Category Archives: Business

Busy Butt

Busy, busy, busy.

Ask someone how they’ve been. When their response is “Busy”, how does that make you feel? “Ugh” about sums it up.

Ask an old friend to get lunch. When their response is “Busy”, how does that make you feel? Zero empathy about sums it up.

Ask your food delivery guy why it took him two hours.  When his response is “Busy”, how do you feel? Still hungry and aggravated about sums it up.

Hearing someone has been busy or is busy or was busy might be the truth.  But, when do you ever want to hear it?

Adding a “but”, however, on the end of the “Busy” softens the blow. “I’m busy, but good.” “I’m busy this week, but what about next week?” “We were super busy, but went as fast as we could and are really sorry to make you wait.”

Everyone gets busy.  But if you must tell someone about it, make it “Busy, but.”

The Easy “A”

The class that is the easy A is well-known. Physical education electives. Foods 101. The online-only class about dinosaurs.

Those, however, never end up being an easy A. 

The truly easy A is never the class known as the easy A.  The easy A is found in the hard class. The one which requires you to test-in.  To overcome barriers.  To challenge yourself.

If you’re in the business of finding easy A’s, you might succeed.  But it’s gonna be a grind.

Take an AP class, why don’t ya?

Expectation Setting and Timing

Expectations setting is a necessary ingredient to any success relationship. It’s as simple as, “Here’s what I expect.”  But, mastering expectation setting timing might be more crucial than the expectations themselves.

Tell your cab driver you have a sensitive stomach and need him to drive smoothly is okay before the ride begins.  Set that expectation halfway through the ride and…

Tell your girlfriend that you value experiences over material things on your first date, and she’ll be cool with getting less [material] gifts than she has before.  Set those expectations after six months and…

Tell a potential employer that you need to earn X dollars and be home for dinner at Y o’clock during the interview process, and that’s what you’ll get if you’re hired.  Set those expectations during your first review and…

It’s true that you might not agree on what’s expected.  So what?  There’s another cab right behind.  There’s plenty of fish in the sea.  And there’s other good job opportunities out there.

More likely than not, you’ll find a match that can meet your expectations.  If not you can always adjust.  But adjusting expectations, especially from none at all, usually ends in disappointment.

And that feeling is always mutual.

Can we reschedule?

If someone offers to help you, you have two choices:

  1. Take the help now
  2. Decline, defer, or do nothing

This is obvious during interactions with strangers.  A stranger might offer to hold the elevator for you now.  That doesn’t mean you can expect them hold the elevator when you really need it.

It’s less obvious with acquaintances.  An acquaintance might want to do lunch to talk about ideas that could help you and your new business.  That doesn’t mean you can wait a few months to take her up on the offer.  By then, she’s not excited to help you anymore.

It’s even less obvious with close friends.  A close friend might offer to help.  Declining their offer might be insulting to them.  They’re just being a good friend.

So choice two seems pretty crappy, huh?

Take the time to accept offers for help.  Even if it’s not a good time for you, there’s more to lose when you say, “Can we reschedule?”

The Immediate Ask

In sales, take advantage of the “immediate ask.”  If the ask is not too big, it works quite well.

First date went well?  Immediately ask for a kiss and you’ll get it.

Close a new account?  Immediately ask for a recommendation on LinkedIn and you’ll get it.

Sign-up a new subscriber to your email list?  Immediately ask them to like you on Facebook and you’ll get it.

If the “immediate ask” is too big, however, you’ve made a grave mistake.

Go ahead.  Immediately ask her to come up. Immediately have a colleague your new account has never met call to solicit more sales for the company.  Immediately ask the new subscriber to take a survey.  You might get what you want.  But the relationship you worked so hard on creating is frayed forever.

So, the immediate ask works.  There’s just a fine line between one step forward and two steps back.

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Effing with Fear

American Airlines sent me an interesting offer.  If I fly 9,000 miles in the next three months, I can keep my Platinum Status.  I could do it.  And it wouldn’t cost that much.

It’s an interesting proposition.  Cutting the security line.  Boarding the plane first.  Free checked bags.  Walking a little taller.

Nobody who hasn’t had Platinum Status would take this offer right?  The benefits are nice, but are they worth the time and cost of flying 9,000 miles in three months?   No way.

But for me?  A guy who has tasted the world of Platinum Status?  I considered.  I considered taking a ride to Paris and back.  Twice.

Fear sells.  And it almost got me.

I fear losing my Platinum Status.  But I realized I fear being forever addicted to Platinum Status even more.

Dang it. Guess you’ll have to deal with our packages.

What’s your relationship with your customers?  There are two options:

1. The cable company model

2. The social model

  • Use your monopoly to their advantage
  • Get off to their joy

Fortunately, there are now more alternatives to companies using the former.  As well, it’s easier than ever to start something like the latter.

Broygus airline cop

Need to negotiate?  Try “good cop / bad cop.”

Bad cop holds the position and is insensitive.  Good cop brings compromise and is understanding.

Airlines have to play “good cop / bad cop” all the time.  Delayed flights, changed gates, bag restrictions — they do it all day.

Yet, most airlines don’t fully understand the game.  They’re correct in not letting passengers interact with the “bad cop.”  But isn’t “good cop” supposed to be your friend?

Fake work pain

Fake work is exhausting.  Pretend to be busy.  Pretend to be engaged.  Pretend to be annoyed, maybe.

But for all the effort it takes to do the fake work charade, shouldn’t there be a better way to get through the crappy 9-5?

An online class.  A blog you’re writing for.  An event you’re planning.

That stuff is less effort than fake work.  And certainly less exhausting, right?