by Kirby Hasseman
Social media can really be a wonderful thing. We get the opportunity to connect with people from around the globe and reconnect with people from our past. We get to share and communicate, and it gives each and every one of us a voice. But we all know that there are some things about social media that are not as good. People have a tendency to get themselves in trouble by making some pretty simple mistakes. So here are 7 things that you (or the people your organization) should STOP doing right away.
Stop Complaining About Work or Co-Workers: If you are complaining about your co-workers or your job, and you think they can’t see it, you are wrong. They will find out. It’s unprofessional. And if you don’t care that you lose your job, just keep in mind that your next employer will be checking social media on you too.
Stop Passive Aggressive Complaints: This is when someone is obviously complaining about something that happened but does not want to address it in person. “Some people should just stop…” or posts of the like. If you have a problem with someone, be a grown up and talk to them about it.
Stop Claiming Free Speech: The First Amendment was created so that we could speak out without fear of being imprisoned by the government…not for being a jerk on Facebook. You do have freedom of speech, but you don’t have freedom of consequences. Stop acting like you do.
Stop Looking for a Reason to be Mad: It seems like some people wake up each day searching for a reason to be outraged. If you look for reasons to be angry all the time, you will find them (this post for example). Stop seeking out reasons to be mad and you might actually get happier.
Stop Comparing Your Life to Others: The fact is, most people (myself included) sometimes put up our “highlight reel” on social media. We post the pictures that look great. We show our vacations, not the times we are crying in the corner. Just be better than you were yesterday…stop worrying if Frank is on vacation again.
Stop Saying “Woe is me:” We all have challenges, and social media can be a place to vent…sometimes. But if you are constantly complaining about your life, then stop it. Take that time and energy and go out and change it.
Stop Forgetting Social is Public: I am always a little amused when people are surprised that what they put on social gets seen by people. It’s a public forum. So when you post things, just understand that your co-workers, your boss, your customers and even your future employer can and will see it.
These are just seven things to stop, but it’s a good start. Let me know if we have forgotten any that we need to add to the list. Again, social media can be great. But be smart…and it can be even better.
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by Kirby Hasseman
Today is my dad, Rod Hasseman’s, birthday. So it seems appropriate to flashback to a piece of content I created about a year ago! Take a look. Take a listen. Enjoy!
In the past, I have taken a look at 5 Lessons we can learn from someone in the sports, business, or entertainment world. This week we stick with the “5 Lessons” theme but I get a little more personal. Today we look at 5 Lessons that I learned (and you can too) from my Dad. Listen in here.
Be a Reader: Many of you know that last year I read 50 books for business and personal development. My love and interest in reading was modeled by my dad. He was always reading and I learned early that if I wanted to be smart, I needed to read. Thank goodness for that!
Have An Open Mind: My dad was (and is) a very intelligent guy. But that does not mean he always feels like he knows all the answers. He is a questioner. He is a bit of a contrarian. I get that from him. In order to question opinions, including your own, you need to have an open mind. You need to be willing to admit when you are wrong. It’s not easy for anyone. But Dad was willing to sit back and say “okay…that makes sense.”
Have a Sense of Humor: One of the things I love about my dad is his laugh. Because he has a great sense of humor, I got to hear it a lot growing up. People love other people that make them feel good. One of the best ways to make other feel good is to make them laugh.
Be a Good Storyteller: Oh what a yarn he can weave! I grew up listening to Dad tell stories. It turns out that this is not just good for around campfires. The best marketers and salespeople are those that tell good stories. Remember…people buy stories, not just stats.
Be Willing To Re-Create Yourself: After a career in business and sales, my dad hit a bit of a wall when he moved back to Ohio. In order to make a living, he started a second career. He went back to college to get his Master’s in teaching and started over teaching High School. He has made the most of this 2nd career, but it’s tough to start over. Sometimes you have to be willing to re-create yourself for a better tomorrow!
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by Kirby Hasseman
In nearly every sales force you have three kinds of team members. You have your Rock Stars, the average performers, and the Laggers. And your success as a business is dependent upon working with (or not working with) the right groups with the right amount of time to grow your sales.
1. Rock Stars: These are the folks that are self-starters. They are driven. This group takes very little of your time to motivate and (most of the time) they are actually pretty low maintenance. There is not a need or want of any hand-holding (for the most part) because they don’t have time for that. They are working to get the next sale.
Sometimes they are so easy to deal with you might ignore them. Don’t.
2. Laggers: As one sales manager once told me, “You can’t push a rope.” Many organizations make the mistake of spending a lot of time with the Laggers. They are often very nice guys and gals (that’s why they were hired). And the tendency is, we think that if we “coach them up” they can turn into Rock Stars. Most of the time, this is fantasy. Raise your hand if this has happened to you…everyone!
3. Average Performers: The fact is, most of your sales team falls into this category. These are good sales members that have moments of “rock star status.” They just don’t perform at this level consistently. They very well could be “rock stars” but they are not…yet. One of the jobs of an entrepreneur, sales manager, or sales guru, is to raise the level of these team members.
But how do you thank and appreciate the Rock Stars and incentivize the rest? That is, literally, the million-dollar question. Let’s take a look at a few options…
1. Status Award: When it comes to affecting sales members’ behavior, a great option is to create Status awards they “wear.” This allows them to be reminded of their accomplishment nearly every day. It also shows the Average Performers who to model their behavior after. When thinking of a status award, think of the Green Jacket that is given to the winner of the Masters. What are some other ideas for status awards? Think of doing a cool custom watch. The average person looks at their watch more than 10 times a day. Make it a fashion statement and you have something they are proud to wear. Not a fan of a watch? No problem. What about a custom ring or a special shirt. You get the idea.
Make it cool and it will get the attention you desire.
2. Fun Award: Sometimes you can really have fun with the celebration! If you create a contest or incentive around lifestyle and the fun that success can bring, you might create awards that celebrate that. What do I mean, think about toting around a very nice Coleman cooler to every event this summer with an award message. What a great way to remind your team of their success (and get people to ask about it!).
3. Public Awards: Another way to make sure your sales team knows how they are doing is to create an award program that is a very public display of accomplishment. Read more on how to really do this right here. But when you create a public display, you can really give your sales team a way to showcase their own accomplishments to everyone that walks in their office! The other cool effect of these awards is that it tells all future customers that they are dealing with a Rock Star…and we all want that. If you want to dig deeper on learning how to create a program to help grow sales, just contact us here and we will reach out to you. In addition, you can shop online for other ideas here.
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by Kirby Hasseman
Whenever there is a milestone in the year, I find myself reflecting. I try to take a look back at the goals I set for myself this year. Am I close to accomplishing them? Am I on track? Most importantly, do I feel like I am really putting in the work to make them happen? No Excuses That last one is the hardest, of course. It’s really easy to look back at the year so far and name all of the reasons we are not on track. “Well it’s been a tough time for the family,” you might be saying. “The economy in our area has been sagging.” And here’s the thing, that all might be true. That’s the tough thing about excuses, they are often very real reasons. I get it. But this is a great time to ask these questions… 1. Did I really mean it when I set that goal?2. Do my actions show that I mean it?3. Can I do more to move me toward it? No matter whether the goal is for finance, faith, or fitness, that last one always gets me. Yes. I can do more. But don’t beat yourself up. Understand that most of us are in the same boat. So here are some quick steps to get back on track. 1. Renew Your Commitment: Spring time is a great time to take a deep breath and renew your goals. It’s a new season. Spend a little bit of “alone time” and make sure your mind is right to go after it in this next season of the year. 2. Review the Actions: Many people say they want to accomplish something, but have you thought about the specific actions you need to take each day to get there? If you have not thought these actions out, and then act on them every day, you will never consistently reach your goals. 3. Get It on the Calendar: I often say, “If it’s not on my calendar, it doesn’t exist.” As you get busier, it will be harder to keep things all in your head. Set your time to work on your goals. Whether it’s working out or making cold calls, you need to create a habit of doing the hard stuff. Get a time on your calendar when this happens so you can push through the times you don’t want to do it!
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by Kirby Hasseman
We all like to think we are good at saying “thank you” and giving praise. But it’s hard. We get wrapped up in day-to-day activities, and sometimes, it just gets away from us. But it’s so important to make sure people feel appreciated! Employees are more likely to stay where they feel appreciated…and so do customers. As a matter of fact, 69% of customers that leave you, say they leave you because of “perceived indifference.” That’s right, nearly 70% of your customers leave because they just don’t think you care! But how do you know you are saying “thank you” in a way that matters? Here are 3 tips to make the recognition (whether for employees or customers) stand out. Make It Personal: Whether it is your customer or your employee (or whoever) your people want to know the “thank you” really comes from you. If you are an employer, make your recognition public by making a big deal at a company meeting. If you want to thank a customer, take after one of my rock star customers McWane Ductile. They create custom awards (more on that in a moment) and get them in the hands of their sales team. Their sales team then takes the awards to personally present them to their best customers. They could mail them…but they choose to make it personal and get that one extra “touch.” Make it Custom: When you can, it’s amazing to create an award that is “just for them.” McWane wanted to create an award that recognized their top volume customers. So we worked together to create an award that incorporated their new branding AND called out the customer by name. This award was larger than life and really stood out to biggest customers. Make it Public: The final step in taking recognition to the next level is to make it public. McWane does this by creating an award that is perfect for public display. This has several benefits. First, it’s a constant reminder of the appreciation they want to show for their clients. And because it’s such a nice piece, it catches the customer’s eye on a regular basis. Second, it gives credibility to McWane’s customer! Anyone visiting them sees they are a big deal to be getting awards of this magnitude. Finally, it’s a nice marketing piece. Though this is not the purpose of the award, it creates a constant reminder of the relationship between McWane and their customer. It’s recognition done right. If you want more information on creating a custom recognition program, contact us here. If you want to shop online, feel free to click here to check out our site.
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