Never a Lack of Ideas

Let's spice up some things that are traditionally boring: LinkedIn requests and out-of-office emails. Why? Because doing so surprises and delights people, and it raises your cool factor (trust me, I'm an expert in cool factor...). LinkedIn Requests   Every time you request to connect with someone on LinkedIn, the same default email will be sent on your behalf if you don't change it: "I'd like to add you to my professional network." Boring! Why not spend five seconds and change it up? Here are three that I've sent recently to friends of mine: "Oh please, oh please, oh please!" "Let's be frienemies" — I sent this to a friend who is going to work at Yahoo. "Pretty pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!!!" Each one of these emails elicited a response email to me, with a little joke in return. When was the last time someone replied to your default LinkedIn email? Out-of-Office Emails "I'm currently out of the office an...

Nowhere to Flaunt It Your new couch was just delivered and it looks great in your living room -- much better than it did online and in the showroom. You would love to take a picture of it and share it with potential buyers so they can see how great it is, but you head back to the furniture store's website and... nothing. You can't upload your photo. If you're lucky, you can write a review, but a picture is worth a thousand words. Bragging Encouraged Many businesses are missing out on the chance to engage with customers after their purchases because they don't provide the opportunity to share photos and stories on their website. Social media and third party review sites are dominating this arena and it's time for businesses to catch up. Imagine how much better your dresser-buying experience would be on Ikea's website if you could view hundreds of customer-submitted photos of each piece instead of just the six posted by Ikea. How much easier would it be to envisio...

A Bundle of Joy I have previously written that bobblehead dolls make perfect gifts because they are personalized and they symbolize meaningful relationships. For Christmas, my wife and I gave my wife’s mother a bobblehead doll of herself (see the pictures on the right). The doll is wearing a shirt that says, “#1 Grandma.” That’s right — we used the doll to tell her that we’re going to have our first baby next year. Bobblehead dolls don’t just make great gifts — they make great announcement vehicles, too. My wife’s mother will now be able to bring the doll with her to work and show everyone in her office that she’s going to be a grandmother. In a way, we gave my wife’s mother a word of mouth marketing tool to help her spread the message that she’s going to be a grandmother. How fun! Add This To Your To-Do List My advice is the same as it was after the first time we bought a bobblehead doll: Give someone a bobblehead doll! Will it be the retiring executive for a long-time client? Your l...