by Kirby Hasseman
It was a cold, dark morning.
This morning, when I heard the puppy whimpering, it was early and it was dark. It was about 10 minutes before the alarm was set to go off, so I turned the alarm off and walked out to let the dog outside. I wiped the sleep from my eyes as I tried to attach the leash to Fin’s collar. I would just let him out, but he cannot be trusted. So I hooked him up and walked outside…and wow!
It was cold!
The cold burst of air hit me and I realized I should have put on more than a t-shirt. Then as I stepped off the porch and felt the cold, wet drops on my neck. It was more snow than rain, but either way, it woke me up in a hurry. I was cold. I had no coffee. I was getting wet and standing in the dark. Ah…the glory of owning a puppy!
That’s not what you think of when you make the decision to get a dog is it? You think of taking walks with your new buddy. You envision cuddling up and taking naps together! And don’t forget playing catch. It will be SO much fun! And here’s the thing, you do have those moments. But they are not the ONLY moments. You have to do the cold, wet mornings in the dark too.
Building a Business Is The Same
The same is true for for building a sales career or a business. We often spend a lot of time envisioning how great it’s going to be. We think about the freedom. We consider being our own boss. We run the numbers and think about the big money you are going to make! But we don’t always consider the after hours work. We don’t think about the stress or the number of people that are depending on you. We don’t always think through what happens when the numbers don’t look good.
In those moments, it can feel like you are alone, in the dark with a cold rain on your neck. It’s not always as glorious as people make it out on the internet. Being an entrepreneur can be hard and lonely.
But there’s good news within this dark cloud.
There is Good AND Bad
I am not working to be a downer. In everything there is good and bad. It’s just better to understand that. It’s important to know that there will be times that are tough in any endeavor…and that’s okay! Don’t get down that there are tough times. Just know that better times will come if you keep after it. Which leads nicely into…
Most People Are Not Willing To Deal With The Bad
The fact of the matter is, most people want the puppy but not all of the headaches that come with it. The same is true with building a business. They see the outer success and would love that. But most people are not willing to do what it takes. They are not willing to put themselves out there. So if you are, you are 100% ahead of the game.
Accept that there will be tough times. When you do, they don’t surprise and overwhelm you. Then you have the energy to put in the work that others are not willing to do.
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by Kirby Hasseman
It was several years ago and I had just come from a community meeting. I walked into a local retailer and started talking to the nice woman behind the counter. The topic changed to the local “First Fridays” event that was hosted on Main Street.
The idea of the event was simple. The First Friday of each month, retailers would stay open later, there would be food, and entertainment on Main Street and (hopefully) people would come down and enjoy. I loved the concept of the event and was involved with helping to plan it.
The woman started to make suggestions about the event. It went something like this…
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“They need to have it earlier in the day.”
“They need to start it sooner in the year.”
“They need to have more food.”
They. They. They. They.
Having just come from a meeting about First Fridays, I stopped her.
“Here’s the thing. I am a part of “they.” We are starting a new group called “we.” You are welcome to be a part of it.”
She had a confused look on her face, so I explained. “It’s not an exclusive group. We don’t get paid. Frankly, we don’t often even get invited! It’s just a group of people willing to do something.”
The conversation ended there.
That’s how it happens so often. There is a long list of people willing to bitch, moan and complain about things. This group does not like how things are and are willing to tell everyone about it. But when asked to help, they get quiet or disappear.
Don’t be that guy or gal.
If you see something that you are frustrated with in your community, start considering what YOU can do about it. Sure, it might be calling “the authorities.” But it might be something you can do on your own.
Are they weeds too high downtown? You could pull them.
Does one of your neighbors let their grass grow too high? You could help them mow it.
Is there trash along the side of the road? You could pick it up.
You may not want to. You may even be thinking “that’s not my job.” Maybe not. But you COULD do it. So if you could do it, and you don’t do it…it’s a choice.
The same is true for any area of your life. If you want something to change, you could wait around for someone to change it for you. Or, you could figure out what needs to change, and take action yourself.
It’s your choice. Choose wisely.
by Kirby Hasseman
I was on the phone with our web designer, Eric Dingler, the other day and I realized something. Eric just finished a new web design for a client and we were talking about re-designing our own site as well. He was listening to my ideas on things I wanted to include and making suggestions. Then he spent some time telling me about website podcasts he listens to, and their advice on the matter. He excitedly told me about a new “tricks and tips” he could work into our site. That was when it hit me.
The best people to work with are the ones that are constantly learning and honing their craft.
Always. It never stops.
Then I looked around my office and noticed the same thing with our designer Josh. He is always looking at design. Sure, he went to school for design and he has the background and the chops. But he follows designers, he studies their work, he enjoys the conversation. He is honing his craft.
The question is…what are you working on? What do you want to become great at? If you will or if you won’t can be answered by whether or not you are continually learning or studying your craft. Want to be a fitness expert? Yes, of course you have to put in the work. You have to work on your own diet and your own fitness. But are you reading the latest blogs? Are you up on the latest workouts?
Want to stand out in Content Marketing? It’s not just about creating content (though that is super important). It’s also about studying other masters to see what is working and what is not? Want to lead in sales? It’s not just about making the sales calls (though that is where it starts). You need to continually be reading articles, books, and blogs on the topic. You have to get re-inspired and re-imagined to continue to be the best.
Do you want to be great at something or are you just saying it? A simple self-audit will tell you the truth if you let it. You are passionate about what you work at and study. Look at your calendar and study your time. That will tell you the truth. Make sure you never miss an update! It’s a great time to become a VIP! Sign up here for our weekly email with all of our content.
by Kirby Hasseman
Okay, so maybe that was a bit of reverse psychology. If you are reading this, though, it must have worked. But I promise there is a point to this exercise. Many of you know that we have been creating content for quite some time now. I have created hundreds of podcasts, probably over 300 videos, and well over 500 blog posts.
I have committed to the idea of creating value through content, because it’s the right thing to do. (And it’s working). But one thing I have yet to REALLY learn is what will work. I talk about this a bit here.
What I mean by this is that sometimes I write a blog that I think is really good. I am excited about the topic and I think it will add value to a lot of people. I am fired up to push publish…and…nothing. Often, those sure-fire hit blog posts don’t seem to resonate. Then, especially as I was committed to writing a blog every day, I might crank out a quick one with very little thought and BOOM, that article takes off.
When I blogged about this in the link above I got quite a bit of feedback that I needed to see what my audience was passionate about, and stick with that. So I tried. I noticed that sometimes I wrote specifically about a marketing topic, and that did well. For example, this blog about how to deal with Haters online was read quite a bit. So I decided to write another article like that. Here is a one that discusses treating social media like a cocktail party.
The results? Meh.
Okay…maybe it’s about “real” stories and authenticity. This is a word everyone throws around a ton, so that must be true! I wrote this article saying “I am NOT for everyone” and it was one of the most read blogs of 2018. It was written out of a moment of frustration.
So what if I shared those moments more? I wrote this blog about being overwhelmed and…well…the results were okay. I have had the same results with video. I am excited about my Day in the Life videos. For example, this one where we lost our Drone got over 500 views pretty quickly. But we have others in this series that (it feels like) no one watches.
Just currently, I am excited about this video we created that’s a little more inspirational. It’s gotten some great feedback, so I am thinking of creating more things like that. The point of all of this exercise is that it’s a work in process. Even the best content creators have pieces of content that flop.
It happens in Hollywood all of the time! The best studios, producers and actors team up on a project…and no one cares. So if it happens to the best, don’t worry when it happens to you. It’s important, I think, to just keep showing up. Keep pushing out your message and your value into the world. You probably won’t know when something will flop.
But you also might be delighted when something really takes off and makes a difference. Oh…and the same is true for sales too. You never know if THIS will be the sales call that helps you break through. Go get it.
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by Kirby Hasseman
I have heard Twitter called the Cocktail Party of social media. Though I think that has merit, I don’t think it takes it far enough. I think Social Media is the new Cocktail Party. “Ok,” you might be thinking. “Why does that matter?”
It matters, because I think it really does give us a roadmap for how to behave online. The more I have the chance to speak to groups and organizations around the country on the topic, the more I am convinced. We hear all of the time that social media is different. It’s making people act differently. And, certainly, in some cases that is the truth.
There are the “keyboard activists” that you hear about all of the time. There are trolls. But those people are around us every day…not just online. My contention is social media is VERY much like the three-dimensional world. We try to make it different. But if we treat social media just like real life, we would be better off! Here are a few similarities I see between social media and a cocktail party.
Don’t Lead with Politics: If you just moved into a new neighborhood, and you were invited to a cookout, you would probably not introduce yourself to your new neighbors with political vitriol. You might not like the current President (or the last one), but you probably would not LEAD with that. And even if you did, you would not continue to say it all night long. We all know that person that posts 8 times per day about his or her political rants. I guess you might do this, but you would not be invited back.
Less Mean…More Good: If you (and the rest of social media) communicated as if they might see people later that day, we would all get more civil. Here’s the thing, we might still have the same opinions, but we would say them differently. What your mom told you years ago is still right. “It’s not what you say, but how you say it.”
Don’t Sell ALL of the Time: I am looking at you businesses and salespeople! You would never walk up to every person at a cocktail party and try to sell them your product without knowing anything about them! Sure, you might want to sell to them…but not at hello! But businesses do this all of the time! You go to their pages and all it says is “Buy from me. Buy from me. Buy from me.” Just like it real life, people are saying “I have to go over here” to get away from you.
Make People Laugh: People who are fun to follow online are very much like people you want to hang out with in real life. They make you laugh. They make you feel good about you. They inspire you. In a world where everyone seems to be all about snark and cynicism, make people smile. That transcends any platform. So if you (and your team) want to be better on social, stop treating it differently. Start treating it just like your next networking event. You might be surprised with your results.
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by Kirby Hasseman
There is a powerful story from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People where Steven Covey was speaking to a group. After the talk, a man came up to Mr. Covey and said “My wife and I are close to a divorce. We just don’t love each other anymore. What should I do?”
Covey told the man, “You need to LOVE her.”
The man was confused. “But you don’t understand,” he said. “We just don’t FEEL that way anymore.”
Covey explained, “That’s the problem. Love is not a feeling. Love is an action.” Covey went onto explain that the husband needed to get back to taking action in consistent with love. He needed to do things for her. He needed to serve her. He needed to LOVE her. It’s an action.
I was reminded about this at a church service recently when our pastor declared that “Compassion is NOT a feeling. It’s an action!” I agree. Way too many times in life, we feel things and hope that is enough. It almost never is. It is imperative, in nearly every area of our lives, to take more action. The thing that is holding most people back in their work, dreams, relationships, fitness and more…is action. Most of us dream about what we want. We think a lot about what others have that we don’t. We might even take the extra step and write down the sincere wishes we have in our life. Heck, we might even meditate or pray in hopes the universe will bring them to us!
What we don’t do is take action.
If we are not seeing enough change, we are not taking enough action.
So if you want your spouse to know that you love them…LOVE them. If you want your team to know you have compassion for them…SHOW them. If you want your community to know you care about it…GIVE something. It’s not about thoughts. It’s not about dreams. It’s about action. Take some.
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