by Kirby Hasseman
Fact > Opinion Here’s a troubling thing about social media and our culture today. We have blurred the lines between opinions and facts. I tell you this and it’s a FACT! Careless Whisper is a terrible song! I mean, what kind of lyric is “Guilty feet have got no rhythm,” anyway? It’s so bad! Though I stand by that statement, it’s my opinion. It’s not a fact. And one of the biggest challenges I see to real truth telling in the world today is that (ever more) blurred line. It certainly starts with our traditional media. At one point, our news was brought to us at 6pm and 11pm and was designed to be informative in nature. Here are the events of the day But what media companies have discovered is that controversial opinions move the needle on viewership…and eyeballs mean advertising dollars. So more and more of what you see on the “news” is simply someone’s opinion on the events. It’s a line that has become difficult to see if you are not looking for it. But it’s not the media’s fault, my friends. It’s ours. Why? Well first of all, the media is a reflection of what interests us. If we stop watching, and ratings plummet, they will change. They are a business. So if we continue to gobble it up, they will continue to serve us. That’s part one. But maybe more importantly is what we do with the information that is served to us. What do we do with it? So often, we take the information at face value, with no research or thought, and we regurgitate it. Hateful and deceitful and, at the very least wildly biased messages get shared again and again. That, my friends, is not the media. That’s us. And you might say that “it’s the same for both sides of any argument.” You would be right…sort of. The fact is, more and more today we can shut out any voice that does not agree with us. We can block them on social media. We can watch only the the networks we agree with. We can attend only the events that rally our emotions. It becomes an echo chamber and that sort of distorted information channel is dangerous. What does this mean for you? It means, most likely, you have really strong opinions on most matters. They might even FEEL like facts. But have you really listened to both sides? Have you really dug in? Have you really done the research to understand the specifics? If so, cool. Let’s talk about it. I will probably still view it as your opinion…but at least it will be an educated opinion. If not, do us all a favor. Keep it to yourself. It’s time to get educated each week! Sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
I stopped in the office of a friend the other day to talk to him about the latest and greatest offerings we have.
It was a sales call…and it was unannounced. I had hoped to “pop in” and chat with him quickly before moving on with the rest of my day.
But when I walked in I could tell his energy was pretty low. His eyes looked tired. So I asked him what was going on. He proceeded to talk to me about some tough things that were going on in his personal life. The more I listened, the more I realized that he did not need for me to solve anything. I just needed to listen. So we just talked. During the half hour conversation, I tried to offer some words of encouragement, but mostly I just was a person to talk to. Then we discussed getting together later for a coffee or a beer. I left without trying to sell him anything.
Sometimes as a salesperson or an entrepreneur, we can get caught up in chasing our goals and trying to create the life of our dreams. It’s a noble pursuit. But sometimes the best thing we can do to create the life you want is to just “be human.” Take a moment. Take a breath. Listen. Be a friend.
Sometimes that’s the best sales strategy of all.
Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter here. Our goal is to provide you value each week, so we put all of the content we create in one email. Get on the list here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s a great time of year to adjust the thermostat. One of my favorite concepts I have heard recently has to do with a thermostat. It seems appropriate now as the temperatures fall in Ohio…but it’s not THAT kind of thermostat. It’s a personal thermostat. Ed Mylett says that each of us has a personal thermostat. It is set to a certain “temperature” that is determined by what we think we are worth. So if we think we deserve a 75 degree life, we tend to keep our thermostat set at 75 degrees. The good news is, if we fall on hard times (and our temperature drops) we will work hard to get that temperature back up. The bad news is, if things start going really good (and the heat starts to rise), we will likely start to cool things down. This is when we find ourselves outside of our comfort zone…we naturally want to get back there. So how do we “fix our thermostat?” Mylett says there are two ways. Change Who You Hang Around With: Jim Rohn said that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. It’s true. So if you want to increase your thermostat in life, spend time with those that are at a higher temperature. If you are regularly with 100 degree people, you will find yourself being more comfortable raising your heat. Change Your Actions: I love this one because it’s totally in your control. You just have to get over the voice in your own head. So if you normally think 10 sales calls is the max you can do in a day, make it a goal to do 100. Maybe that seems absurd. But if you can increase your activity level and show yourself you can do it, it can help you tell yourself a new story. If you continually do things that people at a higher temperature do, you will soon see your thermostat begin to change. So what is the area in your life that you want to change the thermostat? Where do you want to change? Start looking at the people in these areas that you can spend time with and the actions you can take to push you to the next level. Now is a great time to join thousands of people that are looking to increase the setting on their thermostat! Join our VIP newsletter here. We send one email per week to give you all of the content we create in once place.
by Kirby Hasseman
I was talking to an employee of a local retail establishment several years ago. She was a nice woman, and she had some fairly strong opinions about how a local festival event should be run. She was singing a normal refrain in these types of conversations. Sing it with me: “They should…” “They should make the hours longer.” “They should promote it more.” “They should have more food.” “They should have more dates.” Ironically, I had just come from a meeting about this event. So after about 5 minutes of listening patiently I said, “I am a part of ‘THEY.” We are starting a group called ‘WE.’ And ‘YOU’ are welcome to be a part of it.” She didn’t understand at first. So I explained that this group was not an exclusive club. It wasn’t happening in a dark secret room. It was a gathering of unpaid volunteers that could use some help. She could become “they.” I have never talked to her again. That’s how it works so often. There are those that have lots of loud suggestions. And there are those that “do.” She was a nice person and had some interesting ideas. But the moment someone mentioned that she might have to execute on them, she went missing. The problem with the word “they” is it is victim thinking. If we can blame someone else, then it can’t be our fault. If someone is holding is back, it’s not worth trying. And if we don’t try, we can’t fail. But the moment we join the fight, it might not work. So it’s easier to blame. It’s easier to wait for “they” to fix it. Here’s the thing…”they” are not going to fix your situation, your community or your life. And here’s the other thing…it’s not their job. It’s yours. Here’s a question to ask instead: “What can I do?” In almost any area, you can do something to improve a situation. Whether it’s your community, your fitness, your career or your relationships, you have the ability to do something. Figure out a way to decrease the distance between “I can” and “I do.” And stop blaming “they.” It’s up to you. Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter today!
by Kirby Hasseman
There is a difference between “Mentors” and “Heroes.” A mentor is someone who is actively working with you to help you grow in a specific endeavor. Our industry has a great organization that is actively working to connect mentors and mentees, called PromoKitchen. A hero is someone you admire from afar. You might study them and try and emulate them. But they might not necessarily know you. They can have an impact, but it’s usually not face to face. Today though, on Delivering Marketing Joy, I get to interview one of my Heroes, Seth Godin. You can find that interview here. He has a new book out called “This is Marketing.” What was interesting about this interview was in my preparation. You see, unlike most all of my guests on Delivering Marketing Joy, Seth did NOT want the questions in advance. In addition, I knew he had a book coming out…but I did not know what it was about. So while I had a few questions cued up, most of this interview was off the cuff. This would be somewhat nerve-wracking anyway. But since it was with one of my heroes, it was especially scary. The great news for me, is Seth was incredibly kind and gracious. Afterward, he even complimented me on the questions since I did not know what we were going to be talking about. It was the equivalent of me patting my puppy on the head for going outside. “Good boy!” And I was thrilled with the encouragement. So please check out the interview here and let me know what you think! Make sure you never miss an update! It’s time to sign up for the VIP newsletter now. Each week we collect the content we create, and put it in one easy to read email. It’s easy...and you can sign up here.
