by Kirby Hasseman
We all have days when we wake up feeling stuck. I do too. I wake up lacking the motivation to do nearly anything, let alone the important work that is often taxing and hard. So what do I do when that happens? I spent 10 minutes talking about a few tactics on a recent DMJ Podcast here. But one of the tactics I use is to push “good into my brain” first thing in the morning. I have a few “go to” places that provide me inspiration…and help to remind me to get after it. Here are a few I use…feel free to steal them!
6 Places I Find Inspiration
Seth Godin’s Blog: I don’t view Seth’s blog as “motivational” exactly. But it is a blog that shows up (every single day) and makes me think. I love that. And in making me think, it inspires me to be better. His blog is here.
Gary Vaynerchuk’s Daily Vee: There is no way I watch every Daily Vee. Gary produces so much content, I don’t know how (if you are grinding too) you could consume it all. BUT, it seems like when I do, he says something that reminds me or inspires me. His Youtube channel is here.
Casey Neistat’s Vlog: I love Casey’s shooting and editing style in his videos. So while many of them are not “inspirational” by nature, they do show me what I want to create. And Casey has a personality that is fun and charming too! Here is one of his latest videos…fun.
Jeff Haden articles: Jeff is one of my favorite writers on the interwebs. Apparently I am not alone because he is one of the top read writers on Inc.com and Linkedin. He also recently wrote the book called Motivation Myth which I really enjoyed. As a matter of fact I featured it on a recent article and podcast about the books I recommend here.
Grant Cardone: Grant can be a little over the top for me. But when I need a boost or a kick in the pants, he can be rocket fuel. If you are aspirational in your goal setting, Cardone can help you think bigger. Here is his Youtube channel.
John Lee Dumas: I have talked about being unreasonable before (here)…and JLD was definitely that. John Lee Dumas created Entrepreneur On Fire and interviewed a different entrepreneur on a podcast EVERY day. It’s impressive and he created a ton of valuable content. His website is here.
Speaking of inspiration…I loved this graphic and it originally showed up here: https://ukessay.com/. Thanks so much!
So these are just a few of the voices I go to in order to get me going. There are countless others that include books, podcasts, blogs and more. What are your sources of inspiration? Let me know! Oh..and if this blog is providing you some inspiration and value, subscribe to our VIP newsletter here!
by Kirby Hasseman
One of the toughest things about overcoming challenges in the present…is the past. It’s hard not to look at what you have already put in, what you have already done, what you have already sacrificed. You see that huge pile…and you can become discouraged and distracted. Unfortunately focusing on that “pile” is not helpful, or even, pertinent. There is a term in Poker called “Pot committed.” The idea is that you have already put so much of your chips into the pot, you feel like you have to see the hand through. Even if, intellectually, you know you don’t have the best hand. The emotion in “the pile” has you committed to finishing, even if you lose. But what if you started from today? Most decisions are not forever. I wrote about this here. This is a question that I find useful when I am frustrated about a project. Why? Because it does not discount the “pile.” On the contrary, it compliments it. It helps you look back at all of the experiences you have gained and say “Wow…look at how much I have learned! Look at what I have built!” But with those experiences, you know a lot more today than when you started. So if you were to start this journey today… *How would you begin?*What would you do first?*What would be your goals?*What would you do differently or change?*How could you make this project be successful or make you happy? By asking the question, “What would I do if I started from today?” it helps to reframe the discussion in your mind…with the experience. So if you have a project that is stalled, failing or frustrating you…what if you started from today? Let me know what you think! And as always, our goal is provide value to you through content. We are posting every day…so stop back. And make sure you never miss an update by signing up for our VIP list here.
by Kirby Hasseman
This is an excerpt from the book Delivering Marketing Joy. You can find that here.
“The person that gives the value first has the leverage.” Gary Vaynerchuk
We are living in a “Give First” economy. That is my belief. I believe that the person, salesperson, entrepreneur or company that has the strength to provide value first, will win…long term. The Give First economy does NOT mean the good old boys network. It does not mean that just because we play golf together you have to buy from me. It’s about value. It’s about providing more than you are paid for. It’s about doing business “the right way.” Push vs. Pull: Why? Because times have changed! Since the beginning of marketing and advertising, we have lived in a “push” world. The company that pushed their message out the strongest and the loudest won. But with the onset of the internet (and social media) that has changed. Consumers have the ability to tune us out. They have the ability to shut us off. The power in the relationship has changed. So we need to pull customers in. We need to “give first.”
“Life is an echo. What you put out you get back. What you give you get.” Zig Ziglar
But here is the great news, when it comes to Promotional Products: this plays right into what our Promo is all about. This medium is built on the idea that we provide something of value first, so that we might be able to earn your business. “Okay,” you might be thinking, “I believe you. I need to give first. But what does that mean?” Great question. We are going to dig into some real things you can start to do today in order to impact your business. But be forewarned, these are going to seem like common sense. They will seem simple. But here is a very important secret: simple is not the same as easy.
“The greatest distance in the world is the distance between “I know” and “I do.”
So let’s dig into the steps for building a business that succeeds in the Give First Economy.
Give Joy: That’s right. Give out Joy. The world needs more of it. Studies will tell you that 89% of everything you see in the world is negative. With social media and the culture today, my guess is that number should be higher. We are a culture that is drowning in the negative. That’s the bad news. But the good news is, it’s pretty simple to stand out. Just be positive. Give out Joy. By being the person that spreads good into the world, you have the ability to not only stand out…but to be the kind of person someone WANTS to be around. You will be different. And in the mind of the customer, better is not better…different is better. Pro-Tip: Do an audit of your personal social media pages. Look at the last 10 posts. If 4 or more can be “perceived” as negative, then you are likely seen as negative. Be on the lookout for ways to push out joy!
Give Praise and Thanks: Here’s a scary statistic: 69% of customers that leave you will do so because of perceived indifference. They will leave because they don’t think you care. Yikes. But you can do something about that. Take the time to send real thank you notes. Stop by when you are not selling something just to say thanks. Be grateful for your clients business. You be pleasantly surprised by the response. Pro-Tip: The best organizations and sales professionals send thank you cards. Most don’t. If you are not, start there. If you have mastered that, gather your client’s birthdays. Send them a birthday card…they will not be expecting that!
Give More Than They Pay For: Seth Godin says that if you want to be remarkable, you need do something worth remarking about! This is a simple, but totally under-used way to make people appreciate and remember you. Simply provide more value than your customer is expecting. When you do this, consistently, your customers will find you remarkable. Pro-Tip: The next time you have a large order, add a little “something extra” to it. Maybe this becomes a future sale…maybe not. But you will have provided more than they paid for…and that WILL pay off.
Give Content: This is a very important piece of the Give First success plan. That is why I post a lot about content creation. Social media and content (creation and curation) are great tools to use to provide value up front to customers and prospects. What does this look like? It might be as simple as sharing an article that would be helpful to your client base. It might be a fun video about your staff. It might be pictures of your team having fun. There are tons of ways that content can help you provide your customers and prospects value. What it is not is selling first. Too many entrepreneurs, sales professionals and organizations try and use social media to “push” their message out. You have likely seen them. They simply say “buy from me, buy from me, buy from me” and never provide value.
Pro-Tip: Think of ways to tell your story and provide value through content. Are you a writer? Do you like to take pictures? Are you a talker? Think about what you most enjoy…and get ready to provide value there. The fact is, there are tons of ways to win in the Give First Economy.
But what about the most obvious? Give Promo Premiums: Are you using promo to help to grow your business? We have been preaching that you need to provide value to your customers and prospects first…and this is the perfect tool. So before you go any further, its time to think about how you will use promo to grow your business. Pro-Tip: Create a quarterly appreciation plan for your Top 20% of customers. This will give you an excuse to reach out and provide value every 3 months. It shows them you appreciate their business and (when done right) provides a long term advertising piece right where they are.
If you need help on any of these topics, let us know. We would love to help you talk through it. And make sure you never miss an update, sign up for our VIP newsletter here. Oh…and if you want to just jump to shopping, you can head here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s July 4th and (in the United States) that means it’s Independence Day. For many of us that means cookouts, family get-togethers, fireworks and cold beverages. That is great. But as the halfway point of 2018 is here, Independence day also reminds me of a few more things. 1. Freedom to chase my dreams.2. Freedom to create my life intentionally.3. Freedom to give.4. Freedom to be happy. I find that halfway through the year is a great time for me to re-evaluate my goals for the year. How am I doing? Am I on track at all? This holiday in the middle of the week is going to serve as an opportunity for me to reflect on my goals…and how I am doing to create a happy life for me and the people I care about. My hope is, you are doing the same. So here’s to you! I hope you have a great holiday…and work to create real independence in your life. Good luck. Make sure you never miss an update by signing up for our email newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It started with a car ride to dinner. Several of our friends were driving together in a car for a night out. It was, unfortunately, after one of the many school shootings this year. It was a serious conversation, of course. And at one point, my friend Bill Potter said, “There has to be some thing we can do.” And after a lot more conversation, meetings and planning…we believe there is. P.A.S.S. is an organization we started to work with the schools to help make our children safer. Thankfully, our local school district (Coshocton City Schools) was already working hard to make the local high school safer. Principal Grant Fauver had a specific plan of action when we met with him. They were already poised to take some significant action (with significant cost). So we asked him: “What is the one thing you want to do, but don’t have the money to do right now?” Grant immediately replied, “Security cameras.” So that’s where we start. Our first project as P.A.S.S. will be to address those needs by adding 80 security cameras covering the inside and outside of the school. While this project is certainly on the radar for CHS, the funds to do this are not immediately available to them. We (P.A.S.S.) are committed to making this a reality as soon as possible through local support. The organization will be doing a formal fundraising campaign where we ask our community for funds to make this happen. As we have said, we feel that we have no greater responsibility than to keep our children safe. So we will be reaching out to major donors to help. But we want to give everyone a chance to participate. So we have started a GoFundMe page. You can give as much or as little as you want! If you feel the urging, please join the cause. Oh…and don’t forget about your chance to win a 55″ TV! My lovely bride Amy (and daughter Skylar) were on the Ellen show. You can see that below! While they were absolutely awesome on the Scary Go Round, they won this TV. Amy decided to donate it to the cause! You can buy tickets to win the TV AND support this cause as well! Buy some tickets. Give to the GoFundMe. Write a check. However you want to help, please do. Thanks for your consideration! Make sure you never miss an update! Most of the time we will NOT be asking you for money! We post new content here each day…so sign up for our VIP list here.
