Friday, December 23, 2005

Wine and Cheese Management ...

The title of this post probably sounds a little strange, but hopefully after a bit of explanation you will understand.

First, I deliberately mispelled my title so that it would be easier to read and pronounce. It is supposed be spelled, "Why-ne and Cheese Management".

The first part is so simple that even a two year old would understand it. If you have ever been around a two year old, you know that their favorite word is "Why". Why is the sky blue? Why are we going to school? Why do I have to wear these pants? (Some two year olds have some clothing issues, but that is a story for another post.)

From a business management perspective, Motivation is tied directly to WHY and if you give a compelling "why", your team will figure out a way to get it done. If you don't give a "Why", (and depend on "just do it because I said so"), you are limiting yourself to a solution that is not necessarily the best it could be. Think about it.... if you give workers the "why", they will use their own experience, dedication and creativity to come up with the solution. They may even ask for your suggestions (and learn from you by combining it with their own ideas), but in almost every case the result will be a better job in a shorter amount of time with improved moral and dedication for the next job.

The second part of the Wine & Cheese management approach is "The Cheese".

You might think that this part would be pulled directly from the popular business book, "Who moved my Cheese", but you would be wrong. The Cheese is about recognition and appreciation.

The Cheese comes in when you snap photographs of people doing things RIGHT. ("Say Cheese"... I'm about to take your picture.) These pictures should then be posted in public places with a brief explanation of why* this person is being honored.

* notice the use of "why" here also.

This educates, encourages and reinforces the key principles and practices that you want in your organization. It is also a great way to use your web site to extend "the face of your company" beyond your own four walls.

So, now, go out and have yourself a Why-ne and Cheese party !

It will make life more fun for you and your whole organization !

Dave Wheeler
Founder, Notewordy.com

Monday, December 19, 2005

Seth Godin Seminar .... January 26th, 2006 !

Seth Godin, one of the world's greatest marketing minds and the author of The Idea Virus, Purple Cow, The Big Moo and a fabulous blog is offering a one day seminar / workshop where you can learn and interact both with him as well as fellow attendees!

(He is also offering a $100 referral fee, so if you sign up please tell him that you heard it from Dave Wheeler's blog, Write On! at www.theshot92.blogspot.com . Thanks.)

Click here to learn more !

Dave

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Free E-Book ! ! ...

Click below for a free ebook from Scott Ginsberg (the nametag /approachability guy)...

http://hellomynameisscott.blogspot.com/2005/12/free-ebook-66-priceless-pieces-of.html

Happy Holidays !

Dave Wheeler
Founder, www.notewordy.com

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Why Notecards as a business.....????

I was showing my newest notecards to a longtime friend (and a strong supporter of my efforts) and I thought his comment was interesting.

He said, "You sure are bucking the trend [with handwritten notecards]." I asked him what he meant and he replied, "You know, with email, cell phones with unlimited long distance calling and all the new ways to communicate, there doesn't seem like there would be alot of people who would be handwriting a note card."

I was a bit taken aback by the comment since I figured he knew the benefits of handwritten notes, but I reiterated them anyways. "Do you send greeting cards? Of course you do, and a handwritten note is much more effective way of making someone feel special. A handwritten card is an expression of who you are and when compared to a mass-produced cartoon the winner is obvious."

However, his question got me thinking about notecards as a business. Why would someone want to get into a business where ... ?
1) the general population does not care about it.
2) it is perceived as old fashioned or something your grandmother might do
3) alternative products can be purchased (in bulk) for 2-3 times less.

The more that I thought about, the more I liked the idea of a notecard business. I know that sounds strange or at least "counterintuitive" (which is a nice way of saying "stupid"), but there are a number of good reasons to like notecards and the associated business.

a) The greeting card business is worth billions.
b) There are many ways to offer something much better than a greeting card (in particular, notecards).
c) Notecards are definitely a niche (small) market. The market for art-based notecards is smaller still. The market for high-end, limited-edition notecards might be really small too, but I really like the product. Plus if it is only 0.1% of the billion dollar greeting card market, then it could be worth $1million dollars. The problem with that logic is the same as someone trying to sell soda in China.... there are BILLIONS of people there (all potential customers) and if we only get a small percentage, we will be rich! Everyone with even a little experience knows that it is not as simple as that. All people are different. A niche of one.


I should also add that my friend's other question was "Who would I send it to?" And the associated, unspoken question, of course, is, "Why would I send it?".

I will save those questions for my next blog entry.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Coming Soon .... Free Christmas Card !

I'm working on a FREE Christmas Card that you can download and print out on your own printer. My travel plans will keep me busy for this week, but check back here early next week for more information!
Write On!
Dave Wheeler !