We’re down a team member right now.   And it’s my job to find the replacement.  It means more hours, extra work, and often more stress….But in reality, I love it.  Why do I love it?

–It’s a chance to become better as an organization.   No matter how good the last person was, a new person can, and should, always add something new—new ideas… perspectives… energy.  I believe in continually improving so this is a great opportunity to do just that!

–It’s a reminder of how great our organization is and how much I believe in what we’re doing here at Kegerreis.   I get to tell that story to new people, see their excitement, confirm the reality of it, and come back to my own work with that excitement fresh again.

–I get to meet new people and learn about what they’ve seen and learned from other companies by working there.

There is much more that I could talk about, but these are the big 5.  So what do I look for?   After hiring and firing for 17 years, here are some basic recommendations….

1)  Do I really like this person?  Is this someone I want to work with day in and day out, shoulder to shoulder, in the trenches?  No matter the talent, if I don’t really like this person it will become a source of friction.

2)  Do I trust this person?   If I can’t trust them, then I can’t count on them.  And certainly our customers can’t, either.

3)  Do I EXPECT them to succeed?   My first real professional mentor, John Hayes, once told me, “Hire people you EXPECT to succeed, not HOPE to succeed.”  Sounds obvious, huh?  But it’s really the best hiring advice I’ve ever received.  It’s easy to get caught up in liking a person and wanting to help them.  But if it’s only a hope and not a strong conviction, then, in all likelihood, it won’t work.   In spite of John’s advice, I still made this mistake more than once.

4)  Are they using their intelligence?   Everyone has unique gifts and intelligence is measured in many ways, but I will only hire people who demonstrate they learn from their mistakes and focus on utilizing their intelligence in successful ways.

5)  Do they really value personal growth?

After 11 years here with Kegerreis, I can tell you that building a team of wonderful people I love is a beautiful and powerful thing.  Hiring is a huge opportunity, and it’s tremendously important. Make the very most of it.

About the Author

Eric Murr, General Sales Manager | emurr@kegerreis.com | Follow me: @ThePoetMuse Manager. Trainer. Presenter, Eric has spent 20 years in sales and personnel development, leading various companies to higher profits and dramatic increases in revenue.  From top 10 Media markets to smaller business owners, Eric brings to the table knowledge of thousands of media programs, small and large.

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“I could never do what you do…”

Boy, I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard that.     Many individuals have a disdain for Selling.   I find this perception amazing.

Every brother, sister, daughter, mom, dad, and friend has sold a lot of goods, services, and ideas in their lifetime.  From “You gotta try this dip” at a cocktail party, to “Have you seen the new movie, _______  It’s awesome!”

Or maybe your mom is having a screaming headache….  You’d probably be a pretty good salesman talking about the benefits of aspirin and the silliness of no action.

The bottom line is this.

We become great salespeople when we love the people involved and really believe in the product or service.

So the question, if your organization is struggling with selling, is this:

What’s wrong here?  A lack of concern for the buyer?  Or a product or service that’s average?   Now, what needs to be changed?

So change, if you really mean it.

About the Author

Eric Murr, General Sales Manager | emurr@kegerreis.com | Follow me: @ThePoetMuse Manager. Trainer. Presenter, Eric has spent 20 years in sales and personnel development, leading various companies to higher profits and dramatic increases in revenue.  From top 10 Media markets to smaller business owners, Eric brings to the table knowledge of thousands of media programs, small and large.

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You’re wasting your advertising dollars if you don’t understand the difference between these words.  Yes, I referenced money, and now, I’ve got your attention.  Stay with me…I’ll explain what both of these two words can do for, or to, you. Here’s a scenario I was recently involved in:  a client and I were going over possible designs, and the client presented some ideas they had put together as well.  Conceptually, they were fantastic, but they were involved and, frankly, confusing.  What’s wrong with involved?  Nothing…as long as you aren’t talking about billboards, which, if you are reading this blog, is precisely what we are talking about.

Billboards, unlike magazine ads or the back page of the newspaper, must be kept short.  Six seconds is the average time it takes a car to pass a board.  Which, in turn, means the message must be pared down to the absolute essentials.  Don’t get me wrong; there is definitely room for curiosity!  A message that leaves viewers thinking after viewing, that causes the desire to know more, is a marvelous thing.  Curiosity, yes….but never confusion. When you take it too far, you risk losing the audience.  Asking “What??” after you’ve seen something easily morphs into “Whatever.”  In a world where we face the daily assault of images, colors, sounds, motion, etc…confusion leads to dismissal.

When a billboard is done right and generates curiosity; when it makes the passerby laugh to themselves as they pass, or even better, repeat it to their friends later, is when you’ve won.  Yes, there is a fine balance between curiosity and confusion; but when you find that balance, you’ve got it.  By the way, this is true for all of marketing.  As the inestimable Leo Burnett once said:  “Make it simple.  Make it memorable.  Make it inviting to look at.  Make it fun to read.” 

Learn the difference between curiosity and confusion, and reach your audience, every time.

About the Author

Christy Schale, Creative Director | christy@kegerreis.com I’ve been involved in the creative process in one way or another since I was a child, singing and dancing my heart out on stage at my church. It’s not just what I do, it’s my life.

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