Our telephone company turns 50 this year, and we want to kick off the celebration at our annual company meeting (65 employees attending). Any ideas of how to make this fun? Our meeting theme is “Technique Follows Technology”. Thanks!

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Jay’s Answer: Do you have an internal “museum” of products? Are you near a telephone museum (such as http://ellsworthme.org/ringring/)? In addition to showcasing how much has changed in 50 years, you could have games of switchboard operator (using phone plugs), or identify what area code corresponds to what region of the company 50 years ago. And of course, a contest for best imitation of Lily Tomlin’s Ernestine.

Trailer:

Episode theme: Businesses that improve the richness of children’s lives.

Scott von Eschen is a graduate of Dartmouth College where he majored in Geology, leading him to a two year stint as a geologist for a small oil company in Amarillo, TX. Scott returned to Dartmouth for his MBA and then embarked on a 9 year investment banking odyssey in New York, Tokyo and San Francisco where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions. In 1993, Scott acquired majority ownership in Adventures Cross-Country and became President/CEO.

Website: www.adventurescrosscountry.com
Email: svoneschen@adventurescrosscountry.com

Christopher Melville grew up in Mendocino County where he attended the Melville Montessori School, a school run by his parents. After years of enjoying roll-playing games like Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and Arduin, in 1994 he developed Fantasy Warplay – a local Live Action Role Playing (LARP) group where players (ages 8-60) can simulate sword play and be an adventurer, a wizard, a warrior, and even a monster.

Website: www.fanwar.com
Email: christopherpuma@fanwar.com
Phone: (707) 462-6292

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We are a registered charity in the UK working to support people with Rett Syndrome and their families/carers. This year we are launching our 25th Anniversary Appeal for which I’d like to include an appropriate tag line.

Rett syndrome is a rare neurological disorder affecting mainly females and very few males. People with Rett syndrome have profound and multiple physical and learning disabilities and are totally reliant on others for support throughout their lives. Rett syndrome is the most common genetic cause of severe disability in females.
We offer support in the following ways: emotional support at the time of diagnosis, advocacy to access services, emotional support and a listening ear, information to parents, carers and professionals, liaison with professionals, linking families with each other, transitions support from children’s to adult services, contact network support, and training for professionals caring for people with Rett syndrome.

We are the only national charity in UK offering this level of support. We also fund research in association with leading medical professionals in this field. Our website (although is not completely finished yet) is www.rettsyndrome.org.uk

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Jay’s Answer: Thanks for the detailed information. Here are some taglines that may be appropriate:

• 25 Years Of Family Support
• Easing Burdens. Spreading Awareness. Supporting Community.
• More Than Hope. A Better Future.

For a case study (just a concept) I need to come up with a name for a restaurant with a healthy drive thru. It will have locally grown fruits and veggies, as well as yogurt, nuts, veggie burgers, turkey burgers etc. and yes – even cottage cheese and tomatoes!

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Jay’s Answer:

• It’s Alimentary
• The Healthy Drive-Thru

Photo by Chris Metcalf

Are you an artist, writer, photographer, or doing some other creative work you’re trying to sell? How can you sell your creativity? You can’t. There’s no section in the Yellow Pages for creativity, nor is their a college major in “creativity”. People don’t buy creativity – they buy things and services that help them solve problems.

So before you start advertising your “creative soul” to everyone, stop and think. When someone purchases your offering, what do they get? How does that improve the quality of their life? A painting could be inspirational, or it could add some color to an otherwise barren wall. Your book could change someone’s life, or it could be put on the bookshelf, never to be opened. You don’t really know until you ask someone why they’re buying from you. And when they do, don’t show your shock — just listen.

People think of creativity as something that’s simply magically dropped in to whatever the project needs. A dash of color. The perfect turn of phrase. An interesting perspective of a photograph. A little guitar riff. People might notice the extra creative effort you applied…or not. It really doesn’t matter. You’re being creative for your sake, not your customers’.

Think of your creativity as a gift that you freely give away. The more you give, the more creativity you develop. You can take your creativity and apply it a myriad of ways – that’s your secret joy. If someone notices it – enjoy the serendipitous connection. You’ve found another creative soul. But they’re not asking for your creativity – they’re asking for what you can do for them with it.

Don’t stop being creative. But don’t market yourself as a creative person – people don’t really care. Do market yourself as the person who changes others’ lives for the better.

Photo by Online Photography School

Endurance athletes (who run marathons, bicycle centuries, swim miles) know that they need to pace themselves if they wish to finish successfully. To train these feats, they exercise to build up aerobic capacity and strengthen their body’s core. But they also know that repetitive motion needs to be efficient, since engaging a muscle requires energy. To conserve their energy, they need to move optimally.

Your business has similar needs. Crafting an email, an advertisement, a newsletter, a mailing, a direct mail campaign, or even a customer event takes both energy and money. If you wish your business to last for the long haul, treat running your business as a marathon – not a sprint.

Before you begin a new activity, study the need for it. If an email every month works well, then don’t think that an email twice a month will be even better. Consider seeing if an email every 6 weeks works as well as every month. I’m not advocating for you to become lazy – on the contrary – I want you to be efficient in each of your business and marketing activities.

While it may be tempting to jump in to the latest social media tool to “stay connected with your customers”, if doing so will take energy away from other tasks, understand the trade-off you’re about to make. Something else in your business will get less attention.

People may notice that you’re doing less of a type of marketing than you used to (for example, writing shorter newsletters). Don’t react to what people are saying – react to what they are doing. Are fewer people contacting you? Fewer people purchasing your offering? Fewer referrals?

Figuring out your marketing mix should be an ongoing research project. Don’t be afraid to ramp down efforts that aren’t benefiting your business (either directly or indirectly). Only spend energy on efforts that propel you to your goals efficiently.