Time2Talk Hoops

It's basketball season and I love basketball – more than most anything. So it’s a good time to write about basketball. Fear not if you are no hoopster, this month’s Seed is actually about a whole lot more. Controversial NBA Star Kobe Bryant recently announced his retirement. He’s been playing for the same team for 20 years – that’s rare. He’s accomplished so much in his career. Many consider him one of the five greatest players of all time.

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Back in October he said something that caught my eye and I saved the article.

“When I came here in 1996, I had the butterflies, and then when I got around everybody it was like, Oh, I’m fine,” said Bryant. “Some of these guys don’t love the game. It’s a job for them. And when something is a job, you can have success for a week, two weeks, a month, maybe a year or even two. Then you’ll fall. It’s inevitable. But if you love it, you can’t be stopped. Because when you love something, you’ll always come to it. You’ll always keep asking questions, and finding answers, and getting in the gym.” (Sports Illustrated, October 26, 2015)

The Question4You

It’s not about Kobe Bryant. It’s not even about his retirement after two decades with the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s about you. Do you love what you do professionally? If you do – great – read his quote again and be thankful you’re in your place. If you don’t, ask yourself why. Then take that first step and ask yourself what needs to happen to put you in a love place with your work life.

It’s possible. Not only is it possible – you should accept nothing less in your life.

An E-Thought2Ponder

If you are a human being in a typical office work space, you're probably one who uses email. More likely than not, Yahoo, Gmail, or even AOL email rules your world. It’s as constant as the rising sun. It stands to reason that something so ever-present would have some rules.

Yet, based on the emails I see, it appears the sending and receiving of email communication is still a bit like the “wild, wild west.”

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Whether others adhere to basic communication principles shouldn’t determine how you approach it.

Do It4Yourself (and those you email)

Once you hit send, that communication, no matter the topic, recipient, purpose, or message, becomes the property of other people. What do you want them to think?

First of all, consider why you’re writing and what you’re trying to say. It sounds basic, but it’s worth a pause at the very least. Often I’ll be typing an email and have a bad feeling. I will purposefully stop and think – “Do I really need/want to send this?” Perhaps a phone call or in-person conversation would work better.

Recently I received an email that had been forwarded seven times. Seven times! Recognize unintended people may be reading what you are sending to one.

Consider the timing. Just because you are working on a Saturday morning or a Sunday night, doesn’t mean your co-workers have to hear from you right then. Most people have smartphones now and getting emails at odd times can shift someone into work mode whether they want to be or not. Most email systems have a “Delay Delivery” feature. If you don't know how to use it, a quick internet search will do the trick. No one likes the showoff who sends random emails at odd times to prove how hard they are working!

Use To: and CC: as they are intended. If you send an actionable email to multiple people (both in the To: line) how will they know who is supposed to actually take the action? To whom is the email really being sent? And is there anyone else you’d like to be on the inside of the communication? That’s how those two buttons are really used.

Finally, remember everything in your email says something about you. Grammar, punctuation, tone, the message itself, details, the salutation, all of it – reflects who you are and how you work. One of the smartest things you can do is quickly recheck the email before clicking on the send button. That’s even harder to do with your thumbs on a smart phone. You want people to receive the message in the spirit in which it was sent AND allow the recipient to see what an incredible person you are.

Or at least know you’re a normal, busy human being – who is clearing their email out like everyone else.

November 2015

Everyone Gets2Sell

When certain people hear the word salesperson, or seller, or account representative, they get kind of a yucky feeling or feel their stomach turn. Perhaps it’s because I spent most of my adult life observing, training, and coaching sellers, I have a general warmth or kindness for those in that profession.

I have news for you, too.

You are most likely in that profession, or are in charge of people who are in it, or maybe represent a company that ultimately needs to sell. It’s simply a part of commerce. A big part.

A Little Help4You

If you’re going to be a part of the process or help others who are, you will need to know these three things at a minimum.

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1. Without a “pain point” the typical human being is not going to change a habit, buy a new product (or service), or make the effort to do something about it.
2. If there is pain, but no budget allocated or able to be allocated, you can’t help them deal with their pain.
3. Anyone can find the person who can tell them “no.” A sale only happens when you find the person who can also say “yes.”

For a patient, prospect, potential customer, or user to actually engage with your business, you are simply going to have to have all three elements present. It’s that simple.

Just like you review who, what, when, where, and why/how when producing an announcement or invitation, a smart businessperson will look for these three elements. If you can’t find a pain, the prospective client doesn’t have an ability to buy what they need to fix it, or if you’re unable to connect with the decision maker, you have a flimsy prospect. No matter how good they may appear in one or two of the areas – without all three you (or your people, or your organization) are simply chasing your tail.

October 2015

Plan4It

Plans don’t work out and things happen when you least expect them.

As many of you know, not only do I handle marketing and advertising at B2C Enterprises, I also work as a career firefighter/engineer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. One of the things we do is plan for emergency incidents before they happen, or, in firefighter shorthand, pre-plan.

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We visit all the commercial buildings in our district to see what unique issues the construction, layout, or materials stored might present. We study the houses as we drive down residential roads to see which are better accessed from the back alley. When we visit a home on a medical call, we even note where bedrooms are located in case we have to make a rescue in zero visibility.

Our job requires us to consider the unthinkable and plan for when the “normal” situations change. The same is true in every other job.

Need2Be Uncomfortable

As leaders of our respective businesses, projects, or departments, it doesn’t do us any good to hide our head in the sand and expect our current situations to last forever. Just ask the pay phone repair company.

The Uncomfortable Question must be asked: If this doesn’t work, if the market changes, or the current message isn’t attracting buyers, what do we do? What is our next step?

Don’t be scared off by the discomfort of knowing that your current efforts might be a waste. Take the time to consider possible issues, look at your options, and develop some alternative routes of action.

Embracing the Uncomfortable Question will not only prepare you for when your product stops selling or your database gets hacked, it might also lead to revelations on how to improve and grow your business to the next level right now.

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Dan Bryan is the B2C Enterprises representative covering the southeast Tennessee and northwest Georgia market. He can be reached at Dan@b2cEnterprises.com.

B2C Enterprises is an award-winning advertising, marketing, and business development firm. If you'd like to talk about how we can help you with a tough problem, schedule a meeting, call 540.904.1229.

September 2015

How2Answer

With about as much frequency as “How’s it going today?” I am asked “How’s business?”

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Immediately I have to decide….Is this a “not sure what to ask you so I’ll just ask the simple how is business question”, or are they genuinely interested in the affairs of the marketing and advertising agency I run? And if they are actually interested in the affairs of the company, how much do I really think they want to know or hear?

Most of the time people just want the basic information – they’re busy and on to the next thing.

The Quick Solution4You

I heard someone say once, “You asked me what time it was and I told you how to make a watch."

There is a time and a place for details, but I’m pretty sure when you’re faced with answering that ever-present question about business, it’s generally neither the time, nor the place. The “how’s business” question requires an answer that is authentic, true, and (maybe most of all) concise.

Here’s a secret – I’ve been working a lot this year on my own answer to that whole “how’s business” query. Thinking through it on my own and with a few trusted advisors led me to the place where I can help you come up with your own standard answer.

So how’s business?

“It’s so great to work for clients who appreciate what we do - with people I love in a comfortable environment. And I get to do it here in Roanoke, Virginia.”

Yep, business is good.

August 2015

Getting2Comfortable

A lot of people think those of us who are outgoing simply arrive that way.

Perhaps there are people in this world who just embrace a social setting, completely feel at ease, and can naturally even "take over" the room.

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Most of us are more likely to be uncomfortable. Yet, almost everyone still finds themselves in situations where they have to mingle, network, communicate, or break into a crowd of people. It's not easy, especially if you're not wired for that setting.

It's also a good example with which everyone can identify because we've all been there.

A Plan4Your Next Anxious Moment

So before I go into these types of situations, I generally try to come up with a little plan. It helps me get as comfortable as I can be in a variety of settings. I think about whom I may see and the questions I can ask them. I focus on the other people there - paying attention to their names, thinking about what they may like to talk about, and I remember just about everyone is experiencing things the same way. I may even joke about that.

Simply put I make myself comfortable until I actually get that way. Then before you know it, you've made a friend, found a common connection, heard something inspiring, or learned something new.

A lot of business is that way too. Take that thing you are dreading, the challenge you face, that social situation, that hard-to-conquer problem, and in the midst of your discomfort, make yourself comfortable - until you actually are.