Sashay

February 28, 2013

I found an incredible site the today through one of the *many* newsletters that I subscribe to.

Newsletters that I scan quickly each morning looking for something that inspires me, gives me something I can use, or will possibly make me “appear” intelligent and unique to others. I say “appear”, because if you get all my newsletters, then you’ve already read about my “new thought/idea/shiny thing” from my secret sources.

Right about now you might be saying to yourself, “That’s a lot of pressure to put on someone’s newsletter!”. But really, if it doesn’t inspire me, give me something I can use, or make me feel smarter/more unique, why would I take my precious time to read it? 

This site made me stop. Laugh. Think. Laugh again. And imagine the possibilities… 

The site is DISORDERLY GOODS, and it was created by Los Angeles-based graphic designer Jane Chika.

Jane designs MERIT BADGES for Excellence In Life. The tagline: Life Is Hard. You Deserve A Merit Badge. 

And you know what? Life *is* hard sometimes! Things don’t always go the way you planned them, and sometimes you have to punt or go with Plan B. Or C. 

That being said, I want to take this time on the final day of February in the year 2013 to virtually award YOU with your first Merit Badge for Excellence in Life.

Badge No. 8 THE HEART – for giving a shit. 

Just in case no one has thanked you today for just being you, please accept this Merit Badge as a small token of our collective esteem. 

ps. It makes you want to drag out your old Girl Scout sash now, doesn’t it? (or as my Nana used to say, my *sashay*)

Enhanced by Zemanta
Lori Sallee POSTED BY: Lori Sallee| Leave a comment

Connect The Disconnected

December 20, 2012

CONNECT THE DISCONNECTED

POSTED BY: Administrator | Leave a comment

Space Shuttle to Mars—Now That’s Customer Service!

December 7, 2012

Starbucks, visionary leaders! 

I don’t go to Starbucks for the coffee. 

Let’s face it, I can pick up a coffee from the local Yum Yum Donuts down the street. Why is it that I’m willing to possibly go out of my way, wait in a line and pay more money for a cup of coffee? It’s all the details surrounding the actual purchase of said coffee.When I grab a cup of joe anywhere else I get just that, a cup of coffee in a styrofoam cup. The end. At Starbucks I get a coffee experience!

How Starbucks Builds Trust

Starbucks knows me. They know you. They know us so well, in fact, they’ve created an experience we didn’t even know we wanted. They took the simple act of selling coffee and turned it into an art form. That’s what building trust is all about. Getting creative. Going above and beyond to consistently surprise and delight those that you love. In business it’s turning the act of selling into the art of serving. Starbucks has done this successfully by paying attention to the details surrounding the coffee. 

Consistency – coffee how you want it every time in any store all over the world
Availability – locations everywhere, including the grocery and the airport
Atmosphere – relaxed, warm and inviting
Sound – familiar tunes and new artists provide background entertainment
Trained Associates – not just coffee servers, but baristas who know coffee
Extras – healthy snacks, hearty sandwiches and decadent confections that pair perfectly
App – find a location and pay with ease
Community – local flavor breeds familiarity
Rewards – spend money, get free stuff
Communication – consistently sharing what’s happening

Notice, I listed nothing about coffee—their claim to fame.

Experience a Connection

People buy from people. People buy an experience. Every company, whether B2B or B2C, is similar to Starbucks. The unique opportunity exists to create a more powerful connection at every customer touchpoint. Fascinate, surprise and delight, just like Starbucks. Doesn’t that sound like alot more fun than “selling”!

Creating this kind of experience takes more than just special cups and a fancy title for your sales people. It takes real planning. And not the kind that happens at the annual company budget meeting. It takes clear positioning, strategy, creativity and a willingness to step outside our comfort zone. In his bravest and most challenging book yet, The Icarus Deception, Seth Godin explains why true innovators focus on trust, remarkability, leadership and stories that spread. Starbucks has successfully created a trust by focusing on the customer experience. By being remarkable. By making their customers part of their brand story.

It’s time to re-examine every customer touchpoint and design a more remarkable customer experience, like Starbucks. It’s time to stop pleasing and start serving. Let’s surprise and delight in 2013. Whose with me?  

(Excuse me, I’ve got to finish my venti iced coffee with cream now—aaaaahhhh!)

Make your presence felt.

 

Allison DeFord POSTED BY: Allison DeFord| 1 Comment

Thank me now. Sell me later.

November 20, 2012

Thank You 

We’ve made the descent and are on approach — destination: Thanksgiving. That time of the year when our hearts and minds turn to all that we are thankful for. 

We express our gratitude to customers in various forms; phone calls, emails, cards and letters. Maybe even a ham. It’s all well and good when it’s heartfelt and genuine. But the minute it takes a nose dive into empty or salesy, the intention is lost and the opportunity to connect on a heartfelt level tailspins into a fiery explosion.

I experienced this just today. I received a message on Linkedin from a connection that I don’t know personally yet. I have admired this persons content and thought leadership and so I clicked open with great anticipation. And there it was! A sales message with a bit about Thanksgiving tucked neatly onto the end. My emotional radar just went haywire. And it didn’t help that my name was misspelled. Abort! Abort!

If you’re going to make it personal, make it personal. 

When showing gratitude, just say thank you.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity to give thanks. Thank me now. Sell me later.

P.S. Consider showing gratitude all year long. That’s how you can harness the real power of emotional connection.

 

Allison DeFord POSTED BY: Allison DeFord| Leave a comment

Keep Calm and Dare Greatly

November 15, 2012

Keep Calm and Dare Greatly 

Like you, I’ve crossed paths with some amazing speakers, authors and artists. I have indulged in their live presentations, poured over their written word and visually marveled at their raw talent on display. It isn’t very often, though, that I am moved so deeply that I reach out to them and say thank you. 

Recently, I had the great privilege of seeing Dr. Brené Brown live, talking about her new book, Daring Greatly. “Nobody wants to hear about shame!” That’s what 30 different publishers told her when they turned her away. After twelve years of researching the subject, Brown knew better. Now, after self-publishing, her third book, Daring Greatly, hit the New York Times Bestsellers List. Bet those publishers are kicking themselves now.

You could have heard a pin drop (in between fits of laughter) during Dr. Brown’s presentation in Santa Monica. She reminded all of us how the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. In Daring Greatly, Dr. Brown challenges everything we think we know about vulnerability. Based on her years of research, she argues that vulnerability is not weakness, but rather our clearest path to courage, engagement, and meaningful connection.

To say she’s inspired me is an understatement. I courageously reached out to her with a note of gratitude and a small sign I created, based on the popular British saying, “Keep Calm and Carry On.” She included it in her most recent newsletter, paying homage to our armed forces men and women for being vulnerable, courageous and for daring greatly.

What does vulnerability and daring greatly have to do with you? With marketing? With building products? We reinforce ourselves and our companies to keep vulnerability out. We tell customers what we think they want to hear instead of what would really serve them. Imagine what we could accomplish if we dared more greatly. One of my favorite movie lines of all time is from the recent, We Bought a Zoo. 

“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.”

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to pick up a copy of Daring Greatly. And if you ever have a chance to see her live you’re in for a real treat. Until then, you can enjoy her TED talk here.

Here’s to freedom! Keep calm and dare greatly!

Make your presence felt.

Allison DeFord POSTED BY: Allison DeFord| 3 Comments

Have A Conversation

November 14, 2012

 

be thankful 

Do you have 5 minutes to call one of your customers today?

Just pick one.

Certainly you have 5 minutes to call one of your customers today.

Not to talk about their account.

Not to tell them about a new product or service that you have.

Not because you want anything from them.

Call a customer and simply ask how they are.
How is their job going?
Everything okay with their family?
Share something that reminded you of them, or their business,
or the city that they’re located in.

If you run out of things to say in 5 minutes, wrap up the call with this:

You know, as we enter into the holiday season,
I’ve thought about what I’m thankful for.
Its been a rough few years for our country.
You’re one of the people that makes it possible for me
to support myself and my family.
So, I wanted to call and thank you.

Chances are most of the people you call will be shocked.

Isn’t it funny that this is the exception and not the norm?

_________________________________________

Make your presence felt.

Lori Sallee POSTED BY: Lori Sallee| Leave a comment