The NierenBlog

"What do You Do?--- In Exactly 7 Words"

 

What do you do? This brief statement causes many of us to freeze as we search to find and craft the perfect ‘elevator introduction’ that usually is too wordy, unclear and leaves people scratching their head wondering…’what do we  really do?”

 So- when my friend, Morris Glazer, Regional Vice President of Transamerica Retirement Services emailed me this great exercise- and said—“Blog and tweet about this and see what type of response you get”, I immediately agreed.

 Here is the exercise and I would love to hear how you describe what you do—

 The directions are simple:

*What do you do in exactly 7 words?

*You cannot use “I” or “We” or the name of your firm.

 

What a great opportunity to create your own headline, a conversation starter and as you will notice all of the responses start with a word of action—rather then a title.

 I asked Morris—‘so what do you do?”

His response:  “Help folks retire comfortably and with dignity”

 I came up with: “Remove anxiety from networking and public speaking”

 Morris’s friend, Peter—“Our firm provides businesses customized retirement solutions”

 

A few others that have already been posted:

 “Manage institutions portfolios based on their risk”

 “Help people control their weight-get healthy”

 “Develop and grow small businesses in New York”

 “Listen, measure, coach and innovate for improvement”

 After Morris and I discussed this on line, I immediately thanked him for teaching me something new and then emailed our mutual friend, Annmarie Woods,Regional Vice President- MAINSTAY Investments who introduced me to Morris when she realized that his daughter, Allison also was a graduate of my alumni, Washington University in St. Louis.  All of this created several assignments  as I already work with Annmarie and then ended up doing a project for Morris’s company.  Once again—it all goes back to connections—so thank you, Morris and Annmarie.

  So far, I have gotten quite a few Tweets on this exercise and what is even more powerful—it has been retweeted and other people are sharing this exercise in their own offices and groups around the world.

 Think about what you will say next—when someone asks you—“What do you do?”

 

Be brief, be brilliant and be ready to listen to the other person--- as they tell you what they do, you will then be able to weave in more about your work and what’s great is that by doing this, you will have also gotten their attention!

 Have fun and share with me some of your answers to this question.

"Friendship isn't a big thing-- it's a Million Little Things

 
One of my favorite ezines that comes across my desk is that from Scott Levitt- called "Tuesday Tactics.. To Grow Your Business". Scott is the President of Oakley Signs & Graphics and he always has wonderful words of wisdom and always seem to come at the perfect time. I think I first came across Scott because I have my Real Estate license held with the great firm of Keller Williams and am a 'referrer' for them.

Today, after returning from a very heartfelt visit to one of my dearest friends who is suffering from cancer, Scott's message on "Always Room For Coffee" written by Mike Meehan truly struck a cord.

I hope you enjoy it and also-- go to Scott's website and subscribe for his wonderful ezine-- brief and to the point-- you always walk away with tools to grow both professionally and spiritually.

Here is what Scott writes- directly from his post:

“Friendship isn't a big thing... it's a million little things.”

Author Unknown

Once and a while I come across an inspirational piece so good that I know there's nothing I'm likely to say that will be better. When those times come (and believe me, they come more often than I like to admit!), I simply like to step back and share what I've found.

This week, instead of Scott's Thoughts, I offer you Mike Meehan's thoughts. As far as I can tell, Mike's the original author of this piece, but either way, I think you'll enjoy it. It's a little something called "The Mayonnaise Jar and Coffee," and it originally appeared on "Mike's Good Ones" here in 2004.

The Mayonnaise Jar & Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar... and the coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things... your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions... things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else: the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

 

Have an idea? Share your thoughts... Just reply to this email, or send a message to scott_crm@oakleysign.com. Scott and his team reads every message, and will respond personally. We love to hear from Tuesday Tactics readers!
scott_crm@oakleysign.com and sign up for Tuesday Tactics	Our mailing address is: 550 S. North Lake Blvd. Suite 1000 Altamonte Springs, FL 32701 Our telephone: Toll Free: 1.800.373.5330

How to Make a Great First Impression on Social Media

 

 

Jeannette Paladino who is a long time friend, colleague and Social Media guru is my guest blogger today.

 As a Social media enthusiast, she helps organizations leverage social media to build brand awareness, increase revenues, and engage employees as brand advocates. Visit her Work With Me page for specific ideas about how she can help you to incorporate social media into your marketing plan to reach your customers, employees and other target audiences.

She is a true pro- GREAT to work with and clearly is the expert. Everyday, I get something in my in box from Jeannette that teaches me something new.

Read what she has to say about making a Good First Impression With Social Media!

 

It’s true that you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. I spend a lot of time on social networks and I’m constantly surprised that so many people haven’t taken the time to include a photo, filled out their profiles or even post to their social media accounts.

It’s sad when you go to someone’s account on Twitter, for example, and see a couple of tweets and then nothing.  Or there is a big fat egg where the person’s image should be.

Here is a checklist to get your social media networks updated so that you make a great first impression.

1.Include a photo of yourself.  It doesn’t need to be taken by a professional, as long as it’s professional looking. Once you pick a photo, go to Gravatar where you can upload your image so that it follows you from site to site appearing beside your name when you do things like comment or post on a blog.

2.Refresh the background of your Twitter page. Instead of using the selections from Twitter’s limited selections, you can go sites like twitrounds or TwitrBackgrounds for dozens of free templates.

3. Fill out your profile. This is especially important on LinkedIn, one of the first stops for employers and prospects.  Make sure it’s complete and update it when there are changes in your life, such as a new job.


Post regularly to your sites. Set a goal: I will tweet, share an update on LinkedIn and post to Facebook at least X times a week. The posts don’t need to be original – you can tweet a newspaper article you like, retweet other people’s tweets and include a link to an article for Facebook. When you post on LinkedIn you’ll see a box to check if you want the update to appear on Twitter. Two for one.

As a professional, you should post content that offers value to your business readers. Don’t tweet anything that you will be embarrassed by later.

Also, no one wants to know what you ate for lunch. And this goes for friends and business associates.

Jeannette Paladino is a business writer and social media enthusiast helping organizations to leverage social media to build brand awareness, increase revenues, and engage employees as brand advocates. Visit her at Write Speak Sell  http://writespeaksell.com/blog

A Must Read Book -On "Ordinary People Who Were EXTRAORDINARY Heroes"

  
Through the New York Rotary, I have met the most fascinating people and one of my favorites was the presentation we had this past Valentines Day -- with our speaker being Colonel Will Merrill, Jr.,who spent 31 years in the U.S.Army and is a West Point graduate. Both Will and his lovely and terrific wife, Barbara were in New York this past week for the September 11 anniversary and for the release of his very powerful and reflective book- "9/11 Ordinary People EXTRAORDINARY HEROES"

Will's book is superbly written and is the culmination of many interviews and stories of the heroic firefighters,police officers and civilians who survived and prevailed.We learn about the wonderful people who will live on in our lives forever for giving their own on that fateful day.

To capture a glimpse of what you will read about,here are a few of the testimonials:

 “ You have done a wonderful job of honoring the fallen and the heroes.   I have to stop reading after a while because the tears cloud my vision.”  Retired Navy Captain 

“I started reading Ordinary People: Extraordinary Heroes at ten o’clock one evening after a long day. I finished reading it at five o’clock the next morning. I couldn’t put it down.”Firefighter (retired) Jack Fortmeyer

“Ordinary People: Extraordinary Heroes vividly recalls for us the catastrophic legacy of the most destructive terrorist attack in our country’s history. This book snaps the events of that day, the Pearl Harbor of our generation, into razor-sharp focus.Congressman Peter T. King, Chairman, Homeland Security Committee

 “Colonel Will Merrill has produced a powerful and dramatic story of 9/11/01. A reminder of the bravery exhibited that day by ordinary Americans. A must read--Jim Boyle, father of Firefighter Michael Boyle, Engine 33, died 9/11/01

 Amazing book! The stories about those personally involved in the 9/11 tragedy are incredibly portrayed and should be required reading in History Classes throughout the U.S. Col. Merrill vividly describes the events of that horrific day by those who were closely involved. A must read!

 Letter to the Editor published in USA Today- I enjoyed reading your coverage in Friday's paper of the 9/11 attacks and the anniversary of that historic day.  As a history buff, I've also been reading other articles and books about the event and came across the most interesting book called 9/11 Ordinary People: Extraordinary Heroes in which there are numerous stories about the survivors and their struggles to survive along with accounts of many not as fortunate. During the anniversary of this life changing disaster it behooves us all to remember those who were most affected by 9/11 and to be thankful for the freedoms we still enjoy. Thank you for your timely coverage.

 

I know that as I read through the book, every page keeps me engaged and even through the tears, I am amazed by the courage and heroism that comes through and that Will has turned into what is already becoming a huge best seller.

Go to http://ordinarypeopleextraordinaryheroes.com/  to learn more and order.

 

If you read below, my blog post of Feb 14 when I first met Will and Barbara and the book was still being written.--- and it all started at a Flea market..

Last week at our Rotary meeting at The Harvard Club, we were honored to have Retired Colonel Will G. Merrill, Jr., U.S. Army speak with us about his upcoming book on "The Attack on New York City on 9/11 and the First Battle in the War Against Terror".His book will focus on the bravery and heroism in New York. Here is Will with his lovely wife Barbara who he met while studying at West Point.

As we spoke about his research for the book, he said 'it all started at a flea market'-  I loved Will's story and thought about the power of networking-connections and how one incident and connection leads to another--

See Will's story below-and I am looking forward to reading his book---

 After considerable research, but few interviews, while starting to write a book on 9/11 (Ordinary People: Extraordinary Heroes)my wife and I were in New York City.  She met retired “fireman Jack” Fortmeyer who was selling old bottles at a flea market in Brooklyn.  She thought I might be interested in meeting him and introduced us.  Thinking it might be good background material for my book, I asked him if he would be willing to be interviewed.

 He agreed and we exchanged phone numbers.  A few days later he invited me to attend a Brooklyn retired fire fighter breakfast.  When we arrived, he introduced me to the President who invited me to say a few words about the book I was writing. 

 After I finished, a fire fighter suggested I interview Bob Beckwith, the man pictured with President Bush at Ground Zero.  Another person suggested I interview Al Fuentes, a severely injured fire fighter who was buried alive.  I met and interviewed Al Fuentes at Central Park.  Jack Fortmeyer also introduced me to several other fire fighters, both active and retired, who I interviewed.

 I interviewed Bob Beckwith who introduced me to Jimmy Boyle, former president of the fire fighter union, whose son was killed on 9/11.  I interviewed Jimmy and he introduced me to Chief of Department, FDNY, Sal Cassano.  He also invited me to a foundation fund raiser where I met Tim Brown, who arranged an interview with Mayor Giuliani.  Jimmy also arranged an appointment for me with Congressman Peter King, Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, who wrote the introduction to my book.  I interviewed Chief Cassano and he introduced me to Mickey Kross, Jay Jonas, who had been trapped in what remained of one of the Twin Towers, and others.

 I mentioned to a friend that I needed material on the Port Authority Police Department.  He knew a retired PAPD retiree, who put me in touch with the family’s liaison representative.  She put me in touch with two former PAPD Chiefs of Department and a current Deputy Chief of Police.  She also put me in touch with several family members of PAPD officers killed on 9/11.

 When I told Jimmy Boyle that I didn’t have much contact with NYPD officers, he suggested I contact the former Police Commissioner, Bernard Kerik.  I wrote him a letter and he answered immediately and had his former Chief of Staff contact me.  The Chief of Staff, John Picciano, met me and I interviewed him.  He contacted the former Deputy Chief of Police, Sal Carcaterra and the Chief of Police’s assistant, Ralph Cefarello, both of whom I interviewed.  My son, in Iraq, introduced me to a retired Police Chaplain who was involved with supporting service men stationed in Iraq.  He introduced me to another police officer and a current NYPD Chaplain, both of whom I interviewed.

All told, I have interviewed about sixty fire fighters, police officers and civilians for my book.  Their inspirational stories of danger and courage have been invaluable to the development of the book.

Going Back to Basics-With a Pro

Today we can all go back and refresh our skills and specifically if we have or are a Personal Assistant.

Bonnie Low-Kramen spent her whole career as the Personal Assistant to one of Hollywood's stars-- She knows the business inside and out.

Some reasons why you might want to send someone to her program:

Basic Skills for the Personal Assistant

• Students will learn from a 25 year celebrity personal assistant and author, Bonnie Low-Kramen, who is committed to teaching the essentials to succeed in this demanding and exciting profession for which there are no classes…until now. Each student receives a copy of Bonnie’s book, “Be the Ultimate Assistant, A celebrity assistant’s secrets to working with any high-powered employer.”
• Students will have a unique “behind the scenes” networking opportunity by meeting a panel of high-profile personal assistants who will discuss their work and answer questions.
• Students will be better equipped to find work by being able to meet recruiters and learn the process of job-searching in today’s job market.
• Students will have the opportunity to explore their own innate and learned skills and test them through the DiSC Assessment online test, interactive exercises, and homework. These skills include speaking, writing, organizing, research, and computer literacy.
• Students will receive a Certificate of Completion and follow-up guidance by the instructor.

 If you are interested or know someone who might be- visit the link below and sign up.

http://www.bespokeinstitute.com/course_details/basic_skills_for_the_personal_assistant.html

 

 

 

Bonnie Low-Kramen

PH 908-764-0875

SOLD- The On Line Magazine for the Sales Professional

 
Several months ago I connected with Helen Bereschinova, Content manager of SOLDLAB- www.soldlab.com , Recharge 365 www.recharge365.com and SOLD --the on line magazine for the Sales professional.

Helen had taken one of my articles to use in the publication and just recently had my article "Treat Your Customers Like Royalty to Gain Loyalty" translated  into the Russian language. This was exciting as I was in Russia six years ago and had the opportunity to speak to a group and would love the opportunity to return.

The September issue of SOLD was just published- so I invite you to take a look- http://www.soldlab.com/free-magazine/

After reading the quick information below, you may enjoy subscribing and click on http://www.soldlab.com/subscribe to do so.

Looking at the COMPLETE Picture

 Far too often, sales professionals fail to look at the entirety of what they are doing (their sales process) to see if it is still relevant, effective and matches up with the customers buying process. And this is especially important now, since so many customers are constantly changing their buying process, in no small part due to the constant changes in the economy. So here is the big question from SOLD Magazine to you this month . . .

Is your sales process working?

The September issue of SOLD Magazine focuses on understanding, improving and adapting your sales process, so that you can be relevant and compete successfully in today’s marketplace. Take time to really dig into this important part of your sales success this month to ensure you are up-to-date with your customers and really helping to make it easy for them to buy from you.

 

 

 

 

It's Not About You... and the Go-Giver-- 2 books You Must Read

  

For years, I have been a HUGE fan and admirer of Bob Burg, who is clearly THE expert on Relationship Marketing and Communications and speaks on building lasting relationships both personally and professionally.  He addresses audiences all over the world ranging from 50 to 16,000, sharing the platform with other top thought leaders, athletes, political leaders and a former US President.

I have read all of his books including The Go-Giver and Go-Givers Sell More and just finished my  advance copy of "It's Not About You"-- which is a must read about what matters most in the world of business.It goes on sale Sept 20-- and will be another best seller.

There are not enough pages on my blog for me to say everything I can about Bob Burg- so I encourage you to visit his website www.burg.com  where you will find so much information, articles and opportunities to bring him into your company or association audience--that you will have plenty to read. You can also order his books on the website or go to Amazon or your favorite book store.

Also follow Bob on every form of social and professional networking. We are actually Twitter pals and I have been following him and learning from him with every tweet and post.

  Connect with Bob

Bob and his co-author, John David Mann www.johndavidmann.com who has been writing about business and leadership and the laws of success for over 20 years are best selling authors and highly in demand.

Reading these two books are must reads for anyone. You will walk away with a world of information, and ideas to implement immediately. Written in an easy 'can't put it down' way, the books flow and you won't believe how quickly you finish-- (I've read them twice and learn more each time)

Truly masterful writers and Bob is the number one speaker--who will engage and entice your audience.

 

The Stranger Within Our Gates

 

 

Returning from a spectacular trip through several of the National Parks reminded me of the beautiful and wonderful country we live in. Just walking where history was made and also experiencing so much from seeing Mount Rushmore to Little Big Horn and then taking a white water raft and so much more--the time flew and was exciting and educational.

On the eve of September 11, it has been a time of reflection-- both personally and what happened to so many of our brothers and sisters. Today is also my wonderful Mom's birthday (now in heaven) and I remember being with her right before 9/11--since we lost my wonderful Dad just days before. As we know, the course of events didn't allow me to get back to Florida after I returned from my father's funeral for over a week.

As I reflected today-- I realized that something I read this past week when we had dinner at a real, Chuck-wagon in Jackson Hole, Wyoming was very powerful. We were given a receipt which had the following message which I think is so appropriate for today and tomorrow and we were told to share it---

To Our Guests

In ancient times there was a prayer for "The Stranger within our gates" Because this restaurant is a human institution to serve people, and not solely a money making organization, we hope that God will grant you peace and rest while you are under our roof.

May our place be your 'second' home. May those you love be near you in thoughts and dreams. Even though me may not get to know you, we hope that you will be comfortable and happy as if you were in your own house.

May the business that brought you our way prosper. May every call you make and every message you receive add to your joy. When you leave, may your journey be safe.

We are all travelers. From 'birth till death', we travel between the eternities. May these days be pleasant for you, profitable for society, helpful for those you meet and a joy to those who know and love you best.

Author Anonymous

Wishing you a day of peace and reflection.

 

America- The Beautiful

 
 My sister,Meredith who lives in Sarasota, Florida and I met up for a wonderful trip exploring the National Parks- and what a beautiful time of the year for us to be here.

We have started off in Rapid City, South Dakota, as Meredith calls a "fast town" and it is clearly a very interesting part of America. It may only have a population of 70,000 yet it has been voted "America's most Patriotic city"-- every block has a statue of every single President of the United States. See above and to the right, I am with one of my favorite Presidents-, "Honest Abe Lincoln".

Today we were touring Crazy Horse Memorial which is the world's largest mountain carving and is truly inspirational when one sees what Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski was able to accomplish and his family is still carrying out this amazing project. It was incredible to walk around  this landmark-- and the quote that sticks in my mind: " My lands are where my dead lie buried"-- Crazy Horse

 

We then went to Mount Rushmore- the national monument and the sculpted faces of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln. Inspiring and powerful to be this close to the men who clearly were leaders and had a true American vision.

Tomorrow we travel through Billings, Montana and on to Little Bighorn and will see where Lewis &Clark explored.

Stay tuned- to be continued and wishing all of you a wonderful and peaceful Labor Day weekend