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Casual Articles - Everything I Need to Know About Business I Learned From My Nametag
I had been traveling and “seminaring” this past week and whenever I finish, I like to write about what most of the seminar participants have been asking about.This past week, I spent a fair amount of time in the “business relationship” area, commonly referred to “Co-workers, bosses and vendors, oh my.”It seems that most of us have trouble communicating with the people we spend so much time with and understanding their point of view.It really comes down to the things that we all have issues with.“How do I tell my boss that his idea really stinks and not lose my job?”“Why is my co-worker stabbing me in the back?”“How do I tell my vendor that we are not going to renew his contract?”“The person next to me smells and I don’t want to offend him/her, and I want them to stop smelling.”“Being gentle in the lunchroom and still getting my point across.”“My boss won’t make a decision and I can’t move forward.”“My co-worker is an Eyore or Schleprock and I can’t seem to get them to shut up.”This of course is a partial list. Feel free to add your particular situation.It really is a communication issue, isn’t it?"So, what. Big deal" you say. "I only spend 30% of my time with them anyways, why do I need better commun
Repetition
Like a large percentage of the world, I didn’t learn much in college. Or maybe I just don’t remember much from college.
House cleaning alone might be limiting your business success. Eventually the market is too saturated if you have many competitors. Or there are just not enough customers with income high enough to spend parts of it on the luxury having someone else clean their house. So, what can you do to put your business on a better foundation?Offer additional services that go beyond normal house cleaning. The advantage can be that you can ask for higher prices. We already mentioned the cleaning of refrigerators and ovens in an earlier part of our series of articles on how to start a house cleaning business. But these two pieces do not generate business by themselves. They are an add-on.New Construction Cleaning: If you live in an area with a lot of construction going on you can eventually offer the initial cleaning of newly built houses before people move in. Removing the dust and dirt the constructions have left behind can be a great opportunity for one-time jobs, but if done right you can also sell your normal house cleaning services. If you are able to get jobs in new construction cleaning – do follow-ups with the customers.Important: If you decide to offer this type of service you will most likely need different kind of equipment. Bigger ladders and industry-grade vacuum cleane
And that gave me an idea. A crazy idea. Maybe I should keep my nametag on all night!
I wondered what would happen if I “threw myself out there.” And I wondered how that would affect my approachability.
Sure enough, I walked out of that seminar with “Scott” stuck on my chest. About 10 minutes later I met up with a friend of mine at a local ice cream shop. And that’s when it all started. That’s when the silence was broken.
People began to say hello. Random students walked up to me and started conversations. Even complete strangers yelled “Hey Scott!” from across the room! I noticed an astonishing increase in both my own and other people’s willingness to communicate – all because of a nametag!
Later that night I returned home. I looked in the mirror at that little red and white nametag. And then, I made the most important decision of my entire life:
I vow to wear this nametag all day, every day – for the rest of my life.
That fateful day was November 2nd, 2000. And since then, my entire life has changed. On January 1st, 2003, my first book entitled HELLO, my name is Scott: Wearing Nametags for a Friendlier Society, was released. At the same time, my company, Front Porch Productions was created.
But with every passing day of wearing a nametag – I was forced to look deeper. I knew there was something bigger at work. And now after three years of business and five years of wearing a nametag all day, every day – it’s time to go from experimental to experiential. The following are seven valuable business lessons I learned from wearing a nametag.
Repetition
Like a large percentage of the world, I didn’t learn much in college. Or maybe I just don’t remember much from college.
Being a professional and speaking like a professional are two very different things.Before you can speak like a professional, you need to be certain that you believe that you are a professional. This may sound like an odd statement to some readers, however, many small businesses are successfully started and run by those who are more accustomed to working behind the scenes than in front of the microphone and camera. The fact is, no one is born with an innate ability to speak well before large groups and it is a skill best learned through experience and practice.If you have confidence issues, stammer or are at a loss for words when someone asks you what you do, don't ignore the problem! Immediately after reading this post, visit www.toastmasters.org and search for a ToastMasters Club near you. This not for profit was started in the 1920’s with the mission to assist anyone to learn better communication and leadership skills.Learning to speak publicly is an emotional journey for most. Statistics rate public speaking as the second most common fear – surpassed only by death! Therefore, it helps to feel comfortable with those in the room. That is why ToastMasters encourages guests to sit in on an actual meeting or two
I wondered what would happen if I “threw myself out there.” And I wondered how that would affect my approachability.
Sure enough, I walked out of that seminar with “Scott” stuck on my chest. About 10 minutes later I met up with a friend of mine at a local ice cream shop. And that’s when it all started. That’s when the silence was broken.
People began to say hello. Random students walked up to me and started conversations. Even complete strangers yelled “Hey Scott!” from across the room! I noticed an astonishing increase in both my own and other people’s willingness to communicate – all because of a nametag!
Later that night I returned home. I looked in the mirror at that little red and white nametag. And then, I made the most important decision of my entire life:
I vow to wear this nametag all day, every day – for the rest of my life.
That fateful day was November 2nd, 2000. And since then, my entire life has changed. On January 1st, 2003, my first book entitled HELLO, my name is Scott: Wearing Nametags for a Friendlier Society, was released. At the same time, my company, Front Porch Productions was created.
But with every passing day of wearing a nametag – I was forced to look deeper. I knew there was something bigger at work. And now after three years of business and five years of wearing a nametag all day, every day – it’s time to go from experimental to experiential. The following are seven valuable business lessons I learned from wearing a nametag.
Repetition
Like a large percentage of the world, I didn’t learn much in college. Or maybe I just don’t remember much from college.
Attracting highly skilled and qualified employees is essential to building a successful business. When a company is growing, it is easy for the owner or a trusted company employee to take each new recruit under their wing and show them the ropes. As a company grows, however, that process becomes more and more difficult as time and client demands take highly valued employees’ time. At this point a formal, extensive program for training managers becomes necessary.Once a company reaches a certain level of success, its managers become the liaison between employees and executive management. Training managers becomes critical to ensuring that employees are acclimated into their jobs, personnel issues are handled, laws and regulations are adhered to and each employee completes their job in an orderly, productive and efficient manner.The proper training of managers begins with a strong human resources department or program. The human resources employees understand how the practical application of all labor laws applies to the businesses every day work routines. They also are trained in handling personnel issues and in ensuring that all non work related issues are dealt with properly.Most managers bring their own style and skill set to their job. They understand how to p
Later that night I returned home. I looked in the mirror at that little red and white nametag. And then, I made the most important decision of my entire life:
I vow to wear this nametag all day, every day – for the rest of my life.
That fateful day was November 2nd, 2000. And since then, my entire life has changed. On January 1st, 2003, my first book entitled HELLO, my name is Scott: Wearing Nametags for a Friendlier Society, was released. At the same time, my company, Front Porch Productions was created.
But with every passing day of wearing a nametag – I was forced to look deeper. I knew there was something bigger at work. And now after three years of business and five years of wearing a nametag all day, every day – it’s time to go from experimental to experiential. The following are seven valuable business lessons I learned from wearing a nametag.
Repetition
Like a large percentage of the world, I didn’t learn much in college. Or maybe I just don’t remember much from college.
Think of your booth as a tiny piece of real estate. Your goal is to secure a location where both traffic and your customers' productive tension are optimized. You must be SEEN in order to capture the attention of your prospects. So let's get right down to business.If your budget only allows you to purchase a 10'x10' space, the best choice would be a corner. This location gives you exposure on two aisles. A 10'x20' space is best positioned at the END of a row, with both booths facing the short aisle. This location gives you exposure on three aisles. A 20'x20' space would ideally be free-standing, providing you with exposure on ALL sides. A dramatic alternative is to secure all four corners of an intersection. This means virtually every visitor will actually walk through your exhibit.From a tension management perspective, your location in regard to the natural flow of visitor traffic is critical. Upon arrival, visitors are likely to be quite far UpGrid* — in Power and Power-Stress – where people are moving fast and excited to be at the show. This level of tension stimulates them to hurry through the first portion of the route. As they progress, their level of productive tension steadily drops and as it does, so drops their level of interest. You want them to notice you
That fateful day was November 2nd, 2000. And since then, my entire life has changed. On January 1st, 2003, my first book entitled HELLO, my name is Scott: Wearing Nametags for a Friendlier Society, was released. At the same time, my company, Front Porch Productions was created.
But with every passing day of wearing a nametag – I was forced to look deeper. I knew there was something bigger at work. And now after three years of business and five years of wearing a nametag all day, every day – it’s time to go from experimental to experiential. The following are seven valuable business lessons I learned from wearing a nametag.
Repetition
Like a large percentage of the world, I didn’t learn much in college. Or maybe I just don’t remember much from college.
Financial FitnessWhat would you say if I told you that you have the potential as a personal trainer to earn 40, 50 or even in excess of ?60,000 per year?If you’re thinking ‘That’s impossible!’ then you’re right, for you the likelihood of reaching anything near these sums is impossible. You may as well stop reading this article right now and save yourself the bother of even contemplating the material.If, on the other hand, you think to yourself ‘ Yes, that’s for me’ then read on and pay close attention, because what you read over the following pages is GUARANTEED to take you closer to realising your financial potential – BUT ONLY IF YOU ACTUALLY USE THE INFORMATION. You’ll get absolutely zero benefit if all you do is read this article.You see, unlike many other ‘marketing experts’, I’m not going to tell you how to design your business cards, how to write press releases or how to ‘close the sale’ with your prospective client. At least, not yet anyway.As interesting as some of this information may be, I regard all of it as being of little importance to the Personal Trainer who is trying to build his/her business. Why? Because in order to be able to use these marketing tools you need prospects who are receptive to them in the first place! Therefore, this arti
Repetition
Like a large percentage of the world, I didn’t learn much in college. Or maybe I just don’t remember much from college. Either way, I did take away a few key concepts from my marketing studies. The main one was called “The Three R’s of Marketing,” which are:
1) Repetition
2) Repetition
3) Repetition
I know it sounds incredibly obvious. But with every single day that I wore that little nametag, people were more and more likely to think “He’s still wearing that nametag!” “Hey look, there’s Scott again…” “Why in the hell does that guy always wear a nametag?”
It was catching on. People not only noticed me, but they remembered me. And now they were starting to tell other people too.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What new action could you repeat on a daily basis?
Combine Vocation with Values
I often remind people that what I do as a person and businessperson is not about nametags. The nametag is merely a symbol that represents several core values I hold close to my heart. The truth is; my nametag and my values are one in the same. You see, my nametag represents friendliness, approachability, fun, creativity, uniqueness and casualness. And I, as a person, believe in friendliness, approachability, fun, creativity, uniqueness and casualness.
This reminds me of my friend Ed. He’s a financial planner, and a damn good one at that. But the reason he’s so successful is because his values (planning ahead, setting goals, organization) are manifested through his job. And I think the greatest businesspeople in the world are those who do just that: combine vocation with values.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Which values are manifested through your work?
You Can’t Make Everybody Happy
You’d be amazed how much hate mail I’ve rece
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