American Idol, EBay and Other and Tales of Rampant Capitalism and Democracy

Last Friday, while driving around Salt Lake City, (where we live) my husband and I saw huge banners and signs on businesses congratulating David Archuleta, the American Idol finalist who is also a high school student at Murray High School. Traffic was tied up all over town by cars with orange balloons and pedestrians with orange T-shirts emblazoned with David’s name and slogans of support. 

They had a pep rally at the high school, a hot air balloon ride to a nearby stadium where David sang and was presented with awards and basically adored by his millions of screaming fans.

The best part of this story is that David seems like such a nice, ordinary kid.  When Ryan Seacrist asked him to join the group he thought was “safe” from elimination from the show, this young gentleman sat down right there on the stage rather than pass judgment on his fellow contestants. 

This is a purely human story, with purely human characters. But what makes this possible is the technology that allows millions of Americans to cast votes, real time, to make their opinions heard.  I think people probably have more faith in the system that tallies votes for American Idol than they have for the system that elects our presidents – probably because the system is so transparent and so immediate.

More than 30 million votes are cast, and although there are some problems (people can vote as many times as they can push the right buttons on their cell-phones during a 2-hour voting period) people apparently get a big charge out of having a say.

John and I experimented last summer with eBay, we sold a mobile home that John had inherited and a lot of used books that were taking up too much space.   In three months we became PowerSellers and we were thrilled to rack up the 158 positive points on our feedback profile.  All of our feedback is 100% positive, by the way – which is very hard to do – imagine meeting 158 random people and making ALL of them happy!)  We earned a cute little turquoise star and really feel like we’ve accomplished something worthwhile, when really all we did was clear some space in our basement and make some new acquaintances.

 

The great thing about eBay is that technology allows it to be so transparent and immediate.  You can see, real time, who has the thing you’re wanting to buy. You can find out how long the seller has been selling, and you can see how people rate their transaction with that seller.  You can see the prices change as people cast bids.

 

Technology makes it possible to gauge public opinion on any topic. You post your reactions on forums on any topic – from American Idol to EBay to the current political situation in Darfur to the Presidential Election.

 

How can this help your business? 

According to Charlene Li in her book Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies  you can very powerfully use social networks and related technologies (YouTube, blogs, social networking sites, podcasts, etc.) to reach new consumers, address consumer problems and objections, and place your product or service right where it’s needed when people are most ready to make a purchasing decision.

 

In about fifteen minutes, without spending any money, you can review your Customer Relationship Management systems and processes – Our CRM Demystified – Customer Relationship Management isn’t Magic  article can spark the thought that will let you harness immediate feedback and transform your business!  

Let us know what you've tried and what's worked for you. 

Best wishes, (and Happy Monday!) 

-Paula

Mastermind Groups

If you've read Napoleon Hill's classic "Think and Grow Rich" or any of the more modern books that refer to it, you've probably heard about Mastermind Groups.

I highly recommend finding a group of like-minded individuals in your area that can meet in person (this is one of those situations where "virtual" just isn't the same.) Each person gets some amount of time to present his objective, and a request for assistance from the group. This might be brainstorming solutions to a problem, resources for a project, or whatever.

The most important thing (and the most difficult thing) is finding people that you can trust and getting together regularly. Members can be from the same industry or different ones, we've found that the more different in background and philosophy the better. If you don't know anyone in your area, you might start by looking at meetup.com. Enter your zip code and the term "Mastermind Group" and you may come up with something.

The interaction gives everyone a good mental workout, and I'm constantly amazed by the synergistic solutions to problems.

Work at home agreements

I was asked by a friend for input on a work at home agreement, and thought it might be helpful to our readers (those who work at home and those who manage people who do.)

A good work at home agreement could be a simple checklist or a more formal document, depending on the needs of your organization, but it should include most of the following, depending on the circumstances:

• What days/hours of the teleworker's regular schedule can be worked at home?
  
• Are they discretionary or mandatory? (If you're sharing office space it would be awkward if both showed up to work in the office at the same time.)
  
• What tasks can be done remotely, and which need to be done in the office?
  
• Under what circumstances should the teleworker be called into the office?
• What hours does the teleworker need to be available by phone and/or email?
• What meetings should the teleworker attend in person?
  
• Will the company supply any equipment (laptop, phone, etc.)
  
• Will the company reimburse for expenses such as phone calls, internet bills, faxes, postage, etc.?
• Are status meetings or check-in points required? (This might be a good idea, especially for new teleworkers or new managers of teleworkers to ensure that objectives are being set and met.)
• Is it okay if the teleworker works irregular hours? (Do you care if he's golfing all day and working all night, for example.)
  

The more of these things are worked out in advance, the less potential for issues later.

Best wishes,

-Paula

Comment on European & Indian meeting etiquette

I received this letter from a reader and, upon reflection, have run across several instances where the theories presented in my article are contradicted. . . Would like to hear from other people with international experience.

-Paula

_________________________________

Hello Paula,

Thank you for the interesting and informative article located at: http://www.ravenwerks.com/global/europe.htm

One particular part I found interesting and opposite of a situation that happened this morning during a meeting. The situation made me uncomfortable and drove my desire to research international meeting etiquette.

The situation:

We are in a weekly managers meeting - video conference - between the US and Belgium. There are 4 managers (all of the same professional level) with me as the facilitator / minute taker. Our boss, who is a Director, was not present but wants the meetings to proceed without him if there are agenda items.

The boiling point:

One manager (originally from India, been in the US about 10 years) had hard feelings about a US manager’s management style. He had many pent up issues that seemed to burst from him. This put everyone on edge and it was very uncomfortable. The US manager apologized and tried to be courteous and diplomatic in taking accountability for communication heartburn. The Indian person kept going and it became very personal until the US person was on the defensive and couldn’t be civil. Others in the meeting were uncomfortable.

Article vs. today:

Under the section titled “Differences of Opinion” it is mentioned that US employees are more likely to have open arguments and air their feelings as opposed to Europeans who prefer being more discreet. In my business I find the opposite to be true in this case. The European and Indian both were in favor of “getting their feelings off their chest” while the US participants preferred to address this 1-2-1 amongst the two people in disagreement. If 2 people have an issue that doesn’t pertain to the whole group they should deal with it like adults.

I often find my European counterparts passionate about their work beliefs and they will often express their feelings of frustration opening among the group while the Americans sit calmly and wait for the end of their display of frustration.

That’s not to say Americans in my group do not show emotions or are not passionate about their working beliefs as well, but it seems less frequent, shorter bursts, and then it’s life as usual.

Sorry to babble, I just thought it was very interesting to realize that the observation I made during the meeting (and realized is often the case) varied vastly to the article in this aspect.

The article was spot-on for so many other aspects that I can relate to though. Particularly US employees multi-tasking during meetings and getting through topics as quickly as possible.

Thank you for the article and hearing my feedback,

D

Requesting a "Doggie Bag" in business lunch

I have a question about business luncheons and dinners. Is it right or wrong to request a "doggie bag" if I was unable to finish my meal?

-SJ

The short answer is that we wouldn't recommend it. The long answer is that it depends on how you define "business lunch" or "business dinner."

If you are casually going out with co-workers and everyone is paying for his or her own meal, then by all means, request a box to take home your meal.

Of course, I'm sure you do your best to ensure you're not being disruptive of the conversational flow or making everyone late getting back to work or getting home! I'm sure you make the request discreetly and early in the meal so that the waitstaff can accommodate your request without causing a stir among your fellow diners.

What we generally call a "business lunch" or a "business dinner" is actually more of a meeting than a meal, in spite of appearances.

If you're dining with a client, or if your boss is footing the bill, then eating is the second (or third) purpose of the meal. You are there to do business. The meal is merely a pleasant distraction. In these cases, it's poor etiquette (and bad business strategy) to do anything that detracts from the business at hand. That would include poring over the menu while ignoring your guests, quizzing the waitstaff about ingredients of a dish, ordering anything complicated or disruptive (no flaming entrees!) ordering dessert if the timeframe doesn't allow for it, ordering alcohol unless that's part the business culture you're in, and, unfortunately, requesting a doggie bag.

The Social Contract & Business

This piece was originally published in the ShopTooele Newsletter in Tooele, UT, but would be helpful to any small business owner in any community.

The marketplace obliges men, whether they will or not, in pursuing their own selfish interests, to connect the general good with their own individual success”

~ Edmund Burke (British Statesman and Philosopher, 1729-1797)

The hardest part of business is finding a way to match what you love to do with what other people will pay money for. Most of us have had times in our lives when economic reality has caused us to take jobs we didn’t like and exchange a portion of our time for a paycheck.

Being self-employed is a different kind of exchange. It’s harder to figure out, but its ultimately a more honest way of figuring out if you’re adding something of value to the community.

Sometimes a business doesn’t work because you’re not adding value that the community wants. We helped a friend open a store at the Gateway in Salt Lake City a few years ago importing handmade rugs from Iran and Pakistan. Many of the people who came in the store exclaimed over how beautiful the rugs were, but they didn’t see why they should pay $6000 for a rug, when they could go buy one at Wal-Mart for $100 or less. This is not a question of which rugs were more beautiful or which would be handed down to grandchildren, it was a question of perceived value in the mind of the customer. We were selling the wrong thing, or at least trying to sell it to the wrong people. Whatever the reason, we’d not done the market research to connect with the “general good” of the community we were doing business in. Our friend has since become much more successful with a shop in New York. The “general good” there is apparently measured by a different standard.

In any case, finding ways to serve the “general good” in Tooele is easier than it used to be. You can find demographic information online to find out the numbers, incomes, genders and ages of people here. The Chamber of Commerce does surveys of market needs. And you can always open your business to a larger audience by using an online channel in addition to selling locally.

Some resources:

U.S. Census Data

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/49/49045.html

Municipal Research

http://www.muninetguide.com/states/utah/
municipality/Tooele.php

Community Profile

http://www.hometownlocator.com/City/Tooele-Utah.cfm

Amazing efficiency from such a small thing!

One big difference I've noticed this year-

I'm working in an office again (last year I spent a lot more time working at home) and I noticed that I had gotten in the habit of leaving projects in stacks around the office. I could do that at home, because no one would disturb my work.

Being in an office, however, I've been more conscious of cleaning up. I've found that the discipline of cleaning up each evening, rather than taking more time (as I had thought) actually helps me be more efficient.

There are several reasons for this:

• I come in each morning to a clean desk and tend to prioritize my work better (rather than working on the project that is the most prominently in my way.)
• I leave each night with a clearer mind - having finalized, made a few notes, and put each folder away in my desk - this essentially moves the project from the foreground to the background of my mind.
• As I pull out each folder and refamiliarize myself with its contents, I bring a slightly different perspective to the work as I would have if I'd left it lying as it had been when I worked on it last. In some cases, this presents new ideas and solutions I hadn't thought of before.
  
• I feel better about having a clean office!

So, I've started to clean up the office at home as well. Amazing difference from such a small thing.