Rain Doesn't Kill You

Tuesday I went hiking at Highbanks Metropark, easily one of the most beautiful spots in all of Central Ohio. Except when it rains cats and dogs.

I was about 2 miles into a 4-mile hike when the downpour began. To give you an idea of how wet I got, If God keeps all the rain in a big bucket, he emptied it on Highbanks during my hike. Just for good measure, he also opened a box of thunder and lightning just to scare the crap out of me.

When it started raining, I hid under an umbrella of trees and stayed fairly dry for a few minutes.However, I soon began a rather quick transformation into the most hydrated person in Columbus. I have fallen fully-clothed into a pool and not gotten as wet as I was on Tuesday.

Standing there under my failing tree umbrella, I realized I was avoiding the rain even though I was already drenched. How silly was that? I couldn't get any wetter, yet I was still hiding from the rain! So I resumed my hike.

As I trudged through puddles, carefully stepping through slippery mud, and looking over my shoulder for the lightning bolt that I was sure was going to electrify my soaked underwear, I couldn't help thinking how similar this hike was to the year we've all been having. The economy has rained on our businesses all year, hasn't it? We really wanted this year to be productive and profitable, just like I wanted my hike to be enjoyable and rain-free. But that didn't happen.

So what have we done? We've hidden under the trees. We've stopped spending, hiring, and having fun. We've hunkered down, hoping the rain will stop so we can get back on that productive and profitable path.

We're soaking wet, yet we're still hiding from the rain. Because we can't make the progress we wanted to make, we're making no progress at all.

Now is the time to step out of the shelter (it's not really protecting you anyway) and start moving forward again. That's what I did on my hike. I stepped out into the rain and got back on that path. Did I move as fast as I had planned? Nope. Not even close. I had to be careful where I stepped and I had to walk much slower than I would normally walk. Did I enjoy my hike? Not really, but I quickly discovered that I preferred moving forward to standing still.

One of the most fascinating revelations on my hike was that when I stepped into the rain, I barely noticed a difference. I remember thinking, "Why did I wait under that tree so long?" I also realized that it was just rain, and rain doesn't kill you.

As if this experience hadn't already provided me with enough material to write an article, my hike ended with an amazingly happy omen. As I exited the woods at the end of the hike, the rain had stopped and the sun was cutting it's way through the wet trees. The warmth of the sun immediately began to lift the steamy wetness from the parking lot pavement. And as I drove away a rainbow appeared across the sky -- I kid you not. It was a vivid reminder to me that nothing bad lasts forever.

Join me. Step out from under the trees and let's resume our hike. No, we won't make record time. Yes, we'll move more slowly than we'd like. And we'll have to be a little extra careful where we step. But we'll be moving foward -- a much better alternative to standing still. And, I promise you, the rain won't kill you.

Social Media Camp Covered by NBC4!

Our Social Media Summer Camp session about Twitter was covered by NBC4 in Columbus!

Now THAT'S A Good Server!

Barb Watts, one of our friends at Discover Financial Services sent this email to me awhile ago. As I was cleaning out my inbox, I found it and remembered why I saved it. I wanted to put it on the blog! So, here you go: some inspiration and hope! Good service people ARE out there!

Know you're always interested in great customer service stories. I'm in the customer service business and this is a great one. In fact, you need to experience it yourself. I know it's out of your way, but have lunch someday at Max and Ermas' on Morse and Hamilton in Gahanna. Ask for Elizabeth.

Some co-workers of mine joined me (both of them managers) for lunch at Max and Ermas and needless to say, work has been kind of a downer. We have downsized and typically, work has been piling up on all of us.

We entered the restaurant and were asked if a booth was okay. Typical. But then, we were seated in ELIZABETH'S section. First thing she asked, "Can I get you something to drink while you're looking at the menu? (She came right away - no waiting.) She asked about appetizer, but it was the way she asked that made you want to order one - we didn't. She told us the soup of the day.

She promptly brought our drinks and she asked if we were ready to order or she could give us a few minutes. I know she was working on the "these girls have to get back to work" idea. Smiling all while. Never got the feeling of being hurried. We ordered and our lunch came. Elizabeth came promptly to check and make sure we got what we wanted. (By the way - it wasn't overkill at all.)

We were already impressed but THEN, she asked us about refills and promptly brought all of us drink refills since we were almost finished with our drinks. She didn't wait until we were empty. THEN, , I think she realized we weren't in that much of a hurry to return to work so she came back and asked us, "Anyone up for dessert? CAN I BAKE YOU SOME COOKIES?" . . . "How about I put on a fresh pot of coffee FOR YOU?" AND THEN - she said, "HOW ABOUT A DRINK FOR THE ROAD" and she brought us all drinks to take with us. OMG ! ! ! We were so excited about our experience we could hardly contain ourselves. ( We declined the cookies and coffee but this experience certainly lifted our spirits and all three of us left her a $5 tip and talked to her manager about her outstanding performance.)

There were some other things she did that I can't remember, but you really need to experience this yourself. We are still talking about our experience. Her manager said she works during the week, and she does do their training. But it is rare that you actually get service like this! ! !

Free Coffee Friday is Back This Week!

Skip Starbucks and come hang out at sparkspace this Friday morning! Here are the details for our next Free Coffee Friday:

http://sparkspace.com/comingevents/freecoffeefriday.html

Stand Out. Use Some Ink.

We have a guest writer for today's newsletter. Every once in awhile, we run across an article that just sounds like it belongs in our blog. This is one of them. It's short, but right on the money. Find out more about Daniel at the bottom of the article.

"Text me"

"Shoot me an email"

"Facebook me"

"Twitter me"

"I'll forward you think link"

"Just Google my address and it will show up"

"You have a new E-Card"

"You've received an E-Vite"

In a digital world the pen has lost it's value. Or has it? I would suggest that the pen has increased in value. No one writes letters anymore, and rarely does anyone write even quick hand written notes. What if you did?

What if you took 5 minutes to send somebody a hand written note and mailed it to them, stamp and all? What if you wrote your spouse or a co-worker a written note? What if the prospect you just got off the phone with received a nice, written note thanking them for their time and for considering your business -- before your next follow up call?

Here's my guarantee: 99 times out of 100 it will be the ONLY one they get all week. Probably all month. Maybe even all year.

Go down to your office supply store and invest in some pens (yes, they still sell them) and a stack of simple stationary. Leave them on your desk or in your car as a reminder of your new goal to write no less than 2 notes a week. Try it for a month. People will actually thank you for the note next time they see you. When was the last time someone thanked you for an email or text you sent them?

Daniel Tardy is Director of EntreLeadership Promotions for Dave Ramsey. If you've never heard of Dave Ramsey or EntreLeadership, you really, really need to visit their website. Dave's Financial Peace University and EntreLeadership programs have been two of the most positive, powerful influences in our first 10 years of business. One of the reasons Dave's company is so successful is that he hires really smart, hardworking people like Daniel. Check out Daniel's blog for more great thoughts on customer service, sales, and leadership.