Erin Burrell

eCommerce Manager Fundraiser Cyclist Gym Girl Process Improver Champion Napper Roller Derby Freshie

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Cold calls don’t need to be clammy

Please stop spamming my Linkedin profile.

  I understand, its the end of the year and as a sales person you have quotas that you have to meet.  I’m not judging you for using your premium account to search out people like me that may need your good or…

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I don’t usually talk politics...

Growing up my parents had opposing opinions on politics and I learned that political conversations shouldn’t leave the kitchen table.  They rarely agreed on much in terms of candidates or platforms, but they always came to the same point.  You could have…

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The Button Jar

My grandmother kept a jar full of buttons and so do I. I know that most of the buttons will never…

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Kotter is my Pal

Kotter is my Pal, learning to write for academia

It’s funny, when I started writing each new paper I kept hitting a wall when I wanted to credit my sources.  When I was attempting to follow the formal rules for citing a source, I was also breaking apart the framework that made my argument solid with a…

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What happens when there aren't any sales?

I have talked about customer service and how to keep customers coming back.  I have even talked about sales hiding your mistakes, but what do you do when you don’t have sales?

How do you hide your mistakes when the customers are not coming through the doors?

It is hard finding the motivation when the sales just aren’t there.  When the sales are down, hiring freezes kick in.  With a hiring freeze each employee is asked to pull more than their own weight.  Everyone is so busy they forget to say thank you.  Those missed opportunities for leaders to say thank you lead to the remaining employees starting to feel overworked and underappreciated. 

Then they quit.

So how do you stop it?  Controlling the spiral takes a lot of effort that most big organizations don’t take the time to make.

Finding motivation for employees who just had their hours cut takes talented leaders.

Years ago I had the chance to work with such a leader.

To set the stage:

Store sales were in the toilet and associates that had been working 30-40 hours a week were cut down to 4-8 (I was one of them-barely paying my rent while going to school), full time associates were “encouraged” to take half days of vacation or unpaid off without penalty to save payroll and spirits were low.

So this leader hit the sales floor and turned customers into a challenge.  Each associate (including our normally office bound leaders) in the store was tasked with being a personal shopper to those few customers we had.  Tasks were second to being the best customer care associate you could be.  If that meant walking them to light bulbs and helping them chose, you did it.  If it meant debating the power of this saw versus another, you did it.  If it meant escorting them to the bathroom you did it.  You stayed with that customer and made sure they found everything on their list and more.  You got a ladder and pulled the box off the top shelf for them.  You adventured through the chaos of receiving and into the back room to get the colour they wanted. You made sure they knew your name when they left.  You made sure they knew people would help them when they came in.  You made sure they were going to come back.

Then, when the floor was dead we went back to tasking.

It took a few weeks. They were hard weeks with more tasks than staff, but sales started to turn around.  Average ticket went up.  We got more hours on the floor giving us more time to do tasks, and we just kept helping people.

The customer came before getting the stuff put away, and the stuff still ended up getting put away because when someone needed something you were right there to get it for them and leave the rest on the shelf for the next customer.

In the end, we can live without all of the tasks “we think are important” being accomplished, but those tasks don’t matter if we don’t help them buy the stuff in the first place.  Sales can be powerful, but when sales aren’t as high and customers aren’t crashing your site with traffic or blocking your aisles to get to the register, sales are still out there if you focus on the customer’s needs before your own.

120929

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Sales Hide All Sins

This is an old adage that comes from my home in the retail world.  My entire career has been focused on getting customers to buy stuff in one form or another, whether it comes via driving them through a conversion funnel online or motivate them with the right price in a flyer to come into a store and lay down their credit card.

A little while ago I talked about customer service and how sometimes you have to break up with bad customers.  While I believe this is true, I still think you need to love and support your customer or client through your entire relationship.  Their dollars pay your bills.  You get to do fun user experience tests and cool projects with YOUR brand because of THEIR dollars.

Sales hide your mistakes.

                When you make (or have made for you) a bad buying, pricing or inventory choice those high turning, high selling items balance the scales and hide your mistake.  The business P&L still appears balanced and all is right with the world because there are items offsetting your error. 

If there are no sales those mistakes become magnified.  There is nowhere to hide the mistake and you are left with what could be a career ending issue.

Sales motivate your team.

                Sales are like a drug.  Each dollar, transaction, swipe of a credit card is its own little high for you and your team.  It makes you want more.  You become motivated to find a way to get more sales or to drive the average ticket.  If there are no sales, it becomes a sad hollow shell of a team.  They slow down, stop caring, pay less attention and sooner than you think have less desire to produce.

Sales put hours on the floor.

                There are no staffing hours if you don’t make sales.  In the small business community this is the time that the owner ends up on the floor.  In a big retail store the shareholders don’t often pick up a broom so you end up with staff left disengaged because they are trying to do three things at once without any support to drive profit into someone else’s pocket

Hours on the floor help you sell more stuff.

                When there is someone there to read the box to the customer they are more likely to buy it.  When there is someone there to ensure the customer leaves with a complete project of items (eg: brushes and tape with paint) they spend more and are less likely to spend at your potentially closer competitor.  As a perk they often also come back because you treated them well.

Hours on the floor make everyone feel like they aren’t alone.

                Even if an associate is run off their feet they will keep going when they see others doing the same thing. 

Associates helping customers drive more sales.

                It always comes back to this.  In ecommerce great product content, a good FAQ list, quick response to a help email or actually answering the 800 number mean that the customer feels like you took care of them.  They complete their transaction.   In a retail store it can be about being willing to get the ladder, or walk them to the product that makes them engage.

In the end we know that sales make us feel better, but it is taking care of the customer that truly drives sales.

Retail success both online or in store is about a few simple tactics.

Select an assortment that fits your customer’s needs

Be in stock

Be priced competitively

Take care of the customer

You don’t need to have the sexiest system, the best floor plan or website.  You have to know what they are looking for and work to fulfill those needs. 

That means that sometimes you might need to sweep the floor or move the box to get the sale

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Ride Your Bike-New Zealand!

On a recent trip to New Zealand I had the chance to do some mountain biking in some of the best* parks I have ever been in.

The best part about the journey I did around NZ other than the people was the changing scenery and landscape and I have to say that the trails and parks followed the same feel.  There are parks and trails operated all over the country and I only had a chance to sample a few, but I anticipate the flavour and outstanding level of maintenance is not localized, but national.  

Trails are maintained by great local mountain bike clubs and the Department of Conservation and are proof that the entire country definitely seems to take pride in both the sport and the beautiful land that trails are built on.

Queenstown-Seven Mile

Seven mile is a no cost series of trails just outside of Queenstown.  We were lucky enough to steal a local friend to escort us because I promise we would have never found the nondescript parking lot along side the lake without a guide.

While trail levels vary they are all fed by a climb up to the top of a spiderweb that feeds the trailhead.  My Canadian (Ontario specifically) self was used to not really having to climb for very long and I have to say I was fully warmed up by the time we finished the climb to get started.  After a few lighter trails we started to get moving and spent a few hours weaving our way in and out of a beautiful pine forest with tightly packed dry singletrack.  Filled with trails at every skill set I would love to have had more time to explore.  That being said I loved a coulple enough to do them more than once.

Trails were in great shape and the forest was absolutely free from any debris that didn't belong-proving once again that mountain bikers are lovers of nature and the environment.

Kudos to the Queenstown MTB Club for it's efforts on this great park.

Auckland-Woodhill

While the only pay per use park ($7NZD/day) I rode in New Zealand, Woodhill is a beautiful forest full of everything from family friendly tracks all the way up to a pretty wicked (looking-I didn't try any) trick park.  About 30 minutes outside of Auckland this was also the longest we had to drive to get to go for a ride, but the drive was definitely worth the effort.  Locals did speak of a route to the park via open trails but the ride there and back would have been longer than the couple of hours we had available to ride.

With a very sandy base this park is a bit hard on your drive train, but we were lucky enough to visit it after a couple weeks of rain and found it in a pretty good level of packing from the water in the forest.  Great trail markings and maps in different locations made it easy to figure out where you were and to shift easily from a harder trail onto an easier one (or vice versa) with little slowing you down.  I didn't find the park suggested route flowing quite as nicely as some others I have ridden, but I think that with some time and experience in the park there is lots of flow to be found and more ways than I can count to challenge yourself as a rider. 

Rotorua-Whakarewarewa

The Whakarewarewa (faakka-ray-wa-ray-wa...yeah that was hard for me too) Forest is as close to my soul as a forest outside of British Columbia can possibly get.  I was born on Vancouver Island and the giant redwoods of Whakerewarewa made me feel at home.  Rich rainforest like ambiance filled with signature silver ferns on the forest floor and a stream that would rival any storybook combined with a tall canopy that filtered in this amazing gauzy green sunlight and made you feel like you were wrapped in goodness.

Access to the forest is free but the local bike and tourist shops do sell a very cool microfibre waterproof trail map for somewhere between $5-10NZD.  Money well spent as there are over 100km of trails for all skill levels as well as multi use trails for everything from prams to trail running.

Some of the trails were in rough shape because of recent heavy rain and while I did successfully manage to come out reasonably clean, I did have to navigate some trails a bit slower than I would have liked because there were some massive divets from run off that were almost exactly the width of my tires.  What I enjoyed most about this forest was the fact that it was a mere 6km from the downtown core and we were very easily able to ride to the park rather than having to drive to a destination before going for a bike ride.

*This is my first season as mountain biker.  I do have a fair amount of kilometres under my wheel on a road bike, but am no pro.. hell I am no amateur, but a passionate newbie at best.  I do not mean to consider myself an expert on what makes a great trail, but I follow the logic of the smile test and feel that it can be the best definition of any sporting experience.  

The smile test: In sport it is said that it doesn't matter what level you are performing at, but if you finish the run, ride, swim, wave etc with a smile on your face that is the definition of a good experience.  

You can have a flowy piece of singletrack that just makes you feel happy and even if it wasn't technical you can consider the run worth the time.

You can enjoy a downhill ride with a tail wind and consider that a great day cycling.

You can have a run with the perfect breeze, ride the softest wave and more.  Athletes that enjoy the time they spend should not always question whether or not it was their hardest or most challenging effort, but if they enjoyed it.  

Joy can be defined in so many ways..don't question how you found it.

Special Note also goes to the Queen Charlotte Track.  I am coming back to ride you one day on a road bike!

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Adventuring New Zealand

For four weeks in Dec 2011-Jan 2012 I travelled around New Zealand in a camper van. 

While I did do quite a bit of research in advance of my trip, you can never really know what is going to make or break a trip and I like to have some resources on hand during any adventure. 

For this trip I trusted the 2011 Rough Guide NZ-purchased in Canada for pre trip research and lived on the dash for most of the trip and the AA Travel Atlas (yeah I know only my mom uses a travel atlas)-purchased for $25NZD on day one and used every day.  Living without a data plan on my phone meant that I had to actually navigate with the atlas and this one is well designed.  It also includes some cool highlights and was how I discovered things like the Top 10 Parks and Pancake Rocks.

Going into the trip I had a list of must do items and a rough idea of when I wanted to tackle the items.  Most weren't really that complicated. 

I wanted to walk on a black sand beach

I wanted to bungee jump.

I wanted to see penguins in the wild

I wanted to hike

I wanted to ride my bike 

I wanted to get some real New Zealand Merino wool to make a blanket

I wanted to wade in the Tasman Sea

I am not a complex or demanding traveller.  I prefer to be free to discover things I enjoy (flat whites) and to walk away from the things that don't inspire in me what they might have in others (Moreaki boulders).  

I don't like to have a tight schedule that involves being stressed or rushing to and from places so that means that I don't travel in big groups or go on a lot of organized tours. 

Things I would do again 

Pancake Rocks

I would love to see these at sunrise or sunset.  I found them inspiring and magical in the sunshine, but I anticipate that I may discover more by visiting without a crowd of tourists on Christmas Holiday 

Mountain Biking: I did highlight some of the areas that my bike and I got a bit of a work out, but honestly I would ride anywhere in the country.  It is outstanding.  I will post all about MTB NZ in a separate post in the near future.

One of the most amazing locations in the country!   In the space of just a couple hours you see ocean and mountain, cross multiple weather systems and more.  The scenery is spectacular...the sand flies (Canadian Black Flies) were awful though. 

Te Papa  

The museum is beautiful and you really can't do it in just one visit.  It also reminded me that access to our history and culture should be free.  People should be able to take their children to these activities at no charge.

Weta Cave: Hell Ya!  nuf'said

One of the coolest exports from New Zealand is the gift of technology to the world of movies.  Weta is famous for participating in such epic movies as District 9 and Lord of the Rings, but it is also the largest producer of realistic looking chainmail for actors to wear in movies and a number of other assorted secrets that I just can’t tell you. 

Go!  It is FREE and while tiny I promise it will spark a layer of your imagination in a way not many places can.

Bungee Jumping: 

Kawarau Gorge is a 43 M bungee jump.  Not the largest around, but it was more than large enough to inspire fear in this girl.  

Oh.. and do it with AJ Hacket.  The invented bungee jumping as it is done today.  TRUE STORY

Stay in Top 10 Holiday Parks

There is always a place in my heart for a five star hotel, but these are the best of the best when it comes to living the campervan lifestyle.  There are spotless bathrooms -playing music and armed with hair dryers. 

They average about $6-10NZD more per night than their competitors but are worth every penny.  The landscaping is lovely, spaces are designed for giant campervans and the staff are willing to go out of their way to support your needs (can you say extension cord?) 

An added perk is the fact that almost every one of them offers at least some free WIFI which is pretty few and far between in NZ.

See the penguins!

Yellow eyed penguins are super cute and tiny.  They spend the summer on the south island of New Zealand where the babies are raised until they are strong enough to go to sea and hunt for themselves.  We had to wait for a few hours to see the parents come in from the ocean, but as the babies got hungry they started to pop out of their dens and I can’t tell you how adorable they are.

Visit Fiordland

Glaciers and mountains make good company, but couple them with rushing waterfalls and dense ocean forest and you have a set from a movie.  There is about a 2 hour drive to get into Milford Sound from the last real town (Te Anau) and I could do it everyday for the rest of my life.  

Along the way you will see wildlife and hear birds chirping beside rushing streams and waterfalls.  Stay the night and surround yourself with magic.

Things I wouldn't recommend 

Moreaki Boulders: 

They look cool in pictures and are really quite easy to get to, but I wouldn't make a special trip.  Unless you have some passion for alien eggs (which is what I think they look like up close), I wouldn't go out of my way. 

On a secondary note I was very saddened by the signs stating that the stream that was feeding into the ocean a few hundred metres down the beach was not safe due to pollution.

Visiting over Christmas Holiday

While taking advantage of Christmas and New Years gave me three extra vacation days I paid a premium for the trip because of the time I was in the country.  On average the campervan ended up costing about $250NZD a day for a service which is worth about $150 in the off season (after Jan 15).  It is also the prime season for campervan parks and they up their rates by as much as $10-20NZD a day during the season as well.

Trying to see everything in less than four weeks. 

While attempting to see a large amount while in the country is definitely worth tackling, don’t try to squish everything in at once.  Take time to relax and enjoy the scenery.

Watch a Kea tackle the rubber around your car window (this really happened).  Enjoy a random chat with the locals at a gas station (yup talking to strangers Sorry Mom)

Have a coffee in a proper cup and enjoy it.

Start and end in Auckland

While we had a place to land as a base camp while in Auckland doing both the north and south island can be done more efficiently end to end.  What I also learned along the way is the fact that most tourists that travel one way do so from Auckland to Christchurch.  If you are willing to do the reverse your campervan rental rates will be lower because the rental companies need to get the vans back to Auckland anyway!  You will also save on the abundantly expensive ferry which is about $600NZD round trip for two people and a campervan.

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Is Your Intent Pure?

Over the last few months I have had a chance to chat with some amazing individuals and they have spurred me to challenge my own motivations. 

We do things every day that may or may not enrich our lives or the lives of those around us.  What we really have to dissect is why we are doing things. 

The question of intent is valid for work, home or play.  It’s ok to do things merely for pleasure or adrenaline, but for those big tasks you should ask yourself why.

What is the reason you are doing the task in front of you? 

Is it because you want to help? 

Is it because you were asked to? 

Is it because you need to find some validation?

Is it for the credit (money/praise/title) that you will receive?

Is it to meet the expectations of others?

Is it fuel for your ego?

I have taken these questions to heart and they have really started to make me dig deeper into my own motivation for doing things.  I have asked myself why.  I haven’t been proud of all of the answers.

In doing this exercise I have discovered that some of my reasons for doing things are not pure.  In these cases I have set myself on a path to correct them. 

The truth is that juicing my ego isn’t a good enough reason to participate in a task.  Neither is having a nicer X than the person next to me.

For others I have discovered that my reasons are actually better than I ever gave them credit for being.

An example of this is the fact that a couple of years ago I made the commitment to ride across Canada with the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride.  Participating was easy to validate; I was helping to raise much needed funds and awareness for pediatric cancer.  I was going to help make a difference.  I made the validations my reason why, which was not 100% true.

I could never put it into words why I had felt compelled to join this cause until I started to really dissect my own intent. 

Why pediatric cancer over any other cause?

The answer is twofold:

There is an end date on this cause.  Each day we are making remarkable progress on finding an end to pediatric cancer.  Each dollar raised is getting us another step closer to a world where kids aren’t dying of cancer anymore.

This is a battle worth fighting.  While we aren’t going to win every day, we are making progress.  It is also something beyond a single person’s control.  Unlike many causes that are fighting to end something end we have the capacity to prevent from happening in the first place.  Hello Occupy Movement (Yeah I’m looking at you).

My goal in this regard is simple: To find an end to pediatric cancer and then tackle the next most deserving item on my list.  Today I don’t know what that next item is, but I can tell you for certain I will dig into my motivation for doing the task before I commit to starting it.

We all have the capacity for good.  We can make the world better for being in it if we so choose.  Ask yourself why you sent that email, did that task, bought that thing. 

What will your participation accomplish?

If you feel that my reasons for riding are valid please take a moment to donate to this year’s four day cycling event Tour for Kids in support of kids cancer camps.

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Five Reasons You Need New Workout Wear

I know it seems like a dumb idea to spend big money on clothes that are merely for getting sweaty in.  Work out wear has come a long way over the last few years and investing once in a while is worth every penny.  Fabrics are loaded with technology making them more comfortable, flattering, and less smelly.  What I can never fully comprehend is the fact that I have watched people buy $200 dress shoes that they may wear ten times this year and yet refuse to replace the running shoes that they wear at least a few times a week.

Motivated by this and the sights I have seen in the gym and on the trail I have devised a list of why you need to buy new fitness apparel and no… it is not so you can have cooler stuff than your friends or to ensure that your tank and gelato match.

It genuinely wears out:  Clothing that has fabrics like spandex and luon break down over time which causes them stop doing what they are designed to do.  This will show in the fact that those Lululemon pants that made your bum look awesome are now all rough and bumpy and your bum… well… it just looks like your bum again.  Even worse is the risk that at some point your threadbare bottom may peek out and say hello to your neighborhood.

Your training is working:  There is nothing worse than being three kilometres into a ten kilometre run when your pants start to fall down(trust me on this one).  Making sure your clothes fit will help to ensure that you will have a great work out.  Oh… and ladies this is especially important when it comes to exercise bras, they do not offer compression when they are too big for you.  The other fact is that you aren't seeing the results of your effort, wearing clothes that are the correct size will help you show off those legs you have been squatting for.

You can’t keep up with the laundry:  Rule of thumb is that you need as many sets of apparel as work outs you will complete in a week.  Set yourself up for success so that you don’t have to be the guy that skips a training ride because all of your bib shorts are dirty and you haven’t had a chance to do laundry.

It smells bad:  I don’t care if your clothes are made of Silver or Kryptonite.  There is a point in the life of a garment where no amount of washing will rid it of your historical workouts.

It is going to hurt you:  Sports apparel like running shoes, or helmets have foam padding that is designed to break down over time.  When the foam in your runners no longer bounces back it causes your joints to be the only cushion.  Replacing a knee or hip is a big deal.  Replacing your Nike’s not so much.

*I buy new fitness clothing as required following the guidelines stated above.This tends to end up being a complete replacement cycle about once a year.Nobody has sponsored this post or given me anything for free to say it.I exercise between three and six days a week pretty much year round.Fitness apparel adds up to more than half of my annual wardrobe spending and I believe that it is worth every penny.

Granted… if someone wanted to give me free stuff to try out I would happily offer my opinion on the goods.

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What does a happy customer mean to your business?

A happy customer is so much more than one that doesn't complain to you.  Happy customers tell stories and recommend you quietly to their friends.  They renew contracts and look to you as a leader in your industry.  They are a revenue and PR source for your business, but they are not the only customers you have. 

Everyone has had a customer complain and demand things.  Everyone knows that there are also unhappy customers out there that just seethe quietly and wait for the contract they have to expire.

BUT… this is your chance. 

Today. 

Make them happy. 

Change their minds. 

I’m not talking about offering them discounts on the next chunk of money they need to spend with you.  I’m talking about improving what they already have with you.  Possibly improving what they have already paid you to do.

If you are selling a service, don’t sit comfortably on your laurels.  Improve the service.  Ask for feedback.  Implement the feedback.  Thank the people who gave you this chance-publicly if possible-for giving you their opinions that were able to improve your business for others.

Ok, you also know that there are customers who are unhappy and complain.  Some people are just complainers, while others really have a valid issue. 

Over the span of my life I have experienced complaints of all kinds.

·         The complainer with no friends:

This is a person who really just needs someone to hear their beef and tell them you understand.  They aren’t really looking for discounts or freebies, they want to voice their issue and be offered a solution if one exists.  I find these are also the same customers that want you to read the box to them when they are looking to make a purchase.  Do your best to help them; even if it means telling them to unplug the system and restart; they are likely to become overnight advocates.

·         The complainer looking for solutions: 

This customer really just wants you to fix their problem.  They usually have a valid point that needs correction.  Likely they have already read your FAQ’s and looked over your site for a way to fix their own issue and have only complained as a last resort. 

Note:  These are customers you can turn into ADVOCATES if you are good to them.  Take care of their needs and use their issue as a way to improve your business.  If you can implement some of their changes make sure they know you learned from their criticism.

·         The complainer with a cause:

Their cause is 100% themselves.  They want something for nothing and are willing to threaten you to get it.  Likely you have all heard the “I have a zillion twitter followers and they are going to boycott you” threat. 

I have a mixed opinion about how to take care of these guys, but have settled on a three step approach.

1.       Always listen to their feedback.  Do unto others…think of your karma.

2.       Validate their complaint as though they weren’t opening with a “What are you going to do to take care of me?”  Beyond their desire to gain from a challenge, there may be a chance for you to learn from this.

3.       If you can fix their issue do so, if you can’t because it is from the land of unicorns explain that and offer them a refund.  Void their contract.  Do what whatever you have to do to end the relationship NOW (I can hear your shock and awe).  In the long run breaking up with a customer is sometimes the best thing you can do.  Their only public complaint when you follow this process is “They couldn’t make me happy so they gave me back my money.” 

This isn’t a real complaint.  Their zillion twitter followers won’t care, and in the long run you won’t deal with a barrage of complaints from the land of unicorns on a monthly cycle because they want their free stuff fix again.

Each and every customer complaint is a chance to improve your product or service.  Don’t approach them as something that you have to avoid.  Look to them as something that will make both you and your business better.

Getting new customers and clients is hard (and expensive) work.  Put the same level of effort in making your existing customers happy as you do in new customer engagement and you are going to have more business than you know what to do with.

I have talked about great online service in the past you can hear about my awesome rollergirl.ca experience here.   Service so good I’ve gone back more than once and personally talk people into buying from them.

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The Complete Question

I have discovered the reason that I have so many emails that require one line responses.  In a corporate environment we are often rushing when we ask a question so we blast off the email to the relevant person who will know the “answer”.

Too often however we don’t fully craft the actual question, leaving us with pieces of information, as opposed to the complete answer that we actually seek.

If your question for example were about the success of a particular marketing vehicle you might say

Question:

How did X do in market?

Answer:

It was a success

Question 2:

What sales did X vehicle drive?

Answer 2:

$1,000,000

Question 3:

What was the response rate?

Answer 3:

35%

Question 4:

How does that compare to other vehicles in market?

Answer 4:

It drove 20% more sales than Y vehicle.

At the end of this lengthy exchange you have slightly more information about the project, but still don’t feel armed to walk into a meeting with your executive teams to discuss the overall process.  You now might have four different files of “results” and you likely have someone sick of seeing your name

Instead a well crafted question might be phrased as such:

Question:

Can you give me a summary of the results on Y vehicle including

·         Sales results  VS LY and VS other vehicles in market

·         Response rate VS LY and VS other vehicles in market

·         Any other metrics/feedback that may seem relevant

Win 1

By asking the question this way you are going to get a complete answer.  This method also leaves you with extra data in case someone asks a deeper question when you discuss the program. 

Win 2

You are only sending and receiving one email which cleans up your in box and theirs, making you both more efficient. 

Win 3 Asking for results this way tells the person that you are asking that you need all the details about a program which more often than not will cause them to offer even more than you are asking for.  By asking them to participate with an open ended request you are encouraging them to include items that they feel are relevant.

In the end a great answer is rarely given for a poorly formed question. 

Before you write that next email

1)      Take a minute to think about what you really want to know about before you blast off the email to someone.

2)      Make a list of points that you need answers to-this gives the person a chance to ask for additional details on a particular point

3)      Re-read your request before you send it to make sure you haven’t missed anything and to ensure that it is easy to understand.

[erinkburrell-blog]

The Unpopular Opinion

Have you ever been in one of those meetings where everyone knows that the idea being presented is wrong/unprofitable/impossible/full of holes etc? This fill in the blank idea tends to be presented by someone in a power position and thus we are compelled to listen.

After the meeting everyone chats about how this is silly/a waste of time/broken and yet they have their notepads of takeaways and will go about building the business case for executing said imperfect project.

Have you ever wanted to stand up and ask where the idea came from or called out the holes in the theory?

Have you ever actually voiced the questions everyone is thinking and not saying out loud?

Asking the question makes you the face of an “unpopular” opinion. Personally I struggle to think that it is truly unpopular or contrary. More likely what you are voicing is just not the opinion of the top ranking individual presenting it.

Asking the hard questions is often looked at as a career limiting move.

So being the voice of reason may stunt your career path. Hmm. A bit wrong maybe?

This is where you see the difference between a great leader and a person with a great title.

Great leaders encourage having their ideas challenged. They encourage debate and conversations around new initiatives. This is not to say that you will not be asked to leave the room and proceed with building the business case, but you will be welcomed to speak and voice contrary opinions. Discussion about the gaps show us weaknesses that we can identify and correct before putting a product or service out to market and the best leaders know that.

The person with a great title will shut down the debate before it has begun. They are sure that the product or service is perfect and will save the quarter/make the world a better place/end war and they are not willing to have it challenged. So I challenge you to ask the hard questions.

Yes, you may be the guy that calls out the elephant in the room, but at least you didn’t pretend it wasn’t there.

You will also be the person that can leave the room with your notepad full of takeaways and in place of the gossiping you would have done, you can continue the debate.

If your boss is merely a Great Title, I don’t think the silly project is your issue. Trade in your “title holder” for a genuine leader and live a happier more satisfying life.

If you discover that you are the title, take this lesson as a step towards becoming a great leader.

Knowledge is power and can propel both you and your team forward.

[erinkburrell-blog]

Celebrating Boobies! Happy 10th Anniversary Mom!

This year marks the 10th anniversary of my mom being diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ. 

Effectively that means that my mom was diagnosed with a form breast cancer that started in the ducts of her breast that move milk to the nipple.   The cancer was discovered on her annual routine mammogram, when the technician identified a dark spot that was really quite tiny. Within days my mom was beginning a treatment program. 

To have been discovered in a breast self exam it would have been nearly impossible since DCIS is usually not something that a person can feel.  By the point my mom would have felt a lump the cancer cells would have likely moved out of her breast and lymph nodes and into her body.

The treatment started with a wire localization, followed by a breast biopsy, a wide excision followed by a wider excision with a prophylactic lymph node (10) removal.  Unfortunately there was no way to achieve clear margins and after numerous painful procedures she underwent a radical mastectomy and subsequent reconstruction.

The reconstruction was a transverse rectus abdominus myocutaneous procedure, often referred to as a TRAM Flap reconstruction.  In this case the surgeon used my mom’s own abdominal muscle and fat cells to construct a “breast” to replace the one they removed without needing to use an implant.  Abdominal surgery is hard to recover from, but given the choice I know she wouldn't think twice about having the mastectomy.

The reality with a cancer like this is the fact that it moves fast.  Likely had her mammogram been a even a few days or weeks later she would have been in an even higher risk state than she was.

So in celebration of my mom’s tenth anniversary of being cancer free please do a self exam. 

If you are a lady of a certain age please schedule your mammogram. 

If you don’t have benefits or coverage please look for support in order to have the procedure. 

This preventative exercise is why I can celebrate this anniversary with my mom rather than being aware that it had been ten years since I lost her.

I have faced cancer in different ways for over half my life and we need to find a way to stop it.  I want to hear of a day that we only talk of cancer in history lessons at medical school or with the old folks telling us of a time they remember.

Please click here to donate to my current fundraising campaign with Tour For Kids. 

100% of all donations go directly to supporting pediatric cancer.

[erinkburrell-blog]

The Dark Sides of Mental Illness

I shared bad news today. 

I guess the hardest part about the news is not that it is bad, more so that it is old. 

I reconnected with an old family friend via Facebook some time ago and got somewhat caught up on her life and she about mine.  She was a very close high school friend of one of my sisters and as often happens when you grow up and move away they had lost touch.

This year on my sister’s birthday I posted on Facebook that I loved her wherever she was.  I thought that possibly her kids might be with her and they would see the post and share it with her.  Instead what happened was that they too missed her and commented on my post their love and support of her and one another.

Today that old friend sent me a message wondering if my sister had passed away or if she was ok since the post had been a bit cryptic.  I realized when I responded many of the closest people in my life likely think I have only one sister which is not the case.  It was never intentional, but I suppose that since sad news hurts I don’t discuss it very often and certainly not unless prompted. 

I thought that maybe as a virtual sign of support I would tell the story and maybe feel a little less like I am hiding the truth.

My sister Shannon is three and a half years older than me and she has been diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia when she was 23 or 24.  In hindsight, she was sick for a long time before that, but we didn’t know that the symptoms had a specific cause.

Many of the symptoms include delusions, paranoid hallucinations, but some are more subtle and can be considered energy issues and dismissed as having a surge or depletion of energy or attention deficit.  Eventually the hallucinations were what caused us to move towards a clinical diagnosis.

The illness itself can be treated to some extent with medications but one of the side effects with the disease is the fact that once the meds level you out, you think you don’t need them.  This causes a roller coaster ride for the families and the person suffering.  Some people live with schizophrenia  and lead pretty normal lives, but that is not the case for Shannon.

Today, close to 15 years after a diagnosis Shannon has been in and out of support facilities and hospitals; arrested more times than I know and evicted from countless apartments/halfway houses/supported living locations.  She is off medication much more often than she is on it and for those of us watching she has all but lost most of the person she was.  She has been let down by the health care system and despite the advocacy of my mother on her behalf spends a great deal of time homeless and lost to us.  It can be days or weeks before we know she has been evicted and the financial benefits she receives are often absorbed into alcohol or pot within hours of receipt causing more evictions and missed meals because they are for use at her discretion.

As a person Shannon was always very energetic and told the most lively stories you can hope to hear, she gave the best hugs and had more love to share than anyone else I have met since.  Today that is not often the case. 

I guess this is my way of telling you a bit about me and a bit about the sad realities of mental health from the family point of view.  I have avoided and hidden from much of the pain and sadness that my family has faced for more than a decade because I live across the country. 

I don’t often speak of it because it makes me sad.  Each time I get a phone call at the wrong time of day I am worried it will be the news that she is gone.  My last visit with her was strange and off balance and I eventually I left the pigsty of an apartment that she was living in with her screaming obscenities at me. 

The disease stole my sister and the truth is that I can’t fix it.

[erinkburrell-blog]

Are you making promises that your content can't deliver?

Search marketing is hard work.  

Writing good ads, getting them approved.  Sending the customer to the right location.  All work, but you are tracking that.  Likely every day.  Watching conversions, tweaking, adjusting correcting.  

What about search engine optimization?  SEO has been a sexy topic for quite some time now, but just because your site is optimized, DOES NOT mean that your customer is going to get to where they want.

Are you writing keyword rich well tagged blogs about products?  Great!  

Now... are you doing this before you actually write good quality product content?  

STOP.

Do Not Pass GO.

DO not collect $200.

Start writing good product content.  

Now!  

Today!

Do not wait for more resources, do not bother questioning the time it takes to write (and translate) better product content.

Start with the answer your customers questions.  Give them information and images they didn't even know they wanted to see until you showed them.  Tag the products.  Tag the images.  Offer more information on the product warranty and specifications.  Offer links to relevant accessories.  Offer them product reviews and ratings.  

This will give them what they want first.  The product itself is so much more relevant than your blog post on hot new products, or the stuff FILL IN THE BLANK celebrity is using.

Now go write your blog.  Link the blog to the products and services that are relevant so that the customer who gets to the blog first can still reach the product they want.  

NOW...If you want to be really fancy add a bullet to your product content to talk about your blog and link it back there too.

Give your customers value in multiple ways and locations and they will see you more times in what Google or Bing or Yahoo serves in the organic search results, but they will have an opportunity to chose their own adventure about how they get to your stuff.

Maybe..just maybe they will add something to cart in the end and become a real conversion to your store.  If they decide not to buy something today at least you won't have a 100% bounce rate because what you give them will be closer to meeting their needs, and they might just be back.

Want to know what makes a complete product?  Check out this post.

[erinkburrell-blog]

Giving More Than You Take

One of the concepts that I am seeing more and more is that if you are always the first to give of yourself, you will be the first person that is thought of when someone needs help.

I beleive that giving your time or skills to people or causes who deserve your help not only fails to drain you, but actually motivates you to give more at the same time as making you feel awesome.   

I have seen arguments going both ways, but I honestly feel that it is a good thing to be thought of as the first person that comes to someones mind when they need help

In order to make sure you get the most out of your gift of time and treasure I suggest the following:

1) Curate your contacts:  

When you are spending your time in any capacity (work, sport or home), make sure you are spending it with people who are adding value to your life.  Do a gut check on a regular basis as to how people in your network make you feel and keep it full of people who deserve your time and energy.

Celebrate and make time for people who: make you smile, dry your tears, share their wisdom, make juice come out your nose.

Don't waste your precious time with those people who suck you down.  Spend your time with the people who build you up.  You will soon find that as you spend less time with the people who bring you down, they will stop asking you for things since you won't be top of mind to them anymore.

Very quickly you will realize that the entire network you have created is pushing you to be more and gives you more every day.

2) Don't over promise: 

If you really can't help this time it is ok to say no, we all need time to rest and recover and meet the commitments we have already made.  

As a wise friend once told me the first rule of philanthropy is to take care of yourself before you can take care of others (this goes back to oxygen mask's on planes).

3) Let people say thank you:

Sometimes we wash the thanks and gratitude away by saying it was no trouble.  You had a skill, treasure or talent that helped them.  You would say thank you were the roles reversed, do not undervalue them by not accepting their appreciation.

4) Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it:

This one is hard for me and I'm sure for many others, but when you have spent your life doing other people favours it is totally ok to ask someone to walk your dog, give you a hug or review your report.  Most people will be happy to lend you a hand as long as you aren't asking them to help you move.  

If they aren't the kind of person that is willing to give you a hand when you need it return to step one and curate their asses out.  Unfriend, unfollow, unlink yourself as they are merely vaccuums that are draining your energy not filling your tank.