by Kirby Hasseman
If you had told me, when I was first watching Billy Madison, that I was watching one of the most bankable movie stars of the next 20 years, I would not have believed you. Adam Sandler was silly, obnoxious, absurd and, well, funny. But I did not see this as an act someone could ride for more than one movie or two.
I would have been wrong. Way wrong.
For years, Adam Sandler has made movies and money at the box office. He has had some really fun movies (Happy Gilmore, Waterboy and Grown ups) and he has made some bad ones (think Grown ups 2). But whether you like Sandler or not, I think he has several things to teach us about business.
Do What You Do: Sandlers first movies were obviously not Academy Award winners. But he found a formula that worked, and he stuck to it. He was the goofy underdog that overcomes in the end. Then, obviously a sports lover, he started making silly movies about sports. He found his niche, and did not try to be something he was not.
Lesson: Find your niche. Be authentic.
Have A Crew: One thing that always catches my eye with Sandler movies, is he has a consistent group of friends that he works with. Sure, he is obviously buddies with Chris Rock, David Spade and Kevin James. But his other cast of characters comes with him on nearly every project too. When you have a crew you enjoy working with (and trust), keep working with them!
Lesson: Find a team you trust…and stick with them.
Be Willing To Fail: Though I enjoy some of Sandler’s movies, he has certainly has had some stinkers (Jack and Jill and Little Nicky come to mind). But each of these has involved him trying something and taking some creative risks. The fact is, once people hit a certain level of success, many people don’t want to try something new. They don’t want to fail. I love that Sandler is willing to try some off the wall things. They either work, or they don’t. But he is already off to something new.
Lesson: Take creative risks. Failure is not the end of the world.
Let Others Shine: As I mentioned, Sandler clearly likes working with friends. He has even created a production company that produces movies that he is not even in! He lets some of his other friends take the lead and showcase their talents whether he is involved on screen or not.
Lesson: You don’t always have to be center stage. Let others have the spotlight.
Be Willing to Branch Out: Once he established himself in Hollywood, I like that Sandler did do some more family friendly movies. Though he still has his core characters, he has done some movies that the whole family can enjoy.
Lesson: Once you have a track of success, continue to grow. The most successful people, in any arenas, can teach us lessons we can emulate. Adam Sandler has created an amazing career that nearly anyone could envy. And best of all, it seems like he enjoys it too. Bravo.
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by Kirby Hasseman
This time of year can be hectic. We hear about it all of the time. So much so, it’s a cliche’. It’s the “hustle and bustle” of the holidays. (I don’t even know what a “bustle” is). But suffice it to say, we all have a lot going on during the holidays. But most of the time this is discussed from a personal perspective. We have holiday parties to attend, gifts to give, and food to make. For many of us, though, this time of year is a busy time for business as well. The 4th quarter is when a lot of businesses make or break their year. We are running hard to keep up with orders, keep customers happy and keep cash flow rolling. All of that can create a stress that we want to escape. But let me remind you, when it comes to business, being “busy” is often the point of the exercise! As I always say, “when I am bored, I am poor.” We want the phones to be ringing. We want email requests coming in. We want the work! Right? We work all year to drive business, then we want it all to slow down! It’s human nature, I think. I talk about this concept here. We work hard to raise our game. Then when we do, we get uncomfortable. When we are uncomfortable, we want to be comfortable again. So we work to change our thermostat. Don’t fall for it. So as the holiday season gets into full swing, I want to encourage you to embrace it. There is no growth inside the comfort zone. Continue to work on the activities you know create results. If you do it over and over again, you will create a new level where you are comfortable performing. Remember, you have to make hay while the sun is shining. When it’s busy or hectic, the sun is out! Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter here!
by Kirby Hasseman
I was making “sales calls” with Robbie Kehl from Hasseman Brewing yesterday. I use the quotation marks, because these were less about sales and more about checking in. We were popping in to places that are already offering our beer, just to see how it’s going. Obviously, if they are out of beer (or if they want other kinds) we can sell more. But these are hardly the kind of cold calls that we all know and love! As we walked into a place that just recently got our offerings, I got “the vibe” from the owner. It’s the feeling most of us in sales know. It’s the one that says “Oh…these guys again? Weren’t they just here? What do they want?” If you are in sales…you know the feeling. So I took a moment to flip the script. After a few seconds of chit chat, I told him I was here to help him. (Scary words from a salesperson, right?). I told him I wanted to take . his picture (holding our beer of course) and promote his establishment through our social media presence. We wanted to use our influence to send business to him. As you might expect, the tone of the conversation changed. We walked out of the establishment (without asking to sell anything by the way), having created value for a customer. We decided to Give First. I have talked about this concept in detail here. But this is a very real world example of how this can work. And the reality is, you can do this in your business too. The rule is…Sometimes you need to go to your customer when you are NOT asking for money. It’s not about making a sale today. It’s about creating a relationship. This is a tactic and philosophy that creates “20 year customers.” And that, my friends, is how 20 year companies are built. How can we give to you today? Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter today here. We send out a weekly email where you can catch up on all the content we create each week!
by Kirby Hasseman
I have a place here in town where I love the Pizza. It’s old school and it’s great. You even have to go and pick it up yourself, if you can believe that. And when you call it can often take between 30-45 minutes (because they are always busy). It’s really good pizza. But every once in a while, I am in a hurry. I want that particular pizza, but I show up early. I go in and look at my watch. I pay early in order to let them know I am there…and I am waiting. So they rush to try and get me taken care of faster. And when they do…it’s never quite as good. It’s still really good, mind you. But it’s not quite the same. It’s not cut quite as perfectly. The cheese is not quite as melty. The crust is not exactly as perfect. It’s good…but not quite as good. And it’s totally my fault. The Pizza Maker is an artist. Yes they are in business. But they have perfected making a pizza that is exactly the way I like it. They have a process. They have a time that this process takes. Quality takes time. The only variable changing this transaction, taking it from “perfect” to “very good”…is me. I changed the transaction. And I end up disappointed. We do that sometimes, don’t we? We have our “go to” pizza place, hair salon, realtor, or whatever. They take care of us just they way we like it. We like their process. We like their style. Then we ask THEM to change for us…and we are disappointed. It’s our fault. When I got in business in the Promo industry a wise teacher told me once that “there are three ways you can get it. Cheap. Fast. Correct. You get to pick two out of three!” There is certainly wisdom in those words in our industry…but in most others as well. For me I am going to take this to heart. When I find someone doing things the way I love it…I will try and play by their rules. I am going to make a pact to not rush the Pizza Maker. Let me know what you think! Agree or disagree? Either way, make sure you sign up for our VIP newsletter here. We keep you up with all of our content and we have special offers as well.
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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