Today I participated in reading to 1st graders at Deerborn Elementary.  What an amazing opportunity it is, even if for one day every once in a while, to impact these kids lives.

Please visit this site and think about volunteering, thank you.

My coach James Malinchak say’s “Do things right, not smart”  I believe that to be a great mantra for 2010.

“No more websites – Sabrina Gibson

With this blog post, I would imagine there will be some pretty upset web developers out there.  GOOD!  For the last 9 years I have sold websites to small business owners.  Not just any website, but Smart And Sticky Websites.

For the last year, I have been advising my clients to avoid spending money on a useless “smart and sticky” website and build a wordpress blog.  Why would I say this?  Here are just a few of the reasons:

1. With a WordPress Blog (assuming you self host which is recommended), anything you post is already search engine friendly.  By adding some extra sites to PING, you can get your blog publicized pretty fast.  In laymen terms, you can get more people to see your blog very quickly.
2. Once it is setup, you can update it yourself very easily.  There is no reason you need to be dependent on your web developer.
3. Hosting is only $4.95 a month to self host your blog.  I recommend Host Gator as their customer service is amazing and they specialize in Word Press.  For the $4.95 a month, you get email and can actually host other sites…”

For the complete blog post and the rest of the list please visit Sabrina’s blog here:

No More Website’s post -  http://socialnetworkingrockstar.com/?p=177

Sabrina’s blog – http://socialnetworkingrockstar.com/

I completely agree with Sabrina.  There is no reason you shouldn’t be in more control over your content and when your site gets updated.  Unchain yourself from your old website.  There is also an SEO issue here.  She explains how using wp makes your information more search friendly by google and other search engines.

What are your thoughts?

TIP – If you want someone to remember you, send them something they will use on a regular basis or share with other people.

SIDE NOTE – Something I am happy with is I order custom letterpress generic cards with my name on them.  Very classy and they show that you are serious about being professional.  It is like the difference between a flimsy business card on paper and one on nice card stock.

Here is by far the best designers to get letterpress done.  They are based out of New York and LA.

http://atlasandcampbell.blogspot.com/

The first question is what constitutes a great thank you?  In my book a truly great thank you must have at least 2 of these 3 characteristics:

1. Very Unique (this would be the first one of its kind they received this year or ever)

2. Very Tasty (watch out for allergies on this one)

3. Very Personal (you need to avoid being creepy here)

The reason you must have 2 of the 3 is simply because we are not talking just a regular thank you, we are talking about mind blowing I will write you a thank you note for your thank you gift.

TIP – At the beginning of each year or quarter you should make a “thank you giving budget” for expenses related to sending thank you’s to customers and business relations.

If you have a favorite thank you that you like to send out…share it with the rest of of us below in the comment section!

Here are several things that fit into each category.  In no order of coolness – (all images are links)

1. CO2 wine cork opener – This thing is just plain cool, people that get this gift will use it and show it off to their friends, a great return on this investment.

2. Wine saver vacuum pump – Also a must for people that drink wine and especially those that do not drink a bottle at every sitting.

3. Brownies – These are the VERY TASTY variety! Thanks to James Malinchak for this one.

4. Wine – Here is the trick, make it a $18 bottle or better and you will run into far less of a chance for sending a not so great bottle.

Usually these varieties are safe: Syrah, Red Blends, Merlot, Chardonnay (crisp or buttery, not dry)

Champagne – I recommend only one, Moet White Star ($30 a bottle) everyone likes this champagne. http://www.moet.com/

5. BBQ tongs with temperature gauge. Sounds crazy, but if they bbq, these are awesome!

6. Spa gift card – it is simple and who doesn’t like a great massage.

7. Peanut Brittle from the Davenport Hotel – Every time I send this people they call me and say wow, where do I get this stuff.

8. Gift card to a nice dinner at their favorite restaurant - How do you find out their favorite place to eat?  Tell them next time you are in their city you would like a great place to eat…that is your answer. ($50 minimum)

9. Business card holder – These are easy to loose and nice to have.  This is something people like having, but never seem to buy them.

10. Tickets to a sports event – If you find out someone like a certain sports team buying them tickets to a future game is huge!

And sometimes you need to send someone a more expensive gift.  These are a few ideas for things with a price point of $250 or more.

1. Nespresso latte machine – I own one of these and as an avid coffee drinker and Seattle resident of 8 years I can tell you without a doubt that this machine rivals any cup of coffee you can buy.  They are easy to use and even easier to clean!

2. Wine storage unit - This silent unit comes in black and stainless steal.  If someone loves wine they would love this compact storage system.  With temperature regulation you can keep you favorite bottles at the right temp all day.  I put mine in the closet and keep it out of the way.

3. Kindle – This device is all the rage and for good reason.  If you travel and you like to read you need a Kindle.  Compact and full of books you can take your library with you.

4. Flip Camera – Maybe your client has been talking about generating more online traffic or increasing their presence.  This is the fastest way to make a big difference in their SEO, Video!  Make it easy for them, this device simplifies the process of recording a video and uploading to youtube or facebook.

5. Round of golf – if the person is a golfer then buy them a round on you.  If you really want to make an impression add a gift card for a free meal with the round.

Click the picture to find a course anywhere in the US and more!

I hope you enjoy this list of thanks you and get a chance to wow your clients with some special clients.

REMEMBER – Thank you’s are an investment in your relationships!

We all understand the importance of leverage in science and life. When it comes to creating opportunity for yourself you must be using leverage to gain advantage over your competition. Here is how it breaks down: There are almost 24 hours in a day. E/e=L only deals with the discretionary time of your day. This encompasses every minute you have available after sleeping, eating, working/cleaning etc. The question becomes how many minutes are you spending watching TV, surfing the net on ESPN, CNN, The Onion and so on? If you would invest only 1% of your total day’s time in educating yourself that would be 14 minutes.

That’s it, and there is no question how valuable this time is. I recommend to people I coach that they spend 25 minutes a day minimum on continuing education. So what classifies as education? Education is time spent learning a skill or knowledge that adds value to your life. When it comes to increasing your customers – sales – or anything else you want in business or life, if that is high on your priority list, here are some areas you should focus:

1) You should be focusing learning skills that sharpen your current abilities

2) What new skills can you learn within your industry

3) Is there an area of your life you would like to be better at

4) What skills can set you apart from the crowd The list could go on, these are just a great stating point.

The second question becomes where do you get this education? There are many resources for education from formal educational institutions, the library, online, and experts. Depending on your budget your options will shift. Some people can afford to go back to school or hire private coaches.

No matter what you do for a living there is a private coach that can help you learn and refine skills you will need in your field. Colleges, Universities, and Tech schools can cost from hundreds of dollars per credit to $50K a year. For private coaching you can expect to pay $40 – $250 an hour depending on the skills you are trying to learn.

Online resources vary from formal style education to free content like this blog. It is important that you both educate yourself on trends in the job market, your industry, and your skill sets. Take some free tutorials, look up blogs, and don’t be afraid to pay for some online courses. The web is quickly becoming a location similar to a community college campus. Online courses take more self-starting on your part, but can prove effective if treated with the respect of your time and energy.

Either way, take a moment and look deeply at your life.  Are you spending the time needed to build the edge to survive into tomorrow!  If not, take a minute…14 at least.

Do This (be like Nordstrom) Not That (be like Domino’s)

What on earth could pizza have to do with fashion, other then a potential expensive dry cleaning bill?  During my 5 years at Nordstrom there is no question that I learned three pillars of success that make Nordstrom great.  Recently, while taking one for the team, I experienced a subtle but dangerous misstep by Domino’s.

It was Wednesday night, I knew I was going to be working that night, my wife had a meeting and I was alone to my own devises.  The decision took merely moments that I was for sure going to order pizza.   I must admit the Domino’s pizza ads got to me.

Here they are, a company older then myself, making a bold move and completely changing their core product.  From the ads you would believe they truly cared about the feedback they were getting and that the decision came from high, most likely the Noid himself (I am convinced he is in Cuba waiting to make a come back appearance) — Our pizza sucks let’s do something about it.

So now they decide to take this one step further…we are going to sell our pies for dirt cheap and taking a direct quote from their commercial “if you are not completely satisfied with your Domino’s pizza experience we will make it right or give you your money back!”

Their website was awesome, easy, and fun to use.  The anticipation grew with every incremental step I watched on the new tracking system.  Your order is being made…right now!  your order is complete, the driver Joe (they actually gave his name) is on his way.  I can not tell you how excited I was, my mouth was watering and my thoughts began to drift to a place full of fresh veggies and melted cheese.

Finally the pie arrived.  I paid the driver handing a $20 bill and looking at him with the “don’t even think about making small talk, I have a pizza to eat” eyes.  Have I mentioned I LOVE pizza.

I rip into the box like a maniac nearly dropping the whole pizza on the floor.  With my warmed plate in hand I sit down and eat.  The sauce was great, cheese fresh (and real), veggies good, and then there’s the crust.  Smothered in butter, just like they said, so really it’s my fault for not listening to them.   My fingers were covered in butter and garlic the moment I picked up a slice, which is not conducive to drinking soda or anything else while you are eating.

I decided the crust was so bad and heavy it made my overall experience with the new pizza a poor one.  Domino’s had pushed me into this position that it only seemed fair that I should tell them what I think.  It was my duty, as a self-proclaimed pizza connoisseur, to tell them what I thought.

I traveled back to the email they sent me, figuring they would have a feedback button, no love.  The website was nice, so I went there and to my surprise I couldn’t find a feedback button.  WHAT?!?!

Then in the corner I saw this:

Which opens up this window:

Here is where the whole thing falls apart.

At Nordstrom we are taught many things, but few as important as these:

1) Use Good Judgment at All Times

2) Listen to the Customer First

3) Under Promise and Over Deliver in Everything

Nordstrom is a support based company.  The inverted pyramid means that when you are a manager you are below those you manage, you support them.  When you are on the front lines as a sales person or customer service rep you support the customer, listen to them , and never ever make a promise you can’t keep.

I would go as far as to say it was encouraged that you make promises, and then find as many ways as you can to exceed expectations.  Sometimes this meant doing things you didn’t want to for the sake of keeping a promise.  This could be delivering customers items to their house or staying later then your shift to finish something you started.

So what did I do with Domino’s?

I emailed them and not some sissy email that said I didn’t like their crust.  I gave them a Food Magazine breakdown of what I loved and what I didn’t love.  I ended the email with this line:

“There is no question, the crust was so bad that I will not be ordering pizza from Domino’s again and didn’t even finish the two pizza’s I ordered”

I got a reply fast, too fast.

…“Your feedback is important to us and we will share it with our Product Development Team.  We value your business and hope you will give us another opportunity to serve you in the future.

Sincerely,

Cleveland Domino’s Customer Care T.E.A.M.”

What happened to “if you don’t like we will bend over backwards to make it right or give you your money back no questions asked”  Because that is what I hear when they say 100% guarantee.  This is a prime example of when a company over promises, has no intention of meeting their promise, or just get’s too busy.

There is a reason why Nordstrom customers speak so highly of the company – the Nordstrom way is to over deliver on every promise.  Are you setting yourself up for success?  Over promise and you won’t be getting many repeat customers.  Over deliver and you will build an army of advocates.

There are lots of good consequences to good customer service. The path we are talking about today is: as your customer service increases, your returns decrease, and your customers become an army of advocates. This creation of advocates has multiple trickle down effects.

There are a few companies that practice customer service to a point of near perfection.  Before we dive into the specifics of each company, let’s take a look at the reaction individuals have to great service.
1) Loyal Following – When someone makes the choice to advocate on your behalf something spectacular happens in their psyche: They make a personal connection to you and your product or services. This personal connection is at the highest level of rapport. When someone chooses to speak on your behalf they are choosing to trust you.

2) We buy from validated companies – If I speak to someone I know and they recommend a company I am 80% more likely to go to that company. I know this is intuitive, but it is always important to mention. Great customer service builds advocates, when someone mentions your company they are validating your services or product.

3) Providing customer services starts with empowering your staff – the best and quickest way to boosting your customer service is to empower your employees and managers to take the steps need to provide exceptional service. Great service requires a certain amount of flexibility to handle problem solving.

In the next part we are going to look deep into the kaleidoscope of what makes Nordstrom tick (from the insider percpective of a 5 year employee), how Costco grew into a multi-billion dollar a year company, and what Apple did to turn it all around!

The biggest question I have today is: articles ddee

“What is one simple business practice that can immediately increase my business and help me create and capitalize on opportunities?”

Be accountable. Most of us know what we need to do to be successful; it’s just a matter of DOING it. In some cases, we may have to find ways to MAKE ourselves do it. Thomas Merton wrote, “Self-conquest is self-surrender.” By finally admitting that YOU are the biggest “problem” in your own business, you can start the process of setting up your life and work so that you win.

“Self-conquest, I like the sound of that. Can you expand on what that looks like?”

The conquest comes from admission: “I can’t do it by myself, I need help in getting things done and, last, I need help determining what’s most important to me because I am NOT getting those things accomplished to my satisfaction.”

“So I should start by admitting when I am not accomplishing things. Am I doing this all wrong?”

You are, for better or worse, not unlike most people. We all need systems in place to accomplish much of what we’d like to do. It supports us, holds us accountable, helps us prioritize, and sometimes forces us to do what we can’t seem to do “naturally.”

It’s much easier than you think to make happen what you SAY you want or need to do. Take the following statistics from the “Leadership Essentials” management course done in the 90s. These are “The Odds We Will Do What We Say”:
• When I say “I will do it” … 10% chance of happening
• When I say with commitment, “I will do it” … 10%
• When we set a date: “I will do it by this time/day” … 20%
• When we know how to do it … 40%
• We know how AND we set a date … 50%
• We tell one other person our plan … 80%
• We tell others about our plan …90%
• We work with an integrated team … 95%

“This sounds good, but what is an example of this in real life?”

If you want to go to the gym at 7AM each weekday, and you have no experience making that happen, then even if you say with commitment “I’m going to do it,” the chances are slim. But if you tell another person and have him/her either meet you there then you have both said “I’m going to do it,” and you have to show up because there’s a consequence if you don’t. It’s EIGHT TIMES more likely to happen. Why? Accountability. If you want to practically guarantee something will happen, then get a team of people to be accountable.

“I tend to avoid doing this. For some reason it makes me nervous telling people what I want to accomplish, especially when it comes to building my business.”

Most of us avoid being accountable. There’s fear of being seen as a flake, or concern for not looking good. Maybe it’s discomfort with being or feeling blamed. Whatever, unless you’re making choices to SAY what you’re going to do — and there’s some consequence if you DON’T — then you’ll continue on your merry way wondering why the wealth and happiness that others enjoy aren’t yours.

“How can I best collaborate towards my goals as an individual coach and business owner while still adding value to the other business owner?”

It’s simple: get a person or a team of people and enroll them in whatever you want to accomplish. Set up some consequence: “If I don’t get this done by X time, then I have to volunteer one day at the local homeless shelter.” It doesn’t have to be a horrible consequence; let it be something of your own choosing that you know will work. With a colleague of mine, I said I’d send her to Hawaii if I didn’t get a project finished and to her in time. She was at once glad I was specific with her AND was hoping for a free trip to the islands! I got it done on time.

Being accountable doesn’t have to be hard or filled with fear of blame. It’s often a matter of being creative. And you’ve got to practice being disciplined in terms of actually doing what you say. Your word then has real power with people; more importantly, you will trust yourself. You will KNOW that when you say something it will likely happen. If not, you’ll know what to do to make it so.

“What does this mean in the long run for my coaching business?”

The next time any opportunity comes your way that you KNOW will make a difference in making more money for your business, practice with this tool.
1) Create an outcome: “I will complete X by this time/date.”
2) Contact a friend or colleague (preferably more than one), and tell them what you’re going to do and by when.
3) Then tell them what you’ll do as a consequence if you DON’T do it by then. You’ll see how, when you create systems that MAKE you prioritize, you can then surrender and trust things will happen. The more you practice, the better you get at it.

Notice where there are systems and consequences missing, then get busy implementing. Do it imperfectly at first; it’s the first time you’ve likely done something like this. The better you get, the more amazing things happen in your business — and your life.

“Thank you George, this is really helpful in both understanding how to build my own accountability and help my fellow coaches at the same time! Thanks again.”

It’s been a pleasure.

Why am I so angry about New Years Resolutions: because they do nothing except set you up for failure!
I am so tired of watching people waste their time, energy, and resources trying to make the impossible happen that I have decided to share with you this very powerful secret about making change happen in 2010.

1st off – It is not your fault your new years resolutions are not working, it is the fault of how you were taught to make them. To resolve to do something implies doing it in the future.  Among the many definitions of the word resolution, Merriam Webster says:

“a formal expression of opinion, will, or intent”

There is your problem! How the hell are you suppose to get anywhere if you merely intend to.

Do not get me wrong about resolutions. They have certain components that are positive. The real issue is they leave you with only part of the solution to making change, the desire to change. Ever changed a bad habit by simply thinking “gee, I would like to not do this anymore.”?

For most all of us that line of thinking is not enough to change anything. We might for a moment, only to end up sliding back into the habit again at a later date.

2nd – You need to set goals properly. What does a proper goal look like? Every goal you have should strive to include as many of these working parts as possible: Timely, Measurable, Beyond Your Comfort Zone, Realistic (varies by person), and most importantly POSITIVE.

TIP – Positive does not mean happy or cheerful, it means towards something. It is crucial that when goal setting you are thinking about moving towards a goal rather then away from a state of being. For example: GOOD I am going to eat three healthy meals a week for dinner – BAD I am going to eat 4 less take out meals for dinners a week. — This goes for anything, always make the goal towards the desired result and not away from unwanted action.

ACTION STEP ONE FOR MAKING A GREAT YEAR:
Once you set your goals you need to take one more big step that most miss. It is time to drill down to your next objective. What do you need next to move one step closer to your goal? If someone were to knock at your door right now and offer you a product, connection, or service what would that be? That is what you are going after. That is your true goal.

ACTION STEP TWO FOR MAKING A GREAT YEAR:
Now that you have your next step goal it is time to take this goal and move it into reality. In order to do this you are going to have to make your goal part of your mental state. This is achieved by making properly written affirmations and practicing moving into the mental state of action and readiness for your goals.

A properly written affirmation (according to Lou Tice of The Pacific Institute) is written in present time, is positive, personal, emotional, and detailed. To make this easier lets go through some examples.
GOOD AFFIRMATION – “I easily and comfortable work out 30 minutes at the gym feeling great about my work out”
BAD AFFIRMATION – “I will work out hard so I am no longer out of shape by going to the gym 4 times a week”

At first glance the second affirmation does not sound so bad, until we dig into the psychological effect of telling your self this kind of affirmation. Let’s break it down:
“I will” this is telling yourself that you plan on doing something when you should be telling your self that you are doing something.
“work out hard” this is difficult to measure.
“no longer out of shape” this puts your focus on being out of shape and should be directing you towards being in good shape.
“by going” implies a future action not a today action. There is a sign at a local pub that reads “Free Beer Tomorrow”…you get the point.

ACTION STEP THREE –
Now that you have a next step goal, a few affirmations about building positive change in your life, you need to focus and read your affirmations every morning and every night religiously.

You are able to make any change in your life and the best change happens only after you work hard to create it. This is not easy, nothing worth having is! Take the moment each morning, each night, and make your life worth improving. For your family, for your health, for your success just make it happen…How does this start?

Right now, write down your goal, then drill down, and then while you are at it, try writing another affirmation. Once you reach your next step goal repeat this process until you are out of goals to reach (which better be never).

If you would like more help, email me. I would be more then happy to proof read your affirmation for you. If you want to stay motivated for the first 30 days of your new year go here and I will email you a motivational quote and tip everyday for 30 days — http://www.jabezlebret.com/daily.html

It all starts with one step, one moment, and you can become the person you are truly capable of being.

As a jet plane flies it creates a zone behind it that consists of both turbulence and low pressure. When another jet plane flies into this zone it can spell disaster.

In the movie it does mean disaster. Maverick and his co-pilot Goose’s plane looses control and begins spiraling out of control crashing into the ocean.

The thought occurred to me: How many managers and leaders fly into a wash (high turbulent dangerous situation) and begin spiraling out of control leaving a wake of a mess behind them?

A marketing coach of mine, Ed Rush, is a retired F-18 pilot for the Marines. He walked me through the situation once and explained why a well trained pilot will avoid catastrophe in that very same situation.

He say’s that there is a reason why pilots must be properly trained. “Once you enter into a situation like the one in the movie your previous training kicks in on auto-pilot, because you just don’t have time to learn what you need to learn to survive in 30 seconds”.

As I was thinking about the implications of these moments and being a leader. Something that separates the great leaders is their ability to “think on their feet” during crisis situations.

I believe it is not that they are better at thinking on their feet, they are more prepared and have invested in the best training so when those moments happen, they go into auto-pilot.

What are you doing to train yourself for these moments? Got a great idea…post it so others can benefit.