Ummm...great!

As a child, my favorite commercials growing up were the Kellog's frosted flakes commercial.  Tony the tiger persuaded millions of parents to buy overly sweet sugared cornflakes for their children.  He was a man of few words but they were powerful words.

Frosted Flakes aren't just good..they're GRRRREEEATTTT!!!!

The reason I tell this story is because of a meeting we had at work yesterday.  Two of our presenters gave speeches to our group about technology.  One of the men was very smart but used the word "umm" so much that I began to count each time he used the word.  He gave us great knowledge but it was cloudy due to his filler words he was using.  I began to think about the times I used filler words.  I've thankfully, never abused the word "umm" but my filler word has always been "you know."  

Hearing "umm" so many times you're probably getting annoyed with reading it in this post.  I'll stop.  It was tough to hear his whole presentation and I honestly don't remember a whole lot of what he said. 

The next presenter was a typical sales guy but used different filler words.  I noticed after every phrase, he would say "right."  If he made a solid point he would say, "great."  He replaced filler words with positive words that made his conversation flow smoother.   People would rather hear a "right" than an "umm."  I can remember most of what he said and he wasn't even the most technical guy.

We all have our filler word we use to help us figure out the next phrase or sentence.  Sometimes, silence is golden.  Ads rarely use filler words and we remember these ads much more than the every day conversations we have.  I definitely don't condone being a monotone robot, but perhaps we can create our own positive filler word that invokes confidence.  

Focus more on ideas, not the money.

Generation Y (I really hate using this as an example, but it's easier to understand) idea makers are realizing retiring off the stock market and social security are not probable realities.  We're working our tails off and there's no guarantee we can one day retire at 55-60 years old.  For each Mark Zuckerberg or Evan Spieberg that comes out, we like to think:

Why not me?  Why can't I be a change the world?

We won't go into too much detail-It's way too many moving parts and would have as much depth as a dissertation.  (I'll save it for the day I get a masters.)

We come up with ideas and they're very good but we get lost in how much money we can make.  It's important to measure the profitability of your app but don't let it cloud the main reason you created it.

I do marketing for a few start ups and their creators  begin to focus solely on how much money they can make.  They forget that their app is to help solve an issue or annoyance for people.  It's difficult to be consistently keeping the target in mind without thinking about the money.  If you have a million dollar idea, your life could change over night. It's not a million dollar idea if there's no focus and tact to go for it!

I'm not here to preach. Neither should you.

Can you help people and change their situation for the better?  Good.

Say Hi

I got up out of bed. Brushed my teeth and took a shower.  

I didn't wake up in a particular happy mood; I just wanted to be spontaneous.  When you are a creative person, even the smallest things can inspire you.  Spontaneity creates situations which creates opportunities.  

I'm not a big fan of routine; routine bores me.  I decided to to do one of the more simple things I could do...Say Hi!

Doors appear when you simply say, "Hi."  Every single person I made eye contact was told by me..Hi!  Some people looked at me crazy and didn't want to be bothered; some looked refreshed and asked me, "Hi, how are you?"

One word got me to find out about people and their early morning.  It felt almost like a cold call in every day life.  Some were good and some were bad.  The weird thing is, when I tried this experiment, I ended up being a lot happier over the phones.  It put me in a good "selling" mood and I was ready to talk to random people and convince them they should work with me.

What's your writing style?

How do you write?

As elementary as that sounds, it's a valid question.  I'm asking this to myself every single day.  It's become apparent that every marketer has to be a decent writer.  We can't just sell ideas with our voice--Writing clear, concise emails is a requirement.  The big question still is:  How do you write?

I've been around some great writers and noticed there are a couple of styles out there that work.  Everyone puts their own individual twist to their style.  Whether it works for you is up to interpretation.

"The funny writer" (I'm going to entertain you)

Make anyone laugh and you can disarm their barriers.  Being able to write with humor can always make you stand out.  The problem is it's hard to write humor engaging content with a professional touch.  It truly is an art and if done the wrong way, you can offend people that read your material.  Depending on your industry,  being the funny writer may not convey a clients confidence in you.  The funny writer works when selling to marketing, hospitality, and entertainment.  Standing out is the key to getting responses.  If you are selling solutions to professional industries like finance, medical, or education,  You have to be REALLY good to get away with it.   It could be cheesy, and ineffective.

"The Technical writer" (I'm going to give you stats)

Stats, stats, and more stats.  This writer has a deep knowledge and excels in conveying that knowledge to prospects.  The analytical writer's persuasion comes strictly from using data to prove their point.  Theses writers think with their left side of the brain and want to assure you risk is minimal.

"Short and sweet writer" (Straight to the point.)

Straight to the point.  You're either thinking about what they write or not.  Either way, this message is going to be easy to tell if you want to know more or not.

"The Expressive Writer" (Feel what I'm saying?)

This person wants to make love to the words and allow them to marry.  They want you to feel.  A lot of beauty care and fashion marketers utilize "expressive" copy because that would make it the most effective form in that channel.  Expressive writing can be like reading a novel.  They emphasize a story filled with pain, confusion, and closure.  This style would not be as effective in other industries. but is perfect when the target is women, family, and self image.

"The All-Purpose Writer" (I adapt)

This is the writer that can adapt to its customers and market.  They can sense triggers to adapt to how to communicate toward their prospect.  This writer also has written for years and has developed a way to read their prospects.  One style doesn't work for everyone.  What makes reaching people more complicated is the various personalities and the challenges to connect with them.   This is the writer everyone should aspire to be.

Be flexible, personable, smart, and a sense of humor goes a long way.

Responding to a rejection letter

"Thank you very much for your interest in ______.  We appreciate you taking the time to come into the office to meet with John, Woody, and Sara.  At this time, we are exploring other candidates but will keep you in mind for future opportunities that might fit your skill set.

Thank you again and best of luck in your search.

Sincerely,

Casey Bender
Sales Recruiter"

In your professional life, you've read this and immediately thought: "What's wrong with me?"

Fit my skill set? You wanted two years of sales experience.  Hell, I'm more qualified than the manager you selected in house. (inner voice speaking)

There's nothing wrong with you.  It's semantics and it can easily bring down your confidence.  I've seen this email more times than I'd like to mention and they simply just don't bother me anymore.  The corporate world is exactly like High School.  People form cliques, posse's, whatever people are calling similar groups nowadays.  For as much as they judge you, you should judge them.  It's important to recognize if you even could get along with your potential managers.  

Some people would say if you get a rejection letter, you should just say thank you and move on.  I am a little more rebellious and open.  I believe as much as they are evaluating you, you have the right to evaluate them.  If a recruiter contacts you first, why not voice what you enjoyed about the overall experience?  

Your time is just as valuable as theirs.  You're not perfect but neither are they.  I am not insinuating that being obnoxious is key; each industry seems big but is quite small.  A lot of these recruiters and hiring personnel move on to similar companies.  

You definitely don't want to burn bridges.  Thank them for the opportunity but also express what you feel about the experience.

I follow up

I have been blessed to have amazing friends.  As we grow older, we all  have been facing more responsibility.  We're getting older.  Gone are the days of  bar visits and debauchery; we all are focused on our future outlook.  I'm the main piece between all my friends because I'm the only one that seems to check up on everyone.  If I don't bring a conversation up, nobody talks.  They applaud me for it because

They SUCK at following up.

I follow up.

One of my strengths in connecting and maintaining my relationships has been to show people I acknowledge them.  People I value will never get away from me.  Even if they do not value me as much, I'm hard to shake!

Of course with my friends, it's maintaining current relationships.  For newer relationships, it's crucial to constantly follow up.

Every sales org has sent an email emphasizing the importance of following up on prospects.



Based on my experiences, this is true.  It's a process and sometimes it feels unnecessary but people seem to love being chased.  Every customer(or prospect) has an ego about their company.  It's a cat and mouse game and for some strange reason, the more you follow up the closer you are to being their preferred vendor.  I believe prospects secretly like the attention of people vying for their services.  I believe even if you have a product that helps them, they don't want to move too fast and have you think they are "easy."

The toughest thing about following up is dealing with the various moods people display.  One minute they hang up on you, the next minute they need you.  We still follow up because we are marketing ourselves to them.  They develop a short memory because we are the last thing they think about.

Some people just suck at returning calls and remembering people.  Following up is great and a lifetime skill.  We all have a network that needs nurturing. It takes a long time to build a solid network.  If you don't follow up, let's see how your network does.

Everyone talks, no one listens

Get off your high horse.

Everyone talks, but no one listens. (MESSAGE!)



Anticipating when someone finishes their words so you can speak... NOT GOOD.  You have this amazing concept that you can't wait to tell people.  It's a competition, in your eyes, for who has the best idea.

Many meetings have a few people battling who can be the hero of the moment.  I'm sick and tired of people working against each other than for each other.  I've always heard the phrase...



TWO heads are better than ONE.  I have had great ideas become even better just by listening to others.  Collaboration has led to a lot of masterful projects.  From platforms like Facebook to music albums, there are many important people striving for greatness.

Using basketball as an example, Hero ball doesn't win championships.  It's not worth being a cancer to your team by not listening to them.  In the marketing world, there's not enough listening going on.  No matter how great, everyone's idea can be flawed- Trust me, I know.

I don't intend for this post to be a public service announcement.  I just want to see great ideas and everyone being given a fair chance to display their thoughts and ideas!

Recruiters, you're not so bad.

There's a relationship that needs repairing. It's a relationship that is based on two sides helping each other and networking- the recruiter and salesperson.

Truth be told, a recruiter and salesperson are the same thing.  Salespeople recruit companies and people to buy and try products while Recruiters sell companies human capital.  Both sides have an entrepreneurial spirit because it's all about increasing their book of business.

Nowadays, Recruiters determine the fate of most Sales professionals.  Salespeople argue a recruiter has too much "power."  What if each side could write a letter to the other detailing their frustrations for one another?

 There's friction between both sides.  Neither side understands the importance of working together.  Salespeople need a recruiter who can match them to the right projects and hopefully, not waste their time.  Recruiters need Salespeople to fulfill what their clients need in human capital.  The problem is...

There are people that absolutely suck at their job.  



You have Salespeople that don't make the recruiters job easy.  Some recruiters may try to coach you up but most will move on to the next candidate that will give them the incentive they need from their client.  The recruiters primary job is not to get you a job-It's to fill a position for its client which is the employer.

It took me awhile to understand the habits of a recruiter but their motivation and pay is based on bringing the best candidates to an employer.  Results driven jobs are difficult.

Cut those recruiters a little slack.