Thursday, March 31, 2011

Management Strategy Lesson: How People Think (And How You Might Think That They Do!)

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This article was written by it author (obvious, eh?) and originally published in the BRAINTENANCE Blog, at http://braintenance.blogspot.com/ . Regarding the embedded photo below, just remember....things are not always what they may seem to be. Don't assume.


Management Strategy Lesson: How People Think (And How You Might Think That They Do!)

Dear Managers, Leaders, Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Great Thinkers:

Ponder This: You cannot manage people unless you understand how they think. You must understand their thought processes, not by assumption, but by experience and observation. And people do not come with instruction booklets telling us how their thought processes work (or don't work).

A Horrible Example: I've heard people say that, "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king!"

While you might use this analogy to demonstrate that, in a situation where most individuals are similarly challenged (physically, emotionally, intellectually, educationally, etc.), the least of the challenged has the greatest advantage, relatively speaking -- there might well be someone in your audience who is following a different thought process (i.e., generalizing, analogizing, extrapolating), and who is thinking, "That means that in the land of  one-eyed men, the blind man is king!'

Things To Think About, When Dealing With Others In Communications and Management:

1) You have an inherent bias toward believing that people think as you do. Be as conscious of it as you can;

2) Do not be convinced that someone understands you unless he or she can repeat to you, in his or her own words and voice, the essence of what you've said;

3) Do not be convinced that you have made yourself clear if people either nod their heads vigorously -- or conversely -- if they say nothing. People, especially in groups, do not generally like to admit to being confused or to failing to grasp an idea.

4) Study behavioral psychology as well as the art of command. You'll need the first to understand the terrain of the mind. You'll need the second to be able to leverage, most effectively, the first;

5) People are similar in more ways than they are different -- but those differences can be vast;

6) Listen and study the people around you, above you and in your charge -- observe behavioral patterns so that you can better predict how each person or a group of persons will respond to a given instruction, challenge or situational context;

7) Constantly ask people to "clarify" what they mean -- you might be just as prone to misunderstanding (or arriving at the wrong conclusion) as they are.

Barrage Of Wisdom:

Observe. Question. Practice. Learn your own biases. Learn other people's biases. Read body language. Be concerned about what appears to be unconditional agreement. Be concerned about silence in response to anything you've said. Know that people might be reacting to things that have happened (or are happening) to them over which you have no control and about which you might not know [overreacting, underreacting, etc.]. Know that people do not readily admit how they are thinking and what they are thinking about.


Sad Ending: Today I heard a middle-aged woman (she was close to 70) sigh and say, "Ignorance is bliss." The quote, dear Madam(e), was not that "ignorance is bliss." Ignorance is simply ignorance. The quote, dear Madam(e) was, according to my long-demised playwrite friend Bill S., was, (to paraphrase just a bit) "If ignorance be bliss, then 'tis folly to be wise." It was, taken in proper context, a conditional statement.

One might be led to think (based upon that lovely, albeit misguided, lady's unconditional statement) that "Knowledge is suffering." Perhaps we should all stop learning to cease our miseries...

A Thing To Avoid: Do not ask someone, "Do you think I'm an idiot?" - They might decide to be tactlessly honest at that moment. Worse, do not ask someone, "What kind of an idiot do you think I am?" - They might actually recite a litany of the various types and subclasses of idiocy and say that the question is impossible to answer without a more thorough evaluation of your behavior, or -- they may state, matter-of-factly, that they do not have the requisite professional qualifications to render an authoritative and definitive diagnosis.



Faithfully,

Douglas Castle
Chairman and CEO,
TNNWC Group, LLC


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Skincare Products By Rene Derme - Brand-Building In A Fragmented Market: Installment 2

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Nope: This is not your typical post. It is an opportunity for each and all of us to get directly inside of a marketing project for a small company, and participate in its fine-tuning and growth! It is also a swell example of a delightfully inspiring and interactive blog posting. But I'm not one to boast...

SKINCARE PRODUCTS - Brand-Building In A Fragmented Market.

The Company: Rene Derme at http://www.renederme.com/. A superb, but little-known custom-formulator of skin-care products for women and men. These products are often referred to as cosmeceuticals, in that they improve the appearance of skin by actually improving its health.

Note: This is the second installment in a series regarding a real-time case study being undertaken by several of the Divisional Presidents of TNNWC Group, Adam Kovitz (TNNWC's Founder) and myself. Our selected client is a wonderful gem of a company called Rene Derme with a website at http://www.renederme.com.

How You Can Participate:

1) You can participate (if you are not familiar with the brand) by visiting the website and filling out a two-minute opinion poll (the poll is anonymous). [Rene Derme Poll 1]

2) If you are an existing client, or if you make a purchase, you can fill out a different, more-detailed opinion and service poll (the poll is anonymous, but you may include your name if you wish). [Rene Derme Poll 2]

First, let’s have a brief recap of what this collaborative, cooperative study is about:


The Challenge For Us: Building a legend, building a brand, generating a buzz, expanding markets, increasing marketshare within each market and earning a growing client base of loyalists for a uniquely wonderful but little-known company. While the company has a presence on the internet (a website), and a loyal following of repeat clients who unconditionally endorse the skincare products and applaud the company's products and warmly personalized service, Rene Derme has not taken advantage of communications technology which we feel will catapult its sales by several orders of magnitude over a short period of time. At present, its new clients come by personal referral from faithful existing clients, many who offer grateful testimonials. And yes, the client base is certainly growing -- but we intend to exponentialize this rate of growth.

The Strategy To Be Deployed: Multiple Mad Marketing Strategies, including Viral Spiraling through news releases, blogging, and continuous waves of social media messaging.
The two polls follow. Go to the site (http://www.renederme.com/), visit a bit, and then come back to fill out and submit either Rene Derme Poll 1 or Rene Derme Poll 2. Results will be published for the world to see. Thank you for being a collaborator, a team-player, and an initiator.
---------------RENE DERME POLL 1 (click): https://ciof.wufoo.com/forms/rene-derme-poll-1/

RENE DERME POLL 2 (click): https://ciof.wufoo.com/forms/rene-derme-poll-2/


MAD
MARKETING
TACTICS™!

TNNWC Group, LLC, in Brief

TNNWC Group, LLC empowers emerging enterprises locally, worldwide and inter-globally by providing 1) informational publications and products; 2) an indispensible suite of crucial, unparalleled services for business planning, development, growth, marketing and capitalization, which are offered to all of our Members who are all 3) interactively involved within a growing, mutually-supportive collaborative, cooperative community of individuals and businesses. We are run by entrepreneurial people, and we live to serve entrepreneurial people and the business initiated through their inspiration… from the garage-based technological start-up, to the “small business” wanting to break free of its limitations and grow larger at an accelerated but sustainable pace. We Empower Emerging Enterprises™ - not with “happy talk” and “grandiose ideas”… but with real tools and expert interpersonal guidance to use each of them for their optimal effectiveness. Visit us at TNNWC Group, LLC. - Join us. We have so much to offer you. Our philosophy is simple: UNITE AND CONQUER.


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Visit Our WEBSITE for more!http://www.TheNationalNetworker.com
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Monday, March 28, 2011

YOUR LIFE: Entrepreneurial Inspiration And Brilliant Advice

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YOUR LIFE: Entrepreneurial Inspiration And Brilliant Advice

Dear Readers, Colleagues, TNNWC Members, Thought-Leaders and Entrepreneurs:

My wife brought the quote which follows to my attention yesterday. It was taken from a commencement address given by Steve Jobs (the visionary leader of Apple Computer) to students at Stanford University several years ago. As you likely already know, Steve Jobs has had to contend with some tremendous health challenges. He chose to strengthen himself because of his battle with adversity, instead of becoming a cynic or a pessimist.

The essence of the message is to "live each and every moment of every single day as if it were your last." For most of us, we take far too much for granted until we are threatened with serious loss. Jobs' message is not wasted on anyone who is still alive. For while we are still alive, the possibilities are limitless -- unless we chose to resign ourselves to a very small, mundane world, and a routine life of not making a difference.

Yes. It's true. Most men live their lives in quiet desperation. Women do too. Desperation is the dark side of ourselves, while dreams, ambitions and action, with a sense of urgency, are overwhelming evidence of the bright side. Make a choice, leaders, entrepreneurs, would-be activists -- choose to heed Steve Jobs' advice and do not fear the mission ahead. Instead of living with regret, or with wasting time on endless critical introspection, move ahead with your plans. The plans that your heart tells you are truly meant for you.

Proceed with passion.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle
http://aboutdouglascastle.blogspot.com/
http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/douglascastle
http://www.TNNWC.com

Steve Jobs, commencement address, Stanford University 2005:

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
*****

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-----
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Sunday, March 27, 2011

Blogging 101 - Post, Or They'll Be Mad At You.

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I know, I know... this is really taking advantage of an innocent, loyal and patient Braintenance Readership. Call it hubris on my part, but I felt compelled (an angel visited me!) to share my brand new blog with you. This is its maiden voyage. Its [no apostrophe needed] first posting. Please try to find it in your hearts to forgive me, and indulge me in my brief moment of magical mania. Oh, for shame!

Thank you.

-DC

p.s. I cannot promise that I won't do this again.


From Blogging Tips, Tricks And Tools

Blogging 101 - Post, Or They'll Be Mad At You.

Dear Reader:

If you already a brilliant and successful blogger (whatever that actually means), you might just skip this article. If your are either a neophyte or a lover of learning, then please read on.

Welcome!

This is my first post on this new (just cut the ribbon!) blog, but we can celebrate later.

I'll offer you some very important advice:

If you don't post to your blog at least once per week...

1. You will not get a following, unless you are already famous;

2. Even if you have a following, they will think that you have either died, lost interest in your topic, or  -- worst of all -- abandoned them! They will abandon your blog, as well.

Even if you don't have something absolutely Earth-shatteringly newsworthy to write about, show your readers that you have not abandoned them. Just a few words will sometimes suffice.

If you are not particularly creative, here are some helpful examples:

  • I've been remiss in my blogging - but I've just had surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome, and I will post a scan of a note from my orthopedic surgeon;

  • I have had a terrible bout with writer's block. I am hoping that the new medications that my doctor prescribed for this will take effect very soon;

  • I've finally gotten up the courage to leave my wife (husband, partner, significant other...) - as soon as I get settled in my new hovel, I will be writing again;

  • My roommate's pet anaconda ate my laptop, and we had to strain his (the anaconda's - not my roommate's) feces until it finally came out. I might have lost some files;

  • While I was flying over the Bermuda Triangle on the way to visit a friend in Guantanamo, my notebook suddenly vaporized. I swear to you. It did. My watch stopped, too;

  • I am an opportunist. I will not be posting to this blog, but my Blogger domain name is for sale. Would you like to buy the rights to this blog domain?

  • Why should I write? Nobody seems to be reading this anyway. If you want me to continue posting, get at least a hundred friends together and sign a petition promising that you'll all read my blog faithfully each week. Email it to me at the address below.
Bottom Line: Post weekly (or weakly), but keep posting!

At very least, Interpol and the NSA are reading your material. That's a start.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

Special Rhetorical Question:

p.s. How come all of the people on TV and in the movies have telephone numbers with a "555" exchange (except for Satan, who has a "666" exchange)?

*****
Blogging Tips, Tricks And Tools - find us at http://BloggingTipsTricksAndTools.blogspot.com
Author: Douglas Castle 

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Monday, March 21, 2011

Self-Growth and Mastery - WORDS!

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Self-Growth and Mastery - WORDS!


Dear Braintenance Enthusiasts (and even casual cerebrotonics);

There are several words you must know. Sadly (for you, but happily for me), I leave the chore of defining them up to you:


1) The first three sound similar: Etymology, Entomology, and Entenmanology;


2) The next two have different meanings, but are often used interchangeably -- and they should not be! They are: despise and hate.


3) The next two have different meanings as well, but are often used interchangeably -- and they should not be! They are fame and notoriety.


As my cousin Brock (his first name had always sounded like a nickname, but yet it was, in fact, his full first name -- as kids, we needed a nickname for him [a standard requirement in New York], so we called him Brockton, Broccoli, Brockport, and Brockman) once said, with a deep Brooklyn accent, "When you talks good, peoples thinks that you is smart."

Amen, Brock.

Faithfully,

Douglas




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BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS - CHOOSE "POWER WORDS"

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From the BRAINTENANCE Blog at http://braintenance.blogspot.com/ . You must train and maintain your brain. Remember: Gray matters.


Dear Thinkers, Listeners and Speakers:

Use fewer words, but choose the most emotionally-charged, visual "POWER WORDS". You'll be a more effective, more respected communicator. A Caveat: If you use a "fancy word" improperly, you will lose most of your credibility as your "gospel" turns rapidly to "bullcrap."

Generally speaking, POWER WORDS:

1. Have either a hard consonant at the beginning or a seductively soft sound throughout;

2. Conjure up vivid pictures (strong imagery) in your listeners' minds;

3. Have an emotional charge through historical association (either joyous or horrific);

4. Should be delivered in a clear, staccato fashion, using eye contact with your audience;

5. Should be used in the shortest speeches and pronouncements; but, after a power word-laden sentence has been delivered, pause briefly to let the multisensorial effect of the statement resonate with your audience. Let them chill or thrill. Your words may take a moment or two to sink in.

An excellent intellectual exercise is to think of groups of words (3 to 5 words per group) which bring forth a certain emotion. Keep these POWER WORDS at the ready for when you are going to make a brief speech. Great speeches are largely a function of well-constructed sentences; and great sentences are built around power words.

By the way, such words as "catastrophy," "bigotry," "irresponsibility," and "scorched earth" are POWERWORD Classics.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle


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Saturday, March 19, 2011

The Origins Of The PEACE SYMBOL

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Note: The picture (deluxe with embedded text) below may be cut off by your browser. If it is, just click on the portion of that shows, and you'll see it in a full, high-resolution version. The picture (an awfully big one), was originally posted on the BRAINTENANCE Blog, at http://braintenance.blogspot.com/.

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Wednesday, March 16, 2011

PARAPROSDOKIANS - Humorously Twisted Communications

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Note: The Article which follows was originally published by Douglas Castle in his critically-acclaimed* BRAINTENANCE: Mind Builders! Blog, conveniently located at http://Braintenance.blogspot.com on your radio. Look up Douglas+Castle+blogs in a Google search and just make my day. -DC
--------------
* This is a lie.

PARAPROSDOKIANS - Humorously Twisted Communications That'll Keep Your Audience Awake...if they are not already dead.

 

 

The PARAPROSDOKIANS are coming!

Contrary to popular belief, Paraprosdokians are not an ethnic subgroup from latter-day Armenia. No, they are actually intellect-grabbing examples of wordplay which produce double-takes if the listener is actually 1) paying attention; 2) reasonably intelligent; and 3) not averse to exhibiting a sense of humor.

A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax. Here are a few examples:

1. Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

2. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

3. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list.

4. If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong.

5. We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.

6. War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

8. Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening,' and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.

9. A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.

10. How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

11. Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.

12. I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted pay checks.

13. Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says "In an emergency, notify:" I put "Doctor".

14. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

15. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.

16. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

17. The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!

18. Hospitality: Making your guests feel like they're at home, even if you wish they were.

19. I discovered I scream the same way whether I'm about to be devoured by a great white shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot.

20. There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.

21. I always take life with a grain of salt, plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila.

22. When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.

23. You're never too old to learn something stupid.

24. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

The above entertainment was forwarded to my inbox courtesy of Daniel J. Benor, MD, ABHM. His website is  http://www.wholistichealingresearch.com/



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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Japan's Tragedy Is Everyone's Tragedy - Take Action - Now

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Japan's Tragedy Is Everyone's Tragedy. Take Action. Now.

All of the compassionate peoples of this world, wherever you are, whatever you are doing... Please take a moment away from what you are doing to contribute whatever amount that you can -- we appreciate that these are challenging economic times -- to one of the socially-responsible and charitable organizations which are collecting and providing aid to the surviving victims of a tsunami which devastated much of Japan, a series of aftershocks (that may continue for months....or perhaps years), and now, the very real threat of a catastrophic nuclear meltdown of inestimable proportions.

Those of us at TNNWC send out our condolences, prayers and support to those who  have died or have lost loved ones in this catastrophe. Please join us by contributing as much as you can to the relief effort -- right now. Time is critical. The clock is ticking. Please help.

To find a list of organizations to which you can give your contributions, simply click on this link, or copy and paste it into your browser (TNNWC is not affiliated with any of these organizations):

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_newsroom/20110311/wl_yblog_newsroom/japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-how-to-help

Please be generous. Give Globally. Join the humanitarian effort to save lives. Every cent helps.

Please forward this post to everyone you know. If you need to download it so that you can attach it to a letter ot send to your email list, newsgroups or social media, you can download a copy of this exact document (as a .pdf download) by clicking on http://bit.ly/TNNWCJAPAN

Thank you.

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Join TNNWC – Become a Member (Your Membership is still absolutely free, and you can start receiving your benefits immediately. If you are a thought-leader, an entrepreneur, a small business, an emerging enterprise or an established entity on a fast-track for growth, either in the U.S. or internationally -- you'll want our publications, our intel, our alerts, our trend reports, and, of course, our unparalleled suite of services). Click on http://www.tnnwc.com/ and press the "JOIN US" button.

This Announcement and Request For Help is co-sponsored by:

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Sunday, March 13, 2011

Puns Are Permitted - But You'd Better Be Appealing To An Intelligent Audience!

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Note: This article was written by Douglas Castle, and first published in Mad Marketing Tactics! (http://MadMarketingTactics.blogspot.com), Sending Signals! (http://SendingSignals.blogspot.com), Braintenance (http://Braintenance.blogspot.com), and, of course, the Jupiter Hollow Messenger, a publication which does not really exist, but which sounds homey.






PUNS ARE PERMITTED - But You'd Better Be Appealing To An Intelligent Audience!

Dear Mad Marketers, TNNWC Members, Underappreciated MENSA types, Cerebrotonics, Nerds, Geeks and Lovers of the English Language:

In getting your message across effectively, humor is often a helpful social lubricant (try not to picture this). The type of humor truly depends on your targeted audience. If you dealing with an increasing illiterate public, visual humor is the order of the day, while subtle humor may well be lost on your prospective market.

It is imperative that before you embark on a campaign to develop slogans, themes, logos and other branding components, you conduct a bit of market research to determine 1) how receptive these prospects will be to your chosen branding components (including humor), and 2) if a particular type of humor or theme might not be consistent with the best perception of your service or product. Sometimes, well-intended humor may be perceived as irreverent, inappropriate or even insulting. In marketing, a bad joke can equate to fewer leads, less conversion, and lower sales.

Having said this, if you're dealing with celebrants of the written word (i.e, smartasses how enjoy word games), puns (which are best when boldly placed in written form) will be magnetic and viral. Good puns travel quickly from person to person, through social media, forwarded emails and through other means of rapid transmission. Just be certain to link the attribution of the pun to your brand.

Two simple examples of puns follow. While these might seem funny in a certain context, they might seem "off-color" in other contexts. I've tried to set the stage for each, to give you an example of appropriate context:

1) If you're selling overpriced and extremely fashionable shoes to urban walkers in a densely populated business district -

"These are the times that try men's soles," might be nice.

2) If you're marketing an alternative form of financing than that which is offered (if any is offered at all) by the popularly loathed investment banking houses and giant money-center banks -

"Goldman Sachs doesn't need religion. They already know how to prey," could make you some friends.

Now you may get back to work. Thank you.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

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