Good: In Every "Failure" There is Opportunity

I don't care if this is cliche, I see it happen all the time and I find myself taking comfort in it. It gives me confidence and empowers me to try new things. What is "IT"? Opportunity that arises out of "failure". Things SO often don't go as I expected them to. But every time I look back, I realize there was an opportunity that arose. Some of the opportunities I missed, but many I jumped on. Now, when things aren't going as expected, I'm watching...curious as to what the opportunity might be. And this helps me get past the "failure".

So, chin up. If you're trying, being smart about your decisions and doing what YOU think is right, things will work out. Maybe not as you expected, but likely better. It does take time...sometimes even years! But "IT" is worth the wait.

Good: Refresh the Message You're Sending (little things matter!)

There's been so much about personal brand building over the last year, and most of it has value, but it's tough to keep up! I liken it to remodeling a house, by the time you're finished it's time to redo the first room.

Just when I was really starting to feel good about how all my different online profiles and offline endeavors were coming together someone approached me and said "It's really lame when someone's email signature has a static 'Thanks!' because you know that's just their signature and they aren't really taking a minute to thank you." That's my signature and I say "Ouch". But it's true. Why bother? If it's static it doesn't seem genuine--even IF you really do mean it.

I guess that is part of this concept of perpetual beta; there is no getting comfortable, we have to constantly challenge the status quo even down to the little details like our email signature and especially, how we show appreciation!

Good: Turning Adversity into Opportunity

I don't need to state the obvious; of course we all like to see opportunity created from adverse situations, but when was the last time you looked for opportunity and then actually acted on it?

I really liked this story of a few good people willing to take a chance to turn a situation around for the better. I encourage you to listen to the audio - the transcript is informative but hearing from the folks themselves is inspiring.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111785752

I'm looking forward to seeing Detroit's progress (without reliance on turnaround of the Big 3 auto makers). My guess is these entrepreneurs will find success!

Good: Reality Check

The other day I was in a board meeting and we were going around the table discussing the last book we read. Mine was "As the Future Catches You" by Juan Enriquez. I love the book; in fact I ran out to find his other one ("The Untied States of America") AND purchased both as gifts for people.

The book is eye opening and tells the story of how we arrived where we are today and what will happen if we continue down this path. I don't see that as depressing, but more as a reality check providing guidance on where we should be focusing our efforts.

When I shared the concept of the book with the group, everyone seemed to get uncomfortable and the sentiment was that my choice was depressing. I disagree. If you're willing to work hard to better the future, the book is inspiring. That said, the people I'm working with are already hard at work bettering the future and it's very possible the concepts I brought up simply added extra weight to their already loaded shoulders.

I hope to share more specifics in future posts, but when this list came through via email I instantly wanted to share it. Supposedly the list came from a speech Bill Gates gave to a group of high school kids; regardless, it's a good reality check for all of us.

From the email:
Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault , so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

If you agree, pass it on.. (Tweet, Repost, FaceBook, Digg, Email, etc)
If you don't agree stick your head in the sand and take a deep breath!
If you can read this -Thank a teacher!

Good: Being Creative to Get Others Working for You

I haven't read the book "43 Things". I don't know what it's about, but I'm promoting it. This is a great example of how a little creativity and planning can go a long way in building awareness.

4 Things that made this an awareness generating machine:
1. Quick, online personality quiz (prey on curiosity)
2. Output results people want to share (contribute to online personality)
3. Very easy to share (unique code to copy and paste into blog post)
4. Ties result output to product (product and link to landing page go everywhere with results)

I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm an

Extroverted Creative Self-Knower

Even better? I found the quiz via pure happenstance.
I was scanning headlines in my PageFlakes when a TwitPic of the snow in my neighborhood caught my attention. From the woman's Twitter page, I clicked over to her blog where she had a post, just like the one above but with her results. I was curious so, I took the quiz. Now I'm aware, and so are you.

Beyond using creative, viral tactics to generate awareness, there's a great story with this book - bigger than just selling books, the team behind this is out to change the world for the better. Check it out here.

Good: Realizing The Pendulum is Perpetual

I've really had a lot of angst lately and I know I'm not alone. We're bombarded with sour news in the media; worried about the impending impacts to our comfy lives; worried about the impacts to friends, family, co-workers. We're all in one big cocktail shaker-- or tornado-- getting mixed up and thrown about. Eventually we'll be distributed into life again, but in a completely different place than before. Even though it seems like only the beginning, I'm really starting to feel better--even excited.

We're going through a revolution. The power and potential of the Internet and social media-- the way people are connecting, the return to local locally mixed with the flattening of the world globally is completely changing everything we know. I can't help but be consumed and empowered by the possibilities. This place we're at will be in the history books that our kids and their kids read. The outcome will change us forever and how we get there will be analyzed and studied and discussed and new philosophies will be created and new economies will emerge. The emotion is overwhelming.

I find comfort in the realization that the pendulum will continue to swing, forever. We'll always, always, always have ups, and downs. We'll go too far, and then come back to what works best. We'll grow, and retreat. And it happens to all of us-- differently, yet the same. Knowing this, I feel more willing to take a good risk and step out beyond what is comfortable to get to my next great thing. I know I work hard and I'm smart and that even if things get bad, they'll get great again-- there's comfort in that. I know this about my friends and family too. I worry that they worry, but secretly I'm so excited for them-- to see what comes next, what they will find, that they couldn't imagine today, but that years from now they will look back on and say "That was the best thing that ever happened to me."

There is only opportunity in our situation-- the opportunity to learn and change, do things a little differently, get out of our comfort zone and push ourselves. While the unknown is tough, if we look back and learn from history, this has all happened before and we survived, and came out better...for a time.

For me, right now, it's a matter of finding a focus in all this opportunity-- while the world is being shaken I need to focus on my landing point and do what I can to get myself there.

Good: Making the Move to Customer Loyalty (from Customer Recruitment)

I've mentioned before the importance of focusing on customer loyalty and how few companies really do anything REMARKABLE when it comes to loving their existing customers.  Comcast has been one of my favorite offenders - ever since they took over broadband from AT&T and then jacked up our price for the same service.  

Yes, this did happen over four years ago and I'm still annoyed because they keep fueling the fire!  The only messages they've EVER sent me are my bill, and promotional deals (for far better rates than I have) for NEW customers (blasting me via mail, tv & online ads).  They also keep asking me to add more services...why?  They aren't offering anything of compelling value over their competition - after the way they've treated me, DO THEY THINK I'M STUPID?

Until very recently this has been how they've interacted with me, their customer; leading me to feel very undervalued and small.  It was probably two months ago when an intellectual woman called and asked if we could have a candid conversation about my feelings on Comcast - there was a structured survey, but she encouraged me to provide any feedback I saw fit and she would document as I went.  So, I unleashed.  When we hung up, I felt better having vented, but I was skeptical...I knew if I didn't start seeing some action that I would become even more upset at them for having wasted my time.

Today, a Comcast representative CAME TO OUR DOOR, to tell us they will be upgrading to a fiber optic network, increasing our bandwidth per second throughput, AND if we wanted to migrate from Vonage to their no contract, improved quality, VOIP solution, they would reduce our monthly bandwidth bill.  Hmmm...interesting...  A new approach for sure.  After getting over my initial attitude of annoyance that Comcast was now at my home to waste my time, I was actually quite taken by the opportunity to speak to someone face-to-face, get my questions answered, and the offer to add a valuable service and be recognized as an existing valuable customer won me over.  So, we signed up.

Time will tell if this is a true and authentic shift in strategy for Comcast.  I'd like more services from them - cable TV NOT being one of them.  The services need to be valuable and relevant.  We don't have cable but stream a lot of shows and download a lot from iTunes...an online cable viewing option or ability to watch cable shows we want but not pay for all the other junk...that would be valuable.  A wireless extension of my bandwidth service so I could leverage my home Internet on the go...that would be a valuable service I would pay for.

Readers, what could Comcast offer you that would increase your loyalty to them in a time of ever- increasing competition?

Great: Getting Recognition for Being a Good Customer

Capers is a local home furnishings and accessories shop; they are launching a new gift card program. What is REMARKABLE is that instead of sending me gimmicky marketing blah blah touting their new program, overburdening my mailbox and likely getting no attention or reaction, they use it as an opportunity to thank me and engage me. The thoughtful hand written note and $20 gift card completely surprised me and made me feel like a valued customer.

The extra care to recognize that I have many choices and that I choose to support them and shop with them (lucky for me they have GREAT stuff) makes the context genuine. Beyond my renewed loyalty and continued patronage, it has inspired me to write about it on my blog and link to other bloggers who I think might be interested - which I hope will result in additional business and recognition for them.

What a great way for them to build loyalty! Likely much less expensive and much more effective than traditional ads or mailers.

Good: Technology and the Future

Wow! How would this change the way you work? How about computing at home?



I would like to think I would finally get my photo albums organized and distributed. I would also update my blog more and go deeper with social media. I think it would encourage more of my friends to participate as well. It would definitely make work more fun! Our website would be amazing. I can imagine using this technology in place of our current whiteboards - drawing, pulling videos and photos, integrating everything together and syncing to a laptop for a client presentation...I wonder how far away this really is from mainstream?

If your imagination isn't running wild yet, click here for a more "commercial" video put out by the Microsoft Surface team.

Great: Conversation on Compassion

Compassion - Everyone has it, but it's easy to get caught up in day-to-day and forget how important it is to exercise compassion in every action we take. When compassion is exercised it tends to spread and grow and a ripple is set in motion - it's so cool. Everything improves - attitudes, productivity, relationships, confidence, etc.

How about compassion in the workplace? That was the discussion for the Seeds of Compassion luncheon and panel discussion I attended on Monday. The Dalai Lama was the honored guest and it was amazing how simple he made it all seem - but he was right! Do good in business, and business will grow. There were other very amazing speakers as well - executives from Starbucks, Costco, and a professor from Bentley College - they all shared the same philosophy (with concrete examples) that said, if the company does right by it's people, it's customers, it's community - the company will be great often outrivaling it's competition (more on competition and compassion later).

It's so true. When I think about examples of companies I interact with in my own life - the ones that try to improve by cutting costs, raising prices without added benefits, etc suffer and eventually lose my business. The ones that have great employees who love their jobs and actually care, the ones that respect their relationship with me and do not abuse it by overburdening my mailbox with junk or gouging my checkbook every chance they get...those are companies that do well, have done well and will continue to do well. If everyone would just learn that corporate does not need to be anti-compassion the world would really be a better place!

Good: Vacation - disconnected from work

I don't want this blog to ever be "rantish". While it's good to have a voice and I hope companies are listening and internalizing the good feedback out there, it's annoying when blogs only contain rants/complaints. So now, I want to write something good. Because my life is VERY good and I have no real complaints. Everyone should be so lucky!

Recently I was fortunate enough to celebrate my 5th wedding anniversary in Hawaii. We got married there with immediate family in tow and the intention of reuniting every 5 years. We're all spread out now and "vacation" often gets eaten by bouncing from home to home where, while wonderful, someone is always laden with the hosting responsibility.

I won't go into details here because while wonderful and important to me, they won't necessarily translate with due justice to others...you have to do your own thing you know? What I will say, is how odd I think it is to return to work after vacation and have people in complete bewilderment that I was able to escape for over a week without checking voicemail or email.

How sad. Your vacation is your vacation and you've earned it. I like to think that I'm communicating with my team and surrounding myself by competent people that share my philosophy on customer service thus the world will not stop if I disconnect. So, put that autoresponder out there and leave it all behind - and don't let anyone make you feel guilty about it!

Immerse yourself in your vacation so you can come back refreshed and relaxed (it's funny how it makes you realize none of it really matters anyways! Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but I kind of like it!)

Ugly: More on Apple's Movie Rental Program

I've now rented and downloaded two (over-priced) movie rentals which I've not watched. Here's the deal - apparently our iPod (purchased a year ago or less) doesn't work with the movie rentals feature and the error gives me no rhyme, reason or next step to watch my rental. This is what I find out AFTER:
- wasting a bunch of time trying to load the movie on my iPod (no error, just nothing happened)
- reading through all the materials about iPod and Apple's movie rental program (nowhere could I see what versions work/don't work)
- waiting for an update to release to hopefully fix the issue.

I hesitated to write this post because, I feel like I'm probably missing something...BUT, Apple's whole thing is about being intuitive...so, they've set themselves up. When it takes me more than 10 minutes to figure out something isn't working and then multiple attempts to find out it's not going to work for me - I'm upset, because my expectation is that this should be fairly easy.

Further frustration. Though I didn't want to spend time on the phone with customer service/tech support, I wanted to get to the bottom of my problem. So I called. Bigger problem, when I had the time to spend with tech support it was outside of regular business hours so, I couldn't get any help. Sheesh. And, since I downloaded the movie on our Mac, my only choice now is to watch it there (sitting on an uncomfortable bar stool because my hubby doesn't want us carrying our Mac all over the house) or go buy the cable to hook it to our TV (more steps for me to take). BECAUSE even though my laptop is authenticated with my iTunes info, I've never been able to find out how to open my full purchased library on both machines - it only shows purchases made on the individual machine. I think I should be able to see the rental in iTunes on my laptop because I could easily hook that to the TV and watch my rental.

Anyways, for this and other reasons which I may or may not write about, our household is questioning our jump into the Apple world...our first experience stepping out of the Windows world was a GREAT one. Our Nano was so intuitive and iTunes was so easy to use, reasonably priced, and never gave us any trouble. Our experience with our iPod has been less "great" and it's getting progressively worse with our iMac...we're not sure what to do with it, we can't open certain attachments in our email or even view some HTML emails (not just from anyone, but from AK Airlines), we need multiple browsers because Safari doesn't always work with everything, and we both feel like the learning curve is steeper than we were "sold" and we don't have the tolerance to stick with it. Also, it's added complexity to our "network" rather than simplifying (we can't use our iPod or Nano from OS to OS without wiping it even though it's iTunes either way - I would think we're beyond the whole OS compatibility problem).

Result: we're not using the machine and tools to the fullest and thus Apple is not building the respect needed to keep us loyal customers. Technology changes so fast -I know for us, we're looking to be loyal and put all our trust in one provider that makes things easy for us (I just want to use the stuff - I'm past the point of caring to understand it).

This is a huge opportunity for the right provider/partnership...Google isn't there yet. Microsoft isn't there yet. Apple isn't there yet. I'm a fan of competition, but the right partnerships between these three for the sake of growing consumer use could really be the ticket. A "platform agnostic" experience...where everything works everywhere, no one supreme ruler...I know that's in part dependent on developers, and the big players are trying...sort of...but, the time is now, before the technology surpasses the average consumers ability to grasp its potential for them.

As a consumer, I'm forced to spend too much of my time floundering around trying to keep up. I want to use it all, but I feel like I'm falling behind and integrating everything is becoming too overwhelming...and I used to be one of the savvy ones.

Bad: Apple charging unnecessarily high rates for new movie rental service

Nuff said here in a post from everyone's friend Seth
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/01/how-much-for-di.html

Bad: Missing a viral marketing opportunity because you didn't post your commercial on YouTube

I had a "Banner Bank moment" today and much to my dismay, when I tried to share the concept with my friend who's on the East Coast, there was no reference to the commercial that I could find online. For anyone who lives in the PNW (and doesn't have cable, like me) you've surely seen the Banner Bank commercials. They tell how we're all connected in one way or another using a story that showcases their different clients and the unique connections that create a network.

I've been engaged in an ongoing conversation with my new bud Jeremy about building community in a Web2.0 world. While Banner may think they are focused on the PNW and thus only need to reach that market, they don't realize they miss a huge opportunity by not posting their already produced commercials on the Web (at a minimum on their Website). Had I sent the link to Jeremy, and he use their example to make a point in his blog, it's highly possible that others would pick it up and either blog about it or email it. The chances that someone in the PNW would see it- possibly someone that hasn't seen their commercials- are pretty good.

That's one way viral buzz happens. I'm not sure Banner Bank could have created viral buzz simply by posting, but by not making the clips available online, they surely missed an opportunity.

Good: AMA Beyond 2.0 Hot Topic Series

Yesterday I attended the American Marketing Association Hot Topic: Beyond 2.0 (applying the whole social media/web2.0 concept to business). In a nutshell, it was great. They showcased fantastic examples that businesses are already doing to join or start a conversation about their products and services.

The session was presented by Toby Bloomberg (Diva Marketing) and Bill Flitter (Pheedo). Dana VanDen Heuvel developed much of the content, it sounds like, but was unable to present.

I must say, I was suspicious that they could really deliver actionable content in a short 8 hr session, but I've got my action plan! So, if you're curious, I recommend checking it out. New dates were just added.

I'm planning to start another blog documenting my own journey implementing WebX.0 in marketing- tune in if you're interested (I'll post the link when it's up).

Thanks for reading- don't forget to spread the word!

Bad: Promoting the wrong product

I don't understand how, with all the data and information that companies house about their customers, they can't promote the right products.

Recently I received a mailing from Cingular, The New AT&T trying to get me to buy a new phone and upgrade my service. Two years ago I bought a Windows Mobile device from them - haven't upgraded since, love the phone, love the data capability, haven't felt the need to change. But, I would, if the right device came along. I'm sure it's out there, but Cingular, The New AT&T, instead sent me an offer to select from two new RIM (Blackberry) devices.

What the heck? I see two problems here. 1 - AT&T isn't using their data right. 2 - Microsoft's Mobility team isn't partnering with AT&T like they could be

Where does this leave me? Annoyed. Why do I, when I'm ready to upgrade, and they inundate my mailbox and inbox with junk marketing, have to spend the time to research a new phone that's the obvious next step from what I've been happy with for the past two years?

Good: Stationery with a sense of humor

Ever want to lighten the mood in your workplace? Stationery and gifts from Knock Knock are great to keep on hand just for these times. I can't even really explain their stuff so you should really check them out yourself http://www.knockknock.biz/ They have everything from sarcastic Honey-do lists, to Mad-lib style greeting cards and thank you notes, to corporate slang flash cards (sure to get the crowd interested at your next senseless meeting!)

Their products are available at specialty retail outlets like Paper Zone and some local shops around Seattle (NW Art and Frame in W. Seattle).

Bad: "Our computers are down" is not a good answer

When visiting Walgreens Pharmacy the other day, I had a simple perscription to fill for pre-packaged eye drops. When I got to the counter the clerk blandly greeted me with "Our computers are down".

I passed over my perscription and responded that "this is for a box of pre-packaged drops...does that change things?"

"It'll be an hour, there's 20 people ahead of you."

Geez, if she really couldn't help me, she could have done a much better job of making herself seem less lackadaisical. This is when I really wished I knew of a mom & pop pharmacy that could have taken my info and manually filled my perscription or at a minimum, explained the situation with a smile and a little empathy for turning what should have been a very simple request into two trips and over an hour of my time in order to do business with them.

Good: Edible Arrangements

Want a new way to thank someone - beyond baskets, wine, flowers, etc? Yesterday I recieved a thank you from a client that packed real WOW factor. An edible bouquet made from an assortment of chocolate covered strawberries and apples and pineapple flowers. Not only did it attract the attention of the whole office, but it was easy to share, completely cool, and delicious!

Apparently it's a franchise, but here are the details of my delivery location if you're interested:

Mill Creek Town Center
15021 Main Street, Suite D
Mill Creek, WA 98012
(425)337-0137
www.ediblearrangements.com