BNGIowa

What will you want next?

 I like to watch Mad Men. The leading man reminds me of old photos of my dad. My dad wore neat suits, white shirts and a skinny tie. He was very dapper. That was the requirement of salesmen back in the day.

I also like to see the way the business people acted (or the way the writers think they acted) back in the day. The way women are portrayed is quite interesting too. On the show last night, one professional woman confessed to wearing a wedding ring even though she wasn't married. She said it kept unwelcome advances at bay. Clever woman. 

This post isn't about all that, but that is some interesting things about the TV show for me. This post is about a comment on Mad Men last week. The ad men were using a focus group to test out an idea. The results were not what they hoped for exactly. The head creative said something like: How can they talk about something they don't know is possible.

I really liked that. I can think of many products I have that I didn't know were possible. I love Skype and use it every week to talk to my family in Australia. I used to think mascara was the only way to thicken lashes, but then there was Arbonne lash enhancer. I never thought I would be able to make a photo book so easily, I should have invented that! 

So it is important to find out what a customer wants, but just as important to find out what they will want if they know it is possible. 

Expectations

I remember doing research papers for school homework. Seems like there was one or two due every semester. I was lucky, my family owned an encyclopedia set. I remember my mom bought a book at a time with a grocery purchase until she completed the set. The books made a lovely display on the bookshelf in the hallway by the phone (the one phone and it was corded). I used the books more than the phone. That was what my parents expected, so that is what I did.

Information is available in vast quantities these days. But what about the quality? No one questioned the reliability of the facts published in the old encyclopedia. These days, it is hard to trust any information. Who is writing the stuff online? Anyone can put information online. Even me. 

So why do I write for free? Today, I hope to influence someone to be trustworthy and provide quality work. It will make you happy, at least that is what I believe. I guess that is why people are spewing out so much information and communication: We want others to believe as we do. 

Trust. Quality. I hope there are still people and companies who value those qualities. I have met too many lately who don't. 

Do Opposites Attract?

Seeing Sharon Osbourne on America’s Got Talent last night, inspired this blog post. I really like Sharon Osbourne, or at least the person she seems to be on TV. She appears smart, generous and caring and also strong, tough and hard working. As I watched her on TV, I wondered if her marriage is based on the "opposites attract" theory.

If you are a talker, it can be nice to have a friend who is a listener. But if you are adventurous, you probably want a friend who is adventurous too.

In my experience with Arbonne, a network marketing company, I have attended many training meetings. One prominent message is duplication. I show a prospect how I work my Arbonne business and then they do the same with their prospects. The system seems to work best when the prospect is similar to me, not the opposite of me.

Everyone attracts all types of people and for different reasons. Some attractions are about similarities and some are about dissimilarities. Law of Attraction vs. the Opposites Attract theory.

I like my dentist because he is not like me. He is not much of a talker, at least in the office. Generally, I am a talker. But not when I am at the dentist. I don't want to make conversation when I have a drill in my mouth or when my mouth is numb after a procedure.

People can't change is another frequently heard theory. But people can and do change all the time. I change from a talker to a non-talker when I am at the dentist.

What a businessperson needs to know is how and when to change so you attract the right customers. When do you need to be similar to a customer and when do you need to be opposite? To be really successful, you need to make those adaptations sincerely. You need to be multi-faceted in a real way. You can only get away with faking it for so long.

I Learned From You

Memorial Weekend is more meaningful this year for me. My brother-in-law died last week. He was a WWII veteran. So was my dad. So was my father-in-law. They are gone too. Soon no WWII veterans will be alive. Soon, there will be fewer of their widows to decorate the graves on "decoration day" too. If you go to a cemetery this weekend, you will see the widows. They open the car trunk and take out the red, white and blue flowers. Mostly the flowers are silk so they will last. They have other flowers in the trunk too. Gold ones for fall and yellow ones for summer. 

I remember looking at the photos of my dad in his Navy uniform. He was dashing, no doubt about it. I used one photo as reference for an art class assignment. It was a large pen and ink drawing. The black and white contrast of the white uniform against the foliage of Hawaii was perfect for the ink rendering.

I was fortunate to attend a performance of South Pacific, the musical, a few weeks ago. The timing, right before Memorial weekend, was coincidence. It made the event that much more memorable. The themes of discrimination, intolerance and defining freedom to still be around, long after WWII.

My dad and father-in-law and brother-in-law were part of the WWII fight for freedom. They thought freedom meant a man was free to work hard to support his family. And they did. They were all businessmen. They treated their customers honestly and with respect. They sincerely appreciated their customers and let them know it. They valued their work and the opportunity to do it. They were successful and the rewards were well-raised, happy families. Families who miss them terribly. 

I think some Americans view freedom as the right to do whatever they choose. Selfishness seems to be what they think freedom means. I hope on this Memorial weekend, some Americans remember that freedom and selfishness are not related. Freedom means responsibility. The veterans know that.

Buyer Beware

It happened again this morning. There it was, plain as day. Right in the title. 

I have been talking about this problem since the early nineties.

Back then, I remember getting a letter from Patrick Coyne, editor and designer of CA, in response to a newsletter article where I wrote about this problem in the ADAI newsletter. As a young designer, I was thrilled to get the letter. I still have it. 

Here it is 2010 and the problem is still rampant.

Ever since desktop publishing replaced type houses, it seems even professional designers, sign shops, ad agencies and others are in violation.

What I am referring to? Typographically incorrect apostrophes.

How do you know when this type violation occurs? The apostrophe should look like a comma. It should not look like a foot mark (sort of like an exclamation mark without a dot).

This violation happens with quotation marks too. Some computer software doesn't compose type automatically with correct apostrophes and quotation marks. The person typing doesn't notice. 

It shouldn't be a consumer's job to catch this mistake, but now you know, so be alert. I you buy a building sign, a menu, a billboard, an ad for your company or the like, be alert for this common mistake. 

Don't even get me started on bad typography on web sites. 

One Thing At A Time

At one of our recent meetings, we were talking about time management techniques.  Barb shared an short audio book from Steve Chandler.  The concept was to adopt the mindset "I only have one thing to do." and that is whatever you are working on or whoever you are meeting with at that particular moment.  Give it/them your undivided attention until you are finished and then decide what the next "one thing to do" will be.

Here is a short post I found today on the Freakonomics blog from the New York Times:

"What are you actually accomplishing when you’re doing five things at once?  Maybe not as much as you think.  Scientists have found that “self-described multitaskers performed much worse on cognitive and memory tasks that involved distraction than did people who said they preferred to focus on single tasks.”  Their research, along with other research on memory and learning, is profiled in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The researchers profiled believe that the best learning comes from single-minded attention: one professor even forbids his students from taking notes in class. (HT: Marginal Revolution)"

via freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com

In Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, David Allen suggests a simple way of processing that pile of stuff.  Do it, delegate it, defer it, or drop it.  You can buy the book here

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Cause and Effect

Why did that happen to me?  Have you ever caught yourself saying this maybe even multiple times a day?  If so, you are not alone.  As we live in this fast-paced, ever-changing world, we many times lose track of the fact that many of the decisions we make do have an effect well down the road.  Most people do not consider this much more than the very superficial appearance of some circumstances.  The bottom line is this: every choice you and I make has a consequence, some good, some bad.  That is just the way it is.

What got me thinking about this was taking in the State Wrestling tournament this past weekend.  It brought back a lot of memories that I had as a wrestler in both high school and college and how it helped  sculpt me as the person I am today.  I distinctly remember a instant in high school my sophomore year when I was contemplating never wrestling again.  I was done in my mind.  I wanted nothing more to do with it and I was fine with that, but the people around me were not.  I went through a lot of conversation battles with coaches, parents and friends about 'why' I did not want to do it ever again.  Through that communication I then came to the realization that I still had a desire for it, but my decision was being made just on the short-term consequence of having to start the season and not on the bigger picture. 

 Long story short, I continued to compete for the next six years of my life, and along the way learned some very powerful lessons about life from teammates, coaches and everyone else involved.  I look back at it now and those six seasons had, at the time, the most impactful effect on my life than any other point.  I would not trade those years for the world.

The point is this: If I would have allowed myself to hang it up when I was 15 years old, what would I be doing right now?  What kind of person would I be right now?  What regret would I be living with right now?  If you are following me here, that one 'insignificant' decision may have completely changed my life.  If you would have told me that at the time I would have just shrugged it off, but now I know.  It was big.  I am thankful for all the great people in my life at the time to help guide me to see this.

Here is the grand finale.  What decisions are you making today that will shape your future, your health, your family, your job, your fulfillment?  Are you truly looking long-term or just short-term?  Who do you need to consult to help you gather more insight? 

Every day you make hundreds of decisions and every one has an effect.  Choose wisely.  You are in control and through your faith and discipline you can and will create the life you have been destined to live.

The Rules of the Game

Our family likes to play a card game called Hand and Foot. Like most card games there is a list of rules. We even customized our rules. We call them the Sedona Rules because my mom taught us the game after learning it from her friends in Sedona. Whatever mom says goes.

When we teach someone the game, we tell them the rules. Well, most of the rules. We usually rely on our memory, so some rules get left out. We don't do it on purpose. It just happens.

The new player usually says, "I can't remember all those rules." We reply, "Don't worry, you'll catch on."

That is good enough for some people and the game begins. Some people jot down their own notes to help them remember and we deal the cards. And some new players express fear. They don't want to start playing when they don't know and understand the rules. When that happens we say, "Let's play a practice round." That usually reassures the new player.

Of course, once we start playing, the rules we forgot to mention come up. That is usually met with, "You didn't tell me that!" That becomes the excuse when the new player loses a round. As we go along, the rules become more clear. After a while the new player does "catch on." 

How does this relate to business? It is important to assess what your customer needs from you. Do they want all the "rules" or information from the start? If so, spend the time needed to help them get comfortable. Do they want to move quickly and not be distracted by too much information? If so, be prepared with a condensed version of the most important information and back that up with something they can refer to when they are ready for more.

Fun can be part of it, but business is serious. It is not a game, so don't expect your customer to "catch on" as you go along. It is your job to be certain they have the information needed to make decisions. It the customer's job to make decisions. They will base those decisions on your information. Do your job well and most likely your customers will do their job well. 

And unlike a card game, everyone can be a winner.

Image is original art by Barb Gordon. Please do not copy.

So, when can I start depreciation?

In a recent Tax Court Summary Opinion, it was held that the placed in service date, not necessarily the purchase date, is what controls the depreciation and expensing deductions.

 

In the opinion, a music business owner bought pieces of equipment over a two-year span, but didn’t use the items in his business until they were connected and integrated, which happened in the third taxable year. In the third tax year, the taxpayer claimed a section 179 deduction and computed his depreciation deductions accordingly.

 

The IRS contended that the equipment was placed in service in the two years in question because the petitioner tested some of the equipment before the third year.  The IRS also argued that the equipment was ready and available for its specifically assigned function at that time.  Therefore, the IRS believed the taxpayer’s ability to take the section 179 deduction was limited. 

 

 

However, the Tax Court agreed with the taxpayer that the equipment was not used until the third year and was therefore placed in service that year. Although the equipment was tested by the taxpayer to become familiar with it, the equipment was not fully functional until it was interconnected in the third year. The Tax Court stated that individual components are treated as single property for tax purposes when they are functionally independent. Regardless of the amount of testing petitioner performed on each individual component, the equipment was not capable of performing its assigned function until interconnected and capable of supporting the operation of the studio. Each piece of equipment was thus essential to the operation of the studio as a whole and was not useful or able to be used to operate a business by itself.

 

Accordingly, the Tax Court held that the equipment purchased in the two-year span was placed in service in the third year and the taxpayer is entitled to the depreciation and section 179 deductions claimed on his tax returns.

 

For more information on this tax topic or other tax issues, please contact Brent McClure at Kiesling Associates LLP.

Be Clever, Be Grateful and Practice

I subscribe to several online newsletters. One is from Trilix Marketing Group. Some of my friends work there and told me about their newsletter. I am thankful for all my friends.

I received the Thanksgiving issue of the newsletter yesterday. It struck a cord with me. The message of thanking clients and suppliers is common, but this was clever. That made me read it, the whole thing.

Clever and well designed. Those are things that motivate me.

Also yesterday, I caught a clip from the Dr. Phil show that struck a cord too. He was advising the parents of a 3-year-old who couldn't get the kid potty trained. They tried everything and were at their wits end. He said they just had not found their child's "currency" yet. In other words, his motivation.

The dad's face lit up. He thought Dr. Phil would tell him what motivated his kid and then he could just do that. But Dr. Phil said he didn't know what the boy's motivation was and that was up to the parents to find out.

These two seemingly unrelated things made me think, wouldn't it be nice if our customers would just tell us what motivates them? Some people react to clever marketing that is tied up in a well designed package. I do. I react to value and excellent service, most people do. But wouldn't it be nice to know that one magical "currency" that will get each customer to act?

I listen and ask questions. One customer told me that my talent for asking good questions was what impressed him the most. He was an excellent customer, I knew what he wanted and delivered. A 3-year-old won't be so forthcoming. 

I have always thought that customer service is a lot like parenting. I do my best to find out what motivates each customer and then provide what they need. It is a great feeling when it all comes together.

On this day before Thanksgiving, I am filled with gratitude for my life. It would not be so rich without the wonderful people I have met throughout my career. My customers have taught me a lot. I am thankful.

Of course, I am most grateful for my family. They are my true motivation. My kids turned out pretty great and have given me three grandsons. I am a better grandparent than I ever was parent. Practice, it really works.