Linda Samuels - author, educator, tireless entrepeneur

Linda Samuels has a rare psychological condition. She doesn’t hear the word no. It’s not that people haven’t said no to her. They have.  Many times. She just turns it into an opportunity to re-invent herself. As a young woman growing up in Mansfield, Ohio, she had the grades and the desire to follow her father into the medical profession. Prevailing cultural attitudes changed the plan. It was, after all, still a man’s world and medicine was man’s work.

Moving On

Linda didn’t become a doctor. Instead, she took her degrees (University of Cincinnati BA in biology and Masters of Science in population genetics) and her husband, moved to the Boston area and began a stellar career teaching biology at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Linda is no ordinary person and she was no ordinary teacher. During her more than 25-year tenure at Dana Hall, she was named Outstanding Biology Teacher in Massachusetts by the National Association of Biology Teachers, inducted into the Massachusetts Hall of Fame for Science Educators, and chosen as a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Seeing a Need and Filling It

Most would call this a fulfilling career but Linda wanted more. Recognizing that biology textbooks were failing to get young girls motivated, Linda decided to write her own. In 1999  she published Girls Can Succeed in Science! One reviewer on Amazon had this to say about the book:

“This innovative book is a must-buy for all middle school and secondary science teachers and parents. Chock-full of unique classroom activities and demonstrations, and guided by a new philosophy for boys and girls that really works! You can tell it’s based on over 25 years of real classroom experience, and it’s fun as well as educational. This is a one-of-a-kind book that fills a special niche in the science book market, and fills it to a tea!”

See what I mean about Linda?

Second Chances

Recently, Linda designed and taught a course on entrepreneurship which she titled Passion to Profit. Nothing extraordinary here (not for Linda, anyway)  except for one thing. Her students were inmates and her classroom was the library at the Pondville Correctional Center, a minimum security prison in Norfolk, Massachusetts. Did I mention that she is fearless?

Changing the World

Linda thinks big. She wants to change the world. BillionaireBabies, LLC, her latest and most ambitious project seeks to empower today’s children to become tomorrow’s leaders. She has already made significant progress toward her uplifting goal. Imagine teaching kids the importance of planning, budgeting, research and analysis and making it fun. That’s Linda’s gift. Better yet, imagine future generations of children growing into adulthood already knowing how to run a business,  balance a checkbook, write a business plan, respect the environment and one another. Stephen Aveling-Rowe is one of these children. “I’ve got a new goal, new excitement,” says Stephen, adding that Linda’s BillionaireBabies program has taught him to act on his ideas, “not just let them sit in your brain.” Stephen Aveling-Rowe is 12 years old and lives in Australia.

Learn more about Linda’s diverse activities:

• www.BillionaireBabies.net
• www.PremierCapital.biz
• www.LearnScience.net
• www.FocusTechnology.biz
• www.LindaSam.ACNDirect.com

It’s tempting to label Linda Samuels a “late bloomer.” Tempting but not true. Linda is always blooming. Not late, not early. Just constantly.

And Now Back to You

If you were writing a Someone You Should Know column, who would you choose to write about and why? Have you thought about it? What makes someone extraordinary? Talk to me.

The good folks at Starbucks in Winchester, MA get it.

Here’s a secret. It’s all about customer service. Here’s another secret. Simple isn’t the same thing as easy. There’s a huge difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it. With that said, here goes.*

1. Answer  Your Phone

I can hear the moaning. What’s that you say? You’re too busy to answer the phone? Really. How  do you feel when you call a company and are told, by a recording, to “listen carefully as our menu options have changed?” I’m used  to it by now but I still don’t like it. When I was working with John Webb from Webb Transportation Services, LLC several months back, it was clear to me that his business was thriving.  I asked him what he was doing that his competition was not. “Simple,” he said. “I answer the phone.”  I tested him by calling the company several times. Guess what. He, or his Director of Operations answered the phone every time. Not every other time. Every time! How refreshing.

2. Return Phone Calls and Answer Emails

This is a tough one. Our inboxes are littered with emails – many of which are spam or plain junk. I get that. What I’m saying is this. Identify which messages are relevant to your business and answer those quickly – the same day if possible. If you’re being asked about something you’re supposed to do but haven’t done yet, politely say that in your response. Responding quickly and honestly is better than waiting a few days to finish what you’re working on and then responding. If you’re in a meeting or at a client site, answer as soon as you can. (I have to say this: if you’re in your car, pull over. There. I’ve said it.) You get the point. I try to practice what Brain Tracy calls single handling. That means responding to important emails right away instead of leaving it for later. You will be more likely to forget if you don’t do it right away. The main point is this. Don’t ignore emails and phone messages (unless you’re doing  it intentionally and with knowledge of any consequences). Doing so will eventually erode your reputation and damage your business.

3. Do What You Say

Nothing will hurt your business more than making promises you don’t  keep. If you tell a client you will have their proposal to them by Thursday, get it to them by Thursday (Wednesday would be better). If you promise to gather some information and email it to them by Monday, email it to them by Monday (the previous Friday would be better). How annoying is it when a client tells you they will get you something by a certain day and then doesn’t do it? But here’s the thing, if you don’t do what you say, don’t expect your clients to either. Remember Ghandi’s famous quote “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

4. Show Up

For some reason – I have no idea what that reason might be – general contractors have a reputation for showing up late or worse, not showing up at all. (General Contractors, don’t send me hate mail. I’m only stating what I’ve observed and what others have told me.) When Alan Weisner started his interior painting and home fix it business several years ago, he knew that simply showing up at the time promised would separate  him from his competitors. So committed was he to this mission that he named his new company We Show Up. Brilliant! Several years into his enterprise, We Show Up has consistently garnered the Better Business Bureau’s highest A+ rating, qualified for Angie’s List’s Super Service Award in 2010 and 2011 and won Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston Home Award in the Small Repairs category north of Boston for 2010. Amazing what happens by just showing up.

*Disclaimer: I have not mastered all four of these points. I work on them consistently. I thought you should know that.

And  Now Back to You

As a business owner, what is your take on the four points  mentioned above? What about as a consumer? Do you agree? Is it unrealistic in today’s fast paced world to expect businesses to do these four things? Talk to me.

Photo credit: SierraTierra

Think a logo isn't that important? Guess again.

Last week I met with a company on the verge of big things. I can’t talk about what they do because the legalities aren’t in place yet and I don’t want to be sued. The point is they’re on board with the importance of a great website. They just seemed to “get it.” I love working with companies that “get it.” Then they pulled out their business card with the company’s “logo” which they insisted we use. Ouch!

The Logo Police

In my previous life as the Web Production Manager at a promotional services firm, I worked with some big name companies. Each of them had strict brand guidelines – rules for how their logos should and should not be used. I’m talking about things like always maintaining a one inch each area of white space around the logo, never superimposing text or images over the logo, how to properly invert the colors when using the logo on a white or dark background. Why all the fuss? Because these companies (and eventually me too) understood the importance of branding. In fact most of these companies employed entire divisions whose job it was to make sure their logo was being used properly. We affectionately called them the logo police.

It’s About Psychology

Here’s how my handy pocket dictionary defines logo: n. a symbol used by a corporation, business or company as its emblem. Fine. Here is what a logo really is. It’s a visual expression of your company’s identity,  core values and beliefs. It’s durable, flexible and transferable. You can put it on a golf ball, a coffee mug, a tee shirt or a hat. You can put it on anything anywhere. It travels well. It builds equity and power over time. The site of it evokes a visceral response. It makes people think about what it’s like to own your product, eat your food or drive your car. Think I’m overstating? Look at the logos in the box at the top of page. See what I mean?

Trust Professionals

Back to my meeting last week. It seems the good folks at the company designed the “logo” themselves because they believed it depicted the essence of their newly patented process – and since they knew that process better than anyone else it followed, according to their logic, that they would be best qualified to design their logo. Logical but wrong.

Quick Summary

• Think about the power and importance of your company’s logo and let an experienced, talented, professional designer design it for you. Hint:  think Nike swoosh
• You’ve invested countless hours and had sleepless nights conceiving your business. Don’t get cheap when it comes to the symbol that will be the face of your business. Hint: spend less on that cushy leather chair and more on your logo
• Give it up. I know it’s hard but if you work with the right designer he/she will treat your ideas with respect. Hint: you have kids but they eventually leave

And Now Back to You

Are you happy with your logo? How important do you think it is? Am I making too big a deal out of it? Talk  to me.

Would you buy a hosting plan from this guy?

Sales is a difficult profession. That’s why I have respect for good salespeople and contempt for bad ones. It can be very challenging out there when you have to make a sale to put bread on your table, or to satisfy a belligerent boss. Sadly, caving in to the pressure often takes the form of compromising your values. I witnessed this first hand last week.

Starched White Shirts and Baklava

I have been patronizing a small family owned dry cleaning business for the past two years. I’ve gotten to know the family and look forward to stopping in. Sure, they’re very good at what they do but my visits are more about pleasant conversation and home made baklava than crisply starched shirts. I’ve mentioned what I do for work a couple of times but never tried to sell them anything. One day last week they called me to ask if I would be interested in redesigning their website. “Of course,” I said. So after throwing a pile of dirty clothes on the counter and getting my pickup slip, we sat down to discuss the possibilities. There was a problem.

Right Place Right Time

They were at the end of what they believed to be a one year contract with a large, well known company whose specialty is traditional phone book ads. I won’t mention their name. Just imagine a book being the color of a banana. Subtle enough hint? As we talked, their sales rep pulled into the parking lot. Pure serendipity. To avoid a potentially awkward situation I respectfully offered to leave. The family patriarch grabbed my arm and said, “please do me a favor. Just sit here reading this magazine (note: the magazine was in Greek. I don’t read Greek.) and listen to what he says so we can discuss it later.” Well, I thought. This is kind of different. I didn’t see any harm in it so I complied.

Making the Sale at all Costs Just Might Cost Too Much

What I heard was a toxic mix of lies and misinformation.

• lie – “You can’t redesign your website or move it to another provider because you will lose all of your search engine standing.”
  The truth is that you can redesign or move your website any time you choose. By using 301 permanent re-direction code, a technique any web designer knows about, anyone looking for an old page will be redirected to the new version of that page. The permanent nature of the redirect tells Google to remove the old page(s) from it’s directory and replace it with the new page.
  
• misleading information – “Don’t worry about your domain name. We’ll take care of it for you.”
  I cautioned about this in an earlier post. While this may sound like one less thing you have to worry about, what it really means is that they will own your domain name. One more way they make it difficult for you to leave and take your business elsewhere. Your domain name is a vital part of your business. You should own it. They should tell you that.
• selective memory – “You signed a two year contract”
  Before the sales guy arrived, both brothers emphatically stressed that they were told they were signing up for one year. It was a precondition to signing the agreement in the first place. The sales guy suddenly had a different recollection. Guess who I believe?

Now Back to You

I’m pretty steamed about this. I know it’s easy for me to say but if making a sale requires that you lie, please look for other work. There are plenty of terrific salespeople out there who blend their skill (make no mistake, selling is a skill) with good values and strong ethics. What do you think? Have you been manipulated by a shady salesperson? Did you know it when it was happening? What’s your take? Talk to me.

Photo credit: Supermac1961

I Knew I Should Have Gotten Directions

Why is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so expensive? I hear this question all the time. I’m going to tell you why. But first a brief history lesson. In the beginning (mid-nineties) there were few websites. It was easy to get found. Just pack a few keywords into the content of your site and voilá, there you were. Now there are more websites than stars in the sky (yes, I’m exaggerating to make a point.) It’s NOT easy to get found anymore. End of history lesson.

Search Engine Rank: Easy Concept, Hard Execution

Think of your new website like a new house. You’ve spent  all this money to design and build it. It’s finally done. You’re  excited. You throw a party and invite people over to see your sparkling new home. No one shows up. What happened? You forgot to tell them how to find you. See where  I’m going with this? There are just too many websites for you to not take search engine optimization seriously. Taking it seriously means accepting that you have to pay for it. I’m not going to get into who you should hire to do this. Like any other industry there are those who are very good at it and those who aren’t but claim to be. For purposes of this rant I will assume that you understand that.

So Here is Why It’s So Expensive

Because of the sheer volume  of websites (there will likely be thousands  more by the time you finish reading this), search engine optimization has evolved into a stand alone skill set. Getting your website to stand out from the countless others in your industry and in your geographical area takes expertise and experience. Here are a few things you need  to understand:

• content – if you’re undertaking an optimization effort on an existing  site, your content will have to be reviewed for keyword density and placement. The content may have to be edited or rewritten entirely
• research – the keywords you think your customers are using to find you may not be the ones they’re  using at all. Only keyword research and competitive analysis can determine this
• tools – an experienced SEO person knows how to use the right tools to uncover the information necessary to achieve high page rank
• measurability – (I made up this word. You get the point.) your SEO efforts have to be analyzed and measured for effectiveness to ensure the proper  strategies are being used
• reporting – periodic reports need to be provided. This is part of measurability
• tweaking – depending on results your website may have to be tweaked and  adjusted
• time – doing all of the above well takes time. That’s why it’s expensive.

I can go on. The point is this: If you take your  business seriously enough to invest in a well designed website, skimping on search engine optimization will cancel out all of your best intentions. It’s  kind of like building a brand new house and never  telling anyone how to find it. Unless you’re a recluse (I’m assuming you’re not), this is just not going to work.

And Now Back to You

Have your search engine optimization efforts paid off? Is your website being found? Do you agree or disagree with my analysis? Did you skimp? Be honest.

Photo credit: snappybex

If You Want People to Listen to You - Listen to Them

Last August I wrote a series of posts dealing with the four most common objections to social media:

• It Won’t Last
• We’re Afraid
• We’re Fine Without It
• It Doesn’t Work

My purpose was to “handle” each objection – which is really a salesy way of saying I wanted to counter each objection with logic, facts and common sense. I hope I succeeded. But in the past few days I’ve been asking myself (what is it about a new year that makes us talk to ourselves?) a more basic question about social media .

Why Do We Do It? Why Do We Really Do It?

There’s an urban legend that’s floated around Hollywood for years. (Note: I’ve never been to Hollywood.) The legend has it that a young Dustin Hoffman once asked his idol, the great Lawrence Olivier, “why do we act? I mean really, why do we do it?” Pausing for a moment, Olivier looked at Hoffman and said, “there are three reasons why we do this. Look at me, look at me and look at me.” Dustin, it seems was hoping for a deeply philosophical answer. What he got instead was a heavy dose of honesty. For businesses the objective of social media is simple – to connect with your customers in a way that increases your potential to sell whatever it is you sell. For the millions (or is it gazillions by now) who tweet and twitter for personal reasons, I suspect the motivation has more to do with Olivier’s response to Dustin Hoffman’s question. Make no mistake, there is ego involved here. We do it because in doing so we are exercising our very human need to be heard, to be validated. And in the world of social media there is no greater validation than to have people follow your tweets and comment on your blog posts.

How to Increase Your Following

Ah! The holy grail. Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet here. There is no “one thing” that is guaranteed to build your following and have hordes of consumers clambering for more. But as Oprah would say, here is what I know for sure. You will NEVER get anyone to follow you if you’re not following anyone. You will NEVER get anyone to read your posts and comment on them if you don’t read and comment on theirs. Keep this word in the front of your brain: Community. To get people to participate in the conversation (and that’s how you should be thinking of your social media efforts) you must participate. Think two way street. Habit number 5 in Stephen Covey’s wildly popular and important book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People states “seek first to understand, then be understood.” I’m sure Mr. Covey would not mind my slight adaptation: Seek first to follow then be followed.

And Now Back to You

Do you blog or tweet on a regular basis? Do you have followers? Do people comment on your posts? If so, how are you building your community? Who do you follow? Do you participate? Talk to me.

Photo credit: Joe M photo

Tom Gould, Peabody City Councilor and owner of Treadwells Ice Cream

Tom Gould enriches lives. It’s that simple. If you’re lucky enough to know him then you know what I mean. He is one of those rare individuals who genuinely cares about people. And people care back. When he told me in January, 2011 that he was going to run for one of the at-large city council seats in Peabody, the northern suburb of Boston where he lives and works, I thought “perfect”. Apparently the vast majority of Peabody voters felt the same way. At his official kickoff party last May, Tom drew an astounding 700 enthusiastic supporters. When the votes were counted last November, the Salem News reported that not only did Tom win a seat on the city council, he topped the ticket with 9,012 votes, outpacing the four incumbents in the process. No one in Peabody was surprised.

Putting Others First

Tom with a cancer patient at Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center in Danvers, Mass.

Tom’s gift is putting others first. He once told me that although he loves his work at Treadwell’s, the legendary ice cream store he has owned in Peabody since 1999, it’s the opportunity to serve the community that he finds most gratifying.  His service does not go unnoticed. Each year, Mass General honors 100 individuals and groups for their diverse contributions to the fight against cancer. This year, Tom Gould has been chosen as one of the honorees.

On a Personal Note

Treadwells Ice Cream is something of a phenomenon. It’s open all year long and despite what common sense may suggest, you are as likely to wait in line on a blustery Saturday in February as on a blistering Sunday in August. But it’s more than the ice cream that draws people. It’s knowing that Tom will ask you about your family, your job, your health, your life. And its knowing that he will listen to your answers. Through the years many young men and women have worked for Tom and his wife Sharon serving up ice cream to locals and bemused tourists. My daughter was one of them.  From the beginning he saw her basic goodness and value as a human being. He was patient, kind, generous and interested in what she had to say. That’s Tom’s special gift. He’s that way with everyone. I remember listening to conversations between my parents and grandparents when I was kid growing up in Brooklyn. When the talk turned to members of our community it was clear to me, though I didn’t yet know what the word meant, that the highest compliment was to be called a Mensch¹. Tom Gould is a Mensch!

And Now Back to You

I have written about someone I know personally. If you were writing this post, who would you write it about? What are the qualities that make someone worth knowing?

—————

1. Mensch: a German derived Yiddish word originally meaning “human being.” A person of integrity and honor; “a stand-up guy”; someone who does the right thing.

Want to really be social? Spend more time away from your computer.

This is not a picture of me. The point is, it could be. Ironic isn’t it? Here I am, a web designer/social media maven/blogger and I came to the sudden and startling realization that I’m spending too much time at my computer. Further introspection has revealed that I may also be suffering from NPWYP syndrome. (That’s Not Practicing What You Preach). And here is where my Baby Boomer perspective kicks in.

Being Social Is Still About In Person Connections

What I love about today’s internet is the ease with which people can connect. It’s been fun rekindling relationships on Facebook and finding old friends on LinkedIn. But we boomers have always been a bit cynical about online relationships. Back in the day there was no such thing. Personal relationships were forged by looking someone in the eye when you spoke to them, shaking hands when you met or said goodbye and …. well you know what I’m talking about. Don’t misunderstand. This is not a case of some old guy pining for the good old days. I’m simply saying that an active online social life should add richness to your offline (real) social life not be a substitute for it. Let me put it another way. If you spend hours each day at your computer tweeting, blogging, facebooking, google plussing, (yes, I’m making up words here), you are not being social. You are being anti-social.

You Really Need to Get Out More

Back to me. Why am I guilty of not practicing what I preach? Because I’m starting to feel like the guy in the picture. I’m working hard at building my online relationships but not hard enough on the real ones. I need to get out more. I need to join more groups, meet more people, attend more events, look into more eyes and shake more hands.

And Now Back to You

Do you think of yourself as a social person? How about this one – do you like people? Do you use social media tools to build online relationships? Do you look like the guy in the picture? Be honest.

Photo credit: LuChOeDu »

Collaboration - The Best Way to Produce Something Beautiful

My best clients are those who understand the importance of collaboration. Sure I’ve worked with companies over the years who have handed me some copy then said build me a website and call me when it’s done. And for the most part those projects have turned out just fine. But just fine isn’t good enough. Not any more. Not in the age of engagement where company websites and their associated social profiles have become the primary means by which businesses communicate with their customers.

The “Two Ears One Mouth” Model

Metaphorically speaking the fact that we have two ears and one mouth ought to suggest that we listen more than we talk. Metaphors aside, most of us still do it the other way around. But the key to collaboration is active listening. Asking questions and really listening to the answers. This, of course, is essential to any successful relationship, whether it’s personal or business. But many companies, and many clients/customers, still don’t get it. Let me put it this way. I can’t produce a website that properly represents your business if I don’t truly listen to your answers to my questions. You won’t feel confident in my ability if you don’t truly listen to my answers to your questions.

What You Should Expect From Me

You can expect me to:

• be at the top of my game – this means I will always be monitoring latest trends, best practices and new technologies
• be responsive – I will always do my best to respond to your voice or emails within 24 hours
• be proactive – I will always tell you about developments in the industry that I think will benefit your business
• be fun to work with – trust me on this one

What I Expect From You

In a word? Stay engaged. (Okay, that’s two words).

• stick to deadlines – if the project depends on you delivering content, stick to the deadline. It will keep the momentum going and will ensure that we don’t lose our enthusiasm
• keep the communication going – I know you’re busy. But try to answer my voice or emails within 24 hours. (I promise I’ll do the same)
• smile – working together should be fun. I’ll do my part to ensure it is

And Now Back to You

Is collaboration important to you? Would you rather be less involved? If you’ve worked with a company recently, were expectations clearly laid out? Did that make the process easier? Better? As always, thanks for your participation.

Photo credit: Artotem

Designing for Mobile is About Easy Access

According to Mary Meeker, Internet analyst and Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, within the next five years “more users will connect to the Internet over mobile devices than desktop PCs.” For business owners looking to launch a new website, it is essential to consider how the site will render on mobile devices. For web designers, the rules have changed … again.

Responsive Design

Thanks to the work of cutting edge web designer Ethan Marcotte, we now have the tools and techniques to effectively design websites for mobile devices. And by effectively I mean not simply displaying a miniature version of the site that you see on a desktop computer. Responsive Design, the term coined by Marcotte, actually detects what type of mobile device is being used and then displays the site optimized for that specific device. Pretty neat!

Like The Old Days Only Different

In the early days of the web, there was no standardization. Websites rendered differently depending on the browser being used. Designers, a temperamental lot to begin with, had nightmares over not being able to control every aspect of the user experience.  That was then. This is now.

It’s About Usability

With all the variables in play like screen resolution, browser vendor and version, installed system fonts, monitor size, color variation and user preference, web designers finally get it. (At least the good ones do). It is not absolutely necessary that websites look exactly the same across all devices. (I know. This is a tough one for designers to swallow).  It’s about usability – making sure users can quickly and easily find the information they are looking for … which brings us back to designing for mobile devices.

A well designed mobile site:

• is not just a miniature version of a desktop site
  it accounts for the fact that mobile users are close to taking some action and clearly presents the information needed to simplify that action
• is not accessed by a separate url or web address
  a user going to the site on an iPhone and a user going to the site on a desktop computer both use the same url.
• will adjust the layout of the site responsively
  When properly coded, the design will “know” what type of device is being used and will respond by displaying the site optimized for that device.

And Now Back To You

Business owners, was your site designed for mobile? What do you see when you view it on an iPhone, Blackberry or Droid? Is it what you thought it would be? If you are still in the planning stages, is mobile part of your thought process? Thanks for your comments on this one.

Photo credit: Yodel Anectodal