An invitation to a virtual event that's positively chewy in its robustness...

But first a particular tip of the hat to Lou D'Alo, who with his exemplary team have created "Business Basecamp" especially for business owners in their first 4 critical years of business. I can tell you it's the first time I've ever been referred to as a Sherpa, that's for sure, and I invite you to join in and see just how I fare in that furry (and hopefully warm) role.

But seriously - in keeping with the idea that perhaps you can get more done in less time, and with less expense, NOT by leaving the house, but staying right in your office where you can connect directly with people you might never meet, the Basecamp invitation is well worth a look - just click here.

FYI, Basecamp has succeeded in bringing some fresh new names into the mix, so even if you think you've 'been around the blocks' a few times, put on your 'let's see' hat and take a second look. The 12 Live Business Basecamp 2006 Teleseminars start Dec 4th and goes for 12 days until Dec 19th.

Click for more details:

» Continue reading

Due to copyright laws, I can't do much excerpting at all; nevertheless my recommendation of 'In a Sunburned Country' by Bill Bryson is wholehearted.
Ironically, this book has sat on our shelves for several years, having been bought by my husband with the best of intentions before he succumbed to his more natural inclination towards movies and other visual things.

As for me, I like to read 'different' things, and I'm at the beginning stages of a big writing project that involves marrying two genres - one fiction, one non-fiction - to create a new form, and I'm learning HEAPS here in between all the laughing.

I'm so glad I picked it up, and if like me you have an intense curiosity about life's oddities and a fairly warped sense of humor, I'm quite sure you'll be happy if you do too. Ah, the satisfaction of putting several other Bryson titles on my Christmas Wish List. There's really nothing quite like discovering a great new author!

Here is a tidbit, just to whet your appetite.

"In the late afternoon, I stopped at a roadhouse for gas and coffee. I studied my book of maps . . . Then, having nothing better to do, I leafed through the index and amused myself, in a very low-key way, by looking for ridiculous names, of which Australia has a respectable plenitude. I am thus able to report that the following are all real places: Wee Waa, Poowons, Borrumbuttock, Suggan Buggan, Boomahnoomoonah, Waaia, Mullumbimby Ewylamartup, Jiggalong, and the supremely satisfying Tittybong."

Click here for Bill's official website at Random House or here to purchase Sunburned Country from Amazon.com. Enjoy!

-----

Ah! An even happier ending to his post...what fun to find not one format (paperback) of Bill's works, or even two (hardback), but FOUR (audio cassettes and CD sets)...talk about yer Multiple Streams. The price points for each format are rather educational too. Bravo...

----

And finally, at the risk of repeating myself, but I do so love this quote.

"I believe writing is the most important thing we do. I like to say that language is the programming of the mind. To me, good writers are the programmers of our civilization."

--Leonard Riggio, CEO - Barnes & Noble Booksellers

Now I'll just hie myself off to wrestle with my own writing demons, version 4.5! :-)

I don't mind telling you, 2006 has been the year of 'Andrea discovering her middle age.' That sounds rather dire, doesn't it?!

Well, not really. It actually feels marvelous, a little like coming to the crest of a hill on a great drive on a sunny afternoon, and a whole new vista comes into view. Wow! Life is grand!!

Interestingly, 2006 is also the year I've come to understand the concept of the 'sandwich.' Sandwich Generation, that is. You know, that's the term for the (usually thirty or forty-something) people who have children to care for in the generation below them...

And, they have parents who need care in the generation before them. I don't have kids of my own yet, but yes, I'm starting to feel the reality of my parents hitting their 70s, and fast. To be fair, they aren't putting pressure on me. But what they say about 'not appreciating your parents until you're an adult' is true. I find myself wanting to care for them, as an expression of my love.

And yet, I don't have a lot of knowledge, much less any tools, for this. Which is why it interested me when Suzanne Falter-Barns introduced me to End of Life Coach Bettina Desrochers. She has an Open House call coming up on Tuesday, November 28 from 8PM Eastern for one hour.

So, not to be maudlin, but instead to be prepared, as gracefully as one can, here is the description of this call for your interest.

Whether you’ve got aging parents, or an actively dying or seriously ill family member or friend … or you yourself are grappling with these issues … sooner or later you will need to approach the reality of death.

And yet – who is ever prepared for such a final moment? Death is the one thing none of us ever want to confront. Yet, the confronting of it often leads to a life more fully lived, and a death that is memorable, moving and spiritually complete.

End of life coach Bettina Desrochers is here to help you ease into the experience in a conscious way. So the death happens with grace, dignity, and a powerful sense of completion.

In this one-hour teleclass conversation, Bettina will share insights gained from the 1000+ deaths she has attended both as a coach, hospice owner and bedside attendant. Bettina will give you perspective into:

• What a ‘conscious’ end of life requires
• How you can assure a peaceful, emotionally complete end for your loved ones
• How and when to get children involved
• How to manage deaths amidst difficult family dynamics
• Important end of life rituals that provide closure and comfort

Bettina will also touch on how and when to begin preparing for your aging parent’s death … and what to do first.

Click here to register for this one-hour completely complimentary and illuminating teleclass...

I hesitated to post this, what with all the material about 'manifesting a car' from Dr. Joe Vitale's site these days...I just didn't want to send the wrong message. (Not that there's ANYthing wrong with manifesting a car, it's just not my point here.) :-)

But I will admit, if I've ever taken pleasure at the sight of a car (how odd that sounds...) it's the MINI Cooper that does it for me. I think it was the showroom floor in Yaletown, Vancouver, or maybe my mom's description of a MINI parade - apparently 7 MINI's fit across the width of a regular street - one with just four lanes. CUTE, right?

Funnily enough, my friend Jan MacGregor bought one just when I started taking notice, so I've been living vicariously since. She recently sent me a copy of a follow-up letter from the MINI Dealership after she received her MINI, and it reminded me a lot of the mystique surrounding Harley Davidson.

MINI doesn't get as much press as Harley - its brand isn't as in your face or, I believe, as old as the Harley brand. But have a read of the contents of the follow up and see whether you see any commonalities - this is a brand story at work, honeys!

----begin text of letter, set on Motor City MINI letterhead -------

Dear Mini Cooper,

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you. My name is William Donohue, and I am the Service Director at Motor City Mini.

I am sure that you and your new owner are getting acquainted and wanted to let you know that if you have any service questions or if you are in need of any adjustments, please do not hesitate to contact me. Also, I would appreciate an email or phone call from your owner with your name so that we can update our records.

My primary goal is to make sure that you and your owner are enjoying trouble free motoring! You can reach me by email at xxxxxx or by phone at xxxxxxx.

Sincerely,

------end letter-----

What kind of response is engendered by this kind of story, you ask? I know you're likely not in car sales. But I think a cool question to ask, as seems to be the theme this week, is "where is the emotional resonance in what you do sell; the service or product you do provide, and what is the story you can tell around it?"

Although I'm no branding maven, I mean, it's not my 'schtick,' but my friend and colleague Suzanne Falter-Barns definitely is, and I've been excited by some of the neat mileage she's been able to get out of these things called 'brands' on behalf of her clients.

And I'm particularly enchanted by looking at them from an 'easy, peasy' non-big-blue, corporate viewpoint. Call them "small-scale big brands," perhaps.

So what happens when a brand generates a deep emotional response? A response from a new MINI owner that goes like this:

-----begin reply to the above letter-----

Hello William,

My name is Chili.

My new owner and I are having a great time. Reka (Yorkshire Terrier) and Mac (YorkiePoo) love riding behind my owner in their cushy bed. They have a 360 view so don't miss a thing.

My owner has been treating me very well. She's washed me several times with tender loving care. I think she gets a bit upset when I go out and get dirty. She doesn't like those bugs that hit the windshield when we're cruisin.

Lots of family came to town this past weekend. They were checking me out. I could tell some of them wantd to take me for a ride but she wouldn't let them. Guess I'm pretty special since the only person that got to drive me was her son, John.

He was impressed with my interior, loved the way I handle the road, and he had the damn Harmon Kardon radio cranked so loud I could hardly manoever. I heard him say 'Good choice Mom' when he got out at the airport. Guess I made a really good impression and maybe we'll have another Mini in the family, soon.

Thanks for getting me so nicely decked out for my owner. Sure is great to be in my new home.

Chili MacGregor

------end reply----

I'm sure there's something of a Mini in my future, whether that's ownership by choice or not, not sure.

What I do know is what I'm doing next in business will be coloured and shaped, molded and influenced by the example the MINI brand sets. In a crowded, largely 'so-what' market where 'we sell cars' is the benchmark mission statement, the Mini gets marks from me for making meaning where most people thought there wasn't any.

What brand story rocks your world, and what can you learn from it?

P.S. "Hey Andrea, what's with the 'non-commitment' to manifesting a Mini for yourself" you ask?Observant reader, you! :-) Interesting question though. Let me try this angle for an answer:

I was asked last week if I meditate. And my answer in the end was, "actually I try to spend most of my awake time in a meditative state" and "I don't have a very conscious process of it, I usually meditate on feeling states."

Which, it turns out, is also where I spend most of my 'creative manifestation' energy. My list of things I'd like to create deliberately aren't usually things. It may sound odd, but true. I don't live like a monk, nor would I wish to, but I do subscribe to the greater truth that resounds like a gong every time I encounter it...this lovely gem from comedian Steven Wright:

"You can't have everything, where would you put it?"

To which I'd riff:

"Well, you could have everyThing, but why would you want to?"

So that's the theme for the day: Harleys, Minis and manifestation. What's on your mind?

En route to the Pink Spoon St. Louis Workshop earlier in the month, I spied a terrific story from a couple years back that underscores the concept of 'Listening Deeply' to your market - not just for what you think they want, but digging deeper for what they feel about you/your business.

Listening Deeply for feelings (as opposed to the more linear advice to 'do market research') can be a slightly foggy and unwieldy idea for the simple reason that there's no straight-line formula to get to 'THE ANSWER' for your business.

However if you're looking for affirmation that feelings, rather than thinkings, are the Gold Standard for how to design promotions and generate business - here's a case study for you. I've discovered no better (or more enjoyable) way to rewire a brain towards creativity than to marinate in stories like this.

Call it an 'emotion-driven business context.' Because we become most like what we surround ourselves with most consistently...you connect the dots! :-)

To that end, here's a story from 'Cultivating Creativity' by Pat Fallon and Fred Senn (page 106) in United Airline's November issue of Hemispheres Magazine:

Sorry, brief side note: I can't tell from Hemispheres if the article is an actual excerpt from the authors' book 'Juicing the Orange: How to Turn Creativity into a Powerful Business Advantage' OR if it's a separate article to showcase the book.

------begin excerpt-----

Principle 2/ Discover a Proprietary Emotion.

In his book 'How Customers Think,' Gerald Zaltman, a professor at Harvard's Business School shows how marketers learn from the science of how the human brain works.

Zaltman points out that market research is often conducted as if decisions come from pure logic, with emotion playing only a bit part. But, Zaltman writes, 'if the idea doesn't have emotional significance for us, we're not likely to store it, and therefore it won't be available for later recall.'

Our 'Towel Amnesty Day' for Holiday Inn in 2003 demonstrates this principle. One day, our team was marveling at this factoid:

More than a half-million towels disappear from Holiday Inns every year.

What if, for one day, the company announced that everyone who had ever 'borrowed' a towel was forgiven?

The idea was from left field, yet our Holiday Inn client wisely decided to go with it because it provoked an emotional connection to the brand in its own quirky way.

The message was "You lifted that towel years ago, and you're still using it. It has that big green stripe with Holiday Inn in big letters, so it's hard to forget how it came into your household."

We ran a few print ads to seed the idea and put up a Towel Amnesty Web site to give the consumer a place to interact with the idea. The rest was public relations.

Twenty-five hundred 'borrowers' told their stories online, where they reminisced about the circumstances under which those towels came into their posession. Jay Leno and Paula Zahn gave the story national airtime.

There were 1,200 media pickups, far more than Holiday Inn had received when it celebratd its 50th anniversary the year before.

About 100,000 people participated.

They did so because the idea connected to their lives.

(Isn't it interesting that journalists call these 'human-interest stories'? What would the opposite of a human-interest story be? A story of no interest to humans?)

The beauty of Towel Amnesty Day is that it is based on a simple insight into how we are wired and proves that emotional marketing does not have to be high drama - just human and genuine.

----end excerpt---

How does your market feel about you? (Good, bad, indifferent?) (Passionate, Guilty/Mortified, Blase?)

Where are the most significant 'points of interaction' that occur between you and your client? (The moment of ultimate success when they implement something of yours (crossing the 'finish' line?) The joy/ease/pleasure they feel along the way? (the journey?) Or something else...)

What startling factoid is true about your business? Mine your metrics and statistics for these.

What is your business equivalent of 'Towel Amnesty Day?'

And finally, allow me a moment of indulgent repitition since I've been posting quite a bit about the intersection between technology and coaching of late, in the Coaching Electric category:

Notice how the marvelous technology of blogging, email follow up, RSS, etc. are TOOLs in the above story...the greater 'story' of 'why' the client should 'care' about what's being 'sold' is in center ring.

That's because technology is rarely the center of the story in our businesses -- there must be a Greater Human Story being told, and the worthwhile telling is *only then* supported (at best, exponentially) by the right technology.

So...to begin, ask yourself (again) 'Where is the emotional significance for ME and my clients in my business, and how can I tell that story?'

More about technology later...

I often reflect on how much of our world has been colored by the glamour of travel. For coaches, some of the root messages have been the most unquestioned:

'Work from the Beach!'

'Summer in X place, Winter in Y place.'

Although I have absolutely no statistics to support it, I'd wager at least a $20 bill that the overwhelming majority of the coaching population holds 'freedom' as the thing it holds most dear.

And yet...

Perhaps after all this time, we're ready for a taste of 'antidote' to this 'RV' state of mind....

As I observe my own life, I find myself asking ever more serious questions about the meaning of travel in my life. Is travel meaningful to me? Does it bring me true freedom or does the romantic idea of being able to go anywhere in my life, anytime actually make me a prisoner?

As a former Deloitte and Touche Consultant, I remember a joke that went something like 'If a consultant tells you how much they love to travel for work, they haven't travelled significantly for work.'

(An unrelated corollary: the more 'fluent' a person tells you they are in Japanese, Mandarin or Arabic, the less fluent they actually are....)

How are you 'holding' the idea of travel as it relates to 'freedom' in your life?

As you get asked to 'speak' or 'hold workshops' or 'keynote' or simply get pulled to attend conferences, what criteria are you using to make your choices? (Or are you saying 'yes' to every opportunity - is it still a real choice for you?)

I'm warming up to a post that includes the 'Top 10 things That Make My Business Meaningful to Me' and it includes less travel, even for holidays - oh that's vacations for my friends south of the border.

It feels good, really good, to question the underlying beliefs that I think may just have been holding us hostage about 'freedom' as a coach...the proverbial aloe vera for overheated parts, as it were.

More practically speaking, I found a great list of 28 questions that puts some balance back into the idea of Ultimate Freedom stemming from the 'Glamour of the Road.' From page 136 of the soothing Melissa Everett's 'Making a Living While Making a Difference,' which I've mentioned before, I'll recap just a few, below.

As you peruse, may I ask, in your plans for 2007, how much - or how little - travel will be the perfect amount for you and those around you?

Before You Travel: Questions to Ask About Any Opportunity to Relocate or Work 'On the Road'

1. Where am I going, literally and symbolically?

4. Will the outcome of my work involve winners and losers?

21. Are there ways I could do all the good things I've imagined so far, in a 'virtual' relationship with this new place, while staying in my home base?

28. Whatever choice I make, how can I maximize the positive impact of my international work and minimize the negative?

Don't get me wrong. It's tempting to say 'yes, of course!' to speak in China, Helsinki, Philadelphia, Florida, Chicago, New York City, and even Mexico City next year. And this isn't about saying all travel is 'bad.'

But. As I filter what 'meaningful' means to me in this next phase of business ownership, I wonder what I'll say yes to?

What about you?

Could it be true, as is the case with plants and living organisms of many sorts that:

"Roots shape and hone the individual, in the words of poet Wendell Berry, allowing us to grow 'whole in the world, at peace and in place." (Everett, page 134)

If 2005 was the year the 'Multiple Streams' conversation opened up...resulting in many coaches affirming their commitment to success as soloentrepreneurs...

2006 has been the year of "how do we 'hold hands' with the right people, for the right result in our businesses?"

[Next year, by the way, is when I believe we'll start seriously 'going steady' in some cases - forming partnerships, alliances and even mergers and acquisitions. It's just a natural progression from holding hands, don't you think? :-)]

Relationship analogies aside, it's been a lovely process to watch:

(1) Individuals looking within for their Center of Authenticity, asking what message they're here to stand for, and then doing the work to excavate that.

(2) In discovering the message they're here to deliver, becoming crystal-clear on what they're NOT here to deliver...and in that clarity, being able to ask for the missing pieces...

The result? Joint ventures being solidified among some of the most far-flung, unexpected and fruitful individuals. After all, together we know everything and can do everything we're meant to do, or so I believe.

Which is why the piece on how to share the money in joint ventures is so critically important. Many times, small business owners won't even open their minds to the potential available in a partnership because they don't know how to have 'THAT conversation.'

Enter a simple formula that depersonalizes and logic-izes that conversation, and suddenly, so many more joint ventures are possible. You wouldn't agree to help Michaelangelo paint the ceiling without a great set of paintbrushes, would you?

So by popular demand, we've taken the 1-hour recording and notes of this call:

"How Not To Mess Up A Joint Venture: Including A Formula for Sharing the Money"

And - for the first time - made it available as a package on its own.

Background: the very original material was literally pulled out of us at the Power of Collaboration Conference in May, where the segment on Sharing the Money took 3 times longer to deliver than anticipated, the demand for this advanced material was so great.

And then a teleseminar on this topic was held on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 from 400 to 455 PM Eastern as part of our Money and Meaning Book Festival. Again, extremely well received with far-reaching results.

So are you ready to learn the formula for sharing the money? Equip yourself, period, for the 'money conversation' with all the partners you plan to reach next year?

It's not complicated, nor does it require a calculator, really. In fact, I dare say a large portion of the value of the material is from the sheer simplicity and robustness of the formula. I use it myself almost every day, and definitely several times a week, for myself and for clients. Adaptable as it is, it hasn't 'failed' me yet.

Think about it - with the right joint venture partners in place, you really can ensure your success. The trick is how to find the right ones, and then once found, how to negotiate a deal that works.

Because the single biggest problem in the joint venturing process is often negotiating the revenue share.

If everything else is set up well - including the offer itself, the promotional copy, the schedule of the announcement, and even the follow-through calls, etc. - if you haven't properly broached the topic of how the money will be shared, the potential for a falling out is big.

It's true, isn't it? Even when it comes to talking about specifics of money with your significant other, things can get heated fast.

Which leads us to today. For the first 25 to purchase before December 15, 2006, the 1-hour audio recording with notes entitled 'Joint Ventures, How Not to Mess them Up, and a Formula for Sharing the Money' is available for $57. (Regular price $77.)

As with all our offerings we do offer a no-hassle money-back guarantee, which in all our years in business has been 'invoked' 3 times to date. (We believe in overdelivering!) However we do ask that you commit to practicing the formula - adapting the sample script provided. No random tire kickers, please!

Click here to purchase now and you'll receive the material within just a few minutes via email:

http://tinyurl.com/yxg4sn

Oh by the way. I would be amiss if I didn't insert a note of caution. I do tend to have a lighthearted touch as facilitator of these calls, **especially** when delivering serious material.

So although the nuts and bolts material is rich, be prepared for a few joint-venture related stories along the way, including one that's eye-opening about Heaven and Hell. :-)

I trust you will enjoy, and report back about the money conversations you made work as a result. Here's the link again:

http://tinyurl.com/yxg4sn

"Wow! what a great layout for the conversation. I love the two stories you tell, it makes it really clear.

Talk about timing. I just met with a business consultant who wants to use my convening skills for a conversation cafe within a company and the conversation turned to compensation. I shared this model with him and he loved it. Thought it was right on the mark. "

-- Matthew Rochte, coach for Seasoned Coaches
www.coachingintentionally.com

Placebo Coaching, noun.

a. an action taken by an individual or organization having nothing to do with actual coaching but as a result of anticipating forthcoming coaching. may be prior to a real commitment to coaching is made, arising simply from thinking about retaining a coach.

b. a request made by a coach for future accountability on the part of the client, and whose intent is to support action but where no coaching follow-through is intended or conducted in actuality.

In the pursuit of succesful businesses, we often wonder how we can become important to our clients.

How's this for one example:

Beginning in the summer of 2006, the decision was made by Mars Incorporated (manufacturer of the Mars Bar chocolate bar family) to make all their Mars bars in Canada completely peanut free.

The TV commercials play up this 'peanut-free' rallying cry by being set in schools - a place where the conversation about allergies - peanuts especially - have increased in volume every year for the last 5 years or more.

From Wikipedia: "Mars is one of the few chocolate bars in North America for which no size of the product has any trace of peanuts (another example is Nestle Aero)."

But, I didn't know this about Aero, did you? Interesting. So now Mars has claimed this turf as the chocolate bar that's safe to bring to school.

And here you and I thought the way to sell a chocolate bar was to focus on the chocolate, or design brightly-colored packaging, or create a cute cartoon character as a mascot, right?

Although it's not a substitute for the recording, available soon at the International Coaching Federation website, or attending the TeleSeminar version we're offering at this site soon, here are my presentation notes, also in the raw, for your 'following-along' pleasure as you review the slides.

» Continue reading

Looking for the slides from the ICF presentation on November 4, 2006? Here they are, in the raw, about 30 in total. (Please allow a few minutes to download the file in PowerPoint Format)

http://www.AndreaJLee.com/ICF2006/Final.ppt

And, click here to view the video that's alluded to in slide #25, demonstrating the moving and far-reaching impact of Tom Heck's ebook.

Video Description: (2 min 20 sec) Australian Rich Swannell of the Swannell Foundation leads teambuilding games from TeachMeTeamwork with children at the Hebron Orphanage that are taking part in the "Orphans Winning on Wallstreet" program.

Speaker notes to come in the next post; and... stay tuned for an invitation to the Encore Presentation - 'The Coaching Electric' re-presented live via teleseminar in greater depth than time allowed at the live presentation.

To be sure not to miss out, you can request to be sent a reminder when new posts are published. Just fill in your name and email address in the upper left hand side of your screen. You can remove yourself at anytime.

It was a pleasure to present "The Coaching Electric," a 90-minute breakout session at the International Coach Federation Annual Conference last Saturday.

In it, we focussed on the observations I've made about where Coaching and Technology intersect.

The main thesis of this piece was how, when used in a considered way, technology has the power to call forth leadership and that truly, with technology, we have no excuse - we can coach the entire world.

One caveat: this is not a presentation about the next, shiny-new, whiz-bangiest technology, so if that's what you're looking for, allow me to disappoint you in advance. ;-)

Instead, it is about how the technologies that we're already using, that we're surrounded in, can be maximized in ways that can extend your reach and impact as a Coach.

Thank you to all who attended and who have been sending me email. If you have questions or further comment here, feel free to comment below. I'll be posting all my personal speaker notes, slides, and other commentary including the 4 case studies (online video clips, screen shots, etc.) here very shortly (target by Monday November 13), so please stay tuned.