I Was Pondering...

Marketing Genius!

2010-09-24T07:00:00.003-04:00

I'm always interested in seeing small businesses promote their services. I find it incredible how some are so creative in their methods.

Check out this short video of what a local small business owner did to promote his services.

What small businesses do you know of that have some creative marketing presence and how are they promoting it?

[Note: You can contact Frank to get your land survey - here. You can hire Jeff Vickery by finding him here.]

"Your Success Is My Business."™

pondering - "to think about : reflect on"

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Oh No It Didn't!

2010-09-02T07:45:00.009-04:00

Well, it happened...its official.

I'M THE SAME AGE THAT MY GRANDFATHER WAS AT THE TIME I WAS BORN!!!!

How did that happen - to me? I always remembered him as (and I hate to say this) an old man. But I don't feel like an old man. In fact, I often get this question asked to me: "How old are you?" (with some sarcasm added I might emphasize).

Well, as I ponder on this realization for today, I will keep this in mind above all:
I'll never grow up and will always be young at heart!!!

[Note: top photo from http://www.elderoptionsoftexas.com/ and bottom photo from http://croutonboy.typepad.com/]

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pondering - "to think about : reflect on"
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Lessons I Learned - From a SunBurn

2010-05-27T07:45:00.004-04:00

It was Memorial Day...must have been around 1989. I went out on a water skiing trip with some friends and in about a two hour time frame, became so sun-burnt that I had to miss a week of work and take (internally and externally) so many medications. It was without a doubt the worst pain I've even been in throughout my life (so far, no broken bones!).

As I ponder on that, with Memorial Day quickly approaching, I thought about the leadership lessons I learned from this event. They are:

Always be sure to consider the consequences of your decision. I often discuss with my son that every decision has a consequence - some positive, some negative, but there's always a consequence. Our job is to try to make as many decisions that will produce positive results as possible.
Go into the action prepared. I should have known better than to go out on the water, in the middle of a hot, cloudless sunny day, without sun-screen. Anything you're going to do needs a plan, regardless of how simple or how meaningless you believe it is.
Have a "replacement" plan in affect. You are never guaranteed another day. I had no plan for being out unexpectantly for a week. You never know when something is going to happen, possibly even good (a promotion or the career of your dreams comes along), that will cause you to not be able to perform your current role. All great leaders are always working to replace themselves so that they can move on to the next challenge. Create a program that immediately begins to fill your role...in case.
Set your team up for success. I've seen so many micro-managers in my life. They're the leader who has to have their hand in everything. They work from the philosophy, "If I want it done right, I'll do it myself." This is the worse path you can create for your team, and for the success of what you do. Prepare your team every day to work, decide and to lead as if you were not there. Then, when/if something happens, the team can continue to be successful.
Be accountable. When something happens to you, the majority of the time it's because of some decision you've made. Just like with me going to the river in the middle of the day without sun-screen...that was my decision to do, regardless of whether I thought about it or "forgot it". My actions, my accountability. I couldn't blame anyone else for what happened to me that day. I hear so many people, and unfortunately a majority being the younger population, blaming others for things that happen to them. Be accountable for your actions...you'll learn more in the long run when you do.

So even though I went through a very painful, very memorable event, there were valuable lessons learned (again, the eternal optimist in me). And this isn't the only event that's happened to me where I've learned something (here and here).

My question: What personal event has lead you to do life a little differently, with more focus?

[Note: photo from http://www.philarockgym.com/]

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pondering - "to think about : reflect on"

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Motivation for Enduring the Pain

2010-05-21T10:24:00.003-04:00

I saw something that caused me to ponder and I wanted to share it with you:

(Note: As for the "...this happened before..." mention at the end of the video, here are the details about it.)

My question: What motivates you to keep going?

[Note: photo from http://www.thecrosshairstrader.com/]

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Are you trapped?

2010-05-14T06:38:00.006-04:00

I was pondering about something during my recent exercise routine, and was wondering if you feel trapped? (Note: no snakes this time!)

For the link I promised in the video, click here.

My question: Do you feel trapped or would you change/start a new social media site?

[Note: photo from https://www.naturalbalancenow.com/]

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Blogging - A New Way

2010-05-07T07:38:00.009-04:00

With my iPod on and a new thought I've been pondering on, I wanted to try something a little different (be sure to watch all the way to the end):

While reading all the blogs I do, I notice that one I follow always stood out to me, so I thought I'd follow suite.

Would like to hear your thoughts.

Until next time, take care!

[Note: photo from http://www.pulsarmedia.eu/]

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What gets you out of bed in the morning?

2010-04-13T07:45:00.001-04:00

What motivates you to get out of bed each morning? Is it debt? Is it because you have a career that is also your passion? Something gets you going each day.

I was pondering on this as I was reflecting on something my son recently told me.

Since he's been out of school, he's struggled with his life purpose - his career, where to live, adjusting to being a responsible adult and paying his bills, etc. He's recently had an opportunity with a new career which will lead him to a new location to live and a new life adventure ahead of him. His comment to me was, "You know I wake up every morning wondering what and why I'm doing that day. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have a purpose now." Awesome!

My question: I'd like to know what gets you out of bed every day.

[Note: photo from https://www.naturalbalancenow.com/]

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Did you hear me?

2010-04-09T07:45:00.001-04:00

Paying attention when you're talking to someone is just common courtesy...isn't it? But have you noticed that what now seems to be the "new normal" is to be talking with someone while they're checking their mobile device? Makes me stop and ponder.

If their text message or e-mail is more important than I am when I'm standing right there in front of them, what's the purpose? Have we grown to care about our "virtual connections" more than our personal face-to-face connections?

And when we begin to add this multi-tasking lifestyle mentality in our work places, what are we accomplishing then? I've been in meetings before where people are presenting and folks in the audience (including leaders) are checking e-mails, texting, etc. Even our elected officials are guilty of this, yet we hold them unaccountable!

My question: Is it just me that this is a pet-peeve of, or does it upset you too?

[Note: photo from http://www.budbuckley.com/]

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Movies That Influenced My Life

2010-04-06T07:45:00.006-04:00

I was pondering while recently watching a movie about how much I've enjoyed them throughout my life. I remember fondly when I was a little fellow going to the movies with my parents and our friends.

I remember the very first time Mom dropped my brother and me off for a movie - our first without grown-ups. I was twelve years old and it was to see the James Bond movie, "Live and Let Die" downtown Tallahassee at the theater that used to be next to the Capital building.

Soon afterwards, my parents purchased an 8mm camera (no sound, but state-of-the-art at the time) and I quickly learned I could gather all the neighborhood kids together and make little movies. The best of them was "Dracula Invades Blountstown" Parts I and II.

So again I'm thinking about all this and I decided to reflect on the movies that have most influenced me in my life (in no particular order):

Dawn of the Dead.
I had been hooked on scary movies for as long as I can remember. Growing up on Frankenstein, The Wolfman, Dracula, and The Mummy, etc. I even had all the little models of each (which had glow-in-the-dark parts, which would scare me during the night). But this movie, it didn't push the envelope for me, it blew it apart. I saw it for the first time during it's initial release in the spring on 1979 with my friend Steve Lee in Marianna, Florida (ended up a lot of friends where there the same night to see it for the first time). It completely scared me to a state I had never before experienced...I mean, this was a complete assault on my senses. I had seen "Last Man on Earth, "Night of the Living Dead" and "The Omega Man" so I already had a fascination with the whole "last man left" genre, but this movie took it to an entire new plateau. Since that initial viewing, I've literally watched this movie over a thousand times.

It's A Wonderful Life.
Maybe it's just me, but I believe that most folks have made decisions in their lives that they wished they could go back and change. Also, we've gotten ourselves in to some things that we just don't think there's any other option than the worst ones we can come up with. Then, there's this whole "our attitude" is what we need to change philosophy. I've written before about how awesome this movie is and how I continue to find lessons in it.

Patton.
This is the film that caused me to have a life-long passion for Military History, specializing in WWII. I saw it when I was nine years old and from the very beginning of the movie, that scene with the giant flag and the speech...I was at that moment a committed full-blooded American in appreciation of what others had sacrificed to give me the freedoms I enjoyed. Yes, it was very powerful on a young, impressionable boy.

Forrest Gump.
My favorite movie of all time. Every time I watch this movie I see something else that makes me think about how our lives are so similar. I'll not go into this one any further since I've recently written about it, but just to note about it's influence on me.

This isn't all of them, as I could go on and on. But this is the top ones as reflected in certain areas of my life.

My question: What movies have influenced your life?

[Note: photo from http://larryfire.files.wordpress.com/]

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Starting the day

2010-04-01T07:45:00.006-04:00

I'm always fascinated to hear how some folks start their day off. It causes me to stop and ponder.

There's the crowd that get up and start exercising. The group that can't get going 'til they've consumed some coffee. The group that has to hit the "snooze" button several times before they can rouse themselves from the covers. Then there's the group that has to have all of the above!

For me, I'm one of those "the alarm goes off and my feet hit the floor" people. I'm up, ready and out the door within 30 minutes off to work, pumped about the day ahead. There's just to much to do, so much to accomplish and never enough time to get it completed (in the day and during your life!).

My question: What is your normal method of getting up and started in the morning?

[Note: photo from http://www.istockphoto.com/]

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Why didn't I listen?

2010-03-30T07:45:00.001-04:00

Why didn't we listen to our parents? Why didn't I listen?

I was pondering on something a buddy said to me the other day, which is something I've been sharing with others for many years now. He said, "You know Joey, the older I get, the smarter my parents become."

There is so much advice that I should have implemented into my life when I was young, but I just didn't do. But, at the same time, I think there was a lot of "stuff" in my parent's lives when they were young adults that they just didn't know like we as parents do now.

But still they had wisdom that I didn't, and they tried to share it with me.

With many hard knocks along the way, and with the hopes that it might make a difference for someone somewhere, here are some of the things I'd like to share with younger audiences:

Constantly have mentors in your life.
There's no such thing as one mentor for life, no one can do that. But throughout your life, seek out mentors for a specific goal you're trying to accomplish. Whether you seek a career mentor, relationship mentor, financial mentor, spiritual mentor, etc., seek out someone that is where you'd like to be and meet with them once per month. Have a specific agenda for each meeting and make it worth your mentors time when you meet with them.
Always have 1, 5 and 10 year goals.
If you don't have goals, how do you ever know when you score? Goals keep you on track, keep you focused and motivated. Share your goals with others to help hold yourself accountable.

Understand that "homework" never ends.
Just because you get out of school, don't fool yourself into thinking that homework ends, because it doesn't. You'll have research to do on someone you're going to meet to make a sale too; for someone you're going to provide your resume too; for any organizations you join; for any event you're going to attend and the list goes on. You'll also need to constantly have some reading plan in your life if you really want to grow to be all you can be.

Try to compete with those that are better than you are.
If you're always playing against someone you can win against, how do you ever grow and get better? Sure you need a win occasionally to remain motivated, but spend a majority of your time competing with superior forces.

My question: What additional advice would you provide a young person?

[Note: photo from http://i.telegraph.co.uk/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

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Line In The Sand

2010-03-25T07:45:00.002-04:00

Something happened the other day that caused me to ponder: Each of us have drawn a line in the sand. But there's a difference in our lines. Please allow me to explain.

Have you ever driven down the road, maybe passing the other cars as you go because they're not driving as fast as you want too. Then, all the sudden somebody comes along and passes you. You look at that vehicle and silently think, "I hope the cops catch that guy".

For yourself, you hadn't passed the line you'd drawn in the sand for your speed, but when the other driver passed you, they passed your line in the sand; suddenly they were wrong and you weren't. The thing is, the other driver's line in the sand hadn't been crossed yet as far as they're concerned.

So we each have an internal line we've drawn in the sand of our lives. We have certain rules, certain morals that we strictly stick too. We're okay with everyone else doing whatever it is they do as long as they remain within the borders we've created with our line in the sand. But when they cross our line, we start to think differently about them.

But what about the people we associate with and our line is further down that internal road than theirs is? What do they think about us? And, do we really have a right to be concerned when we often do the same to others?

My question: How do you interact with those whose line is drawn in the sand further out than yours is?

[Note: photo from http://1.bp.blogspot.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

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I Can See! (Vision - Part II)

2010-03-22T07:45:00.002-04:00

I've been pondering a lot recently about vision. In fact, I just wrote another blog about it so it's really been on my mind a lot lately.

For business, I can't fathom a reason why there wouldn't be a clearly defined vision, mission and culture statement that every employee knows by heart. When I talk with great business leaders, they tell me they literally cringe when their teams can't immediately recite all of these to someone. For everyone in your business to understand the purpose of the business, how you're going to get there and how you're going to work in accomplishing this is so vitally important to any company's long-term success, how do businesses operate without them?

I was recently listening to Bill Hybels share some keys in creating a organizations vision and wanted to share some of them with you:

Vision creates the picture of the perfect future.
The most incredible vision is worthless if no one owns it.
The first step in creating your vision is to use the team approach in drafting it. "People don't have to have their way, they just have to have their way considered."
The vision must be refined before delivered in it's final version.
Declare the vision to your company - this is a team activity.
Vision leaks. Use all tactics available to keep people's vision buckets full.

And the last point of creating a successful vision: The single most determining factor to whether your followers will own the vision is by how deeply they believe that you own it.

My question: What is your company's vision?

[Note: photo from http://intimacywithgod.files.wordpress.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

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Vision

2010-03-18T07:45:00.003-04:00

Vision. It's not just what you see; sometimes it's about what you don't see, but what you want to see. You ever ponder on this?

People can have a vision about where they want to go, what they want to accomplish, how they want to get there. Businesses are supposed to have a vision as well. It's all about "where are we going and who wants to go with us."

I always enjoy listening to great leaders (whether the leaders of industry, nations, religion, etc.), to hear their passion and to listen to their vision. I learned in a leadership session once, some of the keys it takes to be a great leader (sorry but I can't remember which one now or who said this) but there were three keys to it and it all surrounded vision. From my notes, the three keys to a great leader are:

A passionate vision.
The ability to share the vision so that you get disinterested people to follow.
Exhibit no embarrassment in the articulation of the vision.

Think about the people you'd call great leaders and see how they applied each of the items above.

My question: Are you sharing your vision with others?

[Note: photo from http://joeypeacock.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

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Questions about you

2010-03-16T07:45:00.002-04:00

You ever see one of those "Questions about you" that you can answer and share with others that helps tell who you are? They're pretty cool and can often times be very revelling.

I was digging through one of my many paper-pads looking for a specific quote I wanted to use as a “status post” for my Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages, and while doing so I found “10 Questions” from notes taken a couple of years ago during a talk by Steve Siebold. You don’t have to answer them back to me, I just thought they’d make you stop and ponder:

What are the three (3) most positive experiences of your life?
List the three (3) most important things you’ve learned about success?
How did your family make you feel about yourself?
List your three (3) biggest heroes.
Write down your own obituary as if you achieved all your dreams.
What do you want your great-great grandchildren to say about you?
What does success mean to you?
What accomplishments are you the most proud of? Why?
What beliefs and values are you willing to die for?
Describe the perfect day in your life, if there were no limits.

My question: What did you learn about yourself from answering these questions?

[Note: photo from http://www.promotionalpro.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

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An Open Letter to YouTube

2010-03-15T07:45:00.002-04:00

[Following is an open letter from me to Google-YouTube:]

Dear YouTube,

I really like you a lot! I log into my YouTube channel on a daily basis. YouTube is one of my personal top social media destinations. I enjoy connecting to others and watching their content - history, culture, creative, inspirational, encouragement, etc. I like it that you offer me the ability to share with others as well.

I would like to suggest to you that you begin offering "paid subscription" accounts which allow folks like me to post longer the 10 minute videos. Not that I need unlimited upload options, just that sometimes I can't get all the material squeezed in under the ten minute mark.

I already have the option of breaking the videos up into ten minute sections, so it's not like a person couldn't post an entire movie (which there are many) or entire video of some event (which again there are many), but this is so inconvenient. If I'm using the same amount of upload bandwidth, and I'm uploading the same amount of videos anyway, why not offer it to me as an option (say, up to 20 minutes in length) and at the same time you put some money in your pocket?

I've been pondering over the pros and cons of this option, and think the pros greatly outweigh the cons.

Thank you very much for your consideration and I look forward to a forthcoming option,

Joey Peacock

[Note: photo from http://www.scommerce.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

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Where are you?

2010-03-12T07:45:00.006-05:00

I'm not a baseball fan. And I know, I know...it's the "American Past Time", but it's just a tad to slow for me to sit, watch and enjoy.

Now I'm not saying I've not ever watched a baseball game as I have. I just never watched an entire game on TV. I have attended my kids games while they've played. I guess when you have some form of participation that's directly connected to you it's different. Other than that, I'll probably not (I hate to use "never") attend a professional baseball game other than the fact I could say "I've done it".

But I was thinking about baseball the other day and about how they separate team plays into innings. "Where are we?" I've heard people say at games and I always hear the announcers on TV updating us with "...bottom of the ____". So this seems to be an important part of the game.

Well, all this caused me to ponder on life and how we might break it down into innings.

So while thinking about all of this, knowing the age & stage I am in my life right now, what inning would I say I'm in?

I thought about this long and hard, back over all my life, where I am now and here is what I came up with: I'm still at batting practice, but I am in the major leagues.

I find that each day I'm still learning, still discovering things and still working (with my perfectionist mentality) to get it right. Sure, I've stepped up to the plate many times and I've swung the bat. I've hit the ball, sometimes getting on base, sometimes a pop-fly out, sometimes a foul, and yes, sometimes a home-run.

In a way, I hate to think about it ever being the "ninth inning" and the game being over...but I guess that's all part of the game too.

My question: So with all that said, what inning are you in?

[Note: photo from http://www.scoreboards-us.com]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

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Lessons I Learned - While Taking Out The Garbage

2010-03-11T07:45:00.004-05:00

I'm not a big fan of taking out the garbage. And for me, it's not a quick stroll to the street in front of the house. I live in the woods so it's a drive to get it out to where the company picks it up. But upon my last trip out to get the garbage to the road, I pondered about all the life lessons I could learn from this regular event.

Here is my list:

In life, you have to do things you're not going to enjoy. You might as well get yourself mentally prepared, you're going to have to do things you don't like. Whether it's to discipline an employee or a child, or even a friend, they have to be done regardless and sometimes quite often! There will be trips you don't want to make, doctor visits you aren't going to want to do, exercising you'll need to implement in your life, and this list can go on and on.
The weather isn't always going to be pleasant. One of my favorite quotes about life is an old Arabic proverb that states, "All sunshine makes a desert." And just like sometimes it's raining or cold, or muggy, that's just part of life.
You hands are going to get dirty. But that's what they make soap for. Get dirty, and then clean yourself up.
You have to pay for the service. There's no free...well, you already know that. There's a cost in everything you do, whether it's monetary, mental or physical, you're going to have to pay up. So make sure you're getting your best value and return in whatever you do. And, another thing is: you had to pay for all those items in your garbage. Some items end up there faster than others. The items were important, even necessary, at the time of purchase, yet here they are now. Our life decisions need to be taken in a similar context.
Sometimes you make a mess. Have you ever had an accident getting the garbage to the road? The can tips over, or falls out of the truck, or you accidentally drop it? Garbage is strewn all over and it causes a huge "ding" in the can. If somehow you haven't yet, you're going to make a mess with something in your life too. And just like when you spilled the garbage, you'll get your life spill repaired and put it all behind you (but, like the ding in the can, you might create a scar for yourself as well). If you're smart, you'll learn what you did to cause the spill and take the appropriate steps to prevent its happening again.
Sometimes you forget things. Did you ever wake up on garbage day and it dawned on you that you've forgotten to take "the can" out and now you'll have twice as much to deal with the next time? Ever forget anything else? We all have. You need to formulate your strategy for helping your remember chores, ideas, meetings, etc.
Get someone else to help. Sometimes you're not around to carry the garbage out, but that's why you have family and friends that don't mind helping out. The key, though, is next time you're asked to help someone out with something you don't really want to do, remember that someone once carried your garbage out...I'm sure they weren't looking forward to that either.
Renew. Occasionally, I'll discover a new "can" to use. Cool! And the same is true in life. Renew yourself constantly. Whether through an exercise program, adding an honest-to-goodness vacation week into your schedule, start a new book reading plan, join or recommit to a church or civic organization, etc. Renew your soul and fire your spirit up!

My question: Can you think of anything I missed?

[Note: photo from http://lakers.freedomblogging.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

pondering - "to think about : reflect on"

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Last Man Standing

2010-03-09T07:45:00.009-05:00

[This blog is just for fun.]

"Zombies man, they creep me out."

Those are the famous words of Paul Kaufman (Dennis Hopper from the movie "Land of the Dead"). Well, not me!

I'll fess up: I have a huge fascination for zombie movies. There's something about that "last person left" or last man standing thought that really causes me to ponder. (And I realize this post is a LOT out-of-the-ordinary from me...but sometimes a fellow just has to talk.)

And I'm not alone in this fascination. Not long ago there was a popular book written about surviving a zombie apocalypse, which lead to an even more popular book about the world afterwards, which is leading to a possible movie. There are popular videos on YouTube, fan sites, people who try to figure it out for real, and recently what seems to be a resurgence of movies about the genre.

There are tests to figure out how long you'll live if bitten, and tests to see if you'll survive an outbreak. So, like a true zombie infestation, there's just no stopping it!

But do you ever think about it (if you think about it) that if this really happened, it's not just the zombies you have to worry with? There will be other survivors around, and they might not be a "helping hand" looking to support other survivors.

Once the world falls apart from the zombie apocalypse and there's no more food being mass produced, no more bottled water/drink supplied, no more ammo boxed up, no more fuel delivered - things are going to get more than hectic over and beyond the zombie problem. Everyone will be looking for a meal...literally...and will do whatever it takes to acquire it!

While it is true there are strength in numbers, I'm afraid that others, maybe even most others that survive, might be just as app to "off you" as a zombie would be.

And though there are numerous sites trying to tell you 'pack this, store that, go here, do this', etc., etc., what is the real strategy?

First, it depends on where you are caught when "it" happens - where you live and/or where you work. If either is in a big city or urban environment...you're in big trouble to start with.

What about weapons? Is a .50 caliber sniper rifle really the answer, or will a .22 rifle be a better selection (you can carry a lot more ammo, and if all you need to do is "shot'em in the head"...???)? And, if you had a similar caliber pistol...you getting the picture? Can you even shoot a weapon?

How many folks know how to grow their own food? How many of you live next to a clean, fresh water source? How many candles do you have stored? Or canned food? Money will be worthless in those days; but supplies on the other hand - priceless!

Do you own a four-wheel drive vehicle? My guess is the roads are going to be full of clutter, wrecks, and anything else possible that you'll have to drive over and/or around.

Do you own a "3-day bug out bag" (much less any long term survival gear)?

So YES I've pondered over all of this (and continue too)(don't you ever exercise your brain just for fun?).

"When the dead walk, señores, we must stop the killing... or we lose the war."
~ Old Priest (from "Dawn of the Dead" - 1979)

My question: For the coming zombie outbreak, what's your plans?

[And just to help, here are the 32 Rules of Survival.]

[Note: photo from http://www.bdh.net/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

pondering - "to think about : reflect on"

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I Can't Have a Positive Outlook?

2010-03-04T07:45:00.011-05:00

A friend of mine recently posted this comment/quote on their Facebook status and made reference to it being "one of the greatest quotes ever" (sorry in advance for a couple of the words, but this was the exact quote):

"No, I'm not a pessimist. At some point the world sh*ts on everybody.
Pretending it ain't sh*t makes you an idiot, not an optimist."

Now I'm the first to agree that everyone has the right to say whatever they feel they need to. And each of us also has the right to either not listen, or not agree. So as I read this post, I pondered on what it meant and wondered if I was filtering it internally the same way they were when they posted it.

I've always thought of myself as an optimist...have even made the comment "eternal optimist" about myself before. I believe there is a positive within every negative regardless (so far) of the situation.

I'll also share that growing up in the South, from a family with all prior generations in the farming industry, I've shoveled untold 5-gallon buckets full of cow manure to use as fertilizer for gardens. So I think I can say I'm an expert in dealing with dung. But even that "dung" was useful for something!

Here's the way I'm wired and how I view things: Life is like a road - there's construction, traffic jams, turns, straight aways, slow lanes, fast lanes, weigh stations, fuel stations, stop signs, go signs, warning signs, steep grades, inclines, don't pass lanes, multi-lanes, one-way roads, toll roads, interstates, scenic highways, vehicles of all shapes/sizes/ages and, of course...the pot holes. And, don't forget that any vehicle on this road is going to need some periodic, scheduled maintenance and of course some upgrades along the way. The more you understand this, the better you mentally prepare yourself for all these...and, the better you'll make it through life when you face them.

I do love quotes, and I thought this one was perfect for this post and in response to the prior one my friend posted:

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity;
an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
~ Sir Winston Churchill

My question: Are you a glass half full or half empty person?

[Note: photo from http://www.aspirationmag.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

pondering - "to think about : reflect on"

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I'm Excited!!!

2010-03-01T07:45:00.008-05:00

I'll be the first to say that I get excited about stuff.

I was pondering the other day about all the hobbies I've had over the years:

Four Wheel Drive Trucks
Three Wheelers,
then Four Wheelers,
then Dirt Bikes
Paintball
Coin Collecting
Hunting
Fishing
Gun Collecting
Audio/Video/Home Theater
World War II History

Just to name a few (yeah, there is more).

My problem with said hobbies was my nature to go overboard with them. I had to have the biggest/baddest truck, fastest four-wheeler, best hunting gear, top-of-the-line A/V equipment, etc. I always figured, "if you were going to do it, why not be the best at it." Wouldn't you agree?

And I catch myself sometimes when I'm speaking with someone and the topic turns to one of my passions, that I find myself dominating the conversation and getting loud & excited about it (I apologize if I've ever done that to you).

I find it in my writing too: I get so excited about something that I find I'm ending most sentences with an exclamation mark. (Note: I wanted to post one at the end of that last sentence.)

Sometimes, I find myself being like Elaine in the Seinfeld Episode "The Sniffing Accountant" when she's talking and verbally adding exclamation marks at the end of every sentence.

I'm going to do my best going forward to try to watch over all my exclamation mark usage. But I'll tell you in advance, when I'm excited about something, be prepared for them to come out!!

My question: What hobby or passion gets you excited?

[Note: photo from http://reddingitpro.files.wordpress.com]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

pondering - "to think about : reflect on"

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Boy is that funny!

2010-02-25T07:45:00.006-05:00

Laughter...

One of my favorite all time things to do. They say it keeps you young, I agree! And I will add that I believe it keeps you young at heart as well.

I'll share that I'm one of those folks who can tell a joke and can't complete it because I've thought of the punch-line prior to the ending and get all broke up with laughter.

(From the TV Series "Seinfeld")
Lady: "Jerry, who does she [baby] look like?"
Kramer: "Lyndon Johnson!"
Lady: "No, really, who does she look like?"
Kramer: "No, really, she looks like Lyndon Johnson."

That cracks me up every time I think about it!!!! HAHAHAHHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!

And I'm one of those guys that has the tears pouring, full laugh and leg slapping going on. I really love a good laugh!

Plus, quick wit is what really gets me going. That "I wasn't expecting that" remark or reply. The "you think this, but get that" stuff...oh just too funny.

But have you ever been around someone and you wonder if they even have teeth because you never see them laugh? I, and this is just me, can't imagine going through life like that.

Now I've had my share of bad times, heart breaks, hurts, let downs, disappointments just like everyone else...but that doesn't mean some things still aren't funny!

And when I stop and ponder on it a moment, I find my favorite TV shows are all comedies: Seinfeld, CHEERS, According to Jim, King of Queens, M*A*S*H just to name a few that I continue to watch and never tire of.

Mark Beightol, a close friends and past colleague, once said, "If you can't have fun at work, why come in?" I thought, "He's right!!" And, unfortunately, I see some many people so unhappy, never enjoying what they spend so much of their life doing. So sad.

My question: What makes you laugh?

For me, I'm going to leave you with this:

[Note: first video from YouTube channel: BlackOleg; second from loppo101]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

pondering - "to think about : reflect on"

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Toss Me A Life Perserver...PLEASE!

2010-02-23T07:45:00.004-05:00

If I were drowning, wouldn't you throw me a life-preserver?

I really believe you would. I even believe you would even if you didn't know me. I also believe you would even if you didn't like me.

So then I'm pondering: Why then do we not reach out & support someone who just made a bad decision and has maybe stumped their toe and hosed up their life (and most likely others in doing so) and toss them a life-preserver?

We always here the gossip. And, we're all guilty of spreading that gossip (I've been actively, focused working on not doing this). We are all concerned for the person, but how many of us actively reach out to the person with an encouraging word and share that "we're there for them"?

This really hit me with problems a couple of people I know, and call friends, have recently gone through.

One friend left a party, where they had a few drinks, it's late at night, and through some additional bad decisions got into a wreck and then arrested. It was "the talk" (i.e., gossip) of the town when it happened. But something happened in all of it. One of my friends told me a few days later, "You know, I called ol' ____ and let'em know that I was there for them if there was anything I could do." My friend told me the person couldn't believe the call and the offer, that they were so happy and even relieved that someone really cared and showed concern. My friend tossed the person A LIFE PRESERVER! My guess (and I hope I'm wrong) is this was the only call like this the person received.

I currently have another friend going through some rough times because of some bad decisions. The families affected are besides themselves and I know people are reaching out to them. But is anyone tossing the person that caused all the pain a life preserver?

But let me add here that I also realize that just because someone is tossed a life-preserver, they might not take it. They might believe they're a good swimmer and try to make it on their own. Even so, they still need the ability to reject the offer that's next to them in the water with them, not still in the hand.

I think I'm a good person. But when I take the good person test (Have I ever told a lie? Have I ever taken anything that didn't belong to me, regardless of how small or seemingly worthless? etc.), I always fail. And because I'm human, I'll make bad decisions through-out my life. I really hope that there are people in my life that will throw me a life-preserver when I do.

My question: Does it take a major mind-set change for us to help out the person that gets caught up in bad decisions...to toss them a life-preserver?

[Note: photo from http://www.senseoncents.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

pondering - "to think about : reflect on"

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Tick - Tock... Tick - Tock...

2010-02-22T07:45:00.000-05:00

Do you ever stop and think about TIME? I find myself pondering about it all the time. Allow me to explain...

I really like time-pieces. In fact, you might say I have a fetish for fine watches. I know I'm the rare breed that not only enjoy watches, but I also keep up with news about them. Sure, some people freak out to hear that a wrist watch can cost $600,000 and can't believe someone would pay that much for one; while at the same time they understand (well, somewhat) that folks would pay millions of dollars for a painting from Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso or the like.

And when you notice that most young people now don't own, much less buy, watches anymore (regardless of price) because they use the clock on their mobile devices, someone like me is becoming even more rare.

I fine myself, especially when I'm traveling, noticing the time-piece on other's wrists. It's difficult to identify what they are with so many models on the market now (and with my "past forty" eyes), but I can usually spot one that's really a luxury piece.

If money were no object, my first watch purchase would be a Breguet Tourbillion Messidor...but, money is an object so I just keep this one posted in my "wish list". But, I still occasionally treat myself to one (note picture above of the SPEC OPS Black Warrior the wife picked up for me from MTM - a great company to do business with by-the-way).

I don't see watches as just a time-piece for the arm, I see them as a work of art: the craftsmanship and man-hours that is required to put a luxury watch together, along with great looks and the incredible accuracy all catch my attention...but I see them as something else too.

I see them as a reminder that we are each given so much "time". And I view it as a constant reminder asking what we're doing with that time. How we prioritize our time, how we share that time with family and friends, how we give our time to others.

My question: Regardless of whether you wear a watch: Are you mindful of the time you have and how you're using it? What are some of the methods you use to monitor the use of your time?

[Note: photo from http://www.armaslajungla.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

pondering - "to think about : reflect on"

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Does it mean dig, or dance?

2010-02-19T20:50:00.005-05:00

When I was a little fellow, when someone said "boogy", it meant something nasty from your nose. Then when I was a teenager, yes, during those wonderful disco years, the term took on a whole new meaning.

I'm pondering on all of this now because as I was driving around today, I heard two songs that used the term in them: A Taste of Honey's "Boogie Oogie Oogie" and Heatwave's "Groove Line".

I thought about how my parents had slang terms that their parents didn't understand, and how we had words that didn't have the same meaning as our parents used them, plus now our kids do the same to us. It's pretty cool how this seems to be a generation-to-generation phenomena.

I catch myself always using "cool", "awesome", "wow" and more...from different decades even. "SNAP!" I guess we all do it, and always will. So, let me boogy on down with the next project and I'll talk with ya next time.

My question: What word(s) do you use that your parents, or your kids, don't get - either the meaning as you use them, or why you use them?

[Note: photo from http://farm1.static.flickr.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

pondering - "to think about : reflect on"

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Don't Go with iGo

2010-02-19T07:45:00.004-05:00

Man am I ever disappointed!

I recently had some very positive customer service experiences that I shared here. I was thinking when I wrote that blog that when someone WOW's me, I need to share that with others. But now, the exact opposite has happened and I wanted to share that as well - hopefully with the thought I might save you from the same fate.

Our personal laptop went south on us, transformer/charger the best I could tell since the light no longer came on and the computer wouldn't charge. So, while in a mall with a Radio Shack I thought why not stop in and purchase a new one.

The district manager happened to be in the store that day, and was the person who provided the help. I described the problem, and he quickly pointed me to the solution: an iGo charger unit. Of course the model he points me too is a rather expensive unit (from my perspective, but there was an even more expensive unit next to it) but I listened to all the advantages the model had so I purchased it. Prior to payment, I again mentioned my laptop make/model to confirm this was in fact the proper model (I had even brought the bad charger with me so I would have all the proper numbers).

So - back at home, install everything and...it's back to business!

But two weeks later, problems again. And, almost exact same problem.

This time, I load everything up and take it to my local computer guy, Tom Reeves of UpTime Computer Services, who quickly discovered the problem: "Power charger not outputting the proper voltage". The unit was rated properly, but it was not putting that amount out. Tom suggested I get it replaced since it was new and still under 30 day warranty.

Our communications with Radio Shack produced no resolve ("Contact the manufacturer" was there advice). Once they found out we hadn't saved the box...TWO WEEKS LATER (and who does that??)...they didn't want to provide us any help, or any suggestions. Unbelievable!!! So, first lesson for me: Never shop at Radio Shack again.

Then, we started contacting iGo. This was an even worse experience!

iGo offers a "contact us for repair" page, which includes in-warranty repair and out-of-warranty repair options. To make a very long story short; after multiple attempts (almost daily in fact) request at these links (yes, I even tried the "out-of-warranty" link) as well as links to them on other pages, the company never once contacted me to resolve the problem. NOT ONCE!

I would provide prior e-mail message notes and dates and to what e-mail address I'd used, as well as asking if I'm contacting the incorrect department to at the least point me in the right direction. Even with all this, I never received any communications from them.

So, a month-and-a-half later, I give up. I'm stuck with a defective laptop charger from a company that provides NO CUSTOMER SERVICE and then had to purchase another charger on top of all this (Tom did find me a great deal on one. Second lesson: I should have gone to him to start with versus trying all this on my own.). But, the laptop is up and running fine since returning from Tom's shop. Final lesson: I'll never shop with or recommend iGo to anyone, ever.

I'm pondering on how these two seemingly huge companies can completely ignore a customer and provide absolutely no customer service. And on top of all that, how they think in today's economy and with even a small voice like mine that can share with an audience (regardless of size), that the Voice of the Customer (VoC) isn't important.

I've very disappointed.

My question: What company have you elected to not do business with anymore because of a customer experience you had?

[Note: photo from http://blogs.microsoft.co.il/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

pondering - "to think about : reflect on"

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Why Can't I Just Be Frank?

2010-02-18T07:45:00.008-05:00

"I'm going to be honest with you..."

Hmmmm...okay, I'm pondering something here: shouldn't I always be honest with you? Wouldn't you want everything I share to be the truth?

I'm in a meeting recently and the speaker literally starts every thought and answers every question asked to him with "I'm going to be honest with you..." I'm thinking, "Do I ever trust anything this guy says if he doesn't start a sentence with that comment?"

Maybe I'm being too nit-picky, but when you have to ask me if I want you to be honest, let's just go from this point forward that the answer is always going to be "YES!"

Here's another pet-peeve of mine: When someone asks me if they can be brutally honest...come on!!! First, why does it have to be brutal? And secondly, aren't you always honest??

If I need to say something, and I have your best interest at heart, and I want to help in a way that's "coaching" and not "criticism" wouldn't you want me to just be frank (but mindful of my delivery)? My dad taught me, "Never tell someone you're 'going to be honest' with them, always be honest regardless. If you have to begin a statement with something like this, always say 'let me be frank'." Great advice!

My question: So, honestly now, can't I be frank?

[Note: photo from http://4.bp.blogspot.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

pondering - "to think about : reflect on"

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Hey, why don't we go and ...

2010-02-16T07:45:00.006-05:00

So what if I watched "Julie & Julia"!

It wasn't my pick to rent, but I viewed it and actually enjoyed it (and yes, have even recommended it!). In fact I was pleasantly shocked that I enjoyed it. The acting was first rate (I always like Stanley Tucci) and it was a great story. Plus, I guess if you're my age you remember watching Julia Child on the ol' Black & White TV so the history there was enjoyable to learn. WHO KNEW? (You'll understand when you watch the movie.)

I think the part that most interested me from the film was the back-story of "Julie" (Julie Powell) and how she decided to blog about her adventure. About how she had no "readers" to her blog for so long, and then one day, that magical number happened: 1

That singular inspiration. That unique moment. That blast of encouragement. That first, "someone is watching" realization. It finally happened!!

I knew how she felt.

And then, I saw the short film "Lemonade" as well. WOW!

All these folks were pressed, against their will to begin with, into a situation as well were they were about to begin a new adventure.

The adventure for them as they discovered, much like Julie, was to go after their passion and to share that passion with others. What an interesting concept!!! (sarcasm intended)

I was speaking with a friend the other day about "stepping off the mountain". About hanging "out on a rope, and unable to see the floor beneath you". About the faith it takes to make that leap.

Sure its scary! If you viewed the movie "Lemonade", none of the people interviewed actually chose to take their "adventure" to begin with because it was scary...uncomfortable. But, as you saw in the end, all were full of smiles and happiness.

I'm thinking of an adventure.

My question: Do you have an adventure you've been pondering on? I'd like to hear about it if so.

[Note: photo from http://popculturenerd.files.wordpress.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

pondering - "to think about : reflect on"

White Stuff from the Clouds!

2010-02-13T10:33:00.002-05:00

It happened! It doesn't happen here much, and when it does it's a big deal for us.

Here's what I'm talking about...

My question: Were you in the "Great Southern Snow of 2010"?

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

Doubles and Halves

2010-02-12T07:45:00.001-05:00

Well, I attended another funeral. Hmmm...."another".

Is it just me, or do you do this too, but I find I catch myself doing a lot of pondering during and immediately after a funeral. In fact, I've even blogged about funerals before!

This funeral was the father of one of my friends (well, actually, I am friends with all the siblings). He had suffered for some time with his illness, and they knew the time was near. During the messages that were shared, a niece of the deceased made this comment about helping others through life that floored me and I made note of it while there to share here. It was about the thought to:

"live life in a way that was doubling your blessings
and halving your burdens"

BAM!!! Isn't that incredible!?? Can you imagine going through life with the mindset that everyone you meet you're thinking how can you double their blessings and half their burdens??

My question: What is your personal mission statement that you want to tell the world? (See mine below.)

[Note: photo from http://www.actnow.com.au/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

Top Shot...Not

2010-02-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

It was a fun ride, but it just didn't happen - this time.

My first attempt at appearing on a TV series, a reality TV series at that, has ended. I didn't make it...doesn't look like I'm going to be America's first TOP SHOT.

For those of you who don't know the story, I'll give you the Readers Digest version:

A friend of mine sent out an e-mail in early December stating that the History Channel was in the process of creating a new series and it had something to do with shooting guns. Well, that was right up my alley! His message included an e-mail address to Pilgrim Films, the company responsible for creating the series. So, I started to ponder on all this, thought "what the hey", and I fired off an e-mail to them - which began with the line, "STOP LOOKING - YOU'VE FOUND ME!"

I didn't share with anyone that I had sent in the request. So on Wednesday night, December 16th, I had just come in from hunting and my wife arrived home at the same time from her outting. She noticed a message waiting on the phone and while I piled up in my recliner, she listened and I overheard her mumble, "Huh? TV show....what??" I thought silently to myself, "NO WAY!" She listened to the message again and said, "I don't know what's going on, but there's some guy named Sydney that wants to talk with you about being on a TV show. He wants you to call him back." I burst out laughing, told her the story of getting the e-mail a week or so earlier and what I had done.

So, I called Syndey Leier and we talked for about 20 minutes. He asked me a lot of questions, "What do you do? Tell me about yourself? Why do you want to do this?" etc., etc. I was so tickled I think I giggled through the entire conversation. At the conclusion of the call, he stated he was going to send me a form to complete and return to him, then asked if I could make a 5 to 10 minute "demo video" and upload it for them to view (here is that video).

With the form completed and the video submitted (on Sunday, January 17th) I patiently waited to hear if I was going to make the cut.

Let me add here that I've never watched or been "hooked" on any reality TV show. I've NEVER seen one single episode of Big Brother, Survivor or anything of the like. Just never had any desire. Hey, life is a reality show in itself, why watch one of TV?

During the wait, I had asked friends, family and colleagues to send in a "we want Joey" e-mail to Pilgrim Films. With this, I had many, many people ask me about what was going on. It was really fun in sharing the story, and so many people were so very encouraging.

I found out this morning (02/10/10) that I was not selected for the show; I have to admit that the process, the effort in creating the video, the support from everyone was quite exciting. Sure I would have LOVED to have made it on the show...I can only imagine about all the cool weapons they're going to get to use, but life is like that and I'm okay.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH to each of you that helped with the e-mail campaign, who provided encouragement and to everyone who helped...especially my wife Chris who I drug out into the woods, in the rain and all over with my crazy video ideas.

So, with that adventure over, a new one now begins.

Until next time...

[Note: photo from http://www.fairlawnpd.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

Who likes you this much?

2010-02-08T07:45:00.003-05:00

I like ol' Skeet Reese. I like to watch him fish, and I really like his truck! He is one of the top Bass anglers in the world today. I like to hear him teach about fishing techniques and I love his passion for what he does.

Others must like him as well.

He's very popular in the Bass Masters tour and has a social media site that has a lot of connected fans. But, more importantly for Skeet, he has a lot of companies that like him too. So much so that they sponsor him in his endeavors (i.e., PAY HIM!).

So on the last show I was watching with Skeet, I noticed his shirt (see photo above) and this made me think about drag racing and the cool shirts they wear there too. This thought lead me to think about my favorite competition shooter, Todd Jarrett, and his shirt + sponsors.

I'm looking at all the names on all these shirts of my favorite athletes and pondered how cool it would be if we could do this in our "business world"!

But this leads to my question: If you were to wear one of these shirts, who would be sponsoring you? How many sponsors would you have? What and how have you created your "personal brand" that would cause people/business to want to be part of what you're about?

I'd like to hear your thoughts about creating your personal and/or business brand. Please leave them in the comments section (below). THANKS!

[Note: photo from http://www.geminisportmarketing.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

Kudos - Surefire and CRKT

2010-02-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

I wanted to publicly give kudos to two companies that I recently had some repair service done with:

First and foremost - Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT). I've owned a "Ryan" folder from them for several years now. Some time back, I snapped the pocket clip off when exiting my vehicle when it got tangled with the seat belt. I had let this go for some time, but recently became anxious to correct the problem. I sent CRKT an e-mail asking for information on how to purchase the replacement clip (and of course mentioned how much I enjoy all their products) and they promptly replied with a request for my mailing address so they could, FREE OF CHARGE, send me a replacement clip along with the associated set-screws. INCREDIBLE! Now that's what I call great customer service and something, even though small, that will keep me coming back to do business with them again in the future!

The other is - Surefire. If you want blinding white light for personal defense, few companies are better than Surefire. This is another case where I've owned one of their products (Z3 Combat Light) for some time and then experienced a major malfunction (tail-cap on/off switch freeze) that required replacement. So, I contacted Surefire (but note it took three attempts) and they too requested my mailing address and will ship me, FREE OF CHARGE, a replacement tail-cap which will resolve my problems. AWESOME!

So, with such great customer service and a positive customer experience, I thought I was share the news about these companies with you.

THANKS!

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

Don't Say It!!!

2010-02-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

"Business as usual." I know you've heard it. You may have even said it. But is "business as usual" really the kind of business you want?

I really dislike hearing a business, or more especially a business owner, proclaim it's "business as usual". To me, it means that they're happy with the current status quo they've set for products, services and customer experience. But how can that be?

With new products constantly being developed, services always in need in review and update, and with the customer experience a never ending changing landscape, "business as usual" should never be spoken within a company by anyone!

The only "business as usual" they should have is constantly transforming the business into the absolute best it can be.

How about you - what do you think about the term "business as usual"?

[Note: photo from http://randwickelection.com/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

Wise Words

2010-01-06T10:32:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine shared this message with me recently and I found it very inspiring so I wanted to share it as well.

From the book, "Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life":

“An old man is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old man replied simply, “The one you feed.”

[Note: photo from http://www.wltc.org/]

“Your Success Is My Business.”™

Attitude

2010-01-03T07:00:00.002-05:00

I’m guessing that like me, you’ve all seen the classic movie “It’s A Wonderful Life”. The movie follows the life of George Bailey from his childhood through marriage, his family and his career. It’s one of my all-time favorite movies.

To me, the movie is really based around prepping George for his career, the trails & turns in the road about his career and then finally the obstacles he faces in that career.

In the rare case you haven’t seen the movie, I will not spoil the story; or if it’s been some time since you’ve seen it, I recommend that you take the time to do it, regardless that the holidays have passed.

But this is the point of my message: In the end, George still had the “mess” he had found himself in when he thought it was the end of his world. But---his attitude had changed and he knew that he was going to make it through his problems.

So, as you begin your new year you’re going to again face challenges (OPPORTUNITIES!) that may cause you to question yourself, but mentally prepare yourself now to have a positive CAN DO attitude through them all.

THANKS! Happy New Year! “Your Success Is My Business.”™

[Note: photo from http://www.dvdbeaver.com/]

Directions

2009-12-30T06:59:00.004-05:00

What direction are you going? What is your goal? How are you going to get there? Here’s a quote that provided me a real wake-up call:

“Your DIRECTION, not your intention, determines your destination.”
~Andy Stanley

Having a plan with a goal in mind is the only way you’ll successfully reach your destination. If my INTENTION was to go to the beach, but as soon as I pulled out on ANY highway and headed north, my destination just became so far off I’ll probably give up before I ever reach where I wanted to go.

For this year end, and New Year beginning, I ask that you reflect on your direction. Is it written? Who have you shared it with? Who is helping you with your directions?

I know everyone here has the best intentions---but let’s spend some time working on the directions, so we can be best assured of reaching our destination.

THANK you & don't forget: “Your Success Is My Business.”™

[Note: photo from http://upload.wikimedia.org/]

Believe!

2009-12-15T07:00:00.004-05:00

During this time of year, as we close out one phase of our accomplishments and begin a new one, I wanted to share something with you that I felt was important.

For me personally (and related to the following story below), I have a lot of WWII stuff in my office. If you’ve never seen it before, I have paintings, newspaper articles, posters, photos, helmets, patches, money, books, models, rocks, medals, leggings, maps, etc., etc., etc.---all from and/or about WWII. For me, WWII was a defining moment in US history, and in World history (of course not “the” defining moment, but one of the major).

When I think about how the “greatest generation” lived through the great depression, then went straight to war on a global scale…the sacrifices these men & women gave---with a national joint effort---will (IMHO) never be seen again.

One of the paintings I have is of Leonard Lomell at the top of Pointe-du-Hoc, Normandy, France on D-Day. He was part of the 2nd Rangers that had to scale the 100’ cliffs at the point, with German fixed defenses firing on them, and he personally took out four 155mm artillery guns which won him the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on that day.

The courage that Lomell and the other 16 million Americans provided during the largest conflict in human history inspires me every day.

What do you have in your office or home that inspires you? That makes you believe? What would the affect be if you had something, regardless of how small or seemingly insignificant to others, to inspire you each day? What would that inspiration cause you to think? To dream? And, ultimately, to dare?

Now, I want to share this story with you:

Believe it is Possible
By John M. Rowley

“Think, Believe, Dream, Dare.”
~ Walt Disney

This quote by Walt Disney has been hanging on my office wall for decades. Also in my office are two checks that paid my membership many years ago when I first joined R&J Health Studio, LONG before I realized my dream of owning it, and a jar of coal my Dad gave me for Christmas. I know it sounds like an odd combination, but let me explain. All of the above are there because I was bold enough to take the challenge from Walt Disney to Think, Believe, Dream and Dare.

I grew up being told not to dream. “You are such a dreamer, why don’t you grow up!” I would be told time and time again as a child. Then when I got older and had a family, I constantly had people close to me reminding me that I shouldn’t dream. I had a family to support. I am being selfish and childish. I am not smart enough, educated enough or good enough to do the things I want to achieve. I should just settle for my lot in life. People will discourage you because they know they can’t do it. Let me tell you right now, if you are hearing things like that, don’t listen! Those words are right out of the pit of hell. Let no man dictate what you can and cannot do. You were created for greatness. I am very fortunate that the most important person in my life, my beautiful wife Cathy, has always encouraged me and told me to focus on my dreams and to be all I could be. I am truly blessed with a wonderful encourager for a wife.

The reason I have Walt Disney’s quote hanging on my office wall next to the check to R&J Health Studio and a jar of coal sitting on my desk, is for a daily reminder to myself that if I DO think, believe, dream and dare, I can achieve what seems to be the impossible. When I was a young man, I talked about owning a gym just like R&J Health Studio and I was constantly shot down by everyone but my wife. You may be getting the same thing with your dreams. When others can’t do it they want you to fail as well. They may start by discouraging you and then by offering you what seems to be “good advice” to short circuit your success. It is your job to push through to success.

Yes, I did buy R&J Health Studio and the years I owned it were some of the best years of my life. The coal on my desk was given to me by my dad. I had just gotten into Manhattan real estate at William B. May on Madison Avenue, and that very Christmas Dad gave me and my brothers a jar of coal to remind us of our family roots. My dad’s ancestors were coal miners in Pennsylvania. But for me it held an additional meaning. One of my duties while working in a New York City Public School was to shovel coal into boilers to heat the building. A LOT of coal. Not only did I shovel the coal into the boiler, but I had to bring the coal from the coal pit to the boiler. Then after the coal was burned, I had to clean out all the ash, put it into the cans and bring the ash cans up out to the street for pick up. It was physically exhausting, filthy work. I kept that jar of coal on my desk as a reminder that regardless of how many challenges I may have in the business world, it could be worse. I could be back in the boiler room, breathing in coal dust and shoveling coal into a boiler. There is nothing wrong with shoveling coal, it is good, honest work, but the thought leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth (pun not intended). You see, I had people telling me that I should be doing just that – ONLY that - all the while trying to discourage me from trying to “conquer the world.” For me, I would rather not have to do it again...ever.

Most people are not being malicious when they try to discourage you from striving for outstanding success. They are just voicing their own fears. To them, failure is the worst thing that can happen. To ME, failure is simply a part of success and not trying is failure. Let them keep their fear and negativity, I don’t want any part of it and neither should you. Remember, success and failure aren’t opposites, they are neighbors separated by a thin line… by a single decision… the decision not to quit.

I once heard that Walt Disney wouldn’t even take on a project unless every person on his board of directors told him not to do it! You heard right…not to do it! He believed that if everyone agreed with him, that he wasn’t thinking big enough. He also said, "We did it (referring to Disneyland), in the knowledge that most of the people I talked to, thought it would be a financial disaster - closed and forgotten within the first year." Good thing for us old Walt didn’t listen to those people. What should you be doing that you are holding back on, out of fear? What great dream have you had that others told you was impossible or that you were nuts to even consider? If Walt Disney is any example, the very things you “aren’t” doing may be your road to greatness. Go for it! Pursue your dreams with passion and enthusiasm and I will see you on top of your ladder of success!

THANKS! And until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.”™

[Note: photo from http://media.photobucket.com/]

Half full or half empty?

2009-11-16T07:45:00.003-05:00

We've all heard the old cliché about whether you're a " glass half full or half empty" kind of person. Have you ever spent any time pondering this about yourself & why you think you see things the way you do?

I love the enthusiasm and positive outlook of the "glass half full" person. But at the same time, I appreciate the cautiousness and need of reassurance of the "glass half empty" person.

But here's the thing...if you see a glass, regardless of "half full or half empty", why not take the time to fill that glass for someone else?

Because it's not what you have when you exit this world, it's the legacy you leave behind that's most important.

I'd really love to hear your thoughts about this. Add them in the comments section (below).

Thanks and...“Your Success Is My Business.”™

[Note: photo from http://farm4.static.flickr.com/]

Did You Hear The One About...?

2009-11-09T07:45:00.002-05:00

No, not a joke, but rather a story. Don't you love listening to stories...and to further clarify, not fantasy stories, but real life stories.

As for me, an ol' southern boy, I always tell people "Don't expect to ask a southerner a question and expect a short answer." We love to tell stories. Painting a picture with words makes the conversation so much more enjoyable.

I was talking to a friend of mine last week about hunting, and he started telling me a story about a hunt he had a week ago and it was fascinating! For me, I've learned so much from the times I've been out hunting. And the stories I hear & the ones I can share are so full of memories, laughter and, sometimes, tears. Some of the best memories some folks have are of the times they spent hunting or fishing with their parents.

Just the other day, I went out and sat in my tree-stand on a bow-hunt for whitetail deer. I'm 15' about the ground, perched in a ladder stand against a huge pine tree with plenty of cover behind me. I've an incredible view of pine trees to my right, a large grass pasture in front of me and several hundred acres of soy beans to my left...what a perfect spot. While I'm silently, motionlessly sitting there pondering the issues of life and constantly scanning for any movement, a honey bee from a local hive flies down my shirt collar. WOW! He's walking around my chest, my neck and under my camo face-mask. I know he's not going to sting me - he's only out looking for some moisture/water...but he sure does have me squirming. But I can't move to do anything about it! What if the buck of a lifetime is just inside the tree line inspecting the field before he steps out and sees someone in a tree going crazy beating themselves? BOOM, he's gone! So, I just sat there while Mr. Bee did his thing, eventually he flew off...WHEW!

Life is all stories...yours, mine, our parents, their parents, our kids, our friends, neighbors, family, colleagues, teachers, preachers, etc. We hear these stories through face-to-face interaction, through media (TV, radio, newspaper, magazines, etc.), through Social Media, and on & on.

And, of course we all know some folks are better at telling these stories than others. I'm sure you can think of someone right off the top of your head that you know who tells a great story when sharing something about their life.

Even businesses can prosper with "the right story". Some of the most successful businesses are that way because they are able to share a great story about who they are and why they do what they do.

Scott Ginsberg just wrote a great article about how to be interesting in your story telling endeavors...some great advice. And Salesforce.com CEO, Marc Benioff, shares his advice too.

So THANK YOU for allowing me to share this story with you and I'll be listening for yours as well.

What is one of your favorite story?

Thanks and remember: “Your Success Is My Business.”™

[Note: photo from http://www.graphics-folio.com/]

"Where they going...where they been?"

2009-11-02T07:45:00.001-05:00

This blog is going to be a little different than normal. You'll find it a little longer than I normally provide, and not necessarily about customer service, motivation or leadership. I thought I'd speak from the heart here and share some thoughts I had about the movie "Forrest Gump".

I'm sure you have a list of favorite movies just like I do. If someone pinned me down and made me submit my Top 10 all-time favorite movies, it would probably look like this (in no particular order):

Dances With Wolves
Forrest Gump
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
The Longest Day
It's A Wonderful Life
Oh Brother! Where Art Thou
Cold Mountain
Glory
Band of Brothers
The Matrix

Okay, I know: There's no artsy films listed, and some of the others ones that I really like (Ben Hur, Spartacus, Aliens, 50 First Dates, etc.) just didn't quite make the top list. But these are really the ones that I find myself watching over & over & over again.

So recently I'm watching Forrest Gump, and I realized that of all the movies I've ever seen, and for so many that I really, truly enjoy, this is the one that probably takes the #1 spot in my list.

And with that statement, I wanted to share all the reasons why:

Right at the beginning of the movie, Forrest utters one of the most memorable lines ever (for me) when speaking with the nurse while sitting on the bench in Savannah, GA. He's talking to her about her shoes and how comfortable they look. He stops for a moment & ponders something his mother told him, about how you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, "...where they going, where they been." So I thought, maybe we could tell a lot about others if we just take the time to notice, to listen, to pay attention. To hear not only what they're saying, but what they are feeling and what they mean.

Here are some other lines from the movie that really stand out for me:

"I gotta find Bubba!" Even in the middle of a real mess, (or like the case when Forrest stated these words, the middle of a real nightmare) our family, our friends, those closest to us need our help regardless of what it might mean to us. Are we willing to run into the fire to find our friends?

"You still Lt. Dan." How profound. Regardless of what happens to you in your life, you are still who you are. Sure, we grow and experience events, but in the end, we're still "us".

"Her dream had come true. She was a folk singer." We all saw Jenny, naked up on the stage in a men's club and thought "how horrible that it's come to this". Yet, Forrest knew what her dream was (she had told him while in college) and from his perspective she had accomplished it. We so often think something negative about someones circumstances but from OUR PERSPECTIVE. Each person has there own perspective & view of life and we can truly never fully understand what that looks like --- only from our own point-of-view.

"...'cause you my girl." Forrest was fully devoted to Jenny, regardless of all she had done and all she had put herself through...for better or worse, he had never given up on her.

"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." I don't know if there's any better way to describe life other than this incredible statement.

Sure there are many, many more quotes from the movie I could go over but I'll leave it at this for now. Each time I watch the movie, something new seems to cause me to ponder...maybe for you too.

What a great movie. Thanks for allowing me to share.

What if your favorite Forrest Gump quote and why?

Until next time. “Your Success Is My Business.”™

[Note: photo from http://www.thing-a-day.com/]

Taking the Risk

2009-10-26T07:00:00.003-04:00

The Entrepreneur...I really have to believe that all of us have something burning deep down inside us that creates an "entrepreneurial" mindset within us.

Haven't you ever seen something on TV, on a store shelf, in a friend's or family member's home and you thought, "Hey, I had that idea! I can't believe someone did that!?!?!"

I really enjoy talking with business owners, regardless of the size of their business, to find out what it was that drove them to start the business and what experiences they had along the way.

The information entrepreneur's have, especially the failures they've experienced along the way, are such great lessons for all of us.

But, isn't it the RISK that holds us back. The thought that we'll fail, that no one will believe in us, that someone will think we're crazy for going after our passion?

If you've got an idea, a passion, and you want to pursue it then begin "feeding" yourself positive, motivating thoughts. Let your creative mind go!! Sites like Smartbrief for Entrepreneurs provide a daily newsletter about some of the greatest minds out there who are doing incredible things --- JUST LIKE YOU COULD BE DOING!

Whether you want to start a traditional brick & motar store or an on-line business, don't let the nay-sayers hold you back; because one day while you're at your friends house and he tells you about how they just purchased the greatest product ever...and its something you once dreamed about doing, you're really gonna (mentally) kick yourself.

What are you dreaming about?

Thanks and remember: “Your Success Is My Business.”™

[Note: photo from http://www.501cweb.wordpress.com/]

"Oh My Goodness"

2009-10-15T07:30:00.000-04:00

So I watched "50 First Dates" on TV again...and this scene (above) really stands out for me. I'll share with you why in just a moment.

Sure, I catch some flak about this being one of my favorite movies, but I think it's a really funny movie! When Doug Whitmore (Sean Astin) kisses his bicep, it just cracks me up!

And I'm the first to admit that I had never, EVER seen an Adam Sandler movie until this one. I just didn't care for him as an actor so I by-passed all his other movies (I still haven't seen the majority of the movies he's made). But this one was different.

It's kind of like "Groundhog Day", another one of my favorite movies, where someone gets to keep doing it over & over 'til they get it right. Something I think we'd all like a chance at.

But back to the scene above and why it stood out to me this particular viewing: Wouldn't it be great to view our family, our friends, our careers, our customers, everything from the point of view that we first get to experience them!? With excitement, wonderful expectations, a sense of tremendous possibilities & opportunities!! Wouldn't it be great if everything was an "Oh, my goodness" moment?

So, I was just pondering on this & thought I'd share. I'm wondering what are your "Oh, my goodness" moments?

Remember “Your Success Is My Business.”™

I Don't Have Too...

2009-10-12T07:55:00.002-04:00

Through out life, we're afforded many opportunities & challenges. We recognize these. Many we look forward too with high expectations and anticipation while others we look on with dread & hopes that they don't come to pass.

But not all are large projects, are all pre-planned and/or foretold. Many items become routine to us and part of our normal life. I know that I'm as guilty as the next with the "I have to..." comments.

I've been pondering a lot on our attitude towards these events or tasks, regardless of their size.

And the more I ponder on these, the more I realize that I don't have to do them, I get too!

And so do you!

I get to go to work doing something I really am passionate about.
I get to serve others in helping them succeed.
I get to help out around the house.
I get to spend time with my family and friends.
I get to help my Dad with little projects he's no longer physically able to do alone.
I get to serve in the different community and church organizations I am part of.
I get to cut the grass.
I get to grill.
I get to take the garbage out to the road.
I get to do a lot of things, to numerous to mention here, that I'm blessed to do.

What are some things you get to do that others might feel they have too?

Remember: “Your Success Is My Business.”™

[Note: photo from http://gritsngrace.files.wordpress.com/]

Motivated to Blog!

2009-10-08T07:15:00.000-04:00

Isn't it funny how sometimes the little things can motivate us? Like today...

I'm surfing the net, reading blogs, following "the trail" as we often do when clicking from one link to the next in our search of the "golden nugget" of information we're seeking...and there it was: AllBlogTools.com!

I had already earlier in the day found a site with "follow me" links FLOATING along the side, so I worked diligently to figure out the code and created some for myself on my blog (note right side of page). I couldn't believe I pulled that off!!!

Then I'm thinking, 'what else can I do to spiff the place up and make it more inviting for visitors, and what could I do in hopes of getting people to share these messages? So I started my hunt through all the blogs I already subscribe too.'

This lead me to open one of these blogs and from there I started clicking on links and the chase began!

Now, finding out little tricks of the "smart folks" is something I enjoy doing, but it's not always easy. I can't tell you how many people I've e-mailed and asked, "how'd you do that", with very few replies. That's why I wanted to share not only the AllBlogTools.com site with you, but also one from CSSReflex as well.

So, with the new tools I've found today, and the upgrades I'm incorporated into the site, I'm really motivated to pound on the keyboard and share some more of my ponders with you.

So help me out and share what sites you use to help yourself be creative & get motivated?

Always trying to help you, because: “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

[Note: photo from http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/]

The Positives About Negatives

2009-10-05T06:30:00.001-04:00

"I hate customer complaints."
"Why are our customers always complaining?"
"Why would we want to have a social media page that allows customers to post negative comments about us?"

I'm heard this (and more) over & over from businesses all over America. I'm sure you have as well. All of these comments are with a negative thought process & with pessimistic vision for the future of that business.

But I on the other hand see huge positives in all these comments! How?

When your customer is calling you and complaining, all they're doing is begging for help. They want to do business with you, they want to give you their hard-earned money, all they want from you is to help them resolve their problem!

If a customer uses your social media page to post a complaint, here's your opportunity to show the world what great customer service you provide.

And if the customer has a legitimate problem with your business, don't you want to know where you're failing so you can correct it, regardless of how the message is delivered?

Negative comments & complaints are a gold mine for you to refine your company and move it to the next higher level of customer service and the customer experience. Don't miss the opportunites!

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

[Note: photo from http://www.all-about-forensic-science.com/]

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"Go to the Buick and turn around."

2009-09-28T07:50:00.000-04:00

I'm watching "Any Given Sunday" the other night on AMC, not one of my favorite movies but there was nothing else on and I hadn't seen it in a long time. I did get motivation from the inspirational speeches that happens throughout the movie...in fact the speeches are so popular that you find many of them posted on YouTube.

The one that stood out to me this time, was one that happens early in the movie when Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino) pulls 3rd string quarterback Willie Beamen (Jamie Foxx) off to the side after he's pulled off numerous bad plays and attempts to settle him down.

The thing that calmed Willie down was when D'Amato reminded him of playing back home in his youth. He said, 'Don't you remember telling the guy to go to the Buick and to turn around' so that he could make the throw?

"Go to the Buick and turn around." So simple.

Is there something going on in your life now that's got you over anxious, not properly focused and maybe even those around you questioning your ability to deliver? If so, maybe you need to go to your Buick and turn around.

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

[Note: photo from http://www.library.jhu.edu/]

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The Greatest of the "New Hire"

2009-09-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

The "new hire". Don't you love them? The brand new team member (employee) at your business --- all happy, excited, energetic, optimistic and enthusiastic. They come in like a sponge looking for every drop of information they can get. Their minds are fresh & full of creative thoughts - even if some of them won't fly, they voice ideas about ways they believe will grow and prosper the organization.

Everyone they meet or are introduced too around the office they're smiling and shaking hands with, all seemingly amped up on caffeine or some magic "new hire" drug. They get home and tell their friends & family about how they've just landed the best job every. They share all the incredible opportunities ahead of them and what a super company it is they're associated with.

But somewhere along the line, something happens to these new hires. Haven't you seen this happen? Did it even happen to you?

What is it?

Somewhere along the path they stop smiling at everyone, they stop shaking hands, end all their enthusiasm and energy, quite coming up with creative ideas...and have none of the excitement or motivation like they used too. Now, the career that they once thought was a blessing has suddenly caused them to curse it.

As the leader or business owner, you have the more difficult task in all this: Keeping everyone motivated and acting like "new hires" each and every day!

As a leader, here is a list for you to review:

Are you, the leader, constantly sharing the vision?
Are you constantly talking about the culture?
Are you removing roadblocks that create frustration?
Are you the great communicator within your company?
Do you immediately resolve internal conflicts?
Do you constantly carry the rallying cry of the purpose of your company?
Do you provide constant, regularly scheduled employee evaluations so that people know exactly where they stand?
Do you eliminate incompetence?
And finally, do you make work fun?

As the leader, it's up to you to continue to fuel your team and to help them maintain that "new hire" mentality regardless of how long they've worked with you. Do so and watch your business grow!

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

[Note: photo from http://www.shanesart.com/]

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Twins

2009-09-13T19:45:00.000-04:00

I'm a pretty big guy. Sure there are guys bigger than me, but I'd have to say I'm up there myself. It's not often that I see someone taller than me. At 80 inches tall and about 270lbs, it takes a lot of material to fully cloth me.

And I don't think of myself as tall or out-of-the-normal. When I stand around with a group of guys, I just feel like a normal "one of the guys" guy myself from my perspective. It's only when I see someone that's really tall that it dawns on me about my physical size.

My friend Francis Mitchell always calls me her "twin" when we see each other..."twins separated at birth" is what she always tells me, kinda like Arnold Schwarenegger and Danny Devito from the 1988 movie Twins. Of course you can see from the photo that this would really be like the movie Twins if it were true. From Francis' perspective, I can't imagine how I "look" to her. It's got to be a little scary.

So as I was pondering on all this, my perspective of the world versus Francis' perspective of the world, I began thinking about this from a business point-of-view.

My friend Jason Jennings wrote one of my favorite books, "Think Big, Act Small" about great companies that are really big (such as Dot Foods, Sonic, Cabelas, etc.), but how they act small in the attention they give to not only their customers, but also to their employees. As a fan of Cabelas myself, it's always a pleasure to shop in their stores because of all the wonderful customer service I've always received. They always seem like the small town business that cares so much for their customer. This giant of a company seems to me like a friend.

What businesses do you shop with that is a really big business, but from your perspective seem to be a friend to you, or maybe even closer - like a brother...or even a twin? Why do you think they have this perspective?

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

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False Peace

2009-09-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

I just read a statement that said, "There are times in our lives when our peace is based simply on our ignorance." Now that really makes you stop & ponder on what it is that we currently have peace with simply because of our ignorance of it.

Let's not look at this from a personal point-of-view (though I encourage you to take some time to ponder it that way) but rather let's look at this from a business stand-point.

Since the down-turn of the economy, the majority of businesses have great clarity now on items that before I don't think were very obvious to them. To me a great business has focus on being cost effective in all they do, are efficient at all the processes and deliver world-class service to all their customers regardless of current ecomonic conditions. Were they ignorant to all these when we were living in the "good times" (stock market growing) so they were at peace with all the issues they've given priority focus on in the past few years? What if they'd implemented all their recent changes back in 2000 before the down-turn in the economy? What if...

What issue(s) do you see businesses over-looking and living "at peace" with that they should have focus on?

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

[Note: photo from http://www.stephenblack.org/]

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The "Plecia Nearctica" (You know what I mean if you live in the South)

2009-08-31T08:52:00.007-04:00

Just a "thought" and reminder...

As we begin the month of September here in the South, this typically means that we will have a month of those pesky flies we call "Lovebugs". It's always weird for me when I travel around the country in May and September ( the two "lovebug" months for us) in locations where these flies don't exist. For those of you like this, you can't imagine what you're missing.

These things swarm in the hundreds of thousands and just completely cover the front of your vehicles. And its no easy task to clean them off either! I've heard of, seen and tried many methods to remove these from the front of my vehicles: from lightly spraying a film of Pam across the forward edge of the hood and grill/bumper to (most recently) seeing that using a slightly damp dryer sheets to wipe them away will work.

And not only do they cover your vehicles, they seem to be highly attracted to the color white. Whether its your vehicle, house or even something you're wearing.

THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!

So, mentally prepare yourself, because here they come!

How You Can Choose to Make a Difference

2009-08-22T18:30:00.001-04:00

Gratitude…a recurring topic in these posts. Giving to others without expectation of reward.

One of my favorite quotes is “Give without remembering, receive without forgetting.”

Today, I share a message I received via e-mail and I can’t confirm who the author is, and also a short video I hope you view:

You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

These are no second-rate achievers.

They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies…

Awards tarnish.

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials…the most money...or the most awards.

They simply are the ones who care the most. Be sure to THANK someone today. I knew you'd think that was a great message! Here is the video presentation I wanted you to view as well.

Who are you thankfull for today? More importantly, have you told them?

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

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The "Squeaky Wheel" Philosophy

2009-08-19T07:55:00.006-04:00

What if your customers never had to say "I won't stop because I'm the squeaky wheel" because you're delivering such legendary service they're always WOW'd? How is your customer service department stacking up?

Customer service is harder to deliver now more than any time in history. With the advent of the internet, social media, and the new "4-second rule" (hey, it was only recently that it was the 8-second rule) we've self-created a hyper-drive customer service society.

Regardless of the size of your company, customers expect a LEGENDARY CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE (including service) regardless of how THEY elect to connect with you. Whether they communicate with you via face-to-face 'walk in' business, via the phone, via e-message, via website self-service, via social media, via whatever method THEY elect, they are expecting your immediate attention to their requests. And when you don't deliver to their expectations, this is when they become "the squeaky wheel".

The days of your business electing to provide one or two customer interaction paths are a thing of the past. Customers will seek out the businesses that provide them the method in which they want to do business. Are you providing all the paths your customers want?

I'd like to hear any success stories you've had with implementing new customer service options for your customers.

THANKS! And until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

[Note: photo from http://www.businessalone.com/]

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Positive Attitude

2009-08-16T17:00:00.000-04:00

The topic of attitude seems to keep coming around doesn’t it (one example)? I constantly look at all my environments and listen with focus, I seem to filter anything positive or negative down to a person’s attitude.

But how do we have a positive attitude? It’s easy when we’re on top of the mountain, but when you’re in the valley it’s a different story---and that's when we need to focus on our attitude the most!

Judy Williamson wrote a great article about attitude and I hope you take a moment to read it:

Be Your Very Best Always!

Having and maintaining a positive mental attitude should be first on your daily list of items to accomplish just like taking a bath and brushing your teeth. It’s more important than taking out the garbage, giving the cat a bath, preparing a gourmet dinner, or paying your bills. Sounds unreasonable, doesn’t it? Not really, because without a Positive Mental Attitude the items on your to-do list won’t matter anyway. Unless you predispose your life for success, it won’t happen spontaneously. Conditioning your mind for PMA is like watching for a shooting star, expecting to see a rainbow after a storm, anticipating the rose inside of the bud, counting the days until your new kitten purrs, and deciding on dessert before you finish your main course. There is nothing wrong and everything right with setting your mind on a course of positive action. It’s the expectation that makes the event extra-special, not only the event itself. As you color your world the way you desire it, more often than not you are stepping into the future one positive thought at a time.

What are some simple ways that you can secure a positive outcome for yourself on a daily basis? Perhaps the list below can give you some ideas that can be put into practice.

Get a head start by affirming to your subconscious mind before you fall asleep that when you awake it will be a fantastic day! Create a little rhyme like: “When I awake it will be great!” Repeat it as you fall asleep.

Before getting up stretch and linger as you become conscious. When fully awake, remind yourself that today will be just spectacular.

Take a few minutes for quiet time before you jumpstart your routine. Have a lingering cup of coffee, witness what is occurring out-of-doors, watch the birds at the feeder, and then express a prayer of gratitude for all you have been given today and every day.

Make time to list in writing what you intend to accomplish this day. Keep your primary to-do list reasonable and under five items. Have some easy, medium, and hard things to accomplish this day. Challenge yourself to move through your list and complete the items one by one.

Be less serious. Allow humor to enter your life. Laugh and laugh again. A good laugh is like a massage for the soul.

Give up perfection and be satisfied with good enough on things that are really not that important. Polishing the silver is good for the family heirloom, but is it making a profound difference in your life?

Focus daily on something that makes your heart expand not contract. If you are not living for something spectacular, then why are you living for less?

Extend yourself daily by doing a kindness for another that is not meant to be reciprocated. Do it and forget it!

Elevate your spiritual nature by reading a section of a classical book. Better yet, make a list of 12 classics that you decide to read this year. Challenge yourself to one good book a month.

Remember to pay it forward! Stockpile your harvest for your future needs. Do not let the well run dry for lack of priming the pump! Give before you get!

That's some great advice! These little techniques may not make you an overnight success, but they will set your feet in motion toward a better life.

Do you have some processes or "rituals" you use to get yourself in a positive state of mind? What are they and do you use them each day?

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

[Note: photo from http://www.wittysparks.com/]

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Customer Experience - Red Carpet Treatment

2009-08-13T20:00:00.002-04:00

Isn't the customer experience the responsibility of the entire company? Shouldn't everyone employed at a business consider themselves part of the customer experience team? Isn't the customer experience the main long-term focus of all businesses? All these questions are things I constantly ponder on and discuss with the business leaders/owners I interact with.

I recently read a statement that asked (rhetorically I'm hoping) 'when did the customer experience become the responsibility of only one group of a company?'

How true.

If your business isn't rolling out the red carpet to everyone the comes into contact with your company - whether face-to-face, via e-mail, phone call, social media, or whatever touch point you provide your customers - are you assuming that your competition isn't either?

I truly believe that most businesses are working on how to WOW! their customers and that there's nothing wrong with a customer experience team to create and deliver those processes. It's unfortunate, though, that there are businesses out there that don't take the time to focus on this. I read an article recently about how a well established business, with known problems in the past, continues to let people down in their customer experience.

How does your business focus on the customer experience? How do you hold yourself personally accountable for the customer experience, regardless of your company's process? What local company (preferably not some national chain) that you do business with is the best at the "customer experience"?

THANKS for reading! Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

[Note: photos from http://3rdi.ie/]

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Building Communities

2009-08-10T07:59:00.005-04:00

Helping others grow their social media communities has been something I've enjoyed doing. Helping people connect with others of similar interests is a good thing. It's almost daily that I see someone new join one of the social media communities I participate in. Do you see this happening too?

If you follow social media like I do, there are so many conversations going on about what social media is and why you should be involved.

Whether it's someone like Seth Godin in a video talking about what you should be doing within your social media communities, Chris Brogan wondering if you need to touch every conversation, maybe a company trying to teach you how to include it in your business, or one of your friends/colleagues passionately telling you how many new "friends" they have on their Facebook or Twitter account; isn't your social media community your community?

If social media is simply conversations, just like you'd have with someone face-to-face, then why can't you post what you want to say?

In my last blog, "Am I Yelling", I pondered on that very thought and also about what I shared in my social media communities, and whether I was yelling my messages through these "social media megaphones".

But something that seems rarely mentioned, but seems to be highly important to many, is the number of connections we have within our communities. I recently read a blog (can't remember which one now from all the ones I read) about how important your connections (network) was and how it may be turned in to 'higher hire-ability factor' going forward. Interesting thought.

But what do we do that helps others gain & grow their networks?

When you connect with someone new on your Facebook account, do you "suggest friends" for this person to the appropriate connections you have? (Remember, just because you're limited to doing 20 at a time, doesn't mean you can't do it multiple times!) This is a great way to help someone build their initial community!! Do you retweet someone elses tweet post to your community? Do you actively seek out and recommend those connected to you on LinkedIn? Do you share blogs you like with all your community(s) connections?

When you help others build their communities, you'll soon see the same happen to your own community as well. What a great deal for everyone!!

I'd be interested in hearing your experiences in how you build your communities and how you help others do so as well. It would be great information to share with everyone. (Click "comment" below to do so.)

THANKS! Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

[Note: photos from http://ilearn.amorphous.net/ & http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/]

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Am I Yelling?

2009-07-30T13:46:00.011-04:00

While reading a recent on-line article, it pointed to a related video blog which I in turn watched. The video was very informative and I got a lot out of it. The thing that really stood out in it to me was a line that one of the people being interviewed used, "...using my social media megaphone...".

That started me pondering on whether I was "shouting" my message or simply sharing my messages.

I looked at my "me" folder under my favorites and counted thirty (that's right, 30) Social Media sites that I have accounts in, and that I keep updated. Incredible!!! Now I admit that some of these sites I personally deem more relavent than others. My twitter page, my Facebook page, my YouTube page and my LinkedIn page I find to be the most used.

But what about the messages I'm sharing in all my communities? Or the messages I'm seeing that are being shared?

Recently, I've had a lot of other people (especially those new to the Social Media world) comment to me about how they really don't understand and/or how they dislike certain posts they get. Examples given to me are how even the smallest things in a person's life gets shared: "Heading to get something to drink", "Well, off to bed", "Going to grab some groceries, BRB", etc.

Social Media is about having conversations, pure and simple.

Whether that conversation is a piece of wisdom, a great idea, a web-link reference post, a comment about history, news item, current personal event like a vacation/reunion, a blog, customer service & support, promotional item, asking a question, "how to", or simply "Hang on, I've got to go the restroom"...it's all a conversation. And just like in the real world where we interact face-to-face with people every day, there are sometimes things all of us would probably rather not have heard.

For me, I try to share items via my social media communities that I find personally interesting but at the same time I try to consider those I'm sharing with. Some of the posts I share are what I believe to be news worthy, some are what I consider humor, some are sad, some are reflective, some are targeted to a specific group within my community (for example my recent high school reunion), etc. I find most of my posts deal with personal branding, growing your leadership, growing your busines, or (hopefully) something inspirational. But I have, I will admit, shared some stuff that maybe made some of my community question their connection with me.

One that comes to mind was a twitter event of a hunt I went on earlier in the year. I tweet'd from the arrival in the stand all the way to the completion of the hunt. (But that hunt lead me to blog a message I thought important.) I've even tweet'd airplane flights from start-to-finish before (sorry everyone!!!). In the end I think we all grow into our "communication style" and people see that, it just takes a bit. I remember when I first started talking all I knew was "gah, gah, bah baddy blah boo" and stuff like that; but eventually I made it to the big time and put real words together to form real sentences and then on to tell real stories!!

So as I end, I have a few questions I was wondering if you'd answer for me:

What social media sites do you use the most?
What do you find to be the most interesting topics you see posted?
If you could pick only one social media site to use, which one would it be and why?
Does your work use social media to communicate and interact with your customers?
[Click "comment" below to answer.]

THANKS SO MUCH! And let me know if you think I'm yelling...

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

[Note: photo from http://bobbycarroll.net/]

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Also, Connect @

Confidence

2009-07-27T06:07:00.004-04:00

Do you go through-out your day with the confidence in yourself to know that you are a winner? Do you truly believe that you are the best partner for your customers and that your products are the best answers to their problems? Do you train yourself daily like a world-class athlete does?

I love listening to Rush Limbaugh. I’m not saying I totally agree with everything that he says, but is that guy confident in himself or what? In each show, he always states, “Talent on loan…from God”. Now if that’s not confidence, I don’t know what is. And the name of his station is EIB---Excellence in Broadcasting. Another statement of confidence.

So, get your confidence (and attitude) right and go out & sell someone on YOU!

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

[Note: photo from http://www.fivegulf.com/]

Remembering Walter Cronkite

2009-07-22T06:57:00.005-04:00

Last night I found a two-hour TV special on the life of Walter Cronkite. Frankly, had he not recently passed away, I probably would have keep surfing. But with his passing, I wanted to watch this special.

[Note: This may not be as sentimental of a journey for those of you born after 1970.]

As someone who grew up watching him every night on TV (my dad watched him religiously if he was home from work in time), he was a mainstay in our family, just as he was for many hundred of thousands of other American families during the 60's and 70's. During the show, I recalled all the historical events that happened during his time as anchorman for the CBS evening news (I posted the above photo of him because this is exactly how I first remember him on our small black & white TV set with rabbit ears and the traditional tin-foil wrapped ends to help reception of the three channels we could receive). I recalled watching the first man-on-the-moon (40th anniversary this past Monday), the Watergate investigations, the Vietnam war and so much more that I learned through watching Walter Cronkite each night. As kids, we would imitate his "...and that's the way it is..." I never was big on Sesame Street or the like, but I don't recall hardly ever missing the evening news.

As a WWII historian, another thing that really stands out for me was his reporting of the war. In later life he did a WWII documentary that I also enjoy. He was right there in the fight during the war years and his reports were top notch.

Something closer to home for me now was his reputation as being known as the "most trusted man in America". Now that's what I call "personal branding"!! I believe he gained that title because of the incredible customer experience that he provided. He held his profession up to the highest standards and demanded that out of not only his team mates, but from his colleagues in the profession as well. You could truly consider him a SME and guru of what he did, because it was truly a passion of his. And he delivered that passion, that professionalism, that since of responsibility of what he was providing to his customers - the American public - who "bought" his product every night for two+ decades.

What a legacy of excellence he leaves us an example of, that we have the opportunity to mimic in our careers regardless of industry.

I'd love for you to share you story of what you remember about Walter Cronkite and how he influenced your life. Please post in the comments section below.

Thanks for allowing me a little walk down memory lane.

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

[Note: photo from http://sirenschronicles.com/]

What Stops You?

2009-07-20T12:00:00.005-04:00

What is your ‘brick wall’? The better question is, ‘how do you get around it?’

All of us have brick walls in our lives. No one is immune to them. The people who aspire to great things are the ones who understand this, prepare for them, and then work to get around them versus letting them stop them in their tracks.

Being prepared, doing your homework, staying up on current technologies, knowing everything about your prospect/customer, being relentless about customer service, and thinking with a world-class mindset are all small parts of not letting the brick wall stand in your way.

What "wall" do you have in your life? What is slowing you down? Who can you reach out too that could help you remove that wall? I'd love to hear your stories (click comment below).

Here's a short video by Jeffrey Gitomer with some additional points for you:

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

http://joeypeacock.com/

[Note: photo from http://www.bigfoto.com/]

Blogs...which ones?

2009-07-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

As part of this “blogging” universe, I’m sometimes asked about which blogs I read so I thought I’d share the list here:

* Big Business Blogging Corporate Blogging
* Buildify Corporate Blogging
* Chris Brogan One of the best sites about Social Media
* Fred Reichheld’s Blog Net Promoter (customer experience) topics
* Giant Perspectives Leadership
* Great Leadership Leadership
* Hello, my name is Blog Scott Ginsberg’s thoughts about personal branding
* Hope for the Hopeless My fried Clint Singleton’s blog
* Jaffe Juice Joseph Jaffe’s world of marketing
* Jeanne Bliss’ Blog Customer Experience
* John Maxwell Leadership
* Leading Smart Keeping me focused leadership from God’s perspective
* Living Life Forward My friend Ralph Yoder’s blog
* Living Loved My friend Elizabeth Bennett’s blog
* Made to Stick Creative thinking
* Michael Hyatt Marketing & Social Media
* Never Eat Alone Networking
* Paradigm Shift Social Media
* Perceived Randomness My friend Jarrod Wester’s blog
* Personal Branding Blog Personal branding
* Power of Who Personal branding
* Power Shift A great Social Media blog
* Rise to the Top For Entrepreneurs
* Service with a Smile My friend Daniel Bennett’s blog
* SmartBlog on Social Media Another of my favorites on Social Media
* 3Connect My friend Kevin Yoder’s blog

Fortunately for me, not all of these folks posts new blogs everyday so it’s actually not that difficult to manage. I also use Google Reader to subscribe to each so that helps me keep track with what’s new.

And as you can see, my focus is on leadership, the customer experience and social media.

What blogs do you follow and why? Let me know by commenting (below link). THANKS!

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business.” ™

http://joeypeacock.com/

[Note: photo from http://www.ibspro.net/]

He said, "Don't blink"

2009-06-05T21:25:00.016-04:00

"Don't Blink" by Kenny Chesney

I was listening to this song on the radio, and one of the lines really popped out at me:

"...when your hour glass runs out of sand,
you can't flip it over and start again..."

How thought provoking --- something to really make you stop and ponder...or does it?

I'm the first to admit I didn't stop & ponder on this when I was in my teens, or in my 20s, and no, not even in my 30s. I wonder would I have made different choices then if I had. Would you have? Don't we all procrastinate and think we have "tomorrow"?

But now as I come up on my 30 year senior class reunion in a few weeks, this whole "don't blink" thought I find to be more and more true.

What if I'd had mentors in my life during those early years? Do we encourage mentors in our children's lives?

How 'bout specific goals, following your passion(s)? It can never be too late to do that.

One of my friends always says, "Life is to short not to take advantage of it and live it to the fullest."

Personally, I've put off learning another language for years (even though I have Rosetta Stone). I've put off learning a musical instrument. I've put off many hobbies & passions because I always thought I'd get around to them. I've postponed eating healthy and exercising because I've lived the greatest cliché, "I'll get to it."

How are you doing yourself? Are you following your passions or are you putting them on the back burner?

And "don't blink" goes for your education, relationships, careers, etc. as well.

I used to think when I was young how great it was that I knew my great-grandfather and that he had personally witnessed the dawn of a new century. Now in the blink of our eyes, most of you (if not all) reading this, like me, have not only done the same thing, but have also witnessed the dawn of a new millennium...and our grandchildren will (hopefully) think how awesome that was for us to have experienced!

Maybe seeing the movie "The Bucket List" also has me more focused on all of this...?

But pondering on something and making an active pursuit are two different things. One is passive and one is a deliberate action required.

So, "...life goes faster than you think, don't blink". Think I'd better stop blinking and get focused & active. How 'bout you?

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://joeypeacock.com/

How Will You Finish

2009-06-03T07:59:00.000-04:00

You face challenges every day. Whether you consider them ‘brick walls’, ‘pot-holes in the road’, ‘mountains & valleys’, ‘the rollercoaster of life’, or anything else, every day you face some challenge (or better yet, some opportunity to grow!).

But how will you finish when you face these opportunities?

Finishing strong is the only way to finish.

Just like with your monthly business goals, and any personal goal that you have in your life, you should finish not just at your goal, but always exceeding your goal!

Do you have a story to share about some goal you had that was a huge challenge, but not only did you finish you finished so strong and so far exceeding your goal that you were even amazed? I'd love to hear!

Take a few minutes to view the following short video presentation about finishing strong.

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://joeypeacock.com/

From Your Customer’s Perspective…

2009-05-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

How do your customer’s see you? Are you a “Tigger” or an “Eeyore”? Are you positive, motivated, even with a sense of having fun in everything you do? Or are you the bearer of bad news, have a solemn or down attitude and rarely smile with a complete lack of enthusiasm in what you do?

It’s obvious who you customers would rather do business with, but are you conscience of this while you’re with them?

As Art Williams would often state, ‘People don’t want to do business with a negative, dull, disillusioned, frustrated cry-baby.’

So, while you’re out in the field, think about being a Tigger and people will notice. Always be focused on your personal “brand”.

“Enthusiasm is a vital element toward the individual success of every man or woman."
~Conrad Hilton, hotelier and philanthropist

...See this video...

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://joeypeacock.com/

"Go Ahead...Make My Day!"

2009-05-14T19:48:00.012-04:00

Of course we all know that famous line from the Clint Eastwood movie. And I don't think "Dirty Harry" meant it to have a positive outcome for the person he was interacting with.

But that doesn't mean we can't use "make my day" in a positive way with the people we interact with every day.

In today's hectic world, it seems that courtesy sometimes takes a back-seat in trying to make it to the next appointment.

So, I came up with some suggestions for us to do so we can all "make someone's day":

Find the manager at the restaurant you eat at and tell them what a great meal you had and what fantastic service your host provided you.
E-mail the company of the hotel you stay in and share the wonderful way their team took care of you during your stay.
Next time you're getting food from a fast food restaurant, make the person behind the registers day and leave them a tip.
While checking out at the grocery store, graciously thank your check-out person and be sure to use their name when you do it.
Hand write a letter to your best friend's mother and thank her.
Drop a message to your old school teachers and thank them for everything they did for you...especially for putting up with all your pranks.
Find and tip your garbage person. Be sure to apologize to them for only doing it at year end.
E-mail your company CEO a "super success" story about a co-worker and how they delivered a world-class customer experience to a client.
Call every family member and thank them for a life full of love, support and blessings.
Anonymously buy someone's meal.
Ask someone behind you to move ahead of you in line.
Wave at everyone you meet while driving.
Find something to compliment about each person you see today and tell them at the beginning of the conversation.
Find out everyone you know birthday date and, even if you have to note it somewhere, never forget to wish them happy birthday each year.

And lastly, let's all focus and "make someone's day" everyday.

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://joeypeacock.com/

Duty

2009-03-19T16:42:00.002-04:00

Robert E. Lee said, “Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less.” Art Williams always said, “All you can do is all you can do…but all you can do is enough.”

Webster’s defines duty as: obligatory tasks, conduct, service, or functions that arise from one's position (as in life or in a group).

Are you doing ‘all you can do’? Do you provide your customers world-class service with a great attitude? Are you partnering with all the teams in your company and their leadership on all projects? Are you working with your marketing department in order to brand yourself as THE “go to” person for all solutions? Are you providing detailed, on-time information in your salesforce database? Are you giving value & benefit in all your interactions?

So do your duty in all things, give it 100% and reap the benefits of a job well done---whether in your career, your family or your organizations.

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://joeypeacock.com/

Appreciated!

2009-03-19T16:07:00.002-04:00

Do you ever notice when someone does something for someone and you don’t hear a “Thank you”? How does that make you feel? What about when you hear a parent have to remind their child(ren) to tell someone “thank you” for something they’ve received?

What do you think…Ungrateful? Disrespectful?

How do you think your customers feel when the same happens to them?

Tom Hopkins reminds us this about the importance of an ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE…

Developing the Thank You Notes Habit
By Tom Hopkins

I learned the value and power of thank you notes early in life. When I was a young child, my parents occasionally went out with friends for dinner. Invariably, when my parents returned from an evening out, I saw my mother sit down at her little desk in the hallway as soon as she got home and begin to write. One night I asked her what she was doing. Her answer came straight out of Emily Post: “We had such a wonderful time with our dear friends this evening that I want to jot them a note to thank them for their friendship and the wonderful dinner.” My mother’s simple act of gratitude, expressed to people who already knew that she and my father appreciated and enjoyed their friendship, helped to keep my parents’ friendships strong for their entire lifetimes.

Because I understood that building relationships is what selling is all about, I began early in my career to send thank you notes to people. I set a goal to send ten thank you notes every day. That goal meant that I had to meet and get the names of at least ten people every day. I sent thank you notes to people I met briefly, people I showed properties to, people I talked with on the telephone, and people I actually helped to own new homes. I became a thank you note fool. And guess what happened? By the end of my third year in sales, my business was 100% referrals! The people I had expressed gratitude to were happy to send me new clients as a reward for making them feel appreciated and important.

I understand that you may not be comfortable at first with starting the Thank You note habit so I took the time to write out ten situations in which sending a Thank You note is appropriate. Then, to help you even more, I’ve drafted the notes for you.

Telephone contact
Thank you for talking with me on the telephone. In today’s business world, time is precious. You can rest assured that I will always be respectful of the time you invest as we discuss the possibility of a mutually beneficial business relationship.
In Person Contact
Thank you. It was a pleasure meeting you, and my thank you is for the time we shared. We have been fortunate to serve many happy clients, and it is my wish to some day be able to serve you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call.
After Demonstration or Presentation
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to discuss with you our association for the mutual benefit of our firms. We believe that quality, blended with excellent service, is the foundation for a successful business.
After Purchase
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to offer you our finest service. We are confident that you will be happy with this investment towards future growth. My goal is now to offer excellent follow-up service so you will have no reservations about referring others to me who have similar needs as yours.
For a Referral
Thank you for your kind referral. You may rest assured that anyone you refer to me will receive the highest degree of professional service possible.
After Final Refusal
Thank you for taking your time to consider letting me serve you. It is with sincere regrets that your immediate plans do not include making the investment at this time. However, if you need further information or have any questions, please feel free to call. I will keep you posted on new developments and changes that may benefit you.
After They Buy From Someone Else
Thank you for taking your time to analyze my services. I regret being unable, at this time, to prove to you the benefits we have to offer. We keep constantly informed of new developments and changes, so I will keep in touch with the hope that in the years ahead we will be able to do business.
After They Buy From Someone Else, But Offer to Give You Referrals
Thank you for your gracious offer of giving me referrals. As we discussed, I am enclosing three of my business cards. I thank you in advance for placing them in the hands of three of your friends, acquaintances, or relatives that I might serve. I will keep in touch and be willing to render my services as needed.
To Anyone Who Gives You Service
Thank you. It is gratifying to meet someone dedicated to doing a good job. Your efforts are sincerely appreciated. If my company or I can serve you in any way, please don’t hesitate to call.
Anniversary Thank You
Thank you. It is with warm regards that I send this note to say hello and again, thanks for your past patronage. We are continually changing and improving our products and services. If you would like an update on our latest advancements, please give me a call.

The power of expressed gratitude is immense. Put this tool to work for you today!

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://joeypeacock.com/

Are you going up hill?

2009-02-25T10:18:00.003-05:00

I subscribe to John Maxwell's "Maximum Impact Club", so each month I receive a CD lesson to review (along with a mini-booklet).

The one I just completed (Volume 13, Number 2) was really great. It was titled "Truths About Leadership".

John made a statement in the lesson that really stood out to me, and I think provides some sense of encouragement to leaders who feel they're always going "against the wind".

John stated, "You can tell when you're on the road to success, it's up-hill all the way."

Now how powerful is that!?!

Though, as leaders, we can often tell we are making progress, sometimes that progress seems to be filled with pain and resistance. When you review yourself through the filter of John's statement, then it helps make sense why this is happening.

Do you have any thoughts and/or examples of how you've felt this way as a leader (and remember, John's other famous saying is that "...everyone is a leader of someone...")? Please click the comment link below and share your stories.

Thanks!

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://joeypeacock.com/

Full-Service

2009-02-09T08:54:00.012-05:00

Full-service gas stations are almost like the 8-track cassettes of years past...just a memory. I can typically only find full-service stations in small towns now. I bet most people born after 1990 don't even know what a full-service gas station is (okay, or 8-tracks either).

Years ago, all gas stations were full-service. Self-service would have been considered an insult. A full-service gas station would fill your gas tank, wash your windows, check your oil and air in your tires for you...without asking! You never had to get out of your vehicle---you just sat there while someone else provided you all the customer service you needed. There were even "bays" for you to get a service job, or tires changed/installed, and some would even do electrical repairs like AC, alternator, distributor, etc. work! A true "one stop shop" for your vehicles health.

You don't know what you've missed if you never have pulled in to a full-service station.

Personally, I'm fortunate enough to work right next to a full-service gas station. Ricky McDougald is the head-chess over there and this guy is all about customer service.

I've never seen Ricky upset or mad, and I've seen him with more than he and his team could handle. He knows so much about what he does, but is so humble about it. I've seen him "plug a tire" (repair a hole in a tire for those of us who are not mechanically gifted) and not charge anything for it...unreal! If Ricky doesn't have the part you need, he'll personally walk down the street to the local Auto Parts store and pick up the right part for you.

Ricky also makes every customer fill at home...they have comfortable chairs inside with an awesome air conditioner system that keeps you cool on a hot Florida summer day. Or, if you want, they have a really nice wooden bench out front (in the shade by-the-way) that you can wait/rest on & read the paper, and even visit with friends or other customers while you're there. Mayberry has nothing on Ricky!

So if you ever have the fortune of traveling through Blountstown, Florida, take a moment and stop by McDougald's Station on Hwy. 71 for an ice-cold drink and a full-service tank of gas. You will not regret it.

Do you know a local business like this? I'd like to hear your story of a business that goes out of their way to serve their customers like Ricky does. Please add in the comment section (link below).

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://joeypeacock.com/

Nobody Can See The Wizard...?

2009-02-04T11:15:00.017-05:00

The Wizard of Oz...a great, classic movie. One of my favorites! In fact, I have a special collectors edition laser disc of the movie (yes, I said laser disc---UGH!).

To me, one of the memorable lines of the movie is when the door man to Emerald City says, "Nobody gets in to see the Wizard! Not no way, not no how!" Of course in the end we understand why.

But, my fondness of the movie is besides the point of my message here: I know of a business, which I frequently go to and do business with, and in this business there are some "classic movie" posters around the place---one of them being the "Wizard of Oz". Since my wife and I enjoy watching classic movies, I've found this an interesting and pleasing side-note to the business. And the business has nothing to do with the entertainment industry, movies or anything with electronics or technology.

But here's the thing that most stands out to me about this business---over the door that leads to where the owner is, there is a sign with the above mentioned quote from the Wizard of Oz movie, "...Nobody gets to see the Wizard...". I think that in some way, the sign is a joke and relates to their Wizard of Oz poster, but then again it maybe is the way the owner thinks.

In all the times I've been in the business the owner has never once, no not once, ever greeted me, spoken to me or even thanked me for doing business there. I've never seen him come out to offer any of this to anyone else either. Hard to believe isn't it?

How do you have a business and not have some conversation or interaction...of any form...with the people who give you their money?!?

Today, I ask you to re-evaluate your business. Is it customer friendly? Does someone either in a leadership position or even the owner meet, greet, interact, talk with the customers that come to your store? Does your store have posted signs that discourage interaction?

If you have any similar situations where you've seen this happen to you, or if you know of a business that for whatever reason isn't customer friendly, I'd love to hear your comments (see link below).

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://joeypeacock.com/

Raving Fans...

2009-01-30T19:52:00.017-05:00

I've just completed the Satmetrix Net Promoter® Conference and Certification this past week. It was an incredible conference with many great speakers including Charles Schwab President & CEO Walt Bettinger, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh and Intuit President & CEO Brad Smith to name a few. Blogger and author Joseph Jaffe also entertained us as well and caused us to reconsider how businesses market to their intended audiences.

After the conference, the certification part of Net Promoter® begin...three days of intensive training, case studies and lessons.

All this because my best friend asked me "Does your company use NPS?"

How does a simple question like that turn my career into an incredible new journey?

I've always been passionate for the customer and have always known that the experience the customer has with your business and what they tell their friend & colleagues will often make or break you company. I believe the success I had years ago in my short-term financial services business as well as my decade plus electronics business was mainly due to the service---and customer experience---that I provided my clients. I also believe that the success I've personally had in FairPoint Communications has been because we had (for the teams I've lead) a true focus on delivering world-class service in every customer interaction.

Have all those interactions been world-class? No. Unfortunately that's not possible. But when you focus everything you do around that philosophy, then you're bound to have a lot more success than failure.

In the Net Promoter® Score (NPS) program, customers who are most happy with you and refer your business to their friends & colleagues are called "Promoters". At FairPoint Communicatios, we've always referred to them as "Raving Fans!" (from the Ken Blanchard book).

It seems like every business would understand that happy (loyal) customers are the foundation for a successful long-term and profitable company...but for some reason all businesses don't make that their ultimate focus.

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://joeypeacock.com/

Do Businesses Really Care About Creating Customer Loyalty?

2009-01-24T14:31:00.007-05:00

I visited a couple of local businesses the other day, and based on my experiences, I'm wondering if businesses are truly concerned about creating customer loyalty.

Let me share my experiences...

I went to a local fast food restaurant. Now, you may think that fast food restaurants aren't really concerned with customer service, much less customer loyalty because all customer's are interested in is food, fast (and let me add that most chain stores are locally owned and operated). But I disagree, just ask Chick-fil-A, they really care. And I really care too. What difference should it matter whether I'm sitting down in a fine restaurant or stopping by a chain? I still desire a friendly face from someone who wants to provide great service.

At this chain, the employees (all of them) acted as if someone were holding them hostage to work there. There was never a "thank you" or "your welcome" or "how may I help you". I got a "Can I take your order?" and, then as I've found common to this particular store, "...we don't have..." this and that, and a "that isn't ready and will take 20 minutes to cook" like I was putting them out!

I was the second guy in line, but more people came in after me and all got the same cold, put-off treatment. Let me also add here that all this happened right at supper time when they should have expected a crowd to come in and was prepared with appropriate food to deliver.

After about a 20 minute wait, and then not getting exactly what I ordered, I then got home to find food that was, let me say, questionable...you wouldn't find me recommending this place to my friends and colleagues. I also wouldn't say they created a loyal customer out of me either. And other than the fact that I will not state the name of the location here, you could truly call me a detractor to their business.

For the other business, I saw one of their sales people who in the middle of our casual conversation added, half-joking half-serious, "...let me sell you some (product name)." I thought, who trained them in their sales skills and how do they feel this is an appropriate approach to moving their products?? I gave the "I'm not really interested now" reply and that was it. I actually believe the person wanted to sell me their product, but the approach and follow-up were completely unprofessional.

I just can't understand how in our current economy that business owners are not focusing on training their teams to deliver world-class service with every customer interaction!!

Whether you provide your team books to read on the subject, provide on-line training, leader motivation in weekly team discussions, or by bringing someone in to lead a team meeting, growing profits is directly related to how well your employees provide a great experience with your business. But isn't this really Business 101?

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://joeypeacock.com/

The Lessons I Learned While At A Funeral

2009-01-23T05:53:00.005-05:00

My Uncle passed away over the Christmas holidays; he was my dad’s oldest sister’s husband and a favorite of mine. He was 78 years old and had been married to my aunt for 59 years and 11 months. He loved to fish and loved to eat mullet (me too!). He was a great guy. I don’t know of anyone who ever heard him say a cuss word. My uncle never had wealth, never traveled the world, never had a big house or fancy cars. But he was loved by all that knew him.

He was a handyman by trade and there’s no appliance he couldn’t fix. People called him all the time, even after years of retirement, to come repair something that was broken. No matter where he went people knew him and talked with him. They always referred others to him if they knew someone with an appliance problem---regardless of business or personal.

I thought about the lessons of life while I was at the funeral and, with your permission, wanted to share my thoughts with you here. Though the list isn’t that long, I think each is extremely powerful and, if each are focused on as becoming a main part of our life, the three are more than enough to keep a person occupied:

How People Perceive You
Do I have a high likeability factor? When people see me, do they dread a conversation with me or am I inviting & pleasant? Do all my stories revolve around me or them? All these factors are important if you’re a salesperson (and everyone is a salesperson!) as well. Are you pleasant in appearance and attitude when you’re with your customers? Are they glad to see you because you bring them value?
Serving Others Is The Most Important Thing
When my uncle passed away, he didn’t take anything with him----no money, no grand exit, nothing. So if we come into this world with nothing, and we take nothing with us…then what’s my purpose? Spend your time serving others…either by your hands or your gifts (charity). And however it is that I serve others? I need to do it to the absolute best (world-class) that I can. In business, you need to have this same philosophy: provide your customers with world-class service & solutions and they’ll tell everyone they know about you. Or, as I like to say, “…give them face and serve them to death”.
What Will Your Legacy Be?
Though as much as we try to avoid the subject, it happens to all of us eventually. We’re promised no duration of time. So what will my legacy be when I leave? Haven’t you ever been to a store you enjoy doing business with and find that your favorite salesperson has left (retired, moved, etc.), but now you have a great new person supporting you who you hit it off with? Build your business around the legacy of world-class service provided by building long-term relationships.

For all my personal e-mails that I share with family, friends, etc., I always end it with a quote that I wanted to share with you today that I thought related to this message:

"It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference."
~Tom Brokaw

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://www.joeypeacock.com/

Grow Yourself and Your Business

2009-01-15T08:10:00.001-05:00

How do your grow your business? Especially now in these tough economic times? How do you create CUSTOMER LOYALTY that keeps your customers coming back to your business and not the competitions? You have to first make sure you’re growing yourself and those on your team.

One of the very first steps you need to do is establish within the culture of your business that everyone employed at your company has the role of a salesperson.

Though sales people have been given a bad rap over the years (some rightfully so, but these are the “bad apples” in some barrels), that’s no reason that you should avoid this reality.

Of course your front-line sales people know that everyone is in sales; but whether you’re in the accounting department, HR, the service team, call center, are an executive, etc., everyone is in fact “selling” your company---for good or bad.

Every time someone answers your phone they’re selling the customer with their friendliness, their attitude and their willingness to provide the solution the caller is asking for. Every time your service team provides an installation or service repair, their professionalism, their expertise and their attitude in working with the customer is selling that person on whether this will be the first, or last, time they do business with you. Every time your collections department resolves a dispute with your customers, they are selling your business in how easy this process was or wasn’t. And you can be assured that your customers will tell their family, friends and colleagues the positive, or negative, results that they experienced in all of this.

If you’re serious about providing world-class customer service and over delivering on value, start with yourself & your team and make sure everyone is creating customer loyalty and watch your business grow!

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://www.joeypeacock.com/

The Lessons I Learned While...

2009-01-12T06:12:00.004-05:00

The Lessons I Learned While Hunting

Can you believe that while only 3% of the U.S. population hunts, the sport is a multi-billion dollar business? WOW! That’s truly incredible! And I’m one of those “3%” folks that enjoy being in the outdoors hunting.

Not long ago, I was talking with a good friend of mine, Paul Smith, and as we often talk about leadership & life, we talked about the fact that there is a lesson in everything we do…regardless of what that is. So during my recent vacation, in which I spent a good deal of time sitting in a tree stand, I thought about all the lessons I learned from something I really enjoy doing---hunting:

Preparation
When you hunt, the majority of your success is going to be based around the pre-season preparation. This includes scouting your hunting areas, creating your food plots, setting up your stands and game cameras, practicing target shooting and many other things needed for success. Your business is no different as you need to scout out your territory that you plan to sell in, putting out your marketing items, attending networking meetings including Chamber of Commerce and other such events, understanding and being knowledgeable about your products/solutions, etc. Part of your overall success is going to be directly related to how prepared you are. So just like you have to do your homework for a successful hunt, do your homework for a successful career.
Patience
Hunting, like sales and many other business aspects, requires a great deal of patience. Nothing great comes easily or quickly. It may take multiple trips to the woods before you bag that trophy; and it will most likely take multiple meetings with your customer/prospect before you have the contract signed on the dotted line.
The Right Tools
One key to success in hunting is having the right tool for the hunt. You wouldn’t take a bow and go Duck hunting, and you wouldn’t take a .22 rifle and go Elk hunting. You wouldn’t sit in a tree stand to take squirrel (though you could) and you wouldn’t sit in a double bull blind to take quail. And the same holds true for your business. Having the right tools, the right solutions at the right price delivered through world-class service is the key to success.
Practice
Long before archery season begins, you should be consistently out target shooting. Before Whitetail season begins, you should be out sighting in your rifle scope. The more practice you get the more experience and confidence you acquire which will help in your success. In your business, having hands-on experience with the product(s) you offer is key to your ability to successfully provide them to your customers. Working in the test labs with the Technicians prior to installation, being on hand during installation, attending training sessions are all part of the practice required to gain the knowledge & skills you’ll need to succeed.
Focus
When you’re hunting, you must have great focus. Spotting a Whitetail easing through the woods is often difficult. I’ve even seen times when a deer walked right behind someone and they never even knew it. And not only must you have focus, but sometimes you need aids (like binoculars) in order to see further than you normally can. Business too needs great focus. You need to have the ability to clearly see what’s around you, but also what’s “down the road” as well. All the while making the necessary adjustments in order to achieve success.
Listening
Sometimes you spot the big trophy not because you saw it first, but because you were intensely listening and you heard it coming. When you’re hunting, you spend the large majority of your time listening. To be successful in your business or career, you must also spend a great deal of time listening. Listening to what your customer is telling you in order to provide them the exact solution they’re seeking to solve their problem. Hear what your customer is telling you and provide them with the answers they need only after you fully understand.
Mental Toughness
When you’re hunting, you may find yourself sitting in a tree stand high above the ground for hours on end (and then days on end), and never even see any game. The mental toughness it takes to hang in there when your back, your bottom, your legs are aching and screaming for relief is rough. The wind might be blowing, it might even be raining…but you hang in there. It might be brutally cold, but you tough it out regardless because you know that trophy might be only moments away from showing up. Business is the same way---you’ll experience employee problems, legal issues, billing delays, returns, vendor related problems, lack of teamwork, etc., etc. Being mentally tough through these times, yet still providing world-class service to your customers through all of it will make you smarter, tougher and better suited for success in the long run.
Storms
Of course we will all have storms in our lives. How many rain-storms have I sat through while hunting looking for that trophy? Business is no different. We must prepare for the roller coaster ride that is life and business. And old Arab proverb states that “all sunshine makes a desert”. Often, if we reflect, we’ll find that we learned the most, grew the most, and eventually prospered the most by going through these storms.

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://www.joeypeacock.com/

How Are You Different?

2009-01-07T16:37:00.003-05:00

In the highest volume sold book ever, you’ll find a very important statement that goes something like this: ‘…if you’re asked to go one mile, then go two…’

WOW! Now that’s very powerful and very thought provoking.

So let’s take a moment and put this in perspective for us as businesses who are trying to create customer loyalty.

If you think about it, the “first mile” is, well, the transaction. That’s where we work with our customer (whether internal or external) and provide them with a proposal, a price (or commitment) and then if they accept, the solution. Now, pretty much anyone can go the first mile with a customer. This is relative easy and, for the most part, a pain free experience.

But then, there’s the part that separates the winners from the losers; the world-class from the average & ordinary; from customer satisfaction to customer loyalty and this part of the “second mile” is where the relationship is created.

As Jeffrey Gitomer says, “All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends. All things being not quite so equal, people STILL want to do business with their friends.”

If you want to “be friends” with your customers, if you want to build relationships with your customers that create your own personal ‘brand insistence’ where they don’t want to do business with anyone but you---even if they have to wait!---then for 2009, focus all your business on going the second mile with everyone you work with. Regardless of whether it’s a team mate, a vendor partner or with a customer…go that extra mile if you want to take your career to the next plateau.

Ever wonder why the best are the best? It’s because they are the rare breed that go the 2nd mile.

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://www.joeypeacock.com/

Shouldn't He Have Known?

2009-01-07T14:42:00.003-05:00

Part of the title to my blog includes "pondering", and that's what I've been doing this afternoon...pondering over something that happened today:

I was called for Federal Jury Duty today, my first time. Suit, tie, dress shoes...trying to remind myself that what I was doing was part of the great thing about being an American (only equal to our freedom and ability to vote) and not thinking about all the work I was possibly getting behind on---you know the routine.

While our group was waiting for our initial instructions, we were given about a 45 minute break...rest room, stretching, mingling, etc. before the next step in the process begun. The gentlemen next to me and myself whipped out our books (I had "Becoming A Person of Influence" by John Maxwell, his seemed to be non-fiction as well).

The gentlemen toward the end left for a rest room break, and when he returned he noticed the two of us reading. This is when he said it:

"You guys must have done this before...I wish I had brought a book with me."

I sat there for a moment considering letting him take my book as I could always get it back and read later. But then this thought came to me, "Why didn't he bring one?"

Now, I'm the first to admit I'm not the smartest guy in the world---far from it in fact. And, unlike his statement, this was the first time I'd done this. But somehow I thought to bring something to help me grow personally if there were any spots when nothing was happening...like then.

When I travel, I don't sit at the airport terminal hour on end day-dreaming, I bring something to work on or something to read to stretch my mind & help me grow. When I ride down the road, I always try to have something to listen to that inspires me and motivates me. Something as simple as the included CD in every Success Magazine, or one of my Jeffrey Gitomer CD's, or some downloaded podcast.

So thinking about all of this caused me to ponder some more.

As I travel around and talk with people, the majority of folks I speak with are always interested in making (mostly expecting) more money, getting promotions, owning a home, having nice vacations, etc. But what personal growth items do they implement in their schedules to help accomplish these things? I can't imagine they think just by hanging around and putting forth the same (or no) effort will cause all their dreams to come true...they don't do they??

I pondered on saying something to the gentlemen who made the "wish I would have" statement, but didn't. It's unfortunate that for many, at the end of their careers that they'll probably look back and have many "wish I would have" wisedom for someone else.

This is a lesson for myself that I'm glad I pondered over.

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://www.joeypeacock.com/

Brand "You!"

2009-01-05T14:34:00.005-05:00

What's the most important thing about you? Give up? It's YOU!

If you've been following my blog (see below and archieves), you'll see that it's a major theme of this site as well as my website.

Today, I found another blog that restated this in a fresh perspective that I thought you would enjoy. You can find it here.

[We use the "SMART" method at FairPoint Communications to track annual progress, so I was familiar with that when I read it.]

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://www.joeypeacock.com/

New item on this site...

2009-01-05T08:15:00.002-05:00

Are you like me and follow other blogs? I've found that I can store all my blogs in one, easy location to track them all by using Google Reader. This application is really cool!

Please note that I've added "Joey's Shared Items" to the right and below my Profile. These are other blogs that I thought may interest you.

Are You In A Dip?

2008-12-30T09:37:00.001-05:00

When I was young, I rarely read anything. Even all the way through school when I had book reports to do, I never read the entire book. I had no motivation, no mentor sharing with me the importance of reading, and basically always found other things to do. But as I've grown, matured, gained in wisdom, I've found that reading is one of the most important things you can do to grow as a person.

The most recent book I've completed is Seth Godin's "The Dip". It's a small book, at only 80 pages long, so it was a really quick read. Seth explains the three different paths to all decisions: The Dip, The "Cul-de-sac" and the Cliff.

While I was reading the book, I keep thinking to myself, this is all "duh" material (stuff we should all already know), but then I found myself highlighting more & more statements that stood out for me.

The book is about how it's alright to quit something when you realize that the end result isn't going to be the right outcome for you, your family, your career. Seth shares that it's alright to quit, and that the old saying "Winners never quit" is the wrong way to think.

The AHA! moment for me in the book was when Seth told about how you should determine, up front, all the things that would cause you to quit something---before you ever start---and then hold to these items and not let other issues hinder your path (i.e., because it's hard, because you're tired, etc.).

In the end, it's a book I wish someone would have encouraged me to read soon after graduating from high school.

So, what books have encouraged and motivated you? Who inspires you when you read their material?

[You can find the book here and Seth's website here.]

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://www.joeypeacock.com/

“It’s a Monday!”

2008-12-09T07:01:00.006-05:00

How often have your heard that stated…but in a negative manner…and worse yet, by your employees/team?

As a business owner and leader, one of your on-going challenges is to create an environment that motivates and stimulates your team(s). Environments that are exciting to be in and positive motivation that stirs your team to greatness, not for you but for your customers, will do wonders for your bottom line.

Dan Miller, author of “No More Mondays” and “48 Days to the Work You Love”, offers a website to help you inspire your team (http://www.48days.com/) as well as a free weekly newsletter you can consider subscribing too.

When your team sees Sunday afternoons at 5:00 the same way they see Friday afternoon at 5:00, then you’ll know you’ve won their hearts.

If you're not a business owner/leader: Do you find yourself miserable to go to your work on Monday mornings? Then why aren't you looking for another career? Why do you work at something you're unhappy about? Are you making others around you unhappy as well?

Even if you can't find something immediately, start looking. Work on your resume and start searching for somewhere to work that you have a passion for...even if it takes a while to find that "perfect" career path, at least your attitude will be better because you now have hope.

It's said that when you do something you love, then you never have to go to work---and I agree!

Start the journey, consider your passion and find a career that motivates & inspires you.

Make every Monday morning the best part of your week!

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://www.joeypeacock.com/

Customer Service

2008-12-01T06:50:00.001-05:00

I’m sure like me, you are always thinking about the service you receive when you’re doing business with someone. Whether it is a gas/service station, a hotel, a restaurant, at the movie theater, with your insurance agent, your local utility…anyone and any business.

One of the things I’m constantly preaching to the team I lead revolves around creating a loyal customer (we call them “Raving Fans!”). Not a satisfied customer, but rather customer loyalty.

In a previous blog (see below), I discussed the importance of creating BRAND INSISTENCE with your customer base. To do so means (among other things) consistently delivering world-class service to your customers. Delivering value, giving the customer “face” and then serving them to death.

You would think that this would be especially important in today’s declining economy. Losing just one customer creates adverse long-term revenue issues for any company. The competition in every industry is incredible and delivering world-class customer service would seem to be at the top of everyone’s priority list. But from my recent experience, unfortunately I’m not seeing it.

For example: I’m trying to purchase a high-end item. The item I’m trying to purchase is a lot of money to me, but maybe it’s not that important to the businesses I’m trying to purchase it from. I know for a fact that this item has a high margin so I can’t understand why I’m getting the poor service I am. I consider myself a smart, knowledgeable shopper---I’ve done my research and I know exactly what I want. I contacted (either in person or via e-mail) the stores I shopped with and provided the list I wanted, you would think it would have been an easy sell for them. They provide me the product, I provide them money and all are happy. I get what I wanted and they get what they’re after…a win-win for everyone. All I’m asking for in addition to the product is a friendly, knowledgeable salesperson who seems to be concerned with not only this purchase, but to create a relationship that will bring me back from this point forward for all my future needs. But I haven’t found that to be the case.

In shopping at three different stores for this item, two of them acted as if they were not only doing me a favor by helping me, but seemed put out that they had to work with me…AND I HAD DONE ALL THE LEG WORK IN ADVANCE!!! They just had to take the order and deliver the goods to me. Basically a “demand order” which is the easiest sell for any business.

I finally found one store that had a knowledgeable salesman, who didn’t make me feel bad about asking him for help. But even with this one I was provided inaccurate information, I have had to call them back multiple times to get information promised to me, and after re-asking for confirmation of what I was ordering was told, “hang on…let me grab a pen and paper to write this all down on because my memory isn’t that good.” WHAT!?!?!?! He didn’t know that until after I had stated my order, and now asked me to restate it all again!!?? Come on!

And this is just one small example of multiple instances I’ve recently experienced. And all with the same seemingly lack of concern, lack of action, and lack of service.

Poor customer service is really a pet-peeve of mine. I don’t understand how any business owner allows their employees to provide anything less than world-class service to everyone who walks through their doors, makes a phone call to their business, or communicates with them via e-mail.

If the employer knows this and doesn’t do anything to resolve it, that’s a real problem. If the employer doesn’t know about it, that’s an even bigger problem!

Secret Shoppers are one key to finding out how your business is doing serving it’s customers. Another method is someone simply asking customers the ultimate question, “Would you recommend me to your family, friends and colleagues?” The answer would probably be a real eye opener.

Another thing that always amazes me is when businesses internally sit around asking each other what their customers think about them. The Marketing Team is asking the Operations Team who is asking the Sales Team who is asking the Installation Team. Why isn’t anyone asking the people that know the answer: The Customer!

The customer, yes that person with all the power (the money), is the most important asset of any business. You would think that every business would understand that and put its maximum effort in training in how to serve that priority with the ultimate care.

Not only is it important to deliver world-class service in today’s economic turmoil, it’s important to create a culture of it within your business regardless of the economy. Those that do will have a stronger future. Those that don’t should know the writing is already on the wall.

Regardless of your business/industry, focus on the world-class service to your customers. Make the customer feel valued. Create a relationship that not only makes the customer want to do business with you again, but makes them want to tell everyone they know about how you served them. Isn’t that the way everyone wants to be treated anyway? Even business owners are someone else’s customer.

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

http://www.joeypeacock.com/

Website is up!

2008-11-18T10:58:00.003-05:00

http://www.joeypeacock.com/ is officially (finally) up & running?

Thanks for your support!

Until next time, remember “Your Success Is My Business."™

Loyalty

2008-11-11T09:16:00.009-05:00

More specifically, customer loyalty. Another one of the recurring topics that we will touch on in these messages is about the world-class service we should all be providing our customers. And as we’ve discussed, it’s not about a satisfied customer…but a loyal customer.

One of my favorite motivational speakers and authors, Jeffrey Gitomer, wrote a great book with a great title called, “Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless”. You need this on your “to read” list if you don’t already own it (available here).

How does a company or a salesperson know when they’ve created customer loyalty? One way is when a person elects to tattoo your logo on their body, I would say that’s the ultimate customer loyalty statement.

“But Joey, I can’t get the billing department to get the customer’s billing right.” “But Joey, the service techs didn’t install the system like the customer asked them too.” STOP POINTING FINGERS about why you can’t provide world-class service! You do everything you can and provide world-class service to the customer. How?

q Treat every customer like a celebrity.

If George Clooney called and needed service you’d go crazy in serving him and falling all over him to make sure he was happy. Act like every person you talk to is George Clooney.

q Give your customers face and serve them to death.

When was the last time your Top 100 customers saw you? How about your Top 10? Is every visit an attempt to sell them something and they only perceive you as a salesman? Do you provide them marketing ideas, growth suggestions that you’ve seen in other companies or provide them other business partners who can mutually benefit from doing business together in order for everyone to succeed?

q Professionally oversee all projects.

Have all necessary pre-call calls; clearly deliver all –detailed– documents concerning your project to all necessary parties; confirm all deadlines to all parties in writing; follow-up, follow-up, follow-up!

q “Call out the Cavalry!”

I can assure you that when your customer has problems, the last thing they want is excuses, technical mumbo-jumbo or anything else that doesn’t resolve their problem. The only words they want to hear from you are:

àEmpathy (“Oh, that’s horrible!”)
àTell them “That’s my favorite problem!” You’ll amaze them when you say this.
àTell them the cavalry is in route to resolve their problem, and then make it happen.

Once the problem is corrected: follow-up with the customer, resell them on your company, and then resell them on YOU.

q Send business to your customers.
Become a professional netweaver. Help your client’s grow their business by partnering them with mutually supporting businesses so that everyone grows! When you start helping your customer’s grow, they’ll happily return the favor.

Be 100% focused on creating customer loyalty (Raving Fans!) in everything you do when interacting with your customers.

“Your company's most valuable asset is how it is known to its customers.”
~Brian Tracy

Have a great week and until next time, remember:

“Your Success Is My Business."™

Brand Identity, or not?

2008-11-03T06:08:00.002-05:00

Brand Identity, or not?

We all recognize the businesses above. They’ve worked for many years to create their brand identity. When you look at their logo, you know exactly who the business is and most likely what they do.

Do you realize that you have brand identity as an individual as well?

That’s right. Customers look at you and they identity you with a certain level of service, a certain level of support, with a certain company and certain products.

But, thinking with a world-class mind and thinking as the CEO, let’s take this to the ultimate level!

Brand identity simply means that people know you exist and a little (maybe) about your company. You know the companies in the list above, just like many of your customers know that you exist. I’m not oversimplifying this to the point that it’s not important, as it is. But this is just the first step.

The next step in this then is brand preference. Just like you shop at many of the companies in the list above, many of your customerss shop with you for their purchases. They allow you to bid on their Request for Proposal (RFP), they call you in when they’re asking for quotes on a new products and they contact you to compete for their business when their company is looking into new solutions. But this isn’t enough!

What you need to focus on and develop is the world-class category of being BRAND INSISTENCE.

You want to provide your clients such world-class service & support, such great products, such a deep & powerful relationship with them and complete understanding of their business so that they simple insist on doing business with you and no one else. Even if they have to wait!

Brand insistence is the ultimate relationship you can develop in partnership with your customers. As the CEO of your business and with a world-class mindset, you can achieve this. How? Give them faces, completely understand their business and serve them to death.

Have a great week and until next time, remember:

“Your Success Is My Business."™

What’s In Your Briefcase?

2008-10-27T06:55:00.003-04:00

Everyday when we come to work we bring "stuff" with us. These things can influence---either positively or negatively---how we work, how we interact with other employees & peers, and how we treat & serve our customers.

So, what’s in your briefcase?

Your Photo ID (with a smiling face)
A positive attitude! To move forward, you have to stop looking backwards. Football teams only score by someone falling forward with the ball three yards at a time. We all know that we’ve had some obstacles that we’ve had to overcome in the past, but if we continue an atmosphere of rehashing the past, we’ll never positively move into the future. Remember: "Attitude, not aptitude, equals altitude."

Team Jersey
Do you consistently promote the team? Do you wear your jersey at all times? Are you distracted by something? You can’t play for the Celtics and for the Lakers at the same time. Where your heart is, is where your mind will be too. And what you demonstrate to your customers (and team mates) through company pride & enthusiasm will be make a huge statement about yourself.

Glasses
Vision. Can you clearly see and share the vision with others? Albert Schweitzer said in his waning years, "My eyesight grows dim, but my vision is clearer than ever." How clear are you on the vision? But not only is vision important, but so is perspective. Great leaders & salespeople not only see things from their own perspective, but also from the perspective of their client’s and support teams.

A Magnifying Glass
Do you have clear focus? Do you understand your gifts and are you working in those gifts? Anytime you work outside of what you’re gifted with, you’ll always find yourself struggling. Focus on your gifts and work in those; discover others who are gifted in the areas you are not and partner with them on projects & objectives.

A Mirror
Integrity. Always, without fail, guard and protect your integrity. Don’t carry it on the tip of your finger, allowing it to occasionally fall off so you can slip out of your integrity for even a moment. If necessary, put it in a backpack and strap it around yourself! Do whatever it takes to consistently display the highest morals/ethics and great integrity no matter where you go or what you do. The three self-tests for integrity are: You have nothing to prove, nothing to hide and nothing to lose.

A Good Book
Personal Leadership Growth. What are you doing to grow your leadership, sales & people skills? You should constantly be growing these skills including taking personal time to do so. As the "CEO of yourself", you lead in your career, in your home, in your church & in your community organizations, you should always be stretching yourself to be a better leader.

Your Watch
How are you doing with your self management? Are you busy or are you effective? You may be at work for 10 hours or more a day, but are you generating the same amount of productive hours? Do you schedule meetings one after the other and are never getting anywhere on time? Always leave a cushion between meetings so you don’t leave others being unproductive when you’re not where you’re suppose to be due to a delay. And, how are you doing with your "enjoyment" time---your personal leisure time. You have to schedule in time to relax, refresh, re-energize yourself not only for yourself, but also for your family; in the end, it even helps your work better.

Your Phone
How are your communications skills? Do you actively communicate with your support teams about jobs, objectives, customer issues and projects? Are you properly working with your teams prior to quote presentation? Are you presenting to your clients/prospects professionally?

A Gift Card
How generous are you? When it comes to giving, stop at nothing! We all go through life with either a ‘scarcity mentality’ or an ‘abundance mentality’. The ‘scarcity mentality’ tells us that we’re never getting what we deserve; that we have to take all the recognition for ourselves because it’s ours; we are jealous of our peers; and that we should never share information. The ‘abundance mentality’ tells us that there’s plenty for everyone; that we celebrate when someone has a win; that we give all the credit for a job well done to the support team; that we share what we know so that others can benefit and possibly bring the team to a higher level. Do you have an attitude of gratitude and send THANK YOU letters to your customers? Zig Ziglar says that the way for a person to become successful is by making other people successful! Remember the saying, "Give without remembering, but accept without forgetting."

A Dictionary
Do you have your processes right? Do you cooperate or manipulate? Do you communicate or delegate? Are you an encourager or discourager? Do you look for potential or problems? Are you concerned with influence or affluence? Do you evaluate and/or consider giving of yourself to someone based on their self-worth or their net-worth? Do your words contain: team, we, our, us, solutions, etc.; or do they contain: mine, me, I, they, problems, etc.?

A Light
Are you full of enthusiasm? Who wants to work with a 25-watt bulb? Wouldn’t you rather be around someone who is pumped and enthused about what they’re doing? Always be the most enthusiastic person in the group. Be a 100-watt bulb and turn the light on others!

Your Will
What impact & legacy are you leaving? When you move on, either by position change/promotion, relocation, retirement, etc., what will be left for others to follow? Will it be a path blazed with excellence and progression, or something else less desirable?

So, what do you bring to work with you in your briefcase? Be careful what you pack.