One of the many perks of my profession is the opportunity to visit different parts of New Mexico and the United States on business.  Traveling means hotels and true to the code of road warriors, I have a list of “reward” numbers and personal preferences.  My patterns usually alternate between Hilton and Marriott, though I will stay in a B&B for a change of pace every now and then.

On a recent trip to Portales, New Mexico there was only one hotel option, a Holiday Inn Express.  I made the reservation using my Priority Club ® Rewards number and arrived about 9pm.  Upon checking in, I saw my original room number 223 was crossed out and my new room 328 was written and circled above it.

About 9:45pm, the “horror of the night” (thank you Jay Baer for the epic line) manifested itself, this hotel is located right next to the railroad tracks and highway.  Calling the front desk, I learn that the train comes through two/three times a night.  My room literally swayed and shook when the train passes.  When the third train passed at 3am, it occurred to me… the front desk actually moved me from the peaceful east side of the hotel to the Armageddon’esqe cacophony of the west side.

Why was my room moved?  My gold status was likely trumped by a platinum (which I am finding out is like getting an unbent fork in a cafeteria).  When I called the front desk, they were generally clueless and offered no words of consolation, no ear plugs, no floor stabilizers.  Maybe they were shell shocked by the regular rumbling of the train and blasting of the horn.  My guess is, I wasn’t the first to complain; the train tracks were there long before the hotel.

Lesson learned: have a customer service plan in place to address issues that are beyond the businesses control.  If you don’t then you are taking customers for granted and that’s the quickest and easiest way to lose future business.

One of the great things about our country is found in the peaceful transfer of power resulting from a free election.

One of the worst things about our country is seen in the political advertising that takes place leading up to the said election.

Case and point, today’s Albuquerque Journal featured a new front page “sticky” asking voters to elect the sitting Sheriff for another term.  It was placed right next to the lead headline, a story about one of his Deputies who was killed yesterday.

Really?

It is possible that the Sheriff’s campaign was given the option to pull his sticker.  If that is the case then his campaign deserves what it gets.

The lines between news and advertising are already blurred in some unfortunate ways, would it have been too much to pull the sticky ads for a day?

What responsibility, if any, does the newspaper have in showing some simple sensitivity when a public servant is killed in the line of duty by making an decision to pull a 25 cent political sticker from its front page?

Since January of this year (2010), I’ve been participating in the Team in Training program offered by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  As a result of their program, I’ve had a chance to raise awareness about blood cancers, generate some additional funds for medical research and complete a few memorable athletic milestones.

Participating in and completing the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon, Denver Rock and Roll Half Marathon and Day of the Tread Half Marathon, I’ve learned many things.  But none more important than “run your own race.”

I’ve had the opportunity to train with a lot of quality people.  Everyone is pacing around the asphalt jungle for their own reasons.

Watching, and running alongside the people I consider to be elite runners is really quite an experience.  By running vicariously through Jaynee, Chris and Javier I’ve run sub-4 hour marathons! 

The coaches are some of the best; Jeff, Michelle and Bryan.  They provide motivation, insight and encouragement.  There are a number of coaches whom I’ve only met on the race course, they provided a calming guidance that helped me to run my own race.

Even before this year’s training, the quote “Run in such a way that you may win,” connected with me.

Most of the people I train with finish their respective races. 

Surprisingly, despite the training, some runners do not cross the finish line.

Whether they finished or not, everyone “ran their own race.”

These are some of the great things about our team.  They set their own goals, their own pace.  They weren’t swayed by the elite runners or slowed by those of us on the scenic route.  They are comfortable in their own skin, know their abilities and limits (most of the time).  They feel compassion as they see runners bonk and are reminded that it could be them.  They push to do better next time.  While they are encouraged by the crowd, they aren’t guided by the drama of it all. 

They run for their own reasons, their own plan, their own goals.

They run their own race.

Ok, I admit, before January 31^st of this year, I didn’t think a lot about exercise.  On that day I put one foot in front of the other and started running.  Two miles became eight, then 12 then 15 and finally 26.2 as I finished the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon in June.  The coaches and mentors with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program provided the preparation and encouragement needed to complete this objective.

To be honest, before that first two mile run, blood cancers were about as top of mind as exercise.  On February 1^st of this year, my high school friend Pete had his first chemo treatment for multiple myelomas.   After a very grueling time, he was declared in “remission”.  Pete was one of my motivations to train and run the marathon.  The marathon training and long runs continue to be an easy way to lift up Pete and his family in prayer.

Thankfully, Pete is still in remission.

Coming up on October 17^th I’ll run the Denver Rock and Roll Half Marathon in celebration of Pete’s continued positive impact on our community.  On October 24^th it will be the Day of the Tread Half Marathon that I’ll run in honor of Neil Weaver, who fell victim to multiple myelomas several years ago.  Neil made a great impact on the Albuquerque community as a father, businessman and friend.  His son-in-law Ben, will also be participating in a Day of the Tread cycling event.

If you’d like to help fund a cure for blood cancers, here is the link: http://bit.ly/97O1ri

But, wait!  There is more!

A team from The Garrity Group will be running in the Denver Rock and Roll Marathon Relay!  I am proud of our team and this tremendous undertaking to raise awareness and funds to find a cure to beat blood cancers.  They are putting others ahead of themselves by raising awareness to fund a cure for Blood cancers.  Here is their link:

So like Forrest Gump, we run.

Go team!

Jimmy Buffett and LeBron James are an unlikely pair.  However, over the span of the past several days both have done their part to niche their place in modern culture and they both based it on their performance.

The now tiresome special and focus on Mr. James’ decision to leave his home of Cleveland in pursuit of a championship title (which he didn’t get in college because he went right to the NBA from an Ohio high school) has been bantered about by greater and wittier minds than mine.  But the announcement was a shunning of his home state and a promise of performance in the form of a championship ring.  

Contrast that with singer songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who embraces his gulf coast heritage, has only received two Grammy nominations.  But his following will be stronger than any NBA or other professional sporting figure, evidenced by his 40+ records that have gone either gold or platinum, sold out tour dates, and collaborations with the greatest voices in the music industry.

Jimmy Buffett, tonight, is hosting a benefit concert in Gulf Shores Alabama as a benefit to help the region plagued by oil and negative publicity from the gulf spill.  A long track record of doing things for the community that supported him for so long is why Jimmy Buffett reached icon status a long time ago.  Versus LeBron James, who like a prodigal son left home … yes, I think Ohio is bigger than LeBron to accept him back when he returns to the community with humility in his heart.

How can you effectively communicate during difficult economic times?  The same way you communicate during the boom periods.  Your communication should be relevant, genuine and transparent.  What does this mean?  This is the second of two installments (as seen in the Associated General Contractors New Mexico Building Branch Quarterly Newsletter http://www.agc-nm.org/):

Be Transparent

Your target audiences are very self-centered.  They want to know what you are going to do to help them.  The construction industry has seen a lot of recession-based transformation.  One of the most obvious is the influx of builders and specialists who know residential but are oblivious to commercial code requirements.

While it would feel good to share your views about the cross-over opportunists with the purchasing director, it probably won’t be a move that will pay off in the long run.    Your best way to combat the new competition is by defining the issue of items in terms and deliverables that are unique to commercial construction.

List the items that set your qualifications apart from the competition; address bonding and other items unique to your industry; be a resource through a brochure, website or on the telephone to address nuances about the commercial construction trade.  This kind of transparency, by ghosting the issue, will help to position you as a trusted partner.

The Tools

Social media is the new “it” marketing tool.  It seems as if everyone is getting on Twitter, FaceBook and YouTube (the Big Three).  While those marketing tools have relevance to some markets, some elements of social media can be beneficial to every market.

Retail and services organizations are the entities that have effectively leveraged social media outlets.  For brick/mortar and construction industries, a tool like YouTube or Flicker can help you show off construction techniques or client projects.  A LinkedIn account or Facebook fan page is a good way to generate top of mind awareness about what your business does by informing other people in the professional and non-professional world.

The key of connection is to always draw your target audience your website or to have them connect with you in some form.  Social media, like broadcast media, is a means to an end of making a connection… not just an end of saying we’ve done it, now onto the next task.

Today’s technology provides many unique ways to be relevant, genuine and transparent.  Leveraging the technology with those three keys will help you to remain connected with your target audiences regardless of the market’s economic conditions.

The bottom line has a new meaning in the midst of this recession.  For some organizations, when times are tight the first thing owners do is pull back on marketing communication efforts.   If you think about it, scaling back on awareness is akin to a NASCAR team opting for cheaper tires… short term benefit, long term loss.

How can you effectively communicate during difficult economic times?  The same way you communicate during the boom periods.  Your communication should be relevant, genuine and transparent.  What does this mean?  This is the first of two installments (as seen in the Associated General Contractors New Mexico Building Branch Quarterly Newsletter http://www.agc-nm.org):

Be Relevant

Like yours, my mailbox fills up with funding requests from what seems to be a “who’s who” list of nonprofit charities.   And like you, I’ve personally and corporately made donations and contributions to various organizations.

Those charities were selected because they have been successful in making a personal connection with me.  That “first contact” was not in the form of a letter or mass mailing.  It was in the form of a conversation, a site tour or recommendation from a friend.

During these difficult economic times, Nonprofits would be well served to check their approaches to see if it is providing the needed connection with their target audiences.  Also, check your databases for accuracy.  I’ve been included on prep school and university mailing lists who claim I am an alumnus from their “distinguished” institution.

If your organization believes in making a personal connection, then you will be one step closer to success.  Being relevant means you need to know your audience” 12 months out of the year instead of trying to be impersonal and connect only when it is convenient for you.

Be Genuine

Sharing your message is all about how you communicate with your target audience (i.e. customers).  In the past, communicating with the larger public was largely relegated to the news media.   Today, there are a multitude of options available (e-newsletters, facebook, twitter, YouTube) when communicating with a broader spectrum of people.

Sharing your message is a personal conversation and connection with your target audience.

The new media provides effective ways to engage your customers.  Websites, blogs, wiki’s, and social media are all different ways to connect, unfiltered, to your audience.   Direct mail, personal letters, magazines, newsletters are some good standbys to reinforce your brand beyond the computer screen.  These tools are an effective complement to reaching your objectives through traditional media and tactics.

Think of your communication tools as golf clubs.  They each provide a specific purpose to move your message/brand forward.  You wouldn’t use a putter in the tee box or a driver on the putting green.  Knowing your audience and your objectives will help you to identify the right tools to share your message effectively.  The result will be a genuine message that is received and not ignored by your existing and future customers.

A good explosion always gets my attention.

Whether it is watching a bridge or munitions being demolished, there is something about the thud and the compression that draws me to seek out these kind of unique opportunities.

When I heard that the old Texas Stadium was soon to implode (instead of the teams imploding inside), I thought, this will be something to see.  Looking at the footage, it was a good demolition.

An eleven year old got to trigger the implosion, the winner of an essay contest sponsored by Kraft.  What does Kraft have to do with Texas Stadium?  The corporation sponsored the implosion to introduce its “Cheddar Explosion” macaroni and cheese.  How much did the “naming” rights cost?  $75K to the City of Irving and $75K worth of donated product to local charities. 

This is the first implosion I’ve ever heard of being sponsored.

Hoping to get in on the action, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine offered $75K if the City of Irving would drop their title sponsor and post a banner touting the woes of “fatty, cholesterol-laden products.”

The City of Irving declined but did donate $25,000 to YMCA programs that fight childhood obesity.

So, who won?  Easy.  The 11 year old who wrote the essay to flip the switch that triggered the explosion that brought down Texas Stadium… of course!