by Kirby Hasseman
It’s becoming a bit overwhelming, isn’t it? Studies have said that 89% of what you see in the world is negative, and right now that seems really low. Between COVID-19, Racial injustice, arguments online, and an Election Year, the level of negativity is off the charts. As a culture, we seem to be drowning in it. It makes giving out joy even more important than ever before.
Why Joy Is More Important Than Ever
In my book “The Give First Economy” I pointed out that the strategy of giving out joy was solid because it helped you stand out. If nearly 90% of what you (and your customers) see in the world is negative, then you can stand out by pushing out good vibes. This is still a powerful marketing strategy, in my opinion. In today’s world, however, it’s not enough. There is just so much heaviness, and anxiety, and worry, and hate surrounding us, pushing out joy can become more than that.
3 ways to become a Beacon of Joy.
Much like sailors lost in a rough sea, many of our friends and customers are struggling. They are fighting to keep their lives and their mental health on track. It can seem overwhelming. We need something to help keep us on track. We can act as that lighthouse in the storm for the people in our life. Here are 3 ways to be that Beacon of Joy for others.
Seek Out Joy
As I mentioned, our culture is drowning in the negative. While there are still stories of hope, you have be intentional to look for them. Make it a habit to look for joyful messages to start your day. Meditate on things you are grateful for. Spend time each day actively looking for the good in your life. The fact is, you will not be able to push out anything joyful if your brain is full of anger. You need to take care of yourself first. Spend some time each day to find something that brings you joy in the world. It’s there. But sometimes, you really do have to seek out joy.
Point Out Joy
When you see something, say something! There are people in every community doing good. Unfortunately, these people are often not lauded for their efforts. Be one of the people that shines a light on those joyful souls. Spend a moment (and sometimes that is all it takes) to say “thank you” to those that are working to create joy. In addition, be their cheerleader. Point out the good they are doing…even when it has nothing to do with you. Help them spread their message of good by pointing out the joy you see in the world.
Give Out Joy
If the world needs to see more joy, it’s time for you to be the light. Each of us has the opportunity to be a reason someone smiles today. Most, unfortunately, are not willing to do the work. You can be the beacon by looking for ways to breathe joy into people’s lives. You might do this be simply being kind. Or you might create videos or a podcast that meets people where they are. Despited the challenges facing the world today, there are so many tools that allow us to push out our message…if we choose to do it.
Today…choose to do it. Be a beacon of joy today. The world needs it.
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by Kirby Hasseman
Different times call for different solutions. We are in a different place than we were 12 months ago. So NOW THAT WE ARE HERE (I wrote about that here), what do we do? How do we find ways to go to our clients now? It might be time to invite your client to coffee.
Coffee with Clients
For those of us in sales (and we are all in sales), we need to create new ways to connect with our customers. That bad news is, it has become harder to physically get in the room with them. Some companies are banning travel, while others will not let anyone in the door! The good news is, many people are starved for human contact. So they might be more open to creative solutions in order to connect. Why not invite them for coffee?
The idea is pretty simple. Select your favorite mug or tumbler for coffee or tea. Send them a package with the mug, a K-Cup, and a note inviting them to join you for coffee over Zoom. You can each have a cup of coffee and re-connect while chatting about upcoming business needs for the rest of the year. Either way, you have created a powerful branding “touch” while showing your customers and prospects you can think creatively in the world we are in.
As a side note, make sure the coffee mug is worth keeping.
Everyone has coffee mugs. But if you give them one that is really cool, they will want to use your coffee mug instead. As we always say, the cost of an item is not determined at the time of purchase. The cost is decided at the time of use-age. We used this mug for this idea. I think they are functional and elegant.
Of course you could invite your client without the tumbler. But by adding this simple item, you will increase your response rate 10 fold. And you add a long term branding opportunity as well. Good luck…now go invite your clients to coffee!
As I said, we need to think creatively during this time. Using Branded Merchandise like this can be a powerful way to increase your effectiveness. If you want to dig deeper, check out this blog about how to Replace your cancelled events (anyone have one of those?) using branded merchandise.
If you want help creating a targeted campaign that will get results…please let us know! We would love to help!
by Kirby Hasseman
Nearly everyone has heard the saying “People buy from people they like, know and trust.” It’s often repeated because it’s true. But in the chase for sales and profit, even the best of us can lose sight of that. It’s ironic really. As we take our eyes off the ball of being human to chase the profit, we often lose both.
That being said, sales are still important. And during these strange days, we need to think creatively to still go to market. I have talked about that here before. That is why we have created this 5 Day Marketing Course. It’s free and you can sign up here. We have also created a Weekly series called Hasseman U where we give our customers access to our best suppliers. You can learn more about that (and sign up) here.
Thinking creatively about going to market is what led us to do a day of “Sprint Calls” too.
Everyone at Hasseman Marketing got on the phone to call and check in with our clients. We spent 2 hours last Wednesday calling as many customers as we could. And while anyone in business is always interested in sales, we took a bit of a different approach. It was more of a mental health check-up.
We asked a simple question “How are you holding up?”
And many of us were pleasantly surprised by the results. You see, it turned out this was not a sales call. This was a human check in. It (hopefully) showed we cared. Most of the time, as a salesperson, you can feel like you are interrupting, or a bother. This did not feel like that at all. As a matter of fact, many times we were on the phone for quite some time!
People are hungry right now for real human interaction. Yes, we have Zoom meetings. But how often do you dig below to the surface to really check in? I know I am guilty of just checking off the box so I can get to the next thing on my To Do List. But last week showed me that I need to take more time to be human.
I saw a shirt last week that stopped me. It’s said HUMAN*Kind. Be Both. Let’s take that into business this week. We might be able to do some good…and make some profit too.
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by Kirby Hasseman
I got this great question on Linkedin this week…and it occurred to me that it’s a question on many organizations mind. So I decided to post the question and my ultimate response to “What do I post now?”
Hey Kirby! Quick question for you – with all this protest stuff going in, my boss is suggesting we stop posting anything to social media as it seems like it will fall on deaf ears. We feel like “hey look what we have to say about tutorials & screenshots while all this other stuff is going on.” I personally feel like we need to move forward as i’ve been consistent & been building up our presence and don’t want to lose the momentum. I’ve been working for so long to build it! Curious what your thoughts & perspective is on this.
As I mentioned, I love this question. It’s thoughtful and self-aware. And I think your boss has a point about being mindful of the world around you as you go to market. You never want to come off as tone deaf when challenging times are around us. And if they mean you should take the day off, then I understand and could get on board. But overall I think it’s okay to continue to tell your story in a mindful and intentional way.
Serving Versus Selling
The question I always ask myself is whether or not I am going to market with a servant’s heart. If you are just “sell, sell, sell,” then your boss is right. You don’t want to look like a thoughtless jerk on 3am infomercials. But if you are being mindful of the times, then you can probably create content that serves people where they are…right now. For your offering, online training might be seen as more important than ever. In addition, there are some people that will be hungry for something else to see or think about. You could be providing a positive alternative.
What Are We Doing?
I always tell people that you can tell what I really think about Branded Merchandise by what I put my logo on. If I am willing to spend my money on it, I really like it. The same idea is true with content strategy. The most honest answer comes from the fact that we are continuing to create content. We are trying to create content and offerings that are appropriate for the time…but we are moving forward. We have even pivoted to create some Free Marketing Training because that feels right at this point.
The best content strategy, in my opinion, starts with Giving First. My hope is it will provide value to customers in a way that is meaningful.
In the meantime I am going to work hard to listen to my community to make sure I am not way off base.
Want more content to help you grow? Check out our blog page. We have new content all of the time! And if you want to dig deeper on giving first, you can check out my book on the subject here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Like many Americans, I am struggling right now. I don’t know what to say. The words don’t seem to match my feelings. I am frustrated, and scared, and sickened. And when these feelings bubble up, my initial reaction is to find someone to blame. That might be natural, but I don’t know that I can sit here and tell anyone else what they should do, say or feel. So I will focus on me. Let me start with an acknowledgement.
I am a part of the problem.
Like nearly every person, I have my own biases. I have opinions about people based on my past experiences. I judge people based on their appearances. I make snap judgements based on my feelings rather than logic. My decisions are often motivated by my own insecurities, fears and ignorance. I want to be better than that. But I am human.
I am a part of the problem…but acknowledging it is the first step.
The video of the George Floyd incident is one of the more disturbing things I have seen in quite some time. It sickened my soul. And while every person I know said it was terrible, I struggled with the idea of commenting on it. My silence was certainly not intended to condone anything. I was just hesitant of what I could possibly say to add to the discussion in a meaningful way. Let’s face it, as a white male in a predominantly white region, how could I possibly understand?
I can’t.. But I can understand right and wrong. And if that happened to a person I cared about, I too would be hungry for justice.
As I mentioned, I have my own personal biases. To be candid, I think we all do. These biases are natural. But they do not help with the current dialogue if they are left alone. If left unchecked and unchallenged, these biases become stronger.
I can certainly tell you I am not a racist. But I don’t know anyone that would say they are (at least out loud) so what good does that do?
What I do think is important for me to do is to take out these biases and talk about them. I need to inspect them. By authentically, honestly and openly discussing these opinions and fears (and make no mistake, many of them are based in fear) we take away some of their power. In between sensational video clips of riots, we are seeing some of that dialogue now, and it provides me hope.
So what can I do? I think acknowledging my bias is an important first step. Then I need to enter the conversation with an open mind and an open heart.
How can we make this better? I am not sure…but I want to help find an answer because I think our children (and their children) deserve better than this.
I am a part of the problem…but I am committed to making it better.
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