Make or Break Moments on Paper

I had the opportunity to spend the evening with three other women for the purpose of selecting a winner of a $1,000 college scholarship. Jo-Ann McFearin, a highly celebrated and successful Howard Hanna real estate genius, is a customer of mine.  When she called asking me to be part of the selection committee, I jumped at the chance to work with her even though this was a task for which I had no experience.

Thirty-five high school seniors had applied by answering a series of questions and completing an essay.  The forms included teacher recommendations, grade point average and their class standing.

Jo-Ann developed this scholarship as a tribute to her children, now grown and in college, and as a way to give back to the school system that had served her family so successfully.  The chosen candidate wouldn’t necessarily be someone in need or with the highest grade point average.

“I want this award to go to someone with a passion for their chosen career path,” said McFearin.  “Someone who shows leadership qualities but most important is that focus and drive for making something of themselves.”

A quick glance through the applications let us know the process would be difficult as all of the students had a strong background.  We began weeding the candidates out and quickly determined some key elements that led to the final six.

The process was similar to how our potential customers weed us out as they search the Internet for a company to potentially do business with:

• Neat, easy to read and understand

Is our content easy to follow, are the navigational links in working order, does the layout make sense?

• Did more than the mininum – the essay required a minimum of 100 words. Some applicants clearly counted and wrote just the bare minimum.

This holds true with our marketing materials and our in person connections: do we just show up – or do we take it to the next step? Is our website just a splash page so that we can say we have one, or is it a resource that provides value to the reader? When prospects enter our location – do we smile and then get back to our busy-work or are we attentive and engaging?

• Answered the questions – some wrote a lot but totally missed the question

Does our website content sound like a commerical – all glitz and no substance? Do we address the questions and issues that drove the reader to search the Internet and find us to begin with?

• Well rounded - spending time in after school activities, charitable volunteer hours, community activities, holding roles of responsibility

Are we a company that appears to be just in it for the money? Consumers like to do business with those they share common philosophies. Do we show that we are making an effort to go GREEN or to give back to the community or to mentor young men and women on their path to a career?

• Showed a passion for their future – the final six applications all had one thing in common – through their words and also their actions (the list of their activities) there was a direct correlation that spoke volumes. These are students who not only have a dream but they aren’t waiting for college or adulthood to start making things happen.  One had started a foundation, one has begun a business, one is already providing counseling to the patients she someday hopes to help as a doctor.

Does our passion come across in our words and actions? We may offer great products and services but are we PASSIONATE about how we help our customers? Is that communicated effectively in our marketing material, website content and our in person attitude?

It was a wonderful opportunity participating in the selection process and the one student who was finally selected as the winner is truly deserving on every level. It was humbling to see how dedicated the final candidates are to others, their family, and their own future.  All of that came across loud and clear on paper.

Do we make the most of our Make or Break Moments on paper (or with our Internet presence)?