Kem Meyer on Less Clutter & Noise

Are you promising more than you can deliver?

These simple, practical examples from real church promotions seem harmless enough...

1. "Come to this year's women's retreat where you'll develop friendships that last a lifetime."
   
   It’s what we hope happens, but it’s out of our control. Yet we still promise something we can't guarantee. I had a woman complain to me that she joined a volunteered to make friends. After two years of serving, she felt duped because she had not made one friend. She held the church responsible for false advertising. Yes, her opinion is a little extreme. And, yes, it's a little outrageous and unrealistic. However, it's a recurring perspective we experience with people on their journey. What can we do to help them along?

2. "Come experience a community of grace."
   
   Again, nice goal, but you can't control the outcome. I had promised a “community of grace” for a friend of mine and she finally joined me for a weekend service. During the message, her cell phone went off. A man sitting behind us scolded her for being rude and selfish. He even asked her not to come back if she couldn't have the decency to turn her phone off during church. True story. Yes, it's a distraction for others when a cell phone goes off. Obviously. However, what isn't obvious is that my friend was taking a gigantic step by attending church for the first time in years. My friend didn’t look at the man as an individual, she looked at him as the church. And, I had not delivered on my promise.

Hey, are you being honest with yourself (and others)?

• What are you "putting out there" that you should really cut?

• What expectations are you setting that are unrealistic and out of your control?

• If people think churches are liars anyway, what are we doing to diffuse this perception and build trust?

• Are we making statements as if they were facts, when in reality they are subjective and left to personal interpretation?

• Are we promising something we can't deliver on?

• Are we baiting people with exaggerated benefits?

A lot of times, the solution is as simple as providing "just the facts" and nothing else. Remove the fluff. Eliminate our “hope” in the content. That's the first step towards turning a potentially negative experience into a great one.

Are you talking too much and saying very little?

Maybe you need to “Divorce the details that excite you but alienate your listeners.”

Great post from Blog Decker about being in the weeds.

Let’s be frank…

Love the original context here about online giving. This is fresh. It grows trust with unsterilized copy and refreshing honesty. I don’t feel like someone is talking AT me or wants anything FROM me. It engages me.

You’ll find this tone throughout the entire site… although I highlighted online giving because it’s the hardest thing to talk about effectively.

Well done, Knoxlife Church, well done.

Are you looking for a vendor or a partner?

Sometimes you need to hire a job done. But, before hiring any outside professionals (e.g., consultants, vendors, firms, agencies, etc.), there are key things to consider in the selection process. Technical skills or industry knowledge alone does not make for a successful union. Too many consultants optimize their businesses for themselves - not their customers. It's the difference between a strategic partner and service provider.

When we're looking for outside help, we need more than templates, products and a one-size fits all approach. We're looking for "A trusted advisor. A mental sparring partner. Someone with the flexibility of a great vendor, yet the resolve of a doctor who is not prepared to give bad medicine." With inspiration from this FutureLab document, I've created a list of things to look for in a partner.

1. Someone who focuses on solutions instead of products. Many consultants listen to a client's request for a solution and come back with an answer that fits their in-house capabilities and compensation models. We're leery of people who are quick to offer a product-only solution (their product only). I count on outside experts to help us navigate and give us good working options from which to choose. Third-party solutions are a good thing--don't build from scratch just because you can. Proprietary methods and strategies can take years instead of months to implement. In one short conversation, it is evident whether someone is interested in selling products or taking a personal interest in your continued success.
2. Someone who improves upon your ideas. Many consultants will do what you want--no questions asked. That's not a good thing. We're interested in someone who will tell us what is out there, challenge us and help us see potential problems with our objectives. We may have a great vision and plan to reach the vision that won’t sustain today’s technology or client environments. A partner will help us continually look at the big picture and avoid making decisions with blinders on. It’s their job to educate us about the potential consequences of our decisions, good and bad. Do they have the ability to serve as our "mental sparring partner" or not?
3. Someone who can reveal the cost of failure. Most consultants don’t talk ROI. Instead, they emphasize the budgets they manage as well as the client list, certifications and awards they have. While some of that is important, it’s more important to demonstrate they’ll make back more than they spend on your services. Name dropping is not a good sign--run away.
4. Someone who owns the troubleshooting. Our long-lasting partnerships are with people who demonstrate client-service to a fault. A “can-do” attitude is overlying tone of all interactions. As the expert, it is their job to tell us how something will work and ensure that it does. With all the technology solutions and resources available today, there is always a solution. It is our expectation that we will never hear “it can’t be done” but rather "here's what we CAN do."
5. Someone who educates your team to be self-sufficient. How our partner plans to transfer their knowledge to our in-house team needs to be part of the deal. Proactive is better than reactive. I want someone who will bring solutions to our attention that will improve our situation.
6. Someone who helps you grow into it. It's important to partner with someone who not only sees the current picture of today's reality, but also helps prepare you for course changes or growth without breaking or forcing you to start from scratch.

By the way, during my season on staff at Granger, there are a few companies who deliver on "all of the above." I consider them to be “strategic partners.”  While we've worked with other great people as well, these four companies rise to the top because of the size, scope and length of the relationship. They complement us -- focusing on the areas we are weak so we can stay focused on the areas where we are strong. We are better because of them.  

• AspireOne. Branding and web experiences.
• Fellowship Technologies. Database management.
• Lightcast. Media streaming.
• Commerce Guys. Ecommerce customization and implementation.

It's in your words...

This was one of those "forwards" from my mom. But, it's a good one. Thanks, mom!

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet.  He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help."  There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by.  He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat.  He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words.  He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up.  A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.  That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were.  The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning?  What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth.  I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."

Both signs told people that the boy was blind.  But the first sign simply said the boy was blind.  The second sign told people that they were so blessed that they were not blind.  Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Are you giving people information or inspiration? Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and expect positive results.

Want to change people's behavior? Make it fun.

Want buy-in? Make it fun. It's been proven...thanks to the scientists at Volkswagen. (Thank Matt for the find.)

How many more people will choose the stairs over the escalator -- if you make it fun to do?

 

How many more people will actually throw their trash away -- if you make it fun to do?

It's not that people hate change. They just hate the way you're trying to change them. (via Michael T. Kanazawa) If you're not getting the results you're looking for, change your approach.

Want a more practical example? I snapped this photo at Christ Community Church. They get it. If you want more people to "follow the rules" you gotta make it fun.

Why some organizations succeed and others...

You want to maximize response? You have to minimize options. Will a picture help? Lucky for you, I just happen to have one from Stuff Happens.

Does it get you thinking about how you do things in your organization? Think about your print pieces, web sites, processes, voicemail...the whole shebang. There's always something you can simplify. In fact, I had one meeting today about simplifying our web site and have one scheduled for tomorrow about simplifying our volunteer sign-up process. In both cases, our current solution makes sense to us internally, but is stalling out externally. Instead of defending why we do it the way we do, we're going to figure out what needs to change. That means we have some work to do.

Simple is smart and it's hard work. Complicated is ignorant and it's lazy. Just sayin'.

Fight Information Obesity. How to simplify your marketing...

Recently Guy Kawasaki invited me to share a few words over on the Amex Small Business Blog. Inside scoop? He edited my original submission because he said it was obese. That's ironic. Made me laugh. And, he was right. You can always cut words. And, then you can cut again. Here's the edited article. Better than the original.

Fight Information Obesity...How to simplify your marketing.

Information overload occurs when we receive more information than our brain can process. Even if it’s good information, too much of a good thing isn’t good anymore. Whether you’re an information addict or Zen advocate, information overload affects us all.

If you’d like to contribute something of real value that improves quality of life, it’s as simple as dialing back your own volume. Here are five ways you should be looking to help reduce the stress for your customers.

1. Stick to the facts. Don’t over-sell, over-fluff, over-explain or over control. Just provide the information someone needs to self-sort and self-decide. People don’t need a page on the philosophy for every business, product, or event. They do need to know who it’s for, what it is, when it happens and how to get it.

2. Stick to the point. Start with the end in mind before you take action. If you know the purpose behind your letter, brochure, or meeting, it makes it easier for you to stay on track and focused. Otherwise, it’s hard to recognize your own excess. Do you want people to show up, respond, or buy? What are you asking them to do? If you can’t answer that question easily, neither can they.

3. Consider the crowd. Does your announcement (printed or verbal) apply to everyone or just a handful of people? If it doesn’t affect the masses, it’s going to land like dead weight. Don’t punish the crowd to keep a few people happy (even if they are the most vocal). Find a way to talk about the 20% that affects 80% of your audience.

4. Don’t intrude. Unless they’ve asked for it, people welcome your mass emails as much as a salesman ringing the doorbell during family dinner. Respect personal space and put information in a place easy for people to find when they want or need it.

5. Deflate your self-importance. Are you more attached to what you have to say than to who you are talking to? People are more inclined to read and respond when something is delivered from their point of view—not yours. Work hard to think like your audience to find ways to connect.

Life is overwhelming enough as it is. Your business, church, school, or social cause shouldn’t be piling on more and adding to the confusion. Look at your own emails, mailings, brochures, web site, and identify where you need to turn down your volume. It’s the right thing to do for everyone.

Social media for organizations...

Keep these golden rules in mind as you plan your social media strategy for your business, your church, your non-profit... This list was inspired by a Fast company article about Twitter, but it applies to blogging, Facebook, Twitter and more.

This is the top five list of non-negotiables in the professional social media arena.

1. Make it part of your trade. It requires an investment of time and dedication. If you treat it as an afterthought, you will be an afterthought.
2. Give more than thou receive: Promote others more than you promote yourself.
3. Be undeniably genuine. Stay conversational while sharing professional and personal tidbits. Demonstrate there are humans inside the organization.
4. Say thank you. Personally thank people who mention you. Respond to comments.
5. Keep it simple. That's the whole point. Digestible. Portable.

Do you still view social media as an "add-on" instead of an extension of what you already do at your organization? Here's an oldie but a goodie to help provide the context you need. It might be time to say goodbye to some of your vintage communication channels.

The Social Media Playbook

View more documents from Chris Heuer.

Shift happens...are you paying attention?

It's easier than ever to reach a large audience, but harder than ever to connect with it.

Did you know?

Thanks, Xplane for a great media. And, thanks to Jake for helping me find it.