Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on January 13, 2010 under thank you | 
I was at a meeting recently and Candace Benson, owner of Camp Tech, said that she talks to her students about the “Land of Ungratefulness.”
Are you the Mayor of Ungratefulness? she asks them.
I loved the visual of a town, a country, an entire land of people who are ungrateful. It reminds me of my favorite line from Billy Crystal’s movie City Slickers in which the character played by Daniel Stern, when arguing with his wife says:
“If hate were people, I’D BE CHINA!”
Another amazing word picture that says a lot with few words.
Ungrateful. How often are we ungrateful of:
- Our customers when they have demands
- Our employees when they do something wrong
- Our boss when they ask too much
- Our industry when it doesn’t respond like we’d hoped
- The little things in life
The economy is tough and we can find ourselves wallowing in the land of the ungrateful. Perhaps we need to take a deep breath, lift our head from the myriad of everyday tasks – look around and find all that we should be grateful for.
- Repeat customers
- A smile on the UPS carrier’s face
- Our employees who come to work every day, even when (just like us) they’d rather stay in bed and avoid the snowy, cold winter weather
- The opportunity to solve a customer’s problem
I am reminded of the grace my Father said every morning over his Cheerios. “Thank you, God, for bringing us safely through the night and for the gift of another day.”
hmmm. Each day is a gift for which we should be thankful.
I believe it is a choice we make – this decision to be ungrateful or thankful. And our customers, our employees, our vendors and especially our families can easily tell over which land we preside.
So I ask you: are you the Mayor of Ungrateful Land or a resident of Thanksgiving-ville?
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on November 26, 2009 under thank you |
Happy Thanksgiving. So what are you thankful for today?
Family
Health
Friends
A Job – any job that pays
Talents
Opportunities
Imagination
The ability to give back
Building relationships
Making a difference
Today as you gather around the table and share a meal with those you hold most dear, take a moment and reflect on all your many blessings. I count you, dear reader, as one of mine.
Many blessings to you and yours on this Thanksgiving day.
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on August 28, 2009 under Connecting Moments, thank you |
Reports that the economy may be turning have begun to give us hope; the light is almost visible at the end of the tunnel. Yet, businesses are still cautious with their purse strings, banks are careful and the employed are (for the most part) grateful.
Is this the time to start a business?
Dan Bish(a former colleague from Pearle Vision) and his partner Rick Shampaine think so. They just announced the opening of their franchise development business:
Shampaine/Bish Franchise Development; connecting franchisees with the right franchise opportunity.
Both have a long history of helping franchisees and have amassed a substantial network with whom they sent this exciting announcement.
Here’s what I love about their message:
- They clearly know who they want to help
- They identified why they should be the ones to help
- In two short paragraphs they explain their message and specifically tell the readers how they can help: SPREAD THE WORD
The best part? They offer an incentive. A referral program.
We’ve talked about having referral programs – we’ve seen some work and some that don’t really do the trick.
Dan and Rick value their connections- their network that they’ve worked hard nurturing over the years. As such – they have created a referral program that has teeth. Refer a potential franchisee to Shampaine/Bish and if they purchase a franchise they’ll send you and a friend anywhere in the WORLD for a week.
A referral program valued at $2,000!
Don’t like to travel? Not a problem – they’ll hand you a check.
How’s that for a referral thank you? Are you motivated? Aren’t you all of a sudden going through your address book and LinkedIn contacts to see who might want to buy a franchise?
Dan and Rick understand that if they are going to ask for help – they need to make it worthwhile. They are clearly stating: your help is incredibly valuable to us.
But that’s not all. In Dan’s letter to his network he offered a personal promise:
We’re looking for someone who’s driven – someone who doesn’t take “NO” for an answer and who won’t stop until they’re successful. I’d like you to tell them about the service we offer, at no cost to them. And because the referral comes from you, I promise I’ll personally interview them and keep their best interests in mind.
People often hesitate to give up their contact information because it’s their name, their reputation. Dan understands and offers his promise that he’ll personally take care of them.
Have you reached into your network to uncover prospects? How do you thank them for their assistance? What have you found works?
Thinking about starting a referral program? Darrell Zahorsky has written an article offering 7 Sure Fire Tips to a Referral Program.
Know someone that is interested in buying a franchise? Call Dan Bish or visit Shampaigne/Bish Franchise Development.
Check out the details for the referral program.
