1 Idea Per Day

Go Offline

Radio Brains — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 05:08:20 +0000

We are so connected that it seems absolutely insane to try to go offline for days at a time. The CEO of HootSuite recently went (almost completely) offline for 14 days. I’m not suggesting you go cold turkey for two weeks, but what could you handle?

Today’s Idea: Go offline for an entire 24 hour period. Fill that day up with sleeping and being outdoors (without your gadgets) so the time flies by. C’mon, give it a shot!

Start A Blog

Radio Brains — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 16:40:39 +0000

Blogging is the new breathing. If you breathe, you should blog. It can be personal or professional, public or private, for fun or for business. It doesn’t matter what the content is. To have an electronic archive of everything that crosses your mind is amazing. Imagine what you can share with kids, grandkids, etc. Or, even share with yourself years down the road.

Today’s Idea: Start a blog! It’s free. Your only investment is time… and the best part? It’s when you have time. I recommend either using WordPress or Blogger. WordPress is the company I use for the blog you are reading right now. They provide blog stats, and some great additional resources for getting the most out of your blog. Blogger is a Google product, so if you’re fully-entrenched in Google products (gmail, iGoogle, etc.) then this might be perfect for you because you can use your current Google username.

Sell Something

Radio Brains — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 01:59:23 +0000

Junk lives everywhere. In your car, in your closet, in your entertainment center, in your office… everywhere! The question is: Do you realize how much junk you actually have?

A few years ago I had a “Craigslist Weekend” — No, not with the Casual Encounters boards; with the For Sale boards. One weekend later I was over $400 richer. Talk about night on the town next weekend!

Today’s Idea: Find one thing you haven’t used in 3 months, and sell it. Use Craigslist, eBay, Backpage, or what is becoming my new personal favorite… Amazon. Just sell it. For how much? Who cares! You haven’t used it in over three months, so either it can sit for 3 more months (or years) being useless, or it can make you a few bucks.

Once you realize how good it feels to get cash from something you aren’t going to miss anyway, do it again, and again, and again… until all the junk is gone.

Become Loyal

Radio Brains — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 20:59:30 +0000

I’m keeping it very simple today: Every 100th person who subscribes to my blog will receive Something. Literally, something… from the Something Store.

Today’s Idea: Start the new year off right! Subscribe to my blog. I post one idea per day, so you’ll never be bombarded by me. One per day, that’s it. So, subscribe, would ya?

Accept Someone Else’s Invitation

Radio Brains — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 06:28:13 +0000

Last night’s happy hour outing was awesome. The awesome part was socializing with friends I haven’t seen in quite a few months.

The best part? Earlier today they returned with their own invite. They asked me to join them for a walk at the lake this afternoon. I went to a place I’ve never been, and got to spend a couple more hours with friends I enjoy socializing with, obviously.

Today’s Idea: Next time someone invites you out to do something with them, instead of defaulting to “I’ll let you know” or “I’m sick that day” try actually accepting the invite. Ask if you can bring someone with you (if the invite didn’t include a guest or spouse) and take another friend along.

Invite A Friend Out This Weekend

Radio Brains — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 20:23:33 +0000

The weekend is here. Do something social, and don’t do it alone.

I just sent a text out to some friends I haven’t spent time with in awhile. The result? We’re all going out for happy hour tonight. 15 of us. Yes, more than one person replied wanting to go. I’m looking forward to it!

Today’s Idea: Call, email, or text a friend (or 5) and invite them to go out and do something. Anything. If the weather is nice do something outdoors. If the weather near you is bad do something indoors. Just do something… with other people. You know you haven’t since the holidays (a month ago!), so this weekend is a great excuse to make up for it.

Answer Your Phone Differently

Radio Brains — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 01:14:01 +0000

I’m not sure how it started or where it came from, but on Monday I started answering my phone with, “Thank you for calling the Democratic National Convention, how may I help you?” Of course, I was only answering internal calls this way — Calls from my co-workers. Not the outside world. There is still a level of professionalism required when answering a business phone.

Yes, next week I’m planning on answering with, “Thank you for calling the Republican National Convention, how may I help you?” I’m equal-opportunity goofy.

Today’s Idea: Find something you can do to interrupt the monotony of a co-worker’s day. They call you, you say hello, they tell you why they called, you hang up. B-O-R-I-N-G. Typically necessary, but still boring. You might be surprised how much it changes someone’s day by just being caught off guard — in a way that doesn’t offend, obviously.

Follow Up: Do You Really Keep Your Promises To Your Customers

Radio Brains — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 18:12:53 +0000

About 10 days ago I wrote about keeping promises to your customers. Today I’m writing about unspoken promises. I had two simple, but great customer service experiences recently.

A few nights ago my I went to see a movie at an independent movie theater. We paid for our tickets using a debit card, then went inside, ordered our popcorn and drinks. We then were told they don’t take debit cards but that there is an ATM down the street. Had we attempted to get to the ATM we would have missed the movie as we were already late.

I returned to the ticket window where I requested a refund since they didn’t take cards at concessions, and well… That’s it. He interrupted me kindly and said, “No problem. Let me take care of that for you.” No arguments. No questions. He understood, and acted on my request. I was in disbelief — I didn’t even get to finish complaining!

Then this morning I decided to push the YES button when the gas pump asked me if I wanted to buy a car wash. The problem happened when I pulled up to the car wash and saw a sign that said “No pickups”. So, I went back inside and asked for a refund on my carwash. Afterall, I can’t use it if you don’t allow pickups, as this is what I was driving. Again, no questions asked. “Pickups go through all the time, but you’re right, the sign says no pickups, so let me credit your card back.”

Do you have unspoken promises? Seth Godin often refers to things like this as the Free Prize Inside. Not necessarily dealing with refunds, but in general: What services do you offer to your customers that you don’t brag about, but consistently deliver?

Today’s Idea: Figure out what your unspoken promises are, and keep them. Maybe you have promises you let customers know about, but that might be better off unspoken. That pleasant surprise is often the best part of the whole experience — yes, even more-so than spending money with you.

Negotiate Everything

Radio Brains — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 19:15:47 +0000

Everything in life is negotiable, either directly or indirectly.

Direct negotiation: You and a salesman going back and forth until you agree on a price and/or terms.

Indirect negotiation: You negotiating with yourself by shopping around until you find the best price and/or terms.

Today’s Idea: The next time you’re going to purchase something costing over $100, negotiate. Either with a sales person, or by shopping around. Spend at least one week casually negotiating. I am 99% sure you’ll find a price lower than the first one you found.

Start The Week Off Right

Radio Brains — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 16:09:37 +0000

It’s Monday. Most people dread Mondays. Let’s change that.

People love to see a smile. They love positive energy. They love feeling appreciated. They love knowing they exist in someone’s mind.

Today’s Idea: When you get to work this morning go around to each office (or cubicle) and give everyone a “Good morning!” That’s it. As a matter of fact, do it everyday. They will find it strange for the first few days if you’ve never done this before. But after awhile they will appreciate it. How many people in your office do this already? My guess is none. Why can’t you be the one to brighten up someone’s Monday — or any other day of the week?