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06.14.10 Lessons Learned

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Quote of the Month:
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
– John Wooden, teacher, coach, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient (1910-2010)

You can call it experience, learning lessons, things I’ll never do again, but we all make mistakes. Of course, it’s less painful to learn from other people’s mishaps than our own. In our roundtable discussion, we shared participatory and spectator examples.

Technology.
* Back up everything: computer files, phone numbers (someone once lost a BlackBerry in a Porta-Potty!), all the things in your wallet, login information, etc. There are many solutions, including online sources, hard copies, bank safe deposit boxes, but they all start with one question: “If I lost this, then what?”

* One thing you can do with important text documents is to copy/paste into the body of an e-mail and send it to a couple of your accounts. If your computer bites the dust, you’d have a copy. (This very newsletter you are reading? Kathie had it finished on 6/17 and just a few minutes before sending it out on 6/18? Her computer took its last breath. Did she have a backup? No. The version you are reading was re-created from cranial scratch.)

* Make sure you have a Plan B when giving a PowerPoint presentation. You need to be able to present your information in the absence of technology. Or electricity.

* Speaking of presentations, how do you separate your original document from the copies? Staple yours in the top right-hand corner and all the copies on the left. Or mark through yours with a highlighter. Or print your original in color and all the copies in black and white, or vice versa. Anything to make your original stand out in a stack of papers.

Networking.
* Remind yourself (often, if necessary) that yes, networking will result in sales and income. But it takes time and consistency. You can’t attend a couple of networking events and expect a couple of sales.

* Observe exhibitors at trade shows. You will see all kinds of examples of what not to do: talking on a cell phone, ignoring potential customers, being unapproachable. At the same time, we need to give vendors a break, because exhibiting is arduous. It’s hard to work a trade show and be “on” for hours on end.

* Pass along names. If you hear of someone looking for a new mechanic or dentist or whatever, share a name. Referrals aren’t always directly reciprocal; they can be sent and received in all kinds of circuitous ways.

Marketing.
* Business cards are for sharing, not just showing off.

* Be professional, accessible, and approachable in public. You never know where business will come from.

Local Loyalty.
* Where do you draw the line between supporting local businesses and going online for price points? Discuss. If being local is part of your personal code, practice it and preach it.

* What is it that makes online shopping possible and popular? Perhaps local businesses should spend some time thinking about it: strategies we can adapt to help local people do business with us.

Misc.
Let’s appreciate the lessons life throws our way. Keeping a journal or written account of things gone awry is a good way to keep them from being repeated.

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