by Kirby Hasseman
We all have areas of struggle. We all have days when we are having trouble keeping up.
As I am writing this, I am a bit overwhelmed.
The good news is, business and life have been “busy.” I am trying to take every call and attend every meeting. The phone continues to ring and emails continue to roll in with a “ding” on the computer. It’s great because it’s what we have been working for…right?
But in the meantime, I want to make sure I continue to do the things that started the activity to begin with! I want to continue to write this blog. I want to create more video content. I want to answer every question. I even want to write a new book.
Oh…and I want to be a good father and husband too.
I know you get it. You likely have similar challenges. But this morning, I got up early so I could get “some things done” and I am overwhelmed.
I don’t know where to start.
As I thought about this, I realized my activity level had just gone up to a level where I was no longer comfortable. My schedule has changed. My expectations have changed. I have (hopefully) leveled up.
Ed Mylett talks about this in a recent podcast/video (you can see that here). In this piece of content Ed talks about the Thermostat of life. I love this concept. The idea is, that you set your life Thermostat where you are comfortable…and where you think you deserve. So if you have a 70 degree life, and things go bad, you will work really hard to get things back to normal. It acts just like a thermostat. It will heat you back up.
But the converse is true. If you get “hotter” than you are used to, your thermostat will cool you down. It will bring your activity level back down to where you feel better…more comfortable. It might help you stay comfortable…but it goes against what you are trying to accomplish.
I think that is what is happening to me this morning.
So, while I don’t have the answers, I need to reframe this in my mind. Obviously, having lots of activity is a wonderful thing. And when I feel this struggle, I need to recognize it as progress.
I need to lean in to the struggle. I will do that today…and keep you posted.
by Kirby Hasseman
Let’s address a “hypothetical situation” that happens all of the time.
You have taken the time to create a social media presence. Your Facebook page is solid and you post valuable content regularly. You are providing good information and engaging with the growing audience. You are killing it with your social media marketing.
Then one day, you get a negative comment. A customer came to your location and had a bad experience. They might have had an actual bad experience…or maybe they are just a difficult person. Their coffee was cold. Or their server was slow. Or their customer service representative was rude. Whatever the reason, they have decided to let the entire world know via social media!
What do you do now?
If this does not sound familiar yet, it will. The reality is, with the internet, everyone has a voice. And when people feel they have been wronged, they want to share that experience. The thing is, this is not a new thing. People have always shared their negative opinions. Now, everyone just has a larger audience. So what do you, as an organization, do when you get one of these negative comments online?
There are a couple steps to take (and they are outlined in detail in the GREAT book by Jay Baer “Hug Your Haters.“) But before we get to the simple steps, let’s reframe the discussion. We need to look a bit differently about the feedback. As I mentioned above, these conversations have always happened. But now you get to be a part of them! You get to address (the sometimes) very real issues with your service so that future customers don’t have the same experience. This is incredible intel to make your organization better! You need to start by looking at it that way. Don’t get defensive…get pro-active to fix the issue.
Now onto the simple steps.
When you receive a negative comment about your company, product or service, I recommend you respond to the comment by doing three things. Apologize. Empathize. Take it offline.
Apologize
Regardless of the issue, you don’t want your customer or prospects to have a bad experience, right? So apologize for it. “I am so sorry you had this experience.”
Empathize
This is when many of us feel the need to “give a reason” why this happened. This “reason” often comes off as an “excuse.” No one wants an excuse. They want to know they are valued.
Take if offline
I recommend you give them a number (to a real person) to call to discuss their issue. First, this shows you really want to handle it. Second, it keeps you from getting into an argument online…NEVER a good idea. This can be an incredibly effective technique. Often, you won’t ever get the call from the person. They just wanted to vent. But by responding, you not only responded to that customer, but everyone who knows them SEES that you responded. It shows you care enough to try and fix the issue.
And as customers, we know that caring can go a long way.
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by Kirby Hasseman
When it comes to personal improvement, moving forward is a constant. When I want to stop, I hear those words ringing in my ears, “You are either improving, or you are getting worse. There is no staying the same.” With that in mind, my goal to read (and listen to) books has been consistent. So here are a few of the books that have had my attention so far this year. This Is Marketing: If you read this blog at all, you might know that I am a fan of Seth Godin. I am a fan because of books like this. Seth has a way of looking at the world and distilling thoughts about business, culture and marketing into ways that make sense to me. “This Is Marketing” is great and worth the price of admission just based on his take on the difference between “brand marketing” and “direct marketing.” Oh…and he was also kind enough to be a guest on Delivering Marketing Joy about the book. Game Changers: This was a gift from a friend that thought I would enjoy Dave Asprey’s take on how to improve…he was right. In the interest of transparency, I am still finishing this one, but Dave talks about lessons he has learned and interviewed 100’s of leaders and influencers about how to get more done. UnF@ck Yourself: I had seen this book around for quite sometime and never pulled the trigger. I am glad I did. I listened to the audio book on this one and I really enjoyed it. Sometimes you listen to a message just when you need to hear it. This was one of those books for me this year. 59 Seconds: This book is designed to help you change your life in simple ways. Essentially the book is full of psychological studies that show easy ways you can shift behavior to help you improve. Sometimes the shifts are obvious and sometimes counter-intuitive, but always thought provoking. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life: This is an audio book that I am still working through. These types of simple books are good breaks for me. Though I did not get a lot of tangible takeaways, it still got me thinking. Can’t Hurt Me: In a word…wow. This book by David Goggins is a powerful story about what you can do with an iron will and determination. By chapter 2 of this book, I said to those around me “I will never complain about my circumstances again!” I listened to the audiobook version of this one…and I recommend it. The book is read by David’s ghostwriter and they take regular breaks in the book to discuss (podcast style) the stories and lessons therein. Really enjoyed this one. So if you are looking for some new reading material to push you further, here are a few that have been on my mind so far in 2019. Now…let’s get back after it! Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up to be a VIP here today.
by Kirby Hasseman
If you have ever trained for a race (like a 5K for example) you know that the training involves doing just a little more than you are able to do. You might start at a walk in order to get your body used to moving. Then you work up to a 5 or 10 minute jog the next day. As the days become weeks, you push yourself to the point where you are running for 30 minutes straight. You might not be winning the race…but you can finish! You went from not being able to run 1/4 mile, to being able to comfortably finish running 3 miles in a row. In other words, you go from “there’s no way I could do that” to “I can do it today…and tomorrow too.” That’s why physical fitness often creates great metaphors for life. The most successful people, in any area of life, are the ones that are willing to consistently make themselves uncomfortable. Some people do this because other people tell them to do it. They go to work when others tell them to go, even though it’s early (or late) and they do it every day. They do the tasks that are hard. Often they work within a common vision to create something. Those who are willing to do this over and over and over become the world’s best and most dedicated employees. Others are able to force themselves into the unknown. These are the people, with little or no supervision, do the things that most people are unable or unwilling to do. They make the prospecting calls every day, calling people they don’t know. They create the video and put it out into the world. They create the company, and take on the risk to try to make it happen. They get up an hour early to lace up their shoes and work out. Either way, they know the thing they want to achieve will take them being uncomfortable…a lot. Then they do it anyway. The interesting thing is, just like in the 5K, if you continually push yourself to do the uncomfortable, it becomes easier. The task that was agonizing can become mundane. The thing you dreaded can become routine. When that happens, you have probably broken through a barrier in performance that will lift you up. And then it might be time to get uncomfortable again. P.S. If you are looking for a race to make you uncomfortable (but still be a ton of fun) you can check out the Hasseman Brewing 3.17 Mile Run on St. Paddy’s Day in Coshocton. There will be great SWAG and beer! It will be hosted at the Coshocton Yard. Register here! Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter here. We send one email per week with all of the content from the week. Feel free to sign up today.
by Kirby Hasseman
At the beginning of this year, I made a commitment to do more video. The goal was to provide value through content in new ways. It might be to entertain, educate or inspire. And though we have been super active with this blog (and I want to continue to be), I felt like video is another way to reach out. So I wanted to share a few videos that you might not have seen so far this year. Oh…and if you want to make sure don’t miss, you can subscribe to my Youtube channel here. My goal is to increase my number of subscribers…so you can help! Delivering Marketing Joy: As you may or may not know, I have been doing a web show called Delivering Marketing Joy for several years now. Every Wednesday, I interview a new marketer, entrepreneur, author or leader…and I have done that for over 220 episodes! Today I talk to Jason Lucash from Origaudio, and you can watch that here. Motivational: I have also tried to make a commitment to inspire more this year through video. This recent video for the New Year is an example of that. Watch this and let me know what you think! Remember, if you want to have a better year (or week or month) you need to take action! Day in the Life: In addition, I started a vlog series that I call a “day in the life” that follows me around in different areas of business. This is from a recent trip to Vegas for the PPAI Expo. The goal is to entertain and inform…and there will be plenty more to come. Community Support: Finally, I want to help support things in the community that inspire me. That’s why I created this video about Kids America and this short video about helping the homeless. Either way, my hope is I will be creating some video that you enjoy. As I said, if you are interested, feel free to subscribe to my Youtube channel here. And of course if you want to make sure you never miss any content, you can sign up to be a VIP here.
by Kirby Hasseman
We do a lot of video for ourselves and for our clients at Hasseman Marketing. In doing so, I get the chance to interview a lot of smart people. It’s one of the perks of the job. On the other hand, most people I talk to don’t WANT to be interviewed. Don’t get me wrong. They are okay with it. They are even quite good at it. But most of them did not wake up thinking “I can’t wait to put a camera and lights in my face so I can answer random questions!” That means that, no matter how passionate and smart they are, sometimes people get stuck. They know what to say. But in that moment, they struggle with how to articulate it. As a person that talks on podcasts, videos and presentations, I totally get it. Sometimes the words just don’t come out right. In these moments I try to redirect the conversation with the same basic question. It starts with “What’s the best thing about…” I stumbled upon this trick early in my career as I was fumbling for questions. When I asked people about “the best thing” about the project they were working on, they brightened up. They were able to re-frame the conversation in their mind and look at it from 10,000 feet. The question also seemed to allow them to think about their project from a pure passion perspective. Now I know the science backs this up. By resetting their mindset about the project (no matter what that project is) so they think about “what is best about” they insert a layer of positivity into the discussion. They are reminded about why they are working on the project in the first place. It also gives them the simple gift of getting them out of the weeds. So the next time you want to take a conversation to the next level, you might try this technique. Want a job? Ask the interviewer “What’s the best thing about working here?” Want to learn more about a prospect? “What the best thing about working in this position?” You get the idea. It will get the person talking and the conversation going…and you might be more interested too! P.S. Need more questions? I wrote this blog about 20 great questions to ask. Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
