The Person to See

A Real Hero

Navy Petty Officer Mike Monsoor

 

PO2 (EOD2) (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Mike Monsoor, a Navy EOD Technician, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for jumping on a grenade in Iraq, giving his life to save his fellow Seals.

 

(Note: Mike was not a Navy SEAL, he was EOD.  He gave his life to save a group of Navy SEALS.)

 

During Mike Monsoor's funeral in San Diego, as his coffin was being carried from the hearse to the grave site at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, SEALs were lined up on both sides of the pallbearers route forming a column of two's, with the coffin moving up the center. As Mike's coffin passed, each SEAL, having removed his gold Trident from his uniform, slapped it down embedding the Trident in the wooden coffin.

 

The slaps were audible from across the cemetery; by the time the coffin arrived grave side, it looked as though it had a gold inlay from all the Tridents pinned to it.

 

This was a fitting send-off for a warrior hero….

 

This should be front-page news instead of the crap we see every day.

Since the media won't make this news, I choose to make it news by forwarding it.

 

I am very proud of our military. If you are proud too, please pass this on.  If not then rest assured that these fine men and women of our military will continue to serve and protect.  

  

God Bless our Troops.

 

 

 

How Branding Increases Business Value

Today, I am pleased to introduce guest blogger, Alan Herman, the CEO of Alan Herman & Associates, an aadvertising and marketing communications firm with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.

 

Why branding is important for your business

 

Last week, a client asked me a great question: "Alan, what should I be doing for my business today that will prepare me to take advantage of the eventual economic recovery?" It's a great question and one that, as the owner of a marketing communications firm for more than 40 years, I've heard asked a lot.

 

My answer to him, as it's always been, was: invest in your branding. So what is branding? In the old days, the term literally referred to the branding of cattle, but the idea was the same. Branding is about creating a "mark" or a distinctive identity that separates your cattle from the rest of the herd. And that's also what your goal should be in business.  Good branding allows you to increase your prospects, retain your current clients and maintain your pricing or fees.

 

Branding also will allow you to maximize the value of your company in the event of a sale. Rather than spending money on search engine optimization or hiring a new salesperson, building in your brand is like investing in an asset. In fact, brands are assets. Elements of your brand such as a memorable logo, a recognizable tagline or company trademark are listed on a company's balance sheet and can add up to some serious dough. Just take the example of the Pillsbury Doughboy. When General Mills purchased Pillsbury from Diageo in 2003, value of the Doughboy in the form of goodwill exceeded $1 billion dollars!

 

A couple other things to think about when it comes to branding:

 

1) The more consistent and often you use your branding in the public arena the better–marketing has both long-term and short-term effects.

 

2) You only get one chance to make a first impression with a customer or potential client–like it or not, they'll judge your company and products based on how professional your branding looks.

 

3) Bring in a professional. As much as you'd like to believe that saving a couple bucks by using your friend from high school to create your brand identity is a good move, it's probably not.

A Great Resource To Help You Get Your Message Out

A client of mine, Laine Wagenseller (who also happens to be a great real estate lawyer) turned me onto the site aboutfacemedia.com.  These guys produce corporate documentaries which I think may be a fabulous marketing tool for some of you.

I'm personally looking into it.  It is worth a look-see. 

Some Life Lessons

Written by Regina Brett

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

More on the Elevator Pitch

Anyone who knows me knows how important I think the 15 Second Commercial (aka "Elevator Pitch") is to business success.

Attached is a very valuable written presentation by Matt Anderson on how you can make your pitch better.  "6 Keys to a Great Elevator Speech"

 Download 6 Keys to a Great Elevator Speech

Staying on Offense

I received this missive from a friend of mine.  I wish I wrote it myself.  It's worth the read.

Download No Fear Here

Great Article

Attached is a terrific article written by Jonathan Fitzgarrald, a client of the Personal Branding Group, on marketing which is worth a read.    Download DJGrainsofWisdom

Seven Steps to a Great Personal Brand

This seventh and final section of Dave's personal branding excerpts deals with having multi-dimensional appeal...

Categories to think of when expanding the multi dimensional appeal of our personal brand:

 

     -How well read are we (i.e. the number and different types of books we read)?

     -How informed are we on current events?

     -Political involvement (e.g. Which party?  How articulate are we on our party’s positions?)

     -Our spirituality/religious affiliation

     -The hobbies we enjoy (e.g. wine, tennis, golf)

     -Interest in sports (conversant on most subjects)

     -Our participation in charities (e.g. time/money)

     -Our physical fitness

     -Our professional accomplishments (i.e. professional track record)

     -Our educational achievements (e.g. degrees)

     -Awards we’ve earned (e.g. personally/professionally)

     -The diversity of our networks

     -Being well traveled

     -Developing our articulation (i.e. expression of ideas and breadth of vocabulary)

     -Maintaining a positive, proactive attitude

     -Developing an engaging personality

 

Seven Steps to a Great Personal Brand - Step Six

Section 6 of Dave's recap has to do with dressing for success:

Dressing for success:  Does your dress create the expectation that you are:

 

     -Smart?

     -Skillful?

     -Reliable?

     -Trustworthy?

     -Disciplined?

 

Seven Steps to a Great Personal Brand - Step Five

Section five of Dave's list focuses on gestures:

Gestures which have a profound impact on a personal brand:

 

     -Write thank you notes all the time

     -Call one person a day and tell that person how important he/she is to you

     -Send a small gift to celebrate the birth of a client’s, friend’s or family member’s child

     -Make sure your shoes are shined all the time

     -Express your condolences in person for someone else’s loss

     -Never miss acknowledging the birthday of someone important to you

     -Send relevant articles to others that touch them personally

     -Congratulate your adversary on major victories

     -Always make sure your car is immaculate

     -Be the first to contribute to another’s charity

     -Say, “I’m sorry”

     -Help set up and clean up, especially at functions that might not offer you great rewards

     -Say “Good morning” and “Goodnight” to everyone

     -Take your team to lunch.  Invite them to your home for dinner

     -Say “Thank you for your hard work today,” to your staff every day

     -Smile a lot

     -Be open, honest and direct with others

     -Give without expecting anything in return

     -Volunteer to go last instead of making sure you are always first in line

     -Have a firm handshake

     -Make the best of tough situations