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Electric Impulse Communications, Inc. Newsletter
November 2006
- Herbie's Helpful Hint
- Mishmash of Value:
- Branded Space or Space With a Brand
- All Coffee Is Not Created Equal
- And You Think a Coach Doesn't Matter
- Running for Office
- Bill Gates and Invisible Value
- Case Study:
- Live and On TV
I. Herbie's Helpful Hint (named after my Dad)
This is a newly named feature in honor of my dad. My mom is the only
one who ever called him Herbie. My dad liked clarity, simple clarity.
So this section will always have a concise helpful hint.
Hint: Does your home have a carbon monoxide detector, on each level?
We only had one, but last week it saved our lives.
II. Mishmash of Value:
1. Branded Space or Space With a Brand
I knew I wanted my office to say even more of a statement than it
presently says. Although I had it faux painted seven years ago,
I wanted it to say more about my Brand. So I researched why: what
results was I seeking? I ask you the same questions that I asked myself:
Is the name on your door the only way that your office space is branded?
Is the interior of your office or building consistent with all the other ways
that you communicate your message?
Lesson Learned:
Some experts say it is all about the feeling of connectivity between you or your staff and the clients when the client comes in:
focus on the ideas rather than the personalities and egos.
Come and see my new branded office, finished November 5.
2. All Coffee Is Not Created Equal
Thank goodness my four weeks of exile are over. You may have heard me say that I'm a gas station coffee girl. Specifically, Speedway coffee. Then my gas station down the street from my office closed for 4 weeks. I searched for a replacement because certainly it can't be that hard to replace gas station coffee. It was.
Lesson Learned:
If a 99 cent cup of coffee can be made different, so can you and your company. What small ways can you make your product, service, or idea different from your competitors?
3. And You Think a Coach Doesn't Matter
On October 22 the Browns were really bad. Really, really bad. One week later, on October 29, they scored 20 points, looked like a real football team, appeared to have a semblance of an offensive plan, an interception here, a catch there. And as an added bonus, they even won. What changed? Only two things: the offensive coordinator and the opponent.
Lesson Learned:
Midweek the Browns offensive coordinator was replaced or fired, whichever story you choose to believe. (by the way, one reason he was removed was his “communication skills") Books have been written and arguments made about the role of a coach. How much credit or blame do they deserve? After all, coaches don't block or kick. Seems to me the Browns 20-13 victory is related to a new coach. How would one help you?
4. Running for Office
At this point in the fall campaigns, negativity clogs every political commercial. As the New York Times says, Americans once again will hold their noses and vote. Most candidates say they will stay positive, and then say the other guy made me do it.
Lesson Learned:
If I was Queen for the campaign season, I would implement these rules: Never mention the opponent. Don't talk about the opponents policies. Don't question the opponents character. Don't talk about votes the opponent cast. Run for something rather than against everything.
5.Bill Gates and Invisible Value
Everyone knows the Bill Gates story, he left Harvard to start Microsoft. What I did not know was "the rest of the story." In his junior year, he and his brilliant band of classmates saw the future of computers. They saw it so clearly that they felt they did not have time to finish their degrees. What actually happened, he said in a recent interview, was that it took the rest of the world about a year and a half to catch up with their vision of the value of computers. Had he known that he said, he may have stayed and finished his degree.
Lesson Learned:
Sometimes our value is so clear to us that we think it is that clear to everyone. There is value in an objective resource that does not drink the same "Kool-Aid." Your challenge is to be ahead of the curve, but not so far ahead that you go broke waiting.
III. Case Study: The Movie The Pursuit of Happyness
Situation:
Company president had important presentation to give. In the past, president's nervousness and incorrect focus has gotten in the way of own message.
Process:
First we prepared by increasing president's understanding of the speaking process. There is more involved in a successful speech than what the audience sees that day. The most challenging work was done one-on-one with a live mike, podium, and empty ballroom. No place to hide.
Results:
Once the president was able to come out from behind the podium, this president owned their message and the room. While the one-on-one coaching was difficult, the rewards were and will continue to be great
Lesson Learned:
Presenting is hard work, with worthwhile results.
Return to Index
IV. Live and On TV
TV Time/Warner Civic Forum of the Air
TV Time/Warner Civic Forum of the Air
Channel 23 – Leslie Ungar host
Airs: Sunday at 6 pm, local on demand
November 26/An Interview with the New KSU President
Dr. Lester A. Lefton
November 12/Cavaliers Season Previewed
Campy Russell
Consider this your personal invitation to attend: Live
November 9 Solon Rotary noon, Find Your Competitive Edge
November 14 Portage Career Center, How Winners Sell