Signs of drowning

Apparently the signs of drowning are unlike what we saw on Baywatch (not that we ever watched Baywatch - but that's neither here nor there). There are no cries for help. There isn't a massive struggle with hands waving in the air.

Here's why.

They can't. Most drowning people are unable to speak because the natural response in a drowning situation is to breathe - not to talk. Breathing must be taken care of before before speech can occur. Kind of important that breathing...

Turns out they're also unable to wave for help. A drowning person is essentially programmed by nature to extend their arms and press down on the surface of the water to try and keep themselves from being submersed - not to wave them wildly above their heads. (info sourced from Lifehacker.com)

And so since the drowning victim doesn't display the expected "signs" of drowning we don't even pay attention.

It's so easy to go unnoticed. 

It's so easy to blend in.

It's so easy to make it look like nothing is wrong - even though we might be frantically sinking.

In other words, it's pretty easy to drown.

Luckily lifeguards are trained in this sort of thing and they can quickly identify the nuances of behavior that alert them to avert such crises. So if you begin drowning at the beach or in a pool, there's probably a fairly good chance you'll be rescued.

Life and business is another story. There's no one perched on a tall chair slathered with sunblock watching you intently for signs of trouble. You're on your own. You succeed, bravo! You fail, so sorry, we didn't even really notice you sinking.

Scary. Unless you have a plan that is. So here's the metaphorical plan I recommend: Wear a lifejacket and go into the water with friends that you can trust to watch out for you.

Be knowledgeable, seek and gain wisdom, don't be afraid to ask for help, recognize what you're good at and outsource what you're not. And above all, don't drown.

Manufactured vs. Organic

There's an amusing discussion taking place amongst my family at the moment. My wife is an evangelist of organic, whole foods that have not been processed or tainted by chemicals. She believes food in it's natural state is best for consumption. This explains why our refrigerator looks like a garden minus the dirt...

On the other side of this lively debate is my cousin who is a chemical engineer. His point of view is that processing is only done to provide an improvement of some kind. Chemicals aren't bad, rather they are the necessary components to making something better. He's not defending the over-consumption of Twinkies, but he also doesn't believe that processing equals bad.

Organic vs. Manufactured 

Now consider the same topic, but in a different context...

• Enthusiasm
• Sales
• Communication
• Motivation

If you really pay attention to the world around you, it quickly becomes apparent that we don't know how to grow anything. Ultimately we don't know how to be real so we're forced to manufacture - which is hard work.

Go pick up any sales book and you'll find the following commands:

• Be enthusiastic about your product or service
• Sell more by using these closing methods
• Communicate carefully so you can build rapport and create results
• Get motivated by talking to yourself in the mirror, verbalizing your goals, and jumping up and down 26 times!

And yet the question remains...How do you be or express what you're not??

Several years ago, when I was looking for a job, I interviewed at a lot of different places. I walked in with a suit on, resume in hand, and pre-programmed answers to the questions I thought would be asked. For the most part I believe I interviewed well. But I got very few offers.

Why?

I didn't want it. I guarantee it didn't show on the outside because I was saying all the right things, but I lacked convincability. I was communicating extremely well on a subconscious level to the interviewer that I didn't have belief in the company or the product. I didn't really want to work there. I was there because I needed a job and a paycheck - not because I believed in the company or the product.

Manufactured vs. Organic

I tried to manufacture belief but I couldn't and so ultimately I was ineffective. I was trying to produce something that hadn't actually been grown organically. So at the age of 33 I'm focusing on developing myself and designing a life and a business from an organic perspective. It's a longer road, it's frustrating, and I lose patience very easily with this process. But it's better. Much, much better.

The Edge

The Edge.

A scary, awesome place.

Rumor has it that people of long ago thought the world was flat. We've all heard this before. Everyone stayed in the safe middle because if you ventured too far you'd go over the edge. That was the prevailing philosophy of the day and it was truth. Until someone proved it false, that is.

Thinking outside the box.

A popular term meaning to do something unexpectedly brilliant that produces inspired innovation, heroic ideas, and celebratory parades. Or something like that. But can we really just think outside the box?

It didn't take thinking to discover that the world was round and not flat and that you would indeed live if you sailed past the horizon. Someone actually had to go discover it. They had to do something. They had to risk their very life and limb to sail right up to the edge and look into the supposed chasm of death.

Except that there wasn't any such chasm. There never was. And yet, from what we know, an entire global population was held captive to the middle, to what they knew. They were imprisoned by their own ideas.

And the same thing holds true today. We live in the middle because its safe. We dare not venture past where we can see because we assume there is a chasm of death eagerly waiting to swallow us up. We play it safe in our own backyards and so we ultimately play it small.

We risk nothing and gain the same. The people that you and I admire have stepped out of their own yards and are consciously and continuously moving toward the edge. This isn't to say that they don't have doubts and that sinking feeling in the pits of their stomachs at what could happen - but they don't stop.

Why then should we?

I need to (fill in the blank)

This is a small taste of the constant ticker running through my frontal lobe...

I need to call that guy back.
I need to work on that project.
I need to develop some new marketing campaigns.
I need to go work out.
I need to pay the electric bill. 
I need to schedule a dermatologist appointment.
I need to prepare for a client meeting next week.
I need to design my business and life on purpose.
And on, and on, and on.

We're all very aware of the majority of the things that we need to do. Some of these things get done - and some don't. Some are important - and some really aren't.


So what stops me and you from doing the other things we "need" to do?

Resistance. This the answer and phrase coined by Stephen Pressfield in his book the WAR of ART. It is the force that holds us back from accomplishing the thing we strive to achieve. Or the thing we would've strived to achieve if we hadn't decided to instead watch TV or waste our time doing something else.

Resistance is excellent at its job. It skillfully maneuvers us from away from designing our lives and our businesses to instead reacting hastily to the series of mini-crises that pop up on a daily basis. Resistance is very good at letting us win just enough battles so we lose sight of the war that is defeating us.   

The funny thing about Resistance is that it permits us to do occasional good things. I think it figures that if we're looking down at something good we're probably missing the really great thing that just slipped out of view. 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again (mostly for my own personal benefit) - we get one shot at life. It thus becomes imperative that we fight Resistance and move forward one inch, one phone call, one blog post at a time.

It's the economy...it must be

Funny how we all turn into economists when the economy goes south, "Well business is down because the economy is down."

And yet when the economy is good we attribute the fact that we're doing good based on how awesome we are at running our businesses....

Economy is bad - we're macro-economists, "It's happening to me!"
Economy is good - we're micro-economists, "Look how good I am!"

And the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

But here's my question for this new batch of macro-economists blaming the economy - "Is there enough business for you?"

If there is, stop whining and get better. Be excellent. Be the one your clients will turn to. Build trust. Quit thinking about 2005 and get on with life. Marty McFly isn't going to show up with a Delorean to transport you back to the glory days of your bank account.

If there isn't enough for you (which I suspect there is) go find something else to do where there is enough for you.

Last I checked you're not responsible for managing the economy of the US. Be responsible for your own economy.

Blame them and you'll be hopeless and powerless.
Take responsibility and you'll become hopeful and powerful.

The price of authenticity

Authenticity in our society is becoming rarer than (long pause while I try and think of something appropriately witty...)

I can't think of anything. And I'm extremely disappointed in myself for not coming up with something funny. But this post is about being authentic, sooo....

Moving on. Let's take a look at Facebook as a prime example. Most people post their Farmville scores, the fact that they're happy it's the weekend, pictures of their kids dressed like dinosaurs, and YouTube videos featuring an big, ugly dog cuddling with a baby hamster.

But where's the authenticity?

Now of course you could argue that Facebook isn't the proper outlet for posting authentic, personal information. And I'm totally down with that. But would it hurt? Could it hurt?

There are specific people that I've found from a book they've written, videos they've posted on YouTube, or TED talks where they've been featured. I follow these people and maintain tabs on what they're doing because I like what they say. I like their authenticity. I don't know how they are as people, since I don't know them personally, but they seem to exude an above-average ability to communicate in a way that reaches emotion. And because of that I follow them. Or to say it another way, they lead me.

I hope you're understanding the power of this concept.  

The message that is shared, the philosophy that is expounded on, and the projects they embark on all seem to be born out of their insistent fervor to be authentic -  which shows up in their emotional output.

This is raw. Being authentic always is. It's the opposite of polished and shiny. Rather it is marred with the signature of life which is not always so perfect but is ultimately relate-able.

Speaking of raw and authentic, watch this video. Be forewarned, this guy is pretty raw but his message is pretty compelling:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhqZ0RU95d4

The price of change

I'm not going to start a lengthy discussion about change. It's upon us, it's scary, and we have to deal with it.

But to deal with it effectively, I believe we have to know the price we have to pay to experience the benefits that change can bring.

Here's my paraphrase of an Einstein quote:

The same thinking that got us into this mess can't get us out of it.

That's a scary thought. It means we have to change the way we think. Which means we have to change our philosophy. Not a simple task.

I've been in the middle of change for quite a while now. The company that I worked for previously went belly-up, so I decided to start my own business. I'm still starting that business and it's been a difficult road. I often don't know what to do. But I do know this. I have to shift my philosophy from the way I used to think to a new way of thinking. 

Here's an example. Sales. Ugh, what a horrible word. It conjures up all kinds of unpleasant images that make us feel icky. Yes, I just said icky. 

The reason it makes us feel that way is that we're thinking how sales has been done in the past. Not the distant past, more so the recent past - like the last 50 years. 

Let me explain. Sales used to be a demonstration of communication, trust, authenticity, and honor. Sales were made by shaking hands. Commitments were honored because our word had been given. Now I know this is somewhat idealized - I know there were shysters and everything wasn't Mayberry perfect. But there was more honor then than what followed.

And then TV came along. The relationships were gone. Now we had to coerce, and persuade, manipulate and cajole, use scarcity, and tactics and suddenly there were hundreds of books being written about how to "DO" sales.

How in the world did people sell before all these books were written? I'm sure they did, but it was most likely a fluke of nature. 

Wasn't it?

Or maybe salespeople back then used to have character. Maybe they knew how to build relationships. Maybe they were okay with being authentic and honest. Maybe they didn't over-complicate things.

And maybe that's what we should go back to. Maybe part of the price of change is giving up our reliance on tactics and going back to providing real authenticity - if even we think it makes us look bad. 

It's a shocking idea but that's the challenge I'm issuing to myself. Be authentic or go work in a factory making widgets. Those are really the only options. And because the second option makes me ill, I'm gonna stick with the first one.

Monday

Monday. It might as well be a four-letter word as much as it is reviled and talked about with such venom.

But why?

Well for most people it means they have to go back to the J-O-B, the grind, and the 9-to-5. It implies they have to stop doing what they like (whatever they do on the weekend) and start doing something they don't like.

This sad state of affairs really stinks. But obviously since we live in Communist China we have no hope. Every one of us was informed by a state official long ago of what we would be doing for our livelihoods and we had zero say in the matter.

And because of this, burly men toting guns come to our houses every morning and force us at gunpoint to march grimly to our daily doom as we sip our bland cups of Totalitarian Toffee Nut flavored coffee.

And of course once we're chained to our desks, we're then compelled to actually work by our sadistic, electric cattle prod wielding bosses that expect us to produce results - or else...

It's terrible, I know.

Except this isn't your reality, nor mine. We don't live in China so we don't have to act like we do. We have something called the "freedom to choose". In fact, we have the responsibility to choose.

So if this is the case, why do so many people choose poorly? And why are so many people miserable when Monday rolls around?

Last I checked this isn't a dress rehearsal. This is for realz. If you're upset every Monday morning maybe you should do something about it. For realz.

It's your life to waste.

But I would encourage you not to. We need what you've got - whether you realize that yet or not.

Your WHAT is busted?!

In addition to being the Architect of Wow!, I also like to consider myself as a Give-A-Damn repairman (totally different from the Maytag repairman by the way...). I realize that's blunt and somewhat crass, but to be honest too many peoples' Give-A-Damn be broke!

Well actually that's not totally true. Their Give-A-Damn is working at 50% of it's capacity - but it's the wrong 50%. It's only functioning toward what they want, not for what anyone else wants.

Harry Beckwith wrote a really good book entitled: What Clients Love. In that book he made an interesting distinction between vision and mission. He said that your vision is selfish. It's what you want to accomplish for yourself. Not a bad thing of course, but it's not all about you...

Your mission, on the other hand, pertains to the broader societal impact you want to have. Your legacy, your contribution, the demonstration of your selflessness.

In other words, your Give-A-Damn only works at 100% capacity when you have both your vision AND your mission in place.

By all means, you need to know what you're personal aspirations are.  But that doesn't mean you can forgo helping others get what they aspire as well.

(Although ironically, once you focus your Give-A-Damn on helping others achieve their visions, yours seems to manifest all on its own.)

Take a long, hard look at your Give-A-Damn - does it need an overhaul?

The value of your values

Knowing what you value is a good thing to know all the time... But even more so when it comes time to make a decision.

Some decisions are easy forks in the road, while others cause us to stand and ponder. Not a bad thing that pondering, but determining your values beforehand can reduce the time it takes...

Here are some of my values that I communicate to my clients:

Philosophy is everything, so come up with a good one

The way you think determines everything. What you believe shows up everywhere. I believe the quality of your philosophy determines the quality of your business and your life.

Relationships first, money second

People are more important than money. I believe building relationships is at the core of every successful business and those should always be prioritized over money.

Do what you do on purpose and with purpose

We could have done anything in life but we all chose the path that we're on. Since we did, I believe we should honor those choices by creating a clear and strong vision and mission. Do what you do well.

Take yourself seriously, but not too seriously

Life is short and can be difficult. Despite that, I believe those that find more opportunity and have more fun in life are those that laugh easily and don't get too big for their britches.

We're all one-hit wonders

The reports are in and they show a 100% fatality rate. Since we only get one shot at this thing, I believe we should remember what is really important and not get caught thinking short-term. Building a business is good, but building a legacy and an honorable reputation is better.

A story about a kid with a garbage cart

Sounds like a real page-turner eh, a kid with a garbage cart? Well let me tell the story and you be the judge...

Recently, following a late night workout, I was in the mood for some ice cream. Yes, I recognize the irony of that statement but let me get on with my story.

I wasn't in the mood for just any ice cream though, I really wanted an Ice Dream from Chick-fil-A with the chocolate sauce. It's pretty fantastic. Unfortunately as I drove up, I noticed the drive-thru lights were off and they were obviously closed.

About the time I was noticing this, a teen-aged employee was in the process of pushing a garbage cart, like the one above, full of garbage to the dumpster. However, when he saw my car, he stopped what he was doing and walked over to my window.

Stooping down, he proceeded to apologize for the fact that they were closed and then wished me a good evening.

Really?

Would that have happened at McDonald's or Burger King? I highly doubt it. Because those restaurants are in the business of transferring systems, whereas Chick-fil-A seems to be in the business of transferring a clear value structure from the top down. This explains why I became more important in that moment to a teenager who could've easily ignored me and simply finished his garbage duties so he could go home. Why did he care about me? Because he works in an environment where that sort of idea is encouraged.

Startling isn't it?

Chick-fil-A knows WHY they are in business. And not only do they know their WHY, but they're also extremely effective at transferring their WHY in the form of their values to the kid pushing the garbage cart.

Amazing. Why do they get it and yet it seems to be such a mystery to everyone else?

Safe stories are boring stories

Moxie.

Chutzpah.

Guts.

Courage.

Daring.

Bravery.

These are the elements found in the stories we like and the ones we repeat over and over. No one cares about reading a book about climbing a 20 ft tree, we wanna read about climbing Mt. Everest.

We don't talk about our one hand that has no scars, we talk about the one that does. There's a story there. And we like stories.

Stories engage. Stories capture. Stories last.

What kind of story is your life?
What kind of story is your business?
What kind of story is your job?

Is it worth talking about or have you settled for a non-story, a non-event, a non-challenge, a non-gutsy existence?

If you're still breathing it's not too late. Create a new story.

This applies to people as much as it does to the businesses they run. Most businesses are so boring that it's pathetic. And I don't mean we can all be like Richard Branson and do insane stunts to promote our mega-brand. I simply mean that we can, and should, find meaning in everything we do. 

And for your sake, find a story that is characterized by more than safety. Being safe all the time doesn't make for a good story. Introduce a little peril, a little adventure. Remind yourself why you're alive - it may just keep you that way.

The signs are everywhere...Literally!

Back in the day holding a sandwich board, like the guy in the picture, was a popular form of advertising. Well, it appears that it's back. I've been noticing it more and more as I drive down South Florida Ave - the main road through Lakeland - but today it really struck me. I really SAW what was going on.

If you read my post yesterday, I talked about how many business consultants focus on improving the business, or the Transaction, for the business they're consulting. They'll change pricing, or advertising, maybe renegotiate vendor contracts, and perhaps sell off portions of the company, and on and on and on. But what's missing?

The people.

They forgot about the #1 key to success which is serving the clients first and foremost. They forget that the human element of business is often the most overlooked, yet one of the most significant things in a business.

And so now driving past Pizza Hut, and the Cash for Gold place, and the pizza buffet place, and sandwich shops you see real, live people holding signs out front. Why are they doing this?

Because we all crave human interaction. Normal signs and billboards and bus benches are no longer seen like they used to be. We've had to revert back 50 years to people holding signs on the roadside just to get noticed. Everyone wants to be noticed but are they doing anything notice-worthy? Not really, no.

This form of advertising will be scrapped before you know it. They do, however, have something right...focus on the people.

It's all about the people.

Caveman drawings, a Business How-To

Welcome to another installation of "Caveman Drawings - a Business How-To"

This particular drawing describes early business. Actually, it describes late business and every other business come to think of it...Let me explain.

A person (Owner) starts a business - this could be your local dry cleaner or Ford. A real, live person started each of those businesses. And one of their primary goals for starting this business was to sell a Thing (a product or a service) to another person (Client) in exchange for money (the Transaction).

This is how business has been done forever. And over the past 80 years (or so) the focus has been on the part in the middle - the Transaction.

The Owner wanted to make more money by selling more Things to the Client so they tried to make the Things cheaper and sell them for more. So they might manufacture their Things in China to save on costs. Or maybe they tried to make a winning TV commercial that would sell a lot more Things and gain them more money in the process. Regardless of what they did, the focus was always on the Transaction, or trying to exchange more Things for more money. Sometimes the Owner would hire a Business Consultant to help him figure out how to produce more money from the Transaction. They would tweak pricing, and run new advertising, and squeeze their vendors, and poke and prod every cranny of that Transaction to see where it would yield more money.

And it's worked okay. Lots of Owners have made lots of money and continue to do so. And if that is their definition of success then Hooray - they've been successful. Doesn't matter if anyone else was successful in the process (such as the Client...) but they were, so who cares?

But contrast with the concept of nobility, of honor. Can you find those things in this "Transaction"? I can't.

What happened to the days when Owners built relationship with their Clients and that trust was sealed with a handshake and with a word that would not be broken? Seems to be a relic of the past. Kind of like treacherously tall metal playground slides - but that's the topic for another time...

If you take a look back at the Caveman drawing above you'll see that the Transaction is in the middle of two people - the Owner and the Client. It's not more important than those two, it just resides in the middle. It's the method that these two people transact value with each other.

I've come to the realization that the best, most honorable business Owner knows why they are in business and it has nothing to do with just making money. There is another reason. And I've seen how when an Owner becomes Client-focused instead of Transaction-focused, that nobility, sustainability, reputation, referrals, loyalty, and yes profit, are produced in truckloads.

This is why my business consulting doesn't exalt the Transaction over the people...I believe this:
The Owner needs to get clear on their Why...
The Transaction needs to run smoothly and communicate effectively...
The Client needs to be valued and respected...

I've said this before, we all get one shot at this thing called life. Just one.

Be a settler! Not a settle-r...

The old west. Settlers from the east traveled through rivers and over mountains to create new homes and new lives in the west. I imagine these people, these settlers, were pretty tough. They were pioneers, trailblazers and adventurers. They were strong and brave and resilient in the face of danger and death. Or that's how I imagine them anyway...They could've been wimpy wallflowers for all I know, I wasn't there.

But for the sake of my point, I'm going to maintain my original idea that these settlers would wrestle four wild bears each before coffee JUST to wake themselves up in the morning. Pretty tough these people...

Certainly a different mental picture than the people who just settle. You know these people...

They're blah...
They're apathetic...
They had a good idea once! And they coulda made it big! But they didn't...
They're more comfortable grasping the remote than grasping a new concept...
They're action-less, direction-less, unmotivated and give up before the first wagon ever starts moving...

I recommend instead being a settler!

• How about being Brave?
• Response-able?
• Courageous?
• Unwilling to cave?
• Motivated?
• and just plain 'ol awesome? How about being awesome for a change?! 

Get up tomorrow morning and go look for some wild bears - it'll do you some good. 

What in the blazes does Jason Northington do?

I am an Architect of "Wow!" and I created this little equation to explain what the blazes that means. A quick caveat: this isn't a real math equation so I'm not going to solve what's in the parentheses first. If this bothers you get over it.

But I digress...I was about to explain something of supreme significance.

The equation reads like this:

Why multiplied by What plus How multiplied by Who equals "Wow!"

Before I explain the equation let me begin by saying that I am an Architect of "Wow!" and what I do is business consulting.

You with me?

How I do business consulting is by first starting to understand the Why of each of my business owner clients. The Why is their reason for being in business. It's their vision, their values, the fire in their belly and their story. The Why is incredibly important because without it the whole enterprise doesn't work like it should. It lacks energy, direction, and oomph! On a side note, I've found that oomph is very important to business success...

Once we understand and can clearly communicate their Why, we move on to the What and the How. The What is the business itself and the How is the marketing, or the method of communicating the Why to each and every client. The interesting thing is seeing the the momentous increase of focus and clarity on the What and How once the Why is discovered. It's like turning on a light bulb in a dark room. Instead of fumbling around everything starts to make sense.

Then once those two things are in place (the Why and the What and How) we move on to the Who. The Who represents the ideal client. Who, of the 7 billion people on the planet, most want and need what you're selling? And where are they? We go find them!

(Notice I didn't say customers. I said clients. I'm not going to go into right now but I never use the word customers, always clients...)

So. Now we know the Why; we got the What and How figured out; and we got clarity on Who wants us and Who we want to serve.

Get all three of those things humming along and the result will always be "Wow!"

But wait, what does "Wow!" mean? "Wow!" is the exclamation that your client says when you have served them better than anyone else. "Wow!" means they understand you and believe and trust you. "Wow!" is the forerunner of true client loyalty and reason they shout your name from the rooftops!

And THAT my friends, is what Jason Northington does. And boy, is it fun!

Lemonade, Advertising and Bad Manners

Advertising has become like the ugly kid brother to marketing. You generally see advertising showing up and doing one of two things.

The first thing advertising does is like that obnoxious know-it-all kid. He's the one always saying, "HEY! Lookit me, look at what I can do! Watch me climb this tree, aren't I awesome?!"

No, you aren't. We call this kind of advertising "brand-building" or "brand awareness". What is it good for? Not much. It just lets you know that XYZ Company has truckloads of money and they'll spend it without discretion.

Cooool.

The other thing advertising does is much like the other kid running the lemonade stand. You know this kid. You may not be thirsty, the lemonade may taste like something the astronauts drank back in the 70's but you can guarantee you're not getting away without a cup of it. This is advertising whose sole intent is to sell you something. This describes most advertising.

But what about the third one?

"What third one?" you ask so intelligently... You ask because you don't see it very much. Kinda like you don't often see unicorns...

This type of advertising centers around communicating values. Beliefs. Reasons why.

Imagine seeing this:

Dear potential client,

We know this isn't slick, it isn't glossy and there are no talking animals to amuse you. We also realize that most of you will not appreciate this, understand this, or even read this - and that's okay. But there will be some of you that do. There will be some of you that resonate with what we're about to say and you'll actually do something. Not because we asked you to, not because you were induced by some shrieking pitchman, but because you believed what we said.

So here it goes. We care about you. So much so that we will tell if what you want to buy from us is right for you. And if it's not we'll kindly tell where you can find better value somewhere else. We plan on educating you and serving you prior to you buying anything from us because we believe in what we do and how we do it. We didn't get out of bed this morning to make money, we got out of bed thinking about you. We hope you're having a great day, by the way...

See the difference? Feel the difference?

Grading in real life

It's been a long time since I've been graded on anything. At least with a letter or number grade.

I remember back in college being excited about getting a test or a paper back with a letter or number that told me how well I had performed. Seeing that grade at the top of the page was satisfying. It was a mark of approval (if it was good that is...) letting me know how I did in relation to everyone else. It let me know how close to the standard I was. It let me know where I needed to improve.

But that was then and this is now. I don't get those kinds of grades anymore. The grading criteria has become more complex, more subtle, and more confusing. Are we still on a hundred-point scale?

The answer is no. The hundred-point scale went bye-bye along with the neatly typed syllabus and the dry-erase white board. Snack time and recess? Also bye-bye.

Now every person is your teacher and they all have a different grading system. I'm your teacher and I may demand a lot from you. Your neighbor also is your teacher and he may expect very little.

Confused? Oh, you should be.

Your wife, your husband, your children, your clients, and your boss are all your teachers now. And you theirs.

Go easy on your red pen and they may go easy on theirs. Go hard, and well, this semester may stretch longer than it should.

Passing grades these days are measured in happiness, loyal clients, faithful friends, strong businesses, getting out bed with purpose, pig-headed determination, and knowing our "why's".

Are you passing or failing?

Soul suck: or how I learned to stop worrying and love the fear

This is a movie poster for a movie I recently watched. Strange movie and the best part is the poster.

It did, however, remind me of a term I use sometimes - "soul suck". I use this term to describe whatever I do or anyone else does that don't give us a sense of life or purpose. Watching American Idol is soul suck, at least for me that is. I dare not speak on your behalf. Or dare I?

Soul suck is getting up every morning and going to a job you hate...
Soul suck is doing something because you have to...
Soul suck is settling...
Soul suck is generally preceded by a "Ugghhh..."
Soul suck is the absence of life while your heart is still beating.

Stop it. Dare to take a chance. Dare to do something great.

I double-dog dare you.

Oh, and by the way, I haven't learned to stop worrying and love the fear. Yet.

Our definition is the problem.

We may not admit it, or even know it, but I think we all want to change the world. In some way we want to make an imprint. An impression. We want to scratch our initials on the bark of humanity somehow.

I think I just figured out how.

Change your definition of success. Allow it to include someone other than yourself.

By broadening your definition you expand beyond just thinking about yourself. All it took for me was having a Chick-fil-A manager hold an umbrella for me. He changed his definition of success that rainy Friday to include me.

Change your definitions, change the world.

Microwave Marketing

 



If you want this you can't have that. Life is a perpetual trade-off. And with the introduction of the microwave we were introduced to yet another one of these trade-offs. Fast versus tasty.

We may prefer tasty but we settle for fast.

A microwave meal may lack the taste of something that has been lovingly prepared for hours in a slow cooker or on the grill. But it's fast.

It may lack the forethought, the creative inspiration, and the complex combinations of herbs and spices that tickle the palate and induce groans of total culinary satisfaction. But it's fast.

It may reduce the time we spend thinking about quality ingredients that provide us nutrients, vitality, energy, and pleasure. But it's fast. 

The microwave has taught us terrible habits. And these habits are killing us and our businesses too. Wait, how does this affect our businesses?

Because we've begun thinking fast. We've begun thinking that marketing is advertising and nothing more. We've begun plotting how to make sales, meet quotas, and serve the shareholders rather than plotting on how to build lifelong relationships with our clients.

We've begun thinking about the quickest path to our success rather than the longer, more laborious path to building trust.

We build businesses like microwaves. We want the fastest way to a bad meal without making us actually do any work. This is why you call any large company and you get recorded robot voices telling you how much they care about you.

Liars. Stop advertising to me. Start serving me.

Oh, and to all you shareholders out there holding your little pieces of the pie - stop talking out of both sides of your mouth. You willingly push for short-term gain and ignore the long-term inevitability of hitting the iceberg and sinking. P/E ratios are less important than the philosophy of the company.

Deep down you know this. Start buying Crock Pots and get some time perspective.

Stop acting like a selfish 5 year-old - it's not all about you. 

I'll be honest...

I frequently flip-flop between these two extremes:

1. Total and complete resolve to carry out my vision, and
2. Publicly renouncing my adulthood and all associated responsibilities, then digging a tunnel underneath my house just big enough to accommodate me in a fetal position where I will stay until I get hungry enough to come out- so probably a solid 30 minutes or so...

I'm 33 years old at the time of writing this. And honestly I feel like I'm clear enough on the simple fact that I don't want a mediocre life. I want to play a bigger game. I want to create an identity and brand and all the requisite skills sets to help business owners, entrepreneurs, and the rest of humanity (hopefully) be more, do more and have more.

I want to inject "Wow!" into my surroundings. I want to create new economies, new wealth, and new ways of doing business by teaching an amazing philosophy that promotes focusing on the client more than the dollar.

I want to change how people think. I want to impact the philosophies of people that hold them back from jumping off the high dive of life. For instance, I know you wanna jump off. You're just scared. You know it's really no fun hanging out in the shallow end with your silly water wings strapped to your skinny little arms but that's where everyone else is. It's safe there.

You just can't seem to march yourself up and out, climb that 10-foot ladder and take a flying leap into the crystal clear water of the deep end.

What if you fail?!
What if you drown?!
What if you have to get fished out by the lifeguard?! Oh the horror.

I'm taking that leap on a daily basis and sometimes I belly-flop. A lot.

Coincidentally those seem to be the days where my adulthood gets renounced and the fetal position commences.

But other days, ahhhh, other days. On those days I slice through the water cleanly and neatly. It just works.

Those are the days that I'm thrilled that I took the first step up that ladder that seemed to stretch into the wild blue yonder. I'm trying to have more of those days.

Oh, and sidenote, someone just peed in the shallow end so I'd hurry up and get in the deep end if I were you.

Meet Joshua, and his Joe Boxers...

Joshua is my nephew and he is clearly rocking the heck out of those Joe Boxers! Now this photo happens to be taken in my parents house, but no matter.

Joshua could be standing in the middle of Times Square and he'd probably be just as comfortable in his boxers.

Why?

Because he doesn't know better. He hasn't grown up yet. He's not mature and sophisticated like we are...He doesn't yet know that underwear is best suited to stay underneath your clothes rather than an alternative TO clothes.

If you ask me I think we could all be a little more like Joshua.

Now of course I'm not suggesting that we all parade around in public in our underwear- although for some of us that might be a good exercise in doing something a little crazy and unexpected. (caveat: if you decide to do this I did NOT tell you to and I will NOT bail you out of jail.)

What I am suggesting, however, is that we should learn to be a little more comfortable in our own skin.

What if the purpose of your business was to have fun? What if you were surrounded with people that were 100% okay with just being themselves? What if we expected to laugh until our face hurt every time we went to see the doctor. Or our auto mechanic. Or our attorney.

What if people didn't take themselves so seriously? What if we stopped trying to look professional and instead decided to just be real.

And how would it affect our day if we stood in front of the mirror every morning sporting a pair of really cool boxers and said to ourselves, "Dang I look cool!"

We get one shot at this thing called Life. One shot. 

We're Professional. We mean business.

You've seen these people before.
They are the nameless ghosts that inhabit websites and crappy brochures across the globe. Don't they just reek of professionalism?

"We're dressed up, but not wearing ties because that's too old-fashioned, but we are very serious about [insert your business here]."

Great, so now we're stuck with bad clip art and lame attempts at "professionalism".

In years past this was different. We expected professionalism and a certain look that went along with that. But now it's gotten cheap and way too easy. Any chump can buy a domain name, buy some stock images of "professional people" and WHAMMO! Instant credibility.

I think professional has seen its day come and go.

People no longer want professional, they want something different.

They want personal attention.
They want you to be able to relate to them.
They want you to speak to them on their level.
They want you to make them feel important.
They want you to care about them.
They want you to listen to them rather than spouting off constantly.

You went to a great school and got a degree? Who cares?

You've been in business for 19,000 years? What's that got to do with me?

You got your insurance license and financial license? Great, you can pass a test? I had those licenses too and I didn't know diddly-squat!

You wear a suit and tie? Great, what is one reason why you're better than the next guy?

You know buzzwords like synergy, quality customer service, and win-win? Terrific, prove it. 

Stop trying to be professional and work on being human. We'll like you better that way - and you'll probably make more money to boot.

Stop asking, "How can I help?"

 You think it's enough. It's not.

You think it's helping. It isn't.

You think it's adequate. It may just be.

But hear this and and hear it well, adequate doesn't cut the mustard anymore.

When you ask, "How can I help?" you're placing the burden of responsibility on the shoulders of the person you're supposed to be serving.

I'm going to make two shocking presuppositions:

1. They probably don't (really) know what they want
2. You're the expert at whatever your business is so you should act like it

Now there is a potential problem associated with my #2 presupposition - the one about you being an expert. You might not be one...

But I have the solution.

I hereby, under the rights and authority granted to me as the Architect of "Wow!" bestow upon you the designation, privelege, and all associated responsibilities to start acting like the expert that you will soon be if you are not already.

Now go and be mediocre no more.

And instead of asking, "How can I help?" Try saying this, "I think I can help, how about this...?" Could be a steak, could be a shirt, could be a house, could be a job, could be whatever you're in the business of.

Stop asking and start suggesting. Actually, start leading. Start taking the responsibility to serve your clients.

I, for one, love it when I come across someone that is confident without being pushy and leads me in a sales process that respects me and understands me. It's pretty refreshing to be led by an expert rather than pestered by a yahoo.

Who better than you and what better time than now?

Cows aren't good role models

I drove by a pasture this morning. Like dirt ribbons in the grass, cow paths were marked throughout the pasture.

Apparently even cows hate change.

I watched Book of Eli last night and there was a great line that stuck out to me. A girl who wanted to go with Denzel on his journey said, "I want to go with you, I hate it here."

Denzel's response, "Then change it."

In other words, be your own cow and make your own path. Break the herd mentality.

Don't bring a knife to a gun fight.

 And here's another piece of advice. Don't show up to life every morning without a clue why you're doing what you're doing. One is actually more dangerous than the other - and I'm pretty sure you know which one I think it is...

The reflection of life is found in the relentless onslaught of change. We can fight it. We can pretend it's not coming. We can bury our heads in the sand.

But it is coming. Cheerfully bounding our way like some clumsy elephant, it will be here soon if it's not already.

So - what are you doing about it?

Are you changing with it, flowing with the current, and adapting? Or are you gritting your teeth and getting knocked over by a 10 foot wave that you never saw coming?

I'm a big fan of creating vision, setting goals, and coming up with neat plans. And yet despite all my nifty planning, Change seems to ignore my Word documents labeled "Goals For This Year". It's like they don't even exist. So I tried using a mind-mapping software but he ignored that too.

So I tricked Change.

Rather than focusing on what I would do and have, I've made it simpler. I'm focusing instead of who I'm becoming. With that as my focus I can roll with any punch Change throws my way. My resolve, my character, my attitude, and my response can all be unaffected.

 I tend to be woefully out of control of external circumstances but I'm powerfully in control of my thoughts, my emotions, and my drive to be more and better than I was yesterday.

Let this serve as your notice Change, I'm bringing a bazooka to your little gunfight. We'll see who has the last laugh.

When the vision is to create "Wow!", the Architect must remain resolutely focused.

Covered in brick dust

A brick wall. It could be seen as a couple different things. A wall of protection or an obstacle keeping you from getting where you want to go.

In his lecture titled, The Last Lecture (You can watch Randy here), Randy Pausch talks about the importance of living out your dreams and helping other people to find and live out their dreams. Interestingly, when he was giving that lecture he had just a few months left to live because he was in the last stages of pancreatic cancer.

The lecture he gave was a summation of his life and his resolve to live that life. It also served as a legacy to his kids - so they could watch it one day when they were older.

I read his book - very good by the way - and was also watching the video of his lecture. One slide that he showed really stuck out to me.

It featured a brick wall much like the one at the top that you saw. And in yellow words over top of the brick wall were these words:

Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things

So, how badly do you want it?

Do you give up too easily?
Do you say it's too hard, it's too difficult?
Do you become your own worst enemy instead of your own cheering squad?
Do you pound your fist against the wall once or twice, mutter something to yourself about how it can't be done, then trudge away to watch a rerun of American Idol?

I say get covered in brick dust. Break it down, run through it, take a jack hammer to it!

Another author calls it "pig-headed determination" which I like. I think it's about time we showed a little pig-headed determination and got covered with some brick dust.

How bad do you want it? Prove it. 

The Philosophy of a Billion

This is Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos - an online retailer that mostly sells shoes but has also branched out into apparel, etc. They do over one billion in revenue a year.

Golly gee wilikers - that's a lot of shoes!

Eh, who cares, they sell a lot of shoes. But what is absolutely fascinating is WHY they sell that many feet enclosures. Their philosophy. I'll bullet point a few key points so you can see what I'm talking about. Then I'd encourage you to check out the link below to see the CEO talk about his company.

• they spend most of the money they would normally spend on marketing to instead to improve the customer experience.
• because of this, 75% of their sales are from repeat customers.
• rather than burying their 800 number (like most companies websites), they put it at the top of every page because they want to talk to their customers.
• they encourage their phone reps to spend as much time as they think necessary talking to each customer to make sure they have a "Wow!" experience.
• they frequently do surprise shipping upgrades to delight their customers (I ordered a pair of shoes and they arrived the next day - even though I hadn't chosen that option!)
• if they don't have the size that you need in stock, they will research at least 3 different competitor's sites for you and then direct you to them if they have what you need.

Here's what Tony said regarding sending those customers somewhere else to buy their shoes. 

"Yes, we lose that transaction. But we're not trying to maximize every transaction. We're trying to build a lifelong relationship with each of our customers one call at a time."

"Wow!" Surprise, Awe and Delight.

 Tony speaking at SXSW

Willing to will

I've been thinking a lot lately about this line in As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. The line is this:

"We will be what we will to be."

Powerful! I'm constantly asking myself now, "what am I willing to be?"

Would future Jason look back on present Jason and be satisfied with how I was creating him to be?

With that in mind, here are some of the things I will to be:

I will to be proactive
I will to be passionate
I will to be a great communicator
I will to be a man of vision
I will to be a man of wisdom
I will to be a man of action
I will to be a man of character
I will to be a leader
I will to be a man of "Wow!"

What are you willing to be today?

Clarity: The scalpel of Focus

I'm currently taking a client of mine through the process of creating a business plan.

You bored yet?

Don't be, you can use this whoever you are I promise.

I'm assuming that if you're reading this blog post you didn't just pop out of the womb today. It's probably safe to say that you've been "doing" life for a while.

Well just like you, this client of mine didn't just start their business today. They've been in business for a while. But they've lacked the clarity that they really needed to be effective.

Sometimes in life, or business, it's time to say "Giddy-up!" Other times it's better to say "WHOA, Horsey, WHOA!" Well for this client we had to tug on those reins and slow down a bit.

And in doing so we gave ourselves the permission to go back to the drawing board and ask, "What are we doing and why are we doing it?"

When was the last time you asked yourself this?

One of my blog readers, Kevin (thanks Kev!), gave me a great quote which some of you may have heard: "Insanity is doing the same over and over but expecting to get different results."

Yikes.

Been feeling insane lately? Been spinning your wheels without gaining any traction?

If so, then feel free to do what I've been helping my clients do. Define your values and vision. They did and they immediately closed the doors of one of their businesses. It didn't fit into their vision even though they were poised to take immediate action in that business. They suddenly had the power to say No. 

Today we created goals and objectives, and later this week we'll move onto strategies, actions and plans. We start big and in the future and move progressively down to creating very solid, specific tasks that we can do today.

We gain focus when we become clear. We give ourselves the right, the permission, and the authority to start cutting away the things that don't belong in our lives out of ruthless necessity.

Try picking up your scalpel and seeing what you can do with it. Let me know how you do and also let me know if I can help!

My First Birthday Present!

Someone gave me a birthday present - my best one yet! If you recall, I asked for a birthday present in the form of "Wow!". Except my request was for each of you to take the opportunity to "Wow!" someone else and then tell me about it.

Well I just got my first story and I'm excited to share it! And by the way, I'll take my birthday present anytime in the next 350 days...

This person has requested to stay anonymous so I won't divulge a name but their story is pretty cool.

First, this hunter eagerly looked for an opportunity! Not content to take out some puny target with the awesome weapon of "Wow!", the hunter was fully loaded with Surprise, Awe and Delight and he wasn't looking to waste ammo on just anything that came across his path.

Finally the opportunity came into range and it was a beaut! This was the perfect chance to see what this "Wow!" stuff would do.

Of course it should be told that this hunter was no rookie. He understood how to bag game - he'd done it plenty of times. And because of that he knew precisely what it would take to drop this trophy opportunity. But that's what makes this a great story.

He didn't do just "enough". He didn't just settle for an outcome that would be just okay. He didn't settle for good when there was occasion to achieve greatness.

So he pulled out all the stops and even though I wasn't there to witness the scene, I have no doubt it was a spectacle to behold! This trophy opportunity probably didn't even know what hit him!

The target was first Surprised into shock - "Such preparation!"

Then they were besieged with Awe as they were empathized with and made to feel vitally important through understanding of their issues and how those could be resolved.

And when the smoke had settled, a sense of Delight pervaded the battlefield. The vision had been made clear, there was hope, there was a sense of purpose - "Wow!" had been delivered.

Thanks hunter for finding the opportunity and taking your shot. Your clients got much, much more than they were expecting and this just the beginning.

Thanks for my birthday present - it truly "Wowed!" me!

Play a Bigger Game

The game of life is much less about winning as it is finishing. My dad always said to me, "Finish well son, finish well."

It's not how you start, it's how you finish.

I've heard numerous stories of the marathon runner who came in dead last but received more applause than the one who finished first. Why is this?

Because they were playing a bigger game. They weren't winning, they were finishing. Finishing is more admirable. Finishing shows more pig-headed determination, more guts, more heart.

We see a finisher and we say "Wow!"

We see a winner and we say "Congratulations."

I'd rather be a finisher than a winner. I'd rather play a bigger game that demanded everything from me than settle for winning a game that is easily won.

This is why I do what I do. It demands something from me.

It demands that I keep finishing.

Don't worry about winning, finish strong.

Finish strong.

(And thanks dad for the advice, it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.)

Parade or Bulls eye?

As the self-proclaimed Architect of "Wow!" I feel it my honor bound duty to tell the truth. There are many companies, small businesses, employees, or just people in general who deserve a parade. Something about them just makes them special. Worth talking about.

Others deserve a big fat bulls eye on their foreheads. You know who you are. Or you know who they are.

So I'm going to start telling the truth. I'm going to start using this blog as a place where I sound off about who I think deserves those parades. I'm also gonna be pretty blunt who deserves a bulls eye...I welcome your comments too by the way.

I've already talked about Chick-fil-A and Toms Shoes. Give 'em Parades!

My experience with Verizon Wireless the other day? Bulls eye. Get better or your days are numbered. Bloated, bureaucratic, and idiotic.

This will be a regular feature - stay tuned!

Friday's "Duh" Book Excerpt

An excerpt from an amazing book (Getting Everything You Can Out Of All You've Got) by an amazing author, Jay Abraham.

"Awesome service is admirable but trite. Falling in love with your clients means taking responsibility for their well-being. Putting their best interests ahead of your own.

Most people think, 'What do I have to say to say to get people to buy?' Instead you should say, 'What do I have to give? What benefit do I have to render?' It has nothing to do with sales shenanigans or trickery or schemes. It has everything to do with what benefits you give your clients.

The focus of your concern should state to the client, in essence, 'You matter. Your well-being is important to me.'"

Stop being selfish - it's killing you.

Crisa-tunity, a modern day fable

Imagine Opportunity toodling down a street called Avenue of Hopes and Dreams. Minding it's own business, it's looking ahead, driving cautiously, staying in its proper lane and obeying all signs and signals.

While on a perpendicular road called Real Life Street, Crisis is careening wildly out of control (which is exactly what Crisis likes to do by the way). Crisis is blatantly disregarding all signs and taking out pedestrians left and right - they never saw him coming...

At just the perfect moment, at the intersection of these two lanes, Crisis and Opportunity meet in a violent collision!

Wreckage. Chaos. Disbelief.

"It just happened", they say...

As the smoke clears, a strange sight is uncovered. Out of the obliterated destruction caused by these two meeting so suddenly, a new road has appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

Crisa-Tunity Boulevard has been born.

Out of certain impending doom came unseen favorable circumstances that couldn't have been imagined before.

Crisis isn't hard to find. Finding the Tunity is a little more of a challenge.

You up for it?

Where's your Courage?

I don't know about the rest of the world, but we Americans love to boil things down.

"What's the bottom line?" we ask...

"What's the shortest distance between here and there?" we demand from our GPS...

"Right, right, too many details, can you get to the point of the story?" I too often think (and sometimes say) when my wife is trying to tell me about something that happened during her day...

We like bullet points, linear thinking, and summations. We like it all neatly wrapped up, nothing extraneous, nothing out of the ordinary. We've been trained for mediocrity. We've learned to expect the expected.

Courage, on the other hand, is getting the whole story. Courage is listening and finding out the unexpected.

Courage is not making a decision based solely on the numbers in the spreadsheet. Rather it is hearing from people what they think, how they feel, what they expect, how they've been let down, what they're afraid of, or what makes them incredibly happy.

Courage does not believe in one-size-fits-all. It takes courage to "Wow!" because let's be honest, it's kinda out there. It doesn't seem normal to think about clients more than you think about yourself.

It doesn't seem normal to serve without being served first. Unless you think courageously, that is.

Find the courage to "Wow!"

I'll boil it down for you: Shut up and listen. Dare to be different.

It's my birthday - what're you gonna do about it?!

Today is my birthday. A day to ponder on past, present and future. A day to receive presents just for being born (It wasn't my idea, but I'm okay with it).

And here's the present I want from you...

I want you to "Wow!" someone! Not me, somebody else. I want to see YOU put "Wow!" into practice! And I want you to tell me about it so I can brag on you! Be sure you email me what you did (jason.northington@gmail.com) so I can tell your story!

Here are a couple idea starters:

• Pay the toll for the person behind you
  
• Buy a pair of Toms shoes
  
• Compliment a stranger - for anything
  
• Thank someone for something they did for you - at least 6 months ago
• Volunteer an hour somewhere
• Buy a Ferrari for someone then send them on an all-expenses paid trip to Italy to pick it up
  

Big or small, doesn't matter.

Go forth and "Wow!" The bragging rights are up for grabs!

Why "Wow!"? (Part 3)

Well here's the third and final ingredient of "Wow!" Always semi-elusive, but worth striving for. You've been introduced to Surprise and Awe and trailing not far behind is Delight.

Delight. Not a word used too often. But an important, if often overlooked ingredient.

Here's a story to illustrate Delight.

I grew up in Roanoke, Virginia on a beautiful piece of property that bordered a national forest. My grandparents bought the land in 1980 and my parents moved there from Florida to build a home several years after my grandparents had purchased it.

I have a lot of fond memories growing up "on the farm". Many of these revolved around hot summers when me and my Granddad (a delightful man!) would take a walk through the woods. Never lacking for a piece of candy or a happily whistled tune, my Granddad would point all kinds of plants and animal tracks to me. We'd sip icy cold water from a spring nestled between mountain ridges and imagine what it was like to live 100 years ago up in these hills.

Following those walks we'd inevitably end up on his back porch that overlooked Chestnut Mountain perched comfortably in our rocking chairs. We'd rock and laugh and wait patiently for what we knew was to come. It was almost delivery time.

This meant Grandma bringing us small margarine containers (Grandma wasn't one to waste a good container...or anything else come to think of it...) full of homemade ice cream that had been stored away in the big deep freeze for such an occasion as this.

Absolutely delightful. There was almost a reverence to those moments. They were so special, so delightful that they needed to be captured and frozen in time much like the peach ice cream that we were eating.

This is "Wow!" It's an experience that is so simple yet so profound. It's sharing a moment, sharing a laugh, sharing a story, sharing life. It's delight.

Delight is found in the simple things. A warm, freshly baked cookie offered to your clients when they walk in your office could be an example of this. Sending a handwritten thank-you card for a referral that a happy client gave along with a $5 gift certificate to Starbucks could be another.

Small gestures, big returns. Are you a delight or a drag?

Why "Wow!"? (Part 2)

In my last post I talked about one of the ingredients of "Wow!" which was Surprise. Today I'm going to talk about another element.

I'd like to introduce you to Awe.

You may have seen his handiwork before. He's known for showing up in fireworks displays, brilliant sunsets, and majestic vistas such as the Grand Canyon.

But there's a little secret about Awe - he's most often found in the details. Let me explain with a story.

Not far down the road from me is a little amusement park called Disney World. They claim to be The Happiest Place on Earth. I like that. It sounds like the Architect of "Wow!" After all, would you want to call yourself the The Pretty Okay Place? Or The Better Than Nothing Place? No, of course not. Shoot for the moon baby!

And if you didn't know it already, Disney is pretty good at delivering "Wow!" And one of the ways they do this is to create Awe. They know how to deliver and they know it's all in the details.

When the Pirates of the Caribbean ride first opened, Walt asked a Cast Member what she thought about the ride. After some hesitation she said something seemed to be missing. So Walt did the only sensible thing and shut it down so they could figure out that was. After extensive research they found the missing element...

Fireflies.

That was the missing piece that brought it all together. Fireflies. Awe is developed in the details. Always in the details.

I recently had a cup of coffee with a friend and he was telling me a story about meeting David Rockefeller Sr. briefly up in Maine. This is arguably one of the most powerful and influential behind-the-scenes people in the world. David's son, who was accompanying his dad on this particular trip, asked my friend of his dad had interviewed him.

My friend said no, that he had not been interviewed. With some surprise, the son told my friend that his dad made it a practice to interview the people that he met and find out personally relevant things about them. He would later commit those facts to memory so that when he saw them next he could ask them how their mother was, or how their dog was doing, etc.

Awe shows up in the details. What details are you overlooking? They may be the only thing between you and massive success.

Why "Wow!"? (Part 1)

That's a pretty tall order isn't it?

Why not just satisfy your clients, or meet their expectations? Why should "Wow!" be the measuring stick? Why can't you shoot for just plain 'ol good?

That's a great question.

Because good isn't good enough. Good doesn't strike the necessary emotional chord. Good has never produced joyous laughter or tears. "Wow!" produces emotion.

I've identified the 3 components that comprise "Wow!" The first of which is Surprise.

Surprise is the opposite of expected. Surprise is being greeted at my car door with an umbrella to shield me from the rain. Surprise is having your needs met before you even think to ask.

And believe it or not, Surprise is surprisingly easy to pull off. Sometimes Surprise is simply doing what you say you'll do (sad but true).

At the very least just run around shouting "SURPRISE!" randomly. It may not not increase your business but it will increase people's awareness of you - and that's probably more than you had before.

Thanks chicken man!

It was raining that Friday I pulled into Chik-fil-A. I was late for a meeting, the drive-through was packed, I was hungry.

Rather than waiting in line in the drive-through I opted for the wet route. So I parked my car and was immediately accosted by some man wielding a patio umbrella! Not some wimpy golf umbrella mind you, no, this was a serious patio umbrella. And the man accosting me happened to be the managing partner of this store who was demonstrating his care and concern for his clients. He didn't want me to get wet.

He escorted me to the front door while asking me how my day was going. And when I came back out, after spending my 6 bucks in his establishment, I noticed he was helping someone else. I got a little wet on the way back to my car but I didn't care - the important thing had already been done.

I'd already been "Wowed!"

Chik-fil-A has a really good chicken sandwich and judging by the line around the place I wasn't the only one who knew that. This guy could've been in the back with his feet kicked up on his desk counting his money. And was he?

Nope. He was walking around in wet shoes while escorting his valued and treasured clients to and from their cars with a patio umbrella. This is "Wow!" in action.

Thanks chicken man. Thanks for showing how easy it is to care for your clients. I'm going to keep telling your story because it inspired me.

What kind of toilet paper are you?

I am an Architect of “Wow!”

Hint: you should be one too if you want your business to last.

Seriously. And if you're not sure you agree think about your toilet paper.

Cheap one-ply toilet paper – is that the picture your customers have in their minds when they think of you? Scratchy, abrasive, does the job – but just barely?

What is the message this sends? “Our expenses are WAY more important than your comfort.” Ouch. And if that's the truth then it should hurt. And if you're the one doing that you should be ashamed of yourself.

Unless.

Unless you post a nice big sign right smack dab in front of the toilet that says something to this effect:

Dear valued client,

We here at (your name) Company would like to express our apologies for the cheap and irritating toilet paper you're about to use. We know it's certainly not the best but we give you that for a reason. We save so much money on toilet paper that we can lower the costs on all the other things that you buy from us. We hope you see this as a fair trade-off because we're committed to you, committed to saving you money (or providing you outstanding, jaw-dropping service, or free pony rides for your kids - whatever).

We love you,

The Management

The toilet paper might disappoint, but the sign might be your saving grace.

How do your clients think about you? And how are you creating that reality in their minds in EVERY SINGLE interaction that you have with them?

Are they “Wow-ed!” by you? Or are you cheap and irritating?

Mediocre and great – they're both choices. Your choice.

Toms Shoes

This is a great story you're about to read. And yet it's also achingly sad. And I'll give you a hint – the sad thing isn't the most obvious thing. Read on.

Blake Mycoskie just visited Lighthouse Ministries in Lakeland recently. Big deal, who's he? Blake founded a company called Toms Shoes (www.toms.com) in 2006 after visiting Argentina while a contestant on the Amazing Race. He noticed that children there often lacked shoes so he decided to do something about it. He started a shoe company. Pretty awesome right? Not yet, hang on.

Seriously, how many shoe companies are out there already? A ton. But Blake didn't want to be like everyone else. Blake first of all decided to design his shoes patterned after a traditional Argentinian shoe that was a very basic flat shoe. He of course put his own spin on them so they have great, funky designs that appeal to hipsters and celebs alike. Oh, and Blake also decided to give away one pair of shoes for every pair that was bought. Pretty simple concept. You buy a pair of cool shoes for about 50 bucks and someone who needs a pair of shoes gets a free pair.

Surely you're now thinking, “Oh please, what a bleeding heart liberal! Guy probably makes no money and he's just in it for the publicity...”

Nope.

Toms Shoes is in fact not a non-profit. They make money. And they do good. They serve. They have a heart. And because of that heart, they've given away more than 400,000 pairs of shoes. They also don't have to advertise because everyone that buys a pair of Toms Shoes like to talk about their shoes.

So where's the sad part? Is it the little kids needing shoes? No, although that is sad. But here's the real sadness – at least for me. Toms Shoes is an anomaly. They are a bright light in the sea of mercenary businesses that are slicing each other's throats for their next transaction that puts another nickel in their pockets. And that makes them newsworthy. That makes them worth writing about. Sad that so many businesses aren't worth writing about.

This is the essence of “Wow!” It's the recognition of the human need and doing something about it. That's “Wow!” worthy.