The Seamless Brand

A Leap for B2B Branding

2011-10-26T22:53:00.000-03:00

Does anyone really believe that B2B buyers are robots?

When you stop to think about it, people who make business-to-business purchase decisions are still people.

They may look stiff and formal in a navy blue business suits with collar and tie, but I'm willing to bet there are multitudes of B2B customers who like to sing in the shower, drive their kids to school and help those same kids look for monsters under the bed.

However, for some strange reason, B2B executives find it difficult to appreciate the qualities people find most appealing in B2B brands are human qualities. Instead they drain any semblance of humanity out of their company with stoic, politically-correct corporatebabble that dominates most B2B websites:

"XYZ Industrial is comprised of many organizational elements with a single purpose: to enable, support and expedite our mission-critical objectives. We provide customized systems and solutions for businesses, organizations and individuals. We work with our valued customers in the creation of synergistic solutions that accurately reflect their operational requirements and our core values of honesty, teamwork, caring, humility and creativity".

If you're a B2B company that wants to be noticed, heard and respected, maybe it's time to consider making a bold leap into creating human connections with people you hope to do business with.

One of the best recent examples, is a company selling virtual phone systems that used chocolate covered grasshoppers, 5,000 FedEx packages and Homeland Security that generated nearly a million YouTube hits and a stir in the marketplace.

The most compelling aspect of the Grasshopper.com re-brand is the lack of focus on the standard "features, advantages, benefits" language, proving that even in B2B environments you need to win the heart before the mind will follow.

And the results are still pouring in.

Turns out, business buyers are just as human as the rest of us.

They may need to be persuaded in different ways, but there will always be a time and place to make an emotional argument that will separate any B2B company from the many competitors who will only ever appeal to logic. Nevertheless, many make the flawed assumption that B2B buyers assume a hyper-rational persona that drains all emotional influencers, leading to dull as dishwater print ads, websites, trade show booths and other marketing collateral.

Do you truly believe people can just "flip the switch" and turn off what makes them human once they walk into the office?

Or do you think B2B companies like Grasshopper.com have identified emotional triggers that help customers take notice and then buy? Could a leap like that work in other B2B categories?

Or would it be safer to pretend B2B customers really do think like robots?

"You can be professional while also ‘keeping it real’ with your customers. By interacting with customers in a less formal way, you’ll build a strong human connection that helps build brand loyalty"
DAVID HAUSER, Co-Founder, Grasshopper.com

You can learn more about Gair's seminars and speaking programs at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/. In the meantime, his book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

If you want the goods on The Seamless Brand and how this team can help sharpen your message and anchor your story, explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/. You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#%21/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Seamless Summer 2011

2011-06-28T08:52:00.004-03:00

"No more pencils.... no more books...No more teacher's dirty looks! Out for summer! Out till fall, we might not come back at all"
ALICE COOPER

It's that time of year again.

Like many of you, this is the time of year we get ready to trade business casual for shades and flip flops, enjoy a few cold ones and slow down for the summer.

Beginning this week, TSB launches its summer format for July/August, 2010. Regular visitors will notice a posting once a week as we dig into the TSB vault and re-post material that you might want a second look at.

It is summer, afterall.

When the right kind of day is welcome relief for winter-weary spirits.

Summer not only changes the way we approach our work, it also has a way of making the music we enjoy more vivid.

Summer songs are unlike any other.

Once "Schools Out", reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic give way to racing, romance, and rocking good tunes. It is only fitting that today on TSB, we unveil our 2010 list for the Top Five "Songs of Summer".

Our choices are based on three general criteria:

- The song needs to be a Top Ten single on Billboard.
- Reflects summertime values of fun in the sun.
- Comes with a kickass video.

Close, but no cigar honors go to several artists including:

- Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler with his solo effort ...

... as well as ...

- "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochrane
- "In the Summertime" - Mungo Jerry
- "Cruel Summer" - Bananarama
- "Surfin' USA" - The Beach Boys
- "Summertime Girls" - Y & T
- "Hot Summer Nights" - John Travolta and Olivia Newton John
- "Soak Up the Sun" - Sheryl Crow
- "Summer in the City" - The Lovin' Spoonful
- "Heat Wave" - Martha and the Vandellas
- "Summer of 69" - Bryan Adams
- "Margaritaville" - Jimmy Buffett

So here it goes ... TSB's Top Five "Songs of Summer":

#5. "Something Like Summertime" - BON JOVI

#4. "California Girls" - DAVID LEE ROTH

#3. "Walking on Sunshine" - KATRINA AND THE WAVES

#2. "All Summer Long" - KID ROCK

#1. "The Lazy Song" - BRUNO MARS

Hope you enjoy many perfect days through July/August when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, lawn mower is broken and the music is rocking!

All summer long.

"Money can't buy you happiness, but it can buy you a yacht big enough to pull up right alongside it" DAVID LEE ROTH

You can learn more about Gair's seminars and speaking programs at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/. In the meantime, his book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

If you want the goods on The Seamless Brand and how this team can help sharpen your message and anchor your story, explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/. You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Not My Canada

2011-06-23T06:31:00.006-03:00

As Canadians we have all been tainted by Vancouver's ugly brush.

What happened in the aftermath of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final will have serious legal, financial social and cultural repercussions for many years to come.

To say, it was bad for Canada's brand as a progressive, peace-loving nation is a gross understatement.

I can't speak for Jimmy Kimmel, but "Vancouver" is not my Canada.

A truer reflection of the kind of Canada I know is the story of the Maeng family in Moncton, N.B., where a community rallies to support hard-working immigrants facing a cruel and misguided federal deportation order. The images in this video aren't nearly as graphic and won't inspire any late-night comics, but they do say something about the true fabric of a nation.

The Maeng story may not receive as much global media attention as the Vancouver riots, but from where I sit, Moncton's reaction to an ordinary family's ordeal says a lot more about this country than the actions of any drunken mob. People in Moncton, and all of New Brunswick responded with a tsunami of tweets and Facebook posting, urging political leaders to take the necessary steps to allow the family to stay in Canada.

"Moncton" is the kind of Canada you would find in any community from Yarmouth to Yellowknife; Truro to Toronto; Ottawa to Owen Sound; Saskatoon to Sherbrooke; Edmunston to Edmonton; Winnipeg to Windsor; Bonavista to Burnaby and all points in between.

In a most symbolic and metaphorical way, "Vancouver" is not my Canada.

But, "Moncton" is.

"There are no limits to the majestic future which lies before the mighty expanse of Canada with its virile, aspiring, cultured, and generous-hearted people"
SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL

You can learn more about Gair's seminars and speaking programs at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/. In the meantime, his book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

If you want the goods on The Seamless Brand and how this team can help sharpen your message and anchor your story, explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/. You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

More than Words

2011-06-21T08:17:00.006-03:00

You've dropped off the kids at school.

Back on the main drag, you are bopping along to the Bee Gees hit "Jive Talkin'", blaring from your radio.

As the tune fades, an announcer cuts in and segues to a commercial.

"We offer fast friendly reliable service at affordable prices. Our friendly & knowledgeable staff is here Monday-Friday 9-6 and Saturday 10-4 for your shopping convenience. Quality selection. Guaranteed lowest prices. Just some of the things that you can depend on and trust from your locally owned & operated value center. Convenient payment plans available. Some restrictions apply – on limited time offers. So call or drop in and experience service, selection and the difference quality makes!"

Never once, have you slammed on the brakes and turned the car around just to head to a store promising "friendly and knowledgable staff".

Later that same day, you arrive home, fire up the computer and search the latest job postings.

As kids focus on homework at the kitchen table, you stumble across an ad that reads like this:

"XYZ Company is currently seeking an energetic, enthusiastic, team player to assume the role of Executive Assistant to the President & CEO. Working with the President & CEO, the incumbent will be responsible for providing a high level of administrative support. This dynamic and rewarding career opportunity offers a challenging, fast-paced, results-oriented environment, ideal for positive, self-motivated and energetic multi-taskers with pro-active problem-solving abilities. You will need strong communication and computer skills, be able to work independently while exceeding customer and key stakeholder expectations".

Never once, when you were growing up, wondering about your dream job, did you aspire to become an "incumbent".

If you really stop to think about it, do any of these one-size fits-all radio ads or generic job postings ever, ever, ever register on your personal give-a-shit-a-meter?

Whether you are trying to sell a product or service or attract top-notch talent, your choice of language will either work for you or against you. The words you choose will either attract, repel or create indifference in the mind of the woman you are trying to speak to.

Choked by decades of hype, white noise and the emptiness of adspeak, your prospect, customer or future employee is hungering for words she can actually believe in. Inundated by more than 5,500 advertising messages a day, her brain has been trained many times over to tune out anything that comes across as "blah, blah, blah".

She is starving to feel something real.

Words that resonate within her soul.

She is the same person who was stirred by the aching words of a song written by the Brothers Gibb back in 1968 that promised:

"It's only words, and words are all I have, to take your heart away".

What about your brand?

Is it carefully selecting from a cornucopia of words that seamlessly link your brand promise to something that actually matters? Or is it merely recycling the same old politically correct, guaranteed-not-to-offend, regurgitated crap that everyone else spits out?

Is it time for your brand to embrace a new language?

With words she craves?

"This world has lost its glory, let's start a brand new story now, my love.
Right now, there'll be no other time and I can show you how, my love"
THE BEE GEES

P.S. .... This topic requires no further explanation:

You can learn more about Gair's seminars and speaking programs at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/. In the meantime, his book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

If you want the goods on The Seamless Brand and how this team can help sharpen your message and anchor your story, explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/. You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Branding Guidelines: Brick by Brick

2011-06-16T06:56:00.001-03:00

Branding can be a dicey subject for small to mid-size companies.

For some, it feels like you roll those bones and take your chances.

Branding is more readily associated with the world of packaged goods or the Fortune 500. Branding books (including my own) use examples like Apple, Starbucks or Southwest Airlines; stories that don’t always resonate with small to medium sized enterprises, business-to-business companies, or industrial product firms. But, these types of companies share more in common than you think with some of the biggest brands in the world.

Take for example, Proctor & Gamble.

The world's largest advertiser.

In 2010, the estimated total spend from P&G was $8.6 billion. It works out to nearly 11% of net sales produced by 24 brands, including Tide detergent, Pampers diapers, and Gillette razors. When it comes to sheer numbers, Proctor & Gamble sets the gold standard when it comes to spending money on advertising.

Knowing those numbers will give you added perspective on a legendary story about a former P&G chairman. It seems this chairman was addressing a high-level advertising conference many years ago, discussing the billions spent annually on marketing, advertising, sponsorships, coupons and many other promotional programs.

The chairman announced to all the other suits in the room, “I’m positive we waste half the money we spend”.

The he paused and admitted with a sigh, “I just don’t know which half.”

Whether your company is a global behemoth like Proctor & Gamble investing $8.6 billion or a small enterprise forking over $8.6 thousand dollars, no one wants to waste half of their advertising budget. More often than not, this is precisely what happens when business owners and executives fail to grasp several guidelines that provide the foundation for successful brand building.

Three things to keep in mind:

#1. Your choice of Message will ALWAYS be more critical than your choice of Media.

Think less about who you are targeting and how often your message is getting out there. Success in this game is less about "frequency" and "reach" and much more about what you actually say in terms of a "message". What can you be best in the world/country/state/province/city at and can you back it up? In what ways are you remarkably different from your competitors and how is that difference relevant to your customer?

#2. Your Message must be DRIVEN by emotion; supported through logic.

Will the message be one that an audience actually cares about and see as relevant? Or will you spread marketing fluff that sounds like "fast, friendly, reliable service at low prices', "we have a full range of products to meet all your needs" and "come and meet our friendly and knowledgeable staff". These phrases lost all meaning and credibility more than a decade ago. No one gives a rats ass about your staff and how helpful they are. That's a given.

#3. The level of COURAGE it will take to develop an emotionally-driven message and share it with your customers and employees.

Do you have the courage to make that leap - even without having all the facts? The courage to face complaints about your ads or videos? The courage go out on a limb, take a calculated risk, listen to your gut and follow your heart?

Never forget, fortune favors the brave.

No matter the size of the firm or whether it falls into the B2B category, any company can apply these principles. Just the other day, I stumbled on to the story of Acme Brick, founded in 1891 and based in Fort Worth, Texas. Acme sells most of its products through the building trades and a good portion of their $1.5 million marketing budget goes into strongly branded tactics including partnerships with pro sports celebrities and teams, supporting charitable causes or PR events (like setting the Guinness World Record for building the world's largest brick as pictured above). In 1995, Acme Brick also introduced an unheard of 100-year producht guarantee (3 to 5 years was the industry standard) to further differentiate themselves from others.

These brand-building efforts have paid off.

A 1998 survey of homebuyers showed Acme had achieved 84 percent brand preference when no other supplier was above 10 percent in their regional market. In fact, Acme estimates their brand is worth an extra ten cents for every dollar's worth of Acme brick sold and $250 in incremental revenue per home. The company also believes about $20 million of Acme's annual $200 million brick sales represents R.O.I. on the yearly investment Acme makes in brand-building. In other words, a 13-fold return on an average annual budget of $1.5 million.

Acme Brick has proven a strong message (100-year guarantee, for example), harnessed with emotion (you'll see in a minute) and the courage to put it out there (watch the video) can pay off in spades.

If you can create a brand of distinction out of a brick, can you see how almost anything can be branded to create value? Acme's efforts may not be on the same level as P&G's "Old Spice Guy", but the same principles hold true when it comes to giving any product or service a little more sex appeal.

A brand of distinction is so reliable and rare that people spread stories about them.

A brand of distinction will never be viewed as just another brick in the B2B or small business wall.

Regardless of size or industry, brands of distinction enjoy a tremendous competitive advantage since word of mouth and referrals are still the most powerful form of advertising. But, the reverse is also true. If your company wears little more than a badge of ownership, your competitors have a major opportunity to beat you to the punch and start building their brand of distinction.

Brick by brick.

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently"
WARREN BUFFETT

P.S.... Can't help but think of diehard Bruins fans like Mark Eagles, who must be flying like Bobby Orr today after Tim Thomas takes Boston to 7th heaven.

You can learn more about Gair's seminars and speaking programs at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/. In the meantime, his book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

If you want the goods on The Seamless Brand and how this team can help sharpen your message and anchor your story, explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/. You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Sharp Stick of Transparency

2011-06-14T07:13:00.008-03:00

Time and Money.

You can't spend one without saving the other.

Risk and Reward.

You can't have more of one without increasing the other.

These centuries-old truths serve us two sides of the same coin. Rest assured, these truths will still hold true long after we're all dead and gone.

Thanks to technology, the latest such double-sided truth to permanently enter our world is Transparency and Accountability. Like it or not, these values now walk hand-in-hand in our 21st century Digital Economy. Since the web has made broadcasters of us all, the illuminating light of transparency can be directed toward your personal or professional brand at anytime from anywhere. While this represents a potential loss of privacy it also demand a higher degree of public accountability.

Which may not be a bad thing if it exposes less-than-ethical business dealings.

It has become increasingly difficult to hide secretive and shady schemes under the glaring light of social media exposure. At one time, only traditional media could blow the whistle on shysters and slimeballs, but today anyone with a Facebook account can get into the act.

Never has a double-edged sword been so painfully sharp.

Case in point:

Noticed a posting the other day about a Moncton-based car dealership I have never done business with. The less-than-flattering article is now doing more damage than any full-page newspaper ad or 30-second radio spot can hope to repair. Just to get a sense of how accurate the article may be, I re-posted it on my own Facebook profile and was surprised to see the level of criticism and contempt it inspired.

Rodney LeBlanc: As soon as I saw the heading...knew exactly which dealership was being mentioned. Have heard dirty tactics more than once...my uncle was a victim.
23 hours ago · Like

Glen Munro: The practice they have in place is disgusting
23 hours ago · Like

Sean Andrus: It's really happening here...not to me but to one of my old employees. She couldn't afford to lose the $500, was trying to reduce payments - instead she gained an extra $500 in credit card debt!
23 hours ago · Like

Roger Surette: My wife bought a car from them about a year and a half ago and the service she has got since the purchase has been horrible!!! It seems that they are out for the money and not customer satisfaction...
22 hours ago · Like

Remi Boudreau: Just recently bought a car there and can't say enough about how frustrating the experience was... I'm good with numbers and knew aprox how much I should be paying monthly since I had the price of the vehicle and the cost of returning our ol...See More
19 hours ago · Like

Larry Busey: I bought a car there. They screwed me over, too. All kinds of shady tactics, similar to when David Puddy yanked Seinfeld's insider deal. I've also heard numerous stories. This is not an isolated incident/issue.
13 hours ago · Like

Words and phrases like "victim", "frustrating" and "David Puddy" are not what the owners of any business have in mind when they think about how they're going to attract more business. The dealership in question serves as a great example of how every business needs to pay attention to what the Cluetrain Manifesto predicted as far back as 1999.

"All markets are conversations".

Here in Moncton, New Brunswick, this two-sided coin of transparency and accountability can force governments to clean up administrative messes made by bungling bureaucrats (as in the recent case of the Maeng family); or it can severely limit the number of customers who might otherwise be tempted (through advertising) to do business with your company. If its happening in Moncton, its happening everywhere.

Power - real power - has never been more in the hands of ordinary people.

Conversations are taking place whether you and I like it or not, but the word is getting out much louder and faster than ever before. And while it represents a potential loss of privacy does the higher degree of public accountability make it worth the trade?

How is your brand holding up under this level of scrutiny?

Can it withstand the sharp stick of truth that transparency demands?

"There is not a crime, there is not a dodge, there is not a trick, there is not a swindle, there is not a vice which does not live by secrecy"
JOSEPH PULITZER

P.S. ... Can you imagine it getting much worse than seeing your brand compared to David Puddy?

You can learn more about Gair's seminars and speaking programs at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/. In the meantime, his book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

If you want the goods on The Seamless Brand and how this team can help sharpen your message and anchor your story, explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/. You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Brace For Impact

2011-06-09T06:56:00.004-03:00

Until yesterday, I had never heard of Ric Elias.

And I highly suspect you hadn't either.

But, there is something about his message that struck me.

And now I am wondering how it will impact you ...

How will Ric's message impact your day?

Is there something you need to get done?

Today.

Is there someone you are thinking about?

Right now.

"Catch that magic moment. Do it right here and now. It means everything"
VAN HALEN

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Hiring Lessons from the NFL

2011-06-07T06:54:00.001-03:00

You are about to make a key hire.

Someone you hope will figure in your organizational plans for a long time.

After an exhaustive recruiting and evaluation process, two top-notch perfectly qualified candidates have emerged as finalists. Experts who know them both say you could flip a coin between them.

Doesn't matter if it lands on heads or tails, you still win.

This scenario is precisely what unfolded in 1998 when two quarterbacks were regarded as the cream of the crop in the NFL Draft. The Indiannapolis Colts, picking first, spent many months evaluating the choice between the two. The San Diego Chargers, picking second, felt no matter who the Colts took, they were still in great shape.

Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Anderson of the New York Times said before the draft, "Someday these two [quarterbacks] might be what John Elway and Dan Marino are now--on the way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame together after being drafted in 1983 together."

The Chargers GM at the time, Bobby Beathard was quoted as saying, "You can go five to ten years without getting a chance to draft a quarterback like this".

History will show the Colts selected Peyton Manning with the #1 choice while the Chargers gleefully welcomed Ryan Leaf to the team with a four-year contract worth $31.25 million that included an $11.25 million signing bonus.

At the time, this was the highest amount of money ever guaranteed to an NFL rookie.

History will also show that while Manning has fashioned a Hall of Fame career that includes one Super Bowl triumph, Leaf is widely regarded as the greatest draft bust ever. Not just one of the greatest. The biggest flop ever. Period.

It would be easy to blame scouts and management for what happened as the highly-touted Leaf seemd to self-destruct in San Diego. In his rookie year, his attitude was called into question as he nearly fought an angry fan, often screamed at reporters and faked an injury to leave practice to golf. After threee seasons, he was released by the hapless Chargers before bouncing through Tampa Bay, Dallas and Seattle. Once hailed as a better prospect with a stronger arm and more potential upside than Manning, Leaf was out of football after 5 years.

San Diego lost millions and face.

Indiannapolis became home to "Peyton's Place".

Leaf's legacy?

One of disgrace.

But, what does this story mean for your business and the way you recruit and hire talent?

For openers, it helps if you understand that each NFL team will invest millions of dollars and countless man-hours to professionally scout and evaluate talent. With the possible exception of the NASA screening process for astronauts, few organizations spend as much time, money and effort up front to try and make the right hire. The Manning-Leaf story illustrates how difficult ANY hiring process is when it comes to the UNPREDICTABLE nature of trying to predict human behaviour. This is an imperfect science at best. If the best recruiters and evaluators in the world can't get it right 100% of the time, does it make sense to expect whoever does the hiring in your organization to be flawless when it comes to picking the right people?

While convenient to point fingers at the person(s) doing the hiring, the role of the coach in any successful hire can't be discounted either. When Manning joined the Colts, the respected Jim Mora was in charge for his first three seaons followed as head coach by Hall-of-Famer Tony Dungy. It can be argued that while Manning enjoyed the benefit of stability and expertise from his head coaches, Leaf did not. In fact, San Diego went through thre different head coaches in each of Leaf's three seasons and neither Kevin Gilbride, June Jones or Mike Riley ever landed another NFL head coaching job. Nor will they ever be confused with coaching greats such as Lombardi, Walsh and Dungy.

It has been my experience as a business coach and consultant that hiring is but one aspect of the on-boarding process and more time, care and attention needs to be paid to how talent is nurtured and developed once when a person joins an organization. Could the track Ryan Leaf ultimately followed in the NFL have been changed if he had the opportunity to play for someone like Tony Dungy? In football and in business, the performance of any player can be impacted in a huge way by the coaching and leadership qualities of the person in charge. But far too often, narrow-minded owners and managers complain they "can't find any good people" without ever stopping to ask whether they are part of the problem in the first place.

These are the same owners and managers who frequently turn to HR consultants and headhunters promising their clients the world. Its as though the latest "behavioural-based interview techniques" or "effective screening programs" will be the magic bullets that achieve hiring results.

Few in the hiring and headhunting business will point out to their clients the many other factors that impact the development of talent. Coaching is but one of many, taking into account the role the deeper issues of culture and the brand itself plays in terms of who it attracts, who it repels and why that would even matter to certain candidates. In other words, you might have a computer programmer with superior skill sets who might shine at Microsoft, but bomb at Apple. Again, experience has shown the majority of companies advertising for top employees are doing so without fully understanding who they are in the first place and what would make a perfect match.

Beginning with knowing who you are as a brand is vital to the development of any successful recruiting and retention strategy. One of several NFL teams that has this core component down pat are the three-time Super Bowl champions out of New England.

The Patriots have been one the most dominant teams of the past decade. In an era where dynasties aren't supposed to happen, New England has been a dynasty team. And it all starts with the brand values that head coach Bill Belichick brings to the business of recruitment and retention.

When assessing talent, Belichick and the Patriots will place a higher value on intangible soft skills and whether an athlete is "right for our system"; selfless, self-motivated, with the humility to take direction and mesh well with others in the locker room. He and his scouts are less concerned with tangible, physical skills like those revealed in benchpress numbers, vertical leaps and time in the 40-yard dash. In other words, the Patriots are looking much deeper than what's on the resume or what they get fed in the first interview.

Belichik knows even the most talented player in the draft will fail without proper development while someone with less obvious physical skills can still shine in the right system. How else does one explain what happened when the Patriots selected future Hall-of-Famer Tom Brady with the next to last pick (199th overall) in the 2000 NFL Draft? While Brady is a bona fide super star, he is not a prima donna. Despite three Super Bowl rings, he is still a willing student who listens to his coaching staff while leading is teammates with the grit of a grizzled war veteran.

How would Brady fare with another team?

Great question since Pats players tend to look great in New England, but seldom perform well after they've been released or traded. Perhaps, its because Belichick is drafting players that already fit the mold which makes them perform in his system.

While Ryan Leaf has been barbecued in the media for more than a decade, few will call the San Diego Chargers on the carpet for failing this talented individual on two fronts:

#1. Not having their own brand values set in stone to guide the way they recruit and develop talent.

#2. For not having their own coaching ducks in a row.

In business and in sports, you have to select players you can coach, but you also have to coach the players you draft.

If that isn't part of your hiring philosophy, failure is just a Ryan Leaf away.

"On a football team, it's not the strength of the individual players, but it is the strength of the unit and how they all function"
BILL BELICHIK

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Branding Without Advertising

2011-06-02T05:20:00.001-03:00

Can you build a compelling brand without spending enormous amounts of money of advertising?

The answer is yes.

Costco does it.

So does Wizard Academy.

While we're at it, let's throw in Starbucks, Facebook and Google.

They may not purchase traditional newspaper, radio or TV ads, but Google, for example, invests heavily in its brand. The home page offers nothing but a search box and links to their services. That strategic decision sacrifices hundreds of millions of dollars in potential ad revenue, but Google weighs that against building its brand around something more important than cold hard cash.

They have put customer needs first.

They have narrowed their focus.

So much so that Google now owns a single word.

"Search".

To the point where "to Google" has synonomous with the word "search". Its now part of our everyday language, used as a verb instead of a noun.

They also have a brand promise that supports their story.

"Don't Be Evil".

There was a time when ad agencies and media companies also served as chief brand architects for their clients. That was back in the 20th century when the media-industrial complex reigned supreme and audiences were easier to reach. But, that era packed up and left long ago, leaving many design firms and media suppliers forced to reconile the fact that high level brand strategy that guides creative efforts are being developed elsewhere.

In today's 21st century Digital Economy, brand strategy requires a fundamental knowledge of business operations, financial engines, competitive landscape, story development and internal culture. In the long and twisting dirt road to building a brand, external messaging usually occurs late in the process - and ONLY if its needed.

While ad agencies and media companies tend to focus on producing spots for short-lived campaigns, great brands are more enduring because the compelling story they represent has to transcend any and all platforms or potential campaigns. And when they do make strategic decisions to invest in on-the-ground advertising or marketing tactics, well-branded companies enjoy better results thanks to a sharper message that lands with a resounding THUD! in the mind of the customer.

Brands of distinction make selling easier.

With or without the ads.

A great example is Brock Wagner’s Saint Arnold Brewing Company. This Texas-based micro-brewery has made suds according to European tradition, without the additives and preservatives common in mass-produced beers. And when you hear Brock's story, it just might resonate with part of your own brand-building efforts.

Brands of distinction like Saint Arnold are built on much more than eye-popping logos, clever taglines or sweeping mission statements. To play at the highest level, brands of distinction share a single word in common.

Trust.

In other words, the ability and capacity to not only make a promise, but to keep it.

Hundreds of companies have blown billions of dollars on Super Bowl ads and other major events trying to build a brand. However, buying your way into the hearts of customers may not be the most effective strategy.

Is there something big companies like Google and smaller ones like Saint Arnold have done with their brand-building efforts you could replicate?

Do you have a remarkable product or service, 100% focused on what your ideal customer cares about most?

Have you been laser-focused on crafting a timeless "story" and enduring message people will actually believe in?

It is possible to create a compelling brand while spending relatively little on advertising. Much tougher to advertise your way to the top without a meaningful brand to take you there.

If you do have to advertise, are you convinced your brand is capable of squeezing every ounce of value out of those precious marketing dollars?

Otherwise, you'll piss that ad budget away like cheap, watered-down beer.

"It is not slickness, polish, uniqueness, or cleverness that makes a brand a brand. It is truth"
HARRY BECKWITH

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Tim's Cup Runneth Over

2011-05-31T07:22:00.002-03:00

He doesn't win on style.

He has never been viewed as a physical specimen.

His technique will never be taught at any schools that teach the craft. In fact, teachers routinely tell their students he is the exception, not the rule.

His business approach is, in a word, unorthodox.

But, business has never been better for the NHL's real-life Rocky Balboa. A former career minor-leaguer, he is now four wins away from leading his team to their first Stanley Cup title since Richard Nixon sat in the White House.

Unlike his Vancouver Canucks counterpart Roberto Luongo, few in the hockey world thought Tim Thomas would even play in the NHL, let alone become a Vezina Trophy winner and Stanley Cup finalist. While Luongo was a high first-round pick quickly ushered into the NHL, Thomas traveled a longer, much harder road. Rolling out of the blue-collar town of Flint, Michigan, "the Tank" is one of the most inspirational stories in the history of the sport.

Unconventional to a fault, Thomas practices yoga as a way to improve flexibility and keep his mind clear.

His approach tends to frustrate opponents like Tampa Bay's Steve Downie.

This flip-flopping, puck-stopping father of three may never satisfy the many high-browed hockey critics who question his technique (or lack thereof), but there can be no questionning his results. As a former sportscaster who called over 1000 games in the American Hockey League, I've seen my share of goalies who look great in warm-up and appear technically flawless, but don't win a lot.

Tim Thomas just stops shots.

And wins games.

Despite his creds and tireless work ethic, hockey purists still doubt this Thomas.

But when he and the Bruins hoist Lord Stanley, they'll be hard pressed to ever doubt Thomas again.

The 2011 Stanley Cup Finals will be the 118th year teams have competed for hockey's holy grail. The Vancouver Canucks, who entered the league in 1970, have been to the big dance twice, but have never won the Cup. The Boston Bruins last sipped champagne in 1972.

Game 1 is Wednesday night in Vancouver.

We're picking Bruins in 6.

What about you?

"I’ve worked for my whole life, you know to get to this point in the Stanley Cup. But you don’t dream of getting to the Stanley Cup Finals, you dream of winning the Stanley Cup. So there’s still more work to be done"
TIM THOMAS

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Who Hates Your Brand?

2011-05-26T04:09:00.006-03:00

What happens when you force people to choose sides?

Some will love you for it.

Others will hate your guts.

Same is true in the wide-frickin' open world of brand strategy where you have to decide who you choose to lose.

Otherwise, no one is really going to love your brand anyway.

Business owners are often shocked to discover their companies are not $100 dollar bills. Their products and services won't be universally liked by everyone. That's why you won't find any "brands of distinction" operating in what's called the "mushy middle"; a cliche-infested swamp of sameness that exists between the razor-edge extremes of love and hate.

For a brand to be effective, it has to be bold.

It has to stand for something.

And be willing to plant a flag on top of mountain it will die for.

Even at the risk of offending potential customers.

The best brands in the world never got to be that way by playing it safe or the role of Switzerland. Neutrality is not what great brands are made of.

Which is why it's worth studying the new Miracle Whip campaign, which has the gonads to say you either love us or hate us.

The Laws of Magnetic Polarity dictate that a force which attracts one substance, will also repel another with equal force. In brand development, it means your ability to attract legions of customers cannot exceed the potential to repel.

Isn't it intriguing how a simple food preference can evolve into an epic battle between the forces of good and evil?

Products and services represent the tangible in terms of WHAT you offer customers. But, a brand represents the intangible elements that signal HOW you are different and WHY they should choose you. Successful brands can help a failed product, but a successful product cannot help a failed brand.

When it comes to developing brand strategy, there’s no yin without yang. You can’t be all things to all people and build a legacy-driven, brand of distinction. The best you can do is wear a badge of ownership, virtually interchangeable with many other competitors in your category.

Which is why so many companies are still mired in the “mushy middle”, afraid to take a stand. Unwilling to risk pissing someone off.

Whe it comes to your own brand, can you identify who really does hate you or should hate you? Is there something your brand can adapt from the Kraft campaign with Miracle Whip?

Does it increase or diminish the value of this brand? How much buzz do you think they would they have generated with a "kumbaya, everyone loves us”, Caspar Milquetoast-type campaign?

Personally, I applaud Kraft for rolling the dice and forcing consumers to "get off the fence" when it comes to the polarizing taste of Miracle Whip. While I'm not a big fan of the product (and will only consume a light spreading under duress), I do see the wisdom in drawing a line in the branding sand.

Could developing an authentic (seamless) brand also mean exposing its less than flattering sides of the product and embrace warts-and-all reality?

Is this a card your customer would love to see you play?

“Better to be hated for who you are, than to be loved for someone you are not”
AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Ultimate Warriors

2011-05-24T05:37:00.004-03:00

May 19, 2011.

A Facebook message worth reading tumbles into my inbox.

From my good friend and fellow professional speaking "brother" Martin Latulippe.

The title said it all:

"The Ultimate Teacher is the Eternal Student"

Recognizing the value in what Martin wrote, I immediately called and asked if we could feature it as a TSB Guest Post in advance of Thursday's event in Moncton, N.B. featuring "Chicken Soup for the Soul" legend Jack Canfield.

And it is in that spirit, we invite you to enjoy the thoughts of best-selling author and professional speaker, Martin Latulippe CSP:

On May 26th in Moncton, New Brunswickers will have the fantastic opportunity to hear Jack Canfield, a man recognized as the personal and professional development industry’s number 1 success coach in North America.

As the author of over a hundred bestselling books, Jack Canfield is by far the expert who can best clarify the steps to take to incorporate winning habits into your personal and professional life. As the ultimate success teacher, I feel that what sets him apart from the other professional conference speakers is the fact that he has always remained a student of success.

I still remember my first meeting with Jack Canfield. It was in 2002 and it was the first time I had taken part in the annual conference of the National Speakers Association (NSA), where all the conference speakers, authors, trainers and coaches get together once a year to share experience and knowledge. I remember it as if it were yesterday that this man came and asked me if he could sit next to me.When I looked up my heart stopped.

I had seen this man hundreds of times in books, magazines and Internet conferences. I had read his books, I had seen his conferences and I knew he was a true legend in our industry. It was Jack Canfield in person! He sat next to me and immediately we started talking to each other. To be honest, I was so nervous that it was very hard for me to concentrate. Also back then my English was pretty limited. The only words I really mastered were “yes” “no” “toaster” and “I love to ski-doo!”.So he was the one carrying the conversation and – to my great surprise – he was sincerely interested in my projects and with what I had to say. I found it hard to believe that Jack Canfield could be interested in what I had to say. Shortly after our little discussion, the training session started, he thanked me and I was then able to witness an experience that would strongly influence my career.

There were about a hundred of us in the room listening to the trainer and Jack Canfield was probably the only one taking notes. I don’t mean that he took down a few notes, but rather some fifteen pages of notes throughout the 60-minute session.I couldn’t help but ask myself why a man like this, who had sold over 125 million books, would take so many notes. In the entire room, he was probably the man who least needed to take notes!

So, following the training session, I nervously asked him why he had taken so many notes. He looked at me with a big smile and said, “It is just as difficult to remain a student of success as it is to become a teacher of success! At training sessions, I always strive to listen from the perspective of a student. I like to think that it makes me a better teacher. Too many people participate in these sessions thinking they’ve already heard this or that. I always listen to a session by asking myself the following questions: ‘what has this person said that maybe I’ve forgotten to use in my life? What could I improve in my life with respect to the points the trainer is discussing? What actions should I take after the conference to grow from this session?’ ”

I was totally hypnotized by the beginning of his answer, “it is just as difficult to remain a student of success as it is to become a teacher of success!” I think the same can be said about our daily lives. So many people stop being students of their life, their dreams and their passions. What he’d just summed up in a few words was probably the element that has helped me more than anything else to become an internationally renowned conference speaker and bestselling author.

I must always remain a student of my passions and dreams!It would be hard for me to describe all the lessons for success this man has handed down to me over the years, his bestselling book, The Success Principles, alone holds 64 of them, and they are all small jewels of wisdom. More than just a list of good ideas, Jack has mastered the art of revealing key, unwavering principles that thousands of men and women have always used to become successful. Undoubtedly, the difference between Jack Canfield and other celebrities you may have heard at conferences is that he doesn’t really say what to do to achieve success, but rather he uses a very simplistic approach to teach us how to become successful, which isn’t necessarily easy for everyone.As the great Anthony Robbins said so well: “Jack Canfield’s principles are simple, but the results are extraordinary.”

It’s not every day that we get a chance to see such a talented master of success in our area, so if you don’t have your tickets yet, you can go to www.totalimpact.ca or call 506-878-1544 and give yourself the gift of a day with Jack Canfield. Personally, I'll have the opportunity to share the stage with Jack but most importantly, I will be there taking notes, because a long time ago I learned that it’s just as important to remain a student of life as it is to become a teacher.
MARTIN LATULIPPE, The Potential Awakener

Canfield and Latulippe.

Ultimate students.

Ultimate teachers.

Helping warriors of the light find their way.

"There are essentially two things that will make you wise -- the books you read and the people you meet"
JACK CANFIELD

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Fork in the Corporate Video Road

2011-05-19T07:40:00.001-03:00

You spend years building a company.

You build a crackerjack team, a loyal following of customers and a solid reputation for having great products and services. Your company grows by leaps and bounds as cash fills its coffers. You wind up with a fistful of business awards and pictured on magazine covers.

And at some point in your company's history, there will be a need to capture the essence of this incredible success story in a corporate video.

Here are two ways a company can go.

Call it a fork in the corporate video road.

Study these two examples and decide which approach you prefer.

Video #1?

or

Video #2?

How do you rate the relative strengths of each video?

Is one more believable than the other?

Which one has more impact?

We really are interested in knowing how you feel about these two very different approaches in sharing a company's story through video.

If you could share your comments below, that would be great. If you would prefer to remain under the radar, you could send a confidential e-mail to gmaxwell@seamlessbrand.com.

And it is your comments that will shape where this story goes next as we explore a deeper subject.

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart"
NELSON MANDELA

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Markets Are Conversations

2011-05-17T08:08:00.001-03:00

Stumbled on to something about a month ago from the Cluetrain Manifesto that still has my brain buzzing.

"All markets are conversations".

Think about it.

Before the media-industrial complex took over, the first markets were filled with talk.

For centuries, the conversations included far more than discussions over products and services.

Throw in news from the Crusades. Gossip about the king. Opinion on the weather and the harvest. Intrigue over the priest and the neighbour's wife. Heated debate over politics and religion.

Merchants in pre-Marconi and printing press markets had little else going for them other than word-of-mouth. Before newspaper, radio and TV, merchants relied on the power of conversations that others were having. As the Cluetrain authors put it, "Buyers spoke directly to each other without the filter of media, the artifice of positioning statements, the arrogance of advertising, or the shading of public relations".

Reputation meant everything. It was the only thing you had.

All that changed when conversation became a one-way street, dominated by the multi-billion dollar marketing and advertising industry. And with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, it's easy to look back and see how one-size-fits-all products that rolled off mass-production lines, required messages to suit the masses.

But that was then.

I am sure you have noticed, the 21st century is not for neat, tidy organized minds.

On any given day, people share 830 million items on Facebook, upload 6.1 million photos to Flickr, add 2.1 million minutes of video to YouTube and send 65 million tweets. According to Google chairman Eric Schmidt, every two days now we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003.

It’s messy as hell out there.

Ever since freedom and control shifted back to the consumer.

Looking up a phone number for my dentist the other day and the first website to appear is one that includes no fewer than nine consumer ratings describing her practice. Booking a trip? You can join the conversation on Trip Advisor. Need to make a diaper change when you're lugging an infant through Times Square? Charmin now has an iPhone app that rates and grades clean washrooms.

Yes, markets are conversations.

Now, more than ever.

As Seth Godin explains, "Conversations among the members of your marketplace happen whether you like it or not". But, does that mean all business conversations should be viewed as marketing opportunities?

If conversations are more about listening than talking, who do you see as doing a good job of it in the social media world?

How is your brand doing in terms of engaging in the conversation?

Are you getting with the new program?

Or still stuck in the old?

“A great brand taps into emotions. Emotions drive most, if not all, of our decisions. A brand reaches out with a powerful connecting experience. It’s an emotional connecting point that transcends the product”
SCOTT BEDBURY

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

A Business Double-Double

2011-05-10T08:22:00.006-03:00

The title of the book says it all.

The author has "been there, done that".

He also happens to have a gift for focusing your thoughts on what is truly important in growing a business as opposed to attending to the brush fires of the merely urgent. In other words, when he shares business advice, you do well to listen.

Cameron Herold is the operational genius behind the rocket-fuelled growth of dozens of companies, including 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, which soared from $2 million to $105 million in revenue over six years. I first met Cameron at a conference in Las Vegas a couple years back and it's no surprise to see this hyper-energetic, business wunderkind hit the book market with such a resounding blast. In "Double Double", Cameron pulls no punches in showing you how to take specific steps to doubling revenues and profits, in 3 years or less.

Starting a business is one thing.

Growing it is another.

But it need not be complicated and this is where Cameron's 200-plus page book has nailed it in terms of presenting refreshingly candid and practical advice. There are loads of first-hand examples that explain a lot of "what to do's" and "how to do it", however the most relevant takeaway might also be the most easily overlooked.

And you will find it in Part 1.

Tempted to skip this step?

Do so at your peril.

Part 1 focuses on what Cameron refers to as the "Painted Picture". Shrug this off and you will remain stuck operating in the weeds of tactics without ever seeing the trees of the strategic forest. The "Painted Picture" is an incredibly powerful tool and if you only implement one thing out of the whole book, this should be it.

Cameron also details specific thoughts and actions to take on reverse engineering goals, the role culture plays in hyper-growth, how to hire for attitudinal and skills fit, as well as marketing on a lean budget through the strategic use of free public relations. If there is a consistent theme throughout, it's one of how much value the author provides in terms of insight and action steps required to double revenues and profits in three years or less.

I have been fortunate enough to have met Cameron and facilitate a workshop with him, so I can confidently say he is one of those business authors and mentors worth paying attention to. With "Double-Double" you can dramatically shorten your entrepreneurial learning curve with more than 20 years of market-tested knowledge, first-hand experience and practical advice.

And my advice right now is to not only buy Cameron's book, but implement what he is writing about.

Starting with a "Painted Picture".

"Without a strong culture there will be no foundation for your company's rapid growth. Culture is tied to all your goals and projects. It is the background of your Painted Picture. Culture trumps process any day"
CAMERON HEROLD

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Something Rotten in the State of Colchester?

2011-05-05T06:22:00.010-03:00

Does this story remind you of a Shakesperian play?

The plot involves a small town Chamber of Commerce, struggling to balance the increasingly opposing and hostile forces of MLS and Private Sale real estate.

On the one hand, the local Chamber is more than happy to enroll the Private Sale franchise as a member, take their cheque and place them in the real estate category. But, when it comes time to handing out the hardware for year end awards, the story changes.

And the drama unfolds.

The owner of the PropertyGuys.com franchise in Truro, Nova Scotia,was nominated in the real estate category in the annual "Best of Colchester" competition. But when Daina Hernden's clients visited the site to vote, there was no listing for her company. Despite owning a fair chunk of the listings in her market, Hernden has been told by the Chamber of Commerce that her company doesn't belong in the same category as full fledged real estate agencies.

It just so happens that the president of the Truro and District Chamber of Commerce is also a licensed realtor. Given the optics, it only adds fuel to the fire of discriminatory allegations. You can read the full account of the story and the readers comments here.

Suddenly, the spectre of full-fledged intrigue, scheming and plotting, begins to rear its ugly head. One can't help but be reminded of "Hamlet." Act I, Scene 4, when Marcellus utters, "something is rotten in the state of Denmark", having just seen the ghost of the late king.

For what it's worth, here are some factors to consider:

- Having served as an active Chamber volunteer for over a decade which included two terms on the Board of Directors, I find it difficult to comprehend what looks to be a most hypocritical position taken by the Truro Chamber. I know for a fact, the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce and others across the country, have had no issue singling out Canada's private sale mavericks for awards and accolades, often inviting company executives to speak at year end galas.

- It doesn't surprise me in the least to see Daina Hernden ruffling some feathers in Colchester County. After having coached and trained hundreds, if not thousands of entrepreneurs over the past decade or more, Hernden stands out as a real gem in that crowd. Her no-nonsense, "cut through the bullshit" approach and obssessive attention to customer service, has a way of attracting listing volume to her franchise. Not surprisingly she frustrates her competitors, who envy her proven ability to grow market share.

- We have no problem whatsoever, revealing that my company and I have worked for many years with PropertyGuys.com to help this brand in its "David and Goliath" type struggle against the multi-billion dollar MLS machine. TSB can be accused of many faults and flaws. However, hypocrisy won't be among them. Whether we have a vested interest or not should matter little when it comes to the principle of fair and equitable treatment.

Few enjoy the perspective we see from the inside out, but in a cultural sense the PropertyGuys.com brand is very different from many other private and public sector organizations. You would be hard-pressed to find a "CYA" or "every man for himself" mentality. In fact, it is quite the opposite. One of the phrases most often heard over the phone or in hallways sounds like, "don't worry, we've got your back".

Daina Hernden and her PropertyGuys.com franchise has been one of the most recognized by the company at the year-end "Revvy Awards", however, small town politics may prevent that from happening in the "Best of Colchester" competition.

But, as you can now appreciate, TSB makes no apologies for having her back.

And it is in that spirit, that we applaud Daina in her efforts to give consumers viable options to consider when listing their homes in Colchester County.

"Lawless are they that make their wills their law"
SIR WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Listening to the Monkey

2011-05-03T05:40:00.001-03:00

The power of "story" is one of the most mysterious and misunderstood forces that influence the way we think and behave.

A fairy tale romance has millions around the world watching every move as William and Kate exchange vows. And people start to believe again in love.

A tale of covert vigilantism has thousands cheering and jumping for joy in front of the White Houuse and in Times Square. And people start to believe again justice has been served.

In a more personal way, a good "story" has a way of teaching us lifelong lessons that no piece of data or statistical evidence could ever hope to.

A great "story" can unleash human potential that can last a lifetime.

One of the hottest business books on the market these days is "Tell to Win" by master storyteller Peter Guber. In a recent interview, Peter walked his own talk in sharing one of the better "stories" from the book.

Peter Guber has had an interesting career with gigs at Columbia Pictures, Casablanca Records and Filmworks, Polygram and chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures – to name a few. Sailing well beyond ‘death by powerpoint’, Guber charts a course to follow what he calls the "emotional transportation business".

As he puts it, “if you can’t tell it, you can’t sell it”.

Stories live in your blood and bones and they are still the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today. And to become a great storyteller is to become a great teacher and leader.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

So if you stumbled onto this blog wondering how to better connect, persuade and triumph through the hidden power of "story", why not take that monkey of yours over to Amazon, Chapters or your nearest bookstore and feed it "Tell to Win".

The results might shock you.

"Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact"
ROBERT MCKEE

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Welcome to the Jungle

2011-04-28T05:30:00.001-03:00

Why do I feel like watching Canadian Federal Election advertising is like being assaulted by a Guns N' Roses video?

"Welcome to the jungle it gets worse here everyday ...
You learn to live like an animal in the jungle where we play"

Chatting with a friend over a Starbucks coffee the other day, the conversation turns to how politics in this country can now be comparted to a blood sport. A steady diet of predictable, old school "attack ads" from all sides only serve to confirm that view. The political machines who sling this sleazy muck are either:

a) Doing this deliberately, knowing it will completely turn off a certain segment of the population and keep them home on election day.

or

b) They are just blindingly stupid when it comes to knowing how little the attack strategy does to inspire anyone to actually beleive in the process and become part of it.

"Welcome to the jungle we take it day by day ...
If you want it you're gonna bleed but it's the price you pay"

This is Canada's 4th election in the last 7 years.

That works out to an investment of roughly $1.2 billion dollars.

But, the shareholders have grown more and more disenchanted with politicians and bureaucrats who form governments that provide less than adequate return on that investment.

But, the real question is why.

Why are a growing number of Canadians feeling this way?

"In the jungle welcome to the jungle ...
Feel my, my, my, my serpentine"

Perhaps, it has less to do with politicians as individuals and human beings, but more so with a "system" that promotes primal behaviour. But, rather than dwell on everything wrong with "the system", this forum will attempt to take the debate to higher ground, which is what I think most TSB readers would wish the political parties would do. Anything to bring more thought to the discussion rather than the "he said, she said", discourse we have been bombarded with over the last several weeks.

As it turns out, an American, based in the U.K., might have a solution for politics in an animal kingdom such as Canada. C.P.G. Grey offers his thoughts through this video segment on "Alternative Voting".

Alternative Voting, a system that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, is currently being to elect members of the Australian House of Representatives, the President of Ireland, the national parliament of Papua New Guinea, and the House of Representatives of Fiji. In Canada, Alternative Voting is how the leaders of the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party elected their leaders.

Is it time to consider Alternative Voting as way to bring the merit of sound ideas back to the political process?

Are there other things Canadians should be talking about to lift the debate out of the media moshpit?

Considering the size of our investment and what's at stake, do you believe there has to be a better way?

"It is difficult to maintain your mental health when you are surrounded by madness”
IZZY STRADLIN

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Branding Comebacks

2011-04-26T04:57:00.004-03:00

Everyone loves a good come-from-behind story.

Think of movies like "Rocky", "Forrest Gump" and "The Mighty Ducks".

Those stories and hundreds of others like them, have inspired many of us to try and follow a similar path taken by down-on-their-luck, sad-sack underdogs who scratch and claw their way from the brink of disaster to dizzying heights of success. Going from proverbial rags to riches.

But, what about stories of those who made it to the top, only to hit rock bottom before rising again? In other words, from riches to rags to riches.

In the fictional world of Hollywood, think of "Jerry Maguire", "Shawshank Redemption" and "Any Given Sunday".

These are stories of those who had it all, lost it, and somehow found their way back into the light. Heroes who found a way to climb out of hell.

One such drama, playing out for real right now, sees the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks attempt the near impossible tonight when they pay a visit to the Vancouver Canucks. After being down three games to none, the Blackhawks are trying to become only the 4th team in NHL history to storm back from the brink and capture a seven-game series in the Stanley Cup playoffs. And while the odds are still stacked against Chicago, stories of amazing comebacks can also be discovered in the business world. Think of reputable brands that, at one time or another found themselves out of touch, out of step and ultimately, out of favor with consumers.

While some believe that brands follow a predictable life cycle, growing, maturing, declining, and dying, this is clearly not the case. Over the last few years, a number of brands, written off as dead, have experienced a resurgence and are now breathing new life in wide open, new market spaces.

In business, as in sports or Hollywood, "it's never over 'til it's over" and that's why TSB is counting down the 2011, "Top 5 Branding Comebacks".

With honorable mentions to Puma, Abercrombie & Fitch, Aerosmith, Nintendo, the Mini Cooper, Lacoste, the Chicago Blackhawks, Martha Stewart and Michael Vick, here is our current "Top 5 List":

#5. APPLE

The hip, cooler than cool jewel of the tech world was not always at the top of its game like it is now. Back in 1985, founder Steve Jobs was ousted and the company began a downward spiral until around 1997, when Jobs was brought back as interim CEO. The return of this messiah from MacWorld was followed by the introduction of iTunes and iPod. And as millions were learning to say "I'm a Mac", other new products followed, including the iPhone and iPad. Apple now enjoys mega-success as one of the most popular computer and tech-gadget companies, with a huge fan base that has MacAddicts lining up for hours to buy the latest versions of their stuff.

#4. FORD

Ford Motor Company has emerged from the bailout debacle as the one U.S. automaker that many seem to agree doesn’t suck like a Hoover. Is that because it is the only one of the three that managed to avoid a government-funded bankruptcy? Under new leadership, Ford is cutting back brands and focusing on smaller cars, turning away from the Sports Utility vehicles that have long dominated the U.S. market. It remains to be seen whether Ford can ride the wave and return to its former greatness, but many signs indicate it is heading in the right direction.

#3. KODAK

In 1988, Kodak employed 145,300 people, turning a profit of $1.17 billion on $13.3 billion in sales. By late 2009, the payroll had dipped to 19,900, a level not seen since the Great Depression, bleeding quarterly losses of more than $100 million dollars. How could this happen? Kodak was almost recession-proof until the rise of digital, a technology they actually invented but sat on until the late 90's and playing follow-the-leader to Canon and Nikon. However, CEO Antonio Perez and Chief Marketing Officer Jeffrey Hayzlett reframed Kodak by restructuring the company to focus on business-to-business products such as commercial printing and the consumer inkjet market with the attitude that, "this is not your father's Kodak". It was Hayzlett who gave the brand its biggest injection of bravado when he stared down KISS frontman Gene Simmons on an episode of "Celebrity Apprentice", which led to "The Donald" firing "The Demon". Kodak now expects revenue in its core growth businesses will more than double in size by the end of 2013.

#2. OLD SPICE

Talk about using the power of a story! Here is a brand that cleaned up and refreshed its image from old-fashioned and outdated to hip and happening with social media savvy. Old Spice has been around for over 70 years, but the comeback has generated widespread buzz that has allowed the brand to cross the generational and digital divide.

#1. STARBUCKS

For a time, Starbucks was becoming the posterchild for consumer excess. Coffee drinkers who had once embraced the brand’s cachet now started to view the $5 latte as frivolous, however, Howard Schultz started stirring the Starbucks turnaround with what, for many companies, is the hardest thing to do. Howard had to confess the company had sinned. The CEO admitted to employees that Starbucks had expanded far too quickly and these mistakes would force layoffs and the closing of more than 600 stores, 80% of which had been open for less than two years. But, even amid the cost-cutting Schultz refused to drop health care for his employees, a line item that tallies $300 million. A shareholder called Schultz and said the crisis would provide him the perfect cover to cut benefits for part-timers, but Howard refused, and told his investor if he felt that strongly, he should sell his stock. Today, Starbucks is diving into new areas of growth beyond simply opening new stores with the introduction of the VIA instant coffee line and newly rebranded Seattle’s Best.

So picture if you will ...

Reaching over, turning off your iPhone, taking a long, slow sip of your morning latte, while dreaming about driving to the office in a new Ford convertible as the scent of Old Spice mixes with a cool summer breeze. And as you are totally relaxed, enjoying this serene Kodak moment, contemplate these questions:

Why do you think some brands are able to bounce back and be stronger than ever?

Could some of the same thinking be applied to your brand?

Would it have anything to do with placing vision before money?

And will anything stop the Blackhawks in Game 7 tonight?

"If you plan to win as I do, the game never ends"
STAN MIKITA

P.S. ... Tried, but can't resist adding the great comeback speech in the history of Hollywood ...

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Easter Angels. Still Broken

2011-04-21T05:18:00.003-03:00

"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness" EMO PHILLIPS

Have you ever noticed how relationships are like glass?

When fractured or broken, do you leave relationships that way or risk exposing your vulnerable side in trying to put them back together?

This complicated adult stuff never concerned us when you and I were little kids. Back then, bruised shins and skinned knees were easier to fix than broken hearts.

Today, TSB is focused on the painting at the top of this post.

Graffiti Angel. Broken.

The piece is a product of a famous British graffiti master known as "Banksy".

He is the kind of guy who was once quoted as saying "Think outside the box? Collapse the box, and take a fucking sharp knife to it!" Asked about his technique, Banksy explains, “I use whatever it takes. Sometimes that just means drawing a moustache on a girl's face on some billboard". Dubbed as "Britain's Most Wanted Artist", Banksy's utter disregard for the conventional has him involved in a number of pranks including walking into the Louvre in Paris and hanging a portrait resembling the Mona Lisa but with a yellow smiley face.

"Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing.
And even if you don't come up with a picture to cure world poverty you can
make someone smile while they're having a piss"
BANKSY

Banksy has an edge.

But if you study the painting above, he also has a heart.

Interpret what you want, but while heartache can be numbed by the old black rum, great works of art are like a shot glass for the soul; transcending pain for peace. Have you ever wondered what it is about the work of great artists, poets or musicians that can drill into the oil of our emotions, causing us to gush with feelings never otherwise expressed?

Study the painting again.

Take a good look.

Hold your gaze for about thirty seconds.

Allow yourself to see your own reflection and think of other angels encountered along the way.

Has Banksy captured a part of you that aches for a healing far too painful to attempt, lest the other person know the size of the hole in your heart? When you think of that person, is there a darkness you try and navigate by day and gradually spiral into at night?

Thankfully, there are artists that find a way to celebrate sorrow, yet somehow lift wuthering spirits to new heights.

We are all broken in some way.

Few knew it better than Ray.

Ray Charles was blinded at six and orphaned at fifteen before overcoming tragedy and poverty to achieve respect, fame and wealth. Although hugely successful in his professional life, Ray never hit the jackpot in private. If Ray was on Facebook he would describe his status as "complicated". How else would you explain two divorces and fathering a dozen children with nine different women.

However, much of Ray's greatest music is thought to be a reflection of those broken shards of relationship glass.

Shortly before he died, Ray gathered his kids at a 2004 Christmas dinner, handing each of them a check for one million dollars. One of his kids recalled, "My dad talked about how they always wait until a person passes. He said, 'Why do that? I'll give it to you now so you can build on that now. It wasn't publicized because he was a very private man."

Hopes and hearts are fragile.

Relationships and angels easily shattered.

Yet artists like Banksy and Ray - one who refuses to be seen and one who couldn't see - vivdly demonstrate how pain can be converted to joy and darkness into light.

As the Easter weekend approaches, do you need to be more protective of the angels surrounding you? Is it possible you could let a broken one - an angel you can't stop loving - know yet again, he or she is not alone? Perhaps now is a good as time as any to send distant angels a message; letting them know how high they were meant to fly and how much they are loved.

Easter reminds us that life is to be interpreted not simply in terms of possessions, but in terms of ideals.

Easter reveals that truth can be buried in a grave, but won't be trapped forever.

Easter provides each of us yet another opportunity to rise again.

And communicate "I Can't Stop Loving You" with whatever words and actions necessary.

Will you do your best this Easter weekend, reach out to angels still broken and share that message with whatever means possible.

Do we have a deal?

"Angels, roll the rock away;
Death, yield up thy mighty prey:
See, He rises from the tomb,
Glowing with immortal bloom"
THOMAS SCOTT, Easter Angels

P.S. ... Inspired by Ray, a couple of Dutch brothers - angels broken many times over - were able to share a similar message in a different way.

P.P.S. ... This is the third consecutive Easter season in which this post has been published. Evidently, there is a deeper, more personal reason for that. As someone with a public persona who values dignity and personal privacy, this is painfully difficult to even write about. In that respect, I can only share that there is an angel I would love to reconnect with, but to date, those efforts have yet to bear fruit. They say time heals a broken heart but, like Ray says in his song, time has stood still since this angel and I have been apart. That being said, after exhausting all other avenues, this forum is the only way I know how to extend an olive branch of hope; that someway, somehow, someday, the depths of these thoughts and feelings will find their way into the heart of an angel who has always been loved and is greatly missed.

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Billion Dollar Question

2011-04-19T06:22:00.004-03:00

You either own or you are thinking about owning a small business.

Your dream is to profit from what you love to do.

You want to control your own destiny and enjoy a lifestyle that gives you freedom to discover whatever pyramids you seek, as often as you please.

Truth be known, you crave freedom and control more than money. But, the reality is often entirely different once you actually jump into the small business foxhole and start slugging it out in the trenches of any market you enter.

Which is why I am sharing a recent Facebook note from a small business owner who is asking questions many have asked for decades.

Questions you may be asking yourself right now.

Hi Gair, I got a question for ya. The question of all questions for a small biz owner. Our customers have a great experience, receive a great product, served by great staff - we are told very often directly. When I am out and about I hear this same message from many in the community as well. Obviously we are not perfect and business is always in need of improvement - this goes without saying. So, here is the question, in our type of business - what do we need to do to drive more business? How do we share what has been mutually created by our customers and our staff to more in our city? Billion dollar question Gair but does it really have to be this complicated? Vulnerably, K

There it is, sitting on the table.

A "billion dollar question".

As you might imagine, the answer is not nearly as simple as the question implies, since these types of answers only come to those who are willing to trade the kitchen table of comfort for a trek through the desert of uncertainty in order to study and learn things at a much deeper level.

Experience teaches you that answering ten dollar questions is one thing, but "billion dollar questions" are another matter altogether. That being said, I can categorically state that what is lacking in most business models, such as the one mentioned above, has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the actual products or services being sold, how the staff interacts with the community or any number of other tactical or ground level issues.

The real issue here is clarity.

Or lack thereof.

There are no fewer than 7 Key Questions every entrepreneur must answer in order to gain the level of clarity required to take their business to the next level. 7 Key Questions that determine whether you are prepared and possess the capacity to absorb "billion dollar answers".

#1. IS IT THE RIGHT THING, AT THE RIGHT TIME IN THE RIGHT PLACE?
Your business may well have the right products or services, the timing may even be perfect, but is it in the right place? For example, trying to market a high end, niche-driven gourmet restaurant in an economically depressed neighborhood may not be the wisest approach. Selling skateboards and surfboards in the Yukon might not be a good idea either. In other words, are there enough customers for what you are trying to sell in the market you want to compete in?

#2. HAVE YOU CREATED A "BRAND OF DISTINCTION"?
In the category called computers, only Apple has created a "brand of distinction". Dell, Samsung, HP, Acer and countless others wear logos and company names that display nothing more than "badges of ownership". This pattern is consistent in any crowded, competitive category. Your family and friends might be in love with your business, maybe even see it as a "purple cow", but what if the rest of the market sees it differently or worse, doesn't really notice? Do you have something that truly separates your business from the rest of the herd?

#3. DO YOU HAVE ABSOLUTE FOCUS ON WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH?
Is this a company you are trying to create or are you attempting to generate a personal revenue stream? In other words do you really want to own a business or own a job? What sort of grasp do you have on your available market and the share you can hope to achieve? How will you measure success? Can you spell it out? In plain English using simple numbers?

#4. DO YOU HAVE A CLEAR PICTURE OF YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER?
Can you outline their primary characteristics? From the music they listen to, the make of car they drive, the type of sports they play to the books they read and the movies they watch? Do they have a price-driven transactional mindset or would you describe them as more relational in their buying behavior? Can you articulate what would motivate them to buy from you as opposed to one of your competitors?

#5. DO YOU KNOW YOUR BLIND SPOTS?
It is far more important to know your weaknesses than your strengths. What are the limiting factors that will stymie progress? Do you have the available financial, intellectual and emotional resources to stand the inevitable test of time and the inevitable energy depletion that follows? In other words, do you have clarity on what is holding you back or some unleveraged assets that could be put into play?

#6. CAN YOU PUT VISION BEFORE MONEY?
No business has ever failed from a lack of capital. General Motors led global auto sales for 77 consecutive years from 1931 through 2007, so it wasn't a lack of capital that forced GM into bankruptcy in 2009. Businesses go broke not for a lack of capital but from lacking vivid imagination. Do you have a clear sense of purpose as to how your products or services make a dent in the universe? Or does profit supersede purpose? Would you rather own 100% of a $200,000 company or 51% of a $200 million dollar company? How willing are you to modify the business model? Are you prepared to take on additional partners if need be? Are you the right leader for this enterprise or a loud and lonely prophet who struggles to build a following?

#7. WILL YOU "BURN THE BOATS"?
Legend has it that when Cortez landed in Mexico in the 1500s, he ordered his men to burn the ships that brought them there, erasing the possibility of doing anything other than going forward into the unknown. Can you remove obstacles and excuses, storm the shore with attitude and set your boats ablaze? Are you the kind of person who can look fear, doubt and uncertainty square in the eye and still race toward the enemy? Have you learned when it’s time to stop talking and actually make a decision, take action. You might have to cut a cheque or terminate a partner, but can you pull the trigger and do something? Even when you feel you don't have all the "facts"?

For the sake of clarity, The Seamless Brand is not in the business of providing "quick fix" remedies for entrepreneurs who aren't ready to do the heavy lifting required. Nor are we in the business of casually tossing out professional opinions without first acquiring pertinent, validated information. Instead, we work with business owners who are deadly serious about answering the 7 Key Questions; owners who are determined to gain unusual clarity on their “story” and then work to align and anchor an unusually relevant and unexpected message across all mediums. In essence, The Seamless Brand helps cultivate and manage a process that allows the soul of a business to shine through.

It is in that spirit, we offer a free 90-minute Starter Session as a first step towards gaining clarity and recognizing what it takes to propel your business to the next level. Just don't expect a ride on the motivational merry-go-round. We’re not in the business of chirping like parrots and singing songs that sound like "All you need is persistence, faith and you too can go for it and follow your dream!" It takes a lot more than just believing in yourself and Law of Attraction "happy talk" to make it. You will need clarity before creativity in terms of what it is you are trying to accomplish. When it comes to analyzing any business, we examine the model, pull the vision apart, determine results we can measure and figure out the shortest routes possible to take that business to the next level. You might not always like what you hear in these frank discussions, but often the unvarnished truth is the only way any business owner can move forward and grow.

Hopefully, one those truths we revealed today is that long before any business dream is realized, there will be severe tests and challenges along the way as outlined through the 7 Key Questions. To help you diligently dig for those answers, we try and do our part through freely sharing the insights of more than 500 Seamless Brand blogs, through our book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" and the many keynotes and seminars I am invited to present.

This was a dangerous question for me to answer because many business owners tend to be uber-sensitive about issues they tend not to dwell on. So if some of the 7 Key Questions make squirm at the thought at facing the truth or pissed you off in any way, there is a better than even chance you don't enjoy the level of freedom you dreamed about when your business first got off the ground.

Everything you want for your business resides on the other side of fear.

Since faith and fear cannot coexist, what exactly are you afraid of?

"Why do they make things so complicated?", he asked the Englishman one night."So that those who have the responsibility for understanding can understand", he said. "Imagine if everyone went around transforming lead into gold. Gold would lose its value. It's only those who are persistent and willing to study deeply who achieve the Master Work""
THE ALCHEMIST, page 82

Would you like Gair to add snap, crackle and pop with thought-provoking substance to your organization or event? Details on his game-changing keynotes, seminars and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

If you are curious to know more about his moderately bent philosophy that drives it all, Gair's book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" waits patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this award-winning team can help your company or organization zig while everyone zags, why not zip on over with a simple click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/.

You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or press the "like" button and plug into The Seamless Brand on Facebook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Machismo On Wheels

2011-04-14T04:23:00.004-03:00

For years, I have been explaining to business owners and executives an astonishly simple concept.

"He with the best story wins".

When it comes to the discipline known as branding, thoughtful and creative storytelling will far outweigh features, advantages and benefits of any product or service in any category or market segment. Imaginative, right-brain, entreprenurial types latch on to this concept immediately. Numbers-driven, left-brain, tight-asses will struggle to understand.

But, even the most logical, analytical, rational and sequential thinker will make the connection between the power of a story and its ability to drive customers to your dorr or website. The latest example of how this works comes from a Kijiji ad trying to unload a 1998 weather-beaten beater (pictured above)that has seen its best days. Since being made aware of this ad on Monday, another 10,000 plus hits have been generated by a "story" that is generating incredible interest and demand for a product that, from a rational logical point of view, does not deserve all this attention.

But, customers are emotional creatures with passions and interests that can suddenly be inspired by the power of the written word and the energy it communicates. Here is how this particular ad reads:

"OK, let me start off by saying this Impreza is only available for purchase by the manliest of men (or women). My friend, if it was possible for a vehicle to sprout chest hair and a five o'clock shadow, this Subaru would look like Tom Selleck. It is just that manly.

It was never intended to drive to the mall so you can pick up that adorable shirt at Abercrombie & Fitch that you had your eye on. It wasn't meant to transport you to yoga class or Bed Bath and Beyond. No, that's what your Prius is for. If that's the kind of car you're looking for, then just do us all a favor and stop reading right now. This car has been to hell and back, twice, and has the scars to prove it. So if you can't handle being seen behind the wheel of this biblical, fire breathing, dragon slaying, nazi killing hero because it has a few purle hearts, move on.

This wagon was engineered by 3rd degree ninja pirate super-warriors in the highest mountains of Japan to serve the needs of the man that cheats death on a daily basis. They didn't even consider superfluous nancy boy amenities like navigation systems (real men don't get lost), heated leather seats (a real man doesn't let anything warm his butt), or On Star (real men don't even know what On Star is).

No, this brute comes with the things us testosterone-fueled super action junkies need. It has a 137 HP engine to outrun the cops and a 5 speed tranmission so you know grandma wont be taking off with it when your not looking. It's saved my bacon more than once. It's got special blood/gore resistant upholstery. It even has a first-aid kit in the back. You know what the first aid kit has in it? A pint of whiskey, a stitch-your-own-wound kit and a hunk of leather to bite down on when you're operating on yourself.

My price on this bad boy is an incredibly low $2000 but I'll entertain reasonable offers. And by reasonable, I mean don't walk up and tell me you'll give me $500 for it. That's liable to earn you a Burmese-roundhouse-sphincter-kick with a follow up three fingered eye-jab. Would it hurt? Hell yeah. Let's just say you won't be the prettiest guy at the Coldplay concert anymore.

There's only 183 000 km's on this all-wheel drive hellcat from Planet Kickass. Trust me, it will outlive you and the offspring that will carry your name. It will live on as a monument to your machismo.

Now, go look in the mirror and tell me what you see. If it's a rugged, no holds barred, super brute he-man macho Chuck Norris stunt double, then reply to this ad. I might be out hang-gliding or BASE jumping or just chilling with my lady, but leave a message and I'll get back to you. And when I do, we'll talk about a price over a nice glass of Schmidt while we listen to Johnny Cash.

It passed its last e-test and safety with flying colours but is being sold as-is.

God bless"

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-1998-Subaru-Impreza-Wagon-W0QQAdIdZ268172820

When you were growing up and getting tucked into bed, you yearned to hear a good story. It didn't matter if it came from a children's book or Mom and Dad's memory of their own childhood, we all loved hearing stories and telling our own. No kid ever goes to bed at night demanding to know the "facts". But as we became older we were taught serious people rely on hard numbers, solid information, sound logic and the voice of reason supported by accurate data. This, despite the "fact", that statistics are frequently used to tell lies in the business world with accounting reports often doctored like Doolittle. How do you spell E-n-r-o-n?

There will never be any dispute from this corner of the ring that "facts" are necessary, however, when the focus turns to the subject of branding, the power of "story" wins every time. And the best brands in the world, rely on effective storytelling to sell you things like $5 dollar lattes to sip on while you wear your best Armani suit as you text on your iPhone while climbing into your BMW.

But, that's not the type of customer who is actually going to man up and respond to the Kijiji ad that inspired this post.

How many of you believe the guy who placed the ad will not only be able to sell his much-ballyhooed beast of a car, but also fetch his asking price without being nickel-and-dimed by some price sensitive, bargain-hunting, coupon-clipping, knuckle-dragging penny-pincher?

Can you also picture what this level of storytelling would do to help your products and services into the grateful hands of the perfect customers? Those are the customers you dream about most, the one armed and ready with cold hard cash and soft Coldplay hearts.

Just like any crowded, competitive business category, there are thousands of other used cars for sale on Kijiji.

Only one, however, offers a riveting tale of world-class machismo on wheels.

A compelling saga that made what could have been an otherwise ordinary ad go viral.

Is there something your brand can adapt from this story?

In other words, does your business have a story you can win with?

"People are not inspired to act on reason alone. The key is to unite an idea with an emotion, which is best done through story. In a story, you not only weave a lot of information into the telling but you also arouse your listener's emotion and energy"
ROBERT MCKEE

Would you like Gair to re-energize, re-focus or re-inspire your organization or event? Details on his keynotes and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

His book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" is also waiting patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this program can benefit your company or organization, why not jump in, click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/. You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or plug into The Seamless Brand on FaceBook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Taking the First Step

2011-04-12T06:57:00.002-03:00

Thirty-one years ago today, Terry dipped a toe into frigid water.

And took the first step.

There was little attention or fanfare. Only a handful of people showed up.

Considering his age, it would have been easy to say he lacked qualifications for the task he was faced with. He had no degree or specialized training, nor had he done anything like this before.

No one mandated him to set out on this journey.

He wasn't being paid.

And there was no shortage of critics and cynics who doubted his committment.

But, on this day, April 12, 1980, Terry was willing to take the first step towards something he had no way of knowing at the time.

An unparalleled marathon of the human spirit.

One that still lives to this day.

The monument that marks that "first step" moment at No. 1 Water Street in St. John's, Newfoundland is quiet and subdued. A simple plaque — hardly noticeable if you're not looking for it. Eventually, a new statue and garden will be installed at "Mile Zero" where Canada's greatest champion against cancer dipped his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean before setting off on his Marathon of Hope.

Terry will end his run on September 1, 1980 in Thunder Bay Ont when cancer is discovered in his lungs. His final battle with cancer will end on June 28, 1981.

But, 5373 kilometres and $1.7 million dollars later, Terry's "first step" sparked a marathon that became a legacy; a legacy deeply embedded in the soul of an entire nation.

Even though you may lack the qualifications, training or experience, even though you might not see any immediate return, is there something happening in your life right now that requires you to take that monumental "first step"?

How long do you wait before taking it?

Or will you let the critics - both internal and external - have the final say?

“Pay no attention to what the critics say. A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic”
JEAN SIBELIUS

Would you like Gair to re-energize, re-focus or re-inspire your organization or event? Details on his keynotes and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

His book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" is also waiting patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this program can benefit your company or organization, why not jump in, click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/. You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or plug into The Seamless Brand on FaceBook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Defusing the Drama: Final Curtain

2011-04-07T05:58:00.000-03:00

You've watched the "Triangle" unfold in the legal system, throughout the media and how it embeds itself in your own family or on the job.

And now you know their names.

VICTIM, VILLAIN and SAVIOUR.

Three convenient roles from which to detonate an endless cycle of blame, criticism, defending, rescuing and guilt, allowing all three “characters” to avoid taking responsibility for their own thoughts, emotions, words, beliefs or behaviour.

As you are slowly realizing, the "Triangle" has a way of silently sucking you in, but once aware, you can begin to train yourself to notice what really happens in a conversation; especially those difficult, “sticky” situations with potential conflict that leave you walking on eggshells. Chase yourself and others around the “Triangle” and you are relegated to living in reaction, settling into a dull and painful existence ruled by the agendas of others and your own subconscious beliefs.

"So, how do I defuse the "Triangle"?

That's easier said than done, but there are some practical steps you can take.

#1. Recognition is Key.

Recognizing the patterns is more than half the battle when it comes to defusing and diminishing the impact. An understanding of Karpman’s "Drama Triangle" provides a roadmap to see where you are in your relational life and where you’re headed. Think of it as a process, not a final destination. No one intentionally enters the "Triangle" - but it's easy to get pulled in when you don’t see it for what it is. It is also good to know what sort of people you are more likely to get into games with. Be especially cautious about surrounding yourself with too many of those types.

#2. Recenter Yourself.

Disengage.

And observe from above.

See yourself as being elevated, as though hovering above the middle of the "Triangle". Watching from an imaginary 200 feet above the drama, observe the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of the VILLAIN, VICTIM and SAVIOUR roles - not to judge but to understand. The emotional co-dependence exhibited by the three roles can be neutralized by practicing this mental form of martial arts. By recentering and taking a more elevated position, you refuse to fight, struggle or yield, thereby marginalizing your adversary and eliminating their power base. If you successfully regain the center and avoid the "sharp edges", your adversary will halt their attacks, rather than risk unmasking themselves and exposing the game.

In his best-selling book, “The Four Agreements”, Don Miguel Ruiz offers two ideas to help recenter and refocus. Firstly, DON’T take anything personally, since what others say and do is a projection of their own reality. When you become immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't play the victim. Secondly, DON’T make assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. Assumptions are those those less-than-accurate stories you tell yourself as to why you can’t have it. Assumptions are often the only thing keeping you from what you want.

#3. Reclaim 100% Responsibility.

Accountability is power. You cannot change other people, only yourself. When you reclaim 100% responsibility for what's happening, you take back the power of choice and the power to change any situation.

When you make a conscious choice to disengage, recenter and move to higher ground, you also avoid any blaming, attacking, self-pity or enabling. You allow others to make their own decisions and be responsible for their own behavior. You avoid getting sucked into other people's battles and steer clear of indirect communications that involve accusing, condemning or guilt. If you have a problem with someone, discuss it directly with them. If they refuse to disengage, you may have to limit contact in order not to be villainized, guilted, blamed or drawn back in. It is impossible to maintain honest, open, direct communications about any drama that is happening with another person heavily invested in denying it. Instead, try to surround yourself with people who do not play this game so you can learn new ways of interacting with others.

Summary

Whether drama is portrayed in movies, "People" Magazine, the workplace, church, home or school, it thrives and depends on the existence of this "Triangle" to perpetuate the human condition to create variety and escape from boredom. But, if watching television, surfing Facebook, reading newspapers and dwelling on bad news has become habitual, you may be avoiding living a life of honesty, and unwilling to deal with your own emotions and take 100% responsibility for your actions.

Karpman’s “Triangle” is based on lies. Whether you tell lies to yourself or someone else, about data, your emotions or your experience, you slip immediately into the “Triangle” and the addictive process. All positions cause pain. There is no power since the “Triangle” dictates you operate from powerlessness and irresponsibility no matter what position you are playing. Being in the “Triangle” is not being alive; It is a living death; filled with guilt, hurt, regret, inauthenticity and a lack of love and acceptance.

Our lives were never meant to be a performance in which we are only actors, reading a script written by someone else. You can start taking 100% Responsibility by listing everything you know you should be in control of.

- No one made you take the job you own. That is a choice you made.
- No one can make you stay in the house you live in. That is your choice.
- No one forced you to marry or live with that person. That was your choice.
- No one can make you feel miserable. That's a choice.
- No one can motivate you. That is another choice.

Defusing the "Triangle" is rarely done once and for all. We jump on and off all the time. Dismantling this invisible drama bomb is challenging, but well worth the effort. Don’t worry about slipping or getting sucked back in - again.

Be gentle and forgive yourself.

Reestablish boundaries.

And try, try again.

“Conflict cannot survive without your participation”
DR. WAYNE DYER

Would you like Gair to re-energize, re-focus or re-inspire your organization or event? Details on his keynotes and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

His book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" is also waiting patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this program can benefit your company or organization, why not jump in, click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/. You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or plug into The Seamless Brand on FaceBook - http://ow.ly/3VW68

Defusing the Drama: Opening Act

2011-04-05T05:22:00.013-03:00

At some point today, you will confront the "Triangle".

Like an unexploded bomb, the "Triangle" lurks everywhere.

Each day, the "Triangle" threatens to bankrupt the very best of what we have to offer our friends, family and co-workers. Each week, thousands of man hours of productivity are wasted forever as time/energy/money gets sucked like a Hoover into the vacuum of the "Triangle".

Once you see how the drama unfolds, you can assess your role in it.

And measure its impact.

Predictably.

Regretfully, few are aware of this insidious, invisible "Triangle" and its draining, deadly existence.

Who knows, maybe this is the day you finally see the "Triangle" with clarity.

And actually do something about it.

For the record, the "Drama Triangle" is a psychological model of human interaction first described in 1968 by psychologist Dr. Stephen Karpman. Born from a Jewish mother, Karpman barely escaped the persecution of Jews in Europe at the time of the Second World War. He noticed many well-known fairy tales followed a certain simplistic role pattern, and he recognized the same pattern in many families. Karpman observed that people often slip into one of the following three roles: ‘VICTIM’, ‘VILLAIN’ and ‘SAVIOUR’. The tales of Little Red Riding Hood, the Pied Piper, Cinderella and countless others follow this pattern with the VICTIM playing the central role.

The VICTIM sees life as happening to them and believes they are powerless in the face of the onslaught of problems they encounter. But, a VICTIM can’t exist without a VILLAIN, usually taking form of a person, but it could be a condition (maybe a disease or illness?) or a circumstance (a snowstorm or hurricane?).

When a VICTIM encounters a VILLAIN, they hunt for a SAVIOUR, to rescue them or, at least, to alleviate their suffering. SAVIOURS are often other people, but could also be represented by various forms of escapism and/or addiction such as gambling, retail therapy, alcohol or video games.

Many interactions between two or more human creatures duplicate these deeply-rooted, ancestral and often damaging patterns. Like it or not, we are inundated by the "Drama Triangle" daily – whether it be TV shows, movies, the radio, newspapers and novels – or what goes on daily at work or home. As far as people are concerned, the characters who assume their roles in this script can be identified this way:

VICTIMS are helpless and hopeless. Typically they play their part by denying any responsibility for their negative circumstances as well as having the power to clean up their own messes. Mired in self-pity, VICTIMS get to feel “safe” by being submissive and are often:

- Unable to stand up for self and will avoid confrontation.
- Inclined to resort to passive aggressiveness.
- Overly sensitive, wish-washy and unable to make and stick to decisions.
- Stuck and unfulfilled in life but will not risk moving forward.

VILLAINS tend to be people with plenty of answers, but rarely step forward to initiate positive change. VILLAINS enjoy pointing the finger of blame towards VICTIMS while criticizing the enabling behavior of SAVIOURS, without providing constructive solutions. VILLAINS feel “safe” by putting others down and often:

- Resort to verbal or physical force to stay in power.
- Use blame, criticisms and then venting to release stress.
- Are highly judgmental of others, while denying their own weaknesses.
- Feel driven by a strong need to be right.

SAVIOURS constantly apply short-term repairs to a VICTIM's problem, often neglecting their own needs. Taking a “high moral ground”, SAVIOURS get to feel “safe” by enabling others and often:

- Get stuck in a false sense of superiority.
- Need to be in control of others to avoid own feelings and problems.
- Rescue and enable to connect or to feel important.
- Become a martyr when feeling he/she has been taken advantage of by others.

Each corner of this "Drama Triangle" supports the other two.

VICTIMS depend on a helping hand.
VILLAINS search for scapegoats.
SAVIOURS yearn for a basket case.

Visually, both SAVIOUR and VILLAIN are on the upper ends of the "Triangle", assuming a “one-up” position as though they are better, stronger, smarter, or more-together than the VICTIM. Eventually, the VICTIM develops a "pain in the neck" from always looking up. Feeling “looked down upon”, the VICTIM builds resentment. Sooner or later, retaliation follows. Once there is any type of appreciation imbalance (“I’m OK / You’re not OK” (VILLAIN and to some extent SAVIOUR) – or –“You’re OK / I’m not OK” (VICTIM)), predictable drama unfolds.

The VICTIM position is the one the others revolve around. Like a low-pressure weather system that creates hurricanes and tornados by sucking the surrounding air into their void. VICTIMS see themselves as life’s fall guys and use catastrophic language (“everyone,” “you,” “my mother,” “the government”) to describe what others are “doing to them.”

As the drama unfolds, people may suddenly switch roles and others will often switch unconsciously to match this. For example, the VICTIM will often turn on their rescuer, or the SAVIOUR will switch to persecuting. Sometimes the positions are solidly locked and people are heavily invested in staying in their assigned role at all cost. But most of the time, people rotate through the roles so fluidly and effortlessly they don't even realize they are changing their position on the Triangle. Would you believe it is possible to spend an entire marriage, an entire working career, an entire lifetime, rotating around and among these roles?

That being said, most people I know don't get up in the morning and announce things like, "I feel like playing the role of a helpless coward today!" or “Just for the hell of it, I think I’ll go to work and be a complete asshole”. The process is so subconscious, most aren't aware they are dancing to this tune.

You never have to look far to find examples. An unhappy wife and mother forms a triangle with one or more of her children. An unhappy husband triangulates with his work, beer buddies or by having an affair. Gossiping, guilting and backbiting might look safer, but ultimately those are devastating routes to follow instead of the riskier and more rewarding “confrontation.”

You may be familiar with some of the lines in the script that sound like this:

"Why does this Always Happen to Me?”
"See What You Made Me Do!"
"You Got Me Into This!"
"Look How Hard I've Tried"
"I Was Only Trying to Help"

Imagine a person complaining about how awful life is. They are unhappy, their job is boring, their relationship unfulfilling and think they might be depressed. A friend listens in a supportive way as the dialogue unfolds:

VICTIM: “Life sucks. I hate my job and my partner never supports me.”
SAVIOUR: “Well, why don’t you change jobs?”
VICTIM: “Suppose I could, but it will just end up like all my other jobs.”
SAVIOUR: “How about talking to your partner about your unhappiness?”
VICTIM: “I guess I could, but why bother? It won’t make any difference.”
SAVIOUR: “Why don’t we go out, have some fun, take your mind off things?"
VICTIM: "Well, we could but I wouldn’t enjoy myself."

A healthy person will perform in each of the roles occasionally but, pathological role-players actively avoid leaving the familiar and comfortable environment of the game. The underlying purpose for each 'player' is to get their unspoken psychological wishes met in a manner they feel justified, without having to acknowledge the broader dysfunction or harm done in the situation as a whole. As such, each player will act upon their own selfish 'needs', rather than behave in a genuinely adult and responsible manner.

In each case, the "Drama Triangle" is an instrument of crass destruction.

And you can’t or won’t defuse or dismantle it, until you recognize you’re in it.

Once you are consciously aware, you can observe interactions with others as a way to identify your own starting gate position.

From where do you typically enter the "Triangle" once you’ve been sucked in?

What hooks you in the first place?

Would you like to defuse this daily time bomb and dismantle the drama before or while it's happening?

Stay tuned.

More on Thursday.

“Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive - the risk to be alive and express what we really are”
DON MIGUEL RUIZ

Would you like Gair to re-energize, re-focus or re-inspire your organization or event? Details on his keynotes and speaking programs can be discovered at http://www.gairmaxwell.com/

His book, "NUTS, BOLTS AND A FEW LOOSE SCREWS" is also waiting patiently for you at Chapters.ca and Amazon.com.

Get to know Gair on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#%21/gair.maxwell

For more info on The Seamless Brand and how this program can benefit your company or organization, why not jump in, click and explore http://www.seamlessbrand.com/. You can also follow The Seamless Brand on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/seamlessbrand or plug into The Seamless Brand on FaceBook - http://ow.ly/3VW68