Thank Goodness It's Monday #417

HOW TO USE THE

“BEN FRANKLIN CLOSE”

IN THE 21^ST CENTURY

American Commissioners at the Treaty of Paris Conference  by Benjamin West

 

Sealing the deal are, from the left, John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and Franklin's nephew and secretary.

The right side of the painting is unfinished because the British commissioners to the conference refused to sit for their portraits.

Perhaps if Franklin had used his vaunted "closing" technique we could have had a completed painting.

We came away with a new nation instead. 

Someone actually unloaded the legendary Benjamin Franklin Close on me recently.

You know what that is, don’t you?

Of course you do. It’s a classic espoused by many legendary sales trainers and personal development folks -- Dale Carnegie, Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins and other less-known folks. There are abundant explanations and demonstrations only a mouse click away. 

But don’t leave here. Because even if you don’t know the technique –

 

I’m about to sum it up for you. With commentary. 

The Benjamin Franklin Close is also known as “The Balance Sheet Close” or “The T-Bar Close” and, from the seller’s point of view, it goes something like this:

You’ve made your usual masterful presentation. But the prospect appears to be unable to make up his or her mind. You feel as if you’ve tried just about everything in your sales kit but still can’t get them to commit. So, as the seller in my recent experience did, you say something like:

“We all know how smart old Benjamin Franklin was. He was a very thrifty fellow and like you concerned for getting the most value for every dollar spent, wouldn’t you agree Mr. Steck?” 

(Award one-half point for seeking agreement. Deduct one-half point for heavy-handed use of my name. Deduct 2 more points for not noticing all the books about Ben in my office.)

“Back in the day, whenever he was faced with a decision – and he had some pretty big ones – he would take piece of paper, draw a vertical line down the middle and head one column with a ‘plus’ (+) and the other with a ‘minus’ (-).” 

(No points here either way, but there should be deductions in the name of historic accuracy as we will see momentarily. And the lazy-brain phrase “back in the day” grates on my ears, but …)

“In his genius he discovered that by listing all the positive attributes on the plus side and all the negative aspects on the minus side, the decision would become obvious. Pretty sound concept, agreed?” 

(Lose 2 points for working the “get agreement” strategy too often. Add back one-half for NOT using my name again.)

“Let me show you how it works. Since you seem to be having a tough time deciding, let’s list the plusses – some of the reasons you may want to do business with us. Then we’ll list the minuses. Fair enough?” 

(This getting-agreement thing is getting a little irritating although it might have been OK here IF it hadn’t been overworked earlier.)

Now, if you’re like the guy pitching me, you get out a clean sheet of company letterhead and your company-logo giveaway pen and begin to list everything good about the offer, product, service, whatever. In your best leading-the-witness style, you get the prospect to say most of them. You take your time to develop a comprehensive list.

Then you say –

“OK, let’s list the minuses.” And you hand the pen to the prospect … and push the list toward him … and you say nothing more. 

Bing-o/Bang-o! Usually the prospect can only think of objections couched in terms of price or affordability. And you’ve got the answers to those down cold, don’t you?

Start calculating your commission!

Or not. If I’ve done my writing job right, you should be thinking, “But Geoff … do we detect in your tone and presentation that you have a problem with the Benjamin Franklin Close?”

Kee –rect! It’s Old World selling that is –

 

Destined to fail. In fact, as an Old World kinda guy myself AND a Ben Franklin fan, while I was almost entertained by having it trotted out, I was mostly and ultimately annoyed.

 

The reality of 21^st Century selling is: In this computer-info-powered age, any real customer …

… seriously intending to buy

… who has done their prep before you call

… and who has allowed you in but isn’t responsive after you’ve presented

…has pretty much made up his or her mind. 

 

You’ve just not been told the decision.

And I maintain this Death-of-a-Salesman-era closing ploy is unlikely to swing things in your favor.

 

So do you just forget about the Benjamin Franklin Close and never use it?

No! No! NO! I wouldn’t waste your time reviewing it if I didn’t think there was some more-than-cautionary –

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Be like Ben. Do what Ben really would have done. Use the Ben Franklin PRINCIPLE to prepare to get the sale to “Yes!” before you even walk in the door.

No mystery, it’s in the history: In a letter to Joseph Priestly (the English scientist who discovered oxygen), Franklin commented about a perplexing decision that Priestly was wrestling with.

Franklin wrote to his chemist friend that the problem of deciding inexplicable situations is that "all Reasons pro and con are not present to the mind at the same time...." As a result, our minds are like a pendulum swinging back and forth, swayed by whichever aspect of the decision seems to be primary at the time without being able to arrive at a solution.

 

To help solve the dilemma at hand, Franklin informed Priestly that he (Franklin) would divide a sheet of paper into two columns, listing one Pro and the other column Con.

Then in the course of three or four days he would write in each appropriate column brief hints about the motives that at different times occurred to him for or against the decision. If, after careful evaluation, the Pro column contained more positive features, he would make his decision accordingly. The same evaluation process applied to the Con column.

 

Franklin admitted that his decision-making method was purely procedural, and that it could not advise him what to do, but only how. He did inform Priestly that "when each (Pro and Con reason) is thus considered separately and comparatively, and the whole lies before me, I think I judge better and less likely to make a rash step...."

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Use the Pro-and-Con Column mindset as a sales preparation tool. Use it as a strategizing device. Use it to get yourself ready to make the big sale. Create those columns on a piece of paper or your digital device, and then start listing …

►   … the prospect’s needs

►   … the decision makers

►   … the questions you want to ask

►   … personal “things in common” to discuss

►   … the benefits and main points you want to cover

►   … why you believe they will buy

►   … the reasons this particular prospect may not buy – and your responses 

Thus prepared with Ben’s help, you are now ready to make the call and the sale without resorting to a default gambit.

And, if on the call you see a bunch of Ben Franklin books in the prospect’s office and you want to bond with him (or her), relate your knowledge of the real Ben Franklin PRINCIPLE and lock up the deal.

One more point in, well, closing: 

Is it stating the obvious? The decision tool aspect of the Ben Franklin PRINCIPLE is not limited to business choices. It can be helpful in most areas of daily living. It works to keep you rational. Taking the time to deploy it correctly also discourages rash “I want it now” acts.

If you would not be forgotten

As soon as you are dead and rotten,

Either write things worth reading,

Or do things worth the writing.

Ben said that (in his Poor Richard persona). And did both.

Hope this TGIM helps us do the same.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com 

P.S.  About those column headings: As Ben says, they should be Pro and Con, not Plus (+) or Minus (–) although –

Ben the Scientist did make the choice of which type of electricity is called "positive" and which "negative" around 1750. In the end further discoveries established that he misunderstood just how electricity flows, but he was ballpark right for his day. We should all be that clever.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #416

THE EYES HAVE IT

 

Too often we narrow our vision in the effort to solve problems and end up with just one way of looking at things.

 

This one-person-only limited view cheats us out of the innate potential we have for finding solutions.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: To discover paths of thinking that lead to new ideas, insights and opportunities, look at things a new way so you see things differently.

If we keep our eyes peeled – and then, when we need to, see through the eyes of others – we’ll more readily spot the creative answers that lie just beyond our limited line of sight.

 

So, for example, to get a new viewpoint on an old situation perhaps we should try to take a look – 

►Through the eyes of a Child. Sometimes kids have perspective and answers that adults overlook. It doesn’t take much to appreciate how creative un-jaded youngsters can be. There are surely times when we wish for the imagination of a six-year-old. So why not try a --

 

Kidhood refresher course. Arrange to spend some time around children. If you don’t have right-aged kids in your immediate circle, just take a lunch break near a playground. Don’t be a butt-in adult. Just lay back and watch how they reason and solve problems. Bring that free-spirited enthusiasm into your adult world.

 

►Through the eyes of a Fool. We explored this somewhat back on April 1. To add to that discussion, here’s a thought on –

How to play the part of the fool: Take the strictest notion of what you are trying to accomplish and how you go about it and and turn it upside down.

Example: Why must it be “business before pleasure”? If we have fun before getting down to business, won’t we all be more relaxed? If you have fun first, you won’t be so anxious about finishing your work and going on to “better” things. Besides, stress clouds creative thinking.

►Through the eyes of Failure. It’s the classic Thomas Edison strategy/mindset. We’ve all heard a version of, “Before he succeeded Thomas Edison learned 1,000 ways NOT to make a light bulb.” No matter the accuracy of the number, the inspirational part of the anecdotal wisdom is, well, a bright idea.

Use mistakes and ideas that don’t work. Failure is seldom fatal and, if you’re not faltering and failing along the way, perhaps you’re not trying anything innovative enough. So look for and attempt more of the wackier notions. See them as stepping stones to the next idea … and the next idea … and the next idea … until you hit on the first winner. Then build on that.

 

►Through the eyes of your Heroes. Everyone has heroes. And they don’t even have to be real. They can be comic book Super Heroes, sports heroes, thought leaders, public successes, family members – you pick ‘em. In fact –

Pick Six: Investigate their biographies. Assemble quotes from their lives or insights shed by expert investigators into their views on life. Then, when you’re stumped for an idea, “consult” your group of a half-dozen heroic personal advisors.

Look at your challenge through your understanding of how they might handle the situation. The odds of coming up with a payoff in your favor are surely more likely than a lottery ticket.

 

►Through the eyes of a Master. This may come as a surprise (he said, tongue firmly planted in cheek) but you are likely not the first person to experience your problem or be stymied in a particular situation. So why not turn to “experts” who have proven their mastery over similar difficulties.

 

Not the same as heroes, mind you. Masters and other recognized experts have reputations and skill sets in particular disciplines, presumably ones you are not as strong in. But, even before you conclude you must engage them to apply their expertise, read about what they did (or do) and what made them do that and you may see how you can do the same.

 

BTW: Turnabout’s fair play. Even in certain trades today, apprentices clock time with accepted Masters before they gain distinction themselves. You, no doubt, have expertise others lack. Share it liberally. Even if it does not lead to a compensated engagement, it surely will build your reputation and value.

And if deploying all these “through the eyes of Others” strategies still brings you up short of a viable solution –

Close your eyes and try to “see” your challenges –

►Through your Closed Eyes. That’s figuratively, of course. But certainly we all have had the experience of taking a problem that seemed insoluble and having “slept on it.” Let that “Mind’s Eye” help you sort things out.

It’s amazing what the unconscious mind sees. So, trying not to dwell on it or obsess, briefly review some pesky challenge before you go to sleep. Then let your mind drift. You may awake with new insights and perhaps a solution. (You might keep a pad and pencil at your bedside so you can write them down immediately. Answers that come at such times tend to be fleeting.)

 

See what I’m talking about? Personally, I’m seeing things a bit more clearly now.

 

Hope I’ve convinced you somewhat to see things that way as well.

 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com 

 

P.S.  “My own eyes are not enough for me; I will see through those of others.  Reality, even seen through the eyes of many, is not enough. I will see what others have invented.  Even the eyes of all humanity are not enough…. in reading literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself.  Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with myriad eyes, but it is still I who see.  Author C. S Lewis (1898 – 1963) shared that view.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #415

THE TINTINNABULATION* OF

BELLS, BELLS, BELLS

 

In the early 1700s the bell was the primary instrument used to call people together

 

… gathering children for school

…assembling the congregation

…alerting citizens to danger

…announcing important news

…celebrating events

 

TGIM INDEPENDENCE DAY ACTION IDEA: In this first-Monday-of-July-2013 TGIM I’m suggesting that this coming Thursday we join the national effort to revive the tradition of –

Ringing bells on the Fourth of July. 

Normally I encourage you to take some time in the course of your July 4 celebration to join me and actually read – perhaps even aloud, with some kids – and discuss the words and some specifics of the Declaration of Independence.

 

And I still do. You’ll find an easy-on-the-eyes copy to print out here. And in that National Archives online neighborhood you’ll also find authoritative background material and an add-your-signature document that gives me a bit of a thrill when I make my annual re-discovery of it.

But this year I’m also suggesting that –

We make the holiday a bell ringer. 

As you may know, the Liberty Bell of Philadelphia fame is engraved with the words –

“Proclaim LIBERTY

throughout all the Land

unto all the inhabitants thereof.”

 

This idea is central to an initiative spearheaded by No Greater Love, an American humanitarian, non-profit organization founded in 1971. Other supporters range across a wide spectrum including baseball teams, fire fighters, the National Cartoonists Society, and Iron Workers and Sheet Metal Workers Unions along with other AFL-CIO Affiliates.

Their stated purpose: “To resurrect the American tradition of citizens celebrating our freedom and marking of our freedom the 237th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“Fifty years ago,” they point out, “President John F. Kennedy called for the ringing of bells every year on Independence Day, July 4th. We forgot to keep this tradition going. Let's start it again!”

 

Sounds good to me. Like the Fourth of July activities we’ve suggested in the past, bell-ringing connects us to our forefathers by using the same instrument of freedom they used to celebrate the founding of our nation to call our citizens together in celebration of our freedom.

So here’s --

 

How to Participate: Ring a bell. Hand bells, cowbells, sleigh bells, school bells, church bells, carillons, fire sirens, ship bells. If you don’t have a bell, shake your keys or tap something on a glass to make it ring. It doesn’t cost any money to participate.

When: July 4th at 2:00 p.m.

Where: Wherever you happen to be -- picnics, parades, boating, sporting events, beach, shopping – as we said, wherever.



Want to ring the actual Liberty Bell?

Well, you can’t. It’s about that crack, among other issues. 

We're guessing Mort Walker worked his
National Cartoonists Society connections so
Beetle Bailey could do what we can't.

But in the spirit of celebrating the Spirit of ’76, the National Parks Service, the current caretaker of the Liberty Bell of legend, has the next best thing.

• You can “ring” a replica mp3 recording of the un-cracked bell here.
• And of the cracked bell here.

Proclaim LIBERTY.

Claim each of your unalienable rights. 

 

As Dr. King reminded us in his “I have a dream” speech so many years ago, “Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy.” Now is always the time for “even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.”

“… from every mountainside
let freedom ring."

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com 



First two pages of Poe's
handwritten manuscript
for "The Bells", 1848

P.S.  Does this ring a bell? *“Tintinnabulation” is the specific, lingering sound that occurs after the bell has been struck. The word was invented by Edgar Allan Poe and used in the first stanza of what has been characterized as his “last” poem: The Bells. The bells of which he wrote are thought to be those he heard from Fordham University's bell tower, since Poe resided in the same Bronx neighborhood as that university. He also frequently strolled about Fordham's campus.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #414

HOW TO PREVENT A HOSTILE TAKEOVER

Ben Franklin observed: “Anger is never without a reason” -- dramatic pause – 

“But seldom a good one.”

Sure, in the heat of the moment our reasons for firing up the anger reaction seem, well, perfectly reasonable and good. To us.

• Irritated by that jerk who cut you off on the highway?
• Plotting your revenge on the simpleton at the meeting who took all the credit for your group’s accomplishments?
• Baffled by the mindset of the parents – let alone the kids – who walk around in public looking like that!?

Me too. On any given day we don’t have to wait too long to find an excuse to blow our top.

Sigmund sez: If you allow it, the mind easily fills with the most convincing, self-righteous, inner arguments for becoming indignant.

So maybe Freud didn’t say that specifically but … 

Contemporary psychologists agree: Dr. Daniel Goleman, pioneering writer on behavioral matters and themes of Emotional Intelligence, points out:

“Anger is the most seductive of the negative emotions. Anger is energizing, even exhilarating.”

It can also be incredibly destructive.

Fight-or-Flight Club. Anger’s physical manifestations are associated with the “fight or flight” response – largely the “fight” part. The universal trigger for anger Dr. Goleman says, is a sense of being endangered. Not only a menacing physical threat but also “it can be a symbolic threat to self-esteem or dignity, being treated unjustly or rudely, being insulted or demeaned or being frustrated in pursuing an important goal.” And –

It’s a killer. The infamous Type-A behavior, to be specific.

While anger defenders might argue that blowing your cork is a health-preserving emotional outlet, scientific studies identify the hostile, harmful traits of Type A as cynicism, anger and aggression. And that level of hostility can –

… magnify the impact of blood cholesterol levels thereby increasing the chance of clogging arteries

… weaken immune systems (never a good thing) and parasympathetic nervous systems, which act to calm the rush of fight-or-flight hormones

… make folks feel unhappy, socially isolated and more stressed

But please don’t be angry with me. Because TGIM is here to also bring you –

Good News: “Hostility is a habit that can change if you apply some emotional intelligence, combining being mindful of when it is aroused, regulating it once it has begun and practicing empathy – hearing the feelings behind what is said,” Dr. Goleman says.

“Trusting others goes a long way toward diffusing hostility,” he adds. “Practicing a variety of strategies can help you change biological patterns of behavior that you may have been born with but don’t have to die from.” 

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Before the stress in your life triggers its next gnashing-your-teeth reaction and stages another emotional hijacking that threatens both physical health and relationships, try some of these anger-altering approaches to turn away from anger:

►Avoid venting. Despite the widespread belief that the best way to get rid of anger is to express it, it’s not. In fact, catharsis – giving vent to rage – typically pumps up the brain’s arousal leaving people feeling more angry, not less.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Prepare for a mindset of neither venting nor suppressing anger. Recognize when you feel anger coming on. But don’t jump to get rid of it. Aim for the middle. Acknowledge what you feel and become aware of the effects on your body. With luck that will take you out of focusing on what’s happening in your mind.

►Nip anger in the bud. Challenge the assumptions that fuel anger in the first place. The earlier in the anger cycle the better.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Here’s an easy one: That jerk who cut you off in traffic. Maybe he had to swerve out of the way of the jerk in front of him. If that’s so, wouldn’t your anger be unjustified. Might you not be grateful that his quick action prevented a three car (or more) pile-up with you in it?

►Quit the Master of the Universe job. Psychologists say that hostile and angry people feel stress when they have to let go of being in charge because of their cynical distrust of others. If that’s you in any way, begin to reverse the situation by relinquishing control in small inconsequential matters.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Let someone else pick the restaurant. Figure you’ll adjust your ordering accordingly. Let someone else drive (at least on the short-distance, local outings). Think of it as a cost-free cab ride. (Still, remember to buckle up.)

►Take a chill pill. Out of sight is easier to put out of mind. Remove the immediate reminder of what riles you. If it won’t leave, remove yourself. 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Ease away. Walk, but probably don’t run. With an understanding of fight-or-flight, walk away from what irks you and keep walking. The exercise can’t hurt and it will also distract you as you pay attention to the changing landscape along the way.

►Be assertive, not aggressive. Modulating anger doesn’t mean allowing your view to be stepped on or ignoring injustice. Assertiveness, rather than flat out aggressive confrontation, allows you to ask others to change a specific behavior without demanding it. KISS – Keep It Short & Simple. Also keep it concise and specific.

"Benjamin Franklin
Drawing Electricity from the Sky"
by Benjamin West (1738-1820)
Philadelphia Museum of Art 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: So, for the floor-grabbing meeting room interrupter, a well-intoned, “Will you please let me finish what I’m saying?” should be assertive enough to establish your control. Preface it with a show of controlled understanding of the other person’s point of view – “I’d like to address all your points as I understand them before you react, Dave …” and you’ll gain respect as well as attention. 

And speaking of attention … 

Thanks for yours.

And with a nod to Ben, who instead of telling someone in anger to “Go fly a kite” actually did and made history –

I’ll bring this TGIM message to a close – happily.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com 

P.S.  BONUS ACTION IDEA: ►Write it off. Literally. Put some time and gain some perspective before lashing out in anger. Capture cynical or hostile thoughts as they arise and write them down. In this way you can reappraise and challenge their foundations in a reasonable and reasoned fashioned. 

Good enough for Honest Abe. Lincoln did this most famously. Civil War buffs know he occasionally wrote angry, piercing letters, had second thoughts and pigeonholed them in his desk, never to be sent.

Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book Team of Rivals chronicles a classic:

Later that afternoon, Lincoln wrote a frank letter to General Meade ... (stating) that he was “distressed immeasurably” by “the magnitude of the misfortune involved in (Gen. Robert E.) Lee's escape. He was within your easy grasp, and to have closed upon him would, in connection with our other late successes, have ended the war. As it is, the war will be prolonged indefinitely.” Before sending the letter, which he knew would leave Meade disconsolate, Lincoln held back as he often did when he was upset or angry, waiting for his emotions to settle. In the end, he placed the letter in an envelope inscribed: “To Gen. Meade, never sent, or signed.”

Thank Goodness It's Monday #413

SUMMER SLUMP?

LET’S GET TOUGH & LET’S GET GOING

Optimistic, but cautious.

 

In my recent travels I’ve been asking folks both entrepreneurial and “corporate” about their outlook and that’s what a great many of you told me.

And that’s true for matters both business and personal. 

Big "that’s-not-insightful" DUH? 

Well, it sort of depends. Frankly, at first a great many folks responded with a cheery, sugar-coated optimistic noise. Seems we all want things to be getting better.

We understand that a half-full attitude helps.

But there are lingering doubts. When pressed many of you reveal your cautious outlook. And I’m going on the record with it now simply because, for many TGIM readers, it seems there’s still a great deal of evidence of a less-than-robust climate in the days immediately ahead. 

You tell me: It’s evident when you look at your P&L, compare notes with your business colleagues, read the news, go shopping, or just talk with your neighbors.

 Still, times change. And somewhat predictably so.

Any economic prognosticator can produce charts showing that things financial rise and fall in cycles. Granted, just where in the cycle you or your company or your family might be at any particular moment is often a highly speculative matter.

But there’s still –

The universal given: Hard times will end – eventually.

TGIM Takeaway: Although no one knows exactly when the upturn will come for any particular segment, it will come earlier for you when you put some preparing-for-prosperity strategies in action today.

Bonus factor: If you’re one of the individuals or companies already prospering, if any ideas in this roundup are above and beyond what you’re already doing, implementing them in these harder times should prove extra valuable as the situation brightens for all. So --

Let’s take the upcoming Summer Slump season head on. Resist the urge to coast between Memorial Day and Labor Day. There’s plenty to do starting immediately that will pay off immediately and in the more prosperous future.

Here’s a roundup of –

Preparing-For-Prosperity

Summertime Strategies

● Keep it up. To be there at the recovery you must survive now. If you’re reading this, the odds are good that you’re at least doing something right. Keep at it. Keep striving. Keep an optimistic outlook.

● Challenge assumptions. Resist the urge to play everything safe by becoming ultra-conservative. Clearly nothing is carved in stone these days. So nothing can hurt a business or personal situation more than continued reliance on old assumptions that are now proven unreliable.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Failure to be open to new ideas will trap you in a dead end. So, even in difficult times (maybe especially in difficult times) test established “truths” for your life and your business.

Result: You’ll either prove that they’re still true or you’ll begin to discover today’s better way.

● Be guided by numbers. Numbers are emotion-free indicators of where things were, are, and may be headed. Even if you’re more of a “people person,” it’s now more important than ever to use numbers to plot, compare, and analyze the effectiveness of decisions.

Caution: This is not a call to cut and chop and freeze and slash prices, expenses, and people across the board when things like budget numbers don’t work out to the penny. 

● Put on bifocals. Don’t neglect the need to look long while you look short. The challenge is to objectively assess the current health of your situation, then conform the actions needed to pull through the immediately difficult times with those necessary to keep moving toward long-term goals.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: When short-term results aren’t satisfactory, don’t counter simply by freezing up or knee-jerk reacting in the next short term. Instead, study and attack the underlying problems and plan to cure them for the long term.

● Don’t undervalue advertising, marketing or PR. Because immediate results from investments in these “promotional” areas are sometimes hard to measure, they often get short-changed when money is tight. Yet this may well be precisely the time when enhancing a product or an image becomes more important, not less. Dramatize your unique aspects and make them known and, at least, you’ll gain top-of-mind awareness.

● Attract and keep good employees. The future belongs to those who are ready to seize it. It’s practically a universal truth that there’s a shortage of skilled workers for any job worth doing. So putting a little effort into acquiring and motivating good employees or “partnering” relationships now is hardly a risk. 

Good folks are out there now. And they’re looking for good partners. Be proactive in your outreach. On the other hand, not letting valued partners know, by word and deed, that you understand how their success and yours success is linked most definitely is a mistake.

● Trim fat, and then toughen muscle. No business or individual can survive in tough times (or good times) supporting people or relationships that aren’t doing the job. But that doesn’t mean you should cut more than the marginal performers (who should be set free in any circumstances). 

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Set standards and stick with them. Don’t leave room for poor performance. Tell people, “Let’s get tough and let’s get going.”

● Build skills. Now, when you may have the time, make productive people more productive. Make the most of their existing talents. Work at keeping engaged and keeping morale high. Give people the training they need to build a solid base of skills for future expansion. Make everyone more sales minded and customer conscious. Build discipline and leadership skills across the board. 

● Add to your skills. Use any slowdown to personal advantage. Skills and knowhow you acquire now, while you have more leeway with how you structure your time, will enhance your success when business activity begins to build again.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Add to your existing strengths but also allow some time for shoring up weaker points. But most of all, keep current with evolving new technology. The future belongs to those who are prepared to live in it.

● Lead yourself first – and you automatically prepare the way to leadership in a prosperous tomorrow.

Getting tougher. And getting going. 

See you in the winner’s circle.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com  

P.S.  “[Good men] should not shrink from hardships and difficulties, nor complain against fate; they should take in good part whatever happens, and should turn it to good. Not what you endure, but how you endure, is important.” Seneca the Younger (5? BCE – 65 AD) suggested that in a treatise of Moral Essays as translated by John W. Basore in 1928, another period of particularly difficult times.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #412

SPOILER ALERT:

THIS “MAN OF STEEL” PREVIEW

REVEALS 10 SECRETS OF SUPERMAN

The next Superman movie -- “Man of Steel” opens this Friday.  

It cost $200+ million to make. It’s intended to inaugurate a Batman/Dark Knight-sized series. Like that 21^st Century interpretation the newest Superman is supposed to be darker, more brooding, introspective, and conflicted than previously.

At one point, early reports say, the Man of Steel sports a long beard which has given rise to much speculation about the secret of how he shaves.

And the red shorts over the blue, uh, long johns? Gone.

 

Spoiler alert: I care … but not that much.

 

Here’s why: It’s a movie. It’s real life that has real lessons about real issues.

 

Certainly there are movie “touch points” that serve well as shorthand to better communication and understanding. And as I often do in TGIMs (and as I’m doing now) they’re a useful bridge or default to make a connection or a point. 

Like this: An early and significant writing collaboration with my friend Eric Taylor was a chapter on “Heroes” in a volume entitled 101 Ways to Improve Your Life. It’s about a real Superman who also brought a distinct grace and character to the portrayal of the character Superman. 

Christopher Reeve

It’s primarily Eric’s story.

Based on his experience.

Told in his voice.

The outline version I’ll share below is one of the earliest recountings. I know it underpins Eric’s being. Today I simply want to add that, in the nearly a decade I’ve been a part of it, it has become a great influence on my abiding philosophy as well. 

 

It’s that important. So, before you head for the multiplex and shell out for tickets, popcorn and a jumbo drink, read this … reflect … and, I hope, relate.

10 Life Lessons I Learned from Superman

(and How They Changed My Life Forever)

For many, the actor who epitomized the character “Superman” is Christopher Reeve, and as millions know, at the height of his career he suffered a tragic accident that left him totally paralyzed, unable to care for himself or, initially, even to breathe unassisted.          

With the support of his wife, Dana, Chris persevered and battled back, becoming a vigorous advocate and the public face for research that develops treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders. The foundation that now bears their names has awarded hundreds of millions in research grants to the world’s best neuroscientists and Quality of Life grants worth over $15.7 million to nonprofit organizations that help improve the daily lives of people living with paralysis, particularly spinal cord injuries.          

Christopher Reeve redefined courage and hope. His strength, determination, and compassion inspired the world, but what I think is the superhuman part of the story has not been fully told. There’s more to this story for me and greater lessons for us all.           

It was my distinct privilege to produce Chris’s last public appearance in New Jersey. I’ll never forget it—or him. He died on October 10, 2004, just 11 days after the event. He is my hero.          

Christopher Reeve taught me 10 lessons that day. I know that they apply to you, and that when you decide to take them to heart and act on them, they will change your life, too.

1. Empower yourself first! The only way to truly connect with another human is to connect with yourself first. Compassion, rapport, and caring all come from allowing, understanding, and knowing yourself first.

Action Idea: Take time out of each day (even if by self-appointment) to reflect on the day, week, month, or year. Evaluate the words you chose to speak and the actions you chose to take. Ask yourself the critical question, “Am I being congruent with what I truly believe and value?”

2. Refuse absolutes. Anyone who says “that will never happen” doesn’t understand faith, persistence, and belief. There are few, perhaps no absolutes. The world was once thought to be flat; Christopher Columbus debunked that myth and created a paradigm shift for mankind. Christopher Reeve should not have survived as long as he did and accomplish as much as he did after his accident. 

Action Idea: Have you embraced false absolutes with “security thinking?” Remove all self-imposed limitations and boundaries that you (or someone else) have placed in your mind. 

3. Become a respected and feared competitor. Respect and fear are equally important. Have the respect of your peers, but be sure that they are aware that you are playing to win every time!

Action Idea: Get close to your competitors, and let them get close to you—but only in physical proximity! Treat them with kindness and respect, but keep your eye on the prize. 

4. Get moving as soon as possible. If you allow yourself to procrastinate there will never be “enough” time for getting ready. So, when you set a goal … make a decision … experience adversity; get moving immediately. 

Christopher’s tragedy was something for which he could not have prepared. Chris knew that if he didn’t take action immediately to find a cure and to move toward walking again, he might begin to think that death was a better alternative. 

Action Idea: Decide! Once you make up your mind to achieve a desired outcome or goal, never let anything or anyone stop you.

5. You have more talent and gifts than you realize. You possess all of the resources to lead an extraordinary life. Accept the gifts, and use them to serve. 

Action Idea: Ask “What if …?” questions. “What if I could discover the cure for AIDS?” “What if I could run a three-minute mile?” “What if I give love first without expecting anything in return?”

6. Give yourself a chance—you are worthy. Let the people who love you, love you. Share your dreams and desires with those who can, will, and want to help you. Don’t beat yourself up when you fail.

Action Idea: Everything is an experience, not a test. The events that take place in our lives are not a thermometer to gauge our self-worth. The most important opinion you must possess in your life is the opinion you have of you!  

7. Nothing is impossible.  Use your personal power and have faith that you can overcome and achieve anything you set your mind to. A mindset that replaces the negativity of impossibility with that can-do positivity of what IS possible is a mind-set each of us should embrace. 

Action Idea: Faith equals persistence. If you believe you can, you can. Walt Disney said, “You will see it when you believe it.” 

8. Ignore your own feelings of inadequacy. There is almost always someone doing better than you are. The grass always looks greener on the other side, and that, as we know, is almost always a false assumption.

What‘s more important is what you are doing and what your goals are. If you honor self-promises and stick to your dreams and goals, your time will come. The real truth is that that legendary glass is always half full, and that partly cloudy is also partly sunny. These small distinctions can pay huge dividends in your life. 

Action Idea: Your mind and your body are your most prized possessions. Protect them by being cautious about what you allow to enter.

 

9. Negativity kills empowerment. Negativity drains energy, diminishes hope, blocks creativity, and steals faith and one’s ability to persist. Beware of negative self-talk and negative thinking and all the things and people in your life that are dream-stealers.

 

Action Idea: Just as empowerment begins with you, positivism in your world begins with you as well. You are a leader. Become a leader in your life first.

 

Surround yourself with everything and everyone that makes you feel good. Avoid negative people… negative news … negative thoughts. Life is too short not to be happy.

10. Giving up is not an option. You are not automatically entitled to everything in this life, but you are entitled to become your personal best. After his accident Dana told Chris, “I still love you, you are still you.” That moment, he said, his giving up was not an option. He knew that he had only one choice and one life to leave his legacy. 

What will your legacy be? What will you create? What is your purpose for being here? 

Action Idea: Winners have not quit. And, obviously, quitters can’t win. Quitting does last forever. If you have yet to discover your calling, get excited! It is about to be discovered. If you know your calling, go there with passion and serve.

Those, in a nutshell, are 10 Life and Leadership lessons Eric Taylor and I learned from a heroic real-life Superman, Christopher Reeve.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Strive to live them every day.

Now, Go Forward!

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. There’s one more quote from Chris that, as Eric says, takes a bit of thinking to understand, but we’d like you to consider it. 

If there is no great glorious end to all this,

if nothing we do matters,

then all that matters is what we do.