by Kirby Hasseman
I was a terrible college student…when it came to education. As it turns out though, I learned a lot. You see, there is a difference between education and learning…and that is more apparent today than ever before.
Education is a form of teaching that happens TO you. It is often forced upon you. Education often includes vocabulary words, essays and pop quizzes. While most people would contend that education is important, I never really enjoyed it. I would do what I had to do (and nothing more) to fulfill the obligations of education. Often, I went to class less than I should have. I studied just as much as I needed to to get by. And to be honest, I don’t remember very much of what I learned during my “education” in college..
I was much more interested in staying in my dorm room, playing guitar, writing lyrics and performing my amateur songs for anyone who would listen. There was nothing formal about it. I did not have to take any tests. No one was looking over my shoulder. But I was insatiable about listening or reading anything I could on the subject. It had nothing to do with my education.
I was just learning.
As it turns out, the learning I was doing, while college professors saw me blowing off their education DOES have value. I was working to learn and improve my craft of playing guitar and songwriting. In addition, by using those skills to create and write, I was forced to put myself “out there” regularly. Sometimes the song was really well-received. Sometimes it was a total flop. It helped me to flex my creative muscle and be willing to try things that might not work with no guarantees.
It’s very similar, in fact, to what I do when I create content today. It takes some creativity. It takes some courage. And it is all done with the idea that, if I keep doing it, I might get better.
So while I was struggling through education, I enjoyed learning very much.
That brings me to today.
We are living in a weird and different time. Many people are working remote, and have more time on our hands. But what are you going to do with it? You can learn to speak a new language. Maybe you can take the time to learn to play an instrument. It’s your choice if you want to learn something new.
And if you want to grow your understanding of marketing your organization, we would love to help. We have created a 5 Day Marketing Course designed to help you create more effective and targeted marketing. It’s free. You can find the course here.
We hope you will take the chance to learn…and let us know what you think! Oh, and as always, feel free to keep up with all of our content on our blog here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s time for Episode 38 of the He Said She Said Podcast with Hasseman Marketing! This podcast is designed to give an inside look at being married and being entrepreneurs and the projects we are working on and the challenges we are facing! We talk about business, family, community and more. So listen in and let us know what you think!
On this episode we talk about…
Trending Topic
This week Kirby and Amy talk about how life has changed during this crazy time. It’s a reality and how we deal with it is important. Do you just get sucked into all of the negativity or are you intentional? Can you do something fun? Here is a quick video they did for Formal Night at the Hasseman House. Silly…but it’s useful to make it fun! What ideas do you have to keep it fun and intentional?
Weekly Whirlwind
This week in the Weekly Whirlwind Amy gives a quick update on what she is doing to keep the building project rolling forward. We even have a video if you want to catch up here. Kirby gives an update on content, and jumping through the hoops of trying to find funding.
Lesson In Life
This week in the “lesson in life” Kirby and Amy talk about the importance of purpose. Now more than ever, it’s important to maintain some purpose each day. This does not have to be a “life’s purpose” but can just be a reason to get out of bed each day. Again…be intentional. What does that look like?
Shout Outs
Each week we want to give a shout out to an organization or an individual doing good work. This week Amy leads the way talking about the heroes on the frontline of this crisis…in Healthcare! Special thank you to all of those who are working SO hard to keep us safe. Thank you!
So that’s a wrap! Thanks for listening to Episode 38 of the He Said She Said Podcast! Any feedback will be welcome as we try to provide you value! If you want to subscribe you can do that where you normally get podcasts…or you can head here to follow on Soundcloud.
Thanks so much for listening! If you have any topics you want Kirby and Amy to cover, please comment and let us know! Oh…and if you like this content, check out this page where you can find all of the content we create!
One final thing…we have created a 5 Day Marketing Course you can take for FREE. There is no catch. Learn more about it here.
by Kirby Hasseman
As I thought about what I could share in today’s blog, I continually asked myself a simple question. “During this uneasy time, what does everyone need to read? What do we need to hear?” As I sat there thinking about it, I wondered the same for myself. What do I need to hear? Though I don’t have a definitive answer, and I don’t have a magic pill to make us all feel better, three things came to mind. These are the things I long for each day. I want these three things every day…but certainly now.
I want something to motivate me.
I need something to make me laugh.
I long for something to inspire me.
While we certainly try to create content that hits each of these marks sometimes, my goal today is to do all three!
Motivate Me
We find ourselves in a new world where it’s hard to know what to do next. Sure, we can work from home. But are we really creating value? Plus, working in this new normal seems so much harder (for some). But during this strange and uncomfortable time, we have the ability to be pro-active in ways we might not have been able to do at the office. Now is a great time to get after it, when your competitors are not. You can come out of this stronger, if you are willing to get uncomfortable now.
And if that is not enough, how about Rocky Balboa giving a motivational speech? Here you go!
Make Me Laugh
The good news, I think, is there is plenty on the internet that can make you smile. The challenge is to find that content while avoiding the negativity. It can be a daunting challenge to say the least. (Hence this post). Even in trying times we can maintain our sense of humor. As a matter of fact, it’s more important than ever. With that in mind, feel free to watch this fun video of my daughter trying to teach me a basic “jazz combo” she was teaching her dance students online. It’s so silly…and that is the point.
Oh…and more silly is coming soon…so feel free to subscribe to the Youtube channel if you like that one!
Inspire Me
Despite the fact that the Coronavirus has been a crazy time, there has been countless stories that inspire me. The best ones, I think, are the most simple. After the silliness over toilet paper, I hear plenty of stories of neighbors helping neighbors with groceries, or work around their house. Most of us have seen social media posts about young people helping seniors with things that needed done. But the best way to inspire is to act. Please be on the look out for ways to help in your area. If you want to feel inspired, today is a great day to DO SOMETHING inspiring.
That might mean you need to help a neighbor. It might be as simple as sending a note. Or it might be sharing an inspiring story in the comments. Let’s help to spread that inspiration today. We can all use a splash of it!
The goal was to motivate, make you life (or at least smile), and inspire. I hope you found a little of each in this post. More importantly, I hope you ARE a little of each this week.
Make sure you never miss an update! Find all of the latest content on our blog page here. And you can sign up for our VIP weekly newsletter here as well!
by Kirby Hasseman
I had an “aha” moment this morning. Let me explain as I tell on myself a bit here.
Last week I told my team that, since we were in unpredictable times, focusing only on sales was misguided. Sales goals are important, but they are what The 4 Disciplines of Execution calls a “Lag Goal.” They are important. They are great to shoot for. But they are not something that you control completely. That is why it is important to create “Lead Goals.” These are things that, when you do them consistently, LEAD you to your goals. I talk about this here.
That is why I told the team last week that we needed to focus on our activity level…not only our sales. We can control our activity level. We can decide and execute on it. We use a software called Commonsku that allows us to track these sales activities easily. So I told everyone that I would report how we were doing on activity this week. Then, when I logged in this morning to see how I was doing, I noticed something alarming.
According to the activity that I logged, my actual pro-active activity kind of sucked.
How can that be? I have been working hard all week! I have created content. I have been working in my office. I have had contact with clients, right? So, I went back through my calendar. I look back at emails. I racked my brain for calls and activity that was not logged. But this tracking showed me something VERY important. While I felt busy (you know how I feel about that word right?), I was not productive. I was not nearly as awesome as I felt I was.
And that is why it’s important to track your activity. It reveals the truth.
Taking the time to track your real activity is not just busy work. It helps you understand your behavior and it helps to modify it. It’s the reason, when you start a new diet, they often ask you to track what you are eating. First, you start to get a real idea of what you are ingesting. It also makes you think first before putting something in your mouth! “Do I really want to write that down?”
Tracking your activity gives you the real truth and it helps you focus on things you can actually control. Oh, and it gives you information that can help you get back on track. I for one am going to make sure I increase my activity today. I can’t embarrass myself in front of my team! But it’s important to note that I would not have known that I needed to modify my behavior unless I tracked it!
Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help you grow and evolve. If you want more content, please check out our blog page here. We have all kinds of blogs, videos and podcasts in one place. And you can sign up to become a VIP here.
by Kirby Hasseman
I saw a post on Facebook the other day that made me smile. It read “After years of wanting to thoroughly clean my house but lacking the time, now I discovered that wasn’t the reason.” It’s funny because we can all relate. It’s the idea of something we know we should do, but most of us don’t do. We might even want to do it, but don’t have the desire or discipline.
During this strange time, many of us are coming face to face with the “busy” excuse.
I have said for years that we are not “too busy” to do the things we want. For most of us, we simply don’t prioritize what we say we want. We just don’t make the time to execute. Busy is just an excuse. And now, with more time on our hands than we are used to, some of us are finding that out. But instead of taking advantage of the time, we are taking to social media to complain that we are bored.
For the last several years, busy has been the most over-used word in the English language. It was the answer to nearly every question in small talk (How are the kids? Busy!). But more importantly, it became the excuse for not being able to work on yourself, chase your dreams, or do the things you knew you should do.
And now…busy is not your excuse.
How do you make time to create content? I am too busy!
I can’t carve out the time to exercise…too busy.
I wish I had time to meditate, learn a language, or read a book. My life is just too busy.
There is plenty to be anxious about during this new time we are living in. But the good news, if you choose to look at it this way, is that you have gotten your time back. You are not “too busy.” So what will you do with it? Will you binge watch a new series on Netflix? Will you spend even more time on social media mindlessly scrolling your life away?
Or will you take the time to work on something that will give you purpose and growth? It’s your call. You are not “too busy.”
Thanks for reading! I am taking this time to write more and create more content. You can find most of it here on our blog page. And please feel free to sign up for our VIP list. We send out one email each week with all of the content in one place.
by Kirby Hasseman
Each week, we pride ourselves on creating content for our customers, peers and prospects that will entertain and inspire. Some weeks we have more than others, but we try to be consistent. But with the crazy changes we have all been forced to make, we have committed to creating more content than ever. As I put together our weekly email to those on our VIP list (you can sign up for that here), it struck me that it would be good to have this all in one place…on one blog.
So let’s dig into a lot of content this week…with a very short description to help you know where to start.
Why Giving Joy is More Important Than Ever
There is plenty of frustration, anxiety, and fear in the world today. Read this blog and learn why and how to give out Joy instead.
Brand-ecdotes with Jeff Wickerham
This new series about our team is making a lot of people smile! Check out our latest and learn a bit more about Account Executive Jeff Wickerham!
Tips For Working Remote from Remote Workers
And it’s official…many of us are being asked to officially work from home. Here are some tips to working remote from some of our team that actually does it! Read now!
He Said She Said Podcast
This time on the He Said She Said podcast, Kirby and Amy talk about the evolution of the Coronavirus…and their views on it. They talk about what they have been working on…and so much more. Listen in and catch up now.
Delivering Marketing Joy (Video)
It’s time for Delivering Marketing Joy! This time entrepreneur Jason Nokes from PromoPulse flips the script on Kirby and asks hime the questions. They talk about how he creates so much content and what he uses. Watch now if you want to use this time to get more done!
unScripted Podcast Coronavirus Special Edition
We don’t usually share this podcast on this email but felt it could be valuable today. This time on a special edition of unScripted, Kirby and Bill talk about how some companies are dealing with the crisis. There should be value here for any organization. Listen in.
5 Types of Media To Blame
It has become very easy to blame the media for every crisis these days. But what does “the media” mean? It’s not a simple as you think. Here are 5 different types of media to blame.
I Learned A Dance In Quarantine
Want a break from the heavy? Need something to make you smile? We know…you need some Marketing Joy! Then check out this vlog created yesterday…as Kirby learns a dance in quarantine. Watch…enjoy…smile.
Create A Work From Home Kit
If you are a leader of an organization, you might have people working from home now. So how do you keep them connected to the culture? Obviously communication is important. Here are a few more ideas. Create a work from home kit. Check it out here.
As always, you can find all of this on our blog page here. But we thought this might be helpful as you look to lift your spirts and be inspired as you work from home. Oh…and if you want to be on our VIP list, you can sign up for that here.
