I’m excited to be offering this seminar for the DC Small Business Development Center on June 25, 2013 (Date Change.) I plan to teach small business owners, who often have little to no money to spend on the marketing they so need, ways to get the most marketing bang for their limited bucks.
If you or someone you know is a small business owner (or plans to be) in the DC area, please plan to attend. Register here. 
It’s been a while since my last DC Social Hues interview but when I met Leon Harvey, Jr. at a recent event celebrating Social Media Day I knew he’d be a perfect candidate for the next installment of the series.
Harvey runs LifeStyleFeed.com, a website and mobile app that provides consumers, or as Harvey prefers to call them, guests, with short videos of various local venues. It’s a great way to get a feel for a place before you get there. I’m so glad Mr. Harvey (as it says on his business cards) took time from his busy schedule to sit down with me to discuss LifeStyleFeed.com – present and future.
“In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” - Flora Edwards
A child of a military family, the “being of service” bug bit Harvey early on. Through his early jobs as a restaurant server, he discovered that he got genuine joy from seeing people enjoying themselves. As he told me, “Not only do I want to be happy, I like seeing other people happy.” During our lunch meeting, I could tell this was indeed the case. He was more attentive to me than our server was!
“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” - Bill Gates
Harvey’s 15 years of restaurant industry experience have served him well in his entrepreneurial pursuit. Throughout his successful tenures as a concierge and private dining manager at numerous local establishments, he kept his eyes and ears open behind the scenes and was the go-to person for answering customer questions. The first-hand knowledge he gained of the complaints and concerns of both venue management and customers planted the seeds for the development of LifeStyleFeed.com
Rule No. 1: Meet people where they are.
One thing about stats is they’re always changing but just to give you an idea about the popularity of online video (data from Hubspot Blog):
As you can see, the smart money is on video. Though there are multiple online outlets for searching and reviewing restaurants and other venues, Harvey realized that no one had developed a service that focused on videos. That’s where LifeStyleFeed.com comes in. Harvey envisions the service serving as a web/mobile concierge for his “guests” – providing not only video previews but information on daily specials and other resources. The mobile app will also be integrated with Google Maps for your added convenience. In Harvey’s words, “I want the site to do all the work for the person.” Who wouldn’t love to have a personal concierge in their pocket?
As is my way, Harvey and I had more of a conversation than a traditional interview, but I made sure to ask him some key questions.
TR: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned as an entrepreneur?
LH: Entrepreneurs must be willing to sacrifice. Your willingness to sacrifice correlates to how serious you are about your venture. I’ve also learned the time period from idea to concept fruition must be short. If you take too long you give someone else the opportunity to take your idea and run with it.
TR: Who’s the ideal LifeStyleFeed.com “guest”?
LH: The “ideal” LifeStyleFeed.com guest is sophisticated, savvy, intuitive, needy, cultured and is an actor vs. being a reactor. He/she is that friend everyone turns to find out what’s going on. Of course, if you don’t currently possess those traits or are not “that friend” LifeStyleFeed.com is prepared to help you change that.
TR: Other than the videos displayed on the site and the app, what role does social media play in LifeStyleFeed.com?
LH: Social media puts people on an even playing field. It gives us the opportunity to connect and engage with a much wider audience as well as potential collaborators. Our Facebook page and Twitter account are fairly new but please connect with us there to find out all about what we’re up to.
TR: What does the future look like for LifeStyleFeed.com?
LH: We’re planning to branch out into other cities and to reach beyond hospitality into the retail and fashion sectors. To that end, we’ve started an IndieGogo campaign to help raise funds to support these initiatives. We also plan to eventually include promotional groups such as meetups, brands and promoters.
“Harvey. Leon Harvey.”
The five words Harvey used to describe himself were Relentless, Passionate, Intense, Perceptive and Empathetic. I can’t think of any better traits to have for someone dedicated to making life easier for others. Download the LifeStyleFeed.com app today to get a firsthand glimpse of how it will feed YOUR lifestyle.
*Special shout-out to the fabulously talented Anthony Tilghman for the photo accompanying this post.
the enchanting Guy Kawasaki
I recently attended a seminar in which Guy Kawasaki provided insight on his theory of ‘enchantment,’ which is a step up from the social media buzz word, ‘engagement.’ He implores us to “up the standard” from engagement to enchantment. Next year, if not sooner, someone will be trying to persuade us to take take enchantment up a notch to… what’s greater than being enchanting? Omniscient? Splendiferous? Who knows? For now at least, we’re dealing with enchantment. I thoroughly enjoyed this event and left with valuable information. I took copious notes, but I’ll share with you a few key points.
1. Achieve likeability. Likeability is achieved through genuine smiles, equal (not over or under) dressing and a perfect handshake.
2. Achieve trustworthiness. Trustworthiness is achieved by trusting others, having a “bake, don’t eat” mentality and by defaulting to “yes.”
3. Perfect your product. Kawasaki recommends that your product/service be DICEE – Deep, Intelligent, Complete, Empowering and Elegant.
4. Launch your product. When it comes to launching your product: tell a story, plant many seeds and use salient points.
5. Overcome resistance. Provide social proof of what makes your product standout. Find a bright spot to highlight. Last, but certainly not least, enchant ALL of the influencers. Don’t assume who the decision makers are.
6. Endure. Build an ecosystem of conferences, blogs, products, users, etc. Invoke reciprocation. Don’t rely on money as the core reason for people to do things.
7. Present. (This is the one with which I struggle the most. I have a MAJOR fear of public speaking!) Kawasaki offered this advice: Customize the presentation. Sell your dream. He uses a 10-20-30 rule of Powerpoint- 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30 pt font.
8. Use technology. Remove the speed bumps (ex. captcha.) When it comes to engagement, be fast, touch many people, be consistent.
9. Enchant up. When your supervisor asks you to do something, drop everything. Prototype fast. Deliver bad news early.
10. Enchant down. Provide employees with a MAP – mastery, autonomy, purpose. Empower people to make decisions and be willing to do the dirty jobs.
Of course the main purpose of this presentation was to promote Kawasaki’s book, Enchantment, but his presentation was more than mere marketing. It was entertaining and chock full of useful information. I shall now go forth and be enchanting. 
More importantly, I’m prepared to help YOU be enchanting as well.
Check out the presentation slides. There are more than 10, but as Kawasaki said, we can’t all be him.
I wrote this article for Eyeing Marketing, so it has a marketing slant to it, but the advice is applicable to most work environments.
Dealing with Difficult Employees/Co-Workers in the Marketing Department
Nearly everyone has experienced a difficult co-worker situation, but when marketing employees have to deal with difficult co-workers it can hinder their performance and creativity. Too much time spent having to handle negative people can cause even the best marketer to lose a little of their marketing mojo. Learning to deal with the top three types of crappy co-workers will keep your marketing staff working at peak performance.
The Bully – Just like when you were a child on the playground, the bully is the employee who pushes the other employees for no apparent reason. Bullying in the workplace is generally not as blatant as wedgies and stolen lunch money, but it can have a similar impact. Maybe it’s the account executive who takes pleasure in having the other marketers perform menial tasks that are not part of their duties or maybe it’s the copy editor who consistently picks on a particular copywriter. It could even be the brand manager who is always yelling and insulting – to everyone! Whatever the case, as an executive, you can not allow this type of behavior to continue.
How to Deal: Set up a meeting with the bully to confront the behavior. Be sure to have documented and specific examples to discuss. Inform the employee that the bullying behavior must stop immediately and what the consequences will be (pursuant to your company policies) if it does not.
The Credit-Taker – Do you have a marketing manager who always takes credit for his fellow marketers’ ideas or work? That tagline – it was his idea. That market research – he did it. That direct marketing plan – he came up with it. He’s just the greatest marketer ever! Only, he’s not. The credit-taker is a drain on your marketing department because he creates tension amongst the staff and has everyone doing double duty trying to make sure they get the credit they deserve.
How to Deal: You don’t want a situation where your marketers are tripping over themselves to make sure you know who did what. You can address this behavior with the credit-taker, but it is not really necessary. The key is to make sure that you are aware of everyone’s contributions. This can be accomplished through regular meetings and/or progress reports.
The Complainer – The complainer can be the biggest detriment to your marketing department. This person can make everyone hate coming to work. The complaining marketer complains about everything about his job (direct marketing, making cold calls, designing marketing plans…everything!) He complains about his supervisor, his co-workers, his commute…he spends more time complaining than working and it drives everyone crazy.
How to Deal: It’s imperative that you nip this in the bud. Whatever the reason this person feels the need to constantly complain, the rest of your marketing department should not have to deal with it. It is not your job to counsel this person, only to let him know that his behavior is having a negative effect on the rest of the staff and it will not be tolerated.
As an executive, it is your responsibility to provide a positive working environment in which your marketers can perform well. Demonstrating that you will deal with these difficult employees will show that you have the best interest of your marketing department at heart.
I wrote this article for Eyeing Marketing so it has a marketing slant.
Seven Keys to Keeping Your Marketing Staff “Keyed Up”
Motivating Stressed Out Marketers
Does your marketing staff feel stressed out, overwhelmed and under-appreciated? Today’s depressed financial climate can make it difficult to promote companies, services or products to individuals or even B2B. A motivated and high-performing marketing department can be critical to the success of a company.
When your marketers are stressed out and on the verge of burning out, the following seven tips will assist you in developing a motivating environment.
• Be Positive – As the supervisor, your employees will take their cues from you; so maintain an enthusiastic and positive attitude in the office.
• Listen – Let your marketers know that you are available to listen and discuss with them any job-related issues that are affecting their motivation and/or performance. Listening to the concerns of your employees can not only relieve stress, but also resentment. Remind your marketing staff that you are on their side and working towards the same overall goals.
• Take Action- After you have listened to the concerns of your employees, be sure to implement any feasible changes that can assist in alleviating their stress. For example, pushing back a deadline by a couple of weeks or having two marketers switch accounts if one is having difficulty with a client. Do what you can to let your employees know that you hear them, that you understand and that you care.
• Appreciate – Let your marketers know on a regular basis that you appreciate their hard work and that their function is highly valued within the company. A simple “job well done” can go a long way. Appreciation can also come in the form of raises, bonuses, awards, public recognition, free lunches, staff appreciation days – even a promotion.
• Incentivize – Offer incentives to motivate your employees. Incentives do not have to be monetary, but they should be meaningful. Incentives can range from additional time off or flex-time to movie tickets or dinner coupons. If money is an issue, an incentive can be the opportunity to lead the next focus group or develop a marketing plan for the next new client. Think about what your employees would appreciate. There are different ways to approach this, but the goal is to offer something meaningful.
• Be Consistent – Consistency is the glue that holds the first five steps together. You must be consistent across the board. Always be positive. Always listen. Always take action. Always appreciate. Always incentivize. You must be consistent in action and in application – treat each of your marketers exactly the same. Showing any type of favoritism or inconsistency will only add to your employees’ stress levels.
• Support – The first six steps are things that you can do to motivate your marketing staff; however, your marketers’ stress may be caused by issues that you do not have the power to address. In this case, it is up to you to provide support by taking their concerns to the decision makers. Communicate to the Executives that your staff needs to have more realistic goals, additional staff, assistance dealing with a difficult client, or whatever the case may be. These changes may or may not be implemented, but your marketers will know that you are on their side which in turn will motivate them to produce on your behalf.
These seven steps will assist you in developing and maintaining a motivating environment for your marketing staff. Just remember; it must be an ongoing process, not a one-time procedure.