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When I was a networking newbie, an entrepreneurial woman I met told me she’d like 15 minutes of my time during which she promised to “dazzle” me. I agreed to hear her pitch. I was not dazzled. I don’t remember what she was selling. But I do remember her misuse of that word and my time.
‘Under-promise and over-deliver’ has been a mantra for me both as a giver and receiver in the business marketplace. So, when I read and article in the current More magazine that perfectly demonstrated a truly dazzling presentation, I wanted to share it with you.
Barbara Bigford had invented a product that she wanted to get into the Savannah Walmart. She promised the buyer to keep her pitch to under five minutes and held up a stopwatch to prove it. Already an irresistible offer, right? I’m going to quote verbatim what she said (according to the article) and add my editorial comments alongside.
- I’m the owner of Seabreeze Products, [~ names her position and the company]
- a newly approved Walmart vendor [~specified her credentials within the organization]
- with a fabulous item that I just know you’re going to love– [~confidence and optimism for that person's buy-in]
- –a beach umbrella that does not, I repeat, does not blow away! [~names the product and the problem that it solves, twice for emphasis]
- She held one up. [~props are critical to the success of a presentation]
- This is the only umbrella that comes with a weightless anchor. [~paints a picture of a concept that raises a question in the buyer's mine]
- You just fill these pockets with sand to weigh down the umbrella, then empty them when you leave the beach. [~answers succinctly and thoroughly the question she raised in the previous sentence]
- Isn’t it amazing? [~gives prospect/buyer time to take in the genius of her invention]
- No more chasing wind-blown umbrellas down the beach! [~reiterates the problem she’s solving with a powerful visual image}
This had to have taken weeks to write, edit, memorize and rehearse, but the payoff was worth it–sales to Walmart and 400% growth for her company in the two years before licensing her invention. Here’s an image of the product and a link if you’re sold too.
When we first met many years ago, Kim’s children were small and in school, but even then she held a vision in her heart, and it was huge. There were a lot of nay-sayers in her midst (“You could never do that here!” types), but Kim began building her community right where she was. At first she invited women into her home for spirited dinners and discussions. She led groups on tours to her native New Zealand and taught yoga postures to tots.
Back then she and I mapped out a plan, talked about real estate availability and always kept in mind Kim’s bigger picture contribution to Fairfield County–creating a place where people can gather and have fun. She continued to develop her vision step-by-step and opened up a seasonal kayaking shop in downtown Rowayton a few years later.
I watched Kim’s progress via e-newsletters, signs about town and at networking events. Last year she made the commitment to open a year-round kayaking, SUP (stand up paddle board) and surf shop in Westport. No small feat! Kim’s vision carried her through as she dealt with bankers, marketing and PR companies, graphic designers, merchandisers, store managers, guides for her tours, website developers and social media strategists.
She confronted challenge after challenge from financial and business planning, zoning regulations and keeping up employee morale during this long, dark winter. Throughout, Kim made sure she took time to care for herself, the golden goose, so that as the leader of this enterprise, she was continuously coming from a place of great strength and courage, which she did.
Last night was the party for friends and family. I’m honored to be standing in the Westport DownUnder Kayaking store next to Kim in this photo where she’s also surrounded by her sister and daughter. It takes a team of good men and women, and Kim has carefully selected with whom to surround herself. She has an extraordinary staff and devoted followers.
I plan to go kayaking at DownUnder over the holiday weekend because fun is definitely on my agenda. Hope to see you there, Mates.
I had the privilege of speaking for the Litchfield County Women’s Network last Wednesday night, one of those pouring rainy nights we seem to have had so many of lately. I was a tad grumpy coming in after a long drive, but the mood of the room and the warmth of the members soon parted the clouds in my brain.
Although her business is graphic design, President Chana Monahan is a Toastmasters-trained powerhouse, leading her network through dinner and the best self-introductory ice-breaker I’ve seen. As part of each woman’s 60-second ‘hello,’ we were asked to identify a significant historic moment from our childhood in addition to announcing who we were and what we did in our businesses. I heard everything from the arrival of the Beatles to Kennedy’s assassination to the invention and acquisition of Cabbage Patch Kids. The mood was light, congenial and more revealing than any sound bites on self-proclaimed business acumen. My recalling the world-changing invention of Ford’s Model T got some interesting looks. (I used to be the youngest in the room–What happened?)
After dinner I gave my talk on having A Million Dollar Presence on a Zero Dollar Budget, which I subtitle, How I Got on the Today Show. It was followed by a lively Q+A and discussion. During my book signing I met many of the women, packed up and drove home in more rain.
Not two days later I received a personal, handwritten note from Chana thanking me for my contribution to her group. My talk was pro bono – I do one per quarter – so Chana was expressing her deep appreciation for my time. Enclosed was a $100 Shell gas gift card. What a brilliant gift! In this day and age, if you drive a car, the escalating cost of fueling it has become a major consideration. This was the perfect gesture and will be gratefully used, with Chana and LCBW in mind, when I fill my tank (at least once!).
It’s hard to let go.
When I asked for advice from trusted colleagues about closing the door on the reprinting of my first book, Decorating Eggs, one response I got was, “What would you advise your client to do?” Well, when you put it that way, the answer is easy. But this is MY issue, so it feels different.
The back-story–In its day, that book reached best-selling status with over 30,000 copies sold. I received regular royalty checks, orders flowed and I was known as the author of a well-received volume.
Then a couple of years ago I made a routine call to my publisher to order a few more cases to sell via my website and was told it was out of print. I had thought it would never go out of print, so this was a blow.
I was able to track down a reseller who had bought the remaindered copies (such an unkind word for my precious work) and ordered several more cases. My stash is almost gone. I have ten copies left. I see that they’re going for over $70 apiece on amazon.com now.
Recently, a store owner emailed me saying how much he loved my book and how popular it is with his customers. He gave me the name of a publisher who might be interested in reprinting and distributing Decorating Eggs. I found enough energy to follow up with that house and send them a copy. I heard last week that it didn’t meet their qualifications (20% new material, out-of-print for more than two years). I do not have the energy or interest to create the new material. The store owner subsequently asked if I’d let go of my copyright. (No.)
So here I am. On the verge of letting go. Another trusted colleague put it beautifully: “There’s a piece of you that doesn’t want to let go and it’s got to be flattering to be asked so persistently. But if you say no and let go, it’ll open up energy for the next thing.” I know, teach and trust that she’s right.
Here it is, Folks. “NO!”
I just finished reading Onward by Howard Schultz, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Starbucks–lower case letters used by his example. The subtitle of the book is How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul. You may remember the closing of many Starbucks stores a few years ago and the looming possible demise of the company. Howard Schultz took back his leadership position and turned the company around. Onward is the tale he tells about this journey. I was mesmerized.
I’m sure every reader is familiar with Starbucks as it is, according to this book, the most frequented retailer in the world. What a gift to read this account of the good, the bad and the ugly of that journey back to profitability well written by his co-author Joanne Gordon.
What, you may ask, can I, a sole/soul proprietor, gain from this corporate giant? Let me count the ways! Here are just a few of the nuggets I highlighted in my edition:
- “Third Place” concept created by Starbucks – a social yet personal environment between one’s house and job (or home office). ~Raise your hands if you’ve met a client or colleague at this “third place.”
- Starbucks is intensely personal. p. 23 ~Isn’t your business, when you really come down to it?
- If coffee and people are our core, the overall experience is our soul. p. 25
- Moving forward became more important than laying blame. p. 28
- We needed to rediscover who we were and imagine who we could be. p. 73 ~Even big companies need to do vision work.
- We will transform the company internally by being true to our coffee core and by doing what will be best for customers. p. 90
- People inside the company needed to see and connect with me. Often. I had to be accessible, almost ubiquitous, more than I’d ever been. p. 99
- Anyone can ask questions with no fear of retribution. p. 99
- When we relegate responsibility to our partners and give them the right tools and resources, they will exceed expectations. p. 110
- Starbucks mission: To inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. p. 112 ~Is your mission as simple and straightforward as this?
- Partners mission: We always treat each other with respect and dignity. p. 113
- Emotional connections our true value proposition. p. 117
- At its core, I believe leadership is about instilling confidence in others. p. 308
Is any of this relatable for you?
While waiting for my friend Patty to arrive for our coffee date recently I observed a young family interacting. Mom and Little Sister were taking care of personal needs in the ladies room. Dad and Big Brother were negotiating the order and table arrangements. An argument ensued over the choice of venues. Dad said to Big Brother, who was all of 4 years old, “When you go to work and make all the money, you can decide where to eat.”
Whoa, Brother! I almost did an intervention, but restrained myself. What kind of a message was he laying on that child? Is that how it works in his family? The one who brings in the income is the decision-maker. What did that little boy hear? Dad is all-powerful and money rules? It gave me shivers, and my body doesn’t lie.
What were the formative messages you heard as a kid regarding money? Some of mine were, “No one will ever pay for one of your eggs.” “That’s too much to charge.” “What am I, a money tree?” Would love to have you share the conversation you heard around money and how it impacted you personally and as a business owner.
At the urging of my own personal mastermind group (thank you, Mary, Brenda and Val), I began blogging three years ago this month. At the time it felt like yet another thing to do, another check box on the list. Not quite drudgery, but I couldn’t see the point.
Three years later, I love the sport and absolutely see the ‘why’ in showing up three times a week to give voice to what’s important in my corner of the world.
I’ve approached life in a new and different way, thinking as a journalist rather than Plain Jane. Everything I come into contact with–each new relationship, opportunity or incident–becomes fodder for the mill. Miriam Salpeter brilliantly likened the Royal Wedding to Job Search in a recent posting. Like Miriam, I love taking what’s happening around the world and in my local community and pulling out the wisdom for entrepreneurs, specifically women business owners. Whether it’s swooning over Tina Fey’s Bossypants, or touting the inspiring successes of my clients and colleagues, I feel more alive and connected than I ever have.
I’ve gotten to bond with you in unexpected new ways, and that’s the greater reward. I rarely go anywhere these days where someone doesn’t mention something I shared in a posting. “Loved you in the red coat!.” “Boy, that parking lot attendant sure taught you.” “How was Costa Rica?” It’s surprising, humbling, scary (How’d you know that? Oh, I wrote about it, and you read it! Oops.) I feel more seen and understood than ever before. I’ve discovered what’s really important to me (sharing what I know with other women business owners), what prejudices I harbor (why are there 95% men represented in the iStockphoto.com images?), and how brilliant, courageous and inspiring women are (read any of my posts over the last three years).
Like I heard about entering the speaking and coaching industries, people said, “It’s an easy business to get into, but a hard business to stay in.” I feel the same way about blogs. A lot of people start blogs then abandon them.There can be excitement and enthusiasm at the outset, posting, then watching your numbers grow or not. But it’s the disciplined dailiness of any venture that creates success. I have gotten better at it over time, and simply showing up religiously has its own merits. Brian Tracy says that what makes people extraordinary is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.
This is my 448th post. There have been 1948 comments. I shall continue this journey and welcome your staying with me for the ride.
We had a wonderful turnout at my first-ever Boston area event held at the beautiful Chestnut Hill Eileen Fisher store. I love bringing together Remarkable Women, and this group was no exception.
We had women in travel, communications, catering, financial education, entrepreneurship education, radio and more. After the round of self-introductions for the entire group, we broke up into smaller conversations to help each other focus in on key issues. The sparks were flying. We even had some of the Eileen Fisher staff sit in our circles sharing their expertise and getting feedback.
What always impresses me so deeply as I’ve worked with Eileen Fisher’s employees is their devotion to the brand, the company and to Eileen as a visionary. As Laura Moretti-Gold–this store’s manager– said as she proudly introduced her staff members and how long each had been with the company, “We don’t leave!”
In a conversation I had with one of these women, I was told how generous Eileen is with benefits, profit-sharing, wellness allowances, etc. I can’t think of another company where I’ve heard that devotion and caring verbalized.
In case you didn’t know this, Eileen Fisher has a Business Grant Program for Women Entrepreneurs. The deadline is soon, but if you’re interested, here’s the link for an application.
Here are my favorites from my beach shoot with Katie Settel last week. Would love your feedback! I’m going to update my facebook and twitter accounts and wanted more current (and more flattering) images. What do you think?
Katie Settel, of Katie Settel Photography, and I spent a few hours at Calf Pasture Beach on Friday. I need to update my social media images and love the way Katie has captured shots at my Remarkable Women’s Network events for me. 
While Katie was selecting different points on the beach and pier for the poses, a woman who had been eyeing us for awhile walked directly over to Katie and said, “May I ask you a question? I’m a photographer too. What do you set your camera at for shooting directly into the sunlight?” To which Katie responded, “I set it at 1/60th of a second with the aperture and 5.6 and the ISO at 200. That’s my starting point and I adjust from there.”
Huh? Up until that point, Katie was just a lovely woman with a camera around her neck whose images I’ve admired. (I’m being facetious, but you get my point.) In that brief exchange, I got to hear what makes her so good at what she does.
The larger point is that so many of us take our own enormous knowledge base for granted as well as that of others. We don’t walk around with our credentials tattooed on our foreheads or our resumes on thumb drives. We make assumptions based on externals: marketing materials, pricing, performance and persona.
How does your market know how good you are?
BTW, I just got a glance at the images from Katie. “You bumped the Senator,” she told me. I thought that was some photographic catch phrase like “jumping the shark” or something. She actually got so caught up in finding the image for me, she delayed work she was doing for a real live senator. That’s what friends are for! I’ll post a couple as soon as I get them.
