Wisdom on Wednesday

Update: Please contact Meredith at meredithb@prophitmarketing.com to register for my free Road Show being held July 16 in De Pere.

Sometimes people mistake “big” with “great”. I’m beginning to realize that a company can be small and great and big and bad. I was reading The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. In this children’s tale the Lorax “protects the trees which are being cut down as quick as you please”.

The main character is only focused on “biggering” his loads and “biggering” his business until all the trees are cut down. Now this story is mostly about conservation and greed. So is Jim Collins’ newest book, How The Mighty Fall. People can lose site of the focus that grew them to be successful. Pretty soon some leaders believe they can branch out to other industries and make any business a success. They learn how wrong they are and they realize once they fall where their true talents and greatness reside.

“Whether you prevail or fail, endure or die, depends more on what you do to yourself than on what the world does to you” -Jim Collins

Jim writes about the five stages of decline:

1.    Ego (Hubris) Born of Success
2.    Undisciplined Pursuit of More
3.    Denial of Risk or Peril
4.    Grasping for Salvation
5.    Capitulation to Irrelevance or Death

Pretty inspiring, huh? Stages 2 and 3 are crucial. You must plan and strategize for success. The Midas Touch theory is just that. Stick to what you’re good at, plan your growth, and be open-minded to the risks.

I’ve heard it said that true entrepreneurs are NOT risk takers they are risk minimizers. You can plan a trip to New Mexico or you can just hop in your car and go. Who will have the safest journey? Minimize Risk, Maximize Profit!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: FYI: I’m holding a free roadshow July 16th in De Pere. Contact Meredith at meredithb@prophitmarketing.com for details. I’ll help you make a plan for success in looking at marketing in a new way.

Note: Wisdom on Wednesday has gotten a face-lift! Please visit our new site at www.wisdomonwednesday.com. There, you’ll find tons of new features like: mp3s of Joe’s radio shows, Joe’s Twitter and LinkedIn profiles, sources of related reading, and more!

Remember the Wizard of Oz? Dorothy and the gang had to head into the enchanted forest. They were holding each other close, frightened about the unexpected. I think a lot of you feel the same way when it comes to social networking. It’s not worth fighting–you’re going to lose if you ignore the power of social networking. Scott Grall, our resident expert in this area illustrates this point beautifully below:

I remember, when I was young, my grandpa would stop by with a thermos of coffee and some doughnuts. He would end up talking to my mom for hours about the gossip of the town. They would even talk about how they were treated at the local grocery store or my grandpa would talk coffee shop. Eventually, after a week or two, that word would spread throughout the family, then eventually to friends.

Scott Grall

ACTION PLAN: Start simple with just setting up a Facebook or Twitter account. Pick one or two platforms and experiment a bit!

When it comes right down to it do you see customer complaints as an opportunity or a hassle? Most people see them as a hassle. Those who see them as an opportunity really “wow” their customers. I’ve heard that Four Seasons Hotels, one of the finest in customer service, will put the beverage preferences of each customer in their database.

For example, if you were to book a room as a first time customer they will ask you what you would like to have waiting on ice in your room when you arrive. You say, “Diet Coke.” Diet Coke will forever be in their database for future visits. If you show up a year later at any one of their locations, voila, Diet Coke is waiting.

I’ve been told that if you’re a frequent traveler, they will place the wrong product in your room on purpose and then, five minutes after you arrive, will knock on your door holding the proper product with an apology. “Hello Mr. Kiedinger, I apologize we accidentally put Diet Pepsi and not Diet Coke in your room. Enjoy your stay.”

How about when a customer complains? Do you have systems in place to win the customer over for life? It’s only through a sharing of concerns can you uncover what your customers truly want. Sometimes you can’t deliver what they want and that’s ok too, but at least open conversation can begin.

Finally, I would like to talk about passive complaints, the ones you never hear about, but you discover and react upon. I would like to give a local example. My wife discovered a new shoe company called Okobos. She, through their website, inquired about shoes back in September. She never heard a response back until April when she received a message from a very apologetic owner who explained that her email was accidentally overlooked. She then asked Danica her shoe size because she wanted to give her a pair of Okobos. One week later two pairs arrived in her size.

Wow! Danica loved the sandals she received and Okobos won a raving fan. This experience was also launched out across 7 countries and 50 states through Wisdom On Wednesday! See, it pays to be proactive when you make a mistake!

Joe

Action Plan:  Develop systems of handling customer complaints. The first step is to gather the facts and act quickly! Now go do it!

Some people would consider me to have a “control” mentality, meaning I strive to control the things in my life. It’s true I do like to take control and create things my way, no doubt. However, I found a few years ago that sometimes fighting to stay in control actually takes control out of your hands.

When I made this realization it dawned on me that life is like a river. Sometimes it’s calm and easy to navigate. Sometimes there are rocks in the water that are easy to avoid. Other times, the river is rolling downhill with lots of rocks that are very difficult to steer around. It all depends what boat you’re in, really.

My old self used to ride down the river of life in a nice powerboat with beautiful fiberglass shell that sparkled in the sunlight. The problem was when the waters became rough, meaning when things happened that were out of my control, my boat would hit the rocks and by the end of the turmoil my boat was all marked up and scratched. I would hold resentment and anger for absolutely no reason.

I learned to trade in my old boat in for a more practical one. Now I try to ride the river of life in big inner tube. This is the perfect vehicle of choice. When the water is calm I can paddle and kick myself around. When a rock appears I can position my legs to gently push away from the hazard. And when the water becomes rough and things happen in life that are out of my control I can curl in my limbs and allow the inner tube to bounce off objects all the while screaming, “Weeeeee!”

This may sound exaggerated but I assure it isn’t in my world. I literally will say, “Weeee!” in my office when something comes up that was unexpected, especially when the information is not so positive. I believe the best word to express this philosophy is “surrender”.

Sometimes we need to surrender to what life brings and just see what happens. This surrender brings peace and clarity. It allows you to lead others and yourself with a calm confidence that promotes hope and productivity. Surrender with me today to the things we can’t control and help steer the things we can.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Sign up for our FREE Road Show event coming up July 16th in De Pere!

Ten years ago a couple of guys began something that many thought would never fly. You see the reason for this doubt is based on the two businesses that are the most difficult to sustain: live theater and restaurants. These guys combined them by beginning a dinner theater. Nuts, huh?

I wrote about this theater in chapter eight of my book, The Brander-In-Chief. However, what I didn’t tell you is that Mel is really created out from my own experience. Mel is really Frank from Frank’s Dinner Theater which is now Let Me Be Frank Productions.

Frank has proven that passion and vision can persevere. His theater is for profit, all the talent is paid and it is Frank’s career. What I also didn’t tell you is I was that other guy who, ten years ago, said, “Yeah, what the heck, let’s do it.” Yes, even when combining the two worst industries (percentage of success wise) together, success can still be found.

Today, Let Me Be Frank Productions is a staple at the historical Meyer Theater in downtown Green Bay. We began in an upstairs banquet room of a corner bar. I had to drop out once I started this business and my young family. People would refer to our group as “The Saturday Night Live” of theater. Even guys like to see these shows. It’s that brand that has built Frank’s into what it is today.

I’m proud to say I had a role in getting Frank’s started, but I know it would happen anyway based on Frank’s drive and creativity. I’m also proud to announce that I will be in their 10^th anniversary show, The Groovy 70’s; the original show title that Frank and I wrote. Of course this show is a show about how we wrote the first show. Did you follow that?

If you like to laugh, love 70’s music, and want to see me in a leisure suit, you’ll love The Groovy 70’s! It opens this weekend and continues through the first three weekends in June. The moral of the story here is to follow your passion and the money will follow. Most people chase the money. Don’t be a chaser, be authentic and do what you were destined to do!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Come join us and have some fun!

Foreword: We are hosting a free Prophit Marketing Roadshow in July. Empower your organization; learn the system that is growing profits. Email me for more information.

Today’s Wisdom was inspired by an associate, Mel, at Festival Foods in Marshfield WI.

The below section of a speech given by Nelson Mandela was orignally written by Marianne Williamson who is an international speaker on spiritual, personal, and political issues.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

I never really thought about the fears I had early on in my career, but they were ones of success and not failure. I had a “Who Am I?” conversation with myself, early on. “Who am I to manage the marketing funds of another; what do I know?” My early success brought this other voice inside of me that tried to belittle and deny me of greatness.

I shut that voice down in a big hurry. I realized I didn’t have all the answers and that was okay. I did strive to learn from others who have gone successfully before me. This thinking helped me grow the business rapidly and included the development of the Prophit Marketing System.

Do you hear the self-sabotaging little voice in you that doubts your success and accomplishments? If there’s ever a time not to listen it’s now! You deserve to be awesome. We all have brilliance within us. Let it out!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Write a list of everything you wish to accomplish or experience in life. You would be amazed at how simple it is to do something little each day to help you get there.

Blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flicker, Facebook, YouTube… yikes! Are you paying attention? You can decide to throw up your arms and say, “What a bunch of hooey! Why would anyone want to be followed, friended, linked, or write a post once or twice a week? And that YouTube is a bunch of nonsense!” Let me tell you, ignorance will not be bliss in the world of social networking. I just heard of a company who made locks, ya know, the kind for bikes to be secured at school or other public places. Someone discovered that a simple ball point pen could pick their best selling lock. That person used a simple video camera and recorded themselves picking this high-end lock with a pen and posted it on YouTube. Views of the video skyrocketed and it became a viral hit on the internet. The lock company was made aware of this and decided to ignore the social media and remain ignorant to its power.  

In a few short months, their lock sales plummeted. When it comes to social networking ignorance can put you out of business. I understand that it can be very confusing, but you need to get educated and begin using this powerful tool to grow your business and build your brand. It’s not as difficult or confusing as you might think. There are people who can help you. If you need help or simply want to know more, please contact Scott Grall. Scott is guiding and fulfilling many wonderful internet solutions. Through an Uncovery, Scott can determine what makes sense for you. 

Please don’t be ignorant to this enormous monster that is social networking. Learn how to tame it and take control of your voice on the Internet. Joe Kiedinger 

ACTION PLAN: Make it a point to attend seminars on social networking. You’ll be glad you did. Another overall good business resource to visit is my new website Monday Mastermind website. We’re updating it constantly with small business resources.

KIDS! I was reminded earlier in the week how much our children influence the places we patron. If you have small children (or even big ones) you know what I’m talking about. I have three little girls, ages 2, 4, and 6, and one 13 year-old boy (yikes)! The kids ask to go to Festival Foods so they can hang out in the Tot Spot (thankfully they’re a client, whew). Restaurants that are frequented revolve around activities, child-friendly menus, and fun atmospheres: McDonalds, Applebee’s, Nicolet Restaurant, and Perkins. They drive us into making all sorts of buying decisions.

A colleague of mine recently shared an experience involving his little boy. His wife is a fan of saltwater fish and has two saltwater tanks at home. I’ve learned that it’s not cheap to set up a saltwater tank from the filtration systems to product… the fish!

He explained that there are only two locations in Green Bay to purchase these fish and their specialized products. The first has Mc Donald’s pricing and the second is priced more like Applebee’s. His wife always goes to the higher-priced store. It’s not because saving money isn’t important, it’s because her little boy likes Steve. Steve works at the store and makes Alex feel special and gives him attention. When mom says, “C’mon Alex, we’re going to the fish store!” His response is: “Are we going to see Steve?”

You may think your customer is a man or a woman or some certain demographic but I’m here to remind you that children drive a lot of decisions. In the words of Crosby, Stills and Nash: Treat Your Children Well.

No matter what the retail business you’re in, make it a point to focus on how you treat the children. Their experience will directly affect your bottom line. Besides, they’re your future customer.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Talk to your associates about what you can do to serve your little guests. It will pay dividends!

Those of you who know me know I love live theater. I just returned home from seeing the Tony Award winning musical, Avenue Q. It’s like dirty Sesame Street. They use puppets with very adult themes. It was hysterical! It’s amazing what you can get away with then packaged together with catchy music and an adequate story line.

Towards the end of the show a couple characters are at a very low point in their lives: out of work with no direction. These characters decide to focus on the dream of one of their friends and as they focus on this charitable work they discover success and life purpose.

It’s a tongue-in-cheek quirky musical, but it’s a lot of fun and the lesson of ‘getting out of you for a while’ really hit home. Especially during these economic times it’s easy to blame and point fingers. This only leads to self-pity, which is never healthy to indulge in. This kind of focus only points us down a path of self-destruction. If you ever get to this point you’ll know it’s time to get out of you.

Direct your focus on helping others. Your personal situation will improve. It’s proven that when we reach out to help others our own situation is put in a different light and optimism presents itself.

Get out of you and really start living!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: So, where will you be volunteering? Whose life will you impact?

You never know where opportunities may come from. One of mine recently came from a local convenience store. Many of you know that my book, The Brander-In-Chief, was released this past November. I had a big media launch in an old downtown theater. It was very exciting. One of the attendees had a small chain of gas station convenience stores and he offered to sell my book in his stores.

Hey, it’s my first book, you got to start somewhere (by the way you can now order at amazon.com)! So we created a display stand and placed my books in four of his stores. For a month nothing moved. We decided to re-brand the display stand with, “LOCAL AUTHOR!” all over it. The books started moving at a modest rate.

A CEO, from a successful company, received the book from his in-laws who purchased the book (I later discovered) at one of these stores. This successful CEO asked his associates if anyone knew this Joe Kiedinger guy? One of his associates actually went to college with me and knew me quite well. The CEO wanted to meet with me because he liked the message of the book and the Brander-In-Chief philosophies and system held within.

I learned that one of his companies does leadership training in Hong Kong. Last night I had a Skype conversation with his office in China. After two hours I was informed that the Brander-In-Chief message would be quite well-received in Hong Kong and was asked if I would consider a two-week trip to Hong Kong to give speeches and run coaching sessions with their people. My, oh, my! I guess Disney had it right. It really is “a small world afterall.” This opportunity happened because one business owner allowed me to sell my books in his convenience stores.

This one powerful example illustrates how important it is to present your uniqueness to everyone you meet including people you may think can do nothing for your business: teachers, college students, vendors, even family members. You never realize the impact a meaningful conversation about your vision and unique selling proposition can have until you share those ideas with others. Sometimes these conversations can lead to opportunities years down the road, but it always pays dividends at some point.

As Brander-In-Chief of your life and the business you serve, you are an ambassador. You should always be talking to people and networking. You are a unique individual who brings value to others. Tell them how and show them if possible. Don’t underestimate anyone. Tell your story and live with passion!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Be the ambassador!