FRESHviews
WALLY AMOS:BE POSITIVE
Wally Amos is the
founder of Uncle
Wally’s Muffin
Company. You can
reach him at
www.wallyamos.com.
Don’t just
brand,
rebrand
Testing positive
WHILE I AM constantly testing my theory that a
positive attitude works, I am also tested to see if
my actions are consistent with what I believe.
Recently, I had a demo in a retail outlet that
did not go well. I showed up and nothing was
ready. No cookies, no table. Eventually, things got
organized and we had a good demo. We sold
products and made new friends. I saw the potential
to develop the account, create goodwill and turn
a negative into a positive. I also took advantage of
the event host’s guilt and scheduled a second
demo, only this time I added a storytime for the
children. Everyone promised a great, well-coordi-nated demo. Exactly what I was expecting.
Almost four weeks to the day, I returned,
anxious to have a successful and fun demo. I walked
in the main entrance of the store and could not
believe my eyes. Not a cookie in sight. Nothing
on the floor for the children to sit on when I read
stories. As Yogi Berra said, it was déjà vu all over
again. I could not believe it.
Nevertheless, I did not get angry. What would
I gain? I eventually spoke with the manager, and
someone came with my products and we set up
together. I began my routine, which consists
of playing my kazoo and greeting customers.
Needless to say, we had a successful demo.
When I say, “Be positive regardless,” I mean
just that: regardless of the circumstances.
Get on top of the circumstances! You are in
control of the circumstances, and when you
are positive you set the tone for a positive,
rewarding outcome.
Why be positive regardless? Because when
you are, you are the winner. I sold more cookies
by staying than by leaving. I met new friends,
and while I have no idea how they will help
me in the future, they might. I could not have
met them if I had become angry and stormed
out of the place. There are also health benefits.
I remained stress free and controlled my blood
pressure by staying calm and performing the
job I came to perform.
Being positive is also the best way to
strengthen your faith. So I say again, with
conviction, “Be positive regardless!” C
More in archives
On Costco.com, enter
“Connection.”At Online Edition,
search “Wally Amos.”
AMERICAN EXPRESS
OPEN, the small-business
division of the financial
services company, has
introduced the OPEN Mic
podcast (www.openforum.
com/openmic). Hosted by
journalist and entrepreneur
Tyler Brûlé, each episode
explores an issue central
to entrepreneurs and their
businesses’ sustainability
and growth.
For instance, the podcast on branding features
a discussion with Iris
Schreier, founder of
Artyarns, who underwent
a brand makeover when
she was partnered with
OFFICELAB, a New York–
based branding agency,
as part of the project.
OPEN is also offering
a free download of OPEN
Book: A Practical Guide to
Business Growth, (type the
title into the search box at
www.openforum.com). This
guide to building a strong
small-business brand features best practices for
logo and website development and an informative
Q&A with branding expert
Chris Brogan. C
Make like a dragon;y
THE DRAGONFLY EFFECT is what happens
when you coordinate four small activities to produce big results. It’s named after the only creature
that is able to move in any direction—with tremendous speed and force—when its four wings are
working in concert.
In their book of the same name, The Dragonfly
Effect: Quick, Effective, and Powerful Ways to Use
Social Media to Drive Social Change (Jossey-Bass,
2010;
www.dragonflyeffect.com), Costco members
Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith (with Carlye Adler)
teach readers that “small actions create big change”
and help them to harness social technology to
achieve a single, focused, concrete goal. Aaker says,
“It’s remarkable how many businesses don’t take the
time to collectively understand why they are on
Facebook, why they are on Twitter and what is their
single-purpose goal.”
The book teaches four key skills—focus, grab
attention, engage and take action—and explains
how to coordinate them with social technology to
spark measurable results.
For instance, in the section “Grab Attention:
How to Stick Out in an Overcrowded, Over-messaged, Noisy World,” the book cites examples
of businesses and how they achieved success
using these four steps:
Get personal. Find personal hooks, ranging from physiological to self-actualization
needs, that can be understood within seconds.
Deliver the unexpected. People
like consuming and then sharing awe-inspiring information. Draw them in by
piquing their curiosity. Look to reframe
the familiar.
Visualize your message. Show,
don’t tell. Photos and videos speak millions of words. Synthesize your thoughts
with quick visuals and show them to
your point of view for feedback.
Make a visceral connection. Design
your campaign so that it triggers senses—sight,
sound, hearing and taste. Music is powerful
and can often tap underlying emotions. C
