting runs long, you have a time cushion. Time is a limited resource, treat it as such.
3. When you have made a mistake, apologize. If you have made someone wait, or failed to return a call, own up to the mistake. Apologize. Tell your client that you understand that their time is even more important than your own, and that you will not let it happen again. Then, don’t let it happen again.
All professionals need to remember that they are always being judged by co-workers, clients and vendors. Everyone faces the same time constraints. Do not get so caught up your own busy schedule that you disrespect those around you, or you might just hear the words “You’re fired!”
Have a Great Day
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Your Goals and Your Soul
I am a big believer in the power of goal setting. I have discovered that it is much easier to make good decisions when you know what you want to achieve. My own life has been touched by successes when I have clearly defined goals, and marked by failures when I am simply drifting along the path. This is not to say that I have always achieved every goal I have sought, but sometimes making it part way is a success unto itself.
While I do not often write about religion in regards to business, I do think that you must be true to your own spiritual beliefs in the business world. If you are a person who has a religious belief system, you cannot ignore those convictions in your actions at work or eventually you will become jaded and find yourself falling short in both your business goals and your spirituality.
One former co-worker, "Craig", is an elder in his church. He wastes no time in sharing this information and likes to show others that he is a "good" Christian man. At the same time, I witnessed him make some ethical blunders and other selfish choices in the work environment. His reaction is to claim that,"this is just business", rationalizing to others that it is okay to circumvent his understanding of right and wrong to help progress his career. The part he does not understand is that co-workers and clients notice these inconsistencies, and rather than helping himself, he actually limits his success.
Another important thing to remember is the old saying; "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!". While humorous, it is also the truth. In my own life, I believe strongly in the power of prayer, and I have always linked my goals to my prayers. I have found that you must be clear on the goals you set and for what you pray. In 2004 I was in search of a new job. I set out looking for a new opportunity that would provide me with "more responsibility, more authority and more money." When I found a position that offered me these things I felt elated that my prayers had been answered. What I failed to realize was that I also desired to work for a stable company with a real "team" environment, and to work for a boss that would be a great role model. Since I had not clarified these desires as part of my original goals (and prayers), I ignored them when making my decision to accept the position. From the beginning the job was a disaster, even though it was exactly what I had thought I wanted. I lasted less than a year. When I moved to my new company I was very clear with myself (and God) about what was important to my "soul", not just the title and salary. I now have a job that has meets all these requirements.
Get to know yourself at the core and be true to your "heart and soul" both in your personal and business life. Never ignore your spiritual beliefs in your work environment, as to do so will leave you unfulfilled. And finally, set your goals and pray for the ability to achieve greatness.
Have a great day
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
While I do not often write about religion in regards to business, I do think that you must be true to your own spiritual beliefs in the business world. If you are a person who has a religious belief system, you cannot ignore those convictions in your actions at work or eventually you will become jaded and find yourself falling short in both your business goals and your spirituality.
One former co-worker, "Craig", is an elder in his church. He wastes no time in sharing this information and likes to show others that he is a "good" Christian man. At the same time, I witnessed him make some ethical blunders and other selfish choices in the work environment. His reaction is to claim that,"this is just business", rationalizing to others that it is okay to circumvent his understanding of right and wrong to help progress his career. The part he does not understand is that co-workers and clients notice these inconsistencies, and rather than helping himself, he actually limits his success.
Another important thing to remember is the old saying; "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!". While humorous, it is also the truth. In my own life, I believe strongly in the power of prayer, and I have always linked my goals to my prayers. I have found that you must be clear on the goals you set and for what you pray. In 2004 I was in search of a new job. I set out looking for a new opportunity that would provide me with "more responsibility, more authority and more money." When I found a position that offered me these things I felt elated that my prayers had been answered. What I failed to realize was that I also desired to work for a stable company with a real "team" environment, and to work for a boss that would be a great role model. Since I had not clarified these desires as part of my original goals (and prayers), I ignored them when making my decision to accept the position. From the beginning the job was a disaster, even though it was exactly what I had thought I wanted. I lasted less than a year. When I moved to my new company I was very clear with myself (and God) about what was important to my "soul", not just the title and salary. I now have a job that has meets all these requirements.
Get to know yourself at the core and be true to your "heart and soul" both in your personal and business life. Never ignore your spiritual beliefs in your work environment, as to do so will leave you unfulfilled. And finally, set your goals and pray for the ability to achieve greatness.
Have a great day
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
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