tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70677299988958243442024-03-05T21:18:35.621-08:00Extraordinary EventsExtraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-87716295258158963712018-05-24T13:19:00.002-07:002018-05-24T13:25:08.736-07:00Put On Your CAP, All Clients Are NOT Equal<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{58}" paraid="2075675556" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I’ve been so impressed by Dean </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Minuto</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> and his thoughts on sales and performance and have learned a great deal about the art of </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="ContextualSpellingAndGrammarError SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">storytelling</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. Dean shared his thoughts on what I call selecting your clients and they truly resonated. In my blogs, I’ve often shared lessons learned from mistakes and a recent </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">BizBash</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> podcast dealt with how to create a great business marriage. Especially when starting out we tend to grab at low lying fruit…anything to make a buck and “win” over the competition. But is it the best choice?</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="background-color: transparent; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Here is yet another lesson that Dean has allowed me to share with you.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span> <span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i> - Andrea Michaels</i></span><br />
<span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i><br /></i></span> <span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{86}" paraid="450579280" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">- </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">By Dean </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Minuto</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{86}" paraid="450579280" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{71}" paraid="530398080" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Remember this fact:</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{103}" paraid="297580977" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">All clients are not created equal.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{105}" paraid="695404728" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">There are some clients that you don't want.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{107}" paraid="324136920" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Put on your Thinking CAP--</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{109}" paraid="1010863564" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Critical Account Planning</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{119}" paraid="845261532" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{128}" paraid="555550706" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">S</span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ometimes you can </span><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">get to yes too fast, with the wrong clients</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{117}" paraid="1688664988" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">There are some yeses that you don't really want.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{119}" paraid="498789290" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Some clients that you bring on</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{121}" paraid="852068037" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">that later you wish you hadn't brought on...</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{123}" paraid="597297727" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">you know the ones?</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{164}" paraid="2130180586" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{125}" paraid="974318027" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">The clients that end up costing you financially</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{127}" paraid="1394676719" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and emotionally...</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{129}" paraid="222617795" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Clients that treat you and your team with disrespect.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{131}" paraid="1794716377" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">They're just hard to serve.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{172}" paraid="830022237" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{133}" paraid="1092813548" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">And it's hard to get rid of them.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{179}" paraid="1769728467" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{135}" paraid="305623918" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Better to identify them </span><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><u>before</u></span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> you go after them.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{193}" paraid="127054242" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{137}" paraid="699978030" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">The easy ones to identify are the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="ContextualSpellingAndGrammarError SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">ones</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> that exhibit</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{139}" paraid="115814882" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">behavior characteristics of bullies.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{141}" paraid="746613473" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">(You saw the behavior from them on day one</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{143}" paraid="388998757" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and yet you didn't listen to your </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="ContextualSpellingAndGrammarError SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">gut..</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{145}" paraid="1651575244" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">because that client was a Shiny Object.)</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{200}" paraid="1862846874" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{147}" paraid="713665172" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Thank you to my dear friend Andy George</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{149}" paraid="351249303" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">for helping me frame this concept.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{208}" paraid="1288422448" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{151}" paraid="2122142764" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Something about the deal was attractive</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{153}" paraid="1023603125" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="ContextualSpellingAndGrammarError SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">so</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> we went after it.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{155}" paraid="356994824" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">But...</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{157}" paraid="1942339949" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">The reality is: not all clients are equal</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{159}" paraid="208335671" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and some clients are bad fits for us.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{215}" paraid="2010947963" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{161}" paraid="1847152371" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">What if you could identify them before you went after them?</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{163}" paraid="1635644095" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Before all that time, energy, and expense was wasted?</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{165}" paraid="1843933502" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Let's use the metaphor of an Apple Tree</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{167}" paraid="1483561536" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">(first shared with me by my first partner and</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{169}" paraid="204198294" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">master sales expert, Stephen Riddell)</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{223}" paraid="529788237" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{171}" paraid="354017911" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Think about all the deals out there</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{173}" paraid="1544340308" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and all the opportunities that you could be picking</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{175}" paraid="1287773181" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">as apples on </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">a huge Apple Tree...</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{231}" paraid="113928879" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{177}" paraid="542678422" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">There are big apples and small apples;</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{179}" paraid="1589231048" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">there are good apples and bad apples.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{241}" paraid="976259700" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{181}" paraid="1240829966" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Now think of yourself and your team as Apple Pickers.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5cf1fd64-b3bd-4602-ab35-66b139c5dc68}{249}" paraid="946651776" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{183}" paraid="1194212092" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Down near the ground, or on the ground</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{185}" paraid="1749075092" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">the low hanging </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="ContextualSpellingAndGrammarError SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">fruit...</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{187}" paraid="1004530323" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">They look like the easiest apples to grab, right?</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{189}" paraid="2092868985" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">But they're often the deals that are rotten</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{191}" paraid="2055738393" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">...they are low margin... they are hard...</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{193}" paraid="263852161" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Because they don't value you.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{40f3b67b-d748-4350-808c-451b7a05bf50}{4}" paraid="269627538" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{195}" paraid="1034484347" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Leave the Bad Apples</span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> on the ground.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{197}" paraid="2104312012" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Let your competitors respond to their RFPs.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{40f3b67b-d748-4350-808c-451b7a05bf50}{13}" paraid="369788653" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{199}" paraid="1618405081" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">(How do you define a Bad Apple in </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">your</span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> business?)</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{40f3b67b-d748-4350-808c-451b7a05bf50}{21}" paraid="1167542776" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{201}" paraid="1129053434" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">But look way up at the apples at the top of the tree</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{203}" paraid="2140147740" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">beware of the Shiny Objects</span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> up there</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{205}" paraid="23261783" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">the ones you </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="AdvancedProofingIssue SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">have to</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> work too hard to go after</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and because of how high you </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="AdvancedProofingIssue SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">have to</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> go off the ground</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">they are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="AdvancedProofingIssue SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">actually dangerous</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> to try and pick.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">You might get hurt going after them.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{213}" paraid="7646839" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><i>Beware of the lure of the Shiny Object.</i></span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{215}" paraid="157788124" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Your life is like an Apple Tree--</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{217}" paraid="2017004396" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">with a virtually unlimited number of Apples</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{219}" paraid="498345370" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and the question you need to ask is</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{f87a694c-2b94-4341-8997-9c752e983a5d}{221}" paraid="1435716092" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">which are the healthiest </span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="ContextualSpellingAndGrammarError SCXW230475277" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">ones</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW230475277" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> for you?</span><span class="EOP SCXW230475277" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-3233857418061193642018-04-30T10:56:00.001-07:002018-04-30T10:56:45.313-07:00Creating Solutions Instead Of Apologies<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Every time I read one of Shep’s articles I learn something new or relearn something I never want to forget. This one resonated as a reminder of what true heartfelt customer service is all about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Andrea Michaels</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4o9xjEO-rF7RBJS_KXVEqvWb53K8wsipdSyY_4H6SA1jNAyqopWjcUWw1ILtUWLeCHudd24cGOseBZR1UKQmmNcFG8cmppE9vEhIgwnRVb1O-TZ5nq2XqqwyxfVRheam6dnEwaV1f_s/s1600/ShepCartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4o9xjEO-rF7RBJS_KXVEqvWb53K8wsipdSyY_4H6SA1jNAyqopWjcUWw1ILtUWLeCHudd24cGOseBZR1UKQmmNcFG8cmppE9vEhIgwnRVb1O-TZ5nq2XqqwyxfVRheam6dnEwaV1f_s/s320/ShepCartoon.jpg" width="266" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">- By Shep Hyken</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 14pt;">There are many great customer service stories that can serve as a template for how to handle a problem. I always fall back on my five-step service recovery process to handle all complaints and problems. For those that haven’t been following, the </span>five-steps<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 14pt;"> are: 1) Acknowledge the problem and thank the customer for bringing it to your attention. 2) Apologize for the problem. 3) Fix it or discuss the resolution. 4) Have an attitude of ownership. 5) Act with urgency.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">If you fix a problem or complaint and use these five steps in the background, you will typically not just fix the problem, but restore the customers confidence in you, sometimes to a level even higher than if the problem had never happened.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">That brings us to Sarah Wimer, one of our followers, who sent in a story about one of my favorite companies, Panera Bread. For those that don’t know, before Panera was Panera, it was St. Louis Bread Company, a local St. Louis, MO chain that sold sandwiches and bakery items. Today there are over 2,000 bakery-cafes, more than 100,000 associates and sales are over $5 billion. And, they didn’t get there by disappointing their customers. On the contrary, they are very customer-focused, and this story is a perfect example.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Sarah lives in New York, and had the yearning for Panera’s Green Goddess Salad. It was a cold rainy day, so she drove through the drive-through rather than go inside to place her order. When she got back to the office, she discovered that whoever made the salad, left out the dressing. In Sarah’s words, “If you have ever had a Green Goddess Salad, you know that the dressing is the entire point.” Frustrated, she decided to call Panera and share her thoughts. She braced herself for the worst, but was pleasantly surprised as the experience went from a Moment of Misery™, with the missing salad dressing, to a Moment of Magic®, with flawless recovery.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Moment of Magic #1: Since it was lunch time, Sarah thought she might have to leave a message or wait on hold, but was pleasantly surprised that the manager was available to talk right away.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Moment of Magic #2: The manager acknowledges the mistake and apologizes, and then offers up a solution. In just a few short moments he nailed the first three steps in my service recovery process. He asks where she is located and asks if she wouldn’t mind waiting 15 minutes. He’ll get her the dressing right away. That was steps four and five. The manager didn’t make any excuses, such as it being busy or having a short staff. Instead he just owned the problem, and then promised her she would be getting her dressing in just 15 minutes. (Well done Mr. Panera Manager!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Moment of Magic #3: He shows up on time with the dressing and a Danish ring for the rest of the office to enjoy. I like that… a little something extra for the inconvenience.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Moment of Magic #4: As if all that wasn’t enough, he wanted to make sure she came back, so he gave her a gift-card for her next visit. He also informed her that the team would be running laps outside after lunch as a reminder of why they don’t mess up an order. He was joking, of course, but the humor was another way to add some personality into the recovery effort.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">And, this is how it’s supposed to work. And, guess what happens when good companies flawlessly execute, especially in recovery mode? The customer tells other people. In this case Sarah not only told her friends, she also told me. And, I just couldn’t resist sharing the story with others, which means tens of thousands of people are going to find out how well Panera takes care of their customers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj9xJBDfcZTRRgaIzTpL3ScZBPUzLSxbrzqOpWFfrtjnVIreJo-et1klcUuY_pAS3Csn3ZNNZm40B012YPLL5hR9vfpcSuxqNQpkZe8CmwAG0kI6DxPxXwUDQ6KxfqHmrZMAc4s8-Iyw/s1600/Shep+Hyken.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1291" data-original-width="1033" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj9xJBDfcZTRRgaIzTpL3ScZBPUzLSxbrzqOpWFfrtjnVIreJo-et1klcUuY_pAS3Csn3ZNNZm40B012YPLL5hR9vfpcSuxqNQpkZe8CmwAG0kI6DxPxXwUDQ6KxfqHmrZMAc4s8-Iyw/s200/Shep+Hyken.jpg" width="160" /></a><br />
<i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling business author. For information, contact 314-692-2200 or <a href="http://www.hyken.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box;">www.hyken.com</a>. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs, go to <a href="http://www.thecustomerfocus.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">www.thecustomerfocus.com</a>. Follow on Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/hyken" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">@Hyken</a></i><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Andrea Michaels is the founder and president of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a>, and the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1517358591&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life</a>. She may be reached via <a href="mailto:amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com">amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</a>.</i></span></span></div>
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<br />Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-22852550294229004512018-02-21T13:10:00.000-08:002018-02-21T13:10:51.616-08:00Take a Risk... On People<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHNcAmBV7SpBkSPvhyphenhyphenQLE8qmo_xYMEwan-7nKzhuf1ZM-4IUQlfgZubEYb3XZgbRdqcJKdC53hKYizplPsFidc77Q9RTPqfD3oDJoWWnK5M1ioGIf4b_ieL3qylEnNKZZveN0vW9pd80/s1600/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="685" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHNcAmBV7SpBkSPvhyphenhyphenQLE8qmo_xYMEwan-7nKzhuf1ZM-4IUQlfgZubEYb3XZgbRdqcJKdC53hKYizplPsFidc77Q9RTPqfD3oDJoWWnK5M1ioGIf4b_ieL3qylEnNKZZveN0vW9pd80/s320/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I've written several pieces about "taking a risk," but one very important aspect is "taking a risk on people." In better words, "give people a chance" whenever you can do so.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When I look back at a very long career in the event industry, I'm proud of the fact that I've done just that. As a result, I've launched some careers for people who have become successful and productive members of the events community. They have added creativity and expertise to the industry and gone on to educate others who then follow in their footsteps. I have asked a few of them to remind me of how we started out, and I joyfully share with you what happened when I took a chance on people I didn't know but about whom I just had a good feeling.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I invite you to <i>pay it forward </i>in your own world and do the same. The results can be remarkable.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.fredtallaksen.com/">Fred Tallaksen,
Choreographer</a></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">To be totally honest, I was wearing a bad wig and doing a Fred and Ginger dance routine at a corporate event when I first met Andrea. (My Ginger had a bad wig, too.) We had a good laugh but developed an immediate friendship. I had just moved to Los Angeles from Manhattan in 1992, and didn't know many people. I was still a performer and just starting to think about possibly choreographing the corporate gigs I had been dancing in for years. Not only did Andrea encourage me and give me the confidence to step up and be a choreographer... but she also helped me start my own entertainment company and guided me through my first few years of business all the way up to today... hiring me, teaching me, supporting me, and sharing much of the important inside information about the special events world that takes a lifetime to gather. I still apply all that knowledge to this day, 26 years later. And at the end of the day, we're still laughing about lots of things and enjoying a close friendship which I cherish more than work or money in the long run!</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://bravoevents-online.com/">Greg Jenkins, Bravo Productions</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">It's hard to believe 31 years have passed. Andrea took a chance on us based on our Rose Parade background, and the rest is history. We will always be eternally grateful! Andrea and her team continue to be a champion, inspiration, and vital voice for the events industry.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";"><a href="http://www.bicts.com/">Greg Christy, Bright Ideas</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">Andrea and I first met some 30 years ago through a mutual friend, Don Gilmartin. Don and I had been working together for several years, and he wanted to introduce me to a dynamic woman doing amazing, cutting-edge work in our industry. I can still remember the day I met her. She asked piercing questions, and I quickly knew that I had to up my game to keep up with her. I must have said the right things, because she took a chance on a guy just starting out in the industry, with nothing but ideas and hopefully a good vision. She gave me a little show that became two more, and eventually she became one of my best clients, and a true friend.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.talentagency.com/">Paul Creighton, T.
Skorman Productions</a></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">It's an age-old conundrum. How can you work if no one knows who you are? And how can anyone know who you are if you don't get a chance to show them? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">I found myself in the same situation over 22 years ago. The Special Event Show was coming to my town, and I wanted in. I had an idea for a new band that didn't exist on the East Coast. With the help of some local friends, I found the name of the executive producer of the Gala Night and approached her with my idea. She was an icon in the industry, a soon-to-be Lifetime Achievement Award winner. I wasn't in her league. But still, she gave me her blessing, and I went to work producing the act. The evening was a smash success, and that was the beginning of a wonderful relationship. It started as mentor/pupil, moved to client/vendor and over the years, it's grown into so much more. Just a few years ago, I was honored with the same award that my mentor won so many years before. And, she was in the audience when it happened.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">I've tried to live up to the bar she sets in her business, and I've tried to mirror the mentoring and teaching that she does with giving back of my own. That's what it's all about. Paying it forward. Looking toward the bigger picture. Growing an industry. I'm glad I met Andrea Michaels. Wouldn't it be great if everyone could find their own Andrea? What a great industry we would have! </span></div>
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<i style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Andrea Michaels is the founder and
president of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a>,
an award-winning, international event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the
author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518547011&sr=8-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower">Reflections
of a Wallflower – Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life</a>. Andrea may be
reached via <a href="mailto:amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com">amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</a>.</span></i></div>
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<br />Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-16936153513617186362018-02-06T18:26:00.000-08:002018-04-30T10:43:27.322-07:00The 25 Dollar Mistake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>I always read Shep Hyken's articles because they are basic lessons in how we should all behave. This particular article resonated because we are always signing multi-year contracts, and within them there is a lot of fine print. And that's where the up-charges start to appear in a world where "transparency" is required yet very rarely provided. Is it worth losing customer loyalty over those little things that really don't matter in the long run? </i></div>
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<i>I recently had an experience where I did lose a client, and to this day wonder if it was worth it. I had a crew of 100 people on overtime after a very long day, and my client planned a rehearsal for 10 p.m. He didn't show up until after 2 a.m., and then didn't want to pay the overtime, which amounted to around $30,000. I had a significant profit on the job, so I could have acquiesced. </i><i>I held my ground, and because of it lost a client that had the potential for major business for years to come. Was it worth it? Who knows? I might have not regained the business anyway and had not only no job, but no $30,000. </i></div>
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<i>Something to think about when you read Shep's article below. Thanks, Shep. -Andrea Michaels</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8iAStu4Aq-vGPTWJquF17FxNJmD53ke4bEHKaS_CRkK3oeVIG57okXsuYwAyRbyHcpRNt215zcPB9LkKqfQxhzfJ4ZiBJO2h6tVfIYMjDWEnEqA-DI5Eq2rIS9lYFc46rsAMFon6TZw/s1600/Nickel+and+dime+customers+cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="288" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8iAStu4Aq-vGPTWJquF17FxNJmD53ke4bEHKaS_CRkK3oeVIG57okXsuYwAyRbyHcpRNt215zcPB9LkKqfQxhzfJ4ZiBJO2h6tVfIYMjDWEnEqA-DI5Eq2rIS9lYFc46rsAMFon6TZw/s320/Nickel+and+dime+customers+cartoon.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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-By Shep Hyken</div>
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I recently planned a small two-day meeting for about 25 people. This was the second year for this meeting. The previous year we had stayed at a hotel that did a magnificent job of taking care of us. After that meeting, I talked to our sales rep and mentioned that if they repeated the contract we signed for that first year, we would most likely come back. And, we did.<span id="more-14659" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span></div>
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In looking over the final contract for our most recent meeting at the hotel, there were a few minor changes from the year prior. Most of those were due to slight increases in the room rate and food costs. I expected that this might happen, and so I was fine with those. However, there was one change in the agreement that was unacceptable. The first year, the hotel gave us free Internet service for our attendees. This year they wanted to charge us for it.</div>
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Asking for free Internet is a common negotiation. So, the hotel chose to go into negotiation mode on this point. They came back and said they would only charge $75 for everyone to have Internet access in the meeting room. That is reasonable, except I made it clear that I wanted the identical terms as the year before. Our sales rep said she would go back to her leadership team and ask them to honor last year’s contract terms. She came back and said they reduced the cost to us to $25.</div>
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Well, $25 wasn’t a deal-breaker, and staying at that hotel was definitely easier than starting over with another hotel. But I had to wonder, who on the leadership team was so short-sighted as to charge $25 for something they could simply give away? We were getting ready to book about 35 rooms in a slow week for the hotel and spend thousands of dollars in their restaurants, bar, and for our banquet meals. I asked to speak to the individual on the “leadership team” who was making this short-sighted decision. I never heard from that person.</div>
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When I arrived on the property for the meeting, my very nice salesperson met with me. She again apologized for the small Internet fee. It really wasn’t her fault, but I still wanted to get the explanation from the person who made the decision. I candidly told her that a little “nickel and dime” charge of $25 might have me looking at other hotels in the area for next year’s meeting. It wasn’t just the $25. That’s not worth switching hotels over. It was the idea that we had originally agreed to repeating last year’s contract, and that tiny charge was the only thing getting in the way of them honoring our verbal agreement.</div>
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The lesson here is that it’s not about the money. It didn’t break the bank for us to pay the $25 fee. The hotel violated several <a href="https://hyken.com/customer-experience-2/rules-for-bad-customers-is-bad-customer-service/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #750d00;" target="_blank">rules of customer service</a>. They didn’t recognize the long-term value of their customer, and they were willing to lose him over a very small fee that, by the way, they had waived in the past. They changed the rules in the middle of the game when they didn’t honor their agreement of “same as last year,” even though it was just $25. And, with all they were charging, they “nickel and dimed” their customer. In their eyes, they could only see the money they were earning rather than all the money they could potentially lose when we decided to go elsewhere the next year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj9xJBDfcZTRRgaIzTpL3ScZBPUzLSxbrzqOpWFfrtjnVIreJo-et1klcUuY_pAS3Csn3ZNNZm40B012YPLL5hR9vfpcSuxqNQpkZe8CmwAG0kI6DxPxXwUDQ6KxfqHmrZMAc4s8-Iyw/s1600/Shep+Hyken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1291" data-original-width="1033" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj9xJBDfcZTRRgaIzTpL3ScZBPUzLSxbrzqOpWFfrtjnVIreJo-et1klcUuY_pAS3Csn3ZNNZm40B012YPLL5hR9vfpcSuxqNQpkZe8CmwAG0kI6DxPxXwUDQ6KxfqHmrZMAc4s8-Iyw/s200/Shep+Hyken.jpg" width="160" /></a><br />
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</xml><![endif]--><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Shep Hyken
is a customer service expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling
business author. For information, contact 314-692-2200 or <a href="http://www.hyken.com/" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="color: #750d00;">www.hyken.com</span></a>.
For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs, go
to <a href="http://www.thecustomerfocus.com/" style="box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #750d00;">www.thecustomerfocus.com</span></a>. Follow on Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/hyken" style="box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #750d00;">@Hyken</span></a></span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Andrea
Michaels is the founder and president of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a>, and the
author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1517358591&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower">Reflections
of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life</a>. She may
be reached via amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
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Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-7023077722909891512018-01-23T16:17:00.000-08:002018-01-23T16:17:52.432-08:00Confluent Dynamics – Collaborative Leadership<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">When my 13-year-old grandson looks at me knowingly and
boasts "I know everything", I can only hope he is joking. All I know
for sure is how little I really do know. So, when I read this insightful
blog, I asked Kile Ozier to share it with all of you. -Andrea Michaels<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">-By Kile
Ozier<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Our industries are in the midst of a magnificent boom and
concomitant crisis. It seems the world of themed entertainment and experience
is at capacity in terms of experienced, skilled creative, tech and production
personnel to design, build and open projects currently underway… and there are
even more projects coming off the boards as this is written.</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Ground is well-broken on massive, new, from-the-ground-up theme
parks across all hemispheres. Beyond that are vast expansions of, and new Lands
in, iconic parks, renovations of legacy installations and dynamic ideation of
properties and experiences we haven’t yet seen.</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">It’s a tsunami of abundance…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Word on the street is that <name a conglomerate> is
scrambling to find experienced people to support the myriad business plans and
projects already in process; not to mention what’s coming down the pike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">At the same time, there are scores – if not hundreds (if not even
more) – of smart, talented young people coming out of design schools,
universities, technical schools and basements who possess the “book-learnin’,”
the valuable objective knowledge and the passion that is going to drive
Entertainment and Experience into the future.</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">…and these two Rivers of Project and Resource are flowing together
at a moment of synchronicity that stands to greatly benefit our industries and
very likely completely evolve the way things are designed, done, sold and experienced
for the next few decades.</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Thus, this Convergence of Harmonic Opportunity…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">There was a conversation in this space some years back about the
bestowing of titles that imply experience to those fresh out of school; an
inflation that has historically been seen as diminishing of the title, itself
(“Creative Director,” “Producer”…), misleading the person holding the premature
title and undermining efficiency and quality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Well… that’s not gonna change. These “darn millennials” are going
to come out of school thinking they are ready for anything. In reality, this is
not a problem; rather, it is a portentous opportunity… for all of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">The opportunity, then, for the remaining grey-haired heads, our
peers and colleagues in these industries is to embrace these <b>folkx*</b>,
their aspirations and ambitions, and support them in becoming who and what they
see in themselves.</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftXWTqd8HeeO4oUvlR-V6o12lZr97yqQoDVEO_v6-LRx4A_UU0OZwu70zbaJLDcg7pdjhs3Q-NPuNCRv_l5efgnoYY1H_sPhKru3otwwtM0Lm_L8psFNSdD3nmrCIBVSXkvTPPCYOE9g/s1600/Kile%2527s+Rowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftXWTqd8HeeO4oUvlR-V6o12lZr97yqQoDVEO_v6-LRx4A_UU0OZwu70zbaJLDcg7pdjhs3Q-NPuNCRv_l5efgnoYY1H_sPhKru3otwwtM0Lm_L8psFNSdD3nmrCIBVSXkvTPPCYOE9g/s640/Kile%2527s+Rowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Collaborative Leadership & The Apple Store</span></b><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Rather than confront them for who they may not yet be, embrace
them for what they are about to become.</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">During the Crash of 2009+, I was most fortunate to find myself
immersed in 20-somethings at <b>Apple SoHo**</b> at a golden time for
that company and the perfect time for me. Where I first walked-in to this sea
of edgy youth thinking I’d never fit; I learned in short order that this was
just the opportunity for me to completely recalibrate my own collaborative
style – something of which I’d been proud and something I learned could be
vastly revivified in that maelstrom of tech and humanity.</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">No one knows everything on the floor at Apple; but together, we
knew it all. The context is one of <i>ad hoc</i> dynamic
collaboration. Everyone is resource to each other, respect is paramount and the
fundamental skill – the basis of success in that place- is Listening: to one
another, to the customer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">(<b>Listening</b>. we may have spoken of this quality, before…)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">We each had our own ways of addressing a given problem; yet, with
successive interactions I would offer that each of our approaches evolved just
a tad, time after time, as we collaborated with other Specialists or Geniuses
on a given problem at hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">We learned all the time; about the technology and about one
another. The level of respect afforded every, single team member was radically
empowering: we each knew something the person next to us did not, and we each
could learn something from that same person.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">There was an inherent, healthy curiosity, an inquisitiveness among
the team. “Who ARE you…?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Leadership / Mentorship</span></b><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;">Those who feel fully Heard are far more likely to Listen and
Learn. Listening first, hearing one out, offers the listener the opportunity to
see through new lenses and gives the other a sense of validation and trust.
Defenses evaporate, and true collaboration is more likely to ensue. When people
don’t feel pressured to Prove, they improve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">And this, I believe, is our key to success from here on out. We
must embrace these folkx for who they are and bring them along through
collaboration as we address challenges together that will make them the leaders
of the future…and ensure the best future for our industries.</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">If we Listen… really hear who these folkx are as we bring them
onboard, we can create an almost immediate symbiosis. For having been fully
heard engenders confidence, self-respect and respect for Leadership. Taking the
time, up front, will pay off in massive dividends, creativity and
loyalty…teamwork.</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">When I add new people to a team, my process is:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">lay out the responsibilities of
the job and get agreement</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">agree on schedule, milestones,
deadlines</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">share my own methodology and
how I would do it, then say</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 10.0pt;">§<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">“you don’t need to do this ‘my’
way; I’m just showing you what I know works. If you have another way or idea,
do that… just be sure to keep your eye on the ball and let me know if things
seem to be going awry. Don’t hide errors or mistakes. Your way is fine; as long
as it’s successful…”</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">more often than not, some
effective hybrid evolves that we both embrace</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">then, if s/he comes to me with
a problem, my first question is “what do you think we should do?” And chances
are that I’ll suggest we try that; this person is closer to the problem – and
solution – than I am.</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Y’just gotta have their backs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Thus empowered, these folkx grow fast…and may be more likely to
realize their aspirations without the years of apprenticeship heretofore seen
as necessary.</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1xohv2R-L5r1GpFxWHWg84y47rDuay-gBK4BdIl7hHkbT8c3sm7ZRNeJ5k0h_CITzB-HBDo-Qw7TgPk07xdX2IbWXI6Evy9BFAsrCIiz74Ft-4Msk1BmQXIpx0wESmovhIgqaj3KkGA/s1600/Kile%2527s+Dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1xohv2R-L5r1GpFxWHWg84y47rDuay-gBK4BdIl7hHkbT8c3sm7ZRNeJ5k0h_CITzB-HBDo-Qw7TgPk07xdX2IbWXI6Evy9BFAsrCIiz74Ft-4Msk1BmQXIpx0wESmovhIgqaj3KkGA/s640/Kile%2527s+Dog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Learning Leadership – Listening & Respect: Respectful
Listening<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">As Leaders, we must be willing to learn. The world is moving fast;
and these folkx (loving this word!) think very differently than do we. While
the physics of a given problem may remain pretty much the same, solutions can
evolve from new perspectives, experiences, points of view, technological
familiarity…</span><span style="color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Our “tried and tested” are not the only options. All are models
from past experience that have worked well; though not the be-all or end-all.
Everyone can evolve; even we old guard… and this exercise in Listening creates
trusted bonds as all parties discover one another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Being in positions of “power,” it behooves us to take the first
step.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Before we reveal or share what they don’t know; we must learn and
acknowledge what they do know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Some of our most progressive companies have recognized and embrace
this philosophy and methodology; some have not quite, yet. It’s the ego-free
way of the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Beware; it is ever so subtly easy for the Visionary to become a
Dinosaur virtually overnight. Stay current, be open, be welcoming, share.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Remember “Don’t trust anyone over 30”?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">Well, then. We must authentically, genuinely share and show that
we can be trusted and that we trust. I’m telling you, it’s freakin’ exciting,
surfing the surge of evolution with teams of disparate ages and open minds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; padding: 0in;">* (ht: to <b>Clara Rice</b> of </span></span><a href="http://www.jackrouse.com/"><span class="s2"><span style="border: 1pt none; color: #0934ec; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; padding: 0in;">Jack Rouse Associates</span></span></a><span class="s1"><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; padding: 0in;"> for introducing me to this new, pangendered word.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #373737; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; padding: 0in;">** (Shout out to <b>Durk Snowden</b>; an amazing, brilliant,
powerful and supportive man and our kickass Flagship Store Manager at <b>Apple
SoHo</b>.</span></span><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kile
Ozier’s is a director, producer and writer of global reputation for crafting
captivating experiences. He shares his techniques and philosophies… and
opinions… on creating experiences (and on random experiences that have been
created by others) in his iBook, “IMHO: Creating Compelling Experience” - a
free download from iTunes or iBooks at </span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/imho/id555219645?mt=11"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/imho/id555219645?mt=11</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Meanwhile,
</span><a href="file:///E:/Carol/MICHAELS/Blogs/IMHO.kileozier.com"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">his
blog</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">,
“IMHO: Sharing What I’ve Learned,” is avidly read and embraced by billions of
humans and others throughout the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies. </span><a href="http://www.oziercreative.guru/"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.oziercreative.guru/</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">.</span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kile may be reached via </span><a href="mailto:kile@kileozier.com" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; border: none; color: #1155cc; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="border: none;">kile@kileozier.com</span></span></a><span style="background: white; border: none; color: #222222; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="border: none;">]</span></span></i><span style="background: white; border: none; color: #222222; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; border: none; color: #222222; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="border: none;"><i>Andrea Michaels is the founder and President of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a>, an award-winning, Los Angeles-based, international event agency. She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1516391390&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower - Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</a> She may be reached at <a href="mailto:amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com">amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</a>.</i></span></span></div>
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Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-83988249456692803072018-01-10T08:38:00.000-08:002018-01-10T08:38:53.053-08:00CLOSE THE SALE… ASK FOR THE BUSINESS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHNcAmBV7SpBkSPvhyphenhyphenQLE8qmo_xYMEwan-7nKzhuf1ZM-4IUQlfgZubEYb3XZgbRdqcJKdC53hKYizplPsFidc77Q9RTPqfD3oDJoWWnK5M1ioGIf4b_ieL3qylEnNKZZveN0vW9pd80/s1600/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="685" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHNcAmBV7SpBkSPvhyphenhyphenQLE8qmo_xYMEwan-7nKzhuf1ZM-4IUQlfgZubEYb3XZgbRdqcJKdC53hKYizplPsFidc77Q9RTPqfD3oDJoWWnK5M1ioGIf4b_ieL3qylEnNKZZveN0vW9pd80/s320/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]-->I had a very
revealing luncheon with a friend who is in the non-profit sector of the event
industry. While I was wailing about not
having enough business (does anyone ever have enough?), he said, “Do you know
the number one reason people give so generously to non-profits?” My response
was, “because they get tax write offs?” He smiled indulgently and said, “They
ask.” <i>Light bulb in my head time.</i> Of
course. “They ask”.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Salespeople do a grand job of presenting brilliant ideas,
solutions to problems, strategies to help their clients develop an idea. They spend
a fortune on proposals, detailed graphics, renderings, 3d models, and all the
bells and whistles, including expensive leave-behinds. And the usual ending is,
“Thank you for this meeting. We are committed to making your event outstanding
and blah, blah, blah.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What they almost <i>neve</i>r
do is ASK for the business. And I must wonder why. Let me get anecdotal. Many
years ago, my mother, a recent immigrant from Europe, went shopping at Saks
Fifth Avenue. She found a coat she wanted. Let’s guess that at that time is was
$49. She then told the salesperson that she would pay $40. The salesperson
scoffed and said, “we don’t discount our fine clothes.” Unabashed my mother
said, “please get your manager and let me ask her if she will sell it to me for
$40.” Fast forward, and my mother paid $40 for that coat. She operated the same
way at jewelry stores, the hairdresser, and even occasionally at the market. In
Europe everyone bargained. It was not the way of life in the USA, but my mother
didn’t know that. And in the end, with her beauty and charm and self confidence
she usually got exactly what she wanted BECAUSE SHE ASKED FOR IT.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I could embellish and could probably tell many more stories,
but there is a great point here. Do not leave your work… your creativity… yourself…
on that table when you leave. Let the very last words from you be an honest “ask”.
Ask for the business because you know you deserve it. “When will you be making
a decision?” is not an “ask.” A savvy
question that leads into this is: “I am here asking you for your business. What
else can we do to show you that we are the perfect match for this project and
to work with you? We WANT to do business with you.” And then shut up and see
what happens. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Andrea Michaels is the
founder/president of </i><a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/"><i>Extraordinary Events</i></a><i>, a Los Angeles-based, multi-award-winning
event agency. She is the author of </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1515195394&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower"><i>Reflections of a Successful Wallflower –
Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life</i></a><i>
and a contributor to numerous other business books. She may be reached via </i><a href="mailto:%20amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com"><i>amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</i></a><i>.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-86378903452411340762017-12-13T08:32:00.000-08:002017-12-13T08:32:45.936-08:00LESSONS LEARNED FROM WORKING GLOBALLY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">What to do, what not to do, and
how to travel through the many ins and outs of working globally is an
exhilarating challenge. This last week I attended a seminar that talked about
what you need to know, and I realized how few people were truly educated on
this subject. One question the facilitator asked of the group was, “What is
your favorite country to work in?” and moments later the group was laughing at
my transparent expression that revealed I mentally was ticking off all the
places I had worked, and there are many of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Significant tip: Always double
check the dates on your passport and your VISA. Don’t check “single entry” if
you’re going to enter the country more than once.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Check departure dates. I found
out the hard way that my visa to Russia expired the day before my flight back.
Yes, I found out when I checked in, which meant I could not leave the country
without applying for a new visa. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, you know me; I tell stories
and that’s how I learn. It’s also how I share. There’s lots to share, and I’ve
even edited down these stories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Here’s one I call “The Trip from Hell”:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My best friend, John Daly, and I had just finished a conference in
India and took a day to sightsee and visit friends in Dubai. We were then
planning a three-day vacation to see more of India as during the conference
we went from hotel to convention center and back, other than a very short visit
to the Taj Mahal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We left Dubai at <st1:time hour="14" minute="0" w:st="on">2:00
p.m.</st1:time> on a Saturday after a wonderful time. The Ritz in Dubai had
been first rate. We even found baby clothes for my grandson and a Starbucks. I
bought nothing, NOTHING, for myself as I was saving up for those few days in
India.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After we landed at the Delhi Airport, I went through immigration without
mishap and then noticed that John was not behind me. Shortening this story,
they did not allow John into India because his visa said, "single
entry," and they had let him in before by mistake and were not going to do
it this time. They wanted to send him back to Dubai where he could apply for
another visa. We quickly figured out that this scenario wouldn’t work, because
by the time he got his visa (remember it was a weekend) our vacation would be
long gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Nothing worked after multiple calls to sort this out with the
conference planners. We had a very nice tour, driver and rooms booked in India,
which I had to cancel. They wouldn't let John out of immigration. Since I had
had to go out to make phone calls, they wouldn’t let me back in with him. I
finally negotiated that we could go home from Delhi, if John didn't “enter” the
airport. Of course, our luggage was now at the Intercontinental Hotel in Delhi,
far from the airport, especially in Delhi traffic. These negotiations for every
decision went on for hours and hours with people who would listen (or pretend
to) and then disappear, sometimes never to be seen again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After a while, I sent a driver back to the hotel to get our
luggage. And while John was still being guarded, I went outside of the airport
(oh, if you think arriving is bad, you should see those huddled masses outside
the domestic terminal late at night!) to look for the driver with our luggage.
I had no clue who the driver was or what he looked like or how to find him. In
the meantime, we had no tickets to get home three days early, and I couldn’t
find any of the people to whom I had previously spoken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I tried to get back inside the terminal, they didn't want to
let me in since I had no ticket. I finally was met by someone from Air India
who ushered me in and helped me meet the driver with the luggage. Then I had to
try to find John with no tickets to anywhere while being told that flights not
only had no business class available but were sold out. We were told that we
could wait in the lounge all night and fly to London, New York and then Los
Angeles ... economy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At the last minute, we did get business class to New York. This
was after <st1:stockticker w:st="on">ALL</st1:stockticker> AFTERNOON and NIGHT
in the lounge with no food. There’s a poem that starts “let me count the ways.”
Paraphrased it was “let me count the days” as we had now been gone from Dubai
more than 24 hours and had not either food or beverage of any kind since we
left.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here was our itinerary. Delhi to London to New York and then
transfer to American to Los Angeles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our luggage did arrive in New York, and we got through customs and
immigration and over to the American terminal. There we were told that the
flight was a code share and, therefore, we needed to go to Qantas. So, we
changed terminals and stood in another line. Alas, Qantas said "no"
we could not go to Los Angeles unless we went to Australia first. So, back to
Air India we went.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You can imagine how helpful they were. Not! Finally, though, they
accommodated us on an American flight that would get us home close to midnight,
L.A. time. Unfortunately, no one knew where our luggage was, but we thought it
MIGHT be on the Qantas flight. No business class was available. We took it.
ANYTHING. I had a cold and a bladder infection. As I think about it, that was
the best part of the trip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In any case, we arrived back in Los Angeles around <st1:time hour="0" minute="30" w:st="on">12:30 a.m.</st1:time>, and as we went to report
our lost luggage, I looked around at the long line of people waiting to report
their own lost bags. What a line! And
then I spotted our luggage sitting on the floor in front of the “lost baggage”
area. It had arrived on the Qantas flight an hour before we did. By the way,
other than a pair of earrings I got at the Delhi airport, nothing to declare.
That’s a first!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">John rented a car and drove me home. Finally, I curled up in my
own bed with my cats. Wired to the gills. Hungry. But ever so glad to be there.
<i>Home</i>. Was anything ever more
wonderful?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Lesson: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> There’s no place like home, Auntie Em.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you want more travel adventures, <a href="http://extraordinaryevents.com/blog-pdf/Blog%20-%2012-13-17%20-%20Travel%20Adventures%20with%20Andrea%20Michaels.pdf">click here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-7133145482398241452017-11-29T08:26:00.000-08:002017-11-29T08:26:19.500-08:00BUSINESS SUCCESS: GOAL OR PATH?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4DRT8HfSf7bvD0LZkECri9pzm_W8UoZ3HnyNNV-koPZIrmgbEF343jZ527cL0PhO2GGcL9ZCMbqDwBvkksjdq2KtsW1AIRMeoPzRVx8xBWuKC4qrwBS38LO0nJ6A-tZq8xN8jWnJ_tU/s1600/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="685" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4DRT8HfSf7bvD0LZkECri9pzm_W8UoZ3HnyNNV-koPZIrmgbEF343jZ527cL0PhO2GGcL9ZCMbqDwBvkksjdq2KtsW1AIRMeoPzRVx8xBWuKC4qrwBS38LO0nJ6A-tZq8xN8jWnJ_tU/s320/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was recently asked if success is a goal for which I strive.
And I immediately, without even thinking about it, said, “NO!” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Why not?” was the surprised reply in a very shocked tone of
voice. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Here’s what I think: What happens when you establish a goal,
and you then reach it? What do you do then? Do you stop? Is there no more to
do? It’s “done?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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To me, success is something that is a continuous process.
For example, I could set a goal and say, “When I complete this project, I will
be a success.” Or “When I have this amount of money, I will have achieved
success.” When that project is completed or that amount of money is in the
bank, what happens after that? Am I done? Do I set another goal? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I think success is something else entirely. Success is a
continuum-always striving to do more, doing better, continuing to travel the
path and grow and achieve. <i>So, success to
me is not a goal. It’s a pathway.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Let me add that I don’t think success can truly be defined because
it means something entirely different to each person. If you are doing the best
that you can do and optimizing your life in every way possible, <i>that</i> would probably be my definition of
success. Please consider this: Can you honestly say that you couldn’t be doing
some things better? So, no, I don’t really define success as an actuality.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The person who asked me the original question then asked, “What
happens when you reach the state you define as successful?” </div>
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<br /></div>
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My reply was that I
don’t reach that state, nor do I want to. When most people reach it, they get
complacent; they stop moving forward. Either that or they set unrealistic goals
and then invite failure, or at least their perception of failure.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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If I could advise anyone, including myself, who says, “I
want to be a success,” I would say the following: Don’t look at “success” as
the end of a road. Don’t define success because you won’t know what to do with
yourself once you have realized that definition. Rather, just keep expanding
your horizons, loving what you do, reaching for the stars, and dreaming of the possibilities.
When you just keep dreaming, that becomes your forever goal.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 17.12px;">Andrea Michaels is the founder and president of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a>, an international, multi-award-winning event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1510690849&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</a> She may be reached at </span></i><span style="background: white; color: #666666; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 17.12px;"><span style="color: #436590;"><a href="mailto:amichaels@extrarordinaryevents.com" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">amichaels@extrarordinaryevents.com</a></span><i>.</i></span></div>
Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-19957065207601322452017-11-14T13:24:00.001-08:002017-11-14T13:24:27.703-08:00SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND MEAN WHAT YOU SAY - A BUSINESS AND PERSONAL MANTRA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHyyImL8w2pQWeb1GghGzZslsIu39AU97iX7lF8g_IC86Pd95mcgefcldMKUTUsXxo0laYtIKB22mbl_c4vtmhFfKUNiRIj_M50ec-QuRt_CQmbkMX9-UC80i_yQWKJ8mgM20r86pU95Q/s1600/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="685" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHyyImL8w2pQWeb1GghGzZslsIu39AU97iX7lF8g_IC86Pd95mcgefcldMKUTUsXxo0laYtIKB22mbl_c4vtmhFfKUNiRIj_M50ec-QuRt_CQmbkMX9-UC80i_yQWKJ8mgM20r86pU95Q/s320/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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So, I’ll start with my personal experiences. Over the last few
years I have heard people tell me about their good intentions. “Let’s get
together” followed by… nothing. Or in the case of my grandchildren (with me
present) “I’ll call you, so I can take you out on my boat” followed by… nothing.
I could fill a novel the size of <i>Gone with
The Wind</i> with the promises made and unkept.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Why are these personal disappointments so applicable to
business? And I ask you kindly to be honest with yourselves and remember the
times you might have said to a vendor, “We haven’t made any decisions yet” ….
Or “Call me back in a few days so we can get together” which meant “call me
never.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Or any number of things that were not honest. And when you
say, “We do everything in house” is that an honest statement when you do source
out many parts of your projects?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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On a personal level I would rather people said nothing than
make promises they have no intention of keeping. Once they say they will do
something, do it, and if they are only filling time with empty statements, say
nothing at all except pleasantries. Don’t make me (or my family) hopeful of an
event or action that will never happen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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On a business level, are we fair to our clients when we make
promises we might not be able to keep, don’t meet deadlines, and say “did you
check your spam?” when the proposal was never sent via email? Or is it ethical to intimate that we can meet a budget that is unreasonable because we are hopeful our client will eventually find more money and operate a program on a bigger budget? Again, I could
go on forever with these examples. And feel free to add your own. <span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Ah, client, did you think you were exempt? When you tell
your suppliers that you don’t know what your budget is, is this true? “I don’t
want to stifle your creativity” is an oft used phrase. And my response is
“stifle away please.” Because my time and creativity are worth something, and I
don’t want to waste my time (and therefore money) proposing a million-dollar
event or entertainer when the budget is a tenth of that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
Tritely, honesty IS the best policy. So, think before you
speak. And, when you speak, make sure to mean what you say. Please.<br />
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<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 17.12px;">Andrea Michaels is the founder and president of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/"><span style="color: #436590;">Extraordinary Events</span>,</a> an international, multi-award-winning event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1510690849&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</a> She may be reached at </span></i><span style="background: white; color: #666666; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 17.12px;"><span style="color: #436590;"><a href="mailto:amichaels@extrarordinaryevents.com">amichaels@extrarordinaryevents.com</a></span><i>.</i></span></div>
Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-51035345485843275922017-10-24T08:53:00.000-07:002017-10-24T08:53:53.357-07:00KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDA33e7u_xIbfu6QSOi6cfzQGRisFgeQwUAss9O4XvOxxBiPPJ6P5S4fPTpNYKidNiKbNIKbzhF9OXvF32vCA3-OEDoJSPMOAmkVXeaqs6JHZ2RNIlYWhfqxhRUscg2r_dPa_MPsveV4/s1600/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="685" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDA33e7u_xIbfu6QSOi6cfzQGRisFgeQwUAss9O4XvOxxBiPPJ6P5S4fPTpNYKidNiKbNIKbzhF9OXvF32vCA3-OEDoJSPMOAmkVXeaqs6JHZ2RNIlYWhfqxhRUscg2r_dPa_MPsveV4/s320/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As our clients and their participants now are inclusive of four generations, understanding your audience is even more imperative. Here's a story about my "big lady clothes" to drive home my point.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Many years ago, I made a life-altering decision.
I was obese and self- conscious, so I signed up for gastric bypass surgery.
Vanity and health-related issues like diabetes influenced this decision, but in
all honesty, vanity was the primary contributor. My reason: Just once in my
life I wanted people to look at me and say, “My, she has a nice figure.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was a size 22/24. <i>Yep, obese.</i> I’ll skip the details, but the result was that I lost
almost 100 pounds and was not only “normal” but better than normal. Clothed, I
had a great bod. Unclothed, another story. But I later fixed that, too, though
it has nothing to do with this story. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now between sizes six and eight, I had a
lot of “big lady” clothing in my closet.
It was designer stuff (Yes, they have designers for large sizes) and
expensive. If you don’t know me well, I should tell you that my great love is,
and always has been, shopping.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">This information is important to my story
because my medical group offered support meetings every week, and part of its
routine was to have people bring in the clothes that they had outgrown so that those
losing weight wouldn’t have to buy new clothing as they down-sized. Some of the
ladies were almost 400 or 500 pounds, and I decided to bring them my clothes,
thinking that by the time they got to my size 22s they could have a glamorous
wardrobe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">So, I attended one of these meetings with
bags filled with my lovely offerings. To kick the meeting off, the facilitator
asked, “So what’s the best part of losing weight?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">One lady responded, “I can walk into K-Mart
and buy anything I want now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">I should have grabbed my bags and run at that
moment, but I didn’t. At the end of the meeting, the various bags people had
brought were opened, and clothes started being passed around. I happily
anticipated the joy of watching women seize my designer clothes, ranging from
evening gowns to business suits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">It didn’t happen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">These women were almost repelled as they
handled my clothing. They snickered at the evening wear …” Where they hell
would I wear THAT? When I shoveled horseshit?” Business suits were almost as
denigrated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">I was aghast. I knew I (and my clothes)
didn’t belong there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">So, how does this relate to business? Any business?
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s a simple lesson: <i>Know your
audience.</i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><i><span style="background: white; color: #666666; line-height: 17.12px;">Andrea Michaels is the founder and president of <span style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;"><a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a></span>, an international, multi-award-winning event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502995415&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower"><span style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</span></a> She may be reached at </span></i><span style="background: white; color: #666666; line-height: 17.12px;"><span style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;"><a href="mailto:amichaels@extrarordinaryevents.com">amichaels@extrarordinaryevents.com</a></span><i>.</i></span></span></div>
Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-26828108674572635532017-09-27T08:30:00.000-07:002017-09-27T08:30:15.963-07:00The Emmy Awards, Dining for Women and Female Empowerment… What Do They Have in Common?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdi1eyKk94uEgp56ziYPpkHTyhwCSTNRLtGzh35dbvO0RnfT3bk3yMIhqqiDYMLZIAnCri2koR2yryyT8O2zEk092YRlxXnFo8kdZqMDlBa7HR7zhsKR-CP6WKvPxaDkmRNw7JB1MiTk/s1600/DfW+June+2017.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="935" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdi1eyKk94uEgp56ziYPpkHTyhwCSTNRLtGzh35dbvO0RnfT3bk3yMIhqqiDYMLZIAnCri2koR2yryyT8O2zEk092YRlxXnFo8kdZqMDlBa7HR7zhsKR-CP6WKvPxaDkmRNw7JB1MiTk/s400/DfW+June+2017.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dining For Women at Extraordinary Events</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was fascinated with the many speeches of this year’s Emmy Awards
winners. Instead of concentrating on race, they focused on women. The dialogue
included the lack of good female roles (Reese, Nicole,) and the lack of women
behind the scenes (Yay, Reed Morano), a gorgeous young female director who
easily could have been on the other side of the camera. Oops, is that sexist?
Intentionally so. It’s hard to imagine that Reese, Nicole, Shailene, and Zoe,
the ladies of <i>Big Little Lies,</i> would
ever have trouble finding suitable parts in A-list projects. Yet it seems to be
so.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Being a woman who faced leaping into a man’s world <u>many</u>
years ago, this intrigued me. Even in the mid- to late 1970s, being a woman in
a man’s world was never much of a problem in Los Angeles. Venturing into Wall
Street and financial clients or the Midwest with automotive customers, for
instance, was an entirely different story. Slowly I got comfortable dealing
with the “good old boys’ network” in the USA, but it took some patience. I was
young, so I dressed carefully, drank or partied not at all, and, as I didn’t
play golf and knew nothing about sports, was not immediately embraced. It took
time and trust, and of course many more women started entering the events world
over the next few years, sometimes even owning their own companies. (Not like
today, is it?)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Having success as a woman in business in the USA, I wanted
to expand my marketplace. So, I ventured out to Japan where at first I was
treated like I didn’t exist. On a site visit to Tokyo for a major consulting
project I took two men with me, one a designer, one a production associate. Me?
I was the creative director. Even better, I owned the company. Yet, when we sat
down with our client, the six men at the table only talked to my male
associates. (Perhaps the initial inquiry addressed to “Mr. Andrea” should have
clued me?) <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I quietly told my gents to smile and say nothing, absolutely
nothing. I informed the six clients that I deserved respect since I was senior
to all of them as the owner and president of my company, which gave me status
over them, and that I was also “senior” to them in age, and therefore worthy of
respect. I also informed them that the two men with me were my employees and
would not speak unless I allowed them to do so. Therefore, they could talk to
me, or we could all go home, having experienced a nice few days in Japan at
their expense. I did this softly and politely with a smile. But I was firm.
They responded by treating me with the utmost respect from that moment on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So why those stories? Because I fully understand what was
said at the Emmys and how far we women all have to go to make a place for
ourselves in the business or entertainment world. We have so many fabulous role models out
there; women in power; heads of companies, leaders… young, old, beautiful or
not. Just wonderful women. But rarely was the welcome mat laid at our feet. We
earned our place.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeDVll-5c-YU4GhawqwtR44nm1oE4THMoNGk2PNqrdkpjODKmTRGz7-yWYGP0FkSrC2z3iFXOjE7WysKl8FJDSqzh1xv_NrJ0vWLcbchBme9rxTYhPfr8PX1BEMISA-WXJX7MglBWrUE/s1600/Kenya-Self-Help.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="640" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeDVll-5c-YU4GhawqwtR44nm1oE4THMoNGk2PNqrdkpjODKmTRGz7-yWYGP0FkSrC2z3iFXOjE7WysKl8FJDSqzh1xv_NrJ0vWLcbchBme9rxTYhPfr8PX1BEMISA-WXJX7MglBWrUE/s640/Kenya-Self-Help.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kenya Self-Help Initiative<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">Back to my headline: I have supported the initiatives of Dining for Women, an organization which is transforming lives and eradicating poverty among women and girls in the developing world. These are women who do not have the same advantages or opportunities that we do. On a monthly basis, this organization is dedicating to sending $50,000 somewhere in the world where women will benefit through education and skills. It is entirely about sustainability and empowerment. It does not take away from their roles as wives and mothers; it just gives them a better way to support themselves, their families, and their communities. It might be training them as teachers; or teaching them to give vaccinations. This organization's initiatives have taught me so much about the world that I didn't know. I realize that even with the obstacles I faced I had it easy compared to most of the world. Please visit their website at <a href="https://diningforwomen.org/">https://diningforwomen.org/</a> as they have chapters all over the USA, and the meetings are a way of truly doing something good for our world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So, ladies of television, thank you for calling out that there is still work to be done. You were inspiring.</span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p><i style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; color: #666666; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Andrea Michaels is the founder and president of <span style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;"><a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a></span>, an international, multi-award-winning event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502995415&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower"><span style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</span></a> She may be reached at </span></i><span style="background: white; color: #666666; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><a href="mailto:amichaels@extrarordinaryevents.com"><span style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">amichaels@extrarordinaryevents.com</span></a><i>.</i></span></div>
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Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-82531653684427105252017-09-06T08:49:00.000-07:002017-09-10T17:13:22.909-07:00AUDITIONING FOR A PART OR A JOB... Thank You, Jon Voight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSl72JwLoUfJOq968cBhRBA1mR_QwlIGClyYZOmygY5bEVDgeQvIVu9UPeaFNlc100Vze4RDe5H9mtQ4OuA1_ltuYrZZXKKHB1kVn_4j4oyGI-VNLyK8kTQjEbGWNoOf1oLRZ81epysI/s1600/Jon+Voight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1600" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSl72JwLoUfJOq968cBhRBA1mR_QwlIGClyYZOmygY5bEVDgeQvIVu9UPeaFNlc100Vze4RDe5H9mtQ4OuA1_ltuYrZZXKKHB1kVn_4j4oyGI-VNLyK8kTQjEbGWNoOf1oLRZ81epysI/s640/Jon+Voight.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jon Voight with Karen Kraft of VFT</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I had the
pleasure of attending a talk by the legendary actor, Jon Voight, at a meeting
for Veterans in Film & Television (more on that later). Of the many stories he
told, one especially resonated. He talked about his auditions and acted some of
them out. He told stories about others’ auditions, and his many personalities
were entertaining. And then he said:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Don’t think
of it as an audition. YOU GET TO ACT. You have an audience. You have a script.
You get to act. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How
incredible is that one phrase? No matter what it is that you do, it is a
performance of some sort. For those of us in the meetings and events industry,
think about your sales pitch. Are you auditioning for a job where the outcome
is the only thing that matters? Do you stress out about rehearsing and over
rehearsing, and all the while you are pitching you are wondering “did I get the
job?” or “who else is pitching?” or “did they like me?” or “should I have
presented another concept?” Does all of this pass through your mind?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve had so
much fun with the last couple of presentations, aka pitches, that I’ve given. I
don’t know if I won the business (yet). I shared with a friend that I wasn’t
concerned about the result because the meeting had been so engaging and
interactive and explorative. I was not auditioning. In my own way, I was
acting. In the moment. Giving it my all. And loving it. Watching my audience
love it too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Now you
might wonder how to make a sales pitch interactive… it’s one of the things I
think about when a vendor comes to us and gives us a “lecture” accompanied by
power point. We know that it’s a canned speech; we can always tell. It’s not a
conversation, and it has nothing to do with our needs. Those appointments tend
to end quickly even when there are pastries involved. Think about the trade
shows you attend… do you react more favorably when not listening to the exact
same pitch as was given to so many others? Who do you remember? Probably the
very friendly person who listened to you, explored your needs, and then found a
way to tell their story adapted to what they’d heard from you. It’s like
theatre, isn’t it? Actors responding to each other; not a soliloquy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We are all
very much engaged in the concept of “experiential marketing” and “experiential
events”. What do those really mean? They both mean that we create environments
where our “audience” has a real experience. Though the end goal might be making
a sale or promoting a product, the key here is “the experience” - the here and
now that Jon was trying to get across. You, the actor, are performing in real
time and giving it your all. Your audience is receiving the very best of you in
real time. You are being given that wonderful opportunity to shine, and you
need to stay in the here and now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I guess I
can bring it down to this… if you truly love telling your story and you feel
the joy in the opportunity to do so, then remember Jon Voight’s words…YOU GET
TO ACT. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">It was because of Veterans
in Film & Television (VFT) that I could listen to Jon Voight and learn from him.
But I also learned from the veterans in that audience. These ranged from WWII
vets to those recently returned from military service. The organization is
committed to placing them in roles in film and television, including script writing, acting, directing, composing, anything and everything. It provides training,
exposure, and apprenticeships. I was so glad to learn these vets receive meaningful
roles that are more than being “extras”. This is a very interactive, engaged, and enthusiastic bunch. You’ll be hearing more from
me about this group as I intend to get involved. We need to raise funds to
support the organization, and we need to hear opportunities for them and share
them. So, keep following along and please connect to their website at <a href="http://www.vftla.org/">http://www.vftla.org/</a></i></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #666666; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Andrea Michaels is the founder and president
of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/"><span style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">Extraordinary Events</span></a>, an
international, multi-award-winning event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502995415&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower"><span style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">Reflections of a
Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</span></a> She
may be reached at </span></i><span style="background: white; color: #666666; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="mailto:amichaels@extrarordinaryevents.com"><span style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">amichaels@extrarordinaryevents.com</span></a><i>.</i></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-81642511860152658582017-08-23T08:29:00.000-07:002017-08-23T08:29:14.101-07:00ARE YOU THE STAR OF THE SHOW OR PART OF AN ENSEMBLE?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuj8NV0b8Ot-SH_gdu0RzuPbpIMps1mwThuFCE8FqBSAHcw1nx1ZaLCqyORRl4PmeAgwHxeoHO5OB3AjOGEFeKfKdq4NfgEd3HB4W_aJRILjBzEDrlkuzDpIztHljK1yep3IR7eTb6was/s1600/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="685" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuj8NV0b8Ot-SH_gdu0RzuPbpIMps1mwThuFCE8FqBSAHcw1nx1ZaLCqyORRl4PmeAgwHxeoHO5OB3AjOGEFeKfKdq4NfgEd3HB4W_aJRILjBzEDrlkuzDpIztHljK1yep3IR7eTb6was/s320/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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Last week I went to see <i>Hamilton</i>.
It was exactly as advertised. Innovative. Inspiring. Entertaining. Fabulous. So,
what did I most love about it? It might have been the exceptional soloists, all
of whom performed to perfection. Great voices. Great dancing. Fine acting. It
might have been the creative thought process behind the entire project. Or it
might have been the way history was made accessible and interesting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Note: It might have been, but it wasn’t. What moved me the
most was the last three minutes when the entire ensemble lined up for bows. Not
one incredible soloist stepped forward to be acknowledged and applauded. As
one, they took three bows. And then that was it. Sheer business inspiration for
me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Do we operate as soloists, needing to be acknowledged and
applauded when we have a creative idea, do a well-received pitch, or deliver an
amazing event? Do we speak in “I” rather than “we”? Do we represent ourselves
as a team or as a group of individuals? This motivated me to review our Website
and how we represent our company, and I’m not sure that after <i>Hamilton</i> I’m not going to entirely
change it up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I see a lot of references to me, as owner and founder of the
company and how invested I am in each project. Yes, I am. So, what? Everyone
else who has creative or logistical input is just as committed to the success
of each project. We have much time invested in “Think Tank Tuesdays” in which
everyone participates to talk about the latest, greatest, and how we can use
new ideas to the benefit of our clients. That’s an “us” type of happening at Extraordinary
Events. And it wasn’t my idea.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Maybe the media has made it a world where we think of the
face of certain companies, such as Bill Gates and Microsoft, or Steve Jobs and
Apple. Yet, were they really soloists? I don’t think so.<o:p></o:p></div>
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All of which begs the way to tell our stories better. We
need to get as far away from the mentality of “my client” as possible. Okay, I
will digress for a minute. I have a friend who refers to the person who helps
her in times of infirmity as “my girl”. I have a show director who refers to
her talent as “my kids”. Ahem, folks, we own nobody. NO BODY!<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, let’s learn from the <i>Hamilton</i>
cast. We need to take our bows as a team. Do you agree?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
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<i>Andrea Michaels is the
founder and president of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a>, an international event agency
based in Los Angeles. She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502995415&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</a> She may be reached at <span style="font-style: normal;"><a href="mailto:amichaels@extrarordinaryevents.com">amichaels@extrarordinaryevents.com</a></span>.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-54693077568378626322017-08-09T08:22:00.001-07:002017-08-09T08:22:07.067-07:00SHUT UP… OR GET FIRED OR WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE THE LAST WORD UNLESS IT’S THE RIGHT LAST WORD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAkpbkd75kzrEkuV-tco9H8v-mCS-l477-5Ymey3ol-xPb_OzfQ-WLd88wBjFDMZfmdlUUNJKBfIL7ritTL6v1ZTp0dyXeKjGw7PcHz8scKolV2cGZNTxVywhKdl1glDH_lZMnbVtUEw/s1600/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="685" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAkpbkd75kzrEkuV-tco9H8v-mCS-l477-5Ymey3ol-xPb_OzfQ-WLd88wBjFDMZfmdlUUNJKBfIL7ritTL6v1ZTp0dyXeKjGw7PcHz8scKolV2cGZNTxVywhKdl1glDH_lZMnbVtUEw/s320/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I had an interesting learning
experience while on vacation. When engaging in conversations with new
acquaintances, if I heard them say something with which I didn’t agree I would always find a way to either contradict
them (because I knew better, of course) or end our exchange with my opinion. I
needed to be right.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As I heard myself do this
repeatedly, I realized how very wrong it was, and then I went a step beyond…. did
I do this with my own team, much less with my clients? Did I always have to
have the last word? I think maybe I did, if not always, then too often. And
what did it gain me? So, let’s just talk about what it can do for you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
How often when we hear clients
ask for something unreasonable, un-doable, not possible within their budget or
timeframe, or any other reason do we show how knowledgeable we are by letting
them know that we know better? We continue to advise until we end the
conversation with our opinion. Now we might do it nicely, but is it really
respectful of who they are? They are our clients; they sign the checks that
allow us to stay in business. Their opinion and their needs are very important.
We need to allow <u>them</u> to have the last word.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It's all about how things are
framed. Instead of “It’s not possible” how about “I think those are great
ideas. Can we explore them together, pros and cons, and see how we can
accomplish your goals within your budget?” And then end the discussion by thanking
them for it and for sharing their thoughts and letting them know
their opinions mattered. Yes, you might have that final closing sentence, but
it will be a sentence that empowers them and respects them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We all agree that silence is the
most powerful tool we have in communication. Negotiations always go in favor of
the person who says nothing but just waits for the other person to talk… they
usually talk themselves into a corner, don’t they? Think of buying a car. The
longer you are silent, the more likely you are to get a better deal. So, lots
of" Hmmm… that’s a great idea"… "Let’s talk more about that"… those are the same as
silence. Let your clients talk. You don’t always have to jump in and cover
every moment with quick solutions. Lead your clients. Guide your clients. If
they think they have the solution, you’ll be a hero.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And you won’t get fired. Think about it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Andrea Michaels is the founder and president of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a>, an international event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1502124965&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life</a>. She may be reached at <a href="mailto:amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com">amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</a>.</i></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-29404351119293438972017-07-25T09:14:00.000-07:002017-07-25T09:28:45.343-07:00ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS OR YOU’LL GET NO ANSWER OR THE WRONG ONE, RIGHT?<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">This time I am not
putting blame on anyone. Nor sole responsibility. Positive outcomes come from clear communication. When I read Shep Hyken’s blog (featured below intact
because all is so true and on point), I thought about the many times that we
missed the mark on a proposal, or lost money on a budget because we didn’t ask
the right questions, or the “extra” questions as Shep says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the event
industry when we ask a venue if they have power and they say “yes” that isn’t
the answer to the real question. The question is “Do you have power and is
there a charge for it and if so, how much is that charge, and then what does
that include?” Simply put you need to ask, “Is there any cost that will be
applied to anything that we are doing that I need to know about?” Then, whatever the outcome of the communication, memorialize it in writing. There is
no such thing as a good assumption.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">Vendor, you need to
be forthcoming and ask, “What will you be doing and what will you need?” Keep asking the questions so you are clear. Then you, too, are responsible for
memorializing the conversation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">How many times have
you had to eat the cost of those taxes or service fees you forgot to ask about?
Or tables you assumed were the right size? Or if the cost of floral or
furniture included delivery and pick up?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">One of my
favorites… and I thought I had asked the right questions… silly me. “Is
there a charge for power?” I asked. “Yes, it is included in the rental fee.”
What they didn’t tell me was that there was a $5,000 charge to <b>turn on</b> the
power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">Enjoy Shep’s
observations and keep asking questions… all of you. <i>-Andrea Michaels</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiX2jyfMozU7GX-aFMop26l9YtpKlohQjWDoyFwv_wqLGPXpDW616rvx3lAMxI6W75qZPsjuUtxn8S0xhFCRVKbv7oVpJRjyhJjvTaR-ilpI-DFnAO8Tb0wC3qpcLLACLmnX_0xbbWbw/s1600/Shep+Hyken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1291" data-original-width="1033" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiX2jyfMozU7GX-aFMop26l9YtpKlohQjWDoyFwv_wqLGPXpDW616rvx3lAMxI6W75qZPsjuUtxn8S0xhFCRVKbv7oVpJRjyhJjvTaR-ilpI-DFnAO8Tb0wC3qpcLLACLmnX_0xbbWbw/s200/Shep+Hyken.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">My brother, Rusty
Hyken, was on a trip to Utah with his wife and two dogs. It’s a leisurely
three-day drive for them. He made their hotel reservations, and for each hotel
they planned to stop at on the way to Utah he asked, “Is your hotel
dog-friendly?” All of them said, “Yes.” But to his surprise, while checking
into one of the hotels he was told there would be a $120 charge for the dogs to
stay in his room. This was a surprise as he called and specifically asked about
dogs, and the hotel never mentioned the fee for the dogs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">So, I did some
checking. Apparently, there are many dog-friendly hotels, and most do not
charge fees. The </span><span style="color: #0645ad; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.starwoodhotels.com/index.html">Starwood Hotels</a></span><span style="color: #0645ad;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and Kimpton Hotels are just two of the many hotels
that don’t charge for pets and are proud of their pet-friendly policy. <a href="http://infinitelegroom.com/2015/04/15/kimpton-hotels-will-send-goldfish-to-your-room-if-youre-lonely/">Kimpton will actually provide fish in your room </a>if you crave the companionship of a pet. (Really!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Now, I totally
understand the fee for a dog. Not all dogs are “hotel trained,” which could
lead to an accident on the carpet, which takes more time and costs more money
to clean. Yet, some hotels will recognize this effort and cost as a small price
to pay for a positive reputation among pet lovers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">All of this leads to
the point of the article. My brother didn’t ask the right question. He asked if
the hotel was dog-friendly. He didn’t ask if there was a charge. In fairness to
him, he’s stayed at many hotels with his dogs, and this was the first to charge
a fee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">When he checked in,
the conversation with the hotel clerk was contentious. My brother didn’t want
to pay the fee. The hotel clerk asked my brother, “I know you asked if we were
a dog-friendly hotel, but did you ask if we charged for dogs?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Are you kidding me!
That’s exactly what my brother thought, too. So, he asked to speak to the
manager.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The manager came out
and had a nice conversation with my brother. He also asked, “Did you ask if
there was an additional charge for the dog?” When my brother started to get
upset, the manager informed him that he was not asking to make a case for
charging him the fee. The manager wanted to know the conversation so he could
teach his team to handle future pet-friendly inquiries a different way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Many of you who read
my work or watch my videos know about my concept to <i>Ask the Extra
Question</i>. Sometimes a customer says one thing but means something else.
So,<a href="https://hyken.com/customer-relationships/ask-the-extra-questions/"> </a></span><span style="color: #0645ad; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://hyken.com/customer-relationships/ask-the-extra-questions/">asking an extra question</a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> – or two or three – can help you understand what a
customer really wants. For example, when a customer says, “I need this
quickly,” ask the extra question, “How quickly do you need it?” Your concept of
quickly may be different than your customer’s expectation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Yet, the situation
with my brother was different. The answer the hotel reservationist gave him on
the phone was the exact answer to his question. However, he didn’t ask the right
question. And, that is the point of this lesson. My brother, as a guest, could
have – if he knew to – asked an extra or different question. However, maybe the
reservationist should have asked the extra question for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Truly </span><span style="color: #0645ad; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://hyken.com/customer-experience-2/six-differences-customer-focused-companies-operations-focused-companies/">customer-focused</a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> people ask their customers at least one extra question
to ensure they understand their customers. They also ask questions on behalf of
their customers, because their customers don’t always know what questions to
ask.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;">Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a customer service
expert, hall-of-fame speaker and<em><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> New York Times </span></em>and<em><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> Wall Street Journal</span></em> bestselling author. He works
with organizations to build loyal relationships with their customers and
employees. He is also the creator of </span><span style="color: #0645ad; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://thecustomerfocus.com/?inf_contact_key=5111691af2d5cf25060d8d8733d57b7a284929520aedc43e06230947c18cfaf4">The Customer Focus</a></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;">,
a customer service training program that helps organizations develop a customer
service culture and loyalty mindset. For more information contact </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="tel:(314)%20692-2200" target="_blank">(314) 692-2200</a> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;">or </span><a href="http://www.hyken.com/" target="_blank" title="Shep Hyken, Customer Service Expert and Speaker"><span style="color: #336699; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.Hyken.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">. Follow on Twitter: </span><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i><a href="http://www.twitter.com/hyken" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: #0645ad; font-size: 12.0pt;">@Hyken </span></i></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go
to </span></i><i><span style="color: #0645ad; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.thecustomerfocus.com/">www.thecustomerfocus.com</a>.</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Andrea Michaels is
the founder and president of </span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a></span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, an international,
multi-award-winning event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of </span></i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1500500125&sr=8-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Reflections of A Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in
Life.</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> She may be reached
via </span></i><a href="mailto:amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com">amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</a><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-52649745509426156562017-07-12T07:59:00.000-07:002017-07-12T07:59:55.685-07:00THANK YOU, BUT WE DO EVERYTHING IN-HOUSE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgughFsMhMOrCzKb8zCtsu77bu-oIkH4HZ_5NAahzAMCdQm3UQFKb3_VxHn9H6EKNojoWDcZqSNx1rcqH06ZDelfiHD_KtbjE4Xu1NC9NIJS9WyYu-oQIbKsVIpS_qsBbXYJqOVgsL-Nqg/s1600/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="685" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgughFsMhMOrCzKb8zCtsu77bu-oIkH4HZ_5NAahzAMCdQm3UQFKb3_VxHn9H6EKNojoWDcZqSNx1rcqH06ZDelfiHD_KtbjE4Xu1NC9NIJS9WyYu-oQIbKsVIpS_qsBbXYJqOVgsL-Nqg/s320/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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But (the unread subtext) is: “We expect you to clean it up
when it doesn’t show up, doesn’t work, or was a bad decision.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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How often do we hear from our prospects (or even old
clients) that all bases are covered by their internal staff, or in the case of
social events, by the bride, or her mother, or favorite uncle, or bridesmaid?
And with Google being everyone’s best friend, who needs a professional?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I met with a friend yesterday who charged a wedding coordination
fee for such a person. The client insisted that she could find and hire all her own best vendors. So my friend offered as part of
their day of assistance to call those
vendors to coordinate and manage them on site.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s start with the biggest mishap first. The client failed
to notify my friend of any bussing or shuttle needs, and then she hired a bus
company to shuttle her guests from the hotel to the venue. The venue was a vineyard, with very narrow
and semi-paved roads and very limited turnaround space, enough for a car, but
certainly not enough for a 54-passenger bus!
The bus company got lost, delaying the wedding ceremony by 45 minutes
(trickle down to the meal perhaps?). And when the bus arrived it could not fit
through the gates of the venue. The hosts had to gather cars to drive to the
entrance to pick up guests and shuttle them to the ceremony. Makes for a great
mood, don’t you think? Then, of course, the return would require the same
Chinese Fire Drill. Would the hosts want
to leave their celebration to shuttle people again? My friend suggested
dismissing the big bus and getting two smaller coaches for the return, along
with ordering Ubers for those who wanted to leave early as Uber drivers could
not only find the venue, but fit through the gates. This was agreed to, and the
client told the driver, who then went home without alerting his company that
they needed to send the two smaller vehicles. Holiday weekend. Office closed.
Only VM.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, in truth there were voices… of the aggravated guests
and the even more aggravated hosts. And this was only one of the missteps.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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For corporate events, there are no brides and grooms but
CEOs, and we can slide down the food chain from there to figure out who is
responsible for managing major conferences and events where they do
“everything” in-house. Really? You own an AV company, create dazzling florals,
cook and serve spectacular meals while playing the harp, and perhaps do an
aerial ballet at the same time? A bit of a stretch I admit, but the point is
that rarely is a company as well connected as a professional planner who has
extensive resources.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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To take that a step farther, who then coordinates all the
disparate entities that have been hired independently of each other? I will
give you one such war story. In a nutshell, the planner had given all her
vendors the wrong date, <span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">because event planning was only one of her many responsibilities for her
company</span>. The actual event was the day before she had confirmed. And on
the day of the event she called me for a few of the items she had ordered
screaming, “Where are the set pieces?” I
replied, “They’ll be there tomorrow on schedule.” She then yelled “But my event
is today!” (in four hours from the time she called). There were over 50
separate piece of entertainment, several rooms of décor, and technical
equipment, etc., etc., etc. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My point? Let’s educate our clients on our true capabilities
and advise them gently on the consequences of not using a professional to do
what a professional does best which is not making mistakes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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I would love to hear some of YOUR stories. Please share.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Andrea Michaels is the founder and president of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a>, an international, multi-award-winning event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498609378&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</a> She may be reached via </i><a href="mailto:amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com" style="background-color: white; color: #436590; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-line: none;"><i>amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</i></a><i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">.</i></div>
Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-8210389919373941592017-06-28T08:22:00.000-07:002017-06-28T08:22:06.793-07:00SO YOU'VE ASKED ME TO EXPOSE MYSELF?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Taking a break from RFPs... sort of. At least the written ones. There is another kind of RFP, and it is the verbal "ask", often very one-sided, and thus, this discussion.<br />
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Let's profile an ideal client (or so we think). Theirs is a profitable, notable, Fortune 1000 company. They have CSR initiatives, are listed on the "Best Places to Work" lists, give to charity, and sponsor valuable activities.<br />
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And then they call you, little old you, with your team of 10 (or less), working every week to make Godzilla the Payroll (as my dear friend calls it). They say, "We'd like some top tier entertainment for a major event this weekend, and we want to spend $400. You'll be getting a lot of exposure." Now they might ask for decor or furniture or catering, so don't look at the dollar figures; look at the principle.<br />
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Re-reading the previous paragraph, I remember that I once heard someone say, "If I wanted exposure, I'd stand on my lawn naked." Or, "One could die from over-exposure."<br />
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Another way the client might ask could be, "I know a lot of people." Or "Don't you know where this could lead?" Well, usually it leads to more of those "a lot of people" asking for the same thing for the same money.<br />
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I can think of numerous whippy tongue-in-cheek responses for these unreasonable requests. However, just as we don't consider the request respectful, we shouldn't make our responses just as disrespectful. That's the real subject of this blog this week.<br />
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May I suggest that we put our professionalism to work here and respond with, "I want you to know that I sincerely appreciate your call to ask me to participate in your event. I do wish I could provide you with top tier entertainment (or whatever is asked for) for the price you stated. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who fits the bill. I respect your needs and know that you expect only the best. Your company prides itself on providing an outstanding product for a fair price. (Now let's pretend it's an automotive client just as an example.) Would you expect me to ask you to give me a car for a fraction of its cost so the world could see me driving it down the highway?"<br />
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Continuing... "Let me offer you some solutions for what I can do and what it would really cost. If that doesn't work for you, let me just say that I would love to work with you in the future and give you the right entertainment (or whatever) for a fair price. Please do call me again.<br />
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The point? I don't like closed doors, and if they are closed I don't want to be the person closing them.<br />
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Thoughts?<br />
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<i>Andrea Michaels is the
founder and president of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a>, an international,
multi-award-winning event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498609378&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</a> She may be reached via </i><a href="mailto:amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com"><i>amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</i></a><i>.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-6217966346533663342017-06-14T07:22:00.000-07:002017-06-14T12:37:25.445-07:00CANNIBALS? THIEVES? WHO OWNS AN IDEA? JOIN THE DISCUSSION<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So who is stealing from whom? We fret over competitors stealing our ideas or snatching vendors. But that's a distraction. Here is the <i>real problem, </i>and I will quote directly from an RFP so you'll know the villain. Let me set the stage.<br />
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XYZ Corporation sent us an RFP that involved the following:<br />
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-General Sessions<br />
-Welcome Reception<br />
-Team Building<br />
-Break-Out Rooms<br />
-Tours and Transportation<br />
-Off-Site Dinner<br />
-Gala Awards and Ceremony<br />
-Dance Party with Interactive Experiences<br />
-And more<br />
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The project would be awarded based on creativity and costs. All subcontractors were to be named, their roles defined, and contacts submitted. The program was to be designed in three different locations (two of them international) with renderings, photographs, videos, floor plans, and fully detailed budgets. With all costs transparent.</div>
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The RFP required that we agree to the following:</div>
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"Ownership of Proposal Documentation: All proposals (and related materials), once submitted, become the property of XYZ Corporation. By submitting a proposal, The Provider licenses Corporation to reproduce the whole or any portion of this Provider's proposal."</div>
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In effect, to do this correctly could easily have cost us $20,000 or more in time and work product. Now get this. All the work we did and all the vendors we secured would be owned by XYZ Corporation and either shared with the winning bidder or are executed by XYZ themselves.</div>
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So, in my opinion the only reason I would ever worry about a competitors would be if XYZ shared my proposal and all of its inclusions with that competitor and asked them to reproduce it. I know that if I were asked to do this I would run like the wind to get away from that client. But a lot of companies don't. They are so dazzled by the big bucks (yes, this program for 900 people for five days and four nights ran into the millions) that they forget that they are agreeing to theft. Yes, THEFT, THIEVERY. Who has the right to own our ideas, our drawings, our list of vendors?</div>
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We spend countless hours securing relationships with partners who trust us. Our Rolodex has taken years to develop. Do we want to give all of this away?</div>
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The best news is that XYZ Corporation <i>has been honest.</i> They have told us (and this is the part that could be considered "ethical") that they are going to do this and if we respond to the RFP we are agreeing to it. Not all companies are so forthcoming.</div>
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It's a good reminder to always read the small print and understand what you are signing off.</div>
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With all this in mind, I need your help. What do you do to prevent this from happening? I would never agree to it. How about you?</div>
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<i>Andrea Michaels is the founder and president of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events,</a> an international, multi-award-winning event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497375710&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower - Lessons in Business; Lesson in Life</a>. She may be reached via <a href="mailto:amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com">amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</a>.</i></div>
Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-34296643140125302282017-05-31T08:41:00.000-07:002017-05-31T08:41:54.400-07:00The Cannibalization of the Industry<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT3xCnnS_x7ynNDwAt7d7AbsUIgr_Bikg-3sHCYtjdd9SQ27Nl6FrEaO9Zz1p8oGda-DzA-o6pvEUH07Sh4BRcw7FuUVNXz2kClo68p-Xz8_CYpG8yKWDYi4Ki4rBNvT7A2tHkE8fkS0/s1600/kate+profile+pic.001+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT3xCnnS_x7ynNDwAt7d7AbsUIgr_Bikg-3sHCYtjdd9SQ27Nl6FrEaO9Zz1p8oGda-DzA-o6pvEUH07Sh4BRcw7FuUVNXz2kClo68p-Xz8_CYpG8yKWDYi4Ki4rBNvT7A2tHkE8fkS0/s320/kate+profile+pic.001+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Calibri, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; text-align: left;">Kate Patay, CPCE</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>This week, I'm turning over the conversation to Kate Patay, who provides valuable insight. -Andrea Michaels</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">After many lengthy
discussions with various prominent figures in the events industry, the
conversation that began with RFP's and how they've morphed into something
entirely different than the original intent, the dialogue went deeper. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">We
started discussing the result of this change in the process... the one stop
shop that does a little bit of everything, but at what cost?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Yes, there
are one stop shops that are successful and have identified and defined each
area of expertise well, so if that's you there is no need to take offense.
If you DO take offense to this post below from a recent NACE
blog, then maybe your business model or practices should be
re-examined....<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Let's
continue the conversation, shall we? Click below to continue reading.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #1155cc;"><span id="m_-8577828364849265670LPlnk689164"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.nace.net/blog_home.asp?Display%3D32&source=gmail&ust=1496330471031000&usg=AFQjCNHmvD75SLgkaend1UdfuWQ46vi4Dw" href="http://www.nace.net/blog_home.asp?Display=32" target="_blank">http://www.nace.net/blog_<wbr></wbr>home.asp?Display=32</a></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i>Kate Patay, CPCE, is an international speaker and consultant and the Vice President of the National Association for Catering & Events. She is a faculty lecturer for The International School of Hospitality and an advisor to the Student Event Planners Association. She may be reached via kate@katepatay.com. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i>Andrea Michaels is Founder and President of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a>, a multi-award-winning, international event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1496245104&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower - Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life. </a> She may be reached at <a href="mailto:amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com">amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-83595453876386731382017-05-17T08:27:00.000-07:002017-05-17T08:27:38.704-07:00REDEFINING THE RFP PART III Or REDUNDANT, FORMIDABLE, PLODDING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tddbYRFf1V5JDTmZnhRD_r3qSzrFoTN7tnWQVjeFmMrqkJrsFvGvnhCiMjZ-g850xNvdVj_BMuhpihVwG1mnh80GDPiXf0zrisGORoc8LoweDVUE_Pbbpw53uaKJ7FCKG28SQAA3Y4g/s1600/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tddbYRFf1V5JDTmZnhRD_r3qSzrFoTN7tnWQVjeFmMrqkJrsFvGvnhCiMjZ-g850xNvdVj_BMuhpihVwG1mnh80GDPiXf0zrisGORoc8LoweDVUE_Pbbpw53uaKJ7FCKG28SQAA3Y4g/s320/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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The catch phrase of the year is “disruptive,” and so we have
been and will continue to be as we attack this subject. I thank so many of you
for your input. I’m going to use it all for this Part Three. All of you have
fantastic input, definitive opinions, and great interest in making some
changes. And all of you are asking “how do we do that?” By standing together
and effecting change… haven’t got it all figured out yet, but with all of you
continuing to weigh in, maybe we’ll get there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m going to add to this some comments by Bob Abbott, a
former client (now retired) and meeting planner. Here’s what Bob had to say: “Typically
I did a lot of homework leading up to selecting a supplier; therefore, I knew
going in which potential suppliers were likely to deliver what I needed. Enter
the Finance VP or Purchasing Manager: policy demands three bids. Did I need
them? No. Did they? Not really. But they didn’t understand the process because
they were in the mode of purchasing manufacturing process, commodities, and
services. They also tended to buy the least costly whatever. To them,
relationships and results didn’t matter as much as bottom line costs.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bob also adds that time is at a premium so often that some “cut
and paste” is faster and sometimes appropriate if the event repeats year after
year. “I” (Bob) “thought of the RFP as a door opener, inviting my selected
potential suppliers to the table for interaction and dialogue. If I were one of
those suppliers, my first action would be an exploratory phone call to address
questions.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, believe it or not, we are on the same page with this
savvy planner. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Hopefully Bob will read this and help us out with some common
concerns:<o:p></o:p></div>
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1. Many RFPs state that the client will own all ideas. This means they are receiving a ton of creativity that they can unfairly give to their chosen vendor.</div>
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I say "never"!!!! I won't bid on a job which has this clause. What about you?</div>
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2. We find that no matter how many questions we ask to make sure that the project is for real and qualified we are dependent on the prospective client to tell the truth. They ask for bids without even knowing if they have the permission to carry out their plan, have the funds, have the time, or have the decision-making power.</div>
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We always need to ask "who is the decision maker?" And "is this a definite project?" Perhaps we should consider saying that we will respond to the RFP for no charge if it is a for-sure project (check with the venue; check with the city). However, if it is a proposed project that has not been approved, then we'll need to charge for the response. Thoughts, everyone?</div>
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3. You receive an RFP on a Friday before a holiday weekend. You send questions that need to be asked in order to respond. A kick-back email message advises that the sender is out for a week, and, of course, the RFP is due upon sender's return.</div>
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I would respond that "RFP was received at... questions submitted at... as soon as answers are received we will have our response to you within 48 hours (or your time frame) of receipt. And one of the questions should be "when will the responses be reviewed and read?"</div>
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4. One reader suggests that we interview people who have worked for these companies before.</div>
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I say "amen" to this suggestion.</div>
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5. Another reader suggests that "It's sad that most procurement specialists feel that the process is their attempt to do what is best for the company. However, anyone who is good at responding to RFPs knows that you bid low, be very specific, and make your money on the add ons.</div>
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How do you all feel about this? We base our business on the fact that we don't do this; we bid fairly and rarely have add ons to the RFP requirements, only to things that were not originally included.</div>
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6. Here's a new piece of information, and I hope that hoteliers will respond to this and let us know if it is true. And if so, could it work elsewhere in our industry? So here's the claim: Most hotels have an automatic RFP response system. They are too busy to respond to the RFP by reading the requirements in it. The system reads the event dates and automatically populates a response/proposal to be accordingly emailed back to the RFP sender (event company). If the RFP sender is really serious, he/she will contact the hotel to follow up. So the hotel doesn't work on it when they receive the RFP, only if the sender follows up.</div>
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The sender (event company) had sent an RFP that was clearly written as six (6) bullet point items which were main decision points for their client's event project. Not one hotel gave a complete response to those six points in their proposals. In order to collect relevant data, back and forth email traffic took place to ascertain all the needed information.</div>
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Hmmmm... when am I "too busy" to read an RFP?</div>
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The consensus is obvious: Everyone, planner, supplier, hotelier... everyone wants the process to change. And it seems to all boil down to qualifying the business from both points of view. Let's keep on working on this together, okay? Let's share our thoughts on solutions. I think we have a good handle on the challenges. As all of us would tell our employees: Don't come to me with the problem. Come to me with the problem and your proposed solution.</div>
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Let's open up a discussion of this additional dilemma. Many of you had one major issue: clients "stealing" our ideas. If the RFP calls for creative ideas, what can we put in place to protect ourselves from this unethical behavior? Any opinions out there on this topic? If so, I'll use them to further our discussion.</div>
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Let's all work together to disrupt things and change them up so everyone benefits. Okay?</div>
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<br />
<i>Andrea Michaels is the founder and president of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events,</a> an international, multi-award-winning event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1493664745&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</a> She may be reached via </i><a href="mailto:amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com"><i>amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</i></a><i>.</i><br />
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Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-15620281330559008112017-05-03T08:26:00.000-07:002017-05-03T08:26:51.388-07:00REDEFINING THE RFP, PART TWO: Revolting, Frivolous, Preposterous?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPR8FPUiFlm5ACMUv8ASRc2YNiae5whrFrLD-vy45T2CmrgmiMk7osIOltuG2Ar5lUGnzkvXYeAmR8TiLdji52I6dyLeEP2Cg1nIFjX2_iBlMvGRE8-GhpjKlTA4gJU8bMnaKfp78wSA/s1600/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPR8FPUiFlm5ACMUv8ASRc2YNiae5whrFrLD-vy45T2CmrgmiMk7osIOltuG2Ar5lUGnzkvXYeAmR8TiLdji52I6dyLeEP2Cg1nIFjX2_iBlMvGRE8-GhpjKlTA4gJU8bMnaKfp78wSA/s320/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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Admittedly revolting, frivolous, and preposterous were not the words I received in response to the existing RFP process in Part One, but similes. Universally (and I received a lot of input) no one defended the process as we know it to be now.</div>
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I am going to refer to a very thoughtful correspondence I received from Kate Patay, an event industry consultant, as she summarized what so many of you readers have shared... the process has to change.<br />
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1.We are in a fully transparent world. No one can hide anymore. Nothing can be hidden anymore.<br />
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2. Time is money. And we are being wasteful of both.<br />
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3. Kate closed with an Oprah quote that resonated: "Let excellence be your brand... when you are excellent you become unforgettable. Doing the right thing, even when nobody knows you are doing the right thing, will always bring the right thing to you."<br />
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Should we assume that the purpose of an RFP should be to discover excellence? As written, they are now designed to discover mediocrity or lack of relevance. Am I wrong?</div>
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So why is this happening? Companies are sending out blanket RFPs. They lack real information. They lack an achievable goal. And they are not designed to discover the core competency of the responder. In many cases, they are designed to give a budget number that can be compared to other responders' budget numbers.<br />
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Let me tell you a story... a true one... I was asked to present my response to an RFP to a committee. I walked into a conference room and handed out my proposal and immediately saw that almost all of the committee had turned to the budget tab in this beautifully constructed document filled with photos and renderings. So, I sat down. Obviously puzzled, my contact said, "Aren't you going to present your proposal to us?" My response was, "No, I'm not." And then I shut up. Everyone got very uncomfortable until my contact said, "But you're here to give us your proposal for this event, aren't you?"<br />
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I politely responded with, "That's what I thought I was going to do. But it is obvious to me that all you care about is where the dollar sign and decimal point fall and how much it will all cost, but so far I haven't seen that you're interested in what design ideas, concepts, or value you are getting for those dollars. So if you have no idea what you're buying for the money I've quoted, then there's no point in my presenting anything to you. If you'd like to close the budget page and hear what I'd like to do and why, and why every cost brings value to your project, then I'm happy to present to you." Note: they closed their books and listened. I won the business. At least that time. </div>
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So the question remains: is an RFP a demand for the best creative idea (and this brings on an entirely different discussion) or is it designed to filter through prospective companies and find the one best suited for collaboration? And how do we do this if we do not have enough information about the project to appropriately answer the RFP and be relevant?</div>
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Shouldn't clients return to the information pipeline and understand how crucial it is to give out concrete information? Why? So that when those of us <u>choose</u> to respond (and yes I believe we should choose based upon the quality of the RFP) we can showcase our strengths and what we bring to the table when we make that choice. We can only do that if we know what we are being asked to do in specific detail. </div>
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All of that is very general, isn't it? Read Part One and some of those questions will be addressed. </div>
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Moving forward and continuing this discussion, I would love to get the input of some of the corporate planners who issue RFPs to find out the following:</div>
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<ol>
<li>When you are asked to bid out a project, are you being challenged by time? (This is an assumption, of course, that a planner or procurement department has some other department or person with a need, and you are responding to that need on their behalf.)</li>
<li>How often do you cut and paste your inclusions versus creating an original document?</li>
<li>How much of what you ask for are you actually reading?</li>
<li>If you send out an RFP to 10 companies (or more), are you reading all of them page for page, line by line in consideration of the great amount of time and money it took to respond?</li>
<li>Do you send out RFPs even when you know who you are giving the business to in advance?</li>
<li>Do you ever pay for companies to respond to an RFP and send you a creative proposal?</li>
<li>What would you like companies that receive your RFPs to know about the process you go through to qualify them?</li>
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<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Join in here folks... it's the topic of the day, and it's up to us to find a way to solve the problem we've all helped to create. Let's not complain. Let's find ways to fix this. Thoughts anyone?</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></div>
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<i>Andrea Michaels is the
founder and president of <a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events,</a> an international,
multi-award-winning event agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1493664745&sr=1-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower">Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</a>
She may be reached via </i><a href="mailto:amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com"><i>amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</i></a><i>.</i></div>
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Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-52726129884414432732017-04-19T08:44:00.000-07:002017-04-19T19:42:32.509-07:00REDEFINING THE RFP: IS IT "REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL" OR "RECIPE FOR DISASTER"?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrXuGdI_cuxU8EGJpEzd47gsISXoV3_38rrEppmzgwr4bEfhaIl8mhrOKsAHD-nHLAcAWq98r8OusAo5_s7dNA3WNgtRU3MEA66Xk3qY3_aEsxnNiYx5uRO2X4LcpATbpPeTJiNGKB2c/s1600/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrXuGdI_cuxU8EGJpEzd47gsISXoV3_38rrEppmzgwr4bEfhaIl8mhrOKsAHD-nHLAcAWq98r8OusAo5_s7dNA3WNgtRU3MEA66Xk3qY3_aEsxnNiYx5uRO2X4LcpATbpPeTJiNGKB2c/s400/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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RFPs have lately brought about a lot of discussion, mostly
criticism actually. Do we want to respond to them? Do we not want to respond to
them? What if we respond to them, and they do nothing more than cost us a lot
of money with no positive results? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Proposals are getting way more expensive to produce for
those of us who want to stay in the game. No longer a wordy “paint me a
picture” descriptive, but rather detailed information and financial statements,
pages and pages of qualifications, and more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Never being lost for an opinion, here’s mine, and I welcome
yours.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s teach our clients how to design an RFP, because they
are pretty “iffy” right now. Here’s what I think we should require:<o:p></o:p></div>
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1. Name the client (specifically)... not only the company name but the specific division (or product).<br />
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2. Don't give me pages of information about the product. I have to assume that if I'm qualified to respond to an RFP I am intelligent enought to do homework on the company, the brand, and the product that has been revealed.<br />
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3.Do give me your objective for the activity.<br />
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4. Let me know how many companies will be receiving the RFP (if more than three, I'll probably decline) and let me know why you contacted me (the source of referral).<br />
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5. If there are any reasons, geographic or otherwise, that can be defined that would eliminate me from consideration (the prospect client only hires local companies), I want to know.<br />
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6. Define payment terms clearly... I won't bid on a job of a million dollars if you pay 120 days net.<br />
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7. Let me know any other financial information before I decide to accept the RFP... i.e. "We only pay $15 per diem in Napa."<br />
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8. Give me some history if this is a legacy event, provide photos, film, anything that is helpful. If you want examples of similar events, then be specific about your event so I can be "similar".<br />
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9. Tell me who the decision makers(s) is/are.<br />
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10. Tell me the specifics of how you'll base your decision; qualifications? Budget? Creativity?<br />
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11. Give me a budget, a true budget, not a "don't want to stifle your creativity" budget.<br />
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12. Give me the name of a real person with whom I can talk. I do not want to respond to an RFP and never be able to visit in person (or minimally reach on the phone).<br />
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13. If you give me an opportunity to ask questions, then answer them privately and not in a group email. Maybe I've asked some that a competitor would not have thought of.<br />
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14. Make the RFP short and to the point. Send it only to companies that you have pre-qualified.</div>
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I’m quite sure that you, readers, can add substantially to
this list, and I invite you to do so. If we are unhappy with the RFP process,
and we all seem to be, then let’s educate our clients on how to make them more
productive. And clients, if you are reading, then don’t send out a blanket RFP
that has been used for another event, asking for information that you don’t
need or won’t read. Our time is just as valuable as yours; our money is
probably more valuable as you are not spending it putting together an RFP
response, and we are. So look at it this way, client, if you ask 20 companies
to prepare a bid that requires them to spend $10,000 in time and expenses, and
you are only considering three as viable options, then you have wasted $10,000
each for 17 companies who can ill afford it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We are no longer in a day and age where we can spend either
time or money needlessly, so let’s join together (client and supplier) and come
up with a way to streamline this process. Let’s stop complaining and let’s
start changing.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px;">Andrea Michaels is the founder and president of </span></i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px;"><i><a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a></i><i>, a Los Angeles-based, international event agency, and the author of </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486488906&sr=8-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower" style="color: #436590; text-decoration-line: none;"><i>Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</i></a><i> Andrea may be contacted via </i><a href="file:///C:/Carol/MICHAELS/Blogs/amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com" style="color: #436590;"><i>amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</i></a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px;"><a href="file:///C:/Carol/MICHAELS/Blogs/amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com" style="color: #436590;"><i><br /></i></a></span></div>
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Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-62428260664394706022017-04-05T09:33:00.000-07:002017-04-05T09:33:53.532-07:008 Tips to Get More Referrals for Your Event Business<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2vwUsbKsQ2tXG-Gs1JflvtZOtIBb-OXhfgT_RnmwHpCHXfWUpVhpr-dSRuZ6pEZy9HeZ2vm6Y_km17EHB-okpQhfMKPvWE2427GIklwCtbkgD0ir71REF7JdFKsrSZ5AknezyjeMxZk/s1600/8-Tips-for-Improving-Referral-Marketing-for-Your-Event-Business.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2vwUsbKsQ2tXG-Gs1JflvtZOtIBb-OXhfgT_RnmwHpCHXfWUpVhpr-dSRuZ6pEZy9HeZ2vm6Y_km17EHB-okpQhfMKPvWE2427GIklwCtbkgD0ir71REF7JdFKsrSZ5AknezyjeMxZk/s640/8-Tips-for-Improving-Referral-Marketing-for-Your-Event-Business.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If your event business is new or struggling, or you just want to expand your reach, the easiest and least expensive way to grow it is through referral marketing, but how do you get happy clients and attendees to talk about you? Try these tips. Read more at:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/tips-more-referrals-event-business#B6X4jKf08Iai4IyJ.99"><span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; padding: 0in;">http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/tips-more-referrals-event-business#B6X4jKf08Iai4IyJ.99</span></a></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>This article has been reprinted with permission of its author</i><i>, </i><i><a href="http://www.christinergreen.com/">Christine
R. Green</a>,</i><i> and </i><a href="http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/"><i>EventMB</i></a><i>. You may reach Christine R. Green via <a href="mailto:christine@christinergreen.com">christine@christinergreen.com</a></i><i>.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Subscribe to EventMB by </i><a href="http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/"><i>clicking
here</i></a><i>.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Andrea Michaels is the
founder/president of </i><a href="file:///C:/Users/Carol.Gateway_2011_05/Downloads/http./www.extraordinaryevents.com"><i>Extraordinary Events</i></a><i>, a multi-award-winning international event
agency based in Los Angeles. She is the author of </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489774031&sr=8-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower"><i>Reflections of a Successful Wallflower –
Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</i></a><i> You may reach Andrea via </i><a href="mailto:amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com"><i>amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</i></a><i>.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-22421195729509265012017-03-22T09:03:00.000-07:002017-03-22T09:03:29.330-07:00What Is Your Headline and Does It Tell Your Story?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSiU_3N7_f7KKpfxl4MSdiwIdr4O4kmi4lxCeYF0d3r5uNYHs3Q9w1Sdj8jKsWowBKN3wjUlmfYeEBdfvto77ce5HrEJBOcvF7uQIhtQTFzRBKqB_68-5YrthvouNzmlGinkYvWvheHo/s1600/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSiU_3N7_f7KKpfxl4MSdiwIdr4O4kmi4lxCeYF0d3r5uNYHs3Q9w1Sdj8jKsWowBKN3wjUlmfYeEBdfvto77ce5HrEJBOcvF7uQIhtQTFzRBKqB_68-5YrthvouNzmlGinkYvWvheHo/s320/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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Almost no one (except my true and loyal friends) read my blog last week. In case you don't remember it (because you probably didn't read it), here was the headline: "<a href="http://worldofextraordinaryevents.blogspot.com/2017/03/brand-dna-curated-through-bespoke.html">Brand DNA Curated Through Bespoke Ideation</a>." </div>
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It was very intentional, and I didn't expect that many would read past the headline. Why? Because it had absolutely no meaning. Yes, it had buzzwords. Individually those words are being used a lot. Together, they made no sense. Yet in every presentation I see those words repeated over and over again. Getting to the point, why would I want to illustrate uselessness?</div>
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Because if you don't understand someone's point in a blog, you don't read it. And the headline is the first announcement of what the "story" is all about. Words are to be used intentionally and should be easily understood. In writing, and while spoken. Of course it's hard to evaluate why people stop reading, but it's very observable when they stop listening. And if they don't understand what you are saying, they definitely stop listening.</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;">As a child I was brought up in a household of non-English speaking immigrants. Their friends were from all over the world, and they, too, didn't speak English. Or, at least at first. So me, going to school in the U.S. did speak English, but I learned that to communicate with my parents and their friends, I had to speak slowly and clearly and use words that were easily understandable. Notice I didn't say speak more loudly, which always amuses me, as people tend to think that being loud they can be more easily understood. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;">Back to the point and fast forward many years. I have the opportunity to speak to many international audiences, and those lessons serve me well. I speak slowly and carefully, and I speak in first, headlines and then I tell stories. By doing that, I am easily understood. I give the non-English speaking person time to listen and absorb first the headline, then the story. Because, everyone, it is not all about what you want to say. It's about what you want "them" to understand.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;">Now that works when everyone speaks the same language, too. My tips:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li>Always speak slowly.</li>
<li>Always have a headline.</li>
<li>Always use words that anyone can understand.</li>
<li>Stop and give some pause-and-reflect time, even if only for seconds.</li>
<li>Don't use useless and meaningless words of no substance or no one will read your blog either.</li>
</ul>
<i style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px;">Andrea Michaels is the founder and president of </span></i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px;"><i><a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a></i><i>, a Los Angeles-based, international event agency, and the author of </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486488906&sr=8-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower" style="color: #436590; text-decoration: none;"><i>Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</i></a><i> Andrea may be contacted via </i><a href="file:///C:/Carol/MICHAELS/Blogs/amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com" style="color: #436590; text-decoration: none;"><i>amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</i></a></span><br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></div>
Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067729998895824344.post-52132972692834174322017-03-08T08:45:00.000-08:002017-03-08T08:45:51.413-08:00BRAND DNA CURATED THROUGH BESPOKE IDEATION<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBuNZzyFJEyqhqzAbAvcDITO9dXwvh-9lR5IxwFr6Sn-Bv5tfDwEKoqg0WAKHR6JQpRMaJFBnZ98sESf_4gvLIYmAF10w-CO-GhXbieTMKEuxo9ABgUwttO-R_LaAUQdiwFwQZ9AQlFec/s1600/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBuNZzyFJEyqhqzAbAvcDITO9dXwvh-9lR5IxwFr6Sn-Bv5tfDwEKoqg0WAKHR6JQpRMaJFBnZ98sESf_4gvLIYmAF10w-CO-GhXbieTMKEuxo9ABgUwttO-R_LaAUQdiwFwQZ9AQlFec/s320/Andrea%2527s+New+Head+Shot.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
So you are probably reading this title and asking yourself "what the heck does she mean?" AHA! Mission accomplished. I have no clue what this means yet every piece of marketing material and every presentation (live or in print) uses many of these words and most mean <u>nothing.</u> That's my point.<br />
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Clear communication with words that everyone can define and understand along with a good story or examples that support that story is all that matters. So let me give you two examples:<br />
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1. Live presentation that I was a part of with a PP accompanying it. "We understand your brand's DNA." WHAT? It was for an automotive company. The vehicle does not have DNA. Living organisms have DNA. Later in the presentation: "Bespoke offerings"... WHAT?<br />
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2. Another live presentation that also had visual support: "We want to understand what your company (or organization) wants to achieve with this project; be clear on your expected outcomes; and hear the message you want to deliver." With those clear statements, we can respond and can give clear examples of similar projects, stories that exhibit experience and challenges, and how they were met. In clear and simple words.<br />
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I have often seen a client pretending to understand the first presentation, but reading their faces knew they were mystified yet had to pretend to understand a slew of overused and pretentious words in order not to seem uneducated in the terminology. It also led to few questions as no one knew what to ask.<br />
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So what's my point? If you write, write specifically. "Beautiful stage set" means nothing. "Fabulous speaker" means nothing. Who and what and always, ALWAYS why.<br />
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Your thoughts?<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Andrea Michaels is the founder and president of </span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i><a href="http://www.extraordinaryevents.com/">Extraordinary Events</a></i><i>, a Los Angeles-based, international event
agency, and the author of </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Successful-Wallflower-Andrea-Michaels-ebook/dp/B003NX7MSE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486488906&sr=8-1&keywords=reflections+of+a+successful+wallflower"><i>Reflections of a Successful Wallflower:
Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.</i></a><i> Andrea may be contacted via </i><a href="file:///C:/Carol/MICHAELS/Blogs/amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com"><i>amichaels@extraordinaryevents.com</i></a></span>Extraordinary Eventshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18263064262751091898noreply@blogger.com2