Would The Hard Work Cafe Have Made A Difference To You ?
Okay, I admit it. I’m a Kentuckian. Even when we do something less than stellar, I don’t deny my birth motto.
” American by birth, Kentuckian by The Grace of God “
Seems doing well in school just for the sake of learning, expanding their horizons and creating opportunities didn’t appeal to some middle school students in my home state, so some well meaning educators did what they usually do in these situations.
They tried to bribe ‘em to do right, rather than teaching them to do right because it’s what you’re supposed to do.
A group of eastern Kentucky educators, at Lawrence County Middle School in Louisa, set up the Hard Work Cafe.
Come to school 5 days a week, like you’re supposed to and you might get an invite.
Behave properly, like you’re supposed to and you might get an invite.
Do your work, like you’re supposed to and you might get an invite.
Doesn’t sound too hard does it ? Well, there’s a drawback. Teachers recommend one student from their class to visit the cafe every Friday for lunch.
Seems that would leave the invite up to the ol’ teachers pet thang.
Me ? I would have been in school every day, unless the fish were bitin’, because they fed you and we didn’t always have a lot of food where I grew up.
I also would have done my work, like I was supposed to, if only so I wouldn’t have to listen to a teacher whine about the virtues of sillyass busywork.
BUT, and this is a big J Lo but, I would have never made it to the Hard Work Cafe because I wouldn’t have been in the selection process simply because I was never the type to be a teachers pet.
On the contrary, I liked beatin’ those kids up before, during and after school, when necessary !
So, this thang can work for good and can work for not so good … kinda like a sales contest, which is what it is in essence.
Why do right ? Because that’s what you’re supposed to do.
Why sell the heck out of your product ? Because that’s what you’re supposed to do.
Don’t bother with sales contests, just find kids and sales people who actually want to sell.
If you want an opinion on sales contests from someone a bit more well known and more widely read than I am, try this post that validates what I say about sales contests.
If You Gotta Drive Around For 29 Hours …
Over the last two days, I’ve been out, driving around, from jobsite to jobsite, visiting customers, dropping off samples, attending pre-construction meetings, taking pictures of projects, etc., to the tune of 29 hours in two days.
If you have to be gone that much, drive that long, eat that much road food, etc, the best thang that could happen is for you to get about 45 minutes from home and see this sunset.
Me and my Casio took this shot out the window of my Camry, at about 75 MPH. Not bad for my minimal skills.
Please click on it to see a larger view.
Sunsets like that are why I live in the western part of Kentucky. That and Miranda Lambert on my Sirius Satellite Radio, singing Everybody Dies Famous In A Small Town, cranked up really, really loud, windows down on my Camry, about 75 MPH and the smell of home cooked food in my nostrils. Yes, I can smell my wife’s cookin’ from 45 minutes away. It’s that damn, good.
Sorry there’s no sales advice here today, but I’m too dang tired to try. Enjoy the sunset and be glad you didn’t work 29 hours in two days.
Oh, and go buy Miranda’s CD, it’s that damn good, too !
The ABC’s of Networking
Once again, just like he did with Some Assembly Required, Thom Singer has nailed it.
I just finished his really easy to read ( yes, that’s a huge compliment ) The ABC’s of Networking.
The good part is I read it between the two Sunday edition newspapers I read every week.
The even better part is I was smart enough to take notes and now I’ve got 20+ items to work on, and I expect it will take me a lifetime, so in essence, I got a lifetime course in networking.
The simply fantastic part is I got an idea I’m going to pass along to Thom by email as soon as I finish this post !
All the way from a to Z, Thom gives you some actionable strategies, tells you how to easily and quickly implement them and some great personal stories relating to how he’s done it. Not heard about it being done, Thom lives and breathes networking.
Click over to Amazon and order The ABC’s of Networking today and if they’ll let you, bundle it with Some Assembly Required and double your networking expertise from someone in the trenches every day.
I Hate Settlin’
You may have noticed, if you’ve read more than 10 of my posts here, that I hate settlin’.
I hate mediocrity. I hate average. I hate compromises. I don’t like to finish lower than first.
Jennifer Nettles, seen above with Kristian Bush, the other half of Sugarland, said it and sang it well in their newest hit, Settlin’:
” I ain’t settling for just getting by, I’ve had enough so so for the rest of my life. Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high. Just enough ain’t enough this time, I ain’t settling, for anything less than everything. “
When our daughters were little, I had no problem being the bad guy and saying no.
Now they’re 22, 21 and 19 and guess what, I still have no problem being the bad guy, saying no and telling them what I feel is the truth, even if it makes me unpopular.
BTW - those three daughters are as cool as the underside of the pillow, don’t give us any reasons to be afraid for their lives and are as good as the peanut butter fudge from Grand Rivers, KY.
Back to sales relsted thangs. I’m ready to embark on a new way to operate and market a few sites that could be astronomical. It could also be a dud. That doesn’t scare me in the least.
We won’t know until we try, but I’m not settlin’ for anything less than our best effort.
And knowing me like I do, I’ll push, harass and browbeat myself and my entire staff until we make it a success.
Like I said, I hate settlin’.
Mediocrity Is A Sin
” The only sin is mediocrity. “
As best as I can determine, that quote is attributed to the late Martha Graham, the founder of the Martha Graham Dance Company.
I hate settlin’. I won’t do it.
I see way too many businesses settlin’ for less than best, in relation to how they market their products.
I see them not using blogs and/or bloggers as well as they should.
I see websites that just absolutely stink up the joint.
I see sales taking a backseat to flashy, funky and (customer) friendly.
Sure, I get contacted several times per week by people wanting me to review their book, but I can only read so many books per month, let alone per week.
I just went to another golf related website that was all flash, photos and whirlygigs, with no content at all.
How in the world do they even hope to rank well for their keywords or come up higher than page 35 in the search engines ?
Want to know who comes up on page 1 ?
Sites that sell those products, basically as affiliates.
Blogs that write posts about those products and services.
I recently had a year-old post get 347 hits in one day after Zach Johnson won The Masters using a SeeMore putter.
For zero cost.
That’s what you should … could, be paying for visitors if you’d just create a nice, clean, content-filled website instead of one with 33 transitions from one .jpg to another .jpg.
Sales, selling, getting product out the door. That’s what makes all the money that they waste on ad campaigns and websites that were done to win awards … for the ad company or web designer !
If you’re tired of your website not ranking for the keywords that you think you should own, give a sales-minded blogger a call and spend some money on a salesman for a change … instead of making an ad company rich and famous.
Would You Pay Less To Waste Less … Or Weigh Less ?
Having just read an article over at The New York Times, I come to you with a question:
Would you pay less to waste less or weigh less ?
The test being performed at T.G.I.Friday’s is one that’s been tried before, but they now believe that we’re ready to eat less, waste less and weight less.
I eat out a lot. Every day. I’m on the road, I take clients out for lunch and/or dinner, I meet with suppliers, etc.
I eat less, volume wise, than I did 3-5 years ago. Not because I can’t eat that much, I don’t want to.
I find myself looking for smaller portions, soup and salad combos, 1/2 sandwich and soup combos, etc.
If I have to go thru a drive-thru at a fast food place while driving, I’ll get a sandwich sans fries or go to Wendy’s where they let me get a Caesar salad as my side.
I’m 6′2″ and 250, so I could eat massive portions and get away with it, ’cause I can carry the weight well enough, but I find myself looking for ways to eat less, which seems to make me feel better.
I applaud T.G.I.Friday’s for giving us a choice. I’ll now put them on my food radar ( foodar ? ) for those times when I’m in charge of picking the spot to settle into.
Will you take the opportunity to pay less for less food ?
Nick Faldo’s Life Lesson As Good As His Golf Lessons
In honor of my 44th birthday today, I’m going to share a life lesson that I wish I had learned in kinder garden, instead of later in life.
It works for salespeople, teachers, doctors, lawyers, Indian Chiefs, butchers, bakers and candlestick makers.
On page 72, February 2007 edition of Golf Magazine, during an interview conducted by Connell Barret, this great piece of advice sneaks out of the mouth of the oft-married, never at a loss for words Englishman:
CB: Now that you’re almost 50, what do you wish you knew at 25?
NF: I’ve learned that it’s not the first impression you make - it’s the last one. Whether it’s the checkout girl or the president, you have to ask how you want people to remember you when you walk away. Well, I want to leave them with a smile so they say, ” I don’t know who he was, but he smiled and asked me how I’m doing.” I wasn’t good at that before, but I’ve learned how to be more communicative - to show more empathy towards people. The other thing I’ve learned is simple: Find at least one thing to enjoy every day. It’s not always easy. Sometimes you sit on a plane and it’s delayed, and you say, ” How the hell do you find something to enjoy here? ” And suddenly you see the sunrise from 35,000 feet and you go, ” Okay. That’s it. That was fantastic. “
As this hits the web or your RSS feed reader of choice, I’m driving from 5:30 AM CST to about 5:00 PM EST to Greensboro, NC for a 3-day brick industry forum. I have to be there by 6 PM EST for a dinner, after a 10 hour drive, which includes a stop in Gatlinburg, TN to pick up a co-worker.
Long drive, long day, long dinner, away from my family, yada yada, blah, blah. Oh yeah, it’s also my birthday, which I’ve spent on the road 10 of the last 12 years. Where’s the one thing I’m gonna find to enjoy ? I don’t know, but I’ll let you know when I get back.
4 days away from my peeps, blogging, NewsGator and email may do me in. I’ve loaded up all my blogs beforehand and my laptop won’t be here for 2-3 more weeks, so if I don’t get your comment approved or if I don’t answer an email before next weekend, forgive me.
I’ve got a great book for those long hotel nights - 3 Nights In August, by Buzz Bissinger. I’ve been waiting a long time for a chance to read it … uninterrupted.
As I try to enjoy my birthday, in spite of the circumstances, you try to find a way to incorporate this new lesson into your repertoire.
The impression you leave your customers, your family, your friends, your coworkers with, will be the most important thing you do today.
And look for something to enjoy and then share it with us … one of us may really need it … badly.
New Shirt Of The Month Club
Thanks to a loyal reader, I just found out about the new Fresh Shirt Club at Mens Wearhouse ( Yes, I guarantee it…. you’ve seen the commercials).
How great is that for those of us who go thru shirts like ducks go thru junebugs ? There’s a million of those clubs that send you something every month, why not something you can use and something you need ?
Every month, you get one of their best 100% cotton, non-iron dress shirts, delivered direct to your mailbox. Or you can order a shirt and tie combo.
While there’s wine, book, flower, chocolate, and even BBQ sauce of the month clubs, this is the first monthly club focused on dress clothing for us businessmen.
For businessmen who are far more interested in looking good than in shopping, like me, this is a convenient, time-saving way to stay up-to-date, keep my look fresh and seasonally updated, without having to step one foot in a store. I love not going in to a store to shop. Love.
The shirts and ties are great quality, like everything in Mens Wearhose, and are selected by their business wardrobe style experts. I like not having to try to read GQ every month to see what’s what about colors and textures.
I need all the help I can get and am looking forward to saving time and staying up-to-date, without a lot of wasted effort.
Thanks to Jennifer for alerting me to this ! This is ANOTHER reason blogs rule.
Life Lessons From Miranda Lambert
I recently heard a song on country radio and the words spoke to that little voice inside of me that says, ” Go buy that CD ! “.
I’m sure your little voice gets you every now and then too … doesn’t it ?
The CD is titled Kerosene and it’s the debut album of Maranda Lambert.
I’ll probably go thru this CD, song-by-song and let you in on the secrets that this 23 year-old Texan has learned and shared. Sometimes a kid from a small town ( hers was Lindale, TX and it’s population is 2,500 - mine is Earlington, KY, population 1800 ) learns early and the hard way and it sticks with you.
The first song’s the title track and it has some great lessons and advice, like :
” I’m waitin’ on the sun to set, ’cause yesterday ain’t over yet. “
Lots of people will tell you that yesterday’s gone and there isn’t anything you can do about it. Bull ! Unless you’ve learned the lessons yesterday was trying to teach you, you’ll have to go thru it again. Where do you think the term deja vue came from ? From yesterday trying to get it’s lessons thru your thick skull.
Pay attention … slow down … listen to the words that are floating around in your skull … finish the homework and then you can move on.
If you don’t, you’re doomed to wear that mullet and bell-bottoms forever. EEEEWWWWWW !
” Dusty roads ain’t made for walkin’, spinnin’ tires ain’t made for stoppin’ .”
Quit tryin’ to use things, people, facts and figures for things they weren’t intended for.
Quit tryin’ to manipulate the circumstances in your life and start actually making changes that will reflect the real you. Don’t like to sell ? Doesn’t make you happy ? Find another way to pay the rent. Success doesn’t make you happy, being happy makes you successful.
” I gave it everything I had and everything I got was bad. Life ain’t hard, but it’s too long (for) living like some country song. “
More great advice that screams to you to quit trying to put the square peg in the round hole. Quit living like those old crying in your beer songs, with trains, dogs, cheatin’, and tears.
” Forget your high society, I’m soakin’ it in kerosene. Light ‘em up and watch ‘em burn, teach ‘em what they need to learn. “
Get away from the pretenses that are holding you back. Nothing stands in my way like I do. Nothing holds you back like you do.
” Dirty hands ain’t made for shakin’, ain’t a rule that ain’t worth breakin’. “
Don’t keep putting yourself in the company of those that drag you down with their negativity and sour attitudes. Don’t worry about the tired, old ways you’ve always been told to do things. Find a new way. Find new friends who’ll let you grow and help you in doing so.
” Now I don’t hate the one who left, you can’t hate someone who’s dead. “
When you change your habits, you’ll lose some “friends”. Don’t hate ‘em. Don’t preach to them. Go about your business in a professional manner and let them see the changes and maybe they’ll want to be like the new you, want some of what you’ve got. If not, don’t hate ‘em, just allow them some room and see if they choose to come along or go their seperate way.
If you like country music, or want to sample some hard-driving beats, some great lyrics and some life lessons on the cheap, go spend about $12 or so on this CD and give it a try.
There’s upbeat country, twangy country, drivin’ country and a little bit of pure Texas on this thang and I highly encourage you to try it … but I ain’t about to go thru the trouble of getting an Amazon affiliate link for the pennies it would pay, so you’re on your own finding it.
Simple Seven Day Plan To Attract More Friends
Want to sell more ? You need friends.
Want more links to your blog ? You need friends.
Want a better job ? You need friends.
Want to feel satisfied with your life ? You need friends.
I know of a guy who’s barely over 40 and heads a successful organization. Talented, fun, smart, etc., started with nothing.
His real genius seems to be in acquiring friends….everywhere. It’s not an accident that he can pick up a phone and call people in multiple states and get a favor. He counts his friends by the hundreds, not tens.
Not all of these friends are what you and I would classify as important. There are friends in high places and there are friends in low places. There are good friends, loyal friends, pretty friends, ugly friends, friends that wear suits, friends that wear jeans, friends that wear whatever they can afford, friends that wear silk, etc.
He recently outlined his system for someone and I’m going to outline it for you …right here, right now.
Pay attention, try it for one week, one month, whatever you feel like, but please come back and let me know how it worked for you.
Day One - Write a letter, email or note to someone you haven’t written in a long time. No phone calls, that’s later. It’s gotta be handwritten.
Day Two - Smile more. Be conscious of the expression on your face for the whole day. If this doesn’t work immediately in getting someone to speak to you or smile back, you need to take a smiling class, ’cause you apparently aren’t very good at it.
Day Three - Say something really kind about someone you know. Want to accelerate the process ? Say something nice about 5 or 10 people.
Day Four - Call up someone you’ve just met and would like to know better. Invite them to lunch and go to their favorite restaurant.
Day Five - Find someone who is lonesome or neglected. Invite them to go somewhere with you. Yes, this one’s tough, but it’s worth it.
Day Six - Encourage someone to talk about himself/herself. Draw out something they’ve never told you about. Pay attention to them as they talk.
Day Seven - Talk to a stranger during the day. Stop walking. Really listen when you ask how they’re doing. Answer with a smile.
If you like the results after one week….Lather, Rinse and Repeat !
