Even a Nerd Can Be Heard

July is the month that my extended family has selected for our annual gathering in Myrtle Beach, SC. There are 30-40 of us from all over the country gathered for a week of eating, playing, and catching up on all the family news. July is also the month of the Tour de France which happens to include George Hincapie, a native of Greenville, SC, my home town. That means that each morning of vacation week begins with TV coverage of the Tour de France.

The Tour de France has more weird rules than a Greer family Heart Game, but there is one concept I understand.  If you are a member of the peloton, you get the same time as everyone else in the group. So if your goal is to be equal to everyone else, you just have to stay safely in a clump (technical term for peloton) with the other riders.  

If you want to win a stage, or earn one of those brightly colored jerseys, you have to break away from the pack. I’m still not sure about that polka dotted jersey – it reminds me of Dr. Seuss’s “Put me in the Zoo”.  But hey, if you want to wear polka dots to proclaim your prowess on the mountains and earn 25,000 euros (roughly $35.000 USD) then who am I to stop you? But I think they should go for a nice madras stripe rather than polka dots next year.

But what does this race have to do with anything?

Have you ever talked to a company employee who tells you that they want to “stay under the radar?” That to me is one of the most depressing statements that can ever be uttered by a corporate employee. First, it indicates a lack of motivation on the part of the employee. Secondly, it is indicative of the kind of corporate culture where risk-taking is neither encouraged nor rewarded. It is a symptom of a company or department headed for a crash.

 If everyone in the Tour de France had a goal of merely staying in the peloton, there would be no winners or losers, no fight for jerseys, and no point in watching. It would be boring. It would even be sad, and we would know no individual names. Rather we would know the outline of the blob that contains them.

If you find yourself stuck in a corporate peloton, now is the time to make a break for the lead. Start innovating, find a creative outlet, and find a new place to apply your talents. Build your personal brand, hone your skills and switch into high gear. The view is much better from the front of the line.

Temptation in a box

Actually, everything about the experience of receiving a package from Vosges Haut Chocolat sold me on this company and their product.  But it was the list of ingredients that finally made me throw my Atkins diet out the window and grab a handful of chocolate candy. 

 Here's the description plastered on top of the box of caramel marshmallows that I just received:

Fluffy Marshmallows made with 
Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans
Sweet Sugar Caramel
French Guerande Grey Sea Salt
Dark Chocolate
Pecan and Walnut Toffee Crumble Atop

 
I don't know about you, but while I might be able to resist your garden variety Sea Salt, when I'm offered French Guerande Grey Sea Salt, there is no more resisting temptation. That's when I fell face first into the box of candy.

Of course the experience made me start wondering how to apply a similar marketing approach to product sales, presentation titles, or even articles. For me, it just confirms the importance of details and descriptive text when you are telling a story. The restaurant folks know how to work the details when they are designing menus and educating their waitstaffs about the daily specials.

So instead of electronic working paper software for CPAs,
CaseWare is actually selling an electronic time saving productivity tool, containing :

Hours of code 
plus softly shaded templates
lovingly written by adventure-seeking Canadians listening to hours of Grateful Dead music
 while sipping mugs of steaming Earl Grey tea
 imported daily from the shores of Nova Scotia.

I wonder if the software contains any carbs?

Among the many things that I do to annoy my children, apparently I have this bad habit of "going all businessy" on them when I talk about something work- related. They claim I use a different voice and everything. (I think I inherited this trait from my mother. She could go right from screaming at the four of us to answering the phone with her all smiles “how are you darling?’” voice. We would all crack up. We also hoped the phone would ring whenever we got in trouble.)

My habit is probably the result of trying to appear more professional (and less redneck) when I am talking with other professionals. After all, I spent years learning how to write a professional business document, I studied the proper formatting for a business letter, and I agonized over the best way to give a professional presentation.  Haven’t we all been  taught to avoid first person and to talk about that mysterious “one” in our conversations. So rather than saying “ You need to be more conversational.” We would write “One needs to strive for a more conversational tone in his written communications.” Now, doesn’t that last sentence just make you feel all warm and fuzzy?   

Well, the times have changed. Now our mission is to try to form connections and that means we need to be more conversational in the way we communicate. With the advent of short and sweet communication tools like Twitter, the pressure is on to reflect more personality and less marketing / business speak in everything we write.

It’s not easy to erase years of programming. But if you are writing a blog, you have to be conversational. It’s hard for most first time bloggers. They want to write the same way they would write a professional letter or a brochure. But it has to be different. A blog is a place to show your humanness.

Here’s what I do differently when I’m having a conversation (unless I’m talking to my kids about my business):

1.       I refer to “you” and “me” (or “y’all” if I’m in the mood)

2.       I use contractions – I do not say “do not”, I say “don’t”

3.       I use little words – big ones are too hard to say

4.       I use shorter sentences, with a simple structure – big long sentences don’t allow room to breathe

5.       I use colorful details – not generalities

No one called and made me the all knowing. But nonetheless, I feel the need to remark about a presentation because there is something to learn. Or at least to ponder.  Here’s my dilemma.  I’m not sure if I am going to assume the role of Simon Cowl or Paula Abdul.

There’s a fine line between being entertaining and hokey.  How do you know which side of the line you fall on?

I don’t have the answer to that one myself.

I attended a luncheon presentation (which is a nightmare for any presenter- you have to talk over forks and the passing of salt shakers, etc.) The speaker employed a number of devices to get the group’s attention. She used images plus sound effects – which at one point included drum rolls for joke setups, later there were sounds of various pieces of office equipment, she had an animatronic slide featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger with recorded dialogue, she used props, and even sang songs (nice voice). All of this was done in an effort to make her point.

I’m torn as to whether these devices were effective or distracting. I got the sense that a couple of other attendees felt the same way.

What do you think? What separates entertaining, fun, and different from a Vaudeville act?

I applaud her enthusiasm, her timing, her planning and preparation, her technology, and her rehearsal. For the conversation with the recorded figure she had to have perfect timing  -she bantered back and forth with a number of questions and answers. That wasn’t ad-libbed. And then she danced and sang. There is real courage in putting yourself out there and she did that. Kudos and much applause for daring to be different.

I’m just not sure that I came away from the presentation convinced about the depth of her expertise in the subject matter.

Or maybe I’m just an old nerd who needs to get over herself. What do I know anyway, Dog?

I presented a session on customer loyalty at Sage Insights this week. One of my messages about generating positive word of mouth had to do with being remarkable. Ever since I read Seth Godins book, The Purple Cow, I have paid attention to how others make themselves or their company "remarkable".  I have also tried to make my presentations include something memorable, surprising, and hopefully remarkable.

But what struck me in the session, during the portion of it that was based on The Dating Game, was that different people can be remarkable in different ways. We had a Customer Loyalty Dating Game in which three Sage Business partners had to answer the questions posed by a prospective customer, played by Dennis Frahmann.  

Each of the partners who kindly volunteered to be potential matches for the customer were remarkable in their own way. Wayne Schultz is a master tweeter, a technology guru who is well known for the advice, answers and information that he freely shares. He is remarkably prolific and uses technology to full advantage.

Jeannie Huckstep is a quiet leader devoted to the success of her Not For Profit clients. She has a team of equally talented business professionals who have helped her become a national expert. She is remarkable for her focus, for her depth of knowledge, and for the sense of calm that she instills in anyone who talks to her. 

And then there is Bettye Baker. If the addition of that extra "e" at the end of her name wasn't enough to make Bettye remarkable, there are the stories. Bettye launches into one of her stories with that Texas accent and you can't help but hang on for the ride. She compares a software implementation to a funeral - and it actually makes sense. She's a one woman show and you get the sense that one woman is plenty. She is remarkable for those stories. 

What is remarkable about you?