Random musings: August 2019

Saturday, August 31, 2019

Your weekend guide to interesting days- August 31, 2019

September 23 - 29: International Week of Happiness at Work

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Friday, August 30, 2019

The week in review - August 30, 2019

Monday - "A 5 step formula for better, deeper sleep" From Dr. Michael Breus. "I think step one is the most important...having a consistent bed time and wakeup time."

Tuesday - "How to Achieve a “Rich Life” With Your Finances" From The Art of Manliness. "Ramit talked about increasing your money dials on the one thing that you love most to spend your money on by four times! Of course, you'll be cutting back spending on the things that aren't as important to you."

Wednesday - "The 85% Solution" A continuation of yesterday's post. "In that post, Ramit Sethi mentioned what he called the 85% solution...whether you're talking finance, diet, exercise, whatever...you don't have to be perfect, you just have to get 85% of the way to be able to make it work."

Thursday - "Time and money are the only benefits...everything else is just features #TBT" What's the difference between benefits and features? "Features are facts about products or services; they add credibility and substance to your sales pitch. Benefits give customers a reason to buy because they explain how your product or service improves their lives."

Interesting days

Today - Slinky Day, Toasted Marshmallow Day, Frankenstein Day, International Whale Shark Day, Holistic Pet Day, College Colors Day and Grief Awareness Day

Tomorrow - Trail Mix Day, Franchise Appreciation Day, Love Litigating Lawyers Day, We Love Memoirs Day and Overdose Awareness Day

Next Friday - Bring Your Manners To Work Day, Read a Book Day, Coffee Ice Cream Day, Fight Procrastination Day and Lazy Mom’s Day

September 30 - Ask A Stupid Question Day, International Podcast Day, International Translation Day, Extra Virgin Olive Oil Day, Mud Pack Day, Hot Mulled Cider Day, Rumi Day and Thunderbirds Day

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Time and money are the only benefits...everything else is just features #TBT

Today's blog post was originally published two years ago:

This is what Randy Wey said during his talk at the Gold Star Referral Club meeting that I went to a few weeks ago. I'm not sure if it originated with him or not. I didn't receive his contact information, so I haven't been able to talk to him about it.

This ties in with what Casey Eberhart always says: Business owners are only interested in two things...saving time and making money. But this may apply to everyone.

What's the difference between features and benefits? Here's a handy definition from Enchanting Marketing:

Summary: The difference between features vs benefits

Features are facts about products or services; they add credibility and substance to your sales pitch

Benefits give customers a reason to buy because they explain how your product or service improves their lives

To translate features into benefits, answer the question “So what?”

I talked last week about why people don't get what they want out of life...it's usually a lack of time and/or money that stops them.

It's said that people only buy solutions to problems but most problems really boil down to a lack of time or money.

I'll use greeting cards as an example. Two of the main reasons that people don't send greeting cards is because it takes so much time to drive to the card store, browse the card aisles, buy a card, get it home, fill it out and get it in the mail...and the price of the card once they find one. A third reason is that they forget about birthdays or anniversaries...and that's because they didn't take the time to set up some kind of reminder system.

SendOutCards solves these problems by allowing you to send a card from wherever you are, including sitting on the toilet,

24 hours a day, seven days a week for $1.98 per card (or less). And the system will remind you of birthdays and anniversaries!

Even losing weight, eating healthier, buying food...it often comes down to the fact that you shop at places that save you time and/or money.

This is what we need to remember when we're selling our product or service: Features tell, benefits sell.

The prices for cards from SendOutCards has changed. You can now send unlimited cards, postage included, for $97 per month. Or you can send a card a day for as low as $1.22 plus postage (55 cents if mailed within the US). There are other packages too. I'd love to discuss the features and benefits with you.

Interesting days

Today - More Herbs, Less Salt Day, Lemon Juice Day, Individual Rights Day, Chop Suey Day and Potteries Bottle Oven Day

Tomorrow - Slinky Day, Toasted Marshmallow Day, Frankenstein Day, International Whale Shark Day, Holistic Pet Day, College Colors Day and Grief Awareness Day

Next Thursday - World Samosa Day, Be Late For Something Day, International Day of Charity and Cheese Pizza Day

September 29 - World Heart Day, Biscotti Day and Rivers Day

Week long celebrations:

September 23 - 29: International Week of Happiness at Work

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The 85% Solution

Today's blog post expands on something that was mentioned in yesterday's post.

In that post, Ramit Sethi mentioned what he called the 85% solution...whether you're talking finance, diet, exercise, whatever...you don't have to be perfect, you just have to get 85% of the way to be able to make it work. Which reminded me of Tim Ferriss' book "The 4 Hour Body" where he talks about following his recommended diet 6 days a week and eat however much of whatever you want on the seventh day. By the way, 6 out of 7 days is 85.7%. Here's an article on the results someone got in following the diet for 30 days. Supposedly, eating whatever you want on the seventh day causes a "metabolic spike" physically; and psychologically, if you write down the things you crave during the week on a "cheat list" of the things you'll eat on your cheat day, you diminish its power by acknowledging the craving.

I've been trying to be at least a little healthier. I quit drinking soda back in March (except for a root beer float on Root Beer Float Day a couple of weeks ago) and walking. My original goal was to get my weight back down below 200 pounds (which I did) and to continue losing weight after that, which I've done sporadically, by walking and eating less. I'm usually pretty good about it during the week (although not always) but I have a hard time maintaining both on the weekend. However, I think I can maintain them both for 6 days a week!

Once I can do that, I'll need to improve the calories that I'm putting into my body, and not just burning off more than I take in. My friend, Luci Gabel, has a book coning out called "Eat to Lead" which should provide some guidance on the foods I should be putting into my body.

I'll keep you posted on how I do with the 85% diet and exercise solution.

Interesting days

Today - Bow Tie Day, Race Your Mouse Around The Icons Day, Radio Commercials Day, Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, Crackers Over The Keyboard Day and Cherry Turnover Day

Tomorrow - More Herbs, Less Salt Day, Lemon Juice Day, Individual Rights Day, Chop Suey Day and Potteries Bottle Oven Day

Next Wednesday - Wildlife Day, Newspaper Carrier Day, Macadamia Nut Day and Global Talent Acquisition Day

September 28 - Drink Beer Day, World Rabies Day, Good Neighbor Day, Rabbit Day, Strawberry Cream Pie Day, Save Your Photos Day and International Poke Day

Week long celebrations:

September 23 - 29: International Week of Happiness at Work

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

How to Achieve a “Rich Life” With Your Finances

Today's blog post is based on a podcast from The Art of Manliness.

If you’ve read a lot of personal finance advice, you know that it usually concentrates on what you can’t do — what you shouldn’t buy and how you shouldn’t spend your money. What it doesn’t often offer is a vision of what all that scrimping and saving is for.

My guest today argues that while knowing how to save money is hugely important, it’s important to know how to spend it too. His name is Ramit Sethi and he’s the author of the book I Will Teach You to Be Rich. It’s now out as a revised second edition, ten years after of the publication of the original. We begin our discussion going over what has and hasn’t changed over the past decade when it comes to personal finance. Ramit then makes the case that living what he calls a “rich life,” involves not just knowing where to cut back on spending, but where to increase it in places he calls “money dials.” We then get into some practical ways to better manage your money to ensure you spend less in areas you don’t care about, and more in those you do, including how to manage and pay off credit card debt, the bank accounts you need and how to set them up so that your finances are automated, and why you need to start investing today. We end our discussion on the idea that the big money decisions that many people ignore are more important than the small ones that get a lot of attention.

Ramit talked about increasing your money dials on the one thing that you love most to spend your money on by four times! Of course, you'll be cutting back spending on the things that aren't as important to you.

Ramit was featured in a blog post about a year and a half ago, where he talked about many things, including money. But this podcast focuses pretty much exclusively on money.

Here are the highlights so you can see what was discussed. Many of his ideas are counter to what many of the other financial "gurus" are saying:

Show Highlights

How have things changed since Ramit first published his book 10 years ago?

How your money psychology impacts your finances

The money mistakes that people make over and over again (and why!)

The 85% solution

Automating your investing

What does it mean to have a “rich life”?

What are “money dials”? How do you turn them way up?

How do you turn the dials down on the things you don’t really care about

Why extreme frugality isn’t necessarily the solution

Where we learn spending habits, and why the usual places are terrible

Optimizing your credit cards (and why to start there)

The best bank accounts to have

How to deal with student loans

Why investing is so confusing

Also, check out the resource section for other interviews and articles on the subject,

Interesting days

Today - The Duchess Who Wasn’t Day, Tug-of-War Day, International Bat Night, Pots De Creme Day and Banana Lovers Day

Tomorrow - Bow Tie Day, Race Your Mouse Around The Icons Day, Radio Commercials Day, Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, Crackers Over The Keyboard Day and Cherry Turnover Day

Next Tuesday - Skyscraper Day, Another Look Unlimited Day and Welsh Rarebit Day

September 27 - Hug a Vegetarian Day, Tourism Day, Crush a Can Day, Love Note Day, Ancestor Appreciation Day, Morning Show Hosts Day and Corned Beef Hash Day

Week long celebrations:

September 23 - 29: International Week of Happiness at Work

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Monday, August 26, 2019

A 5 step formula for better, deeper sleep

Today's blog post is based on a free class by Dr. Michael Breus.

There's not really much new in this program. I've posted a 6 part series a few months back. But today's blog post is a quick start guide.

The 5 steps are:

Stick to a regular sleep schedule 7 days a week (or as closely as possible). I sleep consistently only 5 days a week because of meetings I have on Wednesday and Saturday mornings
Stop drinking caffeine 8 hours before your bedtime
Stop drinking alcohol 3 hours before your bedtime
Stop exercising 4 hours before bedtime. Exercising is important, but you don't want to do it too close to bedtime
Get 15 minutes of sunlight in the morning

The best time to sleep, exercise and other activities is based on your chronotype and the chronotype quiz can be found here.

There's a 28 day course available for purchase to go along with the 5 steps, which includes daily activities for $299. I didn't buy the class. I think the material I've already shared covers all or most of it.

I think step one is the most important...having a consistent bed time and wakeup time.

If you have a Fitbit, or another device, that tracks sleep you can find out how much sleep you need. Start by going to bed and getting up at the same times for two weeks. Then check your average sleep for the second week (especially on the days that you have consistent sleep times). Divide that average sleep time by ,85 and that will tell you how much time you should be in bed. Ten to fifteen percent awake time is normal...you don't want to be awake more than 15% of the time that you're in bed. If you're awake more than 15% of the time, then you're spending too much time in bed.

Continue checking every two weeks. If you're consistently maintaining 15% or less of awake time, increase the amount of time you're in bed by 15 minutes. Keep doing this until you exceed 15%, then back off by 15 minutes. That's your ideal amount of time in bed.

Interesting days

Today - Dog Day, Women’s Equality Day, WebMistress Day and Cherry Popsicle Day

Tomorrow - The Duchess Who Wasn’t Day, Tug-of-War Day, International Bat Night, Pots De Creme Day and Banana Lovers Day

Next Monday - Blueberry Popsicle Day, V-J Day, Calendar Adjustment Day and Mouthguard Day

September 26 - Johnny Appleseed Day, Lumberjack Day, Fitness Day, Remember Me Thursday and Human Resource Professional Day

Week long celebrations:

September 23 - 20: International Week of Happiness at Work

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Your weekend guide to interesting days - August 24, 2019

This week

Sunday - Serendipity Day, Pinot Noir Day, Mail Order Catalog Day and Bad Poetry Day

Monday - Photography Day, Aviation Day, Potato Day, International Orangutan Day and International Bow Day

Tuesday - World Mosquito Day, Chocolate Pecan Pie Day and International Day of Medical Transporters

Wednesday - Poet’s Day, Spumoni Day and Senior Citizens Day

Thursday - Burger Day, Eat A Peach Day, Take Your Cat to the Vet Day, Pecan Torte Day and Be An Angel Day

Yesterday - Ride the Wind Day, Valentino Day, Cuban Sandwich Day, Sponge Cake Day and Daffodil Day

Today - Knife Day, Vesuvius Day, International Strange Music Day, Pluto Demoted Day, Internaut Day and Peach Pie Day

Next week

Tomorrow - Pony Express Day, Whisky Sour Day, Kiss And Make Up Day and Banana Split Day

Monday - Dog Day, Women’s Equality Day, WebMistress Day and Cherry Popsicle Day

Tuesday - The Duchess Who Wasn’t Day, Tug-of-War Day, International Bat Night, Pots De Creme Day and Banana Lovers Day

Wednesday - Bow Tie Day, Race Your Mouse Around The Icons Day, Radio Commercials Day, Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, Crackers Over The Keyboard Day and Cherry Turnover Day

Thursday - More Herbs, Less Salt Day, Lemon Juice Day, Individual Rights Day, Chop Suey Day and Potteries Bottle Oven Day

Friday - Slinky Day, Toasted Marshmallow Day, Frankenstein Day, International Whale Shark Day, Holistic Pet Day, College Colors Day and Grief Awareness Day

Saturday - Trail Mix Day, Franchise Appreciation Day, Love Litigating Lawyers Day, We Love Memoirs Day and Overdose Awareness Day

Next month

September 18 - Cheeseburger Day, Water Monitoring Day, Respect Day, Hug A Greeting Card Writer Day, Read An Ebook Day and First Love Day

September 19 - Talk Like A Pirate Day, Get Ready Day and Butterscotch Pudding Day

September 20 - Punch Day, Grenache Day, Tradesmen Day, Concussion Awareness Day and Pepperoni Pizza Day

September 21 - World Gratitude Day, Pecan Cookie Day, Eat An Apple Day, Miniature Golf Day, Coastal Cleanup Day, International Day of Peace, Gymnastics Day, World Alzheimer’s Day and Escapology Day

September 22 - World Rhino Day, Chainmail Day, White Chocolate Day, Doodle Day, Elephant Appreciation Day, Dear Diary Day, World Car Free Day, Business Women’s Day, Ice Cream Cone Day and Hobbit Day

September 23 - Restless Legs Awareness Day, Checkers Day, Family Day and Celebrate Bisexuality Day

September 24 - Punctuation Day and Cherries Jubilee Day

Week long celebrations:

September 23 - 29 International Week of Happiness at Work

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Friday, August 23, 2019

The week in review - August 23, 2019

Monday - "Relationship Marketing Grand Summit Recap - Part 1" The first of two parts. "The co-founder and Chief Visionary Officer of SendOutCards, Kody Bateman, gave an introduction to the event. The event was based on Kody's newest book, The Power of Human Connection."

Tuesday - "Relationship Marketing Grand Summit Recap - Part 2" The second of two parts. "The morning session was a continuation of part 2 of the book, The Power of Human Connection, How Relationship Marketing works within the traditional sales and marketing process."

Wednesday - "SendOutCards Convention 2019" A day of recognition and awards! "Today's post is a combination of two events...on Thursday evening there was a session that introduced some new products for SendOutCards, as well as a bigger session on Saturday where awards and recognition were given."

Thursday - "The Adventure of Silence #TBT" From The Art of Manliness. "Are you getting enough silence in your life?"

Interesting days

Today - Ride the Wind Day, Valentino Day, Cuban Sandwich Day, Sponge Cake Day and Daffodil Day

Tomorrow - Knife Day, Vesuvius Day, International Strange Music Day, Pluto Demoted Day, Internaut Day and Peach Pie Day

Next Friday - Slinky Day, Toasted Marshmallow Day, Frankenstein Day, International Whale Shark Day, Holistic Pet Day, College Colors Day and Grief Awareness Day

September 23 - Restless Legs Awareness Day, Checkers Day, Family Day and Celebrate Bisexuality Day

Week long celebrations:

September 23 - 29: International Week of Happiness at Work

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The Adventure of Silence #TBT

Today's blog post was originally published last year:

Today's blog post is based on a podcast from The Art of Manliness:

We live in an age of noise. Not just audible noise, but visual noise. It seems like you can’t go anywhere these days without something or someone vying for your attention. My guest today thinks all this noise has made us a bit crazy, and that we need to re-capture the power of silence in our lives. He came to this realization while traveling alone, by foot, for fifty days to the South Pole. Since having that experience of what he initially found to be a disturbing level of silence, he thinks other people need more space for quietude in their lives.

I'm a big fan of silence. I don't have audible alerts on my phone for texts, messages, email, etc. Although I do have them on for phone calls and a few other things. I also don't listen to music, or even audio books, while I drive. Occasionally, I'll listen to an audio book, but not usually. In fact, I didn't listen to any music or anything during my trip to and from San Diego, plus no TV while I was there...just enjoying the silence. I will watch TV on the weekends when I'm home but very seldom during the week.

Although, I'm quite often distracted by my smartphone, even though I have the alerts turned off. I need to work on that.

On Monday, when I was at A Leg Up networking group, Kimmer Sue was talking about marketing and how the average person receives about 5,000 marketing messages a day! Thankfully, without radio and television I manage to miss a lot of them...but there are still many on billboards and social media.

Here are the highlights from the show:

How and why Erling became an explorer

How Erling balanced exploring with his workaday life (including being a parent and lawyer)

What led him to study philosophy at Cambridge?

Why Erling argues that we should make life more difficult

The two forms of boredom

What is silence? Is it simply the absence of sound?

What does philosophy have to say about the idea of silence?

What it was like to be alone at the South Pole for 50 days

How words themselves limit our experiences

Why Erling didn’t feel the need to curse while alone at the pole

What is it about silence that makes us uncomfortable?

What art can teach us about silence?

How can regular people find their own South Pole and experience silence?

Are you getting enough silence in your life?

Interesting days

Today - Burger Day, Eat A Peach Day, Take Your Cat to the Vet Day, Pecan Torte Day and Be An Angel Day

Tomorrow - Ride the Wind Day, Valentino Day, Cuban Sandwich Day, Sponge Cake Day and Daffodil Day

Next Thursday - More Herbs, Less Salt Day, Lemon Juice Day, Individual Rights Day, Chop Suey Day and Potteries Bottle Oven Day

September 22 - World Rhino Day, Chainmail Day, White Chocolate Day, Doodle Day, Elephant Appreciation Day, Dear Diary Day, World Car Free Day, Business Women’s Day, Ice Cream Cone Day and Hobbit Day

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

SendOutCards Convention 2019

I wasn't able to make it to the convention this year; something came up at the last moment. Fortunately, it was available as a live stream so I was able to watch all three days from the comfort of my own home! I wrote about the first two days, which were the Relationship Marketing Grand Summit, here and here. There's a lot of good information for any business owners and salespeople in those two posts...I highly recommend that you check them out.

Today's post is a combination of two events...on Thursday evening there was a session that introduced some new products for SendOutCards, as well as a bigger session on Saturday where awards and recognition were given.

We'll start with the new product announcements:

The big additions are the Card A Day subscription and the System Package.

SendOutCards simplified things by reducing the number of card types from three to two...heartfelt sends and system sends.

A heartfelt card is one card to one person, such as a birthday card or anniversary card, that's sent immediately. System sends are group sends, the same card to multiple people, such as Christmas cards; scheduled cards; or a multiple card drip campaign.

The $37 a month Card A Day plan filled in a big void between the $17 plan and the $97 plan. You can send 30 heartfelt cards a month (not including postage) and you get a 20% discount on gifts. Additional heartfelt cards and any system cards are $2,00 each. And the $97 plan now has discounted shipping in addition to its unlimited heartfelt cards (postage included), as well as a 30% discount on gifts.

The system package includes 300 system sends for $395, with any additional system sends at $1.31 no matter which subscription that you have (this is an add on...you must also have a subscription). Plus, unlimited access to the campaign store for a year!

There was also a system training demo on Thursday evening. I'll be putting on a system training this Saturday.

The main event took place on Saturday, with recognition and awards!

Rookie of the Year - Susan Day

There were two Rising Stars...April Brumm and Victor Mabu

Executive of the Year was Darla DiGrandi-Aguilera

Jay McHugh was the winner of the One Thing award

The Runner-up Affiliate of the Year was Callie Teegardin

And the Affiliates of the Year were Gayle and Steve Zientek

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Interesting days

Today - Poet’s Day, Spumoni Day and Senior Citizens Day

Tomorrow - Burger Day, Eat A Peach Day, Take Your Cat to the Vet Day, Pecan Torte Day and Be An Angel Day

Next Wednesday - Bow Tie Day, Race Your Mouse Around The Icons Day, Radio Commercials Day, Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, Crackers Over The Keyboard Day and Cherry Turnover Day

September 21 - World Gratitude Day, Pecan Cookie Day, Eat An Apple Day, Miniature Golf Day, Coastal Cleanup Day, International Day of Peace, Gymnastics Day, World Alzheimer’s Day and Escapology Day

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Relationship Marketing Grand Summit Recap - Part 2

The second day of the Relationship Marketing Grand Summit took place on Friday, August 9, 2019.

The morning session was a continuation of part 2 of the book, The Power of Human Connection, How Relationship Marketing works within the traditional sales and marketing process.

The first speaker of the day was Lee Salz, author of several books including Sales Differentiation.

Some highlights from Lee's presentation:

"I'm the best sales consultant in the world"

How would you describe Lee based on his statement

Jackass
Arrogant
Cocky
Full of himself

Your customers feel the same when you talk about your company or product in that way

You turn people off when you do that
Instead of differentiating yourself, you sound like every other salesperson

Instead, share differences that others have found meaning ful and let the prospect decide if they are meaningful to them
Let your clients describe you as the best
We don't sell solutions, we build them based upon our conversation with the prospect
Two parts of sales differentiation

What you sell

Picking up poop

Differentiator - disposing of poop

How you sell

Highlight that you dispose of the poop
College had a reserved parking spot for campus visit
How you sell, not just what you sell, differentiates you

74% of buyers choose the sales rep that was the FIRST to add value and insight
To find more clients like your best ones, ask them..."If you were me, what:

associations
conferences
events

should I attend to meet more people like you?"
Every salesperson is your competition, whether your direct competition or not because you're competing for the same person's time
Propose an agenda, don't set one:

"For this to be a good use of your time, what do you want to be sure we discuss?"

Send a recap email:

Meeting highlights
Your differentiators
Action items/next steps
Send a card!

You can hear Lee's poop story on his interview with Kody.

Next up was Mark Hunter, author of several books including High Profit Prospecting.

Here are some highlights from Mark's presentation:

It's about the people, not the sale
When we prospect with integrity, we find customers with integrity
When you meet with someone, your goal is to earn the right to meet with that person again
We overcomplicate things
Low price = low trust

Trust is currency
C+C=C=O=P

Continuity+Competence=Confidence=Opportunity=Profit

Connect 5 people to 5 other people in your network every week

You can watch Mark's interview here.

Mark was followed by Andrea Waltz and Richard Fenton. authors of Go for No.

Highlights from their presentation:

Fear of failure/fear of rejection
What did the customer say no to?

How do you know the customer is done unless they say no to something

Fail your way to success
Model of success and failure is not

Failure <- -="" you=""> Success

You -> Failure -> Success

To be a bigger success, you must fail more
Set no-goals instead of yes-goals
In terms of presentations, quantity beats quality
No doesn't mean never...it means not yet
Statistics:

44% of people give up after 1 "no"
22% more give up after the 2nd "no"
14% more give up after the 3rd "no"
12% more give up after the 4th "no"
92% give up before getting to the 5th "no"
However, 60% of customers say no four times before finally saying yes

That completed the morning session and part 2 of the book.

Here's the interview with Andrea.

The afternoon session focused on the third and final part of the book...Why the Relationship you build with Yourself is the most Important.

I was afraid of this! The access to the replays expired today! The best I can do now is give links to their websites and the interview with Kody!

The first speaker of the afternoon was Meridith Elliott Powell, author of several books including The Best Sales Book Ever. And here's the link to her interview.

I'm not sure of the order now, but these are the speakers that were scheduled to talk:

Jeb Blount, author of several books including Fanatical Prospecting. Jeb's interview.

Jordan Adler is the author of a couple of books including Beach Money. Jordan's interview.

Thanks Dave Smith for sending me your slides from your Sendogo presentation!

Modern Marketing Problem

Massive digital assault on customers

Constant requests for new business, electronic surveys and impersonal requests for information

Lack of "relationship development" can erode benefits of high tech/social media lead generation process

Solution

Implement customer relationship development process

Increase customer retention
Increase referrals
Increasee sales
Increase CSI

Sendogo offers premier "relationship management" service that runs within your preferred CRM

Convenience while offering personalized physical cards and gifts
Sendogo puts the "Relationship" in CRM
Currently works with Salesforce, other CRMs being added
Sendogo mastered the balance between automation and personalization

Dave then offered a demo of Sendogo...really cool!

You can send Impressions (cards) directly from your CRM...or you can send Impression Packs (a card and a gift). Check out the website for samples of Impressions and Impression Packs, and pricing.

Here's Dave's interview with Kody.

Gayle Zientek. You can read articles by Gayle at that website. Gayle's interview.

Interesting days

Today - World Mosquito Day, Chocolate Pecan Pie Day and International Day of Medical Transporters

Tomorrow - Poet’s Day, Spumoni Day and Senior Citizens Day

Next Tuesday - The Duchess Who Wasn’t Day, Tug-of-War Day, International Bat Night, Pots De Creme Day and Banana Lovers Day

September 20 - Punch Day, Grenache Day, Tradesmen Day, Concussion Awareness Day and Pepperoni Pizza Day

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Monday, August 19, 2019

Relationship Marketing Grand Summit Recap - Part 1

The two day Relationship Marketing Grand Summit kicked off on Thursday, August 8th, in Salt Lake City, UT.

The co-founder and Chief Visionary Officer of SendOutCards, Kody Bateman, gave an introduction to the event. The event was based on Kody's newest book, The Power of Human Connection.

The Thursday morning session was based on section 1 of the book...What Relationship Marketing Really Is. There were several speakers that talked about that and the first speaker on the first morning was my friend, Darla DiGrandi-Aguilera.

Darla talked about her beginnings as a hairdresser who soon became a salon owner. Darla's entire presentation is on my Relationship Marketing Tips and Techniques Facebook group. If you'd like to see her presentation. just ask to join the group. But here are some highlights:

We're all in the people business
Being a high school dropout
"Rich Dad, Poor Dad"
Avoiding the Terrible Twos & Rebellious Teens
Thank you cards to her clients was the only marketing she could afford
Nothing matters more than relationships
Appreciation after a job interview
Adventures at the DMV
Getting Above the Line

Here's the video from Darla's interview with Kody.

Next up was Larry Levine, author of Selling from the Heart.

Here is some of what Larry talked about:

Relationships do matter
Find the learning moment in every situation
Stop being a salesperson and start being a human being
Humanize the Sales Process

Care

Someone might outsell me, out smart me, out strategize me but no one will out care me
Write down 3 ways you could show your clients and prospects that you care

Connection

What do you do when you connect with someone? You move on
Get to the heart as quickly as possible
What are 3 ways you could connect with meaning.

Compassion

Vulnerability + Humility + Personality = Human

Yon can listen to more from Larry with his interview by Kody here.

Here's a role reversal with Larry interviewing Kody on Larry's podcast.

Larry was followed by a panel of 5 SendOutCards affiliates discussing relationship marketing.

Immediately following the panel was lunch. I won’t make you wait an hour and a half for the afternoon session, all you have to do is go to the next paragraph.

The afternoon session consisted of the first half of section 2 of the book: How Relationship Marketing works within the traditional sales and marketing process.

The first speaker after lunch was James Muir, author of The Perfect Close.

James talked about the best practice in closing sales:

Two Questions

Does it make sense for us to X?
If no, what do you think is a good next step?

Zero Pressure
95% Effective

There were other things you could add to the two questions to make them more effective, but you can check out the book for more details.

Here’s James’ interview with Kody.

The next speaker was Tommy Mello, author of Home Service Millionaire.

Some highlights from Tommy:

Owner of A1 Garage Door Company
What's in it for them?

Be genuinely interested in the other person
Use their first and last names
Garage door is the smile on your home

Managing vs building leaders

Stop managing and start building leaders

Keep calm and just ask

$3200 door with all the bells and whistles
It took 3 months to sell the first door
How did the salesman sell the first door? He asked for the sale

It's hard for people to say no twice

Ask for more than you want, then come down to what you really want

Want your kid to make their bed and clean their room? Ask them to clean the whole house, then say how about just cleaning your room and making your bed

Here's Tommy's interview with Kody.

The next speaker was Jay McHugh. Jay has been out to California a couple of times putting on marketing seminars for realtors.

Some highlights:

Jay is a real estate broker with 500 agents and does one BILLION dollars in sales a year
He's the master of selling through the process
Reach higher by building relationships
The difference between contacts and contracts is the letter "r" for relationships
SendOutCards is a great retention tool for employees
"People count; numbers don't"
An Irish toast

There are good ships
And there are wood ships,
The ships that sail the sea
But the best ships are friendships,
And may they always be.

Here's Jay's interview with Kody.

Next Kody did a Relationship Marketing podcast live on stage with Melissa Barlock.

Melissa's episode isn't posted yet, but I'll share it when its's available.

Some highlights from Melissa's interview:

Melissa started a dental office recruiting company using relationship marketing techniques to grow into a large company in just 9 months
She learned about relationships from being a bartender
She doesn't do transactional sales, she does long term relationships
Even if someone doesn't join your business, they'll often be an advocate for you because of the relationships that you build
Consistency

You have to network to meet people
Time blocking
Following up

Melissa's interview wrapped up the first day of the Relationship Marketing Grand Summit.

Interesting days

Today - Photography Day, Aviation Day, Potato Day, International Orangutan Day and International Bow Day

Tomorrow - World Mosquito Day, Chocolate Pecan Pie Day and International Day of Medical Transporters

Next Monday - Dog Day, Women’s Equality Day, WebMistress Day and Cherry Popsicle Day

September 19 - Talk Like A Pirate Day, Get Ready Day and Butterscotch Pudding Day

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Your weekend guide to interesting days - August 17, 2019

This week

Sunday - Son and Daughter Day, Ingersoll Day and Play In The Sand Day

Monday - Vinyl Record Day, International Youth Day and World Elephant Day

Tuesday - International Lefthanders Day and Filet Mignon Day

Wednesday - Creamsicle Day, Social Security Day, World Calligraphy Day and Tattoo Removal Day

Thursday - Relaxation Day, Check The Chip Day, Lemon Meringue Pie Day, Acadian Day and Cycle to Work Day

Yesterday - Men’s Grooming Day, Rollercoaster Day, Tell A Joke Day, Airborne Day, World Bratwurst Day and Rum Day

Today - Thrift Shop Day, International Homeless Animals Day, World Honey Bee Day, Black Cat Appreciation Day, Break The Monotony Day, International Geocaching Day and Vanilla Custard Day

Week long celebrations:

August 12 - 18: Afternoon Tea Week

Next week

Tomorrow - Serendipity Day, Pinot Noir Day, Mail Order Catalog Day and Bad Poetry Day

Monday - Photography Day, Aviation Day, Potato Day, International Orangutan Day and International Bow Day

Tuesday - World Mosquito Day, Chocolate Pecan Pie Day and International Day of Medical Transporters

Wednesday - Poet’s Day, Spumoni Day and Senior Citizens Day

Thursday - Eat A Peach Day, Take Your Cat to the Vet Day, Pecan Torte Day and Be An Angel Day

Friday - Ride the Wind Day, Valentino Day, Cuban Sandwich Day, Sponge Cake Day and Daffodil Day

Saturday - Knife Day, Vesuvius Day, International Strange Music Day, Pluto Demoted Day, Internaut Day and Peach Pie Day

Next month

September 11 - Make Your Bed Day, Hot Cross Bun Day, Patriot Day, No News is Good News Day and Quiet Day

September 12 - Video Games Day and Chocolate Milkshake Day

September 13 - Hug Your Boss Day, Blame Someone Else Day, Fortune Cookie Day, Peanut Day, Roald Dahl Day, Programmers’ Day, Kids Take Over The Kitchen Day, Defy Superstition Day, Positive Thinking Day, Supernatural Day and Celiac Awareness Day

September 14 - Eat a Hoagie Day, Gobstopper Day, Cream Filled Doughnut Day and Drive Your Studebaker Day

September 15 - Wife Appreciation Day, Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie Day, Batman Day, World Afro Day, International Red Panda Day, Linguine Day, Make A Hat Day, International Dot Day, Greenpeace Day, Double Cheeseburger Day, Felt Hat Day and Cheese Toast Day

September 16 - Guacamole Day, Play Doh Day, Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Day, Stepfamily Day, World Ozone Day, Collect Rocks Day, Working Parents Day and Teenager Workout Day

September 17 - International Country Music Day, Constitution Day, Apple Dumpling Day, Monte Cristo Sandwich Day, Locate An Old Friend Day and Table Shuffleboard Day

Week long celebrations:

September 9 - 15: Housekeepers Week

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

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