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THERE IS A BETTER WAY
Listen, go a little easier on yourself. Stop this push, push, push because you’re driving yourself into the ground. Sit on a deck, look at the pretty clouds in the sky (yes, they’ve been there, but you were too busy to notice how pretty they were), smile at and start a conversation with someone nice, etc. As I have quoted Carl Little a little (little pun there) “Life is too short”. Yeah, I know he didn’t say it first…I don’t know who or if someone else said it first, but consider it like a Re-tweet except in a blog.
Since “Life is too short,” we have got to enjoy Life a little. Okay enjoy Life a little more than a little. Enjoy the beautiful. Engage in Passion and fuel that passion- I always do! Love what there is to love. Love Will Find A Way. Erase the put downs, forgive the bad and seek honorably for the good in the future. ‘Life is too short” In the song Climbin’ Up The Ladder, part of the Lyrics are:
Well I'm climbin' up the ladder
I keep pushin and I'm bound to know
Well I'm climbin', climbin' up the ladder
Though it be shakin'
Ain't it up that I gotta go?
Read more: The Isley Brothers - Climbin' Up The Ladder, Pts.1 & 2 Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Ain’t it up that I gotta go? That line always spoke to me. Ain’t it up that I gotta go? Yeah, that’s the ticket. Up! Improve yourself! Improve somebody else (Lift Somebody Up). Rise to the occasion or simply Rise! Okay, maybe you haven’t set the world on fire, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. Or that you are going to in the future, you just don’t know it yet. Or haven’t decided to yet. A positive attitude, Dedication and a sense of humor are required School Supplies for this thing called Life. But quit killing yourself in doing it. No, I never condone mediocrity, but I certainly allow R-n-R. When was the last time you laughed really hard? When was the last time you told any number of people you love them [not just your Romantic interest(s)]. When was the last time you just shared a kind word or a nod of encouragement? (See Blog “Try a Little Kindness”) Told someone they’re pretty? Told someone they’re special? Told someone you care about them?
Sure, you can do it in person and I encourage you to do it in person. But want your words to linger? To have a long-standing effect? Then follow it up with a Send-Out-Card. A card with THEIR picture on it that you create and you put in the card EXACTLY the same words you said verbally…or wanted to say, but didn’t have the guts. Sure, her eyes and her stunning beauty reduces you to melting butter everytime…been there my friends, but Send-Out-Cards is a kryptonite-free way to get the words said. I can help. We even have a Free account that will save you like 66% over standard Greeting Card prices so now MONEY is not the issue. I’ll give you all the details. Let’s Talk- in person, text, Zoom, Facebook Messenger Videocall, e-mail, etc.
P.S. Every Bolded and Underlined reference in this blog (except this one, obviously) is a song you can Search in a music app, Google browser, etc. Listen to The Music!
Have a conversation with Ralph Harold, “guywithtwofirstnames.com,” be like Carl Little and “Take it to the Bank.”
Dr. Ralph Harold
ralph@guywithtwofirstnames.com
816-808-2465
THE SIMPLER IT IS, THE MORE POWERFUL
Modern marketing is a modern technological marvel. They’ve got analytics, data analysis, statistics and statistics on their statistics. Despite these terabytes of analytical output, there is still no magic bullet that will give you a sure fire sale in every instance, every time. “If we just had more data” say the data analytical geeks…. then we’d have more useless monikers with units we don’t understand or can’t even wrap our heads around.
“Will someone please tell me what it is a customer actually wants?“ Don’t Google “what it is a customer actually wants?“. Sincerity. Heartfelt sentiment. I mean what I say. Here’s a shocker: “ I’ll actually stand behind what I say”. Carl Little, the oldest copier salesman in Kansas City Missouri is so honest and will actually stand behind what he says that he’s willing to take a loss if one of his copiers screws up too many times. The unbelievable Carl Little has actually driven out to an irate customers’ business with a check in his hand willing to buy back the copier at the full price they paid for it rather than have an irate customer. “Life is too short…” says Carl. And Carl will tell you, that people are so taken aback by this upfront honesty that they’ll quit being mad, get down to the heart of the matter and discuss with Carl the actual issues that are really causing problems. In this manner, Carl disarms what was thought to be a “lost cause Customer” and walks out with a $13,000 order for a brand new, even better, even bigger Copier. Plus he’s got a Customer for Life. And then Carl sends them a card.
Willy Nelson sends his customers a Send Out Card, too. I know this to be true because I personally signed him up. No, not Willie Nelson the country singer, but Willy Nelson the realtor in Lees Summit Missouri. Then Willy is “On the Road Again…” with another Send Out Card for the next Realty customer.
Ask me about friends of mine at Send Out Cards who had a Tree Trimming Business with one truck and one chipper and only worked a few days a week. Hey husband got the idea of using his phone or tablet to take a picture of the customer’s house from high up in the tree. He thanks the Customer for their business and shows the Customer how nice their home looks from that vantage point. In 2 minutes, the picture is taken and the card is on its way. Using no other marketing techniques except send out cards, they now have six trucks, six chippers and a bunch of crews working every day of the week. What’s more, people still have those cards on their refrigerators, desks or front entryways.
Send Out Cards calls it “the one thing”. While it’s hard to define in words, everyone fundamentally understands what the one thing is. Sincerity. Heartfelt sentiment. I mean what I say. We so firmly believe in this One Thing that we rewrote and re-purposed our entire forthcoming 2019 upcoming convention to be all about how our company supports the one thing among fellow human beings. Quit trying to be something you’re not and just be the warm, wonderful really nice man or woman you are deep down. Let go of the façade, the image, the mystique and be a little more like Carl Little. At least a little.
Have a conversation with Ralph Harold, “guywithtwofirstnames.com,” be like Carl Little or Willy Nelson and “Take it to the Bank.”
Ralph Harold
ralph@guywithtwofirstnames.com
816-808-2465
WE WISH FOR WHAT WE DON’T HAVE NOW- EVEN IF IT CONTRADICTS PREVIOUS CONDITIONS
Ah, what an interesting species we are! Stick with me here and you’ll see what I’m driving at. As an audiophile, we typically strive for the ultimate, unparalleled conditions with which to enjoy or record our music and sound quality. Since the invention of the record, there have been numerous complaints among audiophiles of the day that vinyl recordings had a random surface noise generated by non-musical friction of groove imperfections in the vinyl against the needle on the phonograph. We called it “Needle Noise” and we hated it. While it was present in every recording and all the time, we largely tuned it out, but there was always a quiet part or a subtle pause in a piece of music where we wanted silence and instead we heard the random shellacking noise described above. We dreamed of the pure silent perfection of Digital Recording.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs (MFSL) even printed premium records called UHQR for Ultra High-Quality Records. These were pressed with half speed masters on virgin vinyl, costing $50 when the standard issue LP record sold for $5-$8. Having dramatically less needle noise, these records were enjoyable to listen to, but still not “absolutely free of random noise”. We longed for Digital Recordings where everything was converted to 0’s and 1’s. In the quiet passages there would be nothing but zeros and we could enjoy absolute silence. We longed diligently, lusted openly, prayed, begged and urged for Digital Recordings.
Then came the cassette era. While Philips had originally invented the Compact Cassette purely for dictation, it was explained that the tape speed of 1 7/8 inches per second was too slow to offer good musical fidelity. Dramatic improvements in cassette recording techniques along with the invention of chromium dioxide biased tape allowed modern music recordings to sound great. And hey, there was no needle noise, but a new enemy emerged: tape hiss. While there is no vinyl and no needle, thus no needle noise, the tape is coated with mylar and imperfections in the mylar moving past the playback head create a high frequency random noise called Tape Hiss. Dolby labs and dbx, among others, created “Noise Reduction” which are a compounding recording/playback dual system that greatly reduced, but did not fully eliminate tape hiss. Even excellent tape could only handle a certain amount of Dynamic Range. Still, we longed for the silent, noiseless wide Dynamic Range of Digital Recordings.
Then it happened! No, the world didn’t end. No, I did not win the lottery. A joint research effort between Sony and Philips created the protocol for the compact disc (CD) which allowed full digital recording. Noiseless lead in, noiseless quiet passages in Rock, Dance, Jazz, Classical, Country, etc were hailed as “Perfection” by audiophiles- well almost everybody. A few said that digital recordings lacked “warmth” or that “they liked the vinyl copies” of favorite recordings better than their CD counterparts, despite the admitted needle noise or tape hiss. What? After waiting for so long for ultra-wide dynamic range, noiseless Digital Recordings, the big news from recording companies is that the latest versions of artists’ albums are being issued again in vinyl (LP). Blasphemy! Vinyl is coming back!
A similar story can be told with the evolution of US mail to fax to email to text to instant message, social media etc. etc. Yeah sure, there’s nothing faster or more instantaneous than email, text or other such electronic communication, but it doesn’t always invoke the same emotional, gut-wrenching, pull-at-your-heartstrings response that a good old analog, printed Send Out Card can bring. I kid you not, Send Out Cards has found that when a person sends a heartfelt, personalized card people tend to keep them on their desk, refrigerator or bulletin board sometimes years after the original send date just because the recipient is so blown away that the sender thought enough of them to create a unique, personalized card. While I myself am a huge proponent of digital recordings in the CD, digital audio tape or MP3 modalities, I was touched greatly by the reception of my first SendOutCards sent to me by Lorrie Kueffer. Contact me and I’ll gladly share with you my story. Do not under estimate the power, even in this digital age of a heartfelt printed send out card. Have a conversation with Ralph Harold, “guywithtwofirstnames.com,” avoid “perceived indifference” and “Take it to the Bank.”
Ralph Harold
ralph@guywithtwofirstnames.com
816-808-2465
BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF
You cannot control fate, chance, the weather or things like that but what you can control is your response to the things that happen to you. Since you are in control of your own destiny, you actually CAN control the future. Never one to condone mediocrity, the greatest advice I can give you is to constantly be looking for ways to do it smarter, faster, more efficiently and continually with an eye for improvement. The Optimist Club Creed contains a line that says “ Promise Yourself….to give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others”.
Your unshakable quest to always improve, always try to find a better way, continually push for more enlightenment will, in the end lead to bettering your situation. Personal development is a never ending process and is the beginning of lifelong learning. There is no owners manual on life, parenthood, entrepreneurship or business ownership. You can continue to write your own chapters as you move forward. So, your emphasis must always be to be the best version of yourself. Others around you need to likewise be encouraged, cajoled, stimulated and constantly hear from you regarding your current status, the way forward and where your business is headed. People are listening, so make sure your observations are good and your advice is worth something. Have a conversation with Ralph Harold, “guywithtwofirstnames.com,” avoid “perceived indifference” and “Take it to the Bank.”
Ralph Harold
ralph@guywithtwofirstnames.com
816-808-2465
WE NEED YOUR WISDOM
You heard the admonition to be the best version of yourself. Always. Inherent in this state is that you are always striving to improve, looking for a better way, never condoning mediocrity and being optimistic and positive. There are a lot of things out there in this world that can be taken a lot of different ways. Clarity of thought and focus on what’s really important is something a leader can show all of those around them, in your organization, in your down-line and in the various interactions you have with others.
Well there are great people among us to have imparted great wisdom they cannot necessarily interact with everyone, see not every situation will have the correct angle on every aspect. That’s why we need you. Yes you! Don’t be giving me that crap about you being insignificant, not as good as someone else, not as talented, not as eloquent, not as good a public speaker, not as good a writer, etc. when you are the guy who’s there, then you are the most important person in existence. We need your open eyes, we need your clarity of thought and we need your wisdom. Yes you. We need your optimistic, positive focused, there-are-better-says-ahead type wisdom.
Words you say are but a fleeting glimpse. Texts and emails are often deleted to free up space. But if you send a card, more specifically a Perfect-for-this-situation Send Out Card, but say it clearly and profoundly enough that the recipient knows you mean it. Send Out Cards has found a large percentage of these cards stay on the recipients desk, get hung on the refrigerator or in places of prominence. We need your wisdom and your heart. Have a conversation with Ralph Harold, “guywithtwofirstnames.com,” avoid “perceived indifference” and “Take it to the Bank.”
Ralph Harold
ralph@guywithtwofirstnames.com
816-808-2465
A WORD FOR THE MASSES
Fundamentally, there is a lot of good in the world. If you seek it out it will find you. I have always been a glass half full kind of guy because life is just better that way. With dedication, perseverance and hard work, there will be a reward. You need to always be thinking about how you can do it better or you can do it more efficiently, how you can save money and when it makes sense to spend money because you do have to spend some money to make some money. There are lots of diverse goods and services that we as human beings need, so that means in the grand scheme of things whatever good or service you offer probably has a place in this great society of ours.
Do not think for a moment that it will come quick or be easy or that money will just pour out of the sky because it won’t. The success stories of the rich and famous are truncated where they only tell how they got started and then they ended up with $600 million but don’t tell of all the struggles and heart aches along the way. Your story will necessarily not be different just the names and the circumstances will change.
There will be points of decision-making along the way and you need to do your best to adequately research them and make an informed proper decision. But do not get stuck in endless analysis or indecision because then you are truly paralyzed. As the great Yogi Berra once said “when you come to a fork in the road, take it “. Proceed fearlessly with caution and know that in the end it will all be worth it. While on your journey, lift somebody up with a Send Out Card.
Have a conversation with Ralph Harold, “guywithtwofirstnames.com,” avoid “perceived indifference” and “Take it to the Bank.”
Ralph Harold
ralph@guywithtwofirstnames.com
816-808-2465
LISTENING - THE NEXT GREAT IDEA
Hopefully, you are a happy, well adjusted, satisfied human being with a forward-thinking, optimistic mindset and are perpetually recruiting the next great idea. People are unable to fathom the sheer numerical quantification of how many good ideas there are and how many are still yet to come. To illustrate this point, there was a time in the past, (maybe 1906) when some uninformed, narrow-minded individual was quoted as saying “Guess they’re going to have to close the US Patent Office since everything that can be invented as been invented!” I’m sure glad that person was so impressed with the state of Technology that year, but look at what we’d have missed out on: Penicillin, Transistor, Personal Computer, Internet, Cataract Surgery Implants, Cardiac Stents, the Bikini, the Miniskirt, Hybrid Cars, Plastic, Satellites, Sirius XM Radio, I-Phone, SmartTV, DVD, Bluetooth, etc.
The lesson here is that our own biases put blinders on us and there is an infinite number of unexplored ideas, concepts, hypotheses, etc. that can actually benefit us or our situation. To benefit from this wealth of ideas we need a skill set we are not particularly good at: LISTENING. Being open to suggestion not only may ultimately make your life easier, it may make you a lot of money. Encourage a free flowing exchange of ideas, even when you (think) you might not agree. Besides if people find you to be universally receptive to differing points of view, they may be willing to allow you to show them a revolutionary new idea like Send Out Cards or whatever your business may be. Have a conversation with Ralph Harold, “guywithtwofirstnames.com,” “be open to the next great idea” and “Take it to the Bank.”
Ralph Harold
ralph@guywithtwofirstnames.com
816-808-2465
So What's So Special About Your Cards
As big and tough, high and mighty, indifferent and unabashed, shy and timid, powerful and unwavering, the façades of everyone we meet have a soft spot or point of vulnerability somewhere. Now con artists have used this fact to find ways to manipulate and unfairly take advantage of others for centuries. Believe it or not, there is a good side to this soft spot in that it is a receptor point for you to make a connection with that individual that is multiple times stronger than anything forged in mundane daily interaction.
At Send Out Cards, we call it the “One Thing” (see previous blog entitled IF IT DOESN’T “MOVE THE SOUL”, IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH.) While hard to explain the “One Thing” in words, everyone seems to get it when we say it. Isn’t it funny that in this age of connectivity, that so much unhappiness, loneliness is at an all time high and society as a whole is more disconnected than ever. For this “disconnectedness” problem we don’t need more hardware, another app- we need deeply sincere expressions of human concern. How can we convey those expressions from point A to point B? It’s that stops you in your tracks, they didn’t have to do it for me, I don’t deserve something that nice, soul-moving experience that Send Out Cards calls our “One Thing”. But once in a Blue Moon, someone does something that really impresses you, really makes a difference. I am talking about an event, someone does for you that makes you stop, take notice and you remember it for years. You also remember how it made you FEEL!
It’s a Free country and you can use our Send Out Cards to say, express or pictorialize just about anything. But we are not about the “ordinary, mundane or been-there-done-that triviality. Our whole emphasis is on giving you the Opportunity to “Go ahead….Make My Day” (I will Send a Card to Clint Eastwood!)
I still remember the way I felt when Lorrie Kiefer (now my upline), sent me a SendOutCard. Lorrie had taken the time to look me up on Facebook, copy a picture out of one of my posts and also grabbed a logo for the company I was working with at the time. She then selected a great card, added both of those graphics along with some nice words and placed them on a terrific looking card. She told my wife and I how much she has enjoyed getting to meet with us and show us the awesome possibilities that Send Out Cards was capable of. As I opened the envelope, I pulled out a card that I could clearly see was not a store-bought,pre-fabricated card but had been designed just for my wife and me. At that very moment, a voice inside my head said “I can’t believe she did this. I’m not that special. I must really mean a lot to her. I was humbled. I was so awestruck and impressed all in that same few milliseconds. Once we learned all about Send Out Cards, my wife and I were so impressed that we signed up and I went on to become a full-time rep for the business. I still to this day, vividly remember that exact feeling that was invoked when I opened that envelope. Don’t settle for ordinary interactions when you can move the needle and move the soul of people you interact with. Have a conversation with Ralph Harold, “guywithtwofirstnames.com,” avoid “perceived indifference” and “Take it to the Bank.”
Ralph Harold
ralph@guywithtwofirstnames.com
816-808-2465
Humble And Proud Of It
Be real, person! There is a fine line between being really sincere and meaningful (like Lynn Corbett- see previous blogs) versus looking like your trying to be sincere and failing. The beauty of human interaction is that the True Intention will eventually be exposed by a combination of non-verbal clues and the sheer multiplicity of the ways you express your intentions. Reality- What a Concept!
As every successfully married person sooner or later discovers, you can’t just tell your Partner once “I Love You” and think “There, I covered that.” While in a legal transaction you could successfully prove, the Claimant did indeed proclaim that on This Date at This Time in This Medium the statement was
Conveyed. Your Spouse/Lover/Partner/Friend/Confidant perpetually has their antennae up subconsciously to see if you do anything else that corroborates this “I Love You/I Care About You/I am Thinking of You/I Want To Mean More To You” phrase. Do you open doors for them, call unexpectedly just to see how they are doing, send flowers, SEND A “SEND OUT CARD”, etc?
Taking Love out of the equation, in the Business world, if you tell someone you appreciate when they went above and beyond, are glad they are part of the team, recognize an accomplishment, etc., your words will seem hollow unless corroborated by smiles and nods when you see them, a kind word here and there (see blog on Try a Little Kindness”) or hows this for a novel idea: SEND THEM A CARD SAYING EXACTLY WHAT YOU INTEND? Now, no offense to pre-made card companies like Hallmark, American Greetings, etc. They have lots of nice cards indeed, but they are all pre-fabricated and don’t exactly fit your circumstances. This is where SEND OUT CARDS shines- why spend $4, $6 or $8 on a card that isn’t perfect when you can spend between $0.99 cents and $2.75 on a Custom Perfect Card that even has their picture on it? How can you get more personal than that?
Somehow, someway, people can spot a phoney 10 miles away. Like the person who claims they are humble and they are obviously Proud of being humble. Oxymoron or just plain moron? Have a conversation with Ralph Harold, “guywithtwofirstnames.com,” “be sincere and Show It with Send Out Cards” and “Take it to the Bank.”
Ralph Harold
ralph@guywithtwofirstnames.com
816-808-2465