-Abraham Lincoln

In the past year, I have worked with four fathers of the bride and/or groom to cull down the millions of ideas running through their head. They need a 2-minute toast and have more than 2 hours of material.

We started by laying out the basic structure of a toast:

·        Welcome

·        Vignette about daughter/son

·        Vignette about early days with new spouse

·        Vignette about couple

·        Good luck to the couple

Then, I lower the boom: You have to say it all in about 400 words.

[crickets…]

[PROTEST]

“Yes, we can – together!”

You would be amazed what you can say in 2-3 minutes (around 400-500 words), when you focus.

If you’ve been called upon to write a toast, what was the hardest part?

Lesson Learned: Look to your competitors and be all that they are…not…to their customers.

While Mr. Rohan gave lots of interesting tidbits in his recent talk, such as the fact that Heritage was the first on the Internet – but only to display their vast info on products…they did not believe “anyone would ever make any money” on the Internet! Now Heritage is an auction powerhouse with much of their revenue coming from online bids.

What I really found fascinating and am presenting as the CEO Insight of the day (OK, not this day…it’s from my archives – I heard him during a “2nd Tuesdays @ Slocum” talk – April 12, 2011):

Rohan credited much Heritage’s assault on the Big Boys – Sotheby’s and Christie’s – to the fact that S&C only take items that they believe are worth $15k and above. This means that a collection that includes pieces above and below $15k can only have the high-end pieces auctioned by S&C. The collection own is then stuck finding ways to sell the rest of the lot.

In comes Heritage. They offer to sell the whole lot – $15k above and below – and thus get lots of large collections.

In addition, S&C focus on fine arts and are slowly ridding themselves of collectibles. Again, in comes Heritage.

Rohan said they like to be “the approachable, non-snob auction house.” And it’s paying off to the tune of $700 million/year in sales.

Speaking of opportunity being everywhere…this opportunity for insight comes from my former life as a newspaper reporter for The San Antonio Light newspaper. At one point in my illustrious career, I covered the Bexar County Courthouse with fellow reporter, Hector Cantu…fast forward a couple of decades and Facebook found us in the same town again.  Hector is now the Editorial Director for Heritage Auctions and the writer for the syndicated Baldo newspaper cartoon!

Not only am I name-dropping here, but I tell you this story by way of explanation as to how I ended up at the Heritage Auction’s 2nd Tuesday event where Rohan was speaking.  You just never know when an opportunity for the inside scoop will appear!

**BTW: As Events Chair for the Dallas Business Club (DBC), I invited the founders of Heritage Auction House to talk to the DBC about how the auction house came to be, what makes it grow and how the recent economic downturn has affected its business.

Jim Halperin, co-founder and co-chairman of Heritage Auctions, graciously offered to talk to us about just that, and is hosting us at their Slocum venue on Thursday, Sept. 22…For more information and to buy tickets for the talk and a wine/cheese reception, click here.**

*Spoiler alert: He came in last in the actual games, but he was a part of them!*

“Our life is full of defining moments, pivotal choices,” according to Poscente.

The author of the easy read “The Ant & The Elephant,” Poscente, jumped on chairs, yelled, encouraged audience participation and gave the following advice at a talk earlier this year (April 16, 2011 – another archive goodie)…it may not be as exciting in writing as it was in person…but it bears repeating:

C#1 – Clarity of Vision: Pay attention to your subconscious (elephant) not just conscious (ant) mind. “Don’t just see it, but feel your vision and what it means…If a thought gives you a physical reaction – pay attention.”

C#2 – Commitment: Have the courage to decide. “Doubt is loudest at 99-percent commitment, and it goes away at 100 percent.”

C#3 – Consistency: Focus on your goal – use reminders around the house to refocus you and create a consistent strategy to reach your goal. What change do you want to affect?

“The second you own the solution, you innovate.”

Most people look to their competitors and do what they are not doing…they fill a void…not a bad path, but not a bold one either. Poscente says, “You should do what the competition is not willing to do…That way, you can even tell the competition what you are doing and they won’t do it, because it is what they are not willing to do.”

C#4 – Confidence: Results plummet through the gap between “fear” and “confidence,” so don’t go there…be confident…reinforce to your subconscious that your goal is real and true.

C#5 – Control: This is basically creating a routine. You can reinforce your confidence with a controlled routine of consistent steps toward the clear goal to which you are committed. (See, I got all the Cs in there!)

Poscente wraps up by saying that you will have skeptics as you move toward your goals…just make sure your subconscious isn’t one of them…work to marry your ant and your elephant…the rest of the world will follow.

“When skeptics see results, they will become your biggest supporters.”

Yikes…gulp…

During my long, uncomfortable pause, he said any political candidates? Any CEOs?

Not only could I not think of a politician or CEO, all I could think about were the ones who used to be great, but we just don’t hear from them anymore…even President Obama, who talks everywhere these days, seems to have lost his luster…I think Candidate Obama inspired us to work together to make change and create a better world…President Obama seems to spend an inordinate amount of time on the defensive, practically whining about the details and the things that didn’t happen…where’s the vision for what could and should happen?

The Republican candidates make me cringe with Perry and his preacherman tenor, and Romney arguing with the hecklers in the crowd…Michelle Bachman stands out as someone who can hold her own…she’s measured and direct, but I still wouldn’t say she’s “inspirational.” Someone suggested that Hilary Clinton could fill the void…while she’s grown into an awesome speaker on international issues where she can deliver a pointed, direct message to a small audience…though, again, I’m not inspired…impressed, but not inspired…and I don’t think she can translate it back to the bigger stage where she must talk to all people about all things…we have no Ronald Reagan or John F. Kennedy that I can see.

Even the business guys – Jack Welch, Warren Buffet, Peter Drucker, Bill Gates – seem to be missing from the picture (except for Warren’s recent oped stating he thinks he needs to be taxed more, to which I replied, if you ‘d like to read it)…Steve Jobs announces way cool technology, but I wouldn’t say his speech is inspirational…his technology inspires his techie tribe (me included) to try new things, but he doesn’t talk big or inspire with global leadership.

Authors Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin and others have inspirational messages in their writings…I’ve also had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Gladwell speak…entertaining and interesting, but still – no inspiration…

Our religious leaders, well there’s Joel Olsteen…he can be inspirational, but he’s not exactly in the national dialogue…where’s our Martin Luther King or even the Rev Jesse Jackson or  Oral Roberts…Billy Graham advised Presidents and corporate titans, but now we don’t see any big religious leaders with ecumenical teachings.

So where is it?

Heck…what is it?

I think what I’m looking for is someone to paint a rosier picture…a picture of what could be and what will be if we wait long enough or work hard enough…I’ve had my fill of scare tactics and low expectations.

Anyone out there know of a great inspirational speaker?

Maybe we can get him on YouTube

In the world of business, elephant hunters are those of us who land large projects that we can feed off for some time.  Rabbit hunters are those who land small projects that feed them for a day or so.  A good business owner, has a varied diet of both.

I recently read Loral Langemeier’s Put More Cash In Your Pocket: Turn What You Know Into Dough…I read it in preparation for a 3-day class I took in Austin that was supposed to help me increase my sales…the book was good, but not the best-written book…however, paired with the class, it really changed (aka “improved”) my outlook on sales and business processes.

Entrepreneurs usually start a business because they like to do “the thing” – writing, home decor, cooking, real estate.  They rarely love, or even like, the sales aspect of the business, yet that is what turns a hobby into a bona fide business. We all tend to take classes to improve our skills with “the thing,” but rarely take the time to strength our weakest point – sales.  Even if you don’t take this class, I HIGHLY recommend finding a sales seminar of some kind.

The key concept at Cash Machine (name of Langemeier’s class) – as it applies to elephant hunters, such as me – is to create smaller projects (rabbits around $250-500, as opposed to $2500+ elephants) that give potential customers the ability to try your services before making a big commitment. The rabbits put cash in your pocket today, while you wait to land the elephant.  Conversely, she teaches rabbit hunters how to land elephants so they can take a break every now and then!

The coaches at the conference – and even before (though without the class you don’t really get the full impact of what they are trying to tell you in advance) – really stay on top of you to sell during the three days and walk you through your weak spots in the sales process.  I firmed up two client contracts that I had pending and landed three new clients during the 3-day conference. It was well worth the complete and total discomfort I felt with the sales process.

I’d recommend the book for anyone contemplating a small, side business. I would only recommend the Cash Machine class (coming to Dallas in November, I understand) if you already have a product or service and really want to make it work as a business.

FWIW: Loral started out working as a trainer for Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad, Poor Dad fame. I’ve heard him speak, and she is similar in her attitude toward business…I think she’s more practical and waaaaaay pushier (is that a word?)…but, heck, I landed sales under her watchful eye, so I can’t complain too much.

Only caveat I have: Her sales system works and she will use it on you!

Big ideas can be hard to implement…hard to figure out how it applies to you and your everyday life…we may have the desire to implement, but not the time or energy to figure out what to do with this new found intelligence.

I heard about the Biz Book Club months ago, but it took me awhile to get myself out there – about 30 minutes from my home. Looooved my first meeting – and I hadn’t even read the book … oops.

This month is was the brief, but info packed, Know Can Do! Put Your Know-How into Action by Ken Blanchard of One Minute Manager fame with Paul J. Meyer and Dick Ruhe.

The core idea here is that we learn new things all the of the time which results in information overload. Therefore, we lose focus as we learn new things before we have a chance to absorb the last lesson. Add to that the human tendency to have a negative filter – in other words, when given a new task or new piece of information, our minds naturally go to all of the issues related to making a change…and then we tend to bail out of the new plan.

The authors’ recommend that:

(a) We learn LESS new info, but learn it MORE (or better) – in other words, absorb the first lesson, before moving to the next;

(b) We listen to new ideas with a positive mindset – not just an open mind, but actually force ourselves to think of all the reasons we should be receptive to the new idea (if you ultimately decide you don’t want to incorporate the idea, that’s OK, just start out with the reasons why the idea might be good instead of bad); and

(c) We incorporate a plan to follow up on the new ideas we learn – for example, pair up with a partner or a coach and check up with them on a regular basis regarding your status to incorporate the new idea.

The book is a quick, easy read written in narrative style in less than 100 pages.  I would totally recommend reading this book with your own business book club – thus making all members accountability partners moving forward as you read about new business ideas together.  It’s also a quick read to ease people into the idea of yet another task.

If you want to partner with me, just read the book and keep in touch with me via my comments section…I’m ready for positive change!

BTW: Recently heard ClubCorp’s CEO Eric Affeldt talk about “Successfully Stagnant” companies…more about that later, but this book’s lessons jumped out at me during his talk…it’s hard to change, especially if you have even a small amount of success.

She’s busy, but she ain’t gittin’ paid…

Entrepreneurs feel it the most because of the more direct relation between business and livelihood, but you can see it in large corporations and even government jobs – inefficiencies eat up a lot of our profit margins.  When the economy was going gangbusters, it was harder to see.  Today, pretty much all of us are looking for those places to cut back and become more efficient.

This is where my new bbbff (best business book friend forever) Marley Majcher comes into play.  She introduced me (or maybe re-introduced me, since it started to sound familiar from my MBA days…yet, she wrote it in a more simple and practical way) to expense coding.

Met Marley at a recent Spark & Hustle conference in Dallas where she spoke about how terribly busy she was with very important work.  She told us how she felt very special as her business took off, and she was busy practically 24/7 doing the work she loved – putting on parties for the rich and occasionally famous in LA.

When people (like dad and hubby even) asked her how much she was making, she was sooo annoyed – she was obviously making TONS of money!  In fact, she expanded her business to the point that her life was spiraling out of control.

One day, she sat down to really calculate how much money she was clearing, only to discover she was barely making minimum wage! Right then and there she had to figure out how to either cut costs, increase prices or become more efficient.

When she asked other business owners how they did it, they looked at her like she was crazy or appeared to just blow her off.  She eventually discovered that instead of shunning her, that most of them also did NOT know how much they were actually making. This prompted her to read and research to the point that she ultimately discovered her own system…not only a system for coding, but also systematic – and SCHEDULED – analysis of your new data, and then a system for following up and course correcting with that info.

I just finished her book, “But Are You Making Any Money? Stop Being Busy and Start Creating Cash.”  OK, as a writer, I have to say it’s not the tightest prose, and I wanted a little more detail on a couple of the core chapters that described the actually coding process.  However, it is one of the few business books – particularly for entrepreneurs – that gives you the tactical advice I crave (see May 26 rant on advice).

I’m still working on putting together my own coding system into place…it’s a trial and error process up front because I create one, then tried to do some filing based on it, and found it needed tweaking…for example, Marley recs that you start each # with the year (11) so that you can sort in order…but I also want sorted first by customer, then date, then project…you have to consider both computer files and physical files…it isn’t hard or complicated, but a lot of thought goes into the beginning.

Even though I haven’t tackled it yet, I can feel my load getting just a bit lighter…it also helped me choose a path to go down…anyone who owns a business or runs a business line for a corp. knows that we have many options for spending our time and attention.  I really feel like time spent here with creating and USING a coding system will help streamline my time.

Oh, and one point she makes is the importance of time tracking!  I found that difficult…but another friend rec’d the iPhone ap “HoursTracker”…there’s a free version that I’m testing out and a paid version with more capabilities…so far so good, but

I’ll keep you posted on my “lessons learned” during the process.  If you’ve already been here and done this, PLEEEZ send me your tips…comment here or contact me through the “contact” page on my website www.bransonink.com.

The four students were called together  Sunday on “This Week” to confront two corporate titans allegedly in a position to hire. Yet both corporate leaders spent most of the time talking about the futility of the students’ job search.

Niiiiiice…Way to encourage the “resourceful” workforce that your companies so desperately need to not only succeed, but to survive.

The two gentlemen on the hot seat: Mort Zuckerman, editor and chief of U.S. News and World Report (among other things), and Doug Imbruce, co-founder and CEO of the tech startup, Qwiki.

Mort said he looked for “determination” in addition to technical skills when hiring. After one student said she wanted to be a journalist, Christiane said the two should talk. Mort replied that his business was dying and recommended that she talk to the Qwiki founder.

So, apparently even media titans have given up on their own industry, and are incapable of being “resourceful” or “determined” themselves. As a former newspaper reporter, I was disheartened. Come on, Mort – you’re not even going to try?

Why not snap up a bunch of young, energetic writers and ask them how they want to get their news?  Sponsor their startup and tell them they have to make money – it’s a business!  Maybe they will have The Next Great Thing and you can use it to keep your flailing media company afloat.

Imbruce gave the uber-cool response (which is sooo 20th Century) that he thinks students should go after “a passion, a calling.” He went on to say that Silicon Valley had tons of openings – they can’t hire engineers fast enough and encouraged the recent grads to get engineering degrees…in fact, it seems anyone who wants a job should be an engineer…I guess you can create this passion, this calling that he referenced by sheer force of will to follow the money.

The glimmer of light that came from Mr. Imbruce: “Situations are temporary; skills are forever.”

Yeah, finally some hope.

The whole interview drew the same bile from my stomach as my previous rant on corporations and their job search process (see “Following Your Passion Can Feel Like You Are Just Another Slaughtered Cow“).

I complained that even in my industry of marketing, communications and public relations – where relationships and personality are key to success – it was virtually impossible to talk to a real human in big corporations and discuss ways to work together.  I am constantly being told by people I actually do get to meet from these corporations to go to the corporate website – a place where senior positions and consulting projects are not posted.

On advice of friends and colleagues, I also was certified a woman-owned business. I was told that I would then be in a corporate database – also online – but a smaller database where projects were again not posted, but where at least the names were scanned when projects came up.

Nada. Nyet. Nunca. Rien.

So how have I gotten corporate gigs? Friends who work at the various corporations hand deliver my information to decision makers.  Yep, that’s right: Companies have hired me as the best alternative by circumventing their own precious systems.

Which brings me back to “This Week.” Even as four talented, recent grads discussed their resourcefulness, willingness and aptitudes to two corporate titans, all they received in return were platitudes and excuses. Not even Imbruce with the new up-and-coming, uber-cool company (you know the type…they refer to their office manager as “den mother,” biking to work is encouraged and benefits include “free food”) took a chance with any of these students…at least not on air.

Don’t get me wrong – I see nothing wrong with the uber-cool titles and benefits. What concerns me is that the same old business processes are hiding behind the hip facade. It is especially disturbing because these hip tech companies often start with two friends in a garage…but then they “go corporate” and learn nothing from other corporations except to copy their antiquated structures.

So what’s my point?

OK, here’s where I can hear my reporter friends complaining that I buried the lead:

Let me encourage recent college grads to come to the bright side – become or work for entrepreneurs and small business.  Yeah, that “growth engine” you keep hearing about on the news.

Send me your resume at juli@bransonink.com if you are a resourceful, energetic, creative person who wants to help me grow my business. I’ll teach you what it means to create value in a world that appears not to value your talents.

It’s great if you have a passion or a calling for telling a good story, particularly in the context of marketing/corporate communications/public relations…it’s even better if you have hutzpah, drive, tenacity and the ability to treat people with respect.

Working for a small business, or creating your own, is a messy process…but I promise you will leave a better person…you’ll either have a great company or you will be an awesome employee, because you will get corporate America, long before it gets you.

Good thing I’m not bitter, huh?

At a Spark & Hustle conference earlier this year, Jack Nadel’s book “Use What You Have To Get What You Want: 100 Basic Ideas That Mean Business” was handed out for free…As I leafed through it, typical sayings such as “A great product is one that sells” and “Keep it simple” shouted out to me.  I thought blah.

[Brief digression: "free" stuff is often dismissed as worthless...so in the future, I'd rec anyone providing a book say "Included in your conference price is $40 in materials PLUS Jack Nadel's $12.95 book."]

I stuffed it into my book bag and a month later pulled it out as I waited for an appointment.  It actually had some very good points…and to prop up the simple advice were brief explanations of how to apply it and then an example.  Here’s one of my favorites:

[idea] #75 Money attracts good people, but pride makes them great.

[explanation] Everyone needs to be motivated to produce over and above what is expected. A feeling of pride creates an invigorating climate in which to work.

[example] Forty years ago we created a sales incentive program for our account executives where those that achieved certain goals came to be called Golden Tigers. Earning the status of a Golden Tiger became  very desirable because it included extra bonuses and a special trip where all of the Golden Tigers enjoyed being together over a long weekend.  Winners were not only proud of themselves, but took enormous price in the accomplishments of their peers.

[idea] #96 The world judges me on results and not on how hard I work.

[explanation] Great results take intense effort. The marketplace doesn’t care how much time you spent creating the product or service. Talking about working hard makes you weak.

[example] When we decided to manufacture the wristband calendar, we spent hundreds of hours designing presentation packages. The original product came to us with the 12 calendars packaged in a clear plastic case. We designed packages either by the month, by the quarter, or by the year, tailored to different industries. We had a package for pharmaceutical manufacturers, automobile dealers, insurance companies and banks, and subscription services. Nobody cares how hard you worked; they are only interested in success of failure.

————————–

Books like this serve a great purpose – they inspire.  While nothing here is a great revelation, each of the 100 tips and examples help remind me, as an entrepreneur, of what is important.  It gives me 100 things to consider when I’m stuck.  You can find the book at www.ideasthatmeanbusiness.com.

You can also find your own inspirational book. I like The Pursuit of Wow! by Tom Peters and How to Get Ideas by Jack Foster & Larry Corby.

I thought this was a great book for those of us Accidental Entrepreneurs who get frustrated from time to time, and wonder if we are doing the right thing to be entrepreneurs when we didn’t really have a plan.  Sometimes the unplanned events are just what we need to kick us in the pants, turn us around, and head us in a new and better direction. The Sharper Your Knife is one woman’s tasty trip into the unknown…Spoiler Alert: She lives through it!

My favorite quote in the book: “I’m going through the same thing that a friend is now experiencing in medical school: desensitization….The ability to objectify something such as a lamb must be as vital to a chef as it is to a surgeon. That’s especially true here in France, where the eating public consumes every part of a cow or pig with delight – and often with a cream sauce.”

It spoke to me.

All of this job searching makes me feel like those in a position to hire are becoming desensitized to the process…they are just processing us like so much meat.  Everyone I send letters to or call to ask for an interview refers me to their job sites, sites that do not list – nor will they ever list – the contract positions or senior management positions that I seek.

Websites also do not allow for the face-to-face interaction that is my industry.  If you want to hire someone to be your spokesperson or to write your speeches and other communications, wouldn’t you like to talk to them to experience their personality? Don’t you want to know if I have the passion?

Instead, I’m asked to submit writing samples.  Even headhunters and recruiters don’t talk to me more than five minutes on the phone. If I could only get a little face time, I could show what I have to offer and explain how I could save these corporations/organizations money.

When I do go to the sites, no matter how I format my resume, it never loads into their different squares properly. Therefore, I spend hours filling out forms and writing cover letters if it’s for a specific job, which is rare, on numerous websites.  Normally, I find no specific job, but go ahead and upload my resume.  And I can’t help but feel it is all busy work.  So how do I break through that seemingly impenetrable cyber-moat?

I honestly have my resume posted on more than 30 different Websites of corporations, organizations, government, headhunters and job search firms.  Do all of these groups really think job hunters like myself all have hours upon hours to search dozens of sites every week to see if anything new has come up? I check as often as I can while I also spend time pitching to new firms and organizations with the hope that I can get one of those coveted face-to-face interviews.  Companies have got to work with us to find a better way to get to know each other.

Some of these Websites have search engines that alert you to new jobs, and I do sign up for them, when available.  In return, I receive dozens of jobs for IT professionals and receptionists, in addition to some for which I am actually qualified.  The alerts never seem to include anything related to media relations, public relations, corporate communications, speechwriting, or any of the other dozen or so key words I enter.  Now, I almost delete the alerts like so much junk mail…I guess that means I, too, am becoming desensitized.

It feels like all of these companies, non-profits and other organizations have no idea that they are consuming every once of my time and energy just filling out forms – and they aren’t even getting a feel for who I really am. Am I an interesting person who can bring new insights? Am I fun to sit next to for 8+ hours a day, so I make the office an enjoyable place to be? Am I productive or unfocused? If only we could use that time to actually communicate.

I identify with Ms. Flinn’s cow or a pig being devoured by this system.

At a recent job fair, I was told by HR people that “this is the way it has to be” but was provided no explanation as to why that is.  However, at the resume advice booth (yes, it exists/existed) at the exact same event, I was told that someone with my experience would never get a job online, only face-to-face.  Yet, all attempts at such interviews have fallen flat.

Which brings me back to my original comment that my attempts at face-to-face contact were rejected, and I was only given the online option. Last year, when I started my company, I became an Accidental Entrepreneur because I was getting interviews, but the companies decided not to hire.  So, I asked them to give me projects, and they did.  This tells me that if I can get in the door, I can show what value I provide. It also tells me that I am capable of making the best out of a bad situation.  I just know companies/organizations out there could use someone of my talents…if they would just take my call.

I must take a break from this frustration and point out that Gerard Arpey, CEO of American Airlines, personally sent me an email saying he didn’t have any openings at this time, but appreciated my interest.  He began by apologizing for the delay in responding but that he’d been busy (no doubt!).  He even referenced my letter where I discussed the various issues I saw AA facing in the coming year and how I would be able to help him with those issues.  He agreed with my assessment and thanked me for my interest.

Now, that is a rejection I can accept.

All I wanted was to have someone consider my qualifications and respond personally.  Why is it that companies want us to research them and know what we’re talking about when we apply, and generic letters are a biiiig no-no, but they do not feel that they owe us the same courtesy?

If Gerard Arpey can return my email with a personal note, then I think the leaders – or at least the VPs of Communications or the person responsible for sorting through online resumes – of other firms and organizations also can.