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Managing Expectations: Do Your Clients Know What to Expect from You and Your Company?

Storefront of Ducks in the Window
Storefront of Ducks in the Window

Before you even enter Ducks in the Window, this business has already kept its promise to you because, yes, there are ducks in the window! Upon entering the store, you’ll see that a variety of ducks line the shelves – big ducks, smaller ducks, clothed ducks, decorated ducks.

moreducks

There are other items for sale in Ducks in the Window, all of which fit into the description on their site’s About Us page: “toy store for the young and young at heart.” I double-dog dare you to leave this store without a smile on your big ducksface. Don’t see what you want? No problem – order up a customized duck for your special occasion.

Are you offering your clients the same clear set of expectations? If not, let’s connect and see how we can improve your messaging.

 

Managing Expectations: Do Your Clients Know What to Expect from You and Your Company? was last modified: September 15th, 2014 by Deb Nelson

TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race: There’s Room For Everyone at Joanie’s Run

Here it is Sunday night, the weekend’s winding down, and I’m watching the Boston Red Sox play those dreaded New York Yankees. tdWhile this is a good way to end the weekend (as long as the Red Sox win), I find myself thinking about yesterday’s TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race along the coast of Southern Maine. It was the third time I’ve run this race, and it’s the third time I’ve thanked the running gods for Joan Benoit-Samuelson.

With countless 10K races in Maine alone, what’s so special about this race? Well, let me tell you. In a word: Joanie is what’s so special about this race:

Every year for the past 17 years, Joanie has brought runners of every ability “to some of [her] most favorite training grounds.”

Every year elite runners from around the world are joined by not-so-elite-but-no-less-enthusiastic runners from around the country. 46 states were represented in this year’s race.

Every year the residents of Cape Elizabeth open their town and their homes to host elite runners visiting the Coast of Maine.

Every year the people who live along the race route create a party atmosphere that powers the runners to dig a little deeper and have a little fun as they climb that last hill.

Every year a local nonprofit is selected as the beneficiary of the race and receives publicity, a cash donation from TD Charitable Foundation, and has the opportunity to put together a fundraising team of its own for the race.

Every year at the start of the race, we hear Joanie tell us how important the runners and volunteers are to this race.

Key to why we all love Joanie and the TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race is that every year Joanie puts the spotlight on someone other than herself. In 2012 when the documentary There is No Finish Line: The Joan Benoit-Samuelson Story was released, Joanie ran with back of the packers (including me) around Portland’s Back Cove. She ran with us, chatted with us as we ran, and offered up some advice for each one of us. Joanie continues to observe, encourage, and inspire the back of the packers to run every day of the year.

Shirts, bibs, and cowbells
Shirts, bibs, and cowbells

She and her team, which includes race director Dave MacGillivray, work behind the scenes year-round to make adjustments to the race. The rest of us wait to see how the race will be improved from the previous year – even though we thought it was just about perfect to begin with. No detail is forgotten ­­­at any stage of planning, which is something we’ve come to expect from our Olympic Gold Medalist who puts together a race that sells out in minutes and is talked about for years.

An important detail. . .
An important detail. . .

As I left the packet pickup expo, I heard several people commenting: “they’ve got this down,” “they know their stuff,” “wow – that was organized.” After the race, buses were ready and waiting to take runners back to their cars; praise all around for the volunteers and logistics. ­­Complaints and whining? Are you kidding? The only thing that comes close to a complaint is those of us who wonder what our time would have been if we’d gone up that last hill just a little faster.

So, thank you Joanie, for bringing a race to Maine that welcomes and accommodates every runner, walker, and wheelchair participant. And thank you to all of the sponsors, volunteers, and spectators for being a part of this race. See you next year, going up that last hill just a little bit faster.

TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race: There’s Room For Everyone at Joanie’s Run was last modified: August 3rd, 2014 by Deb Nelson

Yarmouth Clam Festival: Still Fresh After 49 Years

Steamer, the festival mascot
Steamer, the festival mascot

The weather gods were looking out for the organizers of the 49th Annual Yarmouth Clam Festival last weekend. Perhaps the unseasonably cool temperatures and lack of humidity were Mother Nature’s way of acknowledging a job well done.

The  town of 8,300 along Maine’s southern coast prepares to welcome 100,000 to its village every year to celebrate in a clamtastic way. The Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce is tasked with organizing this annual three-day event and making sure there’s something of interest for the young, the old, and everyone in between.

While the parade is a staple with its fire trucks and wild Shriners, the theme changes every year to give it a fresh look. Bands come and go as our music tastes change, and the artists and crafts people change up as well. Steamer was added as the festival mascot in 2004; he wanders through the festival all weekend, posing with anyone who wants to get a photo. Steamer and selfies go together like lime rickeys and sweet potato fries.

I’ve been attending this festival for 19 years, since moving from Massachusetts to Yarmouth. And each year, the festival succeeds in entertaining the masses. Festival attractions include a parade, 5-mile road race, professional bike race, diaper derby, clam shucking contest, firefighters’ muster, craft show, fine arts show, carnival, live music, fireworks, and more.

There’s also a food court featuring clams, clams, and more clams. No worries, though, if clams aren’t part of your diet; there’s a little something for everyone at the food court, where the vendors are Yarmouth nonprofits raising funds to do good work.

Shibumi Silk Scarf
Shibumi Silk Scarf

While lots of favorites returned to the craft show, this was the first year I noticed Shibumi Silks. A unique addition to the show, Shibumi offered festival goers the opportunity to create their own silk scarves. Events change up over the years as well. The canoe race now accommodates canoes and SUPs. The variety of shows pretty much guarantees there’s never a dull moment from start to finish at the Yarmouth Clam Festival.

Friday evening parade
Friday evening parade

Congrats to the Chamber and its many volunteers for putting on a good show! 2015 will mark the 50th anniversary of the clam festival. The Yarmouth Clam Festival is always the third weekend in July, and is always worth attending. I hope to see you next year July 17 – 19 on Yarmouth’s Main Street!

Yarmouth Clam Festival: Still Fresh After 49 Years was last modified: July 23rd, 2014 by Deb Nelson

Serving Your Clients: Are You Giving Your Clients What They Need, or What YOU Want Them to Need?

There you are happy as can be, having more fun than you ever imagined. Your product is operating just as you hoped it would. And yet, you can’t do the happy dance of success. Why not? Nobody’s buying what you’ve got to sell.

You see, it doesn’t matter how good you are at serving up widgets if your clients don’t see any value to those perfectly formed gems.

An example of a mind-baffling gift from Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) sits right in my backyard. There’s a park-and-ride lot in my town that can accommodate 300 cars. It seems, though, that MDOT forgot to tell us why we need this lot, and just who needs this lot. An article at the end of 2013 in a local paper reported that area students have found an alternate use for the lot. The lot, with its flat terrain and no obstacles (i.e., cars) becomes a training area for roller-skiers.

Built on the theory that if you build it, they will come, these photos taken June 25 reflects typical Park and Ride 2 viewsusage of the lot. If it were an ad, it would be the ultimate representation of use of white space. Not so good for a park-and-ride lot. So…yes, a great park and ride. BUT – whom is this lovely lot intended to serve? How about a marketing plan here? Or is word of mouth going to build usage over time? Hmmm…stay tuned on that one.

Few companies have the time MDOT has to wait for people to discover their need for a product. So how can you make sure you’re offering products and services that will be embraced by your clients?

  1. Meet with your clients to find out what they like about your current offerings. Ask for their input: What is it about your service / product that keeps them coming back for more? What could you do that would make their lives even better?
  2. While you’re hearing how wonderful your product is, don’t miss the opportunity to ask your clients what you could be doing better. Don’t defend against the short-comings. Thank your clients for their honesty here. AND – follow up on these points later. Maybe there’s a fix in the works; maybe there’s already a fix that your client didn’t know about. Or, maybe it’s back to the drawing board for you.
  3. Share results with your co-workers. Have brainstorming sessions. The collective power of sharing information can be transformational.
  4. Test drive before launch. Let a select group see what it is you’ll be offering up; this will help build a loyal following. It will also make sure you’re heading in the right direction even if you take the Steve Jobs approach: “It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
  5. Create and implement a marketing and communication plan.

While there is no foolproof plan to guarantee the success of every service and product, you can easily reduce the likelihood of providing a service (or a park and ride) that nobody knows they need.

Serving Your Clients: Are You Giving Your Clients What They Need, or What YOU Want Them to Need? was last modified: June 26th, 2014 by Deb Nelson

Is Your Approach to Media Relations Helping or Hurting Your Cause?

Oh my goodness. Did I ever have an eye-opening experience last week. Maine Public Relations Council hosted a media panel discussion for its members featuring three local award-winning journalists. Topics for discussion included best practices for pitching and storytelling. I love to share a good story and wanted to hear what these media reps consider best practices. So, I was off to learn a thing or two.

Call me naïve if you will, but I was not prepared to hear the first panelist indicate that she had NEVER in her career received a pitch from a public relations professional that made her say, “I’m glad that pr person called me.”frustration-62253_640

I was also not prepared to hear another panelist share her pet peeve:  perky twenty-one-year olds calling to ask if she’s received their press releases. I’m certainly not a twenty-one-year old, and I am definitely not perky. So, why would this pet peeve get stuck in my craw and make my blood boil just a bit? Well, think about it. What’s the image that appears in your mind when you hear or read perky twenty-one-year old? For me, it’s a not-so-bright young woman. It’s also a not-so-helpful phrase that shuts down conversation.

Therein lies the surprise learning for me: the level of frustration that both of these women expressed about their interaction with public relations professionals. Day after day this editor’s inbox is filled with press releases that don’t speak to her readers. If that’s not bad enough, the phone call follow-up is the next item on the pr person’s checklist. No surprise here, the editor has deleted the press release and lets the phone call go to voicemail.

To my communications colleagues, it’s now our job to help mend these strained relationships. Each one of us should be looked at as a valuable resource to, rather than a painful thorn in the side of, journalists. Here are a few actions we can take that just might prove helpful:

  • If you’re new to the public relations field, find a mentor.
  • If you’re an experienced public relations professional, lend a hand to those entering the field.
  • Answer two questions before sending your press release: So what? Who cares?
    If no one outside the walls of your company cares, chances are it’s not news. Send an email of praise to your co-workers and call it day.
  • Send newsworthy press releases to the right people, at the right time. EVERY press release is not appropriate for EVERY media outlet. Yes, this means doing some time-consuming homework; your reputation is worth this investment of time.
  • When following up with a journalist after sending a release:
    Don’t simply ask: Did you get my release?
    Ask the question you really want answered: Is this a story you’re interested in covering for your publication/news show/etc.?
    If the answer is yes, ask what other information you can provide and how you can be of assistance.
    If the answer is no, ask why not? Is it timing, or is the topic not relevant to your audience? That’s how we learn.

And, please, let me not hear the phrase perky, twenty-one-year old again.

Is Your Approach to Media Relations Helping or Hurting Your Cause? was last modified: January 22nd, 2014 by Deb Nelson

Check Out the Power of Handwritten Notes

Try an experiment this year. Make a commitment to sending handwritten notes every week (yes. with a stamp. via the U.S. Postal Service). Start small, with just three a week, and see what kind of results you get. Document your expectations and compare them to what actually happens.notecards

What’s the big deal with handwritten notes? Aren’t they old school? Yes, they are old school in the best possible way. Old school meets new school in the midst of high tech communication – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and more – a personalized note to a client, donor, colleague, or friend provides the opportunity for you to send a unique message centered on the recipient.

Take a break from the practice of group message delivery; total focus is on one person. The main point here, though is that the note is NOT all about you and your achievements; it’s about the person who’s receiving the note. You’ll join the ranks of the very Likeable Dave Kerpen who is a note writer. Can he track the success of his career directly back to those notes? No, and yet, he continues to write them AND he encourages others to write them as well.

Staying connected with people who are important to you takes time, energy, and creativity. When you do it right, you stand to see some amazing results – for you, your business, and your clients. So get that pen out and get to work!

Drop me an email or a handwritten note to let me know how this works for you.

Check Out the Power of Handwritten Notes was last modified: January 15th, 2014 by Deb Nelson

For the Love of Simba

A lion and a pug walked into a coffee shop… and I got to learn about their fun, wacky, cross-country road trip. Here’s the story:

As Simba relaxed at Crema, one woman remarked, “Seeing that lion is the best thing that’s happened to me today.”
As Simba relaxed at Crema, one woman remarked, “Seeing that lion is the best thing that’s happened to me today.”

Crema, a Portland, Maine coffee shop, was my satellite office yesterday. It met all of my requirements: fun atmosphere, good coffee, wifi, air conditioning. How could my Crema experience possibly get any better? Enter a giant stuffed lion, carried by its proud owner wearing a pug-adorned t-shirt. (Note to readers: I have a mild pug obsession.) I watched the lion, his owner and two companions approach the pastry case. Unable to control myself, I walked over to find out what was up with this group.

Will Mitchell explained to me that me he and Simba, along with two friends, travelled from the west coast’s Washington to the east coast’s Portland. He handed me a business card and asked me to check out Simba’s website. Of course, I put my work aside to do a little surfing. Sure enough, I learned that Mitchell loves Lion King and has a Lion King collection that includes the five-foot lion. No need to worry that Simba is missing her clan – there’s room for more than one cat on this trip.

Mitchell and friends have documented this coast-to-coast road trip by posting photos online: Simba moose hunting in Montana; visiting Mount Rushmore; fishing in the waters of Portland, Maine; and many more stops along the way. Vegas promises to be a highlight of the return trip! Somehow I suspect that what happens in Vegas will be shared with all of us. I know I’ll be watching for the photo; it promises to tell a good story.

 

For the Love of Simba was last modified: July 18th, 2013 by Deb Nelson

What’s Stopping You From Sharing Your Story? Maybe Seth Godin Can Help.

Got a great idea that you haven’t quite been able to put into action? Oh, yes, there are plenty of reasons to wait before sharing your genius with the world:

  • You need to do more researchThis Might Work
  • You’re not an expert.
  • No one will understand your idea.

That self-doubt knows just when to show up to squelch the most beautiful ideas. What if, though, you ignore that little voice in the back of your head and realize:

  • You’ve done plenty of research?
  • That research you’ve done has made you quite knowledgeable in your field?
  • The masses get your idea and think it’s awesome?

Where can we turn when that lizard brain takes hold and threatens us with the dreaded analysis paralysis? Enter Seth Godin. Oh. My. Goodness. A friend and colleague gave me one of Seth’s big ideas – yes, that book you see pictured above. How big an idea? How about a book that measures 11 ¼” x 15” – and did I mention that it’s almost 3 inches thick and weighs 15 pounds?!?

All I can say is thank you, Seth Godin, for practicing what you preach and making us all the wiser for it. This book contains the best of Seth’s blog and online writing from 2006 – 2012. It is the epitome of what thinking big and shipping are all about:

Now

  • Done is so much better than perfect.
  • Now is better than tomorrow.
  • Dreaming bigger is important.

Instead of thinking, “What if this doesn’t work?” how about thinking, THIS MIGHT WORK.

It’s time to share your story.

What’s Stopping You From Sharing Your Story? Maybe Seth Godin Can Help. was last modified: May 31st, 2013 by Deb Nelson

Need Funding? Make. Every. Word. Count.

Whether your goal is to bring your entrepreneurial vision to the masses or carry out the mission of a nonprofit, your success in the search for funds will undoubtedly rest upon your ability to develop and share a good story.

Just how do you craft that story? No problem here thanks to Seth Rigoletti of Valico Group and his 10 basic steps to persuasive communication. At a workshop hosted by Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development, Rigoletti illustrated with quick wit and confidence how each of these steps will help you prepare for any conversation with a potential investor or donor:

  1. Core message that can be said in one sentence.
    This step sets the stage for your ask, forcing you to clarify exactly what is so special about your cause. AND it is also the sentence that will make your listeners say, “Wow, tell me more.” If your core message can’t be said in one sentence, you don’t have a core message yet. Keep working.
  2. Organize your pitch:
    a. Tell them the problem.
    b. Tell them your solution.
    c. So what?
    This is my favorite question: when you can answer this question without becoming defensive, you are well on your way to achieving your goal. ALWAYS be ready for this question.
  3. Be simple, not simplistic. (No jargon unless specifically asked.)
    Simple here means clear language that someone not in your field can understand. Do not confuse being simple with being condescending. Condescension = game over and you lose.
  4. Be Bold. Trust yourself. Self-doubt is not invited.
    Check your insecurity and self-doubt at the door; do not let them eat away at your credibility. Enter the room as an expert, prepared to defend your idea.
  5. Communicate your passion for the idea by revealing your excitement in its possibilities.
    Make it clear why you’re doing this work. We don’t pay tune in to boring; if you’re not enthusiastic, why should prospective investors or donors pay attention to you?
  6. Don’t expect or need anything from anyone. (Wanting is okay, neediness not so much.)
    Desperation is not your friend here.
  7. Be concrete in your examples. (Practice them on your friends.)
    The example Rigoletti had here was President John F. Kennedy’s request for funding from Congress: “[T]his nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”  Boom: concrete, challenging, clear.
  8. Use stories (real or imagined) to convey and illustrate the value of the idea.
    Everyone – yes, everyone – loves a good story. If you’re introducing a new product or program, begin with “Imagine the impact of…” or “Imagine the possibilities when…” and refine, refine, refine.
  9. Give them a reason other than wealth for following you.
    Their investment needs to go past your fortune and fame. Explain how the world is a better place because of this endeavor.
  10. Be honest and humble. “I don’t know” isn’t a death sentence as long as you can follow it up with what you do know.
    You’re bound to run into a question that will require you to answer by either
    (a) saying “I don’t know” or (b) making something up. Choose option (a).  This is where that boldness and preparation will save the day for you. You can be vulnerable here without being weak. It’s powerful when you are able to confidently say “I don’t know, but what we do know is …”

As you walk through and re-visit these 10 steps, keep in mind that the goal is for the audience to see the problem and solution through your eyes. This will happen when you:

  • Have a clear one-sentence core message
  • Convey your passion through concrete examples / illustrations
  • Trust yourself and your audience

The beauty of storytelling is that the story never ends. As Rigoletti advises: wash, rinse, repeat.

Need Funding? Make. Every. Word. Count. was last modified: August 17th, 2012 by Deb Nelson