Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

Coming to you live from Durango, Co.  Wow, is it good to get out of the Dallas heat for a while.

 

A quick client meeting and then some free time with Laura and our friends, Jim and Kate.

 

This week was all about projects and new client meetings.  Sometimes it takes a week of concerted effort to make sure all the various projects stay on track.  We are launching new Repeatable Successful Acts platforms, customizing a series of our educational programs to meet specific client needs, moving goal platforms towards completion and applying rich media solutions.  Whew, that’s a full week!

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

At any given time we are engaged with clients in one or more aspects of their brand.  The idea of a brand becoming the identity of an organization is fairly new in the lexicon of business.  Here is the “MTV Minute” on the history of branding:

 

• Starts with the Industrial Revolution when production takes off whips the heck out of demand.  Abundance of stuff starts.
• WWII bumps up industrial capacity by leaps and bounds but adds the element of the American culture starting to count pennies.  We become kind of frugal.
• Big production capacity and the tightening of spending belts starts to get producers thinking – “hey, we better start selling!” 
• In the 1950’s a medium to reach the masses comes on the scene with TV and the modern advertising industry is born.

 

So modern branding, the child of modern advertising is really only about 50 years old and we are still learning and trying new stuff.  With the advent of the internet the whole idea of what a brand is changed.

 

Are you worried about your brand?  Are you unique in a crowded market?  Need to work on making sure everyone on your brand team knows what you want them to communicate to your customer?  You would be surprised at how many companies and organizations front line people have no idea about how they should be communicating your brand. 

 

This is a big subject, but let me recommend a starting point.

 

Define ALL of your POINTS OF CONTACT.   Those are the elements and people that come in contact with your customers.  Further divide those into primary or initial points of contact, secondary or how ever many you have.  Focus some your training and communication attention there.

 

Do you know the first Point of Contact at Disneyland?  It’s the parking lot attendant.  Disney makes sure these people are brand conscious and know the history of Disney.

 

Start at the beginning of your brand to strengthen its impact!

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:  The new X-Files Movie breaks this weekend and will be challenged by the mind numbing new comedy Step-Brother with Will Ferrell.  I am an old X-Files fan and will there with Mulder and Scully.

 

NetFlix Fans:  Lawrence of Arabia –   The AFI (American Film Institute) recently released its Top 10 list of movies in 10 genres.  One of them was EPICS and this was #1 in the category.   This is a spectacular film and it will take an entire evening to watch it.

 

TV:    Head over to the A&E Network and check out Benjamin Bratt in The Cleaner.  Great new show on Tuesday nights based on a true story of a former drug addict who now helps people get cleaned up.

 

BOOKS:  The Tin Roof Blowdown – by James Lee Burke.  Time for a fiction break and no one does mystery and New Orleans better than Burke.

 

MUSIC:  I am back in a Dave Matthews phase and have been listening to Dream Girl and thought you might enjoy this fantastic little song!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–vo7TjosFk&feature=related

 

WEB SITES:   Site of the biggest comic book convention on earth.

 

http://www.comic-con.org/

 

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

OK, time to take a look at a few South of Normal companies:

• If you live in Sweden, check out www.filippa-k.se.  This is the hottest clothing store in the country and they now take trade-ins.  Trade in your old Filippa clothing and receive credit for new clothing purchase.  Their second hand store is a huge success.
• www.mygallons.com allows you to get a pre-paid gas card that locks you into current gas prices.  If you think gas is headed up (who doesn’t) then you can lock in your price for the next year.
• www.traditionalsizes.com is a store that rents clothing for dieters.  If you are loosing weight and want to look cool, you can rent designer clothing for between $3 – $25.  Drop a size, simply turn your clothing in and get the next size.

 

“Any minute now, my ship is coming in.”

Colin Hay

 

Drop me a note with your comments at steve@creativeventures.com

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.

 

 

 

Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

Sorry for the delay in posting today, BUT I had problems with my router, which we solved and are up and going

 

 

 

A big THANKS to everyone who participated in our FIRST ever public workshop.  It was a sell out with 40 people engaged in a dynamic, participatory learning experience filled with cutting edge information that we developed into knowledge through a series of exercises.  The idea was to deliver a day of learning around the only two skills you need to be successful, communicating and thinking.  The beautiful Park Cities Hilton hosted the event here in Dallas and has become the hotel we will use for all of our Dallas based events.

 

Chris Ryan did a herculean job of putting the whole thing together from the marketing all the way down to the fantastic completion certificates.

 

One of our participants said I could share this:

 

Steve,

 

Congratulations on a very successful training course Tuesday.   Having worked for a global training and consulting firm in the past, I am keenly aware of the nuances and challenges of conducting a day long forum.  I was pleased to see the content applicable to everyone regardless of age or career stage and you successfully kept the audience engaged for the entire day.  That is a huge feat in itself.  Well done.  All the arrangements were handled to the smallest detail making the entire experience an A+.  Steve, you exceeded my expectations.   Thank you for a fantastic day.  I have been enriched.

Monica Coney
VP Strategic Development
Smith, Frank & Partners, L.L.C.
5400 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1250
Dallas, TX 75240
972.490.4377 Ext. 853
817 825 0545 Cell
972.490.4376 Fax
mconey@smithfrank.com

 

 

Being our first time at an open to the public event, we learned a lot and will be able to package this idea and take it on the road for the rest of the country.

 

On another note, the latest Creative Venture program, Repeatable Successful Acts, which is built around a two year study on the shared behavioral traits of top sales producers, has become a huge hit with bookings and direct application consulting opportunities filling the calendar!

 

Next week it’s off to Durango Colorado!

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

Last week I focused on the intuitive aspect of thinking, that powerful initial feeling and idea you get or your “gut feeling”.  This week I want to take a look at strategic thinking or the ability to apply solutions. 

Strategic thinking is where our ability to plan comes from and planning is one of the big deficients in both management and leadership models.  I am constantly amazed at the number of people who go through critical activities without even the most cursory of plans.  The reason, they don’t know how to plan.  They don’t understand the planning process.  You may find this hard to believe, but most people don’t even plan their day.  They react to the events that they believe automatically fill their insanely hectic days.  The reality is they only APPEAR chaotic because the participants in the day don’t know how to plan.  Planning brings a sense of direction to, tasks, projects and events.

 

You might ask, “If people don’t know how to plan their time, why do you get over 133,000,000 hits when you Google (you know you have an impactful brand when a noun becomes a verb) time management?”  People try to plan.  They go to workshops, they buy calendars and time planners, and in fact I know a lot of people who buy new planners every time they are in an office supply store.  They are in constant search for the perfect fit.  This deep desire to find something that really works plays a huge part in the ineffective manner in which most people plan.  Here is a quick checklist for ideas to help you start your strategic planning journey with daily planning:

 

• Daily plans need to be simple.  Don’t create long winded descriptions of any item.
• Use verbs so the daily plan leads to activities.  I’m not kidding.  Don’t write “expense report”, instead write, “Complete expense report”.
• Keep it constantly visual.  You need to connect to your plan and the best way to do that is to keep it visual – in plain site on your desk or computer.
• Be flexible.  Don’t fill every space with something to do.  Flex with the unexpected but don’t give allow your plan to give way to it.
• The Rule of 1 Place.  If you have separated your daily plan from the place where you write stuff down you can easily get confused.  This is one of the reasons many day timer type planners have places to take notes.  It is best to keep EVERYTHING in one place.  It stops the “where the hell did I write that down”.
• The Law of Priority.  Make sure you know what is and is not critical.  This is the NUMBER 1 key aspect of planning and you would be shocked at the number of people who focus on the small stuff because it’s easy and loose the priority of the important.

 

At Creative Ventures we have used a VERY SIMPLE daily form for our planning needs.  We designed it to fit our culture and this tiny, simple tool is used by many of our clients.  Send me a note and I will send it to you.

 

Start your strategic thinking with a small step into planning by taking command of your daily time!

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:  To big movies break this weekend with the musical Mama Mia and the latest in the Batman franchise – The Dark Knight.  Both will get me in the theaters this weekend where the temps should reach triple figures in Dallas.

 

NetFlix Fans:  Vertigo –   The AFI (American Film Institute) recently released its Top 10 list of movies in 10 genres.  One of them was mysteries and this was #1 in the category.   A great Alfred Hitchcock film (though I would have chosen North by Northwest).

 

TV:    The USA network is really a great place for summer TV viewing.  Their new seasons for great shows such as Burn Notice, Monk and Psyche make this THE network for really entertaining TV! 

 

BOOKS:  Buying In – by Robert Walker.  Ever wonder why we buy the brands we do?  Why are we so loyal to our brand of beer or laundry detergent?  This book will give you some insight into the reasons why.

 

MUSIC:  I am amazed at how the creative process can manipulate energy as though it were a piece of clay.  I watched a great documentary on The Who this week and was set to post a Who video, when I stumbled on this version of a Who song by The Blue Man Group.  These performance artists design and explode creative energy in a way that always makes my head spin.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldxg87pDlI8&feature=related

 

 

WEB SITES:   Cool website about concert info.

 

www.pollstar.com

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

OK, I give up.  Can anyone understand what the hell is going on with the economy?  This was the most South of Normal week in history.  Here are a few examples:

• One day we hear that Freddie Mae and Freddie Mac are ready to collapse and they loose a huge hunk of their value.  The next day we discover they are really OK and they show a +30 % increase in their market value.  HUH?
• Banking is in the toilet, then Wells Fargo announces better than expected earnings and for the 21^st straight year increased its payout to shareholders.  They get a healthy 32% bump in the days trading.
• Companies start announcing they didn’t LOOSE as much as they thought and POW, they are rewarded by accolades.  American Airlines and JP Morgan Chase to name a couple.
• US Bancorp, the 6^th largest commercial bank reported a PROFIT of  $.53 a share in a market where many banks are on the verge of sinking into their glutinous sub prime black holes.  But the Street wanted $.59, so despite their success their shares dropped.

 

I give up!

 

 

“I don’t need to prove I’m right.  I don’t need to be forgiven.”

The Who

 

Drop me a note with your comments at creativeventures@nova1.com.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.

 

 

 

Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

Just back from the Big Apple where I had a couple of day’s worth of meetings.  I usually am just in and out of offices and hotels in New York, but this time we had time to go for a walk and enjoy a great dinner around the harbor at the East River.  I also go to see the now famous art project – The New York City Waterfalls (http://nyfalls.com/nycwaterfalls.html  ).  They are fantastic!  So much going on that it’s hard to keep up!  Chris Ryan is doing a fantastic job and we are building incredible momentum.

 

ANNOUNCEMENT:  SOLD OUT!  I want to say thanks to everyone who signed up for our first every public workshop!   The July 15 program has exceeded our expectations and we had to add a few slots to meet demand.   Keep your eyes and ears open as this is just the first of many that we will be doing across the country!

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

Nothing is more powerful than your ability to think!  Nothing.  So how do we do it and how can we get better at it.  Let’s start with one type of thinking – INTUITIVE.  You know it better as your “gut feeling”, that little voice that gives you a quick analysis of a situation.  It is very fast thinking and happens at what you perceive as instantaneous. 

 

The brain is divided into two hemispheres and though they have distinctly different functions, they are in constant communication.  They exchange information, recognizing disparate patterns in data, assessing people and situations.  It is this rapid exchange that gives you your gut feeling.

 

In addition to the rapid exchange of information, your intuitive thinking also relies on your experience.  This gut feeling is what allows a MASH doctor to survey a group of wounded soldiers and instinctively know which ones get immediate attention and which ones can wait.  The doctor diagnosis or triages in moments thanks to his intuitive thinking.

 

The more you are aware of the power of your gut feeling the better you get at trusting it.  New neural networks are constantly formed when the brain is in use.  So, just like muscles, through use you can improve your cognitive processes.

 

Here are a few suggestions:

 

• Quiet the busy mind:  Try to find time to be conscious of this process.
• Be aware:  Try this little drill.  When you look at a piece of art, write down your very first impression.   What did you feel when you saw the art?  You will be surprised that even with some analytical thought about the piece, your initial opinion will seldom change.

 

Trust your gut feeling and you will be surprised at how it can kick start your thinking processes.

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:  For a fun time at the movies, check out HELLBOY II.  It will be a great way to spend a hot summer afternoon.

 

NetFlix Fans:  The Searchers –   The AFI (American Film Institute) recently released its Top 10 list of movies in 10 genres.  One of them was westerns and this was #1 in the category.   A great John Wayne movie.

 

TV:    I have to say something about the fantastic Wimbledon Final between Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal.  It was one of the greatest matches ever played and you can catch it again as an instant classic on ESPN Classic.

 

BOOKS:  Chasing Darkness – by Robert Crais.  This is the latest Elvis Cole mystery and it is a fantastic summer read.

 

MUSIC:  This is for my friend Tim, who left too early.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7NQjLZvw44

 

WEB SITES:   Check out this blog on presentation skills.  Really well done!

 

http://huntercomm.blogspot.com/

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

Here are a couple of my recent favorite South of Normal things:

• Tired of the cost of hotels?  Try www.couchsurfing.com .  They will give you directions to folks that will give you their couch for a night.
• www.rechargepod.com is a British company that puts up phone tents at events such as concerts and uses wind power to keep the thing running. They hope to be able to apply this energy saving idea to a variety of event needs.
• Want to impress your clients?  Go to www.mymms.com/customprint_faces and you can add your picture to M & M’s.

 

 

“There’s a train leaving nightly when all is said and done.”

Warren Zevon

 

Drop me a note with your comments at creativeventures@nova1.com.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.