Brains on Fire

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  The Art of Black and White

  Posted on January 31st, 2012 by Eric Dodds and currently 3 commenting.

  Several weeks ago I needed to have a suit tailored. I contacted a gentlman who was recommended to me (1), and our conversation about my needs was very short:

  Me: “I need a suit tailored.”
  Bill: “I charge [x dollars]. It will be perfect.”

  I didn’t think much about it until a few days later, but when it did hit me, I realized how much impact his promise carried. It was the most starkly simple spoken promise I’d recieved as part of a purchase in a long time.

  To some extent, craftsman-type services afford you the ability to make that promise. They’re black and white. Either my suit fits perfectly, or it doesn’t. Either my car is running right, or it isn’t. Either my sinks and showers drain properly, or they don’t.

  I think that there’s something about ‘black and white’ things that we love as humans. It takes some of the guesswork out, and it can make meeting and fulfilling expectations a heck of a lot easer. Think about how nice it would be for a board to say to a CEO, “we need to increase sales by 10% next quarter,” and the leader’s response to be, “It will cost [x dollars] and sales will increase by 12.5%. I promise.”

  But that’s not always the world we live in. And that’s not always the world that craftsman live in either – we both live in a world where we interact with humans who desire beauty and creativity. Humans are less than predictable, and beauty and creativity are difficult to execute, and many times subjective.

  Nonetheless, the black-and-white art of tailoring my suit (which fits perfectly) led me to ask some great questions:

  • How can we make our services and their results more black and white?
  • Can we make measurement of our work more black and white?
  • How can I build my skills so that I can, like my tailor, make strong promises that I’m confident I can keep?
  • How can I instill confidence in clients?

  (1) If you live in the Greenville area and you need a suit tailored, contact Bill Mitchell of Billiam Jeans.

  Tags: black and white, Clients, clothing, Expectations, perfect, suit, tailor
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  What are you doing with your minutes?

  Posted on January 30th, 2012 by Robbin and currently 0 commenting.

  2011 from hey_rabbit on Vimeo.

  I found this on GOOD. Oh MY. Have I told you how much I love almost every bit of content they produce and curate?

  This video is no exception. Seems that Madeline captured a bit of video everyday for a year of her life, then edited each video down to one second for each day.

  The random minutes of life collectively make up our life’s bigger story in such a magical way, don’t they?

  The other day Geno and I were talking about a CEO client we admire that takes over an hour to walk from the building entrance to her office. She takes the time to stop and talk to her employees and customers. Geno’s take on that: “People don’t realize that something magical can start just by asking a one employee or customer for a cup of coffee and listening to what they have to say.” Then doing it again and again and again.

  Word of mouth is at it’s core conversation and conversation is a powerful thing. It’s the collective conversations that unite and change organizations from the inside out.
  
  As a person and a marketer or a leader, how are you using your minutes? Are you heads down from one task to another, or are you sucking in all that each minute truly offers?

  Tags: GOOD, MInutes, word of mouth marketing
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  Permission to love.

  Posted on January 26th, 2012 by Robbin and currently 3 commenting.

  
  This tiny little love note showed on my computer one afternoon. I keep it close by and still have no clue who wrote it.

  Some of our team has just returned from a long weekend of training for one of our clients. I love hearing the stories they bring back home from these experiences with our clients and their advocates. Alexis shared some of the emails she got when they returned today. After reading this amazing thread of heartfelt notes, Cordell sent me one of his classic one liners.

  It simply said:

  “It’s amazing what happens when you give people permission to love.”

  Our purpose at Brains on Fire is lofty, but real. We believe we are changing lives and one by one by one, we like to think we are changing the world. I believe with all my heart that Greg is right, we really do give people permission to love their customers, their employees, their purpose, their passions, their stories — simply by helping them find and shine a light on their true voice, spirit, soul, and meaning.
  
  Chime in. Do you give yourself permission to love? Have you seen that change and grow organizations for the better?

  Tags: Love, Permission to Love
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  3.13.12 – Robbin speaks – Hoosier Hospitality Conference

  Posted on January 26th, 2012 by Kindling Spirits and currently 0 commenting.

  Robbin will head to Indiana to speak with members of the travel and tourism industry during this year’s Hoosier Hospitality Conference in Bloomington. Robbin will present to Indiana’s restaurateurs at 10 a.m. and in a general session at 1:45 p.m. on March 13.

  For more details, visit: www.hoosierhospitalityconference.com

  Tags: hospitality, Robbin, tourism, travel
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  2.4.12 – Eric speaks – CommonGround Conference

  Posted on January 26th, 2012 by Kindling Spirits and currently 2 commenting.

  Eric will share Lessons Learned Igniting Word of Mouth Movements during the CommonGround Shared Voices Conference on February 3 in Charleston, S.C.

  For more information, check out: www.FindOurCommonGround.com

  Tags: CommonGround, Eric, WOM, Word of Mouth