Book Review: Small Message, Big Impact
Small Message, Big Impact, How to Put the Power of the Elevator Speech Effect to Work For You; written by Terri L. Sjodin and published June 2011 by Greenleaf Book Group Press.
You step up to the elevator and press the button and notice to your left the CEO you’ve been trying to get that all important meeting with for months. This is your one shot to make that all important first impression about yourself and your company. What will you say? Will you freeze up or make the most of the opportunity?
I would say at some point in your career this happened to you. It has with me. Of the many skills necessary in business, a compelling and persuasive presentation is a priority for success. Throughout my professional career, I have work diligently to be prepared for that special moment. Whether it be a three minute elevator speech or a full-blown presentation, the “how” of delivery is just as important as what you say?
When I received Terri L. Sjodin‘s new book, “Small Message, Big Impact,” I found a well written and concise “How-To” book. This book is centered on the skills needed to deliver a highly effective elevator speech, an absolute success key in today’s networking world. All of the skills, however, are transferable to any type of presentation: know your intentions, be persuasive, be creative, be authentic, practice, practice, practice.
Sjodin presents a clear course of action for creating, delivering and evaluating an effective elevator speech. Reflective of today’s society, the book also takes the elevator speech out of the elevator and onto the internet and social media. Each step in the process is accompanied by a narrative explaining the importance and potential impact of that step, and how it ties into the larger goal. The book also includes sample speeches, several templates to follow, do’s and don’ts and general tips for success. The reader is encouraged to listen to “others” elevator speeches, how there delivered, their effectiveness, and to rate them.
This is a great guide. While it may not be a standard home library book, I would definitely suggest it for sales and marketing professionals, or anyone else frequently involved in networking events. Whether you are just starting out, or seeking a new spark to their presentation, this book will certainly be a benefit.
To get your copy of Small Message, Big Impact go to http://www.amazon.com/Small-Message-Big-Impact-Elevator/dp/1608321304/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1305198372&sr=8-1 or to learn more about Terri L. Sjodin, http://www.sjodincommunications.com/
Note: An advance copy of this book was provided at no charge by the publisher. In no other way did they influence the content of this review.
Book Review: The Benevolent Dictator
Book Review: The Benevolent Dictator: Empower Your Employees, Build Your Business, and Outwit the Competition
June 3, 2011
I have been fortunate to read an advanced copy of Michael Feuer’s – The Benevolent Dictator. The title is somewhat of an oxymoron. However, once I began reading, I was enlightened how these two words can make such a massive impact on a company’s success.
The author, Michael Feuer, founded OfficeMax in 1988 and grew the business in a highly competitive environment before selling the business in 2003. OfficeMax grew to have over 50,000 employees and in all states except Vermont with operations in China, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico.
As with many readers, I first scanned the content pages and flipped over to the back cover and saw this statement: “An unconventional philosophy for starting and building a business that exceeds your own expectations. “ The Benevolent Dictator is such a philosophy. It delivers sound, bite sized business advice interwoven with storytelling illustrations from Michael’s life experiences and business philosophies.
Feuer guides the reader through the four phases of a business or product life cycle: idea development, build out, continuous improvements, and cash out. I found each chapter to be very interesting and the narrative style made this book an easy read.
Being an entrepreneur by nature, I have taken many products to market and have launched several businesses. If you are considering taking a product to market or launching a new business, this book is a must read. Whether you are an experienced entrepreneur or a planning your first start-up you will find great benefit from Feuer’s lessons and challenges.
You can order the book directly from the publisher HERE http://tbdorders.com/pre-order or from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Benevolent-Dictator-Employees-Business-Competition/dp/1118003918.
Note: An advanced copy of this book was provided by the publisher. However, the content of the review and the opinions expressed were not influenced in any way by the publisher, author or any other party.
The Need for Awareness in Change
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” The deeper implication of these profound words by Mahatma Gandhi is clearly that it is not the external world that calls for change but rather our inner selves that needs overhauling from our narrow conditioned responses to life.
Give this a thought: if you see a black stain on your face reflected in a mirror do you reach out to wipe the mirror? Do you not automatically wipe your face instead? We, as human beings, have this innate ability and intelligence to make the judgment that, in this instance, it is the face that needs to be wiped and not the mirror. Intelligence or wisdom is the ability to zero down upon what is it that really needs to be addressed and this comes from an inner awareness of our own mental processes.
Change is an integral aspect of our lives. Each one of us is either at the receiving end of change initiated by others or are instrumental in initiating change ourselves. With the search for novelty and variety being engrained in the very core of human nature, it is but inevitable to constantly look for fresher pastures. Perhaps it is this very drive for change that translates into the passion for growth and learning in us; a need to expand our mental horizons and increase our potential. However, ‘change’ in itself is a very broad expression, for it could imply change either for better or for worse. Hence it becomes absolutely necessary to steer the direction of change in our lives. Without guidance we could end up with something totally undesirable.
While the need for change is undeniable, it is necessary to shed the light of awareness on the factors that govern or dictate this need. This is extremely important, for the direction of change in our lives is determined by the extent of our awareness or unawareness. Growth and learning in a positive sense could be defined as a process of change initiated in awareness, going hand in hand with joy and well-being. On the other hand, a process of change initiated in unawareness often tends to be rash and unmindful of the impending consequences on oneself as well as on others and therefore becomes a harbinger of pain and conflict.
Change brought about in the wrong area is not only useless but could also prove destructive. Take, for example, a person who remains unstable in relationships and keeps making and breaking relationships because of loss of passion or connection every once in a while. An enduring solution for such a person would be to try not switching people but rather enquiring into his or her own perceptions underlying the loss of passion. Such enquiry would naturally lead to an understanding of love itself and as to how easily our minds enforce rigid ideas that narrow the huge ocean of love down to a trickle!
So, as we set out seeking for a change, let us first ask ourselves as to what really needs to be addressed. We could thereby spare ourselves the arduous effort of trying to change the world instead of ourselves with merely a deepening of awareness.
The crux of this understanding is in enquiring into the very motive behind this seeking. Does this seeking for change arise from wanting to grow or taking our life to the next level of perfection?
At the very outset this question might seem redundant. One might ask: “Why else would I want to experience something new if not to experience growth?”However, an astute observation could shockingly reveal that this desire for change could be the result of a desperate need to avoid the sense of an inner void – a sense of struggle with one’s own existence compounded by feelings of self-hate and purposelessness. Once again, we might be inclined to think: “Well, is not the need for change always felt only when there is a sense of inadequacy? If I am totally contented, where is the need to look for newer vistas or fresher pastures?” It is here that we need to understand the subtle difference between seeking for growth versus being uncomfortable with or trying to evade one’s own reality. Though very different, these two experiences could appear similar to a mind clouded in conflict. Often, what could be masquerading as a passing for change might well be a desperate attempt to get away from an existing problem?
A clear illustration of this is evident in the professional lives of many of us as it happens to be one area where the need for change acquires immense significance under numerous pretexts of fulfillment, job-satisfaction and more importantly, our sense of self-worth.
How many of us like to believe that success in our professional careers determine our feeling of self-worth and our ability to love ourselves? How many of us experience a rising or dwindling of love for ourselves based on our professional achievements or failures? While our achievements definitely determine the extent to which we earn respect and fame in the society we live, can they really become the basis for loving and respecting ourselves? This raises a very crucial question: Is the ability to love oneself dependent on external circumstances at all? For if it did, it would defy the unconditional natural of joy or love.
It would also defy the proverbial saying, ‘Money can’t buy happiness or love’. So, once again, it is important to reiterate that change should never occur to escape from situations. Rather, it should be born from a feeling of self awareness.
This is the awareness that Waterhouse Coaching Services‘ “Live Your Life Empowered” seminar brings to participants who often start off on the assumption that their happiness is dependent on changing their partners or the external situations prevailing in their lives. But, it is not before long that they realize the vast array of emotional and psychological frameworks they have imposed upon themselves that need appraisal. Once awareness becomes a part of these frameworks, it naturally causes an unlearning of conditioned responses and there is a palpable shift in terms of emotional states, decisions and actions, thereby initiating an amazing journey into growth and self-awareness. This is what we mean when we say: “Growth or learning is a process of change initiated in awareness”
A Lesson from Zappos: Follow the Golden Rule
I first met Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, Inc. a little over year ago at the Ultimate Business Mastery Summit. He is a visionary on customer culture and providing a workplace where employees are excited to go to work. I was privileged to receive an advanced company of his book “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose.” I highly recommend you get this book to excel your business.
by Tony Hsieh
Tony Hsieh is the CEO of Zappos.com, Inc. During the past 10 years, the company has grown from almost no sales to more than $1 billion in annual gross merchandise sales, driven primarily by repeat customers and word of mouth. Below is an excerpt from Tony’s book that describes how Zappos approaches vendor relationships. This excerpt was written by Fred Mossler, who was originally hired over 10 years ago to head up the Zappos merchandising team.
The typical industry approach is to treat vendors like the enemy. Don’t show them any respect, don’t return their phone calls, make them wait for scheduled appointments, and make them buy the meals.
It’s a wonder people don’t realize that business doesn’t have to be done this way.
Ultimately, each party is out for the same thing: to take care of the customers, grow the business, and be profitable. In the long run, it doesn’t behoove either party if there’s only one winner. If vendors can’t make a profit then they don’t have money to invest in research and development, which in turn means that the products they bring to market will be less inspiring to customers, which in turn negatively affects the retailer’s business because customers aren’t inspired to buy. People want to cut costs and negotiate aggressively because there’s a limited amount of profit to be shared by both sides. As a result of this “death spiral,” most retailers fail.
We wanted Zappos to be different. We decided to create collaborative relationships in which both parties shared the risks, as well as the rewards. We found it much easier to create alliances when partners aligned themselves to the same vision and committed to accountability, knowing we’d all benefit from achieving our goals. Not only does this approach get both sides pulling in the same direction, it creates an environment and culture where people are inspired and passionate about what they do.
We implement this partnership mentality in many ways at Zappos, but it all begins with the Golden Rule: Treat others as you’d like to be treated. When vendors fly to visit our offices in Las Vegas, they are greeted at the airport by one of our Zappos shuttles. If it’s their first time visiting our office, we give them a tour. We offer them drinks and snacks to make them feel comfortable. This is all far from industry standard, but if we were in their position, I’m sure we wouldn’t mind being treated this way.
The same mentality applies to communication with our vendors. If they call, we try to return their call the same day. If they e-mail, we try to respond within a few hours. We realize the importance of communication, and if our partners are trying to reach us, we need to be responsive. Our customers expect this type of responsiveness from us, and so should our vendors.
Early on in Zappos, because of the size of our business, we realized we were going to need help running it. There was just no way we could afford to staff all the buyers needed to manage the number of styles and sizes in our selection. I’ll never forget the afternoon I turned my chair around and asked Tony what he thought about giving vendors access to the same information as our buyers. Traditionally in retail, information is hoarded. Retailers wouldn’t want a vendor to know how well they’re doing so they can demand more. But if we created true transparency in our business, not only would they help us, they’d benefit as well.
Not too long after I proposed the idea to Tony, he spun back around and said, “Were you thinking about something like this?” He had created the beginning of what we now refer to as “the extranet.” It allows the vendors complete visibility into our business. Vendors are able to see inventory levels, sales, and profitability. They can write suggested orders for our buyers to approve. They can communicate with our creative team and make changes to their brand boutiques on the site. In effect, they’re given the keys to the shop.
Why do we do this? The average buyer at Zappos has a portfolio of 50 brands, but because of transparency, there are an additional 50 pairs of eyes helping run the business, too. Not only that, vendors are the experts at what they do. No one buyer knows a brand better than the brand’s own representative. So why not leverage their knowledge to help us run a better business? As a result, when they feel empowered to manage their own business using the tools and accessibility we provide, they’ll spend more hours helping us than their typical account. The success of our team can be attributed to our buyers and vendor partners, together.
Negotiations at Zappos are a bit different as well. Instead of pounding the vendors, we collaborate. We decide together what makes the most sense for the business, the amount of risk we want to sign up for, and how quickly we want the business to grow.
We approach marketing from a similar standpoint as well. We collaborate on what both of our brands are trying to achieve and what it will take us to get there. We don’t believe that negotiations need to be an arm-wrestling match. If both parties are honest about our positions and objectives, we should be able to find an equitable way to get there.
We know there’s no way we could’ve achieved our success as a company without our vendors’ commitment and passion, so every year, we like to show a little gratitude. We take over a venue such as the Hard Rock Hotel pool or Rain Nightclub at the Palms and invite all of our vendors (more than 1,000) to our annual Vendor Appreciation Party. Between our vendors and the Zappos team, we have more than 3,000 people on hand.
The benefits we’ve reaped from concentrating on building relationships with our vendors are endless. They help us plan our businesses and make sure we have enough of the right product at the right time. When inventory’s scarce, they help procure inventory on hot-selling items. Sometimes they provide unique items that can only be found on Zappos. They work closely with our marketing team to plan the right campaigns, making sure we’re in the right places. We get involved in decisions regarding the direction of their lines.
All of this is because of the trust we’ve built in the industry over the past 10 years. Most importantly, I think of our vendors as friends. We enjoy each other’s company. We respect and value our relationships, and want to see each other do well. I’ve known many of the people I work with for almost my entire career.
When I left Nordstrom to help start Zappos and solicit brands, it was a risky proposition. At the time, we were in a channel no one thought would work, with a company no one had ever heard of. But they supported it and were willing to put their necks on the line because of the relationship we’d built over the years. Without those friendships and their belief in us, there might not be a Zappos today. Those relationships were, and continue to be, one of the most valuable parts of our business.
Tony Hsieh is the CEO of Zappos.com, Inc. “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose” is Tony Hsieh’s first book, and will be released on June 7, 2010. The book can be pre-ordered on Amazon. For more information about the book, visit: http://www.deliveringhappinessbook.com
Eliminating Fear is Easier Than You Might Think
Fear holds people back in every conceivable way. It hamstrings their personal lives. It puts a hard cap on their professional growth. When you’re afraid to make decisions, to take actions or to confront problems, you don’t move forward. You don’t stay in place, either. Slowly but surely, you begin to backslide. All of those things you’re afraid to handle weigh you down and move you farther and farther away from your goals.
Obviously, we should all make it a top priority to find a way to start eliminating fear from our lives. Many of us, however, don’t do it. We recognize the problem but we don’t take action. Ironically, that indecision and immobility is a byproduct of the very fears we detest.
So, what’s the secret? How can we begin eliminating fear?
Start small. Think of something that’s always bothered you. Work on something relatively insignificant, but an actual fear. Isolate that fear and then confront it, Head on. You’re afraid to make eye contact with strangers in close spaces? Stare down the next guy who hops on the elevator. You’ve always been a little afraid of worms? Go to a bait shop and put a night crawler in your hands.
You want to start small because it’s where you’re most likely to convince yourself to take action. If you try to start with your number one fear, you’ll have a tough time mustering the courage to do anything “from scratch”.
When you build up to that point by starting with modest fears, however, you have a real shot at eventually beating the big ones. You’re going to learn that the guy in the elevator won’t punch you and that the worm won’t cause you any harm. And as you begin to experience the irrationality of your fears, it will be easier and easier to work up the ladder.
Is it simple? Yes. Is it easy? Not necessarily. It can actually be very tough for some people to get started. Once they do, however, the snowball usually starts rolling pretty quickly. In other words, it’s a little scary but it’s easier to start eliminating your fears than you might think.
Are you ready to learn more about eliminating fears? There is a wealth of insight and perspective available. We are talking about potentially life-changing information!
If you are ready to get started, I wholeheartedly recommend that you look at my site. I know you will be glad you did: www.waterhousecoaching.com
What Trust Brings to Amazon, Zappos, and USAA
Great read; What Trust Brings to Amazon, Zappos, and USAA. The best of customer service.
Hold Your Head UP!
I just stepped outside to get Mattie, our dog, to come in and noticed the older man walking down the road. His head was bowed, his hat pulled down over his eye brows and talking to himself. A car went by and he didn’t change his posture to see what was coming. As I look away from him I begin to notice the beautiful blue sky, the green grass, and flowers. Then I flashed back to the song by British band Argent, ”Hold your head up, hold your head up high,” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-6v4H4BtWI.
I began thinking, “we can miss so much of life’s bounty by keeping our heads down.” For today’s blog, I wish to speak to you about a simple formula. I have studied this formula and found it to be sound advice for those who may have difficulties holding their head up. This formula may be made through a simple arrangement of positive thought impulses stated in writing, memorized, and repeated, until they become a part of the working equipment of the subconscious faculty of your mind.
The Self-Confidence Formula.
First: I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my definite purpose in life; therefore, I demand of myself persistent, continuous action toward its attainment, and I here and now promise to render such action.
Second: I realize the dominating thoughts of my mind will eventually reproduce themselves outward, physical action, and gradually transform themselves into physical reality; therefore, I will concentrate my thoughts for thirty minutes daily, upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to become, thereby creating in my mind a clear mental picture.
Third: I know the principle of autosuggestion, any desire that I persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek expression through some practical means of attaining the object back of it; therefore, I will devote ten minutes daily to demanding of myself the development of self-confidence.
Fourth: I have clearly written down a description of my definite chief aim in life, and I will never stop trying, until I shall have developed sufficient self-confidence for its attainment.
Fifth: I fully realize that no wealth or position can long endure, unless built upon truth and justice; therefore I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it affects. I will succeed by attracting to myself the forces I wish to use, and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others to serve me, because of my willingness to serve others. I will eliminated hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism, by developing love for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude towards others can never bring me success. I will cause other to believe in me, because I will believe in them, and in myself. I will sign my name to this formula, commit to memory, and repeat it aloud once a day, with full faith that it will gradually influence my thoughts and actions so that I will become a self-reliant, and successful person.
Back of this law of nature which no one has yet been able to explain. The name by which one calls this is of little importance. The important fact about it is – it WORKS for the glory and success of humanity. IF it is use constructively. On the other hand, if used destructively, it will destroy just as readily. The cause may be found in the fact that all impulses of thought have a tendency to clothe themselves in their physical equivalent.
Hold your head up and see where you’re going. Build self-confidence in you so you can be the greatest success you ever imagined!
To your success and confidence. Please email and share this post with your friends and colleagues.
Live Your Life Empowered,
Scott
Adapted from “Think and Grow Rich”, by Nepoleon Hill
Empower Yourself from What Limits You
Whenever we find ourselves in some “unwanted” part of ourselves, perhaps reliving an old pain or caught in the throes of some irrepressible anger, fear, or unyielding worry, part of this unwanted moment includes our certainty that we’re trapped in this condition. And compounding our confusion over feeling ourselves captive in this way are all of the attending negative inner voices. They tell us not only are we hostages of these disturbing states, but that the pain we now feel will be with us forever.
Bit by bit we come to accept what we see as the inevitability of our unhappy, captive condition. And should we hear from a still, small, free part of ourselves, “Try once more, you don’t belong there in that cell of yourself,” from within us rises a chorus of negative voices to drown it out — a choir constructed from our own past experiences that sings out, “There’s no use.” So we go to sleep within ourselves, preferring to dream of better times or in the imagining of what we will never know outside of our fitful reveries. But we can wake up and live our life empowered! We may awaken from not only the unsatisfying life into which we’ve slipped, but from the unconscious self that would have us remain there as captives of the lies it weaves. Shattering this world — and its hold over us — begins stepping into a new light. This needed new light comes to us, first, in the form of new knowledge — an insight such as the one that follows into the actual nature of these negative states and the self they capture.
Regardless of the assertion of any negative state that seeks to convince you otherwise (using its painful presence within you as “proof” that the prison you’re locked within will stand until the end of time), apply this one great truth:
All punishing personal-states are “lies.” They must break down if they don’t succeed in breaking down your willingness to test their reality. How do you conduct such a test? You learn to look at their presence within you with the quiet understanding that, in reality, nothing in life is fixed. All things change. Everything passes. This is truth. Knowing this to be true is power over what holds us captive.
On the other hand, according to another great truth, everything in life tends to become more of what it is, so that the only thing “fixed” in us are those parts of our presently unenlightened nature that convince us to resist life’s natural changes. As this fear-filled, downward-trending nature tricks us into accepting its conclusions, they become the same as our captivity. We unconsciously accept the limited and painful life this alliance-in-the-dark produces. We can do better!
Real personal-change begins with seeing that an Empowered Life is change itself. This means there is no condition that can hold you captive without your unconscious cooperation. Withdraw it. Wake up. Walk out of yourself by changing how you see what you call your life. Realize that while the contents of your life may come and go, turn dark, or suddenly seem delightful, regardless, these things will pass. Resting in the awareness of this Truth while working to stand upon its higher ground, you come upon the Empowered Life within you whose nature is the unchanging witness of these movements. Be Empowered to dwell outside of change, even as all that changes moves through it.
Live Life Empowered,
Scott
12 Tips on Developing Self Discipline
It has been proven that those people who accomplish more and are respected more have the ability to delay gratification. Think about whom we respect - doctors, professors, writers, black belts, and successful business people. All of these have made sacrifices to get to where they are today.
I like to be self disciplined but truthfully, I am not. What I do is use tricks to keep me on track. The following are 8 tricks I use:
1 - Lead me not into temptation. I’ve had to learn to limit the tempting stuff around me. I am in the process of losing 60 pounds this year, so I having to remove that which temps me to eat when I shouldn’t. This is a matter of the mind. Don’t let your mind trick you to do something you know you shouldn’t do.
2 - Plan. A small amount of planning keeps me on track. This can be as simple as planning what things I want to accomplish that day to planning what health snacks I want to have on hand.
3 - Set goals. The act of setting goals starts them in motion. The more you revisit them, the more you keep on track.
4 - Track what you do. It seems odd but the simple act of logging what you do or do not do is a great way to keep you on track. This works well for diets, workouts and just about anything. What gets measured and tracked, gets done.
5 - Ask yourself “what would I like to accomplish by the time I go to bed”. This simple question can keep you on task.
6 - Get a coach. This person can be a friend or a paid coach. Coaches tend to push and keep you on track.
7 - Increase to pain of not doing something. Simple - do not allow yourself to do what you find pleasurable until you complete the tough job.
8 - Increase the pleasure of success and make it more immediate. For example, writing an article has very little instant reward. So rewarding myself for successfully completing a task gives me instant satifaction.
9 - I use the mantra “successful people do tough things” I am a successful person so that drives me to do the tough things.
10 - Tell other people your goals. If your goal is to stop something (like smoking), your friends and enemies alike will enjoy pointing out when you are failing. If your goal is a positive like reading a book per week, tell your positive, supportive friends - they will help prod you and support you.
11 – It is all about habits. “We are the product of what we repeatedly do” - Aristotle. Habits do not even take work. You just do them. I suspect you do not even have to think to brush your teeth. You just do it. It is a habit.
12 - It is all about systems. Build systems to help you accomplish your goals. Systems might include your support, your organization, and your methods of doing things efficiently.
Self discipline can be learned. You can choose to be self disciplined. It is not easy but it is what will make you a success.
To your success,
Scott
Scott Waterhouse
