Gray Matter at White Space

I first heard this rather dated concept at a recent Storybrand live training. How could I have missed it? I missed it because I’m blessed with an extra dose of this communications scourge.

The concept was conceived back in 1989 in an economics publication, and supported by research in developmental psychology and human behavior. It has been played out in the markets, entertainment, and even charades (why don’t my teammates understand what I’m pantomiming?). Look it up on Wikipedia for more fun references.

If you’ve ever had to go to a physical therapy clinic or rehab center, it’s most likely because something has already happened to you. You broke a bone, strained a muscle, or had surgery on your rotator cuff because you’ve been playing tennis since you were three.

Let’s not forget the constant threat of carpal tunnel or “tech neck,” as we use keyboards and mobile devices to communicate.

Did you know Gen-Xers account for about 25 percent of the population but control 31 percent of total U.S. income? That’s some serious spending power.

Knowing what I know about this cohort, that statistic makes me stand up and shout: Let’s stop treating Gen X as the middle child of marketers!

(Apologies to all the middle children out there. I’m on your side!)

“Women are multitasking monsters.” It’s one of the statements that stood out to me in a recent NY Times article featuring activist Shannon Watts.
I couldn’t agree more.

Shannon runs Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, an anti-gun violence (not anti-gun) organization, which she formed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012.

In the article, she journals “a day in the life” and what it takes to keep going.

Growing a company is a constant lesson in growing pains. New business isn’t guaranteed, and when you’ve tapped out your referral network, the next steps can be uncertain.

I am religiously opposed to spammy sales outreach. You know, those emails that cast a broad net, with no clear message. I don’t like to be the recipient of those communications, and I certainly don’t want to be the perpetrator.

I am not an artist in the typical sense of the word. I don’t paint, I’ve never made anything out of clay (at least not since elementary school), and the closest I’ve come to sculpting anything was helping my girls glue macaroni together.

Where my artistry shines is in words. Words can incite design.

Onboarding new business partners can be a royal pain... for both the onboarders and the onboardees.

With so much information to impart, it’s difficult to strike a balance between being thorough and downright mind-numbing.

With Father’s Day celebrations just behind us—and reflecting on how important a father’s guidance is—it reminded me of an attitude that was ever-present in our home. Every day that our kids left for school, from the youngest age, Lou sent them off with this instruction: “Ask good questions!”

In a world where everyone is “selling” something, this philosophy represents a particular skill set that rises above all others.

This past Monday, my newly minted college graduate daughter moved across the country to start her post-college life in Palo Alto, California. She’s facing lots of new things on this adventure: new work, new friendships, new town, new car, new apartment. She’s pumped. I’m... okay.

But, as much as I already miss her and worry about her (hey, I get to do that—I’m the mom), I know all of these new encounters represent growth. And growth means “bigger and better,” or at least that’s the hope.

The idea had a zero-percent chance of more revenue for us. But I had to push forward and find an inside advocate who'd do the right thing.

At the end of a very long week, I wrote an impassioned note to a client about an important step they need to take to realize growth. I've been talking about a way to plug up the holes I saw in their sales process for three years!