Life is best lived with a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at yourself.
My glasses & computer
Today I was writing and noticed a period or comma or some sort of unidentifiable punctuation in my document. I hit backspace and it was still there. I highlighted the area and hit delete. It was still there.
About the time I began cursing my computer, I committed a major sin and actually touched the screen. I gently touched the screen.
Magically the punctuation was gone. I think it was dirt on the screen....maybe some black-eyed pea hummus even.
If I hadn't been wearing my "readers" or I would have totally missed this speck of dirt punctuation.
The last few years I've had some problems with incredible shrinking font sizes. They get so small that I can't see them at all. Then my eye doctor told me it wasn't the rest of the world who had decided to write really small but that I needed reading glasses. This is on top of my contacts that I wear 24/7.
I must be blind or well, just maybe, middle-aged. Welcome to Mid Life !
This blog is dedicated to my clients and colleagues who have been catching my mistakes lately.....
I'm afraid that that missing semi-colon was a bit of parsley on my screen,
And there was a fly where that bullet should have been.
I'm doing my best, but my eyes need a rest.
So the next time you paruse a document I've sent to youse.
Please squint a little and tilt your head,
And it just might help if you read it while breaking bread. (with wine of course)
The Lone Ranger was one of those classic television programs that my brother and I loved to watch with our parents while they reminisced about their childhood. I loved the thought of being smart and strong enough to live alone on the range while making it safe for settlers.
We all have days where we feel like the Lone Ranger at work. Colleagues aren't pulling their weight. Customers are complaining. The computer keeps crashing. Its all on you to solve the issue of the day. Yes, we've all been there.
You are riding high on your horse and can see the problem at hand. As you wind through the canyon, you reach for the "Silver Bullet" ....the one tool that has always worked. It the the ultimate solution that always reaches its target. You load your weapon. (Sorry I don't like guns either but it works here folks.) But the target has moved. The target will not stop moving. You only have that one silver bullet, that one opportunity to change the future...one chance to stop those bandits who are going to hop the train and rob it. If only the Lone Ranger had other options than the Silver Bullet. One bullet, one chance is not enough. Oh the drama of it all.
As I take a look at some marketing programs I realize that many companies that are still banking on that Silver Bullet to work. In the past they utilized one or two methods of communication to reach their audience. They now realize that they've lost market share and turn to me to find out why and to regain their footing.
The simple answer is that they were too busy polishing their bullets to anticipate change. While they were writing their newsletter and placing ads in trade publications, the competition was reaching customers in a more innovative and organic manner. They are using social media, advertising, direct mail, media relations, face-to-face marketing, and much more.
Its understandable that you might not be convinced that tools like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook (and others) are the "Silver Bullet" for your marketing program. Folks, there is no silver bullet. Your customers are out there communicating in a variety of methods just like you. If you want to reach them you must incorporate a variety of communication tools into your communications plan.
The Lone Ranger totally missed the train, the silver bullet didn't work, Silver the horse is going to be put out to pasture. Please don't be the Lone Ranger. We'd like the train to reach its destination.
