Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .
IN OUR WORLD
I am coming to you live from my home office, yep, all my travel for 2010 is over. What a fantastic experience this past series of road shows was. 17 cities in 7 weeks. Now, yes, the travel was physically tough and scheduling a huge challenge, but most of the time the weather and airline gods were kind to me. In all the trips I only had ONE flight cancelled and was able to change airlines and still make the program on time (though a major airport sprint was involved).
The recent trip took me to the frozen mid-west just behind a huge snow storm and winter blast. Damn, the temps never got above single digits and most mornings were well below zero.
I had the opportunity to share the Repeatable Successful Acts platform with hundreds and hundreds of professionals from coast to coast.
When you only have a short time to share an idea, I mean, I’m not teaching it, I’m not designing a strategy to augment or launch a sales process, I’m just introducing the idea, it is often difficult to gauge the impact. Here are a couple of good indicators that you have really connected at a strong and deep professional level:
- When your program is followed by cocktails and food and the audience will not let you stop. They ask you to do ANOTHER HOUR of material. That’s a good sign.
- When a professional comes up to you and says; “I have been looking for the one last piece of my puzzle that will lift me to the million dollar annual revenue level and you just gave it to me for free.” That’s a good sign.
- When every person comes up to the front of the stage and gives you a business card so that can get on your mailing list. That’s a good sign.
- When after every program your web site gets a HUGE bump in hits. That’s a good sign.
It was a true honor to have been chosen to headline these series of road shows.
So now I’m home and I’m going to take it easy for a while.
Thanks for all your support!
HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE
AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Time to do a little scatter shooting on interesting things going on:
- I have had the pleasure of being on a number of different teams this year that have had a number of different economists as members. Each has been brilliant in their observations, but as you might imagine each has had a different view of both the economy and the market. I have learned the following:
o We are in a recovery mode, though most disagree on the strength of the recovery.
o It is still a jobless recovery. Why? Most companies have been forced to find methods of increasing efficiencies thus allowing them to operate with fewer people. Technology has contributed to this conundrum. Many service sectors, where jobs multiply have not yet felt the pick up in consumer spending. Couple all of this with the fact that jobs traditionally lag and you get a jobless recovery (not bad for marine biologist!).
o Never before has the term “global economy” been more accurate.
o As compared to the recent past, things are getting better faster than predicted.
- Restructuring is the new norm. Many of my clients, both large and small are in some form of restructuring. This increases as mergers and acquisitions increase and companies search for new opportunities. The companies I am honored to work with strategically often have not focused on the human aspect of this trend. One of my pharmaceutical clients had not created a communication plan for their new national and regional structure. They were just going to announce it. Geez! Fear is the biggest emotional barrier in all restructuring – how will this impact ME? Focus on communications as a core piece.
- China’s auto sales surpassed the US for a 2nd year in a row. Duh! What do you get when you divide a big number by another number? Another big number. As China’s economy continues to grow so does their buying power. In addition, some, not a big piece, but some of those car’s are American cars. We are always searching for things to measure. In the same article was a comparison between US auto sales (on the rise) and the European Union as a SINGLE market. Just looking for something to measure. Hey, figure out the only things that are really important and measure those.
Just a few tidbits for you.
ENTERTAINMENT
MOVIES: The Fighter: Said to be a huge Oscar contender this film has a little feel good with a little hard fought pride. It’s based on a true story.
NetFlix Fans: Love Actually: One of my favorite all time Christmas movies.
TV: Sad to see season final lies for some of my favorite USA Network shows. Each has a two hour ender – Psyche and Burn Notice. USA Network continues to produce some of the most interesting and original series on TV.
BOOKS: The Glass Rainbow – Burke: This is a Dave Robicheaux book. If you are unfamiliar with Dave, he is a New Orleans (New Iberia) based detective and the star of about a dozen books. Burke is one of the best writers in the business and his ability to paint a picture rich in southern culture makes him one of my favorite authors,
MUSIC: Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris doing a fantastic duet of “Why Worry Now”.
WEB SITES: Web site that will give you the world’s top news headlines at a glance.
SOUTH OF NORMAL
Two great South of Normal moments from the news:
- Bellagio Casino robbed of $1.5 million in chips. A thief in a full face motorcycle helmet walked in to the Bellagio, pulled a gun, demanded the chips, sprinted out of the hotel, jumped on his motorcycle and sped away. Police have no suspects. Shouldn’t someone notice a guy in a full helmet with a tinted face plate walkin around the old casino? What a ballsy move in a town that really and I mean really, punishes folks who try to rip them off.
- Nude Mail Carrier Charged: A 52 year old postal worker decided to deliver the mail in the nude, in WISCONSIN! Later he admitted; “this probably wasn’t a good idea.” If you delivered mail to the same houses, on the same route, EVERY DAY, you might look for something to break up the monotony. I recommend wearing a red tie!
I love USA Today when I am traveling!!!
Drop me a note with your comments at steve@creativeventures.com
Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.
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