Archive for category: Professional Development

BIGG Success Logo boxed

Attention!

/in /by

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More

May I have your attention please?  That’s what we’ll discuss today – how to grab attention.

It’s hard to do with so much competition for ears and eyeballs.

You have to make your message stand out. We saw a blog about a shining example of just this thing.

David Armano, an influential blogger, wrote a post about an e-mail from Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo. They are the authors of the book, Getting to First Base: A Social Media Marketing Play Book.

Only it wasn’t just your typical e-mail. He not only noticed it … he stopped everything to blog about it! And here we are talking about it. So it worked, even better than they imagined!

So, you ask, what was so special about this e-mail?

Their e-mail was a digital photograph of a handwritten note. We’ll describe it here, but you can see the actual photo on David’s blog. The photo includes a pen in the upper right-hand corner, a decorative stamp in the lower right. It’s all placed on a visually pleasing background. The easy-to-read, cursive text is written with a silver paint marker.

It’s incredibly well-done. It looks like something you’d see on a postcard or a poster.

Let’s talk about what Darren & Julie did right.

#1 – They were original.
They didn’t send an e-mail OR a hand-written note. They sent a PICTURE of a handwritten note. How unique!

#2 – They spoke to David as a friend.
Their letter starts out “Dear David”. The next line compliments him and his site. The tone is friendly and personable.

#3 – They were polite in their request.
They didn’t assume anything. They asked him to check out their book, but didn’t presume that he would like it or even comment on it.

#4 – They provided a customized link.
This was their final special touch – they provided David with his very own special link to their book. How special would that make you feel? It also made it very easy for him to check them out.

They intrigued him, flattered him, and made it easy for him, but they made one mistake that could have blown it all.

They misspelled the word “you’re”. They spelled it “your”.

David said that it didn’t bother him because he was so impressed with everything else. However, to some people it could have been a deal-breaker.

So the lesson is – when you create your stand-out piece, make sure you proof it and proof it again. Get a second set of eyes on it, too!

Do you have an attention-grabbing secret that you’d like to share?
Leave us a Comment!

No one claims authorship of today’s bigg quote, but it’s still a good one.

“The principle mark of genius is not perfection, but originality.”

So don’t worry about coloring inside the lines, just color and make a splash.

Next time, we’ll discuss what we can learn from two country classics about getting in tune with your job! Can you say YEE-HAW?

Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

BIGG Success Logo boxed

How To Be A Terrible Boss

/in , /by

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More

There’s an old saying that is supported by much research – people join companies; they leave their managers.With that in mind, we thought we’d share seven ways to drive your employees away.

George and Mary-Lynn are experts at driving people away. Listen to today’s show and you’ll find out why we say that!

#1 – Be indecisive.
Postpone making decisions. Send it to committee. Call in a consultant. Wait until you have ALL the information. Analyze EVERY alternative. There all kinds of ways to do this.

Instead of ready – aim – fire, you should get ready and then – aim – aim – aim …

#2 – Don’t let them know what you expect.
Don’t have a plan that you share with them. Don’t make goals or establish priorities. And don’t ever set a deadline. After all, if your people don’t know what you expect of them, they’ll never know how they’re doing. They’ll have to rely on you to tell them.

#3 – Be inaccessible.
Don’t spend too much time at the office. When you do, keep your door shut. Or, if you do keep it open, always look like you’re too busy to talk to any of your employees. They don’t have anything important to discuss anyway, right?

#4 – Be inflexible.
Always follow the rules, without exception. They’re not in place to provide a framework –they’re the law! Business must always come first – no matter what’s going on in your employees’ lives.

#5 – Be inconsistent.
What’s your mood today? Make decisions based on your emotions, not on the plan, policies, and precedents. Don’t treat all of your people all the same – show favoritism. Don’t worry about performance; take care of the people you like.

#6 – Make them feel unappreciated.
Don’t tell them when they do a good job. And when they don’t, criticize them in front of their peers. Oh, and don’t forget – be sure to openly discuss one employee’s faults with some other employee. That definitely will drive people away.

Quickly dismiss any ideas your employees have. Better yet, don’t even listen to them. And, whatever else you may do, don’t trust them with any major responsibilities.

# 7 – Don’t lead by example.
You should have one set of rules for you and another set of rules for your staff. They should do as you say, not as you do.

We need help – how can we keep from driving employees away?
Let us know by leaving a comment at the end of our blog.

Our Bigg Quote today comes from E.M. Kelly.

“The difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says, ‘Go!’ A leader says, ‘Let’s go!’”

So, if you want to drive your employees away, just keep driving them.

Next time, we’ll talk about how to reach your goals this week. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

BIGG Success Logo boxed

Escape From Your Dead-End Job

/in /by

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More

Bigg Challenge: We received a question from Gary, one of our listeners. He graduated from college a few years ago with a liberal arts degree. He had planned to go to law school, but didn’t want even more debt. He tried to get a job in his field, but didn’t find one. So he’s still delivering pizza, a job he started in college.

He feels trapped. He’s applied for a number of jobs, but has been told that he’s not qualified because of his inexperience. He wants our advice on how to get out of his dead-end job.

Bigg Advice: Sometimes you know you have more potential than your job offers. It sounds like you’re in that position, Gary. But keep your chin up – you’ll find a rewarding career if you keep trying.

You don’t find your current job challenging. But here’s the good news – when you go home, your job doesn’t go with you. Think about these two questions:

  • What are you passionate about?
  • Are there opportunities to do something part-time in that field?

Get your foot in the door.
On the show, Mary-Lynn said that, when she was young, she wanted to work full-time in radio as a disc jockey. She didn’t have the experience or the skills required.

So she got a full-time job as a waitress and worked part-time at a local radio station. Whenever an opportunity presented itself, she volunteered her time so she could learn the skills she needed. She wasn’t getting paid for that time, but she was investing in her future.

It paid off! Within a year, she got a full-time job as a disc jockey! Get your foot in the door.

  • From janitor to mogul

    • As a kid, Sean Combs knew that he wanted to be in the music business. He went to New York and volunteered to be the janitor at a record company.

    They were growing fast because hip hop was hot. They needed people. They were comfortable with him. They knew that he had a good ear for talent. He had proven himself. In a year, he became the Vice President of Marketing. We know the rest!

Part-time business
Would you like to start your own business? Could you do it part-time? A lot of businesses – like Dell, Microsoft, and Apple – started part-time.

On the show, George said that he was a salesperson when he was young. After his work was done for the day, he devoted his time to his part-time business. Within two years, he opened a store, which provided him a full-time salary.

Back to school
You mentioned law school, Gary – why not go back now? You may have to take on some debt, but most lawyers get paid well. Odds are you’ll be able to pay it off quickly. It doesn’t have to be law school. Maybe there’s something else you’re passionate about that offers great opportunities now and in the future.

Thanks, Gary, for sending us your bigg challenge. We wish you bigg success!

Do you have a suggestion for Gary? Leave a comment below.

Our Bigg Quote comes from Cullen Hightower.

“Worry compounds the futility of being trapped
on a dead-end street. Thinking opens new avenues.”

But that’s just the start! After you’ve thought about your escape route, put it in gear and burn some rubber getting out of there!

Next time, with the Super Bowl upon us, we’re going to discuss how to fumble forward, toward the end zone. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Read more Bigg Challenges

 

BIGG Success Logo boxed

CYA: Does It Pay?

/in , /by

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More

You’ve probably encountered people who never take responsibility for ANYTHING. That’s what sparked today’s blog –

Does it pay to shift the blame?

On the show, Mary-Lynn said that she believes it DOES pay.

She said she is not a blame-shifter herself, but she has worked with them. In her experience, they often get away with it. Sometimes they even get rewarded with promotions or a better job!

George retorted that it may work short-term, but it DOES NOT pay in the long run. He talked about a manager he had who never accepted responsibility. He knew that meant one of two things – either she wasn’t doing anything, or she was passing the buck. So he fired her.

It hurts morale when employees see people getting away with not accepting responsibility. George said he learned this lesson the hard way – after firing an employee, another employee asked why it took him so long!

As an employee, you don’t have many options when you’re working with a blame-shifter. However, there is one thing you can do – document, document, document. You don’t want to get blamed for THEIR mistakes.

However, as a leader, you can create a culture where it’s okay to accept blame. That’s important because your employees are often afraid of the consequences of owning up to their mistakes.

So focus on fixing the problem, not the blame.

To rephrase an old saying, “It’s amazing how much gets accomplished when no one cares who gets the blame.”

In our society today, we seem to do the opposite – we rush to find SOMEBODY to blame, rather than fixing the problem. Mary-Lynn said that’s why it pays to be a blame-shifter.

George said he remembered an employee who always blamed something or someone. George told him that he had a lot of potential. He wouldn’t get fired for making a mistake, but he was going to get fired if he didn’t start taking responsibility.

He became one of George’s top managers. That won’t work with all employees, but it will work with the ones you want to keep.

Admit your mistakes
Lead by example – when your employees see you admitting mistakes, they’ll feel safe doing the same.

Distribute the credit liberally and focus the blame conservatively. Give more credit to your team; accept more blame yourself. You’ll win the hearts and minds of your team when you do this.

How to get away with shifting the blame
George said that there was one way you might get away with always shifting the blame.

Be a moving target.

If you’re constantly moving from job to job, company to company, place to place, you might get away with it in the long run. But do you really want to live that life – always looking over your shoulder, always worrying that you’ll be found out?

Mary-Lynn responded that blame-shifters do move – and it’s usually UP – to a better job!

What do you think? Does CYA pay?

Our bigg quote today is by the great writer, Oscar Wilde.

“It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how you place the blame.”

 
In the game of life, great teams experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat together, not as individuals.

Next time, we’ll discuss what you can learn from jugglers. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Related posts

132] 

 

BIGG Success Logo boxed

Recession Progression

/in , , /by

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More

Pretend that we could eat as much as you want, of whatever you want, whenever you want, with no consequences. What would a lot of people do?

Probably eat a lot of their favorite foods!

Of course, in the real world, we know that if we do that for any period of time, we’ll have to go on a diet.

That’s what a recession is – the economy going on a diet.

It’s just the business cycle. Things go well. People get over-exuberant. Too much debt. Bad investments. Then a recession gets rid of the excesses. It’s part of the evolutionary process.

So today, we want to discuss how to survive and thrive in a recession.

How to survive a recession

  • Develop a contingency plan.

    • Start by asking yourself, “What if …?”

    What if you get laid off?
    What if you have to work longer hours because other people got laid off?
    What if your time gets cut back?
    What if your benefits get cut?
    What if your business takes a hit?

    You know your situation. Think about the most likely scenarios and develop a plan for them. Then, do what you can now.

    For example, why put off updating your resume until you need it? Do it now! Most people wait until they need it. You’ll be a step ahead.

  • Watch your spending

    • Businesses cut spending to get through a recession. We should take a clue. Try to avoid making long-term commitments. In times of uncertainty, wait until you’re more certain before making major purchases.

  • Don’t panic.

    • Resist the urge to drastically change your retirement plan and other long-term investments. You need to look at the specifics of your situation. However, as a general rule, if you won’t need the money for five or more years, you should probably stay the course. Historically, that’s been the best thing to do.

    If you need the money before that, you may want to deploy another strategy. Check with your financial planner to figure out your best option.

How to thrive in a recession

  • Take advantage of low interest rates.

    • Interest rates tend to go down during a recession. So consider refinancing your mortgage and other debt. Business owners may have prepayment penalties, but it may still make sense. In both cases, you need to analyze your specific situation.

    Let’s assume you refinance. Use what you save each month to 38 build your passive income].

  • Keep investing in yourself

    • Once again, let’s take a clue from businesses. Businesses that thrive, after a recession, are often those that kept on investing, during the recession.

    There are a lot of opportunities once a recession ends. Position yourself to thrive – take a class, attend seminars, and go to conferences. You’ll build skills and make great contacts. One of those contacts may lead to your next bigg opportunity!

  • Look for great deals.

    • Once-in-a-lifetime opportunities may present themselves during a recession. People are often more willing to negotiate. You probably won’t find your great opportunity advertised anywhere.

    So how do you find it? Network, network, network! You’ll most likely be surprised by it, so keep your eyes and ears open. Your accidental discovery will be the result of your active searching!

Our Bigg Quote today is by an unknown author.

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn.”

So keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. Be ready for detours so you don’t have to come to a screeching halt!

Next time, we’ll look at the question, “Does it pay to blame others to cover your backside?”

Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

 

Subscribe to the FREE Bigg Success Weekly newsletter for quick links to the very best articles, tips, and tools for your professional success and development. Sign up now and get the Bigg Goal-Setters Workbook. It's FREE too!