Relevant Chews

All I want for Christmas is 2010.

It’s been an incredibly interesting year, if the word interesting is a substitute for dreadful. The universal relevance of the new century recession was that it somehow touched us all—lost jobs, mortgages and icons (Michael Jackson). And when the going get’s tough, the tough rely on their strengths and prioritize their decisions.

This holiday season I think we all remembered what is really important, and that is a reason to celebrate.

Books I’ll be reading this year:
“Living the Dream… the secret to being jolly is working one day a year” an autobiography by S. Claus.

“You could even say it Glows… learn how to stand out in a crowd” a self help book by Rudolph R. Nose.

“Catch Me if You Can… tips from a global environmentalist and talking snowman” by Frosty.

The common theme in these selections is do what you’re good at and aspire to do what you love. An ongoing professional development plan to create a brighter future.

If 2009 was the year of the RESET BUTTON, then let’s wrap it up, stick it under the tree and dream of possibilities coming this new year. It’s not world peace, but it’s a start.

Though it’s been said many times, many ways… Merry Christmas.

Casual Thought Friday… at what point do you need outside help to improve your performance?

A friend of mine recently tried to help fix my golf swing in the middle of our round. I’m no Tiger Woods, but on that day I was more like Charles Barkley. And in the middle of the game the advice of others seems to be readily available in hindsight and rarely sought at the opportune moment.

The pearl of wisdom was not to work with the clubhouse professional to get better results; it was why I needed outside help…

“You can’t fix your swing by yourself because you are part of the problem.”

Great companies refine their strengths and outsource their weaknesses. The ability to create value (your relevance to the customer) should be the strength of your sales strategy. Your weakness will be figuring out how to integrate social media and remove the antiquated sales pitch from your marketing. Accepting this is the first step in the best direction.

Ask a respected professional for an honest assessment of your 2010 business development plan. Because it will be an extremely competitive year, and you will need to change something to improve your sales performance.  There are no mulligans.

Casual Thought Friday… what is the relevance of celebrity death and their legacy?

Two people made the Bacon Pony list this week.  That’s not uncommon, because the daily Bacon Pony is the most relevant topic of the day, or the most searched person, place or thing.  The interesting thing is that these people are dead celebrities.

This begs the question – which dead celebrity has the most relevant legacy?  Is there a Top 10 list?

Jerry Garcia has to be on that list.  Walt Disney is definitely on that list.  Marlyn Monroe.  George Carlin.  Elvis.  Johnny Cash.  Chris Farley.  Anna Nichole Smith?  (just kidding)

Who would be on your list?

If there was a set of criteria to consider, it would probably be marketability, trends and number of impersonators post-career and year of death.  For example, when Elvis died there were only a few hundred impersonators.  Twenty plus years later, there are millions of Elvis impersonators.  By this math, in forty years it is probable that 1 out of 4 people on the planet could be an Elvis impersonator!

We remember the celebrities that broke new ground or made an impact on our life.  And whatever their star power brought to life, a select few will be relevant for generations.

Rest in Peace