Make every detail perfect, and limit the number of details to perfect. -Jack Dorsey, Co-Founder, Twitter
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As I have wandered through several small businesses over the last month, something has stuck out to me that I felt inspired to share. Something so small, and many times overlooked, yet something that tells me so much about how much the business pays attention to the customer experience and to be honest, if they actually care about me.
What is this thing? A hook. Yes, a hook, in the bathroom. You know, a hook to hang my bag, purse, whatever. Do you really want me to put my purse on the floor? Really?
One of my biz mentors Robert Cromeans has always said, “It’s the little things.” And he is right. It is.
Every little detail that I experience with and about your brand matters. Both online and off. The look, smell, color, energy, vibe, sounds, all of it matters. So as the awesome quote from Jack Dorey says above, “make every detail perfect and limit the details to perfect.”
So today, I challenge you to take a walk around your business, both online and off, and check out your details. And while you are at it, be sure there is a hook in the bathroom.
Great marketing is all about telling your story in such a way that it compels people to buy what you are selling. -Gary Vaynerchuk
Here is the audio version of this post. Thanks so much for listening. Enjoy.
Gary Vaynerchuk knows things and even better, he shares things. He recently shared some insanely awesome infographics which simply break down some key facts about the social platforms we love, and our clients love. What I love about these is that they focus on awesome content examples that fit the context of the platform, which is key to true engagement, inspired by his latest and awesome book Jab Jab Jab Right Hook.
In this latest book, he uses the example of boxing where the jabs are the set up, the value we create by posting relevant and interesting content, and the right hook being the big punch, or asking for the sale. I love him and his brain. Consider this. Are you posting all jabs and no right hooks? Or all right hooks and no jabs? The sweet spot is more jabs than right hooks. Think about it.
Check out these super awesome infographics Gary created to help us share our story with the right content in the right context for the platform to provide value, build relationships, engage and ultimately make a sale. Brilliant.
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
So now its time to look at your content strategy. Are you jabbing on the right platforms? Right hooks? Storytelling? Is it time to re-think it? I want to know. Share your comments below or click here to share your thoughts with me. I’m listening and I care.
Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy.
Gifts are everywhere. Gifts can be found in the smallest things, and the grandest of experiences. I experienced some amazing gifts this past weekend as I set out on a Retreat with my friends and client Whole Body Method, a Pilates, Fitness and Wellness Studio in Los Angeles. While there are probably a gazilllion things I could share about the specialness of our time together, there were three gifts that really stood out to me.
Gift #1 Shattering The Routine A break in routine is good for the soul but even better for the mind. Can you relate to the term auto-pilot? I know I sure can. Routine to me feels natural, but also can be so limiting and keep us from new experiences. So when I realized that the Friday night Breath Workshop was going to begin right at my bedtime, I had a dilemma and a choice. Do I break my routine and be present, or fall back into the OMG I am so tired I have to go to bed? Well, I made the right choice for me, attended the Workshop, had some insane breakthroughs, and slept like a baby. Ahhhhhhhhh.
Upon arrival, it was evident we would not have any cell reception. None, zero. Hmmmmm. We had spotty wireless but in order to get it you would have to sit inside the main house, which while it was absolutely gorgeous, why in the world would I go on a Retreat and sit inside a house just to stay connected online? I actually loved to be unavailable via my phone because it helped me be completely available to the beauty and people around me.
Gift #2 Sights and Sounds of Silence I live in a very noisy world today, DTLA. I love noise, life happening. Energy. People creating. People suffering. All of it. I dig it. But there is something about absolute silence that is so healing. On the first day, I spotted the cutest lizard who brought me immediately back to childhood which inspired me to begin and almost finish the first draft of Chapter 1 in my next book, Untitled.
As evening fell and I was walking to my room, in the dark, I heard the loudest frog, which actually scared the crap out of me but also reminded me to surrender to my fears. Along with the frog was the most beautiful creek that created the most peaceful music and was a gentle reminder for me to go with the flow and surrender.
Gift #3 Look Up and Look Around
It seems like many of us move through our days and lives so quickly and almost unconsciously. It’s amazing what there is to see when we stop, look up and look around; the stars, the birds, the flowers, you know, nature. Even in the city, there’s a beautiful sky, buildings, people, art. Beauty is everywhere. If we just slow down long enough to look up and look around.
I was so inspired by not only the beauty around me but the possibility of sharing this experience with the Passion Squared community. My mind is racing and my soul is stirring with possibilities for a Whole Body + Whole Business Retreat in partnership with Whole Body Method in 2015. If that sounds as awesome to you as it does to me, click here and let me know you are interested. My dream is to have you to discover your own gifts of Calliote Canyon, just like I did. They will live in my heart forever. And for that, I am grateful.
Small business isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for the brave, the patient and the persistent. It’s for the overcomer. -Unknown
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Not everyone is meant to be a small business owner. And that is OK. There are leaders and followers, owners and team members. We each play a very important role in the world, no matter where we sit in it. After decades of working with and for owners, and now being one, I have learned a ton about what it takes to be an owner.
Confidence is a choice, not a symptom. -Seth Godin
Here is the audio version of this post. Thanks so much for listening. Enjoy!
Just last week I wrote about confidence when sharing the Creating Awesome Recipe. It seems I just keep feeling the pull to write about it more. Why? Because as I shared last week, to me, it is one of the biggest things holding back so many small business owners, particularly in the professional beauty biz. And it totally bums me out, since if that is really the only thing holding back greatness, why is it not talked about more?
So my marketing and biz guru Seth Godin wrote about it recently too, and I had to share, as I love his take on it… Here is what confidence means, taken directly from his blog…
“The batter has already hit two home runs. When he gets up to bat for the third time, his confidence is running high…
It’s easy to feel confident when we’re on a roll, when the cards are going our way, or we’re closing sales right and left. This symptomatic confidence, one built on a recent series of successes, isn’t particularly difficult to accomplish or useful.
Effective confidence comes from within, it’s not the result of external events. The confident salesperson is likely to close more sales. The confident violinist expresses more of the music. The confident leader points us to the places we want (and need) to go.
You succeed because you’ve chosen to be confident. It’s not really useful to require yourself to be successful before you’re able to become confident.”
I agree with Seth. And I would also add that yes, education is very empowering, knowledge does destroy fear as my awesome buddy DJ Muldoon shares with us, but in the end, you gotta believe. You gotta do what you gotta do to truly believe you can make it happen, that you deserve success.
I think the other myth is that believing and knowing are the same thing. To me, they are not. I believe that I can empower people. It’s what I do everyday. I believe it. But do I know for sure that what I share will empower people? Well, actually, no. I don’t know for sure. But because I believe it, I have a much better chance of choosing to show up, create and share myself with the people I love, with the belief that they will be better for having engaged with me. It’s why I wrote my book, Follow Your Heart, it’s why I wake up every day. Because I believe. What do you believe?
