Developing change

What does it take to produce change in business? Is it pain or vision?

Is it negative?

I am blaming it on The Secret. Okay maybe not - but I must say that the idea of positive thinking (which I am all for, by the way) is really being taken advantage of or misunderstood of late.

In the past, there have been clients who ask us to go back and revise something we had created a while ago that they have already been using because it contained too much "negative language."

One even referenced the book and The Law of Attraction. I'm not saying that having a positive attitude is a bad thing. But I do think it's more of a concept than an absolute.

Then the topic came up just the other day in yet another client meeting on a current project, so this has been on my mind quite a bit lately.

As a copywriter, I strongly believe that sometimes it is more powerful to speak in the negative. Maybe I'm wrong, but let me share with you my thoughts on this topic.

Words like never, don't or won't can be potent triggers. They can connote a depth of conviction, in my opinion. I like to use them as a contrast to give the copy a twist or really pound home a point without pulling out the hammer.

"We'll never charge you for the same repair twice" is a more powerful statement than the same concept written in the positive.

"We don't do banker's hours" feels stronger than the statements "we have evening hours" or "we're open until 7".

"Our viscosity standards will never be compromised" is pretty tough to state in a positive way with as much conviction. Depending on your message, "negative" might not be so negative.

Recovery

It was a strong event on Monday night. Two and half hours of public testimony from the business community to the City Council. Quite a bit of press! So great! I will say that it was both positive and humbling to be called from the dais by the Mayor. It reminded me that there is no such thing as bad publicity. I think that we are going to see some new changes by the City Council to budget issues and concerns of business. Stay tuned - this is a going to be quite a ride. Finally we have produced dramatic change.

Preparation & public speaking

You should spend an week working on a speech of 30 seconds, a day on a speech of 2 minutes and a hour on a speech of 5 minutes.  On a speech of more that that, spend only as long as you feel you might need.  We tend to over talk our points - whether in government, sales or simply to each other.  The rehearsal of the material is also critical - as I have mentioned before, you need to be focused on practice, practice, practice!

Tonight, I will hopefully join with business people to actively recruit the City to help business in a tangible way.  More on that later. . .

Sunday business

Sunday is a great day for retail and shopping.  A late opening and early close - say 10 am to 4 pm captures most of the customers who are done with morning activities and are taking time to spend it with family and wander around a Main Street or shopping area.  There is a certain idle pleasure in walking about and simply "window shopping."

There is also something to be said for the weather in our community.  Though stormy, cold and overcast it cleared up but stayed windy this afternoon.  Truly a blustery day.  If we can, we should stay more in tune with the weather and cycles of time, we may connect with customers more easily.

Health Fair

Well, today was the 2nd annual health fair at the Shops at Rossmoor.  What a blast it was!  Over 70 vendors and hundreds of visitors really made it fun.  Lots of clients were there - Beach Fitness, Main Street Cyclery, EasyMedOnline.com, Bogart's Coffee, Family Chiropractic and more.  What made this event so fun was the positive energy that everybody had and the networking for many businesses in the health & wellness sector.

As you can see, I had a great time whizzing around on one of the EasyMedOnline.com power scooters - man can those things get around!  So remember to shop local!

Conflict & Crabs

I serve on several boards.  It is a joy of service and a belief in the obligation and ability of business owners to affect our communities that I do so.  What amazes me about the role I play is how by being vocal in a community for anything makes you a target for others.

One of the stories I heard growing up near a beach is the one about crabs in a bucket.  If you place several "scuttler" crabs in a bucket, they take a few minutes to understand the environment they are in, they fight a bit, then one gets the bright idea to get out of the bucket.  The other crabs rush over and pull it back down to the sand.  Why does this occur?  I am not sure of the biologist's reason, but the moral of the story from my parents was one about getting ahead - that many people we encounter will try to pull you back to the base level if you demonstrate you are "getting ahead."  This is especially true in the world of non-profits.  As you build emotional volume, more people both take notice and take note of how to target you.  I already knew this in the world of gay rights and advocacy, but I was surprised about how similar it is in advocating for business in a small town.  A friend and fellow board member shared some concerns yesterday with an op-ed piece I had written.  One which was highly critical of our City Council.  I left the conversation both concerned and a bit upset - she was critical of me and my use of first person when all the other pieces I had written were first person as well, but now I was "speaking for the Chamber."  Apparently quite a sin.  We will see what the repercussions of it are and how many people show up for the Council meeting on Monday night.

St. Patrick's Day

It was a wonderful St. Patrick's day with lots of meetings and fun! I have to say that when everyone else drinks or parties - it sure lets me get a great deal done. I also caught up with my friend Dan W. - he is up in SFO and it was great to spend some time talking to him. What was also so great about the day for business is that I got a chance to discuss some ideas with the Chief of Police and the City Manager about the day and potentially changing how Main Street is utlized. It was also amazing to see the Grand Opening of the Farmer's Market here in town. A great slide show of it can be found at http://sealbeachdaily.com/2009/03/17/the-beauty-of-buying-local-fresh-and-fun-at-the-new-seal-beach-farmers-market/

Have a great night and hope everyone stays safe tonight.

Are blogs useful? Is my blog useful?

Well,
I have been blogging now for a solid 5 months. I wonder if it is more than just me creating a virtual record of thoughts and perhaps stroking my own vanity. Does it have value? Is anyone out there?
I seem to believe that they are useful, but I am not sure if I am leveraging the use of my blog most effectively. I will press on, but hope to know more soon. . .

When is the right time for growth?

When is the right time for growth? How much cash reserve should you have? Can you expand during a recession?

My father taught me that there is no luck - there is only when opportunity meets preparedness. Right now, if you are prepared and have planned to expand, now may be the best time. You can get favorable terms from a landlord, you can really get the most out of your team and you can really push yourself to go that extra distance for the business.

Don't just look to the news, look within yourself and ask the hard questions for growth. If you are prepared - go for it!