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IF YOU CAN RELATETHEN THIS IS THE EVENTYOU’VE BEEN dreaming OF

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— 50+ Professional Seminars — Merchandise Incentives— Gift and Prepaid Cards— Promotional Products— Travel and Experiential Awards— Meeting and Event Services— Recognition and Service Awards

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cover story:8 Monaco... The Dream Incentive Destination

departments:6 publisher’s letter

7 contributors: Real people in the industry with real perspectives

12 travel: Safe Tourism… Produces a Whole New World of Marketing Opportunities

14 marketing: On Buying Promotional Products: Are You Being Helped … or Enabled?

16 branding: brand survival techniques

18 outside the box: Working Together… Marketing and Public Relations

20 foresight: Five Ways to Help Shift the Paradigms in Your Life

22 exhibit: your customer profile: Part two

24 extra measures: who controls your destiny?

26 it’s all personal: want to grow your business now? Incentivize!

28 situations: more than ‘friends’

29 ad index

30 advice: take it easy when things get tough

26

16

8

18

Vol. 8, No. 9 2011

4 Brilliant Results • September 2011

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publisher’s letter

Change is a good thing. Perhaps this economic recession will lead to

better changes, innovations and the like. I would like to think something good

will come out of it.

Treating your employees and customers as if they should kiss your feet

because they have a job or are able to buy your product is tantamount to

insuring that your business will not do well in the future.

Economic downturns only last so long. Take advantage of the downturn

by being the better boss, better company, better employee. You can make a

change and succeed both professionally and personally; it will just take time

and the commitment to do so.

In this issue we have covered a brilliant incentive location – Monaco, I am

hoping to get there someday as it sounds truly brilliant. We have also given

you ideas and tips to make your incentives and initiatives pay off.

A happy employee makes a company that much better. Get out there start

planting those seeds and incentives so that your harvest will be bountiful in

the near future!

Enjoy the issue and remember always to…

Brilliant Publishing LLC9034 Joyce Lane

Hummelstown, PA 17036Ph: 717.571.9233Fax: 717.566.5431

PUBLISHER / ADVERTISINGMaureen Williams

[email protected]

717-608-5869

EDITORIALEditor in ChiefMaryAnne Morrill

Senior EditorMichelle Donofry

Style EditorCharity Plata

Asst. EditorMolly Anika

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSMichael Crooks, Barton Goldsmith, Donna Farrugia,

Arnold Light, CTC, Martin Lindstrom, Kyle Parks, Dave Ribble, Barry Siskind, John Tschohl,

Steve Woodburn

PRODUCTION / DESIGNArt DirectorJeremy Tingle

Brilliant Results is published monthly by Brilliant Publishing LLC,

9034 Joyce Lane Hummelstown PA 17036 (717) 608-5869; Fax#

(717) 566-5431. Postage paid at Michigan City, IN and additional

offices. POSTMASTER please send address changes to Brilliant

Results, 9034 Joyce Lane, Hummelstown PA 17036. Volume 8.

Number 08. Brilliant Results subscription rates: one-year $120;

Canadian $160 USD; one-year foreign $225 USD. All subscriptions

are non-refundable. Copyright © 2011 Brilliant Publishing LLC. All

rights reserved. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject

any advertising or editorial material. Advertisers, and/or their agents,

assume the responsibility for any claims against the publisher based

on the advertisement. Editorial contributors assume responsibility for

their published works and assume responsibility for any claims against

the publisher based on published work. No part of this publication can

be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means,

including information storage and retrieval systems, without written

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become the sole property of Brilliant Publishing LLC. Editorial content

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brilliantresults™

Have a Brilliant Day!

Maureen [email protected] 717-608-5869

Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/Bresults

Judge each day not by the harvest you reap

but by the seeds you plant. -ROBERT LOuIS STEvENSON

6 Brilliant Results • September 2011 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com

contributors

a Michael Crooks, owns Crooks Advertising Alliance, an advertising and promotional marketing firm that specializes in creative problem-solving. The 27-year advertising veteran is internationally recognized as a thought-leader for his ability to strip away the status quo to reveal the obscure obvious. To learn more about his creative, writing and speaking services contact Crooks through www.CrooksAdvertising.com.

b Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D. For more than two decades Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, and government organizations have relied on Dr. Barton Goldsmith to help them develop creative and balanced leadership. His columns appear in over 500 publications. He may be contacted through his web site www.BartonGoldsmith.com.

c Donna Farrugia is the Executive Director of The Creative Group, a specialized staffing firm placing interactive, design and marketing professionals with a variety of firms. She manages operations for the firm’s locations in major markets throughout the United States and Canada and has more than 25 years of marketing, business development and management experience.

d Arnold Light, CTC, CEO & President of Arnold Light Consults Inc., has 35 years of marketing experience specializing in incentive and loyalty marketing helping multinational corporations develop and implement B2B and B2C results oriented performance improvement programs. For additional information visit www.lightconsults.com.

e Martin Lindstrom, a respected branding and marketing expert, was selected as one of the world’s 100 most influential people by TIME magazine. The founder, CEO and Chairman of the LINDSTROM company (Sydney), Martin speaks to a global audience of approximately one million people every year. His latest book; Buyology – Truth and Lies About Why We Buy – a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling book has been translated into 37 languages and is on almost all major best-seller lists worldwide.

f Kyle Parks is Principal & President of Bayview Public Relations, a St. Petersburg, Florida-based PR firm that raises the visibility of clients through strategic messaging, media relations, social media, and leveraging of community and industry involvements. Kyle is an expert in media training, crisis communications, and creation of quality content. For additional information visit www.BayviewPR.com.

g Dave Ribble is writing articles and a book about Innovative Thinking. He is President of The Company Image/TCI Innovation, an award-winning Promotional Marketing & Consulting firm that has worked with just about every type of industry of every size. Dave can be reached at: [email protected].

h Barry Siskind is an internationally recognized trade and consumer show expert. He is the author of six bestselling business books including Powerful Exhibit Marketing. Read his newest book, Selling from the Inside Out for an in depth guide to a successful sales career. Visit Barry at www.siskindtraining.com.

i Dr. Peter Tarlow is the founder and president of Tourism & More Inc. Dr. Tarlow has appeared on National televised programs such as Dateline: NBC and on CNBC. Dr. Tarlow organizes conferences around the world dealing with visitor safety and security issues and with the economic importance of tourism and tourism marketing. For additional information visit www.tourismandmore.com

j John Tschohl, the internationally recognized service strategist, is founder and president of the Service Quality Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Described by USA Today, Time, and Entrepreneur as a “customer service guru,” he has written several books on customer service and has developed more than 26 customer-service training programs that have been distributed throughout the world. John’s monthly strategic newsletter is available online.

ko Steve Woodburn works with clients to develop creative and measurable solutions that solve their marketing needs using promotional products, uniform programs, online company stores, point-of-sale initiatives along with rewards and recognition. He builds long-term relationships and becomes a trusted advisor and consultant his clients can turn to for all their brand extension needs. You can reach him at Staples Promotional Products: [email protected]

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Monaco...


If You ArE an incentive planner and have to come

up with the one destination that would please not only the

people who worked so hard to earn the trip but also a hard

core of management people with high expectations there

would be only one choice of destination and that would be the Principality

of Monaco. In particular Monte Carlo which is famous for her hotels,

casinos, glamour and celebrity sightings, and a true gem of everything

imaginable for an incentive trip. Accessible, glamorous and, above all,

affordable, Monaco is one of the world’s most attractive destinations.

Monaco is the world's second smallest independent nation and is

situated between the french and Italian riviera, close to the museums

of Nice (Matisse, Chagall) and the glamorous shopping boulevards of

Cannes. The Picasso Museum and world-famous Maeght Collection are

nearby, as well.

According to the Monaco Tourist Board there are many reasons why the

Principality makes sense when selecting an incentive destination based

on the parameters set by corporate managements. They are as follows:

Monaco is Affordable – for all of the glamour and luxury it is no more

expensive than Hawaii or the Caribbean. And there are guaranteed uS

dollar hotel packages and VAT refunds on many services which make the

principality an even better value.

High Standard of International Hotels – The stunning European style

resorts are ranked among the best in the world. They are regularly

refurbished to feature all modern amenities. There’s no better place to

relax and be pampered.

Image and Distinction – Monaco is a destination unlike any other,

offering fairy-tale glamour and a rich cultural heritage that few other

countries can match plus Americans have a fascination with royalty.

Variety of Activities – Whether your group would enjoy the beauty of the

Monte-Carlo Ballet or participating in exciting team-building exercises, this

will be a trip never to be forgotten, both personally and professionally.

one of the safest destinations on earth - Monaco enjoys a high level of

security and English is spoken most everywhere.

So with the help of an incentive company, in conjunction with The

Monaco Tourist Board and a destination management company (DMC) a

planner’s job can be made simple. These folks are truly dedicated and there

are lots of different itineraries to choose. Here is a typical 5-night program

that would suit most incentive groups coming from the uS and would cost

approximately $2,500 to $3,000 per person for ground accommodations.

Day One Your group arrives at Nice Cõte d’Azur International Airport and clears

immigration and customs. After a comfortable motor coach ride of about

45 minutes to Monaco, the group is free to get its first taste of the wondrous

Principality before a cocktail reception at the hotel followed by a buffet

dinner. An informative pictorial guidebook of the Principality of Monaco is

offered to all as a welcome gift.

By: Arnold Light, CTC

Monaco...

September 2011 • Brilliant Results 9www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com

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DAY TWoThis morning, your guests get better acquainted with the

Principality. fascinating sights include the old Town, with

a visit to the oceanographic Museum and the Cathedral

of Saint-Nicholas where Prince rainier III married Grace

Kelly. Guests can wander the charming medieval streets

and squares before the colorful changing of the guard in

the Palace Square. Lunch is taken in a typical Monègasque

restaurant to savor local dishes prepared especially for them.

After lunch, we leave Monaco and climb 1,500 feet above

the sea to visit the quaint medieval village of Eze. Where we

can visit the perfumeries of fragonard or Galimard.

Tonight's dinner will be at the Prince's Private Collection

of Classic Cars. Guests will be able to walk around a

hundred cars of all ages. Tonight’s room gift is postcards

already stamped with the proper postage for writing about

the adventures to friends back home.

DAY THrEE This morning, cruise along the riviera coastline to the

charming fishing port of Villfranche. The cruise is followed

by lunch along the waterfront at La Mere Germaine, known

for its fish specialties. To prove that you can’t go wrong with

any of Monaco’s world-class restaurants, guests will have

the opportunity tonight to choose between several of them.

Back at your hotel room, delicious truffles from Monaco’s

chocolate factory await.

DAY fourToday is the day to discover the ease with which the city,

coast and country are combined. In the morning, we depart

Monaco for a full-day sortie into france. The bustling city

of Cannes, known for its renowned film festival, is the first

stop. The tour includes the Croisette Harbor and old Town.

Lunch is at leisure. St. Paul de Vence, an extraordinary 12th

century fortified village, is the next destination. Since the

1920s, this town has become a haven for movie stars and

artists. The afternoon will offer an opportunity to explore the

streets of the old walled village and browse the charming

boutiques and galleries.

Back in Monaco, the evening begins with another fabulous

dinner and a show at the world famous Sporting Club. Table

gifts of casino chips are included, and guests are free to test

their luck at the casino.

DAY fIVEIn the morning, your guests will travel to the lively Italian

resort of San remo, known as the “riviera of flowers.” There,

they’ll enjoy shopping in the busy street markets. Lunch will

be served at a typical Italian restaurant in Vallecrosia.

The winding ride home to Monaco takes guests through

the attractive resort town of Menton. Tonight’s gala dinner

will be at one of the elegant venues reminiscent of the

Belle Époque. During dinner, the Monaco Boys' choir will

entertain. Tonight’s gift: Monaco-made porcelain with the

royal seal.

DAY SIxSay au revoir as we depart via deluxe motor coach to Nice

Airport for the flight home, no doubt full of fond memories of

the magical place we call Monaco.

Most recently, Monaco was awarded the coveted

destination “Pinnacle Award”. And it is easy to see why

because the Principality works so hard to keep the

destination at such a high level in terms of its infrastructure,

deluxe hotels and professionalism of all those who work in

the industry.

Cindy Hoddeson, Director, Meeting & Incentive Sales,

from the Monaco Government Tourist Office in New York

explains, “What’s most rewarding about this award is that it

recognizes Monaco’s dedication to sustainable tourism and

the corporate social responsibility initiatives undertaken by

the New York office every year. This distinction also rewards

the many initiatives encouraging social responsibility and

business promotion developed by our office in collaboration

with Monaco’s Consulate General in New York and the uS

branch of the Prince Albert II of Monaco foundation.”

Stop dreaming and consider making Monaco your next

incentive destination.

Have A rewarding Day…


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BY: DR. PETER TARLOW

travel

ofTEN THE TourISM industry hears the

complaint that tourists do not deserve special treatment.

Even some Police Departments will make the false claim that

they treat everyone the same, and therefore special attention

provided to visitors is not only wrong but also goes beyond the

parameters of community security. finally, it is not uncommon

to hear that as local citizens pay taxes they deserve better

police protection. Tourism safety ought to be everyone's

business. Tourism is a major economic generator, and tourists

pay taxes both directly to places of lodging and indirectly

through sales taxes or value added taxes. Additionally, a safe

tourism community is the foundation for a safe community.

This may be the reason that many in marketing are now using

the term "Security Marketing". for too long marketing experts

believed that their efforts were meant merely for television and

magazine ads, catch phrases and new branding. All of these

are an important part of marketing, but the savvy marketer now

knows that tourism security marketing is also an essential part

not only of the product's overall quality but also as a way that

outsiders judge the product's viability. Tourism security is more

than mere closed circuit cameras, it is the way that we watch

over the person's health concerns, the food that the visitor

consumes, the lessening of risks, the development of safe and

clean streets and our ability to sell a product that satisfies not

only our guests but also our residents.

To help tourism professionals and marketers explain the

importance of tourism security to both their local government

officials and to local police departments here are a few pointers

that may help.

Safe Tourism…Produces a Whole New World of Marketing Opportunities


• Locals also frequent their community's tourism

districts. Tourism districts are often the places in a community

with the highest concentration of restaurants and nightlife

establishments. The local citizenry also uses and frequents

these same locations. robbers do not know the difference

between a local and a visitor, and if visitors are not safe in

these districts then neither are the locals who visit these same

tourism zones.

• Almost anyone visiting a community for purposes

of economic development begins as a visitor. Communities

seek economic development and those people that scout

new locations in which to open

businesses first start out as visitors.

If they do not feel safe, then the

odds are that they will not come.

Protecting visitors is another way

to assure economic growth and

vitality.

• Most criminals are equal

opportunity thieves. It is very

rare for a criminal to know or care

about whom he or she is robbing.

Criminals are as prepared to steal or

rob a local as well as a visitor. on the

other hand, visitors are often easier

targets than are locals and criminals

know that there is a lower possibility

that visitors will report the crime or

return to prosecute the criminal. A

community that is uninviting for

criminals to prey on tourists is even

less inviting for criminals to prey on

the local population.

• Training restaurateurs,

hoteliers, cab drivers and other

tourism providers in basic tourism

security provides them with the

necessary tools in case some one from the local population

is also attacked. Learning such key safety rules as: When

we train people when to call or not to call emergency

police numbers such as 911 in the united States then both

members of the community and visitors are safer. When

an incident does occur the police are more likely to solve

the crime if they receive an accurate and brief description

of where the incident occurred, about what time it occurred

and if the perpetrator is still at the scene of the crime or

has fled. Teaching locals how to describe a suspect's

race, height, weight, hair color and any other distinctive

characteristics improves both local and tourism security.

• Good tourism safety implies safe shopping

experiences. Shopping is the number one "tourism sport." That

means that good tourism safety demands that shoppers are

able to spend money in local malls and business districts that

form the commercial heart of any community. Good tourism

security means that both locals and visitors alike can frequent

stores and not have to worry about purse-snatchers, parking

lot theft and muggers who often frequent these districts. It

also means that both citizens and visitors alike need not be

bothered by people harassing them or

by issues of prostitution.

• Many of the basic rules of

tourism security are often applicable

to community security. for example

when we teach visitors tourism

security principles such as: they

should always park in areas that are

well lit and well-traveled, not to carry

and show large amounts of cash, or

to be vigilant around cash machines,

then we are also setting the stage for

a local community's safety. Locals,

as much as tourists, often leave

valuables in their vehicles, may be

harassed or even robbed by street

"salesmen" or con artists, and are

subject to crimes of distraction such

as pickpockets.

• Both visitors and local

citizens need good, safe, and well-lit

streets. Tourism security demands

streets with good signage, proper

lighting and streets that are pothole

free. These same basic qualities

are essential for local citizens as

well and not only help to prevent crime but also assure car

safety.

• Private tourism security and even bouncers add to

a community's overall sense of safety. Some communities

have developed private-public partnerships so that the media,

private security firms and police work together to assure that

places of assembly such as bars, hotels and restaurants not

only remain safe but also add to the economic vitality of a

community.

When an incident does occur the police

are more likely to solve the crime if they receive an accurate and brief description of where the incident occurred, about what time it occurred and if the perpetrator is still

at the scene of the crime or has fled.


marketingBY: MICHAEL CROOKS

LAST MoNTH I provided insight into what experienced

promotional marketing consultants are looking for in a client.

My goal was to give you the best shot at having access to the

brightest and the best consultants available. This month, I’ll

share what you should look for in a promotional marketing

consultant. I’ll also share examples of what an experienced

consultant can do for you from some of the best and brightest

consultants from across the country.

In any profession, there are different levels of competency.

using extremes to make my point, there’s Wal-Mart and

there’s Neiman Marcus. There’s shopping on main street and

there’s shopping on rodeo Drive. There’s cubic zirconia …

and there’s diamond. In the promotional marketing arena there

are order-takers and then there are Promotional Marketing

Consultants.

Max Tollens Jr., Tollens Office Resources in Greene, NY,

makes a distinction between a consultant and an order-taker.

He believes a consultant offers expert help in the areas of

marketing, products and service. on the other hand, the

Internet product peddlers and order-takers merely take

your order without questions or comments — thus enabling

mediocrity.

On Buying Promotional Products:Are You Being Helped …

or Enabled?


“In order for their best interest to be served, corporate

end-users should be looking for promotional consultants who

will partner with them to solve problems,” says Tollens. “for

instance, we learn corporate policies regarding use of our

client’s logos. We also seek to understand corporate attitudes

regarding what type and quality of promotional items they’ve

used in their past marketing efforts.”

Tollens says he often conducts brainstorming sessions

with clients who, at the start, want a specific type of

promotional item. often, after an exchange of ideas brings a

new perspective to light, they go with something better suited

to their promotional objectives.

“I believe the ideal promotional consultant will ask

questions before ever opening a catalog or showing samples,”

says Tollens. “I've counseled my corporate

contacts to ask questions of those who ask

them to source products, such as: 1. Who

is the target audience? 2. What is the goal

of their promotion? I believe this makes my

inside contacts more valuable to their own

organization and leads to more suitable

product selection.”

Another area where an experienced

promotional marketing consultant can be a

big asset is in the area of pricing. I’m not

talking about shopping an experienced

consultant against the web to see who can

go lower. I’m talking about partnering with

a consultant to achieve the best long-term balance between

price, quality and service. And yes, if your consultant is good,

you can get all three.

Paul Schweitzer, president of CompleteSource in Grand

rapids, MI uses in-house software to quickly build a web

store from which his clients can order online. The orders are

pooled, held then submit to the manufacturing plant quickly

and efficiently.

“We successfully use what we call “close and ship” dates

for pooling orders, “ says Schweitzer. “We work with the

client to develop a list of items, a date by which they need to

place orders and a date the order will ship. This information

is pushed out to all their sales people, branches, ordering

units, etc. We then pool all the smaller orders into one large

order for cost savings to all parties without the client having

to coordinate the process.”

Another tactic, for those who have the ability to plan, is to

utilize a release program. Phil Baker, CAS, owner of Baker

Creative Agency in Pace, fL explains, “I have several clients

that use thousands of BIC® pens throughout the year. I’ve

shown them how to order a whole year's worth up front and

then receive allotments throughout the year thus getting them

a better price on the higher quantity break.”

In today’s economy, Baker’s strategy can also insulate you

from price increases throughout the year. And it’s also a great

strategy if you’re short on storage space, or requisitioning

from your own warehouse is a hassle.

Sometimes, even though your eye is on ways of saving

money, new creative concepts can emerge. Jen Lyles, lead

igniter at fireSign, Inc., Atlanta, GA has developed some great

tactics to ignite company morale and teamwork stemming

from her eye on the bottom line for her clients.

“Some clients don’t know that as long as they keep the

same ink color and art on t-shirts, we can switch up the colors

of shirts for no additional cost. This works well for color-coding

departments or teams when building company morale,”

says Lyles. “I’ve found it an effective way

for my corporate clients to build cohesive

units through friendly competition. Thought

must be given to the ink and shirt color

combinations. But as an experienced

promotional marketing consultant, my

clients expect me to take care of that for

them.”

Lyles has developed another successful

tactic in schools using logoed poker chips

that can easily apply to corporate team

building.

“I call it my Stack The Chips In Your favor

program,” says Lyles. It’s an effective way

to increase event attendance. The student

receives a poker chip at each event. They save them up and

redeem them at the school store for larger logoed items.”

Schools can underwrite the cost of the larger items by

co-branding the items with an appropriate local business

that wants to promote themselves to the student body.

Businesses and corporations can do the same thing. But

more to the point, is the application of logoed poker chips

in the corporate setting. Human resources can use them as

a reward for attendance or training fulfillment. Management

can use them to reward people who attend meetings, meet

deadlines or achieve goals. The program can be set up to

allow individuals to redeem the chips for individual rewards

ranging from time off to logoed merchandise and gift cards.

In team events, team members can pool their chips together,

reinforcing the team concept, with the team that earns the

most chips winning.

An experienced promotional marketing consultant has their

finger on the pulse of the promotional marketing industry, their

foot in the door of proven manufacturers and their mind full

of ideas, concepts and strategies of which you may never be

aware. All of which can help you get a firm grasp on brilliant

results.

“Some clients don’t know that as long as

they keep the same ink color and art on t-shirts,

we can switch up the colors of shirts for no

additional cost.”


BY: MARTIN LINDSTROM

branding


As the international financial downturn continues, so

does the test of branding.

I’m sure you’d agree with me that the easiest strategy

for securing a couple more customers is to reduce the

price of your product or service. But, needless to say,

this is also a strategy, which will damage your brand,

weakening it in the eyes of consumers. As soon as the

economy starts looking up, your discounted brand will

be cast aside in favour of those perceived to be market-

leaders. Your competitors will generate customer

loyalty and you’ll lose the customer you thought you’d

harnessed.

So, no matter how tempting the price-reducing

strategy might seem, don’t adopt it. The world of branding

offers you a lot of other survival strategies, based both

on rationality and emotion. Here are a couple of hints to

help you generate sales in the hard times and to even

bond your brand more strongly to your customers.

1. Offer mOre value fOr the same price. We see this technique in action every day. It isn’t

perceived as a price reduction, rather as adding

customer value. for example, Pepsi might offer 25%

more cola in its already gigantic bottles for the usual

price. Interestingly, and this is a fact, consumption

increases. And consumer perception doesn’t ascribe a

price reduction, and consequential downgrading of the

brand, to the offer. Instead, customers perceive the offer

as being a nice gesture on the brand’s part.

offering greater value is a versatile strategy that can

be adopted in a variety of ways. You could offer extra long

warranties, special updates on product improvements…

you name it. Get creative about how you can increase

your brand’s value to your customers without altering

the price. research shows that, far from downgrading

the customer’s estimation of the brand, the technique

increases customer incentive to purchase the product.

2. Wrap yOur prODuct in mOre than just prODuct features.

recently I sat myself in the driver’s seat of a BMW.

To my irritation I found I had to turn my body around 180

degrees to reach the seat belt. The feature seemed an

inconsiderate rather than beneficial one. But, as BMW

explained to me, the reason for the body-turning stretch

was for safety. By obliging the car’s occupants to turn

around to get the seatbelt, the design ensures they notice

what’s happening on the sidewalk, see any approaching

cyclists, check for any oncoming impediment to the

safe removal of the car into the carriageway. Suddenly

a small feature became a valuable piece of brand

information, building my opinion of the BMW brand and

strengthening my loyalty to it.

So, features of your brand you may have considered

negligible can be used to give consumers another

reason to choose your brand. I’m sure your product or

service includes facilities and potential attractions not

yet discovered or understood by your customers. But,

as you can see from the BMW example, these can be

extremely valuable loyalty-enhancers. You simply have

to demonstrate and interpret them for your customers.

3. humanize yOur branD. That interpretation can become a story that makes

a brand unique. The Diners Club story is one example.

once upon a time a lawyer took some of his most

important clients out to dinner. The restaurant was

a special one, the menu studded with high prices. To

the host’s alarm, he received a bill at the end of the

night with an amount greater than he’d anticipated. He

couldn’t cover it with the cash he had with him. To avoid

this embarrassment in the future, he resolved to invent

a means of paying cash without needing to carry any

money. And so the Diners Club credit card, the world’s

first, was born. Such a story could well be used to

strengthen ties between the card’s customers and the

Diners Club brand. The story is memorable because

it’s about people and, because of this simple fact; it

reflects values we can relate to; Needless to say that

the importance of you ensuring that your online brand

is humanized is essential for your success. Still today, 8

years after the first appearance of the World Wide Web,

people still feel that offline brands are more human than

online brands. Naturally the history has a lot to do with

this fact – what has been around for a long time – often

is more natural to us. finding the human story for your

online brand is therefore essential for you to build even

stronger brand bonds.

The common denominator between the above three

loyalty-generating techniques is their avoidance of a

price focus. Think rational; think emotional; increase

perceived value and humanize your brand. You’ll

generate sales and build bonds between consumers

and your brand.


out side the boxBY: KYLE PARKS

IN A TIME of smaller advertising budgets, many

companies wrestle with this question: How can we leverage

public relations with our marketing efforts to get us more

business?

To start this discussion, it’s important to understand the

difference between marketing and Pr…

In general, marketing is the process used to determine

what products or services may be of interest to which

customers, and to develop the best strategy to use in sales,

communications and business development. Most often,

marketing directly involves selling via advertising, websites,

brochures and collateral materials, tied to follow-up through

customer relationship management (CrM).

Public relations focuses on your company’s reputation,

credibility and standing in your industry and community. Pr

professionals help companies communicate with their target

audiences via news media, newsletters, corporate blogs

and social media. often, Pr includes two-way discussion

and feedback, through such channels as community forums

and social media, and can give a company early warning on

potential issues.

Marketing generates leads for your business and cultivates

your customer base, while Pr helps you build credibility. And

while Pr works in tandem with marketing efforts to sell your

products and services, Pr also can help increase your lead-

to-sale ratio and your search-engine ranking on the Internet.

Marketing and Pr efforts are strongest when working in

tandem. With that in mind, here are five things to consider in

improving how your marketing and Pr programs work better

together:

1. integrate yOur marketing anD public relatiOns planning.

The strongest messages defining your unique selling

proposition are carried through public relations and marketing.

Integrating your marketing and Pr efforts ensures that your

messaging is consistent, and helps your Pr team identify

engaging content for their efforts.

Integrating Pr and marketing planning helps to ensure that

time or money isn’t wasted on targeting media outlets and

people who don’t matter the most to your business. It makes

sense to target the same media outlets for your marketing

and Pr efforts. Every dollar and staff hour counts, and that is

Working Together…Marketing and Public Relations


leading many companies to more tightly target their outreach

efforts. As traditional, general-interest business news outlets

shrink or disappear, many companies (especially B2B

companies) are placing more attention on industry-specific

publications and websites.

Beyond making sure your marketing and Pr

team members are working together, two other

key groups to engage are your company’s

sales force and customer service staff. The

salespeople know about customer hot buttons

and success stories, along with objections to

overcome in getting new business and what

your competition has to offer. The customer

service team will be able to tell you whether

your company is delivering on what it promises

– a key to building credibility and in generating

repeat business and referrals.

2. pr prOfessiOnals bring an Objective perspective.

Part of a Pr professional’s job includes having a good

sense of how your company will be viewed by the outside

world as you push out messaging via ads or news. By talking

about how everyone from the news media to people in your

target markets might react to messaging or materials, their

perspective can supply an important second opinion on your

marketing efforts.

Also, Pr pros can help ensure that your marketing isn’t

being seen as disingenuous. It’s critical that as you tout

your business, you have confidence that your promises

ring true, both with your target customers and with the

public in general.

3. pr helps stretch yOur marketing spenDing.

As you think about ways to announce new products or

achievements, Pr can expand your audience beyond those

you can reach with paid advertising.

Coverage by news media provides credibility to your news,

and Internet search engines – which are constantly becoming

more sophisticated – greatly value this third-party verification

as it considers your company and its products in search

rankings.

And even if you have a relatively small company, that

doesn’t mean that you can’t get attention. To many industry

trade news publications and websites, the quality of your

material and submissions, such as guest columns and news

releases, mean every bit as much as how big a company

you are.

4. pr prOfessiOnals can help yOu create a system fOr getting leaDs frOm yOur existing base.

Marketing programs often focus on generating new leads

from scratch, which is certainly important. But what are you

doing to keep in touch with people in your industry who could

refer business, or with people you did business with a few

years ago?

Pr professionals can help you create your own audience

using targeted e-mail newsletters and social media to deliver

smart, engaging and helpful content. These efforts can

enhance your company’s expert status while keeping in touch

with this potentially large audience of customers, former

customers, colleagues and friends.

Social media can do a great job in building audiences

for such businesses as restaurants and consumer product

marketers, while an e-newsletter can be powerful for any

type of business. one of our clients, a florida commercial

real estate broker, got a major listing and a sale as a result of

consistently connecting with people through her newsletter

over a six-month period.

5. telling yOur stOry thrOugh yOur custOmers makes a Difference.

Some people think of a testimonial as a simple quote such

as, “I think xYZ Corp. is a great company, and I recommend

them highly.” Instead, smarter marketers are using real,

detailed customer stories that recount bottom-line-oriented

successes to lend credibility to what a company does. If

possible, create customer testimonials in video in addition

to written form to evoke strong emotions and get people

engaged.

from a marketing perspective, these stories can supply

compelling content for your website and collateral material.

And in terms of Pr, news coverage can be greatly enhanced

if you can offer reporters access to customers they can

interview.

Potential customers want to know if you deliver on what

you promise, whether you truly understand their needs, and

whether you can make a difference for them. What better way

to prove your worth to potential customers than showing how

you helped people who are like them? It works.

Some people think of a testimonial as a simple quote such as, “I think XYZ Corp. is a great company, and I recommend them highly.” Instead, smarter marketers are using real, detailed customer stories that recount bottom-line-oriented successes to lend credibility to what a company does.


ForesightBY: STEvE WOODBuRN

Five Ways to Help Shift the Paradigms in Your Life

STEPHEN CoVEY TELLS the story of riding

the subway when a man gets on with his two young sons.

The boys start running all over the place, making noise and

bothering others around them. finally, irritated, Covey asks

the man if he wouldn’t mind doing something to control his

children and the man, looking weary and broken, apologizes.

He says they’ve just come from the hospital where his wife,

their mother, passed away. Covey’s view of the situation

changed immediately and he looked at the children and the

man differently given the new information.

That’s a paradigm shift or a sudden change in your

point of view, which all of us have at one time or another

experienced. These shifts, sometimes seismic, have

occurred throughout history. Thousands of years ago our

foremothers and fathers used to roam from place to place in

search of food, but at some point the idea of farming came

to be. All of a sudden people could stay put, build homes

and cities and grow their own food. It was a known fact the

earth was flat, until it wasn’t. More recently the introduction

of the PC in the mid-1970’s turned our world upside down

followed a few decades later by the widespread public

use of the Internet. Apple changed forever the way we

listen to music with the introduction of their iPod a decade

ago and because of social media, future generations

will communicate and relate to one another in ways our

grandparents couldn’t have imagined.

Paradigm shifts are those “ah ha” moments we

experience when we all of a sudden see a new way of doing

something. It’s finding a new way to sell your products,

developing a more streamlined process for invoicing

customers or perhaps finally understanding a math problem

that has perplexed you. or it could be something as simple

as finding a shortcut that saves you time when creating an

Excel spreadsheet.

Can we willing shift paradigms to make changes in our

lives? The answer is a definitive maybe! The truth is we can’t

become what we hope to be, or help change the world in

positive ways, if we aren’t willing to change. Although there

is no formula I’ve found that will instantly change the habits

and paradigms in our lives there are a variety of techniques

I’ve used that can help precipitate those changes:

1. Spend time thinking. It’s easy to push through our

daily lives getting done the things that need to get done

without ever considering how we might perform those tasks

better. I’ve found that if I spend 10-15 minutes, usually early

in the morning, focusing on a specific task and how I can

do it differently, ideas begin to flow. It’s important to put

everything else out of your mind (easier said than done)

and look only at the one task. Write that task on a piece

of paper and then write down the ideas that begin to flow

no matter how silly they might seem. This one idea has


helped me solve vexing problems and create new ways to

gain traction with my business and is an amazing way to put

your brain into high gear and offer up solutions you might

never have considered.

2. Brainstorming. Although similar to #1, I usually

brainstorm with others because as they say, two heads, or

three or four, are better than one. Again, be specific about

the topic for brainstorming otherwise the session can break

down into chaos. There are all sorts of resources on the web

that can help guide a brainstorming session. These sessions

can be great because not only will they aid in paradigm shifts,

but build teams that become energized and engaged.

3. Surf the Web. I’ve found entering a search term in

Google or Yahoo or Bing can take me down roads I never

would have thought of on my own. one thing leads to another

and soon you’re seeing ideas and strategies you might

never have thought of. Include YouTube in your meandering

because there are nuggets in those hundreds of millions of

videos that might offer the breakthrough you’re looking for.

4. Read. Stop by a bookstore or newsstand and look at

magazines and books you normally wouldn’t pick up. When

you’re in customer’s offices take a look at the magazines in

the waiting room as they many times are industry related

and will offer a perspective you aren’t typically privy to.

5. Change your internal dialogue. This is probably

the hardest of all, but critical to successfully changing the

paradigms in your life. Your subconscious takes all the things

you say to yourself during your waking hours and works to

make it reality. If your thoughts are negative, guess what?

Similarly, if your thoughts are positive, chances are you will

be happier and less stressed. Program yourself to be open

to change, to look at things with a new perspective and see

what happens.

The ongoing evolution of our society and the world, in

every aspect down to the microscopic, is God’s way of

shifting paradigms. The only constant in our world is change

and those who are open to change and open to paradigm

shifts will ultimately be those who achieve their goals and

find the happiness we all long for.


BY: BARRY SISKIND

exhibit

IN A PrEVIouS article titled: Your Customer

Profile – Part 1 – “The value of creating a customer profile”,

I spelled out five reasons why your exhibit program will

benefit from the time you take to understand your customer:

These five were:

1. It is good marketing

2. It helps you focus your exhibit planning

3. It helps you focus your exhibit staff

4. It allows you to create good customer engagement

5. It reveals methods of follow-up

Now it’s time to turn to the second part of the discussion,

which answers the question of how you actually create a

profile.

Do you know your customer? I don’t mean whether their

name is Antonio or Jessica, but rather, do you understand

who they are as people and what motivates them?

for many marketers this presents a major dilemma. They

mistakenly assume that their product, service or program

has broad appeal and that creating a customer profile will

limit the scope of their marketing reach. Some assume that

their potential customers may not know that they have a

need and all it takes is a bit of persuasion. others assume

that the product is a one of a kind with a wide appeal. So

the first step is to define your customer - the person who will

buy, recommend or authorize the budget for your product

or service.

This may sound like a broad approach but upon closer

examination you see that the person you are targeting has

identified a problem and is actively searching for a solution

either for their company or themselves.

Next ask what information you need in order to identify

this person. The answer is uncovered when you use four

basic marketing tools: demographics, psychographics,

behavioural and causation data.

Demographics answer the question, “Who is my

customer?” It is an analysis of all the pertinent data that

defines the characteristics of your customer. Demographics

enable you to segment your overall customer base into

helpful categories.

In a business-to-customer example, you may define

your customer demographics in the following terms:

age, income, gender, geography, profession, education,

wealth, family makeup, nationality, homeowner/renter,

etc. for business-to-business focus the demographics

qualifiers may include: size of company, type of products

sold, revenue, budget, number of employees, number of

branches, ownership, industry, industry sector, age, and

so on.

Psychographics answer the question, “What do they

do?” This is a chance to examine your target audience’s

attitudes, beliefs, and emotions. The following are samples

of psychographic variables in the business-to-customer

Your Customer ProfilePart 2 – How to Create a Customer Profile


Your Customer ProfilePart 2 – How to Create a Customer Profile

Take the time to compete the table below.

High Medium Low Not at All

Price

Brand name

Status

Variety

Convenience

Warranty

Salespeople

Customer service

Promotion

Payment terms

Quality

Flexibility

Other

By understanding demographic, psychographic, behavioral and causation data, you have developed a clear portrait of your

customer. Your analysis may also reveal that you have more than one customer profile.

Creating customer profiles may sound like an onerous task particularly for those companies who do not have dedicated

market research personnel but with a bit of planning you and your staff can use each customer interaction as an opportunity to

learn a bit more about these people. once you get in the habit of collecting research you will wonder how you ever managed

without it.

marketplace: family stage, hobbies, status awareness,

outside interests, leisure time, social responsibility,

lifestyle, charitable affiliations, etc. In the business-to-

business marketplace, psychographic elements include:

social responsibility, environmental conscience, business

style, position within an industry, innovations, affiliations,

employee relations, workforce type, management style,

employee remuneration, shareholder relations, and

so on. By adding psychographics to the demographic

information, you increase the richness of your customer

understanding.

Behavioral inquiries answer the question “How do they

do what they do?” This is an in-depth look at customer

demographics and psychographics in action. Whether you

are in a business-to-customer or business-to-business

marketplace, you can analyze your customers according to

their habits in terms of the number of times they purchase,

how often, the amount of product purchased, the decision-

making cycle, and where the purchase was made.

Causation analysis answers the question, “Why do

they do what they do?” Causation is the sum total of all

the demographic, psychographic, and behavioral data you

have accumulated. It matches up your features and benefits

with your customers’ perception of their importance. Take

a look at the chart below. In the column to the left I have

assumed, for demonstration’s sake, that your company’s

features are price, brand, variety and so on. If none of my

suggestions ring true then replace them with the features of

your product or service and continue with the exercise.

If you can complete it quickly, congratulations—you

know your customer well. If not, consider consulting your

customers. Ask them how they rank your features in order

of importance. If, for example, you find your customers’

primary need is price, then offering a “show special” at

your booth might be helpful. If you find that status ranks

high on your customers’ wish list, then participating in a

show that attracts the cream of the crop will make a lot of

sense.


extra measuresBY: JOHN TSCHOHL

AS THE ECoNoMIC turnaround continues

to be elusive, getting and keeping a job—not to mention

getting a promotion and making more money—can be more

than a little difficult. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’s

impossible. In fact, when times are tough, you might well

have a better chance of climbing the corporate ladder than

when business is booming. That might sound ridiculous, but

it’s true.

If your company, like so many others throughout the country

and the world, is struggling to increase sales and profits, it’s

not unusual for employees to feel pressured and to develop

a negative attitude about their jobs and the company. That

atmosphere gives you the perfect opportunity to stand out,

get the attention of executives, and get promoted.

Too many employees think that they will work harder only

if they are paid more. My theory is this: Work hard and the

money will come. Work smart and the money will come.

If you want not only to keep your job, but to get promoted

and make more money, take these steps:

Be the first to arrive and the last to leave. Do whatever is

necessary to get the job done and done right.

Do more than required. When you ask to take on more

responsibility, you send a message that you are committed

to your job and your company.

If It Isn’t you, you could be In trouble

WHO CONTROLS YOUR DESTINY?


focus on speed. Do everything faster than anyone else

does it. Don’t, however, sacrifice accuracy.

Maintain a positive attitude. When times are tough and

the work seems overwhelming, don’t complain. Don’t bad-

mouth your boss and coworkers. Look around you; there

are thousands of people who have lost their jobs and would

be happy to take your place.

Learn everything you can about your job, your company,

and your industry. read trade magazines and learn about

your company’s competition. Set a monthly budget for

personal development and use that money to purchase

books on self-improvement and customer service, then

read them and study them. Develop your people skills; they

are just as important as technical skills. How you deal with

customers and coworkers will set you apart.

Build your self-esteem and self-worth. In doing so, you

will remove self-imposed limitations that will prevent you

from accomplishing your goals and dreams. The only thing

standing between you and a promotion is you.

Associate with successful people. If you hang around

with people who have negative attitudes, drink too much, or

do drugs, they will hold you back. When you associate with

successful people, you will raise yourself up.

Ask for advice. Ask your boss and her boss what areas

you need to develop in order to move up in the organization.

Then develop a game plan and work that plan.

No one is going to push you up the corporate ladder;

you have to climb up on your own. You are responsible

for your own success. That’s something I learned early

in life. I had a low grade point average in college and

barely graduated, but I used more of my skills than

others did. When I was 22, my net worth was $2,270; by

the time I was 30, it was $1 million, and today I achieve

that each year.

It’s difficult for an organization to terminate its highest-

performing employee. Be that employee and, no matter how

dismal the economy gets, you not only will keep your job,

you will get promoted and make more money.


BY: DAvE RIBBLE, MAS

it’s all personal

INTErESTING. WHEN WE ask employers what they are doing

to encourage their employees to work harder, smarter and to contribute to the

company’s continued growth, we commonly hear “….well, they’re lucky to

have jobs in this economy, so that should be enough incentive, right there.”

And yet, when we ask employees to tell us what they are looking for in their

job and career, we hear that while they do appreciate having a job in the midst

of so much economic unrest, they are nonetheless looking for recognition, to

feel they have a ‘voice’ in what goes on, the knowledge they will be rewarded

for dreaming up new ways of doing things and maybe even new products and

services the company can offer.

Whether you do it for just the Holiday bonus or you do it at various times

and for various objectives all year long, let me pose to you this question:

What if there was a way to (1) move your company forward, (2) recognize

and reward the innovative contributions of your employees and (3) have this

program pay for itself because of the great ideas you get in the process?

fortune ran a story some years back about “What 25-Year-olds Want”,

pointing to the ‘Baby Busters’ who were turning down promotions because they

recognized that just more money and a nicer office didn’t necessarily equate

to better quality of life. for some Boomers that was probably a real head-

scratcher, but look more closely at what you can do with this information.

Your employee workforce represents a vast resource of innovative ideas

to help your company grow, and, frankly, America needs your company to

grow! What kind of things might improve your business, your market-share,

WANT TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS NOW? INCENTIVIZE!


your revenues and profits to your bottom line?

What could happen if you really turned loose your

creative workforce? What if you set into place a

great rewards program to get them thinking more

innovatively than ever before?

The right incentive program will do this and pay

for itself, too. List out all the areas of your business

that might need some tweaking, but do not limit your

list to the obvious. Yes, customer service needs

to be improved because every customer service

department in the universe could be improved.

But, what about other ways to streamline costs or

make accounting tasks more efficient? What cost

reductions are seemingly hiding and waiting to be

discovered? Moreover, what are the potential direct

dollar values you can equate to improvements this

program comes up with?

Whatever you do, don’t limit employees in

one department or division from being able to

brainstorm those other areas of your business,

because you could be shortchanging yourself

in the process. rich, innovative thinking comes

most easily when there are no barriers. Make a

list of all the parts of your business, from retention

of good employees to reducing accidents and

days off, you can practically equate a dollar

figure to every good idea someone one dreams

up. How much, for example, will the ideas for

saving energy in your plant actually improve

your bottom line over the next five years? What

amount of new revenue could be generated if

your incentive program fires up the people inside

who support your outside sales force and they

come up with new ways to gain attention for your

products and services? What amount of additional

market-share might come about if creative new

ways were developed for reconnecting with old

accounts or proactively further solidifying your

relationship with present ones?

Every idea, no matter how seemingly absurd on

the surface, should be encouraged, because you

just never know where it might lead. Ideas create

more ideas, if you encourage them.

The right incentive programs can more than pay

for themselves when they are structured, optimally,

through points rewarded and when those points

equate to the value of the ideas brought forth. If

someone comes up with an idea that will save you

a thousand dollars a month, or, for that matter,

makes your company another thousand dollars

every month, was it worth the effort?

Here’s another fact about why these programs

work. research clearly shows that cash given to

an employee almost always goes for paying bills.

Wait about 6 months and ask them to show you

what they did with the money and they’ll search

their memory for an answer.

By contrast, incentive programs that offer

employees and their families a catalog of choices

of many items they truly want but perhaps cannot

afford or items they would not ordinarily go out and

purchase on their own can be very effective. You

can create an incentive program that you, and they,

can point to months and perhaps even years later as

a successful tradeoff for the ideas they contributed

to the team. Imagine how your employees will feel

from this, knowing they are being recognized and

that what they say really does matter.

Let me say it again: We all need for you to be

successful because when you are successful it

helps move all of us forward. The right incentive

program will help you tap into resources you may

be missing, that are right under your nose, by

people who clearly regard being recognized for

their contributions as more important than money.

What might a few months of unbridled innovative

thinking produce that can enhance your company’s

future? Moreover, what do you think this will do for

the morale of your employees in the process?

It sounds to me like all upside and little, if any,

cost to you, comparatively speaking. So, what are

you waiting for?


BY: DONNA FuRRuGIA

situations

facebook may be where you catch up with pals, but a

new survey by The Creative Group confirms it’s increasingly

a place for business. Nearly half (46 percent) of advertising

and marketing executives interviewed said they currently

use facebook for professional purposes. fifty-six percent of

respondents expect to take advantage of this social network

for business in the next three years.

The national study was developed by The Creative Group

and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based

on more than 500 telephone interviews -- approximately

375 with marketing executives randomly selected from

companies with 100 or more employees and 125 with

advertising executives randomly selected from agencies

with 20 or more employees.

Advertising and marketing executives were asked,

When respondents were asked to estimate what

percentage of their facebook friends are business or

professional contacts, the mean response was 21 percent.

Thus, chances are, nearly everyone you know…from your

dentist to your colleague… is a part of at least one online

community. Whether it’s facebook, Twitter or Google+,

people are finding social networks useful for expanding their

professional contact base, mining information that can help

them in their careers, and showcasing their strengths and

industry expertise.

The Creative Group offers five ideas for maximizing social

networks to boost your career:

1. Divide and conquer. Not everyone in your social

network needs to know about your friday dinner plans or

musings on the latest blockbuster movie. Segment your

friend lists so professional contacts aren’t inundated with

updates they wouldn’t want to… or shouldn’t… see. Also

check your privacy settings to control who has access to

what information.

2. Be a guru. Share nuggets of useful information with

your business contacts, and offer advice when they ask for

recommendations or ideas.

3. Give and you shall receive. Be generous with your

contacts by offering to make introductions or sharing useful

information they post with your own network.

4. use photo features. Even if you maintain a personal

website or digital portfolio, you can provide your online

contacts with a snapshot of your latest professional project

or even your entire body of work. Creating albums on flickr

or facebook, or using Twitpic or similar photo-sharing tools,

is an easy way to visually show potential clients or employers

your career accomplishments and showcase new skills.

5. resist the urge to rant. Never say anything disparaging

about your current or former company, coworkers, clients

or other business contacts. You never know who might see

your comments and forward them on.

for additional etiquette tips on using social and

professional networking sites, download Business Etiquette:

The New rules in a Digital Age, at www.roberthalf.us/

businessetiquette. The comprehensive guide was developed

by robert Half, The Creative Group’s parent company, and

contains insights from industry experts on a wide range of

topics.

More information, including online job-hunting

services, candidate portfolios and The Creative Group’s

award-winning career magazine, can be found at www.

creativegroup.com.

MORE THAN ‘FRIENDS’

“Do you currently use Facebook for professional

or business purposes?” Their responses:

Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46%No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54% 100%

Executives also were asked, “Do you think you

will use Facebook for professional or business

purposes within the next three years?” Their

responses:

Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56%No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44% 100%


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adviceBY: DR. BARTON GOLDSMITH

WHEN You WANT to move your life forward but you just can’t seem

to get out of your own way, sometimes all you may need is a bit of a rest.

Some days may be harder than others are to get things done. You might

be feeling a little blue, things could be uncomfortable at home or at work, and

the stars may not be in alignment. All in all, the day just doesn’t seem to be

going the way you’d like it to. It can get so bad that you don’t even know what

direction you would like to head.

As long as this doesn’t happen too often, on days like this, it’s okay to be

gentle with yourself. You may be able to sleep it away. If you can take the day

off, or if it’s a weekend, you can let those close to you know what you’re doing

and allow yourself to take a nap for a little while. This can be very healing, but

if you do it more than once a week, there may be deeper issues going on.

If you have too much energy to be sedentary, go the opposite way and

get some exercise. Getting your body moving is your most accessible (and

cheapest) antidepressant and also works to lower your anxiety. The list of

benefits goes on forever, so there is no downside. I know it can be hard to get

going when you’re down in the dumps, but you have to keep saying to yourself

that the results are worth the effort. Even if you only take a gentle fifteen-

minute walk, it will get some endorphins flowing through your body and may

change your mood entirely.

Don’t try to take on huge projects or solve the world’s problems. There are

some days when even the smartest and strongest people need a break. You

are not wrong, bad, or evil for needing some time off. If your body and brain

require some rest, and you don’t allow it to happen, you will make mistakes,

and other problems will pop up because you can’t focus your attention to the

task at hand. Better to let it go for a day than to make a half-hearted attempt

that can cause more issues.

If you can’t actually get out of the house, and taking a nap doesn’t sound

appealing, try making lists of things you would like or need to do. It will help

you in organizing your priorities, and you will feel like you’ve made a small

accomplishment.

The world has a lot to offer, and most days we are ready, willing, and able to

take on whatever comes our way. But when a bad day happens, know that it’s

not the end of the world but just a sign that you need (and most likely deserve)

some time to recharge.

Life has a way of balancing itself out. Many answers can be found when you

take a break and stop pushing yourself.

Take It Easy When Things Get Tough


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