Yesterday, during church services, a speaker read this quote from Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) and his book, Democracy in America:

“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her fertile fields and boundless forests, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her public school system and her institutions of learning, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good America will cease to be great.”

The words touched my heart and I couldn’t have agreed more with his sentiment. But last night I realized that de Tocqueville didn’t quite have it exactly correct.
Now, I don’t blame de Tocqueville because when he toured America, the Midwest was just in its infancy. He didn’t get a chance to see it the way I saw it last night. But, I know that if he had witnessed what I had, he would have added “and small towns” right next to churches.

Last night, Andrew, my son, and the rest of the cast of our local Community College’s performance of “Grease” were asked to perform a couple of numbers in the band shell in the park. Along with their two numbers, I had the opportunity to listen to the Freeport Concert Band play a wide variety of numbers, from their opening number of America the Beautiful to a Duke Ellington medley. They were wonderful. The music was lovely and heartfelt. The band played with feeling and gusto.

But it was more than the music; the impact of the evening was the musicians who shared their talents and their love for music. I don’t know the exact number of people playing last night – at least fifty. And from a spectator’s perspective there were at least six and perhaps seven generations of Freeporters represented on that stage. There were young people, who might have been in their late teens or early twenties, playing along senior citizens easily in their sixties or seventies. There were representatives from different races, religions and political persuasions. Yet they all came together on a balmy summer night to play American music in a band shell surrounded by grass, trees, picnic blankets, families and friends.

This is America at her finest. This is the “good” that Alexis de Tocqueville found. This is the love and pride of country that makes us great. I had forgotten the magic of a band shell performance on a Sunday night. I had forgotten the joy of leaning back on a blanket under the stars, with family close by and listening to the powerful strains of Sousa while the evening dusk turns to a starry night. I had forgotten why I love small town America so much. This brought it all rushing back.

Too often we turn on the television and isolate ourselves. Too often we end the busy day with a closed door. We used to be a country of front porches and evening walks. We used to be a country of Fourth of July picnics and Sunday evening concerts. We used to be a country of neighbor helping neighbor. We used to be a country that understood that our greatness and power came from our people and was lent to our government. And we can be that country once again. For the sake of our children and our grandchildren, we have to preserve that nation.

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

This morning I went out to my backyard and picked blueberries. It was about 6:30, so the sun was just rising, the dew was heavy on the grass, the birds were singing, our rooster was crowing and the air was still a little chilly.

At first, picking the berries was a chore - something I had to get through before I started the rest of my day. Bucket in hand, I bent over and started plucking them off the top branches of the bushes - hurry, hurry, I have things to do and people to see.

But picking blueberries is not a hurry-hurry kind of thing. You have to be meticulous, pulling each ripe berry away from the stem, being careful not to disturb its little still green neighbors. You have to search and study. You have to peer and investigate. Only then will you find the purple-blue treasures bursting with juice.

After a few moments, I knew that standing would never work, so I tried to sit on the edge of the patch. We have 4 x 4s lining the area. When I sat, I could see some of the blueberries I missed on the first round. But, even from this perspective, I really couldn't get to all of them.

Finally, I sat on the ground facing the blueberries. Yes, the ground was still wet and certain parts of my anatomy distinctly felt it - but once your bottom is wet, well, you're committed.

I stopped trying to beat a blueberry picking record and started enjoying the simple task of blueberry picking. I thought about how life was a lot like picking blueberries, if you hurry through it too much - you miss some of the most delightful treasures. I thought about my blog - and how I was going to share this with you. I thought about how lucky I was to be able to pick blueberries on a summer's morning - the first day of July.

Then I tested something - I picked a blueberry from one of the top branches of the bush and popped it into my mouth - although it was big and beautiful and easy to reach - it was a little sour. Then I scoured deep into the bush and hunted for a smaller, darker and harder to find blueberry. The juice was sweet and lush - everything you'd want in a blueberry.

Once again I was reminded how often we overlook the real treasures because we only reach for the obvious and the easy. Was it sweeter because I had to work harder to find it? Um, no, but that would have been cool - wouldn't it?

Take some time today and go blueberry picking - whether your blueberry picking of choice is smelling the flowers at the florist, having a deep conversation with a five-year old, listening to a senior citizen talk about their life, reading instead of skimming or just stopping to count the blessings in your life - I promise you that it will be time well spent.

Fireflies

A magical thing happens in the Midwest about the first of June - the fireflies appear. When I was a child, I didn't realize that fireflies were not a worldwide phenomena - in the United States fireflies only appear east of Kansas, which make them seem even more unique and mysterious.

Fireflies appear slowly - one or two of them floating in the twilight above the garden. You have to watch carefully and be patient. Then, as if the first couple were testing the waters, more and more appear on each subsequent day - floating and shining in the darkness of the night. It is like an entrance to the fairy kingdom to watch them dance over a field on a dark summer night with the frogs and the crickets providing their orchestration.

Fireflies are like opportunities. You have to wait for the right time, you have to be patient and you have to look in the right places. And, most importantly, you have to believe in the magic. You have to have faith that if you do all that you can do - more of these wonderful creatures will appear and alight on you.

Ask yourself - is this the right time? I'm a great believer in following the guidance of the Spirit - or, if you're not religious, then following you instincts, your gut. Are you ready for the next opportunity?

Are you willing to be patient? Are you willing to wait for the right opportunity and move at the right pace. I remember in my youth that some of the little boys would catch the fireflies and try to force them to light up. They usually ended up killing the delicate creature. The magic was gone. They had nothing in their hands but a dead carcass. But I also recall walking through a field of waist high grass in the twilight and letting the fireflies lead me. It was as if I had joined in their dance - become a partner.

Have you positioned yourself in the right place, with the right frame of mind to take advantage of the opportunity? No matter how hard you try - if you're sitting in California, your not going to see fireflies. If you are in your living room or behind your computer, you'll miss them too.

Finally, having faith. I'm not going to say that if you don't have faith, you won't see fireflies. But will you understand what they are? Will you consider the magic? Will you comprehend the possibilities? Will you humble yourself and be grateful that these tiny creatures were placed on the earth to allow you to gaze in awe at the magic of a summer night?

Be aware of the opportunities around you hidden in the twilight mist - when they suddenly light up, closer than you would have imagined - walk with them and let them lead you to success.

Leadership - whether you are the owner, the boss, the manager or the supervisor - you are the leader. You set the standard. You influence the atmosphere of the company. Your employees or subordinates look to you as an example of how they should act. You and your actions will determine if your company is going to be successful or not - it's that important!

If you Google "Management Styles" you will find a bunch of links to excellent sites that talk about different kinds of styles - i.e. authoritative, participative, laissez-faire, - and there are definitions of each one. I'd like to keep things a little simpler today. More like an "Everything I Learned in Kindergarten..." approach.
1. Be honest - if you are not honest with clients, other employees or your superiors, your employees will learn two things - 1 - that they don't have to be honest with you, and 2 - that you are probably not being honest with them. If you can't trust someone, you can't work with them.
2. Rejoice in other's successes - don't be jealous of a subordinate's success, when one person on a team wins - everyone wins. Someone else winning does not take anything away from you.
3. Don't gossip - quoting from the ancient philosopher, Thumper's Mom - "If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say nothing at all."
4. Look for the positive. Before you criticize, make sure you can point out some positive things about the employee. But, don't be fake - your employees aren't stupid.
5. If you have a problem with an employee - talk to the employee. I know in this day and age of lawsuits you have to notate any problems, and you might need to have a witness participate in this kind of conversation, however, don't ever publically humiliate or chastise your employee. (Unless you are a drill sergeant - and then I understand the need for this kind of training.)
6. Be a team player. If your staff has to stay late - stay late too. If there's a big project pitch in. If there is a job that everyone hates - take your turn too.
7. Show your appreciation. Find ways to show your employees how much you appreciate their hard work. You don't have to spend a lot of money - you just have to be thoughtful.
8. Live the Golden Rule - treat others the way you would like to be treated. It's amazing how well that works.


Be sure that your place of business is a place that your employees WANT to come to every day.

Memorial Day - take a moment and thank a veteran.

For the past two years Memorial Day has taken on a new meaning for me. My dad was a veteran of the Korean War and my step-dad was one of the heroes who breached Omaha Beach on D-Day. And although I have always held veterans in high regard, the importance of Memorial Day never really hit home. These were events in the past - before I was born - photos from history books or old albums.

Last year my son was still in Afghanistan serving in the Army when Memorial Day rolled around. He is part of the Illinois Army National Guard and they were deployed near Jalalabad for a year. Last year I understood what sacrificing for your country really meant. Last year, it was personal.

I remember driving through town on Memorial Day and seeing families picnicking, shopping, playing and just treating it like another day - an extra Saturday. They treated it just as I had every year.

Until...

...until my son watched four comrades die when an IED exploded under their vehicle. He called me the next day and poured his heart out. One of the young men had been his friend since kindergarten. He told me that he carried this soldier's body bag to the plane, because it was the last act of service he could do for his friend.

...until my son called me the day after Mother's Day to apologize for not being able to call the before, but there was another death in their unit and they killed the phone lines until the family could be notified.

...until every time the phones were down, I waited with dread for a military issued vehicle to pull up in my driveway and knock on my door.

...until I met the brave young wives with toddlers in their arms and a baby on the way who bid their husbands good-bye for at least a year and maybe forever.

...until I tearfully and gratefully greeted my son again a few months later and saw that his time over there will be etched on his soul forever.

This year on Memorial Day, stop and thank a soldier. This year, call your relatives who have served and let them know that you are grateful for their sacrifice. This year, drop to your knees and give thanks to God for those who are willing to fight for you and then pray for their safety and pray for their families. This year - remember.

Perspective...

Perspective is very important when you are marketing your products or your services. Can you view things from your customer's point of view. I consulted for a Fortune 50 company that was developing a new product. The product was state-of-the-art, it would save time and money and the engineers who had put it together were brilliant. But, it wasn't selling. So, I met with the team and asked them about the people who would buy this product. They knew exactly who they would be selling to. Then I asked them about that person's greatest need. We realized that they never met the real needs of their client base with the marketing of this product. Once we were able to look from the clients' eyes - the product was successful.

I think personal perspective is even more important. In today's market we often are overwhelmed with concern about the future. We sometimes let those worries cloud our own perspective of what's really important.

My daughter sent me this blog that I would like to share with you - there's a video link that's an overview and then a blog. Take a few minutes looking at these today. I think they will change your perspective on the blessings you have in your life and what is really important.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHDvxPjsm8E&feature=player_embedded

http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

What - are you nuts?

I have a client who is a funeral director. (Yes, they need to market too! :) ) When I started working with him, he was spending LOTS of money on pre-packaged advertising vehicles - like print and television ads. The ads were well done - but they didn't represent him and in his community, his potential clients wanted to know and trust their funeral director.
I suggested that we drop the boxed ad campaign and turn to something more personal - like a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" type of column on death and dying.
The column was immediately successful because people wanted to know more about funerals and about grief - but it's a hard subject to broach in most situations. The column expanded to include stories about some of the people in the community - the dedication of the "church ladies" who always made the funeral lunches, the wisdom of the clergy and the burdens that are carried by the widows and widowers who sit alone mourning once the last cassorole pan has been returned and their friends and family have gone back to their lives. The columns were filled with humor, tenderness and honesty - at every visitation or service, at least one person would come up to him and comment on his column.
Then, about eighteen months ago, something magical happened. A little squirrel adopted their funeral home. The funeral director bought nuts, corn, feeders and a squirrel house for his new fuzzy friend and he started to write about"Buddy," the squirrel. He wrote about being completed enamoured with this new friend. He wrote about Buddy's antics and the ever increasing family of squirrels that now resided at the funeral home. People in the community responded like never before - he found that guests at visitiations would show other guests where Buddy's feeder was located. People would drop by the funeral home with gifts for Buddy. Buddy even began his own Facebook page. Everywhere in this small community, people would stop him and ask about Buddy.
This funeral director has ended up with a number of new clients directly because of Buddy and many more because of his columns. He is amazed that merely writing a column would create the change in his business that he has seen. But the explanation is simple - people got to know him and trust him, and when you are in a service business that is as personal as the death of a loved one, those are the two greatest commodities you can offer to your clients.

How do you get people interested in your product? How do you create excitement about a something that has been around for ages? How do you differentiate yourself from your competitor?

That's what marketing is all about. It's taking your product and putting a new "spin" on it. Either creating or highlighted how your product is different than all the rest.

My favorite example of the week comes to us from St. Charles, Illinois and was brought to my attention when I was reading my June issue of WIRED magazine.

Everybody does fitness programs, right? From Jane Fonda back in 1982 to workouts today that are specifically for things like cardio or strength training or flexibility or whatever you want.

How can you ever compete or generate interest in another workout program?

Enter ZombieFit - yes, you read correctly. ZombieFit is an exercise course that trains you to survive a rampage of the undead.

This is from their website:

"What if you woke up tomorrow to find your city overridden with zombies, would you survive?

This may seem childish, but by preparing for the impossible, you'll be ready for the improbable.

The keys to surviving Z-day are simple: Be able to lift and throw heavy things, run fast and for long distances, and be able to navigate obstacles and urban environments in an efficient manner. By following the ZombieFit WODs (workout of the day) and practicing parkour, you will achieve increased fitness through the performance of functional movements at high intensity and find within yourself the internal discipline and mental fortitude necessary to become a traceur."

These folks didn't just come up with a interesting name - they have created an entire package - website, blog, twitter - for their fitness regime. Brilliant!!! Congrats ZombieFit!!!

For those interested in more information - check out the rest of their site- http://zombiefit.org/

I recently had a conversation with a young man who is a new business owner. I'm the president of the Freeport Downtown Development Foundation this year, but I was also wearing my marketing consultant hat when I met with him. (Like I ever take that hat off!)

We talked about the importance of having a vital downtown and I thanked him for investing in the downtown with his business.

Then I told him that prior to our meeting, I had been casually asking people about his business. I gave him the feedback I'd received - both positive and negative - and have to give him credit because he really was thoughtful about all of the feedback. But, he made one comment that stuck with me about some of the negative feedback.

"Well, people have to give me a chance. I've only been in business for a couple of months."

The problem with that statement is that you only get one chance to make a first impression. If people don't have a good experience with your company or, even worse, they have a bad experience - they will not only not come back, they will tell their friends about their experience. Unless you do something fairly unusual in your marketing - like Domino Pizza's new advertising campaign, "We've changed our crust, sauce and cheese and hopefully your mind" - you don't often get a second chance.

So - put your best foot forward, shine up your shoes and be sure that when you meet your customers - especially for the first time - you always are on your A-Game. And if you make a mistake (not if, when, because we all make mistakes) be sure to correct it as soon as possible and apologize to your customer. They will reward you for your honest attempts to make things right.

How do you treat your employees?

I once had the opportunity to work with Joe Ritchie, the owner of Chicago Research and Trading - he was a brilliant man. He wasn't just brilliant because of the incredible mathematical formulas he created for forecasting option trends - he was brilliant in the way he treated his employees.

He had two basic philosophies:

One - treat your employee like a craftsman. He would go on to explain that if you hired someone to build you a cabinet and you allowed that person to make the decisions and create their vision, you would end up with a piece of art. But, if you stood over that person correcting and directing everything they did - the cabinet would never "belong" to the creator and would end up being just a collection of pieces of wood.
Two - employ "Message to Garcia" people. During the Spanish-American War there was an important message that needed to be taken to General Garcia (IIRC) - a soldier was dispatched. They didn't know where Garcia was or how this soldier was going to be able to reach him - they just gave him his assignment and asked him to do it. The soldier didn't stand around asking for advice, demanding to know from his superiors what his next steps should be, or needing a detailed plan in order to start. He just hopped on his horse and went forward to accomplish his mission. Of course, in order to have "Message To Garcia" employees, there has to be a relationship of trust between the employee and the employer. And the understanding that risk is okay - because even though you sometimes make mistakes and have to retrace your route - usually the greatest risk reaps the greatest rewards.

So, who do you allow your employees to be?

It's Wednesday, it's 77 degrees outside, the sun is shining and the birds are singing. It is just about a perfect day. I really want to blog about something significant today - but I think I have spring fever. :) Perhaps that is the significant message for the day - don't forget to smell the roses. Don't forget to look up. Don't forget that this world isn't all about marketing, accounts payable, accounts receivables and inventory - those are just stepping stones to what we really want - a better life, more time with our families and a legacy. I saw a commercial yesterday that won at the Cannes Film Festival - grab a tissue, watch the commercial and then make sure you take a walk outside today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbodlwzVLbE&feature=related

Social Networking - it really works.

Do you remember that commercial for Faberge Organic Shampoo? - "I told two friends about Faberge Organic Wheat Germ Oil Shampoo and they told two friends and they told two friends, and so on and so on." During the commercial, which featured Heather Locklear BTW, the screen keeps dividing and adding more faces - 2, then 4, then 8, then 16 - you get the picture.

That's what Social Networking, like Facebook, is all about - it's you telling your friends and their friends seeing the information posted. For example, if I have 50 friends on my Facebook page and I post something - all of my 50 friends have that information posted on their pages. If they have 50 friends - well, you get the picture.

A client who owns a large veterinary hospital in Washington D.C. told me about an experience he had using social networking. Their local Humane Society found a puppy that had been severely abused and literally thrown away in the garbage. They took the puppy in and performed all of the needed surgeries to save it's life. They blogged and Facebooked about the experience and the puppy. Then, because of the interest, they decided to do a fundraising drive for the Humane Society and to help defer some of the costs of the puppy's care. He told me that the information went viral and within a week they had raised over $10,000 for that puppy.

So - here's another commercial that I want you to think about. You know the Mastercard commercial where they have the value of several items, but the last item is "priceless?" Well, that kind of publicity and the goodwill generated by that post was priceless public relations/marketing for that veterinary hospital. All of those thousands of people who read that Facebook information know that this veterinary hospital really cares about treating animals.

Social Networking ...priceless!

If a website is on the web and no one visits it, is it really there?

So, you need to find a new veterinarian or a place to buy carpet - what do you do? Where do you turn?

Well, if we turned back the hands of time and this was 10 or 15 years ago, you'd pull out your handy-dandy phone book. Not anymore. You sit down at your computer and Google. (Or use one of the other search engines.) Businesses used to have to spend BIG BUCKS to be in their local phone books, so the folks in the community would find them and know what they sold. Today - everyone needs a website.

And today almost everyone you know designs websites. "Hey, Marty, don't worry, my kid brother can build you a website like nothing you ever seen in your life. And it'll be cheap - I promise."

The problem is - if someone goes to Google and types in your kind of business, your city and your state - and you don't show up on the first page, you might as well not have a website. (Okay, so maybe the second or third page - but, let me ask you - how many times do you go on to the second or third page of a search if what you find is on the first page?)

SEO is Search Engine Optimization. It means using keywords in certain areas throughout a website to pull you up to the top of the searches. SEO should not depend on Google Adwords - you should have organic SEO throughout your site - content, meta-tags and headers.

For example, if I'm looking for a veterinarian in Poughkeepsie, NY - I'll type in "Vet Clinic, Poughkeepsie, NY" in Google. Then I'll click on the clinics that show up.

Try this for your own business - if you don't show up - well, um, you're not there.

Have you ever felt that as a small business owner you needed to also be a Superperson? Not only do you need to be an expert in what you do best - you also need to be an expert in accounting, marketing, sales, web design, and a myriad of other tasks.
As a small business owner and as a consultant who has worked with many small businesses, I understand your frustration. Wouldn't it be better to put your time into doing what you do best and leave the other things for people who do those things well.
If you're thinking - hey, that makes sense! And you need help with your small business marketing, web design, branding or public relations - give me a call. I'd love to help you make your small business a success.