Stay Whole Tuesday - Thinking like a brand - 15.2

"In the personal-branding mindset, you are your most important asses - an asset, like education, that no one can take away from you. Personal branding shows you how to maximize the value of that asset, both in terms of self-actualization - becoming who you can be - and in terms of human capital - maximizing the financial value of your career."

(page XV of the introduction from You are a Brand!, by Catherine Kaputa.)

Yet personal branding is not taught in school. It is a neglected aspect of education. Thinking like a brand means creating a brand for yourself and marketing it, and not squandering opportunities when they come your way. It's easy to shortchange yourself if you're not thinking like a brand.

Did you think about yesterday's post in terms of who you know in college who 'thinks like a brand'? These are people who typically have found something they are passionate about and they are starting to self-actualize how they can standout from the ordinary, normal folks. They may be a little unreasonable, a little different, a little extraordinary.

Stay whole,

Dad

Make it a great Monday - Self Brand - 15.1

Sally,

It was so good to have you home for Thanksgiving and I am glad that the Christmas break is right around the corner. I am enjoying this book I told you about called, You are a Brand! How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success, by Catherine Kaputa. I want to share some key points from the book with you over the next days. You might try and put my notes in perspective as you walk around campus and in your day-to-day interactions with friends and acquaintances at UGA.

In the Foreword, the Author says that there are two things in life worth striving for. One is happiness; the other is success. She notes, "There are a lot of happy people who aren't very successful. And there are a lot of successful people who aren't very happy. But if you have both, what more could you want?" It is not easy to achieve both happiness and success, as these two things are often diametrically opposed concepts. "To be happy, you need to create a positive attitude in your own mind. A powerful sense of self . . . To be successful, you need to create positive attitudes in the minds of other people. You can't make yourself successful. Only other people can make you successful."

In other words, you need to build a "self brand," a reason for people to buy from you, whether you are selling yourself for a job or selling products and services to others. So who have you met who is already creating a self brand? It is usually someone who is very passionate about what they are studying and they know who they are meant to be. What can you learn from these people?

Make it a great Monday,

Dad

Fit as a Fiddle Friday - Mastery - 14.5

Sally,

Here is something interesting to think about, as you head into your Thanksgiving break, and soon your long Christmas break. Michelangelo (1475-1564) said:

"If people only knew how hard I work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all."

Malcom Gladwell, best-selling author known for his books The Tipping Point, Blink, and most recently Outliers writes of something he calls The 10,000 hour rule. The 10,000 hour rule is a concept that it takes that many hours to truly 'perfect' any craft or skill. That is a little more than four years, working on something eight hours a day, for 300 days a year. Or, you could work on something four hours a day, 300 days a year, for nine years.

So a good idea, might be to find something you love, and work at it very hard. At the same time, another good idea would be to . . .

Stay fit,

Dad

Colloquial Thursday - Home again home again jiggidy-jig - 14.4

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.
To market, to market, to buy a plum bun,
Home again, home again, market is done.

Can't wait to see you!

Dad

P.S. Origin - a Mother Goose nursery rhyme.

Women Power Wednesday - Learn from each challenge - 14.3

Sally,

I like this from John Morton:

"Trust that you can learn from each challenge, regardless of how disturbing or painful. That is a God-given right inside of you. Invoke your right to learn from everything." 

It speaks to me about my current challenge at work.

Women power to you,

Dad

Stay Whole Tuesday - Cloud formation - 14.2

Sally,

As you know, Dad's work has been difficult of late. I believe I have performed for the company (in my role of territory sales) at a level of a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. I recently wrote a letter to the Board of Directors, outlining what I have accomplished, in the capacity I have been asked to fulfill. I also provided supporting data that shows how sales have increased in 2010 and how well-positioned the company is for continued growth because of the increase in trained and certified resellers whom I have personally recruited for the company. In this letter, I asked for a 'vote of confidence' from the Board by way of an  increase in my base compensation and for additional stock options. I was denied both.

It puts me in a difficult position, as I have a significant investment in Salient Systems, yet feel the company has decided not to show appreciation or support for what I have contributed and what I am capable of contributing in the future. On Saturday morning, while driving to the golf course for some practice and relaxation, there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful fall Austin day, with a perfectly blue sky. When I got to Saint Michael's on 360, I started thinking and praying about my situation. As I crested the hill beside the church, I looked up and saw a large cloud formation in the shape of a cross perfectly positioned over Austin Country Club.

My first thought was that God wants me to sacrifice the club, so that I can continue to work at Salient even when the company can not or will not pay me what I believe I am worth? Mom had a different take on it. She called it a sign from God that the club is my sanctuary - a place where I can get away and relax?

So sacrifice or sanctuary . . . I am still processing, but I do believe God has the answers.

Stay whole,

Dad

Make it a great Monday - Waiting for Superman - 14.1

Sally,

It is week 14 of your college career and this is the first post of the week, so I believe that makes 66 entries. We had a nice weekend, in spite of our football teams not doing so well. The Chaps were eliminated in week one of the playoffs by Stoney Point, Bulldogs couldn't stop Cam Newton, Tar Heels were gobbled up by Va. Tech (Hokies), and UT looked mediocre or worse against Oklahoma State. Nick Foles played well against USC, but Arizona came up short. Tanner Price didn't fair any better, as Wake Forest was trounced by NC State. Ryan Swope and A&M had a nice win against Baylor, so that was the only victory amongst teams I have been following.

Mom and I saw our second movie of the week, a rare accomplishment, and I commend it to you. We saw, Waiting for Superman, the documentary on the US Education System. It is a powerful movie pointing out the following facts about our system: (a) the US education system is horribly broken, (b) we know how to fix it, but (c) we can't fix it, because of the teachers unions that protect 'bad' teachers by providing tenure (i.e. jobs for life) regardless of  job performance.

I have a couple of interesting topics I want to write about this week and perhaps on-going. I have some additional thoughts spurred by the movie, The Social Network, on the subject of 'cooperation' versus 'competition'. Another topic has to do with a cloud formation I saw on Saturday.

I will save the rest of the 'cloud' story for later this week. It is a good one.

Make it a great Monday,

Dad

Fit as a Fiddle Friday - ELU - 13.5

We covered a lot of interesting ground this week and I am not sure where to go next? First of all, I loved your email yesterday and the sharing about the Port Huron Statement. I look forward to reading more of that document and would enjoy seeing your finished paper. I am still thinking about The Social Network and have had some fun looking on-line to try and get a sense of how much of that story was the true story, versus the obvious embellishments in order to make it such a fun and interesting movie. As you may know, the movie is fiction and based on the book, The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal, by Ben Mezrich.

Also, I wanted to continue to expand on my three keys to successful selling: (1) enthusiasm, (2) likability, and (3) urgency, even when urgency may not be present. I think the last characteristic, urgency, is perhaps the most difficult to understand and to master. In a sales context, it is how one relates to clients and prospective clients in order to give a sense that business is moving in a good direction. It can be as simple as the tone of your voice on a phone call or what you say when leaving a voice message. It can be the voice message that a caller hears when they dial your number . . . "It's a magnificent day at Milestone" . . . "a beautiful day at Balfour" . . . "a super day at Salient Systems". These are all opportunities to show others that you are a person of purpose, a person of action, a person who is moving through life in an active manner, making good things happen.

Be urgent and stay fit,

Dad

1. Enthusiasm
2. Likability
3. Urgency - even when urgency may not be present

Colloquial Thursday - Likability continued - 13.4

Sally,

Mom and I went to see The Social Network last night on your recommendation. What a fantastic movie. It really hit home on a number of fronts. From a business standpoint, I have been involved in several business ventures and partnerships where things have been quite complex. What seems fair to one person, may not seem so fair to someone else. I especially related to some of the themes around men and their egos when it comes to business.

Also, as a 50 year old, in the final third of my business career, I am intrigued by the power of the Internet and what happens when you decide to 'step out' and use it's power. I liked the line from the Erica Albright character: "The Internet is written in pen, not pencil." One of the reasons I enjoy this Blog is because it allows me to test some concepts and writings on my highly intelligent and grounded daughter. I have some ideas about how to turn some of my material into a more public forum, that I believe will be beneficial to others and perhaps help launch a new career path.

And picking up my theme of top sales characteristics, who was most likable in the movie? Did you find yourself liking Mark Zuckerburg or not? How about Eduardo Saverin? How about Sean Parker? How about the 'Winklevi'?

Dream big, but be likable,

Dad

Women Power Wednesday - Mary Kay Ash and Likability - 13.3

Sally,

You may remember that I sold a nice video surveillance project to Mary Kay in Dallas. During my visits to the Mary Kay world headquarters building, I noticed many pictures and quotes from the founder of the business, Mary Kay Ash. One that stuck with me said:

"Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, 'Make me feel important.'"

That speaks directly to my second characteristic of a successful sales person.

Be likable,

Dad

1. Enthusiasm
2. Likability
3. Urgency - even when urgency may not be present 

Stay Whole Tuesday - Smile - 13.2

Sally,

Picking up on my first characteristic of successful 'selling' - enthusiasm, I offer up the idea that a smile is an important part of 'the language of enthusiasm'. If you are doing something that you enjoy doing, you should be happy and thus a smile should come easy. Of course, there are times in life when we have to do things that we may not want to do. For example, in the selling world, it is not easy to make cold calls. But I can promise you a salesman who knows how to smile when making a cold call is going to be a hundred times more successful than one who frowns. I also know that the smile has a reverse effect, it not only makes others feel better around you, but it makes you feel better.

One final thought. I saw this on a Website I like called JustSell. The definition of the word 'smover'. A 'smover' is someone who smiles and moves.

So stay whole and be a smover,

Dad

Successful selling and success in general:

1. Enthusiasm
2. Likability
3. Urgency - even when urgency may not be present

Make it a great Monday - The language of enthusiasm - 13.1

From one of my favorite books, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coehlo:

"But the sheep had taught him something even more important: that there was a language in the world that everyone understood, a language the boy had used throughout the time that he was trying to improve things at the shop. It was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired. Tangier was no longer a strange city and he felt that, just as he had conquered this place, he could conquer the world." (page 62)

As I said on Fit as a Fiddle Friday, my first rule of successful selling is to be enthusiastic. Of course, it can really be applied to all we do in life. I love this idea, from Coehlo, that the sheep had taught Santiago a 'language' of enthusiasm. Let's explore it more tomorrow and specifically talk about one of the key components of this special language - the smile.

Make it a great Monday,

Dad

Fit as a Fiddle Friday - Urgency - 12.5

I am sometimes asked what are the characteristics of a great sales person? I have been working on a response to this question and I am going to write about it over the next few days. My answer is that effective selling requires mastery in three areas: (1) enthusiasm, (2) likeability, and (3) urgency – ELU.

First, all great sales people understand the language of enthusiasm. More on this to follow. Second, my grandfather (Poppy) taught me the second characteristic of great sales people – be likeable. He used to say, “People buy from people they like.” More on this to follow as well. The third characteristic of a great sales person is to apply urgency, even when urgency may not be present. There are many ways to do this and I will discuss them in a future post.

In the meantime, it might be useful to apply these same three characteristics to your fitness plans. Find a sport or activity that you like, be enthusiastic when practicing or working out, and apply urgency to your fitness plan. An example of applying urgency to your fitness plan might be: "I will work out twice this weekend, so that I can take a rest day on Monday and still meet my goal of six, 45 minute workouts each week."

Stay fit,

Dad

Colloquial Thursday - How you make someone feel - 12.4

Sally,

I made a sales call yesterday in San Antonio at SeaWorld (150 video cameras currently, looking to expand to 750 over the next couple of years) and I noticed this quote on the wall of the administrative building:

"People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel"

It is attributed to Carl Buechner, whom I believe is a Presbyterian Minister and author born in 1926? There appears to be both a Carl (Frederick) Buechner, quite accomplished and prolific list of publications; but also a Carl W. Buechner who gets credit for the quote on various Websites?

Either way, Fred or 'W', it is a winner,

Dad

Women Power Wednesday - Helena Rubinstein - 12.3

"I believe in hard work. It keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit."

Helena Rubinstein, born December 25, 1870 and died (on your birthday), April 1, 1965 was a Polish cosmetics industrialist, founder of Helena Rubinstein Incorporated, which made her one of the world's richest women. She was born Chaja Rubinstein, the eldest of eight children, and the daughter of a common shopkeeper in Krakow, Poland. Wikipedia tells me that Chaja arrived in Australia in 1894, with no money and little English. But her stylish clothes and milky complexion made her popular among the town ladies and she soon found enthusiasm for the jars of beauty cream in her luggage. Seizing the opportunity, she began to make her own.

Her uncle was a shopkeeper in Western Victoria, home to some 75 million sheep that produced some of the finest wool in the land, secreting abundant grease in the process. This sheep grease (lanolin) became a key ingredient in her initial beauty potions and lotions.

Be sure to read the rest of the rags to riches story on the links provided.

Women power,

Dad

Stay Whole Tuesday - Action - 12.2

Here is a little nugget from the little French general and emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821).

"Act swiftly and vigorously, without "buts" and "ifs" . . ."

It is kind of like the Irish proverb I posted a couple of weeks ago.

"You'll never plough a field turning it over in you mind."

When you have something to do, and you know it needs to be done, it is usually best to make some progress and get the ball rolling. Getting started is almost always the most difficult part of any task.

Stay whole,

Dad

Make it a great Monday - Talent vs Success - 12.1

"Talent is a dreadfully cheap commodity, cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work and study."

That comes from Stephen King, American writer and hard worker. The entire quote is:

"... talent is a dreadfully cheap commodity, cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work and study; a constant process of honing. Talent is a dull knife that will cut nothing unless it is wielded with great force – a force so great that the knife is not really cutting at all but bludgeoning and breaking... Discipline and constant work are the whetstones upon which the dull knife of talent is honed until it becomes sharp enough, hopefully, to cut through even the toughest meat and gristle."


Make it a great Monday and (by the way) boo,


Dad