Deborah Johnson Gives Commencement Address at UW-Whitewater

Our very own Deborah Johnson was asked by her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, to give the keynote address at its commencement ceremony on May 16. Ever the marketer Deborah emailed the students a survey beforehand in which she asked the graduates what kinds of things they’d like to hear about from her. The grads responded that they were most concerned about finding a job and paying off debt – so those become the main themes of her speech. While offering insights from her own life experience, Deborah gave the graduates tips on finding a mentor, finding a job, excelling at that job, networking, managing finances and setting goals. The speech was well accepted, and Deborah continues to receive requests from students and parents for copies of her address. Having personally benefited from her words of wisdom over the years, we know the graduates received valuable advice. Deborah has been a mentor to us all and has helped us develop the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in business and life. Thank you, Deborah!

Never Underestimate The Power Of Ma Bell Or Beyonce

Earlier this year I was contacting a reporter at the Daily Herald about one of our clients’ new products. Like most of society nowadays, reporters usually prefer to get their information online, especially if they’re being pitched a story idea. There are many reasons why reporters like receiving pitches via email, but I believe one reason is because email can be so impersonal. It makes it easier/less offending for them to turn down an idea via email.

But that was the problem. I didn’t want to make it easier for this reporter to turn me down or ignore me. How could she truly understand how great this product was if she didn’t talk to me? I needed to get personal with her. So I stopped typing in mid sentence and picked up the phone. Guess what? The reporter loved the story idea, and my client ran on the front cover of the Daily Herald’s business section and online, http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=273404.

Now I’m not saying we should stop using email to reach out to one another, but, with all the buzz about social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, it’s easy to think of the phone as a marketing tool that’s past its prime. But don’t fall into that trap. Never forget how powerful a phone call can be.

For one thing, phone calls usually don’t result in a misunderstanding. On the phone you can hear someone’s tone, inflections and emotions. The same can’t be said for emails. People are also usually more courteous over the phone. And it’s not just me who thinks people need a reminder about the benefits of the phone, check out this story from the New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/realestate/26cov.html?scp=1&sq=buying%20a%20home%20via%20e%20mail&st=cse

Even Beyonce prefers the dial-up method. During a recent interview on The Late Show with David Letterman, Beyonce said she doesn’t tweet or text people. When she wants to get in contact with someone she uses the phone, http://www.haveuheard.net/beyonce-on-david-letterman-4-22-09/ (see 2:25 minutes into interview).

Who knew Beyonce and I had so much in common?