Taking a two month break

Lately, I have not been fulfilling my obligation of writing 3 posts a week and I've suffered to manage my time.

I have written several posts talk about time management and doing "too much." I haven't been practicing what I preach.  Sometimes you have to face the fact that you are not superhuman.  I'm not superman with a cape that can save the day at any moment.  I'm not a time traveler that can go back in time and undue mistakes.



There is a lot of exciting new things going on with me right now.  Other than my sales consultant job, I have taken on another great fulfilling project that will allow me to do marketing and strategy based principles.  It's an upcoming start up and I can't divulge information about it.  I told you that I would not ever sell products on here- This is just a view into my world for you.

I am going to take a two month break from writing in this blog because I need to focus a lot of my attention to this upcoming project.  I truly believe my work on this project is a purpose.  2 months isn't too far away when you look at it.  This project is going to challenge not only my writing, but my brain.  It's going to make me a better marketer as I still need to focus on writing compelling content.

I am excited to come back in the next 2 months with ideas and concepts that are different from previous blogs.  I should be a better writer and creative.  I also aim to give this blog a reboot from a design standpoint.  Hang tight with me and anyone that has taken the time to come in my world...



Thank you- I won't be gone long.

Now Playing- "Gone til November"

I've got mine. You get yours!

I'd like to dedicate this following post to a friend struggling with help for his business.

It's 2014 and everyone in some capacity, is an entrepreneur.  Some people do it well, Few do it successful, and most fail.    That's just the reality of it.  We could say marketing, but most people are in the infant stage where they don't even know who their customer is.  I would list possible reasons being:





Laziness- Laziness to me is attributed to not having that passion to get things done.  Some of the entrepreneurs I know are obsessed with their work that it has rendered them awkward when talking about something outside of their field.  I also know a couple that are very talented but struggle to do what they know is necessary for the business to progress.



Early Entitlement- We believe in our vision so much that we tend to over value our venture and wear rosy colored glasses.  Some of us seek help with our business yet, refuse to genuinely care for others in a similar situation.  This entitlement stagnates progress and prevents most of us from gaining momentum.  There's so many people out there to help us with our product that we feel like they SHOULD and we've earned the right to feel entitled.

Marketing and branding your and product is very hard.  It takes years to get there and establish yourself.  A lot of people who have "made" it in success, are cryptic when you meet with them. They tell you enough information but not too much.  You tell them about your business idea and they smile and say "Interesting."  A week later, you contact that same person and they spin your wheel.  They are busy as well but trust me, if someone wants to help you, they will.


"Why won't they help me?"

An internal response from them would go:  "You're irrelevant.  Do you know how many people I talk to that tell me about an idea and need help?  You know how many I have helped in the past only to get burned by their ego or laziness?  I worked very hard to achieve what I have and my reputation is on the line any time I meet someone wanting my co-sign.  I need you to do more work with that constant enthusiasm you have.  Once you get to a level I feel it's less of a risk, I will help you."

It's tough to swallow but most people in business don't care about you unless you can help them.  They worked hard in their eyes to achieve that sense of "I'm here, waiting for you" mentality.  You can't be mad because those same people should fuel you to keep focused and wait for the day they contact you wanting to do business.   I remember in sales someone telling me that people hate to be sold to but love to buy things.  That same principle applies to entrepreneurship.  People like to learn more about something and buy into it when they are ready.

Now Playing-  311- All Mixed Up.

No ALS bucket challenge for me

First, I want to be honest and say I sadly did not know Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was still a serious matter.  I always remembered it being called Lou Gehrig's disease- This is what my grandfather always called it.  Lou Gehrig was a famous baseball player who was diagnosed with the disease in June of 1939.  I didn't realize this disease was that damaging to this day.  A co worker of mine told me they had someone in their family battling this disease that currently has no cure.



The ALS challenge started with 2 young men who were diagnosed with the disease. The marketing world is buzzing over the "ALS" bucket challenge and kudos to it being  a phenomenal campaign.  Everyone has been dumping ice cold buckets of water in their face as a way to show solidarity. This might be controversial but how many people who do this challenge even know what ALS stands for?  That could be an interesting question to ask.  Marketing is powerful but if people don't understand it, is it really affective?  

All over Facebook and Twitter, you see everyone doing the challenge and challenging friends and family to do it as well.  "You have 24 hours." How many of these people are donating money to a worthy cause.  I have talked to a couple of people that have done the challenge and they keep saying they will donate but haven't. 

Viral marketing is powerful especially when you have celebrities and past presidents challenging other people in congress.  Famous athletes and movie stars bringing easy PR to themselves while helping a cause? Monkey see-Monkey do.  It's easy to dump a bucket of water on yourself in what is most likely hot summer weather for everyone within the United States.  It's harder to pull your wallet out and donate money to a cause most people know nothing about.  If you noticed, I said Viral marketing and then I said PR- The practice lines are starting to blur.

Today I want every single person  to ask 10 people what ALS stands for. I'm willing to bet out of 10 people, only 1 person will be able to tell you one word in the abbreviations. 

Some people are on along for a PR ride of attention and vanity.....

Some are just doing what everyone else tells them  to do..  I was challenged to do the ALS bucket challenge and I don't plan on doing it.  I don't do something if I don't know the history behind it or connect to it.  I will donate money to a cause because I believe in helping others genuinely.


Before I stop writing, 

Can you think of Lou Gehrig's great accomplishments as a baseball star before his crippling disease? 

It's tough that he's synonymous with a disease.  THAT's Marketing.

Marketing is the cover up!

As a freelance musician , I have had opportunities to meet and work with very talented musicians.  I know some incredible musicians that are borderline virtuoso's in their craft.  Some of these same guys struggle to find ways to highlight their talent.  There is also the whole "commercial is a sell out" philosophy they share.

Flip the coin and I know decent musicians who aren't as talented as my virtuoso friends.  They spent more time crafting a "character" and story that would give them the attention.  These musicians end up being more successful due to networking and trying to understand their audience.

I got the chance to work on projects in marketing and learned a few things.  Marketing is very important but if you were to talk to different people within a project, some would think  it's not that important. Some of them confuse sales and marketing while some simply don't know what Marketing really is.  Here are 2 important departments that aide Marketers.

Technical Engineers:

An engineer would say "Work on the product and make it so good, you don't need to spend a lot of money on marketing."  The engineer is seeing it from their point of view and I partially agree with it- You can't polish a turd.  The best engineers in the world are great to have because they minimalize the risk of the product not functioning properly. 

Not all of us have the luxury of working with the greatest engineers.  They are extremely specialized and in the new world of multiple hats, it's harder to find great engineers.  What if we had average engineers and limited budget?  

Marketing is the glue to help a product that may not be 100%, become relevant.  Like a musician obsessing over a chord progression, engineers fall privy to "perfectionism." Working on a product without communicating how it will help the customer can be dangerous and expensive.


R and D Team:

This team is always tied to sales and marketing but we know what their true agenda is-DATA.  They love data and lots of it.  They would tell you that there's no marketing if there's no research.  You need them in order to determine if the "idea" makes sense.  They develop these hypothesis and look more from a logical standpoint.  They share similar views from an engineer standpoint, as well as a marketing standpoint.

What makes R and D so crucial is that they are the ones that bridge the gap of technological ability and consumer insight trends.  Both sides need R and D.  R and D takes a huge junk of the budget and they rightfully can dispute they are more important than the others.  They are like the student in HS that was neither popular( Marketing) or nerd (Engineer)  They have the rare ability to connect with both sides.

It's tough for me to tell you that without strong R and D, a company is consistently successful.  I will say marketing  can compensate when budgets are limited.  Marketing can be the make up you use to cover a blemish so it's not as noticeable. If you happen to have those great engineers, and a strong R and D team,  Marketing in my eyes, the game changer to make you relevant!

Now Playing- Duck Sauce-NRG

Quality, not Quantity- Stop mixing it up!

My plan has always been to make three posts a week of relevant information that pertains to my blog theme.  I was supposed to post last Friday as I normally post M-W-F.  I only gave two posts last week and I felt good about what I wrote which was relevant and helpful.  I normally would apologize for not keeping true to my writing promise- I can't apologize this time.

 Maintaining my goal of three posts a week is ideal. I'm not making excuses.  I honestly couldn't think of anything Friday to write about that was relevant, memorable, and engaging.  Instead of giving "fodder" I felt it was best to simply enjoy the content I wrote and give everyone a break to potentially miss my voice. 

Narcissistic huh?

No I don't think I'm "Mr. Wonderful." - My honesty has always been a gift and curse.  It rubs some people the right way and some the wrong way.  People feel something and that's what really is important in my eyes.  In marketing, if a marketer can evoke an emotion in their product or service,  They have done their job.   If we follow the rules every single time, things get stale like week old bread--they lose great taste.

I've observed different brands and while I'm no expert, I've seen them put out information that wasn't relevant or important just because they seemingly forgot quality is better than quantity.  James Cameron, the director of "Titanic" and "Avatar", takes on average 6-8 years to bring a movie out to his audience.  He reportedly scores bigger blockbusters than other directors who may put out more movies throughout a year. 

It's really hard to create content and ideas that will stand the test of time.  That's no excuse from me and I applaud the rare people who can do this. Nowadays marketing has so much noise from everyone trying to gain attention.

There is a sense of "me! me!"


As marketers most of us honestly think we can help people more than the next person. We all, at times, look like a toddler that screams for attention and doesn't know why they crave that attention.    We're kicking and screaming for people to notice us yet sometimes we can't even answer why we deserve the attention in the first place.

I'm going to try and do what I said I plan to do because it's good to be organized.  I'm not, however, going to send pointless and bland information to follow a quantity.

To those that follow Quality over Quantity, SALUT!

Keeping up with Trends

I saw a very interesting movie called "The Joneses."




 This movie rarely got any press despite having David Duchovny and Demi Moore as the stars.  It had an interesting concept to it.  If you want to watch it, It is available on Hulu.

Premise:
Both stars play a "married" couple that moves into an affluent neighborhood.  The story comes under the pretense that they are a typical family relocating due to their changing of careers.  Demi Moore's character is actually the leader of stealth marketers who use sneaky ways to expose product placement in a daily life. David Duchovny plays one of her "salesmen" that is conflicted with deceiving every day people.  They even have two teenaged kids that are part of the plan.

What makes it unique is that due to their look and popularity with others in the neighborhood, businesses begin stocking products due to the Joneses' recommendations to friends and neighbors.  They become the "trendsetters" of the neighborhood.

This concept doesn't seem so far fetched to happen ( if it hasn't already)  Professional athletes and celebrities have been using this concept for years.  One of the sole reasons I wanted Air Jordan's was because I was a Chicago kid witnessing Michael Jordan and wanting to jump high and run fast like him.

What made this concept scary to me was in the movie, these were just supposed to be "regular people."  I'm always curious to see how marketing will push the envelope when it comes to becoming more personal.

The questions I ask are:

1. Is it Invasive?  As a consumer, I should have privacy from advertising; Yet advertising ads creep up on my phone and even in the sky. (Sky writers)

     2. Do majority people truly keep up with the "Joneses?" - Data says in the innovation adoption life cycle only roughly 14% can be considered "head of the curve." 

So many questions can be asked and no one knows the true answer.  I do believe as marketing moves toward custom messages for specific niches, there will be slightly more invasive motives to truly connect with consumers.  There's really no right or wrong answer other than asking, "How often do you keep up with the trends?"

Brain farts

We all have them.  No matter how sharp you are, you have had a brain art in your life.  I can tell you I recently had one about 1 hour ago.  I was speaking with a Director and pronounced her name "Young Judith."  Of course her name is Judith Young and I knew that- I still had a brain shut down for a Nano second.

We are not alone, Every time I get a brain fart I get quite embarrassed.  I always fear the person on the other end will look at me as a "ditz."  See I don't care if people like or dislike me but deep down, I care what people think of my credibility.  When these moments happen, They make me uncomfortable because I can't control it.  It's inevitable I will have brain farts where I say or do something completely opposite of what I intended to say.

To entertain myself, I decided to look at various brain farts that have occurred to reasonably intelligent people.  Some of these involve simple fundamentals within each profession.  This made me feel a lot better about my brain farts.

Basketball Brain Fart



Player rebounds the ball and normally he should hand the ball to the Point Guard.  The player instead commits a brain fart and attempts to put the ball in his own basket.  Teammates pause thinking "WTF."

Football Brain Fart #2



Normally a player runs into the end zone with the football and it's a touchdown.  This player had a brain fart and dropped the ball before he crossed the line for the touchdown.

Spelling words



Pretty Self Explanatory.

Monday is crucial

Monday is by far the most important day every single week for me.  There are so many songs that detail Monday as a day everyone dreads.  It's the day after you have enjoyed an extremely short weekend that felt more like an afternoon.  Most people in the office laugh at me when I say, "It's almost the weekend."

"Uh...it's Monday Gabe, what are you so excited about?"

I'm excited because with the way my brain works, I look at Monday as my first step toward a hill.  I spend Sunday evening preparing my body and mind to walk up that hill.  If I don't prepare prior to walking up that proverbial hill, I will fall flat on my ass.

You see, if I'm not mentally ready for Monday, historically I have a bad week.  I don't know why but Monday always seems to dictate my work week.

6:10 AM Monday morning I initially feel like this  

Why oh why did my weekend end so fast?! I have to face more corporate politics, smile at people I'm not too fond of and inundate myself with more work.

Then once I wash my face and put on my Monday song, I'm ready like SpongeBob Squarepants



Monday follows the lead.  If you are extremely prepared on your Monday, there is no situation you can't conquer.  You're prepared to take on every challenge and task handed to you.  If you can smile and stay determined on a Monday, you will have this energy at least until Thursday at 6:00PM.  By then you are ready to just...



Now Playing- "TechnicColor"

Occupational Jargon

One of the themes of this blog is the litany of words and responses we are accustomed to using.  There are so many ways to say one initial thing, wording can be the key to sounding more professional.  I meet people all the time and curiosity arises as to what they do and what they are passionate about. 

When I meet these people, some of them are ashamed of their job title and decide to embellish their job title.  I also come across people just out of graduate school that take a pre-elitist view point. 

I present to you job titles in marketing/sales and their real meaning.

Inside Sales- Salesperson calling inside from the company.

Sales representative- Salesperson

Account Executive- Salesperson experienced 2+ plus years.

Account Manager- Ego boosting Salesperson that has to pretend to not be a salesperson. Managing an account.

Business Development-  Fancy name for a Salesperson with Microsoft excel skills. The word development alone tells you what this position does- Develops business.

Client Services- Glorified customer service people.

For you elitist:

Doctors- Salesmen consultant in area of expertise.  A doctor doesn't come out of a PHD with a list of clients. They have to build their business.

Lawyers- Salesperson consulting law practice.  They have to be the biggest salespeople and how often do you see a Lawyer TV ad late nite?

So the next time you ask someone what they do and they say "I'm a lawyer", respond back by with a smile: "Oh so you're a salesmen too."

If each TMNT wrote for a blog

I don't know about you all but I am very excited about the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. 

It's been over  15 years since the last action style movie came out!  There has been a lot of mixed reviews before this movie has even come out.  Transformers director Michael Bay is producing this reboot and many people fear it will take on the "transformers" style of story telling.  While Shredder does look like a Decepticon...



I'm not watching it for Shredder- I'm watching it because deep inside, I want to be 7 years old again. (#Nostalgia)  I want to experience a story of four brothers with unique personalities that come together to save the day.

The story has already been told there's just been different aesthetics that differentiate the various remade movies.  The brand is so strong that their personalities remain constant.    The turtles hold a special place in my heart as I used to aspire to be a turtle living in a sewer that looked like a downtown Chicago condominium.   IMO, The best movie was the original one that featured depth to identify each turtles personality and fighting style. 

While each director has changed their look, the origin of the turtles remains the same.  They always possess the qualities that made fans like us, connect to them.

What if each turtle had its' own blog to communicate to us? The mental makeup of each turtle lends an interesting discussion.  What would each of their blogs look like?

You have:



Leonardo- The unquestioned leader who is most calm under pressure and also the most disciplined. In every film you can find him meditating and finding ways to be a better leader.  His blog would probably consists of yoga, meditation, and motivational quotes- I'm thinking family friendly MEMES. 



Raphael-  The "stubbornly" passionate one.  I'd imagine Raphael's blog detailing the social ills of the world and ways we can make a change.  He's so aggressive in nature because he cares so much about the people around him. He would have one of the more intense blogs and/or journals detailing his frustration with the world.  He would detail the pain of others and he would CHALLENGE us to change our thinking.



Donatello- The "brains" behind the turtles.  I'd imagine if Donatello wrote a blog he would give us facts and BE the expert on a lot of subjects-Especially technology.  Life and technical hacks would be the premise of a Donatello written blog.



Michelangelo- The fun and carefree one.  He might have had ADD and his love for pizza could not be described in just words.  His blog would consist of what we look at today.  Entertainment, gossip and pop culture would be his passion and it would show in his writing.  While I believe the others would have a more formal style, Michelangelo would feature a laid back writing tone.

I would remain a constant fixture on Michelangelo and Raphael's blog.  They encompass my personality and values.  The naive child approach Michelangelo has to life balances out with the strong passion and rebellion Raphael gives.  I am passionate about marketing and understanding why people do what they do.

I could learn from Leonardo the art of discipline and being a leader. I could learn from Donatello the importance of understanding how things work and working with limited resources to achieve results.

There's a teenage mutant ninja turtle in every one of our personality make ups.  Creator Kevin Eastman did a masterful job in bringing human psychology to characters that while are reptiles, can be easily related and understood.

Why so SENSitive

I usually don't do this but I had to post this email I received today.  To give you a little back story..

I have been professional in contacting this individual ( who will remain anonymous) about IT solutions.  I am the "evil" salesmen so on numerous times he would simply hang up while I talked in mid sentence. 

I ended up sending him an email with information- He disregarded receiving it.  After the final time of him hanging up on me before I could get a word in, I sent him an email.

Prospect:

"I have to say. I have contacted you several times and before I even get the opportunity to tell you what I’m calling about, you disconnect the line.  I would like to think that the phone seems to cut off on its own but I’m not that naïve to the situation.

I have had conversations with your institution from my previous job.  I’ve talked to Sven and his assistant.  I’ve talked to several in your FA department and everyone, for the most part, has been warm and open minded.

 I can understand sales calls coming at inopportune times for you and I’m here to be that resource for you when you work on IT related projects.  You may very well be set with everything and it’s good to always have resourceds handy.  I haven’t earned the right to question what you personally do so I won’t.

 I can say as a leader for Technology in Bethany College, I expect a more transparent dialogue.  If you are not interested in hearing how Zones Inc. can help reduce your IT costs and make life easier, tell me please.

 Thank you,

Of course I had one costly grammatical error in there I failed to proofread, The message was clear about just being honest.  I figured he would not respond back to me since I sent him information and even left voice mails.  He actually responded to this email and I finally saw I struck a chord with him ( albeit in a less favorable way)

"I must say that the "you're a jerk but everybody else at your school is pretty nice" is a novel approach.  

 I get 20 calls a week from guys just like you that want to make my life easier.  You caught me up on a ladder this morning adding technology to a classroom, so you'll forgive me for not taking your call. 

I have your contact info, but after this email I doubt I'll ever use it, your
expectations notwithstanding. 

 By the way can I have your managers contact info?  Since you've seen fit to waist some of my time chiding me maybe I can return the favor. 

Thank you "

Sent from my iPhone

So after numerous attempts of trying to contact this individual, one email emotionally connected to him and he responded back to me.  My manager spoke with me and stated I should have been PR friendly but I feel when you are talking to borderline C level employees,  "Why dumb it down?" 

The game of cat and mouse gets tiring and monotonous.  I don't feel I was out of line with my email and it did elicit a response. ( It worked because I solicited a response)

My email seemed to be illicit since it doesn't follow the usual PR friendly "safe" words.

How would you have handled this situation?

work hard or work smart?

Which do you do?  Here's 2 scenarios.

Tommy works on the docks.  The union's been on strike, he's down on his luck it's tough.

Gina works the diner all day.  Working for her man, she brings home her pay for love.

Ok.. Enough of the Bon Jovi song reference, This used to be two common scenarios that I guess, meant you eventually would get a promotion.

I have seen people that exert so much effort and concentration.  I've seen that same person stay at work until 630 7PM and still complain, " I got so much I need to do."

Meanwhile, I used to see people who would work the same 9-5 shift and mostly leave the office at 5PM. These people had the highest metrics that mattered....Revenue and real productivity.  These people also seemed to be less stressed and at ease when you talked to them.  The "work harder" person always power walked even to go grab their coffee because of this internal clock saying,

"You're not earning your pay if you stop and talk to co workers."

I used to think if I made a bunch of phone calls, and lived by these hardcore metrics, I would be able to enjoy great success and get the promotions.  I'm not disagreeing with putting work in, but I also know the people who get farther are able to problem solve a constraint in the system. 

Thach Nyguen has a great quote to describe the two scenarios of work:



Now Playing- "Living on a prayer"

#triggerhappy

If you remember from my "22 things I neglected to mention about myself" I  said I am one of the most impatient people you will meet.

If I was told to pull a trigger on a gun for a race, I'd pull prematurely because I just hate to wait for things. 



That weakness of mine has turned into a strength because I "seize" the opportunities given to me.

As a sales consultant I come across impatient people and I learn along the way more about myself.  I learn that I am completely comfortable with someone not liking me.  You don't have to like me to see that I can help you with your motive and purpose.

On the other hand, being impatient has cost me some opportunities that just needed time.  Like a cop that has a quick trigger, I can kill an opportunity as fast as saving one.  I'm not proud of that ability- That's extreme.

I just contradicted myself- I'm too impatient to keep just one stance.

#WorldCup2014

The FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest sport events that happens every four years.  Football ( or Soccer) is one of the biggest sports in the world.  You literally have hundreds of millions of people watching their team represent their country. 

The US is slowly climbing on the Soccer bandwagon.  Sure we may have American football, basketball and baseball- they don't tell the story that Soccer gives its viewers.

People feel connections based off emotions.  Soccer tells a story where you have a:



Protagonist: The team that is looked at favorably- similar to a hero that must overcome a challenge.
Antoganist:  The team that is looked at as the villain that will do anything to win.

This "story" has all the emotion and pride that makes soccer such a universal sport. 

Soccer requires an incredible amount of endurance that's more rigorous than an NBA or NFL game.

Soccer players also wear the brand logos of their sponsors- NBA, NFL and MLB don't do this (yet) 

My former marketing professor Dr. McDermott has an interesting take on rising popularity of marketing in soccer - Soccer popularity

#Storytellin

When I was 8 years old, my grandmother used to hate when I said someone was lying to me.

Now my grandmother grew up born and raised in Memphis TN.  In her southern accent she would calmly but firmly tell me, "Baby, they not lying, they just telling stories."

20 years later, There's got to be quite a lot of stories being told. 



To tell a story gets us out of situations and paints this vivid picture of what might have happened.  We can manipulate that story for bad or good.

Someone tells a "lie" and it essentially is a story true or fictitious designed to interest, amuse, or instruct a reader or hearer.

We tell lies to not hurt peoples feelings. I love honesty but there's a certain line when you must tell a "story."



Which option are you going with?

#lifeinTV

I was in a car this past weekend talking with fellow friends who have a web series they are creating.  It was great listening to them because they both have experience in video production.  What I gathered was they had a great idea for a show, but didn't know how important it was to build the characters and tell their story.

How many times have you heard a story from someone and thought, "This is like a tv show." - I can name numerous times I have experienced this and I now I have gotten into screen writing as a hobby.  This hobby has helped me understand:

-How people think
-What people crave
- When they become emotionally attached to a character
- Why they connect

Some of my favorite shows are great at connecting the audience.  This is what marketing is essentially all about.  I challenge everyone to try and write "your" episode.  Let's see how many people can feel for your pilot.

Now Playing- Seinfeld Theme

#evolUcan

There will be a time where FB will not be the number one social media site. 

Really, this will happen.

Everything moves in cycles and people love fresh ideas.  FB currently as of June 2014, is the number one social media site.  Theoretically, they have peaked and there's only one way to go and that's down.

There's someone somewhere that is looking at every top social media site thinking, "How can I solve what they fail to address?"  -Every current social media site has done this.

Facebook found a way for people to connect and maintain personal relationships

LinkedIN took that model and  emphasized "networking" through process of connecting with like minded individuals.

Twitter gave way to erase long responses and creating essentially an elevator pitch in text.

I'm looking forward to the next 5-7 years because I think we all are going to see some game changing social media tools that will solve various pains.

#10thingsIhateaboutme

Here we are..another list post.

I was watching the movie: "10 things I hate about you."

It got me thinking about my imperfections and what traits I have that not attractive to some people.

In no particular order.

10. Impatient- I can't stand waiting for anything.  One of the reasons I've had success in my professional life is because I am proactive.  What happens when you get borderline zealous with impatient behavior?  You get lost opportunities because of being impatient.  

9. Brooder- When am I frustrated beyond belief, I let it simmer like a pressure cookie until it POPS!  It's one of my least attractive characteristics.  Eventually I get out of the mood, but it takes me doing it.

8. Biting my nails-  I have bitten my nails to the point they are just nubs.  It's not even a nervous habit.  I've always done it and there have been countless people staring in disgust.

7. Sarcastic-  My sarcasm has been known to border on "asshole-ism."  It's not that I'm mean spirited, I just have a sense of humor that is not average.  Maybe it's the inflection in my voice.

6. Anti-trends-  No. I do not watch "Breaking Bad" or "Orange is the new black."  I've never caught onto shows and been so immersed- I wasn't wired that way.  I still get people upset that I have not seen one episode of Breaking Bad.

5. Blunt- I do not consider myself to be rude, but I am blunt.  I am very transparent about how and what I feel.  Some people love it, and some people hate me for it.  If you want my honest opinion, please be warned I do not bite my tongue.

4. Confrontational- I never look for ways to add conflict, but I'm not afraid of it.  It has helped me develop closer relationships with people and it's also alienated me from people.

3.  'I like people- just not all the time'- I have never  let people get real close to me. I'm very transparent but guarded at the same time.

2. Messy-  I am not the most organized person in the world and it gets worse as I get older.  The ironic thing is I can remember where everything is.

1. Arrogant-  I do not believe I hold myself in such high regard, but when you are too laid back, perception comes into play.  I'm very confident in myself and have been told I'm arrogant.

I challenge you to come to terms with what people think of you.

#beenawhile

To my fellow readers and bloggers….

I was gone for a little while but I'm back!

It's been a trying week for me.  Between my new job, not having internet, and taking on several programs, I haven't been as dedicated to my blog schedule.  I aim to get back on schedule this week with new insight as well as some interesting content you may value in entertainment.

I learned this week that technology is becoming a crutch for me.  I took a day to not use my cell phone at all.  What I learned scared the hell out of me.

- I felt naked without having my cell phone.  I realized my cell phone was a "Filler"- Much like how we use "umm", and "like," cell phones fill the space where there is "awkward" interaction.

- My train ride to and from work seemed much longer.  I spent most of my time staring at my surroundings and playing mental games.

- I realized how we look like zombies when we are all on our phones.  I have probably checked my cell phone 8 times while typing this blog entry.

Now Playing- "No Control"

#whitepapers

I found a great article on creating white papers for marketing materials.

http://www.idemployee.id.tue.nl/g.w.m.rauterberg/lecturenotes/Eight-Rules-for-Writing-Great-White-Papers.pdf

Whether you are an entrepreneur, graphic design person, or even a marketer, creating a white paper can be fun!

#weekend

Good evening Bloggers:

I know I usually come up with a concept that ties marketing, people, and attitudes together- Today is not the day.

It's sunday and after recovering from a great celebratory weekend, I wanted to keep it light.

There are so many good things happening for people I know that it invigorates my soul.  It keeps me grounded and inspired.

Everybody has this journey and I realize that we all are facing challenges.  I'm taking bits and pieces from others in how to conquer challenges and live a life with no regrets.

Work hard…play hard.. party like it's my job!

Work life balance?  Not worried about it.

I'm going to go and make my ziti pasta now.



Now playing- Everybody's working for the weekend

#tipsybarternder

It's a service industry and we all do sales.  Sales has this negative connotation yet, you can have conversations with almost anyone and find out they do sales.

To get away from "sales" people use different litany to avoid the word.

Bartenders build rapport, serve you what you want, and strive for retention with each customer.

I have been hooked on this youtube channel called "Tipsy Bartender."

The bartender is an older jamaican man that has extremely attractive women giving tutorials on how to make exotic cocktails and show off drink making skills.

The guy behind it is an amazing marketer because he:

He gives value ( Teaching you how to make drinks)
He gives you inner desire ( Impressing attractive women with your skills)
He offers something unique ( These drinks are beyond normal cocktails)
He listens to his audience ( Takes in recommendations from posters)

I now am wanting to add mixing one of his crazy drinks to my bucket list!


Now playing- Tipsy Bartender

#psychsales

As a sales consultant, I have learned there is a large amount of psychology in a consumers behavior and motives.

I almost feel like all those sleazy used car salesmen books that were big in the 90's are now obsolete. Selling shouldn't even be called selling anymore.

It's trusting.  We don't always buy a product because it's the best in the market- We buy because we trusted that person who represents their company.

All sales consultants should remind themselves of that.  A large part of our cycle is beating doubt and exposing our selves in a vulnerable manner.  It's like courting a woman to go on a date with me.  She's not 100% sure about me but she gets that feeling of taking that chance to an unknown journey.  The passion needs to be there!

You can't automate connections!

Now Playing- "Safe with me"

#doingtoomuch

Right now…

I'm watching Fast and Furious 6, writing this blog entry, working on market strategy information, and eating an nice cream bar….

I'm doing way too much right now. You probably are doing way too much.

The ability to be able to multi-task is now becoming a curse because everyone thinks they can multi-task.

Pardon my french but: "Faire trop de merde n'obtient rien fait"  - Doing too much shit gets nothing done.

The most successful people I feel have a skill that they solely excel in.  When I look at marketing, I'm not a good when it comes to graphic design or building data points that would be toward market research.

Companies have every one of their workers doing 3-4 different tasks and very few people are able to be consistently great in their work.

This isn't just my confession, I'd love others to be fearless and admit "I do too much."

Now Playing- One thing

#Aintitfun

Ain't it Fun?

My dream as a six year old was to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle and live underground in a sewer.  

I didn't have to live in the real world that I do now.  I didn't have to worry about "When keeping it real, goes wrong."

As a child my imagination could think of the most innovative and creative ideas.  I didn't have a boss that told me, "It'll never work."

I could be honest with myself and others and not come off as an asshole.  

The truth is I didn't know the rules, so in my eyes I wasn't breaking anything.  The more I feel constricted the more I miss being able to think freely and not subconsciously worry about what others think.

What am I going to do?

I'm going to do something I normally wouldn't do once a month.

I'm going bridge the gap between being spontaneous and being predictable

I'm going to have fun in this real world.

Now listening- Ain't it Fun (Paramore)

Most people use each other

I started thinking about how different people always say they hate "users" but everyone uses to an extent.

You want what someone else has and the question is: "How do I get it?"

What is the strategy for me to leverage who and what I know in hopes of returned social-economic resources?

It's a word EVERYBODY uses yet those same people hate "users."

I's called….

NETWORKING!

The words NO and YES

Are the toughest words for people to say.

It's true…

When people get married and the priest says: "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"  The woman doesn't say Yes.  She says, "I do."

When you buy a product from someone and you both agree that it is going to help you, I'm willing to bet you don't say the word yes.  The litany of responses will be:
-Let's go with it.
- When can you deliver it?
-This makes sense
-I'm on board

In your professional life,  we have so many people that are scared to tell people they can't do something that they avoid the "No" Response.

You know who will give you a straight yes or no?  Little kids.

When we all were little kids, if we didn't like something we weren't shy to say how we felt.  THere were no filters.  A kid can "No I don't want to" and not feel pressure to be PR friendly.  Now these filters are important as we get older, but why is it so hard to elicit a simple yes or no?

I can only think of the medical profession where people HAVE to say either yes or no for diagnostic purposes.

People avoid situations where they have to say Yes or No.  If you were to google "Yes or No",  You will see blogs and articles with people giving advice on how to avoid saying Yes or No.  ( I did the homework for you- "Yes or No"

Now Listening- "Am I Wrong"

#Transition

How strange is time?

One day you could be talking to someone..the next day they disappear.  In the sales world, this is very common.

I mentioned how my company was facing big transition in a previous post, but failed to mention how seriously disturbing the situation is.  It's hard to be a salesmen and a person with the clients best interest at heart.

I have been transitioning to a new company that I hope has the values they stand by.


-Now listening to "safe with me"

Love life in a sales cycle Chapter 2

As we continue using Salesforce terminology, DM uncertain means the person who can decide to pursue your product has a "hidden" objection preventing them from giving you the OK.

The funny thing we all have been the DM who was uncertain to fully say "yes."

Scenario:  I'm in a bar and I spot the lady that has grabbed my interest.  I want to impress her.  The initial conversation seems to go pretty good except towards the end there seems to be a change in the interest level.

I said something that probably wasn't very flattering and ended up with

In higher ed, it's a complex sale dealing with different point of views and being able to navigate through this can be difficult.  I notice some women I come across can be as complex as a sale and one wrong move can have you in the "not interested" pool.

Still confidence is on…  

Advocate Sold: Seeking DM Approval

At this point, this is the highest percentage of advancing to the next round of conversation with a female.  In salesforce, your advocate is someone who is convinced in your product but needs the decision maker to approve it.

Scenario:

Meeting a girl that you have decent rapport with.  It seems like a good fit.  She throws a curveball… 

"My friend would love you.  I'm going to introduce you too!"

 Almost there!

Now my job is to not F' this up.  It's literally a 50-50 chance of success.  Everyone listens to recommendations from friends and the same carries with this situation.

Now Playing-  "Steppin out"

Closed Lost and Advocate Uncertain

Remember when I told you my love life is like a sales cycle?

The verbiage of being rejected by a female is to the effect of a director or VP telling me they are not interested whatsoever, in my product ever.  They share a common theme.

From my previous post, A closed/lost opportunity is when the decision maker is not interested in your product at all.

Let's use a scenario common to the man in his 20's- mid 30's.

CLOSED/LOST

I'm at a bar confident in my ability to be of use to a desired woman.  She's the perfect opportunity until we get to talk and I find…

She is not interested at all in what I'm saying. She probably knew within 5 minutes it wasn't the best fit.  When I see that sign, I just chalk it up as closed opportunity for the time being.

I can NEVER as a salesmen look like this… 

Sometimes a conversation I have will be with the friend of the girl first.  We like to call her the gatekeeper.

ADVOCATE UNCERTAIN

The gatekeeper knows what will be of interest to the girl and knows her general likes and dislikes.  Toughest obstacle is to  convince the gatekeeper I'm the right guy.  She may not be sure if I should  "pass the test."  I'm not sure if she even enjoys talking with me.  She may never let me converse with her girl. ( the DM)

Gatekeeper is essentially a   

I could:

- Make her feel like she will look good by selecting me by charming her.

- Try to go directly above her but that usually doesn't end well.

Now Playing- Chopped and screwed

My love life is a sales cycle

How often everything I do in sales subconsciously funnels into my personal life- mainly my love life.

Using Salesforce, Sales consultants have a pipeline ( Business opportunities) and each opportunity has a stage.  I thought it would be fun to apply sales metrics to response rates when you meet someone in a social setting that you like.

To make sense of the scenarios I present, Here is Salesforce terminology for you non-salesmen.

Closed Lost- Opportunity is closed due to obstacles or zero interest in the product. (0% success)
Advocate Uncertain- Someone below the top decision maker who has concerns for your product. (20% success)
DM Uncertain-  Top decision maker has concerns or objections for your product. ( 30% success)
Advocate Sold Seeking DM Approval- Someone below the top decision maker needs to present your product to them. ( 50% success)
DM sold closing in range- Top decision maker must be get one last "OK" to move forward with your product.  (70% success)
Verbal Commitment- Top decision maker has received the "OK" for formality and is ready to move forward. ( 80% success)
Closed/Won-  Top Decision maker is prepared to implement your product and use it. They are now your client.  ( 100% success)

Stay tuned for my sales cycle..er my love life cycle.

Now Playing- "Falling in love is so hard on the knees" by Aerosmith.

#TheMysticalpotatoehead

When I began to first learn guitar, my guitar teacher told me it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill.

I just wanted to rock out and play for fun.  I never thought I would hit the level of amazing guitar players like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Van Halen.

Maybe I could have…

There have been very few "masters" in their fields lately.  We have so many distractions that a high school kid doesn't sit and practice his craft for 8-10 hours anymore. ( Unless he's an athlete)

How often have you said you were going to do something only to be derailed into something social media related.

I just got sidetracked looking at my twitter.

Older generation talks about how the newer generation is lazy.  I'd say it's a more challenging world to be a master nowadays (especially if you lack concentrated direction)   The older generation didn't have Xbox and social media to distract them from their craft.


Now playing "Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing"

#ThehonestGabe

You know the saying: "Honesty is the best policy."

"Tell the truth and it will set you free"


Most workers don't do this.  In a work setting, telling the truth will indirectly get you terminated.  there's a certain etiquette we follow.  Rather than directly confront someone at work for what they did, Some employers chastise them.

An environment where you receive a company email always leads to more banter and bickering due to natural curiousity.  Offices(especially sales consultant) do take the form of high school.

I have grown fascinated recently with how psychology and sales work together.   There are reasons people don't feel comfortable telling the truth.  It makes them uncomfortable to know someone may not like their opinion.

You can call me Jerry.  I have grown to appreciate honesty.  I can honestly say I am comfortable with people that love me as much as people who dislike me.


Not many people are like this.  Typical offices carry this attitude:

#TheMonday

After a weekend of creating music, I decided this week, I want to be creative.

One of my favorite shows of all time is Seinfeld.  It's a show that no matter what demographic you are, you will see yourself in one of the characters.   You will also learn to appreciate the criticism all the characters have for themselves.  

This week I want to run this blog like I would write a Seinfeld episode.

What seems to be the problem in this picture?

Mondays here not trying to be sappy

Hair is nappy and I'm not happy.

Monday came and yet I'm back see

Work was long, building my pipe

dream of a day when I'm the boss

taking responsibility facing the costs

To not be conformed to just one thought

Monday's past. Now I forgot.

-Gabe

#summerofG

It's friday night and normally after a long work week, I go out….

Didn't go out tonight.  I enjoyed playing guitar and just focusing on what my next steps are to get where I want to be.

I have grown to appreciate the unexpected and this summer, I want to add more spontaneity in my life.  No more predictable weekends or days.

Getting out of my comfort zone could help me embark on things I normally would not give a chance.

This summer is like the opposite of the one George Constanza had.  I am planning to do things and not just talk about them.

Have a great nite everyone!

#valueadded

Value added….

I hear this countless times….I've even said it more times than I'd like to admit.  What is value added?

Once I agree on a price… Is the value that I give you a discount. Nope I don't believe it is.

The value added is the trust instilled to do business with that person.

I recently had to take care of something that required legal matter ( Don't worry, It's nothing that would be criminal.)  I had to deal with my first lawyer….

When I usually think of lawyers, I think of highly intellectual sleazy salesmen that are placed higher in status.

This lawyer was different.  As he charged me about $1,900 dollars ( Higher than the others) The value-added was I trusted him to the point that money didn't matter.  So far he has done a great job and I am optimistic he will continue to.

Unnecessary discounts cheapen the value,  The true value is trust.

#Manonthemoon

I take the train every day to go to work and I follow a routine.

My days almost seem pragmatic with how structured everything is in my life.

Structure is good and spontaneity makes for an exciting combination!  My inspirations have always been creators that had one foot in the box and one foot out.

As a salesmen, I was given a sales pitch to memorize.  Once I memorized it, I ended up ditching it.

I hate consistent routine.  It's one of the reasons I probably would never be a good accountant and also one of the reasons I excel at creative thinking.

Dare to be different is my mantra.  I want to be that man on the moon.

Monday listening- Man on the Moon by Kid Cudi

I'm a differenter!

-Gabe

Art by- Terry Cervantes - https://www.etsy.com/shop/tjCervantesArt

Automated jargon #RIPJargon

It sounds like it could be a song...It is... It's the song on the radio that plays so much you are in tune to anticipate what is next.

It's no longer fresh anymore, its dated.... Same can go for the canned responses we all use.

"Best regard"
"We regret to inform you"
" Although...."

I understand it may take time to write up a sincere message, but that part should NEVER be automated.  I refuse to send the same email to every single prospect or person I talk to.

What happen to the passion of showing yourself as well as the product or idea?  The spontaneity in conversations is disappearing as we all look for the short cuts to connect.

There has not been a short cut to connecting with people.  Connection is the very reason people look at their relationships as pieces on a chess board.  It's the reason certain people you know rarely let you in their network.  A lot of hard work went into building those relationships and one wrong word can end it.

Fell free to chime in.

Music Wednesday #humpdmusic

So I came to realization that I talk to many different people on a daily basis that range from young to older….

This wednesday I wanted to present 3 Wednesday tracks everyone will enjoy.

For a Wednesday, why not have a song with a Hump in it 

Track 2- Blink 182 - All the small things  ( Trust me, I'm working on not sweating the small things)

Track 3-  John Frusciante- Wednesday's song

Gabe

A Change is gonna come. #Changeunknown

This month of April has been tough for me to deal with lately.


Over the past two weeks, I have lost four co-workers who are no longer employed at my company.  I have also lost my manager to an amazing opportunity he took in entrepreneurship.  Everything is an unknown and it makes me uncomfortable. There are politics at my job like I'm sure there are at your job.  I have learned the importance of seeing the bigger picture, even if I'm not there.( I want to be there)




I feel exactly like the kids that will be graduating High School to start college this fall.  They have all these mixed emotions of the unknown and are trying to see where they fit in.  Sometimes one school is not the best fit for a student just like one company may be a bad fit for an employee.   That freedom to choose can be nerve wrecking.

Now Listening:  Sam Cooke "A change is gonna come."