Brains on Fire

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  Can I Get You Anything Else?

  Posted on November 30th, 2011 by Eric Dodds and currently 1 commenting.

  A few days ago, someone in the office told us a story about finding what looked like a bone in their son’s canned vegetable soup. Gross, I know. The story went on to be a classic tale of a customer having a problem, contacting a giant organization, and feeling like their call for help echoed into the unknown abyss of bureaucracy.

  Geno swung the pendulum the other way and told us about a clothing company he ordered a small item from who actually got on the phone and called him directly when they realized the item was out of stock and that he needed to re-order it.

  I started to think about customer service and how difficult it is to fully staff a strong service program, and perform really well, really consistently. I thought, “more people on staff really would make this a whole customer service thing a whole lot easier.”

  But that’s not necessarily true, is it?

  Last night I took a random trip to a small mountain town for dessert in a cozy little cafe. When the brownies and ice cream were gone and our glasses were empty, the waitress asked a simple question that caught me off guard:

  Is there anything else you can think of that you need?

  I think what surprised me was that the question actually made me consider whether I needed or wanted anything else. Remarks from servers so often seem to be formalities. And many times it seems that they hint at the conclusion of the meal by saying, “Can I get you anything else,” at which point I sometimes feel like asking would inconvenience them and they’re ready to turn the table.

  It was a small statement that made a huge difference, and I think it reflects the most important aspect of customer service: mindset.

  Manpower answering every phone call, or even proactively calling customers, will only go so far if we don’t understand the weight of each interaction.

  It’s so easy for me to slip into seeing interactions with the clients I work with – whether over email, phone, or in person, as stepping stones towards year end goals as opposed to opportunities to help solve problems for real people who have come to us for creative help.

  Perhaps changing the way I think begins with less, “Can I get you anything else,” and more, “Is there anything else you can think of that you need?”

  Tags: Clients, customer service, geno church, need, restaurant, Shannon Kohn, soup, waiter
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  Rented vs. Owned

  Posted on November 29th, 2011 by amy and currently 2 commenting.

  If you have been living under a rock, you may have missed the memo that Facebook is rolling out new and improved Facebook Insight/analytics. They’re doing away with some of the old metrics, and adding some new (presumably helpful) ones. The official transition goes into effect on December 15.

  As I re-worked a metrics spreadsheet for a client yesterday, I couldn’t help but think of something Geno Church often talks about. Today seems like the perfect opportunity to pass it on.

  The Embassy: Your Home Away from Home

  Let’s take a mental vacation for a second. You’re finally taking the trip to Paris you always dreamed of. After a delicious French meal, you return to the hotel room to find your bags have been stolen. No more Euros. No more credit cards. No more passport. After battling the language barrier with a French police officer, you head to the American Embassy for help. Although you’re on foreign soil, as soon as you walk through the door, you’ve found your home away from home.

  Embassies are an established presence where interactions, conversations and participation are facilitated by one or more ambassadors.

  For this next part, let’s pretend you own a pixie dust store (aptly named The Pixie Dust Store), and your brand site lives at pixiedust.com.

  OWNED

  Let’s talk home turf. Think of pixiedust.com as owned real estate. It belongs to you. You have control of the conversation. You decide when to blog or post a photo. You decide how posting a blog of photo will be done. You can change the site design. You make the rules. It’s a space The Pixie Dust Store controls.

  Why are owned properties important?

  • Control: Owned properties provide a space for you can lead, prompt and create conversation

  RENTED

  Now let’s talk about rented properties. You may not realize it, but if you’re social media savvy, you’re already renting all over the place. Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and YouTube are all examples of rented properties. You can create “camps” (create accounts/profiles) in these rented properties, but you’re not in control of how they operate. Just like renting a house, if the landlord says you can’t paint the walls or have a dog – that’s how the cookie crumbles. The same thing goes for rented properties online. If Twitter says you have to convey your message in 140 characters, so be it. If Facebook changes their metrics, you don’t have a say in the matter. (You just accept it, rework your metrics spreadsheet and move on…)

  Why are rented properties important?

  • Don’t get us wrong. Rented properties are great way to connect. Though you may not have all the control, they provide an opening in the conversation to reach out to people beyond your owned “home turf” and become a part of their existing conversations.

  
  

  Back to the embassy metaphor!

  Both owned and rented properties are valuable. Each one packs a unique set of benefits and challenges.

  Your owned property (pixiedust.com) is America. It’s your home base. Your motherland.

  Think of the footprints you create in rented spaces (like Facebook, Twitter) as your little embassies. Just like the American embassy in France, you may not make the law of the land, but in that little space, you can represent what you stand for. And you can become a welcoming space for others in that rented space to join you.

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  I love you madly. OXOX.

  Posted on November 28th, 2011 by Robbin and currently 0 commenting.

  
  Seems we are born with a need to love and be loved. It’s so simple really. Photo via Libby Williams. All together now. Awwwww.

  I’ll keep today’s post super short since you’re all bound to be busy after a long holiday.

  This Thanksgiving morning, I reached out by text and phone calls to my core group of friends. Thanking each of them for their love and support.

  As I was driving to my Mom’s house for dinner with my son Tyler, I got a reply back from my dear friend Kym.

  “I love you madly. OXOX. “

  Every cell in my body smiled.

  I got pictures of deep snow in Maine, updates from friends in remote places, photos of roasted turkeys, my daughter skyped us from Spain. Other replies of happiness were sent our way during that short 45 minute journey. Funny how those simple messages left me feeling so connected to the universe.

  Hard to explain really.

  I’m reading (or maybe I should say studying since it is taking me so long) Jonathan Haidt’s, The Happiness Hypothesis. Last night I discovered this nugget on page 133:
  
  Please say you will read his book. It’s really good.

  “If you want to predict how happy someone is, or how long she will live… you should find out about her social connections.

  ….

  Recent work on giving support shows that caring for others is often more beneficial than is receiving help. We need to interact and intertwine with others, we need the give and take; we need to belong”

  Hmmmm.
  
  So — if this notion of supporting others and being connected works for human beings, doesn’t it stand to reason that the same thing applies to a successful, happy and thriving business?

  I think so.

  What do you think?

  Happy Monday.

  I love you madly. OXOXO

  Tags: Jonathan Haidt, LIbby Wiliams, Love, The Happiness Hypothesis
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  Vegas, Stories and Relationships.

  Posted on November 23rd, 2011 by Robbin and currently 10 commenting.

  
  Have to admit the newly open Cosmopolitan was very visually stimulating and the rooms were amazing.

  I have a confession. I hate Las Vegas.

  I have often called it “the armpit of America”.

  I hate the lack of fresh air and all the concrete and the scale of things and the crazy over the top consumption.

  I can’t stay too long in a place where you can’t touch the earth.

  But this year, I decided to go to the WOMMA Summit in Vegas with an open heart. I was determined to see Vegas with a new set of eyes and an open mind.

  After sharing this with my friend Scott, he sent me this article for inspiration on changing my lens.

  And it worked. Just shifting my attitude and becoming an explorer, changed everything. My trip down the strip began with a sweet cab ride with a thoughtful guy named Vinnie who moved to Vegas after falling in love on blind date two years ago. (How do you get a blind date in Vegas when you live in Chicago?) Even though he couldn’t find a “real” job and ended up driving a cab, he was SO happy to be there with the love of his life. They were hoping to buy a home soon and get married in one those cheezy little chapels.

  Hmmm. I love a good love story, don’t you?

  Its just so cool how one little question, like “how’d you get here” can spark a story between complete strangers and create a connection.

  Vegas is full of story and romance.

  This year, I went to the WOMMA Summit in Vegas because I genuinely treasure the relationships we have with the folks in our industry. Loved seeing so many familiar faces, hearing their stories and then spending some time learning together.

  
  Some of our crazy cool friends from WOMMA: Rod Brooks, John Moore, David Rabjohns, Su Fanning (Who is WOMMA”s new President) and our very own Geno Church!

  This year’s keynotes were fascinating speakers and people.

  If you ever get the chance to see Sally Hogshead, author of Fascinate speak. Take it. I hope we can find a way to bring her to our FIRE session next year.

  Did you know that the average attention span of an adult today is nine seconds? That means you have nine seconds to create an emotional connection to someone. As a person or a brand, this is a stunning notion to embrace. Everything Sally said rang true for me. I’ll find the book again, finish it and review it for you in anther post. I enjoyed her talk that much.

  Since we are about to enter into the Thanksgiving holiday I will share this one last thought from Simon Mainwaring — the day two, “8:30 am in Vegas” brave speaker:

  “Address something more than your self interests and all of your interests will be served.”

  It’s true. Happiness, in business or personally is not a ME thing. It not about money. Or fancy titles or even better widgets. It’s about meaningful relationships. Always has been. Relationships shape our lives and create positive change. And in this world where we can connect and share in so many ways, I hope you take this day before Thanksgiving to think about the all the amazing relationships in your life.

  The super close ones, like family and close friends.
  The online friendships that make you laugh out loud or feel connected, even when you are alone on a long cross country flight.
  The business relationships that keep your businesses alive, growing and full of story.

  The magic of life is truly in our relationships.

  I got home after eleven days on the west coast, and found a very kind message of gratitude from a friend on my office voice mail. Kindness is underrated, don’t you think?. It reminded me to tell the people who inspire me daily how I feel.

  So here goes.

  If you’re reading today, we cherish the time you share with us. We’d love for you to comment and say hello. Just tell us your name or maybe tell us a story about how relationships matter to you.

  Tell us how you got here.
  
  We’re listening. And grateful beyond words for our relationship with you.

  

  Yeah. Only in Vegas.

  Tags: cosmopolitan las vegas, David Rabjohns, Fascinate, john moore, Rod Brooks, Sally Hogshead, Simon Mainwaring, Su Fanning, WOMMA Summit
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  The Courage to Wonder

  Posted on November 21st, 2011 by Geno and currently 4 commenting.

  Last week Robbin Phillips, our client Emily Kirkpatrick (National Center for Family Literacy) and I attended the WOMMA Summit in Vegas. If you didn’t make this year’s summit you missed a good one. Great, thought-provoking keynotes, a WOMMA worthy venue (the Cosmopolitan rocked!) and a large turnout of brands and agencies. It was great to see many old friends and the WOMMA staff.

  I had the honor of co-presenting the Wonderopolis case study with Emily during our Content Marketing session. You can check out the presentation on SlideShare here.

  Wonderopolis was also honored during the WOMMY luncheon, with a GOLD WOMMY in the Cause Marketing category. Wonderopolis is a rare treat for an agency. It was birthed out of a trusting partnership between agency and client, in this case a not-for-profit.

  I’d like to say again… Wonder is simple, but in order to Wonder out loud – it takes courage. Thank you Emily and NCFL for having the courage to engage and inspire all of us to Wonder out loud. And to my co-workers at Brains on Fire, thank you for being fearless in bringing a strategy like Wonderopolis to life. It really is making a difference.

  I’ll leave you with this little nugget from a blog post: “Our class emailed Wonderopolis and nominated a wonder. It appeared this past week! And in less than two months time! The wonder is called How Do Mood Rings Work? I cannot wait to share it with my class tomorrow. Check it out! Thanks, Wonderopolis, for acting on our curiosity!”