I’m not from the D.C. area, so when I relocated here in 2002, there were a lot of things I had to get used to.
The number one thing was the traffic. In West Virginia, where I’m from, rush hour lasts about 15 minutes, unless you’re on the Beckley By-Pass near Wal-Mart. But the Capital Beltway is an anomaly unto itself. And now after 8 years, I have to admit that I’ve learned some shortcuts and ways to keep my sanity.
The next thing I had to get used to was how expensive everything was. When I moved here, I was told that Montgomery County, Maryland was one of the more expensive counties in the nation and it just happened to be the county that my family and I set up residence. Though I wondered how I had landed in this zip code, I learned ways to stretch my dollars.
Finally, the last thing I had to get used to was the Washington Redskin fans. Being from the southern coalfields of West Virginia, I cheered on the Blue and the Gold, the West Virginia University Mountaineers. Of course, when I moved to Huntington I cheered for the Marshall University Thundering Herd. I was even fortunate enough to live in Huntington during the Randy Moss/Chad Pennington/Byron Leftwich years – and it was truly an exciting time.
I don’t understand that much about the game of football – and you would think that I would. I was in the marching band and played at every football game from middle school all the way to my junior year of college. I can pretty much tell you when my team is winning and losing, but I’ve never understood downs, penalties, safeties – or any of that stuff. My son has played football since he was six years old and is now on his high school JV team and the best thing for me is seeing him in that football uniform.
One thing I strongly believe in is that you must love your team regardless of whether they’re winning or losing. I learned that from my husband, who is a huge New York Yankee and New York Giants football fan. There have been years when he caught heck for wearing NY Yankee hats or t-shirts – especially when we were in West Virginia. But he did it anyway, because he was born in Harlem, New York and cheered for those teams early on. Each season he’d proclaim that this is his team’s “year.” And if they suffered a disappointing loss, he’d always say, “That’s okay, there’s always next year.”
I admire Redskin fans who always kept their spirit about them, even if I found their behavior a little obnoxious. (Come on, “Hog wear??”) But that was how they supported their team and I gave them that. But since I didn’t grow up in this area and a part of the exciting Washington Redskin legacy, I was always – and forever will be - disconnected.
Recently, I heard that some Redskin fans booed their team after an anemic win over a team they should have crushed. And after a loss to Kansas City yesterday, ‘skins fans seem to be dropping like flies. Some have said they’re not going to root for the team because they’re so frustrated. I get that it hurts and it's even embarrassing to lose when you feel you have the talent to pull out a win. So continue to root them on, after all they’re YOUR team, and you stick with them.
Redskin head coach Jim Zorn apologized to the fans and said that he felt bad for them. If I were a Washington Redskin fan, the last thing I’d want to hear from my team’s head coach is an apology. I’d want to hear him saying that everything is going to be okay. That we would live to fight another day! That victory was in reach! Motivate me, man!
Every time I return home to West Virginia I’m always greeted with Blue and Gold hats, shirts, jackets and sweatshirts. The ‘eers don’t always have to be winning for us West Virginians to show our support and pride. They’re no NFL franchise – and sure, we like those Steelers – even the ‘skins, but one thing is certain – the Mountaineers are our team – no matter what.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Practicing restraint
We all know that feeling. It's usually brought on by intense frustration, driven by an emotional build up. We want to scream. We want to punch something. We want to punch someone -- but we don't. We get our emotions in check and we move on.
However, Rep. Joe Wilson (R) South Carolina did not pause before letting his emotions get the best of him. Instead, during a speech to Congress, the nation -- and yes, the world -- Rep. Wilson called the President of the United States a liar. Well, not quite a liar, he yelled to the Commander-in-Chief "You lie!" I could split hairs here and dissect syntax, but you get the idea.
Almost immediately after Rep. Wilson let the words escape his lips, he was apologizing. Campaign dollars in support of his opponent in a pending election have also poured in and political pundits debated what was behind Wilson's outburst.
Frustration, was how the right decided to explain it all away. The right had been fighting a hard battle during the summer months engaging in heated town hall meetings about health care. The meetings had gotten out of hand in some states with extreme shouting matches from conservative supporters who feared that the Obama Administration's plan would provide a socialist run health care system that would bankrupt the country.
The summer had been a long hot one in which conservatives exposed the Obama campaigns plan to euthanize the elderly and hand out health care to illegal aliens. People who had health care plans they were happy with would be forced to accept the health care plan that the government would create for them.
The Democrats were losing ground and fast. They had to do something. So the President stepped up in a special address to Congress to hopefully close the gap between the right and left. His address on Wednesday night was supposed to clear up some misconceptions about the proposed health plan. He took on the main charges of the left and attempted to allay fears.
Americans who were happy with their current health plan could keep it, said President Obama. That took down the notion that you would be forced into a plan you didn't like. There were no death panels, there never was such a thing. Okay, so nix-ay on pulling the plug on grandma rumors. And illegals would not be covered under the proposed plan.
And that's when Wilson lost it shouting, "You lie!" at the President.
He just couldn't hold his tongue. He'd taken enough and he wasn't going to sit there and listen to the same rhetoric that he and his fellow Repubs had been busy dispelling all summer long.
It appears that practicing restraint doesn't always get the best of politicians, but musicians as well.
During the MTV's recent Video Music Award, rap artist Kenya West rushed the stage when country crooner Taylor Swift won Best Video for a Female Artist. Taylor, who is relatively new on the music scene shared the category with heavy hitter Beyonce Knowles, Pink, Katie Perry and Kelly Clarkson. So Kanye couldn't restrain himself. He had to say something on behalf of Beyonce'. She was being robbed after all! Her hit song, "All the Single Ladies" had become the theme song of single ladies everywhere! The disbelief was so evident on Beyonce's face when West stormed the stage, taking the microphone from a speechless and helpless looking Swift who stood by while West told the crowd that Beyonce' had the best video of all time.
Surely, there were plenty of people who shared West' sentiment, but they remain seated. Sure, there are times when someone has to stand up and be counted. To go where no man had boldly gone before. There had to be a first time for everything -- was a phrase I often heard during my childhood. However, I also remember my grandmother saying was that there was "nothing new under the sun."
We could say that in both of these instances that the perpetrators of the behavior were squarely protected by their first amendment rights. Gun enthusiasts have said that bringing loaded guns to events in which the President was speaking this summer was just those who chose to do so 'expressing their right to bear arms.'
Civilizations will go through moments of their development in which they are raw and unbridled. They eventually evolve into a season of genteelness and learn to play nice. But even within those civilizations there still remains an undercurrent of brazen behavior. This group stands on the fringes of society, thumbing their noses at civilization, waiting for the right time to pounce. But even within that polite ring of civil structure, there remains discord. For instance, King Henry VIII was considered to be a part of the upper crust, cultured society, however, beheading was a common practice under his rule. Just as executions are a part of our societal makeup.
About 100,000 people marched in Washington, D.C. this weekend. They say they want to take their country back. However, I say there is no going back. And more importantly, how far back is back exactly? Would rolling back the clock 20 years satisfy them? The would put us at 1989. Or how about 50 years in the past? Which would put us at 1959. Perhaps they want to go back even further -- maybe 100 years. The thing about time is there is no going back. I don't care how many time you watch Back to the Future -- it just ain't happening. We can only press forward and look ahead. We can LOOK back, evaluate the way things were done and try to right them. We can learn from our mistakes.
Some mistakes that others have made is to act on impulse and emotion. Perhaps they didn't think things clearly before they reacted to something. Perhaps West and Wilson would take a different tack if given the same opportunities -- perhaps not. Not all actions are regrettable.
I do happen to agree with the 100,000 people who marched in Washington this weekend. There is definitely an eroding of our country's makeup. Perhaps the erosion I see is quite different than what they are seeing. When someone can speak to the President as if they are yelling their frustrations at a referee for making a bad call, maybe it does make us hearken to a time when things were simpler -- to a time when those actions could have landed a gentleman's neck at the sharp end of an executioner's blade.
However, Rep. Joe Wilson (R) South Carolina did not pause before letting his emotions get the best of him. Instead, during a speech to Congress, the nation -- and yes, the world -- Rep. Wilson called the President of the United States a liar. Well, not quite a liar, he yelled to the Commander-in-Chief "You lie!" I could split hairs here and dissect syntax, but you get the idea.
Almost immediately after Rep. Wilson let the words escape his lips, he was apologizing. Campaign dollars in support of his opponent in a pending election have also poured in and political pundits debated what was behind Wilson's outburst.
Frustration, was how the right decided to explain it all away. The right had been fighting a hard battle during the summer months engaging in heated town hall meetings about health care. The meetings had gotten out of hand in some states with extreme shouting matches from conservative supporters who feared that the Obama Administration's plan would provide a socialist run health care system that would bankrupt the country.
The summer had been a long hot one in which conservatives exposed the Obama campaigns plan to euthanize the elderly and hand out health care to illegal aliens. People who had health care plans they were happy with would be forced to accept the health care plan that the government would create for them.
The Democrats were losing ground and fast. They had to do something. So the President stepped up in a special address to Congress to hopefully close the gap between the right and left. His address on Wednesday night was supposed to clear up some misconceptions about the proposed health plan. He took on the main charges of the left and attempted to allay fears.
Americans who were happy with their current health plan could keep it, said President Obama. That took down the notion that you would be forced into a plan you didn't like. There were no death panels, there never was such a thing. Okay, so nix-ay on pulling the plug on grandma rumors. And illegals would not be covered under the proposed plan.
And that's when Wilson lost it shouting, "You lie!" at the President.
He just couldn't hold his tongue. He'd taken enough and he wasn't going to sit there and listen to the same rhetoric that he and his fellow Repubs had been busy dispelling all summer long.
It appears that practicing restraint doesn't always get the best of politicians, but musicians as well.
During the MTV's recent Video Music Award, rap artist Kenya West rushed the stage when country crooner Taylor Swift won Best Video for a Female Artist. Taylor, who is relatively new on the music scene shared the category with heavy hitter Beyonce Knowles, Pink, Katie Perry and Kelly Clarkson. So Kanye couldn't restrain himself. He had to say something on behalf of Beyonce'. She was being robbed after all! Her hit song, "All the Single Ladies" had become the theme song of single ladies everywhere! The disbelief was so evident on Beyonce's face when West stormed the stage, taking the microphone from a speechless and helpless looking Swift who stood by while West told the crowd that Beyonce' had the best video of all time.
Surely, there were plenty of people who shared West' sentiment, but they remain seated. Sure, there are times when someone has to stand up and be counted. To go where no man had boldly gone before. There had to be a first time for everything -- was a phrase I often heard during my childhood. However, I also remember my grandmother saying was that there was "nothing new under the sun."
We could say that in both of these instances that the perpetrators of the behavior were squarely protected by their first amendment rights. Gun enthusiasts have said that bringing loaded guns to events in which the President was speaking this summer was just those who chose to do so 'expressing their right to bear arms.'
Civilizations will go through moments of their development in which they are raw and unbridled. They eventually evolve into a season of genteelness and learn to play nice. But even within those civilizations there still remains an undercurrent of brazen behavior. This group stands on the fringes of society, thumbing their noses at civilization, waiting for the right time to pounce. But even within that polite ring of civil structure, there remains discord. For instance, King Henry VIII was considered to be a part of the upper crust, cultured society, however, beheading was a common practice under his rule. Just as executions are a part of our societal makeup.
About 100,000 people marched in Washington, D.C. this weekend. They say they want to take their country back. However, I say there is no going back. And more importantly, how far back is back exactly? Would rolling back the clock 20 years satisfy them? The would put us at 1989. Or how about 50 years in the past? Which would put us at 1959. Perhaps they want to go back even further -- maybe 100 years. The thing about time is there is no going back. I don't care how many time you watch Back to the Future -- it just ain't happening. We can only press forward and look ahead. We can LOOK back, evaluate the way things were done and try to right them. We can learn from our mistakes.
Some mistakes that others have made is to act on impulse and emotion. Perhaps they didn't think things clearly before they reacted to something. Perhaps West and Wilson would take a different tack if given the same opportunities -- perhaps not. Not all actions are regrettable.
I do happen to agree with the 100,000 people who marched in Washington this weekend. There is definitely an eroding of our country's makeup. Perhaps the erosion I see is quite different than what they are seeing. When someone can speak to the President as if they are yelling their frustrations at a referee for making a bad call, maybe it does make us hearken to a time when things were simpler -- to a time when those actions could have landed a gentleman's neck at the sharp end of an executioner's blade.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Is your company’s phone greeting putting your callers to sleep?
My husband, who is a general manager at a family restaurant and I were having a discussion about the restaurant’s phone greeting. I told him that it was too long. He agreed and went on to talk about other ways the restaurant could be more efficient and I tuned out. Are your customers tuning you out because your message is too long?
I’m finding that more and more companies are trying to plug so much into their phone greetings that I often forget why I called in the first place.
My husband’s employer, for instance, has a greeting that is just too darned long. It goes something like this: “Hi, this is Amy, thank you for calling McDonald’s Farms. May I direct your call to our take-out line where you can try one of our delicious summer salads today?” Yes, it SOUNDS quite nice, which is what I told my husband. A marketing person certainly had a hand in scripting that phone greeting.
When I answer my phone at work I say, “It’s a great day at Company B! How may I help you?” It usually gets a chuckle from my cube mates and fortunately we have caller ID at work, so I only do this when my good friend calls me. But I actually got the idea from a realtor who had her receptionist and sales team to answer the phone in that manner.
No one cares what kind of day you’re having do they? No! They call because they’re wanting something from you, and unless you’re the weather hotline, don’t give answer with, “It’s a great day!”
Here are some things that you should include in your greeting along with some tips for ensuring your callers encounter a professional individual on the other end of the line.
Keep your greeting simple. Make sure your greeting includes your company’s name and the name of the person answering the phone. When you’re part of a large operation, it’s important that callers know who they spoke with. This helps with follow up.
Remain professional at all times. There are companies that can “go there,” like novelty, recreational or other specialty stores and shops. But if your industry is banking, healthcare or education, no one wants to hear: “Thank you for calling First National Bank where we stash your cash!” Not cute.
Monitor your incoming calls. Listen to how people are representing your organization. For your customers, nothing is more irritating than calling a business and hearing the boredom emanate through the receiver. It used to be commonplace to smile while you spoke a company’s greeting so listeners could “hear” the happiness in your voice.
Streamline your messages. Is everyone answering the same way? If your company offers different promotions, make sure that everyone is up to speed on them.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Oh be careful little hands, what you type!
I hadn’t focused my blog posts on social media because quite frankly, I think most of us are tired of reading about it.
I realize that many people don’t with social media that often unless we’re checking our Facebook accounts, which is totally fine. This is why this blog post is so relevant to a larger audience.
I recently posted, what I thought was an innocent question on my Facebook page. The question asked my friends to come up with a theme song for President Barack Obama’s departure from the podium after a news conference. If you haven’t noticed, that’s a long walk back to his office. Besides, I kind of think our President as some ‘swagger’ and should have some really cool theme music.
I added an important disclaimer to my Facebook question, noting that “anti-Obama” comments would be deleted, as I am a fan of our 44th president. The responses started out innocently enough and eventually snowballed into a 32 response thread that debated healthcare. Not at all what I had envisioned when I posed the question. There are a lot of passionate people on both sides of this debate, but I didn’t particularly care to rehash the pros and cons on my Facebook page.
Facebook is about connecting with old friends. Sharing pictures of your kids in Halloween costumes and other family-friendly events. Or at least that’s what I use it for. I appreciate that there are major corporations, non-profits and other entities that use Facebook as well.
But once something is out, it’s out. You can remove it or delete it, but if anyone saw it – even for a second – it’s hard to reel that back in.
One important lesson to learn about social media – and Facebook, is that you could be letting the world into a private part of your life. I’ve noticed that many people opt not to tell all the little “dirty details” – such as their political party affiliation, their employer, or religious preference. And they are within their right to choose what they will and won’t share.
Another thing I learned from this experience is you really have no control over social media messages. Once you post something, you can’t control who responds or sees it. One friend told me that she had posted something about the President’s health care proposal right after the news conference and awoke to a litany of anti-Obama remarks on her Facebook page.
In my case, I’ve decided to play editor. I deleted all of the comments to my question that weren’t directly related to the question. I also de-friended someone who I felt was only going to be a pest. Don’t believe me? He sent me an e-mail after I block him that basically said, ‘I know you blocked me.” Yikes.
I’m for a good debate and even sharing ideas, but I don’t have to contend with content that I may deem snarky or rude. One of the posters did apologize if he had offended anyone or ‘gone too far.’ His apology showed he wasn’t making things personal. And maybe that’s what the problem was on my part.
I had taken the comments personally. I assumed that the comments were not fairly measured by our President’s ability to lead, but rather they were being made by people who saw only his race.
I grew up in rural West Virginia and know first hand what discrimination and bigotry feels, looks and smells like. Most of my friends who were making these comments hail from the Mountain State, a state that made its decision early in deciding it would not be voting for the President. (I know, what about Iowa?)
When I look back on my educational years, which I shared with many of the same people who were attacking the President by calling him ‘anti-freedom’ and a ‘socialist’ it does make me wonder. What did I ever have in common with them? We shared a classroom or a bus ride. Was that all there ever was?
Was I judging them based on race as well? Was it really that outlandish to think a person could look past someone’s skin color and take into consideration their qualifications and abilities?
For this smart communicator, I would caution anyone from posting anything to a social media site, if you don’t want to deal with the repercussions and backlash. Use your privacy settings to communicate things to a group or keep others from seeing it. If social media has taught me anything, it’s that we all are going to need to grow some pretty thick skins to deal with our detractors.
I realize that many people don’t with social media that often unless we’re checking our Facebook accounts, which is totally fine. This is why this blog post is so relevant to a larger audience.
I recently posted, what I thought was an innocent question on my Facebook page. The question asked my friends to come up with a theme song for President Barack Obama’s departure from the podium after a news conference. If you haven’t noticed, that’s a long walk back to his office. Besides, I kind of think our President as some ‘swagger’ and should have some really cool theme music.
I added an important disclaimer to my Facebook question, noting that “anti-Obama” comments would be deleted, as I am a fan of our 44th president. The responses started out innocently enough and eventually snowballed into a 32 response thread that debated healthcare. Not at all what I had envisioned when I posed the question. There are a lot of passionate people on both sides of this debate, but I didn’t particularly care to rehash the pros and cons on my Facebook page.
Facebook is about connecting with old friends. Sharing pictures of your kids in Halloween costumes and other family-friendly events. Or at least that’s what I use it for. I appreciate that there are major corporations, non-profits and other entities that use Facebook as well.
But once something is out, it’s out. You can remove it or delete it, but if anyone saw it – even for a second – it’s hard to reel that back in.
One important lesson to learn about social media – and Facebook, is that you could be letting the world into a private part of your life. I’ve noticed that many people opt not to tell all the little “dirty details” – such as their political party affiliation, their employer, or religious preference. And they are within their right to choose what they will and won’t share.
Another thing I learned from this experience is you really have no control over social media messages. Once you post something, you can’t control who responds or sees it. One friend told me that she had posted something about the President’s health care proposal right after the news conference and awoke to a litany of anti-Obama remarks on her Facebook page.
In my case, I’ve decided to play editor. I deleted all of the comments to my question that weren’t directly related to the question. I also de-friended someone who I felt was only going to be a pest. Don’t believe me? He sent me an e-mail after I block him that basically said, ‘I know you blocked me.” Yikes.
I’m for a good debate and even sharing ideas, but I don’t have to contend with content that I may deem snarky or rude. One of the posters did apologize if he had offended anyone or ‘gone too far.’ His apology showed he wasn’t making things personal. And maybe that’s what the problem was on my part.
I had taken the comments personally. I assumed that the comments were not fairly measured by our President’s ability to lead, but rather they were being made by people who saw only his race.
I grew up in rural West Virginia and know first hand what discrimination and bigotry feels, looks and smells like. Most of my friends who were making these comments hail from the Mountain State, a state that made its decision early in deciding it would not be voting for the President. (I know, what about Iowa?)
When I look back on my educational years, which I shared with many of the same people who were attacking the President by calling him ‘anti-freedom’ and a ‘socialist’ it does make me wonder. What did I ever have in common with them? We shared a classroom or a bus ride. Was that all there ever was?
Was I judging them based on race as well? Was it really that outlandish to think a person could look past someone’s skin color and take into consideration their qualifications and abilities?
For this smart communicator, I would caution anyone from posting anything to a social media site, if you don’t want to deal with the repercussions and backlash. Use your privacy settings to communicate things to a group or keep others from seeing it. If social media has taught me anything, it’s that we all are going to need to grow some pretty thick skins to deal with our detractors.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Selecting the right marketing tool for your business
About three weeks ago my next-door neighbor’s water line exploded and flooded the parking area of our neighborhood. Within hours a crew was on site digging up the concrete to repair the pipe beneath the ground.
Fortunately for our community, water services haven’t been interrupted that often during the repair period. Though when it was interrupted, the contractor decided to alert us by taping a half sheet of paper on our doors the day prior which provided the date and hours that the water would be turned off.
I felt the communication was very fitting and got the word out quite appropriately. The only recommendation I would have made is providing the message in both English and Spanish to accommodate my Spanish-speaking neighbors.
With his simple half sheet note, that contractor did something that many businesses don’t do very well: communicate with customers, employees and potential clients using the most effective means available.
These days, everyone is talking about social media and the role it plays in communicating with the public. Facebook is by far the most popular social media site out there. In fact, if you’re not on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter, others can make you feel like you just crawled from beneath a rock! But what is important to remember is that though there are more choices than ever to draw customers and reach potential clients, you have to make sure that you’re choosing the right marketing platform to fit your needs.
• Think about your audience. Social media tends to be more popular with audiences that regularly use the internet. If someone doesn’t use the internet on a regular basis, you can’t think that they’re going to log on just because your want them to.
The Yellow Pages is still the best place for people to find services-related companies like plumbers, carpet cleaners and even pizza delivery shops. Though I am seeing more plumbers, electricians and gardeners with their own web sites. In fact, real estate companies often partner with service-related vendors because more and more people use the internet when looking for their next house.
• Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. As a marketer or business person, your main objective is to sell your product or service. But there are times when your goal can overshadow your strategy. Think like your customer! How can you make their lives easier? How will your product change their lives for the better?
• If you have a lot of materials to share, social media probably isn’t the best place for you to reach out to your customers. I still find that printing information out and reviewing it later is how I’m able to digest complicated materials.
Though you can probably view your insurance policy online, most companies will still mail out your entire policy and declarations page. In addition to being able to print out this document and put it in a safe place, it gives the policyholder the opportunity to read and review the document at their leisure if they have questions or concerns.
• Don’t be afraid to diversity your marketing plan. For years, companies were limited by how they could reach their customers. But nowadays with so many tools available, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
Marketing is not a one shot deal. You don’t just spend a lot of money on one television ad or one online advertising campaign and think that will be enough to attract thousands of new customers.
Think about how many messages the average person gets in one day through their TV set, car radio during their commute, in e-mails, on billboards, mobile texts – it’s overwhelming to say the least. So, when you have that opportunity to break through all of that clutter and noise to capture your customer’s attention, you’d better make it good. Choose your marketing tools wisely.
Fortunately for our community, water services haven’t been interrupted that often during the repair period. Though when it was interrupted, the contractor decided to alert us by taping a half sheet of paper on our doors the day prior which provided the date and hours that the water would be turned off.
I felt the communication was very fitting and got the word out quite appropriately. The only recommendation I would have made is providing the message in both English and Spanish to accommodate my Spanish-speaking neighbors.
With his simple half sheet note, that contractor did something that many businesses don’t do very well: communicate with customers, employees and potential clients using the most effective means available.
These days, everyone is talking about social media and the role it plays in communicating with the public. Facebook is by far the most popular social media site out there. In fact, if you’re not on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter, others can make you feel like you just crawled from beneath a rock! But what is important to remember is that though there are more choices than ever to draw customers and reach potential clients, you have to make sure that you’re choosing the right marketing platform to fit your needs.
• Think about your audience. Social media tends to be more popular with audiences that regularly use the internet. If someone doesn’t use the internet on a regular basis, you can’t think that they’re going to log on just because your want them to.
The Yellow Pages is still the best place for people to find services-related companies like plumbers, carpet cleaners and even pizza delivery shops. Though I am seeing more plumbers, electricians and gardeners with their own web sites. In fact, real estate companies often partner with service-related vendors because more and more people use the internet when looking for their next house.
• Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. As a marketer or business person, your main objective is to sell your product or service. But there are times when your goal can overshadow your strategy. Think like your customer! How can you make their lives easier? How will your product change their lives for the better?
• If you have a lot of materials to share, social media probably isn’t the best place for you to reach out to your customers. I still find that printing information out and reviewing it later is how I’m able to digest complicated materials.
Though you can probably view your insurance policy online, most companies will still mail out your entire policy and declarations page. In addition to being able to print out this document and put it in a safe place, it gives the policyholder the opportunity to read and review the document at their leisure if they have questions or concerns.
• Don’t be afraid to diversity your marketing plan. For years, companies were limited by how they could reach their customers. But nowadays with so many tools available, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
Marketing is not a one shot deal. You don’t just spend a lot of money on one television ad or one online advertising campaign and think that will be enough to attract thousands of new customers.
Think about how many messages the average person gets in one day through their TV set, car radio during their commute, in e-mails, on billboards, mobile texts – it’s overwhelming to say the least. So, when you have that opportunity to break through all of that clutter and noise to capture your customer’s attention, you’d better make it good. Choose your marketing tools wisely.
Monday, May 18, 2009
How desparate are you for work?
I don’t consider myself a prude. But when my daughter told me what happened during a recent group job interview at a chain specialty clothing store, I immediately found the company’s corporate headquarters (Thanks, Google) and gave them a call.
Initially, I was so proud of my 17 year-old daughter Ava because she had taken the initiative and asked a store manager if they were hiring while her younger brother and I looked for him a new pair of sneakers. I actually had no idea that she’d taken the initiative to speak up and ask for a job. But my daughter's assertiveness had landed her a group interview that same evening!
It began innocently enough. There were about 20 applicants who had shown up for the group interview and each person was asked to give a 30-second shtick about themselves and they had to include information about why they wanted to work at the store, why they should be hired and a little something about themselves that not many people knew.
Ava talked about the fact that she had a good memory and was friendly and approachable. She said that she remembered, from being in the store earlier in the day, that they were having some special sales and even told what they were. Both VERY good responses I thought. (I would have hired her on the spot!)
Then she said that the managers turned on music and told all of the applicants to dance. At this point I grabbed Ava’s arm, because we were still walking through the mall to get to the car, to ask her if she was serious. I made her promise me that she wasn’t just pulling my leg.
“Really, as God is my witness, they made us dance,” she told me.
I asked her if she did it and she said no. But other applicants seem to put it all on the line by gyrating and doing what Ava called “corndogging” a pelvic thrusting motion that simulates a sex act, that guys do. I couldn’t believe my ears!
I suppose with the economy the way that it is and many Americans desperate for jobs, employers can require just about anything of job applicants. However, I don’t think that asking employees to perform a dance or do anything else that could get you sued is the appropriate approach for finding the perfect employee.
At 17, I don’t want my daughter to think that what this one store asked her to do is appropriate or the “norm” for job interviews. I thank God that she had enough sense to turn down an offer to do something that made her feel uncomfortable. Asking applicants to dance was out of line in my book. Though the intent of such a request may have been to see which applicants would be uninhibited and “up for anything,” surely there are other ways to uncover which applicants can handle just about anything thrown at them.
Out of the nearly two dozen people who showed up for the job, only 3 were selected to go on in the interview process. I for one am somewhat relieved that my daughter was not chosen. Maybe her desire not to “drop it like its hot,” hurt her chances. But, I can only imagine what this employer might ask of her once she was on the payroll and beholden to them.
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