Remark-able | Margie Albert

Tag: remark-able

Today’s remark – rules

– Posted on May 13, 2012 by Margie

Lou Holtz said, “Everybody needs four things in life: Something to do, someone to love, someone to believe in and something to hope for.” (I add we need to be valued when present and missed when we are gone.)

He also simplifies things down to three simple rules paraphrased in some cases:

Do the right thing – if you make a mistake say you are sorry and move on. No one is perfect but always try to do the right thing to begin with.
Do everything to the very best of your ability within the time allotted. Not everyone will be an All-American, not everyone can finish first, and not everyone can be great at everything. But give it your all in the time allotted and move forward.
Show people you care – really care. Ask how you can help them and mean it. If you are a consistent reader of my blog you know I write about this a lot!

He also says people have three basic questions:

Can I trust you? Without trust you have no relationship. Period
Are you committed to excellence? Best way to prove that is to do everything to the very best of your ability all of the time.
Do you care about me? Caring about others is not about making their lives easy or being their friend. It is about enabling them to be successful. a FOCUS ON CUSTOMER SUCCESS.

Think about someone you have a problem with and ask these three questions – is there trust, a commitment to excellence, and do you care? If any of the three are missing you have a decision to make. You can change it, live with it as it is or move on.

Much of this came from a recent column written by Harvey Mackay. It struck a chord so here it is with my twist. I think Lou Holtz and Harvey Mackay are both remark-able.

Today’s remark – generosity

– Posted on Apr 30, 2012 by Margie

I have been asked to speak to a group of broadcasters and received the list of others who will be presenting as well. I was thrilled to see a vendor on the list I particularly like and sent him a note asking how I could support him. I was somewhat amazed at the detailed note he sent back telling me exactly what I could do! I was also equally amazed he didn’t ask how he could support my efforts. It was all about him, his product and what I could do for him.

That got me to thinking. I talk endlessly about being generous with giving and expecting nothing in return yet do I live that philosophy? Why do I have expectations of others when I preach daily customers (whether they be vendors or advertisers) really only care about themselves?

And then it hit me – when someone shows they truly care about me I find them remark-able. They stand out from all others. In this case, I thought this vendor and I were equals but there is no such thing. It was up to me to be remark-able and generous with no expectations and that is how our customers feel every day. It is up to us to focus on their success and expect nothing in return. When we do this, from their point of view, we are remark-able and isn’t that enough?

Maybe I am naïve but I truly believe good things happen to good, giving people. I intend to continue being generous with a focus on your success and will only hope you find that remark-able. Care to join me?

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Today’s remark – every day, all the time

– Posted on Apr 24, 2012 by Margie

OK, it’s tough out there. Your owners (shareholders) are demanding improved bottom lines; your General Managers are feeling the heat from above and transferring it below. And we all know what rolls downhill, right? Everyone is feeling it every day, all the time.

Well, guess what? Your advertisers don’t care. They have their own problems! And they are looking to you to help them.

Here are some basic suggestions (frequently violated when under pressure):

Stop assuming a “no” before you really “know”
Be prepared, knowledgeable and eager to learn
Stop talking and start listening
Don’t be afraid to ask researched questions
Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know something
Never cut corners – do your very best on every call, proposal, email

Be honest with yourself –

Are you spending time preparing for each call? How much?
Are your questions thought-provoking or blah, blah, blah?
Are your proposals about you and your station or about them (remember, they only care about themselves)?
What do you do daily to grow your capabilities and knowledge?
How valuable are YOU (not your station’s audiences) to your advertisers? Would they be affected if you went away?

Introspection isn’t a fun exercise but we can all improve. Excuses are easy – our advertisers need and deserve the best we can give them every day, all the time. Providing that will make each of us remark-able.

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