Author: Nan Palmero, MBA

It's likely we've met: a) on an airplane b) at an event c) in a meeting d) on the internet. If you haven't found what you're looking for here, message me. I like making new friends. You can find me on Google+

Learning from Everyone

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Last Saturday, National Council of La Raza’s (NCLR) Annual Conference came to San Antonio.  I had the pleasure of volunteering with some of my BMPR pals.  We volunteered to be citizen journalists as well as teach social media to anyone during the conference.  In my first interview I met a well-kept man in his mid 30’s named Felix.  Felix explained to me that he had recently lost his job and was hoping to learn some computer skills at the conference.  His mother had suggested that he come.
As quickly as we wrapped the interview, I put my nerd hat on and we walked over to the computer table.  I asked Felix what he knew about computers so I wouldn’t be duplicating his knowledge.  He says “I know how to type.”  As we sat down, he explained that he’s typically worked as a server and dishwasher in different venues around town.  He brought a notepad that he promptly took out for note taking. The conversation went like this:
Me: Felix, are you familiar with Google? Do you have an email address?
Felix: I’ve heard of Google and no, I don’t have an email address.  Honestly, I don’t know what button to press to turn on a computer.
I showed Felix that most power button logos had been standardized, taught him how to get online, search on Google, set up a Gmail account and how to look at maps on Google. He took notes about it all.
Felix, though, didn’t realize he was teaching me as well.  He reminded me to not take our knowledge and the ability to acquire it for granted.  His childlike wonder was uplifting as I taught him how to change a route on Google Maps.  He was amazed when I explained that you could email around the world without charge.  Felix exhibited an appreciation for our time together, for the knowledge he had taken in, a true fascination for the technology that so many people have taken for granted (me included).  I looked at those traits and felt a bit embarrassed for merely expecting these things in my life.  So, thank you Felix, you taught me more than I expected to learn that day, especially since you thought you were the only one learning.  I’ll work to live my life with a bit more childlike wonder and appreciation for the tools and education available to me.

“In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.” –  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Voting for Dave Peckens is Next to Godliness

If you read nothing else, read this: Vote for Dave Peckens in the CrackBerry Idol contest.  It’s the right thing to do.

@davepeckens is a friend of mine.  No, we’ve never met, but that’s merely a technicality.  Dave and I have shared some great conversations about business, religion, being a husband, a dad and so much more over the time I’ve known him.  His passion for BlackBerry devices and all things RIM is impressive to me.  He learns daily, he shares his knowledge every minute he can. He does it with heart and charisma.

Surely the other competitors in the contest are at least passable humans, I think, but Dave stands out.  He will out-work, out-wit, and outnumber (can he do that? Oh YES HE CAN!) all of the other contestants.  Voting for Dave is like voting for America.  It’s like voting for kittens & puppy dogs and for you oddly teen-crazed females, it’s like voting for Bieber.  So I beseech you (yeah, look that up, it means I *really* mean it), vote for Dave.  Need a few more reasons?  Here’s what a vote for Dave means to you:

  • Great reviews on CrackBerry
  • Amazing how-to tips
  • Increased marital intimacy
  • Hair regrowth & only in the right places
  • A fresh perspective on the BlackBerry platform
  • Increased muscle mass

So go right now, go vote for Dave Peckens.

New York City – It’s YouTube in Real Life

Joe Gallo (@jgallo02) kindly allowed me to guest blog my ramblings on his awesome site, Tales of a New Yorker.  A big thank you to Michael Bettiol (@bettiol) for making the connection.  Below is NYC through my eyes.

“I posted a video on YouTube and I’m getting the weirdest responses…some people have said some really nice things and others are being rude and downright profane. How do I keep them from writing the bad stuff?” I was asked by a YouTube newbie. “You can’t.” I explained. This week I visited New York for a wedding in New Jersey. As I walked the streets, I found New York to be the real life version of YouTube.

In a city as large and diverse as New York you find it all. Interested in a comedy show in the middle of the day with a guy that you’ve never heard of but is brilliantly funny? Done. Care to see Ty from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? Easy. The beauty and wonder is there on every corner. I spent an hour in Bryant Park watching two guys play Pétanque – it’s not Bocce, that’s a different game. What do I know? I’m from Texas. Want to learn how to play? They can teach you and they’re ready to do so. Are you looking for a funny line from Caddyshack II? Take a stroll down 5th Avenue as my parents did, when they ran into Jackie Mason. I wish they would’ve asked him to be the ball. Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na. I know, the line is from Caddyshack, but work with me, okay?

New York is a small place. Cruising down 5th with my mom, I told her, I have a feeling I’m going to randomly bump into someone I know…I can feel it. A few blocks later, the towering Lewis Howes appears. I smile at my mom and just say “here we go.” Lewis was in town for a speaking gig at a conference. He’s based out of Ohio. What are the odds?

I still cannot believe all the things I found to do in one day. In the morning I rose, hopped over to 59th and 5th to meet Harry and Erica Hill from the CBS Early Morning Show. Fellow Texan, Betty Nguyen, sadly stayed indoors. I got caught on camera between the breaks as a crazy woman from Long Island or as she said it, “Long-guy-land” and humorously screamed at her “ma to turn ahn the teeeveeee!!!” From there, I zipped over to NBC’s Studio 1A at 30 Rock for a view of Matt Lauer and to earn my coveted Foursquare Today Show badge. I joked online that Matt still owes me five bucks and that he wouldn’t dare look at me while on camera. It was a great morning – getting a few seconds of face time on two national networks? Not bad. The day was certainly not over. After running around the city for a bit longer, I got to see some friends that I had met at CES for a taping of the Engadget Show. The timing could not have been better since Jimmy Fallon was a guest, then they later showcased the new Microsoft Kinect unit allowing for full body movement and control of the games. Impressive. Were we done? Absolutely not! Off to McSorley’s Old Ale House. McSorley’s is famous for a number of things, including having hosted Lincoln, Roosevelt, Lennon (John, not the Russian, that’s spelled differently), only serving a “light” or “dark” ale and for being the oldest Irish Tavern in NYC.

New York – what a city. As I said, NYC is much like YouTube. If you’ve spent time posting a video with even a few hundred to a few thousand hits and poked around looking for a video to suit you, you’ve had a digital experience of what The City has to offer. Sure, YouTube can’t provide the exact experience but you can find the famous, learn something new, bump into a friend, experience the inspirational, the downright fun and with some of the comments, huff the digital urine that peppers the streets of the city. Could I spend a lifetime there? Probably not, but just like YouTube, I certainly love to visit…and share it with friends and family.

Sometimes You Have a Bad Day

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My family and I attended one of the most amazing weddings in New Jersey this June. My parents flew in on American Airlines, I flew in on my old friend, Southwest Airlines and my sister tried a new airline – JetBlue. I’ve not yet had that the pleasure of travelling on JetBlue, but my pal Smitty is a pilot for the airline, so they enjoy a positive mindshare due to our friendship.

Curiously, I asked my sister, Laura, her thoughts of the airline. “It’s fine.” I responded “It’s fine? That’s it!? Don’t they have satellite radio and tv for each seat and new planes?” She agreed that those amenities were all present and nice. As she explained, her issue was her flight attendant or specifically, the attitude of her flight attendant.
During Laura’s flight, the perks of JetBlue were all agreeable and welcomed. Sadly, her first JetBlue brand experience came off as flat as a day old Coke. The flight attendant, as the face of the company, turned a potentially remarkable experience into one that was just passable. It was no longer about the technology and the conveniences for my sister but her emotional connection to the airline because of one flight attendant’s attitude. She moved safely and comfortably from one part of the country to another and that was about it. There was no excitement surrounding her experience. This is not to say that JetBlue isn’t a great airline with passionate people, it just happened that my sister wasn’t able to tell a great story about them due to this.
We have all had similar experiences to those my sister had. Our expectations of a brand can be different from the actual experience due to the interactions with a person. Is it possible that this flight attendant was usually fantastic and was simply having a bad day? You bet. It happens to you and to the best of your people. Is it possible that this flight attendant had an attitude that was not fitting for the brand and culture of the company? Potentially. There are simply not enough facts to determine the answer. Considerations can be made, though to reduce these potential branding issues. As Zappos and Rackspace know, it is critically important to your company and brand experience to hire the right people that fit the culture which helps provide a consistent brand image. To take it a step further, companies can build the right teams and systems to support those people that project your brand image.
Anticipate bad days, because unfortunately, negatives in life happen. How can you develop your team to further care for one another so that when those unexpected days pop up, your team is ready to pick up the slack for the member of the team? If procedures aren’t in place, will you take this opportunity to help tow the line for the team? You can lend a hand and share an encouraging word. It makes the world a better place, it builds community between you and your team as well as goodwill for the day you might need a helping hand. I challenge you to do more than your share.
photo by SpackleToe

Privacy Concerns Don’t Matter

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There’s so much chatter surrounding your privacy online.  People are often amazed when I tell them that I not only know where they live but how much their house cost because of the local tax appraisal district website.  *gasp*  If I take five minutes I can likely find your email address, figure out where you work and call you there too.  So what?  What if we simply lived our lives online as if everyone was watching?  What you’ll soon find out is that the majority of the people don’t care.  The other few will likely not say anything  for months until they see you in person, then say “hey, I’ve seen all your Facebook photos, looks like you’ve taken some cool trips.”

In a recent message Craig Groeschel said “When you have integrity, that’s all that matters. When you don’t have integrity, that’s all that matters.”  What if you simply lived your life with integrity both online and offline?  Would that help erase your privacy concerns a bit?  How frequently would you be worried about that photo popping up or that statement you made when you had one too many?
What if you thought differently?  Instead of fretting over what Facebook and every other social network is doing to keep your information safe, turn the entire issue on it’s head.  EXPECT that they will broadcast your information to the world.  What can you do instead to help promote a cause, your personal brand, inspire others or be an asset to someone in need?  What if you took the privacy fears and turned them into a microphone instead, HOPING that people would hear all about you and your mission?
Photo by Dave Pearson

When Social Media Specials Break a Brand Experience

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Recently, my wife, my dad and I visited an ice cream shop on the Riverwalk.  As I checked in on Foursquare, the location based service, it notified me that there was a special at the location.  I was pleasantly surprised.  According to my BlackBerry, it said “While you’re in the hood, you should hit up the scoop shop! Check in and get 3 scoops for $3! Show that you’re mayor and and get an extra scoop on us!”  I showed my wife and dad the offer and explained how Foursquare worked.  I presented the offer, but the gentleman behind the counter told me he was unfamiliar with special and he’d have no way of ringing this up.  At this point, I’d experienced a brand disconnect and looked foolish.  It was not the fault of the employee, there merely had been a break down in the system.

Unfortunately, this was not the first time I had experienced a promotion through social media that had not been communicated to the person working the register.  To alleviate this, may I suggest that if you’re looking to do a special offer presented via social media, that you consider the following:
  • Allow the folks working the register to offer their ideas for special offers.  Then, they’ll feel that they’re part of the bigger picture and will learn that there are special offers being promoted.  They may also have additional insight on what the customer wants since they’re on the front lines.
  • Don’t be afraid to make special offers for social media, just measure the results.
  • Communicate the offer to all members of your team. A small flyer behind the counter can help. Include screenshots, if it helps, and train the staff how to ring up the offer so that it is tallied as such for review of the metrics later.
  • Try new platforms and different offerings.
  • Repeat
Here’s hoping that the ice cream shop on the Riverwalk gets the scoop on this post so future visitors can be surprised and delighted not only by their ice cream, but also their progressive offerings.

‘Best Seller’ Marketing Team Winick & Whitlock To Help Authors Build a Platform

Peter Winick is a friend of mine. I met him a few years back in Vegas when he was working with Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone and Who’s Got Your Back (amazon affiliate links). Thankfully, he and I have been able to keep in contact. He’s worked with other incredible authors and speakers including my friends Jack Daly, Mark Goulston and Bob Bloom. He and Warren will be putting together a webinar that you need to consider if you’re an author that wants to build a sustainable platform. Below is the information from Warren’s site…

Book Marketing Strategists Warren Whitlock and Peter Winick announce a new value priced webinar series for authors who want to turn their content into self sustaining income streams while keeping cost inline.

“We have used webinars for clients to save on travel costs and get cost saving efficiencies, but I normally work one on one with my clients” said Whitlock. “Peter has done the same with some very large book and information product launches. However, we know there is a need for authors wanting this knowledge so we’ve come up with a program to combine our talents at a fraction of our costs. It’s our author stimulus package”

The Platform Roadmap Coaching Series is the least expensive way to engage the same top talent that millionaire and NY Times best selling authors rely on to focus not only on your book but to enable you to develop a business with multiple income streams such as keynote speaking, training, consulting and such.

The webinar series will be held in June with authors who are accepted into the program. The group will be large enough to lower costs, but much smaller than most online courses. Winick and Whitlock will supplement the webinars with private coaching to insure each other has a success.

Limited seats for new clients are available at http://PlatformRoadmap.com

Peter Winick has over twenty years of experience and has worked with a variety of thought leaders. In addition, he has built and managed several consulting and professional development organizations.

Warren Whitlock has been a serial entrepreneur over the past 23 years, focusing on book marketing, authors, publishing and conversation strategies for social media. He is co-author of the first book on Twitter “Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online”

My View on the Burns, Bacsik, Bowen Issue

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During a recent Spurs game, Mike Bacsik (@mikebacsik) wrote despicable tweets that would make most people cringe.  Today, Peter Burns (@peterburnsradio) and Bruce Bowen (@bowen12) hosted Mike to talk about the situation.  Unfortunately, the discussion between Bruce and Peter turned sour.  Each was passionate about their position.  Mike was wrong, undoubtedly, and some suggest that Bruce and/or Peter was/were also wrong.

I know that I’ve been wrong before in the past, even if it was just once, and I’ve said and done things that I wish I could take back.  I know though that I’ve been forgiven.  I’d like to ask you to forgive Mike and if you think Bruce was wrong and/or Peter was wrong, forgive them as well.  Check out Colossians 3:13-14 (MSG) – 13 Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you.14 And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

One day, I’ll certainly be asking for your forgiveness and I hope you’ll extend it to me.  I look forward to being able to do the same back to you.  It makes the world a better place because love beats anger, hate, frustration, fill in the blank – every time.  So, forgive that person that’s wronged you; show them love instead.  Lead the way and teach your enemy how to forgive.