St. Jude's/ Fitness for a Cure Part 2....

A little over 6 months ago I wrote a post about the upcoming St. Jude's fundraiser I was attending in Massachusetts. The fundraiser turned out to be just as amazing as I expected it to be. That night the Fitness for a Cure Gala raised $300,000 and became the biggest fundraiser in New England. It’s no secret as to why when you consider Sherri Sarrouf and the people who are part of Fitness for a Cure. The thing that is really special about the group is that they don’t just organize a fundraiser a few months out of the year, they are involved with St. Jude’s year round and are always working to help make each child’s life a little better. One of the events Fitness for a Cure participates in is traveling from New England to St. Jude’s in Memphis, TN and performing dance routines for the patients and families. While they are there they interact with many of the families and learn about many of the children’s’ battles with their illnesses and their stories. One of the best parts about this group is that they take these stories home with them and not only share them with others (such as myself) but make an effort to stay in contact with many of the children they meet. Yesterday I received an e-mail about one of the patients they met while at St. Jude’s a few weeks ago and the story about their interaction. I’d like to share this story with you. While the Fitness for a Cure group was at St. Jude’s they met a 10 year old boy named Evan who is currently fighting stage 4 high risk neuroblastoma. One day while they were there, the members of the Fitness for a Cure dance team were able to show off some of their dance moves to Evan and his mom. Later on in the day his mom confessed it was the first time she’d seen Evan laugh and smile in weeks. They were able to attend the Fitness for a Cure performance the next day and spent the whole day with the team. As Sherri said, “It was one of those times where the family just wanted to stay with our team.” Eventually the Fitness for a Cure team had to leave Memphis but was committed to staying in touch with Evan. When they got back they heard he wasn’t doing well so they sent him a video. Evan responded and sent this video back. (If that doesn’t make you smile, I don’t know what will.) Last night the Fitness for a Cure team sent Evan a video back, a bad dancing competition for him to judge.(You know he’ll have fun with that!) Sherri and her team are the perfect example of what I was trying to convey in my previous post; what is truly means to build relationships with people. That is why Fitness for a Cure is so special. The relationships they build with children at St. Jude’s and the lives they touch are invaluable. I think that as business professionals, but more importantly as people we can only hope to build relationships as simple and special as the ones Fitness for a Cure does. If you want to follow Evan on his journey please visit his Caring Bridge site and say a prayer for him. The Thomason family greatly appreciates all of the prayer and support they receive.

Creating Content That Builds; Not Sells

One of the things I’ve always tried to focus on when putting together marketing materials for Topaz is not wasting anyone’s time. We send one e-mail a week, always on the same day (Tuesday) to our database. My goal is always to make it something relevant, something that could be potentially useful to the receiver and something I believe in. Being in a sales and marketing role sometimes you’re perceived as someone who will spew any information and hope someone grabs a hold of it and you can create a sale out of it.

One of the best ways I’ve learned about how useless “sales pieces” can come off is by receiving many of them in my own e-mail in-box and telephone voice mail. Every day I receive at least one sales e-mail or call from a representative at a company asking me to buy something or tell me more about it. These are a few of the things I notice from these calls and e-mails and a few mistakes I try not to make when marketing to our clients.

•Don’t e-mail or call me if I’m not part of the cliental that would ever do business with you. You have to at least do a little research to have a target audience. Don’t call me and ask me to buy a pool float when I audit corporate travel. I never fully blind e-mail or call anyone. I only contact those who are in our database from doing business with us, those who have contacted us or those who have a large corporate travel volume and who I think will genuinely benefit from our services. I also never call anyone before I’ve researched what they do and their previous business history with us. If you are going to blind call me, know something about me that is relevent to the call. I’m telling you, this extra quick research can make all the difference.

•Please make the subject line and at least the first couple sentences of your e-mail or phone call interesting. “Dir sir/madam,” “To whom this may concern” “Are you looking for any of the following….” DELETE. Use my name, ask me a relevant question specific to me, have a top 10 list….just something that at least makes me read the first paragraph of what you have to say! I try to focus on engaging our clients from the moment they see the subject line of the e-mail. There are many people that delete e-mails without opening them, so at least give yourself a chance by making the subject line worth opening.

•Don’t always ask me or tell me something, GIVE me something. I love getting free content, white papers, research, survey answers…..anything that I can use and learn from is clutch. I don’t have free content to send in every e-mail, but I at least send something of high value to my clients for free every couple of weeks. The weeks in between I try to at least ask them important questions, and communicate items of interest to them that they may not have known before.

•Let me unsubscribe! Don’t make me e-mail you and ask you to stop e-mailing me. Don’t waste your time e-mailing people every week that just delete your e-mails. Have an unsubscribe button so those not interested can do so in a quick and easy manner!

•Always have a call to action and multiple ways to reach you! If someone is interested in what you have to say they want to know what to do next. I always try to direct our clients of what to do next if they like what they see. I also list every possible way to reach us including e-mail, phone number, website, and all of our social media sites. The easier you make it for people to reach you, the quicker they will.


•Believability: If I think you believe in something and are sincere about it, I’m much more likely to believe in it also! It’s the language you use, the way you write, the way you format your e-mail…it all affects believability. Focus on this, even if it takes a little extra time!

I always want my clients to know that I am sending them something because I believe they may be truly interested in it, I’ve retrieved their contact information from a reliable source and think they are a good target for what I am sending. I want to grab their attention from the moment they see it and hope to creatively ask them the right questions. I genuinely enjoy giving them free content they can use because that is how you build relationships. Not by selling, but by gaining trust from those in your target market that what you do is valuable, the service you provide is superior, and that you genuinely believe your product or service can help them. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. If they don’t want to read our content, I will not be offended if they unsubscribe. It saves us both time and money! I actually appreciate it. The one thing I would add to an unsubscribe button is a “reason box” which asks why the client unsubscribed. I’m all for learning from your own clients! Listening to the negative to create positive change! I want all of our clients to find contacting us extremely simple. I want them to know I will always pick up a phone, return a voicemail, respond to an e-mail, respond to a question on Facebook or our website…whatever it is; I always try to respond as promptly and as informatively as possible. I believe in what Topaz does. I believe what we do genuinely helps our clients and is something that no one else can do as well as us. I hope that comes across in every piece of “marketing material” I send out. In the end, most importantly, I want to build relationships with our clients, not just sell. I think building those relationships eventually creates sales, as opposed to trying to sell someone and then have a surface level relationship to complete the transaction. I look forward to meeting new people, working with them, gaining their trust, and allowing them to see what I see in Topaz.

Risk

I believe that taking risks is a good thing. Of course, I should specify calculated risks. I’ve taken many different risks throughout my life involving many different things. I think I got this instinct from my parents. However, it’s funny looking back comparing my own risks to those of my parents. When my parents were 25 and 32 they were taking risks that I’m not sure I would have the guts to take now or in 10 years.
When my mom was 25 she and my dad decided to build and open a restaurant in south Nashua, NH. Both my dad and mom had a background in the restaurant business, working in them and managing them for many years. My parents made good money at what they did. However, to continue their dream of opening their own restaurant they had to be willing to give up everything to finance their project.

In 1984 my mom’s father and grandfather both died unexpectedly within a month of each other; she had a pre-mature baby (my older sister) and lived in an apartment with my dad and his two sons,with frequent visits from my grandmother and my great grandmother. Her and my dad had one car between them. As my dad would say, “They didn’t have two sticks to rub together.” They financed the opening of the restaurant and were almost at their breaking point when they opened the doors. However, it was their dream and a risk they knew they wanted and had to take at that point.

The restaurant was a huge success. My parents went on to build their own home, have their second child (me), stay in business 18 years, (Before selling to Hooter's) and help put four kids through college. There were definitely years at the restaurant that were better than others, but my parents always kept working hard and persevered until better times and continued to take calculated risks.

After my parents sold the restaurant they went on to find careers as a realtor and a mortgage broker. Both of their salaries are based entirely on commission and they are doing just fine. There is something about risk that I think keeps flowing through your blood. Once you take your first big risk and succeed it's like you're no longer scared to fail. You're ready for the next one, the next one, and the next one. The combination of not being scared to fail and being a hard worker are deadly, unstoppable.

I think at the end of the day if we really want to do something worth doing, it’s probably going to take some significant risk. If you look at some of the most successful people or the people who brought some of the most significant technology to the world; they all took significant risks. How would YOU like to stand outside with a kite and a metal key in your hand during a thunder and lightning storm? I'm glad someone did.

We all have passions we will want to pursue and struggles we will face trying to pursue them. We will all have risks we’ll have to decide to take throughout the process. At the end of the day, you’ll most likely regret not going after the things you dream about. Don’t be scared to not have “Two sticks to rub together,” for a while; It’s a common part of a great risk.

Learning Lessons from The King

Through all of his debauchery there are a few things we can learn from King James.

James came into the NBA straight out of high school. While his basketball skills proved more than ready, it seems he was missing out on some of the maturity he needed. Whether that be his “decision” making skills, communication skills, PR skills, Hiring the correct people who can help you in these areas skills...Lebron was obviously greatly lacking many skills he needed to be truly respected in the NBA. The first thing LBJ taught us: Know when you’re ready for something and know when you’re not. Know what the “entire package” entails and be ready for every aspect of what you commit to, not just one. You can be the most talented player in the NBA, but with the worst attitude, not a lot of people are going to be buying your jersey.

When Lebron asked ESPN to give him an hour to make “the decision,” some think that was his worst career move yet. I mean, it can’t get much worse? Or can it? Not to mention he tried to say the entire production was to raise money for children. I think he has enough money to simply hand it to the Boys & Girls club and doesn't need an hour on ESPN to do it. Just sayin'. How does he explain the charade of him, Bosh, and Wade at the American Airlines arena strutting down a platform last July to show off the “new trio?” If you’re going to be good at something, be humble about it. With anything you do, no matter how good you are, you have to be humble. The humble professionals always win the hearts of those around them. Thanks for reminding us the hot heads usually lose the fans, Lebron. You never saw Jordan or Bird pulling these kind of shenanigans.

Once Lebron had committed to the Miami Heat he guaranteed an NBA championship. (Actually, more than one..) I don’t think I need to describe what happened next. This one is simple….don’t overpromise. I mean, really.

LBJ’s quote of the year came last night when asked by the media what he thought about the people who wanted him to fail:

"At the end of the day, all the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day, they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today, They have the same personal problems they had today. I'm going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that."

So basically your response to “fans” after not winning an NBA championship you guaranteed, “Oh well, I’m still rich, and you’re still poor compared to me.” YIKES. Talk about a communications blunder; one of about a million this year for James. I think we can all learn two simple things from yet another awful interview for Lebron: 1. Think before you speak. 2: Don’t drastically insult or mock those that support you and pay your salary on national television.

It’s sad, really, when you think about it. A phenomenal basketball player, but in so many ways, doesn’t know what it takes to truly be a professional. Oh well, at the end of the day, he had to wake up a loser today, not me; Looks like he needed to bring a little more talent to South Beach.

Big VS Small Companies

It is interesting to think of people’s perceptions of big vs small companies. I think most of the time people get worried about working with smaller companies that may not have the best or most advanced websites. What will the service be like? Can I rely on them? What if they do not meet my expectations, is their any liability?
Many people often stick with larger companies whose brand they recognize, whose website is advanced, and whose policies are set in place.

What I’ve learned over the last year is that often times I end up receiving better customer service, a better product or service, and relability with small companies then I have with larger companies.

This year at Topaz we’ve taken some time to search out a few suppliers whom we had never done business with and who only had a few employees each. Some we found through their websites, and some through referrals.
Here are a few examples of small companies we’ve worked with over the last year who have really impressed us:

Nils Myers-152 West Productions: We hired Nils from across the country on a website search, without a referral. Yes, most people would call us crazy, but after looking through his website and speaking with him on the phone I just had a good feeling. Our CEO Brad was going to be giving a presentation in California and we needed a videographer in that area. We hired Nils to film Brad and then edit the videos so we could use them on our Youtube channel and for other marketing purposes. Nils was professional from the beginning of the transaction until the end. He was timely throughout the entire project and presented us with great video footage.

Kim-Seven Thirty Three Custom Blog Design: I needed an up-grade to my blog design and I needed it bad and quick. Kim to the rescue! I heard of Kim through a friend’s blog who had her blog re-designed by Kim. I quickly browsed through Kim’s website and portfolio and knew she was the designer for me. Within 48 hours Kim had my blog re-designed exactly the way I wanted it. Her operationally efficency from deposit, to design, to final payment was flawless. She is talented and knows how to run a business, a deadly combination for success.

Jim Meegan-Jim Meegan Video Productions: So full disclosure here: Jim is my brother-In-law. However, that is not why I chose to have him do our videos. I would never suggest someone to my boss who I didn’t think would do a phenominal job. Jim is a videographer in the Boston area who does a variety of videogprahy work from weddings, businesses, events, education, etc. He is also a videographer for every Boston Red Sox home game. I knew from seeing Jim’s work that he would produce something amazing at a great price. He rented a studio and filmed segment videos of Brad and I to use as marketing pieces on our website. He even showed up with a teleprompter. Jim comes highly recommended, not from a family member, but from a satisfied client. Check out his work for yourself on his blog.

Amber Singleton Riviere-Give Back Project Amber is in charge of a really neat project that offers marketing, website analysis and design services to small businesses and entrepreneurs at a low cost. Her goal is for the entrepreneur to eventually be able to be self reliant and up-date the site themselves. She has a great portfolio and great testimonials. We had her analyze our website to get her professional opinions on possible revisions. She responded promptly and with insightful ideas. Amber has a great mission and continually succeeds at fulfilling it.


To all of the small businesses above, thank you for all of your great work. You are the true definition of how sometimes small companies do better work than big companies and are just as, if not more reliable.

Too Fat to Fly?

I read an interesting article today/watched an interesting video.

The article was about two women who were about to get on a Southwest flight but were told they were, “Too fat to fly.” Apparently the Southwest employee was very rude to them and not discrete.

One thing I learned from this article that I never realized was that Southwest actually has a policy that if you can’t fit in the seat (more than 17” wide) you have to buy two seats. I found this pretty interesting because I always thought that was a sensitive subject but never knew a policy addressing it actually existed. Here are some questions I have:

-What if someone buys one seat, gets to the airport, is wider than 17” and there are no extra seats left for them to buy? Can they not get on the flight?

-Which part of the body are they measuring for 17” wide? I know there are some people with some pretty broad backs’ and shoulders out there….

-If they buy two seats could they buy the aisle and the window…so the person in the middle is still next to them anyways?

-How do they represent the second seat is reserved?

-Where is this policy on the Southwest website? I couldn’t find it. I even tried to book a flight and read the “rules” before purchasing my ticket.

I’m definitely interested in learning more about Southwest’s policy and how it works operationally, as well as learning about other airlines with policies addressing this issue.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

Social Media Version 2.0?

I’ve been thinking more and more about social media lately, specifically some changes I’ve noticed. I think part of my attention has been focused on this due to the recent events happening in the world. When major news stories break it seems everyone has something to say about it, whether on their Facebook statuses or through Tweets. I still think one of the coolest things is finding out who the first person to live Tweet about something is right as it has happened. I think back to the first Tweet from the US Airways crash on the Hudson and the most recent Tweeter @ReallyVirtual who realized, “Uh oh, now I’m the guy who live-blogged the Osama raid without knowing it.”

One of the things I’ve been recently considering is coming out with version 2.0 of my e-book "Social Media: Tools, Applications and Measurements for the Corporate Travel Industry." Or I’m thinking instead of writing version 2.0 of that book, I may just start a new e-book about social media in general. Possibly addressing the amount of changes that have occured over the last two years. It seems so much has changed and so fast. I wrote that version less than 2 years ago and sometimes I feel social media changes on a daily basis.

Another thing about social media is that it seems everyone has an opinion on it. Frequently, those opinions are very different. Often the sites we like best or find most useful are simply personal preference, simply what we’re willing to dedicate our time too. However, the one thing I think that will always remain the same is that the ultimate goal of social media is to engage people. Whether that is current clients or just random everyday people. People remember the people and brands that engage them. They remember things that actually make them want to stop and look, listen or participate.

What do you feel has been the most engaging social media campaign so far in 2011? Recently I came across this Tostitos Facebook campaign that I think is really neat and defines engaging. What a cool way to get people involved.