Trent365

Corporate Gifts have long been a big business...and they still are.

They represent any opportunity for companies and brands to stay front-of-mind for their customers and clients.

"We really appreciate your business. Here. Please accept this little (branded) gift with our compliments."

In a Covid-19 world where all things 'touch' are bad, a No-Touch Tool would make a great corporate gift.

You loyal customers can put it on their key ring or keep it in their pocket and use it whenever they need to open a door, press an elevator button or even open a bottle of beer.

Some of them now even come with a rubber nub on the end so you can use them on your smart phones or other touch screen surfaces.

Here's a link to a great article on what to look for and some great examples... https://hiconsumption.com/best-no-touch-tools/

#corporategifts #covid19marketing #notouch

There were any number of paths for you to choose over the course of your life.

You chose the path you did. So here we are today.

What about the future?

The same applies.

Just as your past was not predetermined, neither is your future.

From here on out there will be many different paths for you to choose.

It's up to you.

The decisions you make. The choices you make. The path you choose.

Exciting...isn't it?!?!?

NB: Thanks to Tim Urban (https://twitter.com/waitbutwhy) over on Twitter for the awesome graphic that inspired this episode.

#choose #paths #thefutureisyours

The best product or service in the market is not necessarily the best available.

It may just be the best that the market knows about.

There may well be better versions out there, but they're just not known.

Don't be naive.

It is not enough to simply build a better product or service offering.

You need to be seen to be better.

You must be known to be better.

#better #marketing #awareness

Thanks to the internet and social media, anybody who wants to have a voice can have one.

If you want to add your thoughts to the debate, you can.

But just because you can...doesn't mean you should.

Unless you can add something of value to the discussion, then you're really just adding to the noise.

To be clear, 'value' doesn't have to be new data or research or knowledge.

Simply saying the same thing a different way can actually be of value.

But if you have nothing of value to add...maybe you should just do that...add nothing.

#addingvalue #contribution #opinions

Lots of people ask for feedback.

But not always do they really want to hear it.

I mean, I get it. We don't like to hear something negative. Something harsh. 

Especially if it's about a project we've put our heart and soul into.

However, it's far better to get that harsh criticism now than to wait until your project fails - until your harsh outcome.

At least take it on board. Consider it.

Maybe it's just that person's opinion and is not reflective of the overall market.

Or maybe there might just be something in that harsh feedback that you can learn from to make your thing just that much better.

So, not only should you embrace harsh feedback...you should actively seek it out.

NB: Thanks to @TheStoicEmperor for the quote.

#constructivefeedback #harsh #critcism

I was asked by our finance folks if the drop in revenue from March to April this year could be explained by 'seasonality'.

Well, I guess it could....but that's not really the reason.

We are still so far off normality that it's still way too early to blaming seasonality for the ebbs and flows in revenues.

But it did get me thinking about how easily in past we would use seasonality as the excuse.

Sure, we all know we have high seasons and low seasons.

But think about that for a second...we KNOW.

So, if we know it's coming, what are we doing to try to counteract it's impact?

And I'm not talking about dropping the prices or offering special local residents discounts.

I mean really significantly tweaking or morphing our business...just like many of us have been forced to do over this past year or so.

Not so long ago we would have just said it's not worth the effort. It's not our core business. It's just a few months anyway.

But maybe if there's one thing we've learned from COVID-19 is how quickly and significantly we can change our business...when we have to.

In the next low season, tell yourself you have to!

#seasonality #covidinnovation #covid19learning

People generally like Familiarity.

It makes us feel comfortable. 

That's why I always go to the same supermarket for my weekly shop...until I couldn't!

When I had to shop at a new supermarket recently, I hated it.

The items were all in different places. They didn't have my favourite brands.

Nightmare!

But, as they say, Familiarity Breeds Contempt.

So, throw in just 10% of Different to help keep it fresh.

#comfort #consistency #rulesofsuccess

If you're selling a product or service these days, chances are you spend a fair amount of time trying to not offend some people.

To maintain a level of political correctness.

But if you have a product designed for slim young women, it's ok that your website doesn't feature bigger, older women. 

They're not your market. They're not your customer.

It doesn't make sense for them to be the face of your product.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for diversity at a business level. Indeed, I think it's critical.

But when it comes to your product or service, usually what works best is a targeted, focussed marketing strategy.

And if that means you upset those who don't align with your demographic, that's ok.

#politicalcorrectness #targetedaudience #truetoyourself

Way back in Ep. 487 of this show I spoke about how I'm ok with a Wrong Decision as long as it's not a Bad Decision.

And what defines a Bad Decision is one where you simply haven't done the work. You haven't put the effort into considering all the data, all the possible outcomes and scenarios, etc.

Here's a link to Ep. 487 - Bad Decisions vs Wrong Decisions - https://bit.ly/3j5J0oV

Billionaire investor Ray Dalio has a similar perspective in his Principles.

He suggests we spend too much time focussing on the Conclusion and not enough talking about the Reasoning behind that conclusion.

And that's where the real value and learning is - in the Reasoning.

So, if you want to provide value, talk less about your Conclusion and more about your Reasoning.

NB:  Here's a link to Ray Dalio's Principles - https://bit.ly/3uVp0M7

#reasoning #learning #decisionmaking

Whenever we're telling someone about what we do for a job, we tend to focus on our Responsibilities in our job role.

And for most of us, this carries through to our Resumes as well.

This was the Job Title I had. These were my Responsibilities.

But that's not really what a potential future employer wants to know.

What they really want to know is what you accomplished.

What Impact did you have in that role?

So, the next time someone asks you what you do for a job, try to craft the response in terms of the Impact that you have at work.

And, oh yeah, go ahead and craft your Resume in the same way.

NB: Thanks to Rohan Mahtani for that little gem.

#resumetips #jobhuntingtips #resumewriting