The Storm Of The Century That Wasn’t

I have a trip to The City (New York) planned. l travel tomorrow. So like every citizen with a pulse and access to anything that would deliver the news, I was paying attention to the Blizzard of 2015.

The best part of watching news-as-it-happens is that those live-on-the-street reporters just have to keep talking.

This is where Twitter comes in.

Nothing gets past the smart, cynical, and just plain funny folks out there with a TV and a Twitter account. 

The coverage was:

• Spectacular – whiteout! / hurricane force winds! / lightning!
• Epic – the perfect storm! / shut down the city! / stock up on supplies!
• Harrowing – driving in OMG! the #Blizzardmobile
• Scientific – the European model indicates NYC is the squarely-in-the-path!*
• Real-time – look at the snow accumulating on my hat!

Yes, every flub or lame statement was captured on Twitter, re-tweeted, favorited and shared. It was all about replacing wiper blades, reporting from inside the #Blizzardmobile, and falling down stairs (and not noticing their GoPro was. . .upside-down) to see an empty subway station.

I could say there was far more important stuff going on in the world to write about. But hey, the major news organizations were right there in the middle. Experiencing it first-hand.

Granted, if the storm had hit like the [European] models predicted, my trip would have been postponed, and my report delayed. New York 1  -  Europe 0

This has all made me appreciate the reason I live in Las Vegas. It’s usually dry and sunny. And wouldn’t you know, we’ve had two days of clouds and rain.  Which is completely and utterly Un. Bear. Able.

Thank God I’m heading to New York where people can handle that sort of thing.

And by the way, here’s to Dairy Queen for getting more inadvertent Twitter mentions than one can shake a Dilly Bar at. All courtesy of CNN.

This is what I imagine went on in Mayor de Blasio's office yesterday. . .

*First, why is NYC always the center of EVERYTHING? And second, aren’t US models good enough? Is being European more chic?

How To Lose A Sale In One Easy Step

1. Do not return calls or answer email requests for more information.

Done.

I have clients who need help. I’m here to do just that. They call me, I find out what they need and make it happen.

Despite the fact that the tools – the tools I recommend to manage their agency, like software solutions – aren’t readily available for my Q & A – I push forward.

I always vet the potential solutions candidates via their websites first – which are usually vague sales pitches. I always need more, and that means a live demo where I can ask questions. So I call or send an email via their site, "Yes! I'd like to learn more!"

Then I get an immediate email response that usually says, “Thank you for your interest in our product! You will be contacted by our staff shortly”.

But no call. No followup email. 

Crickets.

The most important question I have for you: will your solution solve my client’s problem?

If you don’t call me back that means one of two things:

1. You have so much business you can’t possibly take on another client
2. You don’t care

Therefore, your product is non-existent. There is no “solution” if you don’t call me back. Your product won't work for my client.

However, because I’m far more diligent than you, if I think your solution has a sliver of potential, I will make an additional call or send an additional email.

I’m working for my client. And you should be too.

New Year's Resolutions

1. Blog every day
2. Exercise five days a week
3. Finish proj

Oops. That’s right. I stumbled. I will try again and what’s so awesome is that we usually have hundreds of chances every day to do things a little better, a little more consistently – for ourselves and for others.

I know, I’m 10 days into the year. But whatever, here’s to 2015 being a year of consistency.