Proof that good things happen to good people

Marine Cpl. Alexander Degenhardt attributes his luck to karma. 

Five years ago Marine Cpl. Alexander Degenhardt registered to be a bone marrow donation, and he was identified as a match just prior to going to Las Vegas last week. While he was in Vegas for the first time, Cpl. Degenhardt hit a $2.8 million jackpot at the Belagio.

When asked what he will do now, Cpl. Degenhardt said he will stay in the military, live off his paycheck, and invest the jackpot winnings. He also said he will donate the bone marrow, as planned. Karma, indeed.

Value-Added is Over-Rated

At some point, you have to commit to a standard of excellence. Whether it is high or low, if you are a business owner, leader, or developer, you must pick a level. Proclaiming high quality standards when price and execution reveal the opposite confuses customers and will inhibit sales.

Some business owners try to get around the common incongruence by offering basic services with value-added options; however, that's confusing too. It's like those old infomercials when the pitchman would add in all kinds of items just to make a sale. Can't you hear it now? "For $19.95 a set of Ginsu knives!"

Value-added has become trite and meaningless.

It would be better to do what you do, obviously assuming you know your clients well enough to know what they need, and offer options without claiming some have more value than others. If the base package meets a basic need, fine. Set a price for it. If base plus additional services meets a greater need, find. Set a price for that too.

For example, as a professional speaker, there is a rate to book me for a keynote or general session. If the conference attendees would benefit from a keynote and a breakout, or a keynote and an emcee, or a keynote, breakout, and follow-up series, there are prices for those. However, the services beyond the keynote are not value-added. They are customized to meet the clients' needs, not an indication of value. If a conference simply needs a keynote, they get a high-value keynote.

 Adding for the sake of trying to hit on something that attracts clients diminishes the value of the service offered. Value-added lost its luster within the last few years. Just provide high value and whatever you do, and you won't have to sound like the infomercial pitchman screeching, "But wait! There's more!"

Talent > Flash at the Grammys and in Workplaces

Talent is more important than flash. That was one of the messages delivered loud and clear at this year's Grammy Awards.

It was delivered by six-time winner Adele, who wore a simple black dress as she accepted three awards in which Lady Gaga was a competitor. Lady Gaga wore a dominatrix costume and carried a scepter.  Adele was queen of the night and wore a simple black dress. Talent won over flash.

A second example was Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl, who said the following when speaking on behalf of the band who won for Best Rock Album:  “For me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of making rock is the most important. Singing into a microphone and learning to play an instrument and learning your craft is the most important thing for people to do...It’s not about what goes on in a computer. It’s about what goes on in (your heart) and what goes on in (your head.)” It is not about a computer altering your voice so it sounds perfect, it is about having enough talent without the voice needing alterations. Talent wins over computer-generated perfection.

A third example is the singer who wore a red devilish cape while walking the red carpet with a fake "pope". Putting aside how offensive that is to Catholics, the fact is, she was a joke. No one talked about her the next day as cutting-edge or a great artist. The same person performed, and her performance was considered droll. Obviously, she set out to be the most flamboyant person at the Grammys and to steal the show. But, no one was talking about her the next day. In fact, no one will be talking about her in a year or two, unless she becomes a criminal of some kind. The next day, that singer was a barely mentioned joke, while Adele was celebrated for her voice. Adele's performance won rave reviews.

Talent wins again.

In the workplace, it can be tempting to put on airs, but, remember, talent is more important. Walk is more important than talk in workplaces today.

You can carry a proverbial scepter around the office and act like you are more important than everyone else, but  if you have real talent, you won't need to. You won't need to put others down, copy someone else's act, or ride someone else's coattails. Work hard, work smart, and work well with others, and your talent will enable you to rise above the flashier people who simply talk about work. Talent wins over flash in the long run. As you build your reputation, keep Adele in mind. She didn't carry a scepter, attempt to offend millions of people, or fake her way to the top. When you are truly talented, you won't need to either.

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UPDATE 2/15/12

The singer described in the third example above was on one of the morning shows today. She was on the show to promote a charitable campaign of some kind (I didn't get the name of it), and she was friendly, well-spoken, and informed about the issue. She also was very sweet to a young singer who was on the show after her segment. She made me wish she had not made a joke of herself at the Grammys because she has a perspective worth sharing but ruined her chances (with some people, not all) by making her talent secondary.

Now, this question: when people resort to flash over talent (fluff over stuff), is that a form of self-sabotage? What do you think?

Teleflora shows what it thinks of women and it's not good

The New England Patriots receivers may have dropped some passes in last night’s Super Bowl, but the worst offense of the Super Bowl was Teleflora. In their television commercial, the florist blatantly implied that men who give a $70 vase of flowers will be repaid with sex.

Pundits are using that ad, along with a few others, to prove the old adage that sex sells. Other ads showed scantily clad women and one showed nearly all of David Beckham. Those ads are saying, “You can look sexy by wearing/driving/using this.” That is much different than what Teleflora’s ad said.

The florist’s ad said, “If you give this to your woman, she will have sex with you.” Said another way:  for a $70 bouquet, women will have sex.

Clearly, the florist thinks women are prostitutes. For a cheap $70 bouquet?!

I have three issues with the ad.

First, Teleflora is insulting women. Teleflora is telling men to send a vase of flowers that says, "I'm paying $70 for you to get naked." What self-respecting woman would fall for that cheap gimmick? Ladies, how impressed will you be if your man's Valentine's flowers are from that company?

Teleflora thinks women have low expectations, low morals, and low standards. Contrary to what that company thinks, women do not want flowers that say, "Get naked for this cheap bouquet." 

Second, the company is insulting men. Most men are not so stupid to send an overt demand of sex to a woman they care about. While men may have thought the model and ad were sexy (heck, women probably thought so too), smart ones will know they would be sending the wrong message if that gaudy red vase were delivered to a woman who saw that ad.

Third, I wonder how the company treats its female employees. It is obvious that the company does not hold women in high regard. How does that show up in department meetings? How do male managers speak to women there? Are women compelled to downplay their intelligence to get by in an antiquated culture? What were the meetings with the ad agency like—did the good old boys who revere the agency in Mad Men listen to any real women in 2012?

I say women should make sure that old sex sells adage is proven UN-true!

Ladies, tell your men you do not want flowers from that company. Men, you know your woman better than the florist does—if you know her expectations, morals, and standards are high, don't send her a cheap, gaudy vase that sends the message you think she is cheap and gaudy.

Don’t let the florist ruin your message by sending the wrong one on Valentine’s Day.


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