Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

July Pop Culture Round Up

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Remember when summer just had reruns on TV? Yeah, me too. I miss those days. July has been a great pop culture month – and some of that is because it’s my birthday month which means more pop culture gifts! The other reason July is awesome is because of San Diego Comic Con. I’ll get there some day… I have thoughts on a few announcements from SDCC at the end of the blog. Here’s a few things I’m enjoying (and a few things to come…)

Reading

Last month’s Book of the Month was the new David Sedaris Theft by Finding. It’s his journals from 1977-2002. I’m currently in the mid-80’s. It’s an easy read, which means it’s also really easy to put down and get distracted by other reading materials (or Twitter. Usually Twitter).

I did find some time to catch up on comics, which is always nice. I’m still really enjoying The Mighty Captain Marvel (fun fact – the writer lives in the Seattle area!) And I think Hawkeye is my current favorite series – if you liked the Jessica Jones Netflix series check this out! I’m also caught up on The Walking Dead for once, and was very happy to see the Season 8 trailer out of Comic Con this weekend that they’re going to do the time jump which I loved in the comics!

Birthday Gift Books included…Fetch, a graphic novel about a woman’s really bad dog, which I can’t wait to read (I liked her previous work). it sucked and then i cried – I really love the blog Dooce and didn’t realize she’d written a book a while back, I can’t wait to read it even if it’s about pregnancy which I can’t really relate to. I also just got Star Wars Super Graphic which is pretty fantastic so far! And I picked up The Boy on the Bridge which takes place in the same universe as The Girl with All the Gifts which is a great book I read a couple years back.

Listening 

My two new favorite podcasts are NOT political – you’re welcome. A Piece of Work is from Abbi Jacobson who is one half of Broad City (a show I can’t wait to return next month!) In this podcast mini-series (10 episodes I think) she talks about art and artists and chats with her famous friends about pieces of art. As an art nerd, this podcast has me searching for pieces of work I don’t remember or haven’t seen before. It’s great.

Ear Hustle is my other new favorite podcast. It’s created, produced and staring San Quinten inmates. And it’s really really interesting. If you’ve ever watched a show set in a prison and were intrigued, you should be listening to this podcast. My only complaint is episodes are every OTHER week. I can’t wait that long!!!

Watching

If you caught my newsletter this week you caught a sneak peak of what I’ve been watching. I also saw Wonder Woman again because it’s THAT GREAT.

I’m loving this season of Game of Thrones so far. They are very clearly preparing for the end of the series – and I’m excited for who all is going to die in the process (mostly because I’m in a survivor pool so it’s more interesting…)

I finally finished Master of None – it was off to a slow start but I’m glad I picked it up and finished the season. I especially liked the business story line and making tough choices to do what’s right over what will make you a success.

I am finally watching this past season of Fargo. I really loved the first two seasons, and I’m really glad that Carrie Coon got an Emmy nom for anything, but she’s great in this season.

After a lot of nagging from my dad and others I’ve watched two episodes of Chef’s Table on Netflix and they have been fantastic. I love good food porn and this show does NOT disappoint.

I was REALLY disappointed with Friends from College however. It has all the right people to be a fantastic show, and yet, it’s really really bad.

And I finally caught up with Catastrophe which was wonderful and amazing as always. I’m super curious how next season will play out, specifically with Carrie Fisher gone. If you haven’t watched this great show on Amazon, please get it together and watch right now.

Comic Con Excitement

San Diego Comic Con is always right around my birthday which means a LOT of fantastic trailers and movie/tv news come out, it’s a perfect gift. A few things showed up that I can’t wait for….

A Wrinkle in Time will be perfect. So will Episode 8 and not just because of my amazing birthday present.

Stranger Things S2 seems scarier than S1 (and I usually watched an episode of Parks & Rec after each episode so I could sleep…) The Defenders looks really good, and holy awesome villain! Atypical also looks really sweet and funny.

I think I missed the last Thor movie but Ragnarok looks pretty fun. Justice League is up on my list strictly because of Wonder Woman. Bright looks really interesting and like the kind of movie I’ll watch on a lazy Friday night.

But the movie I am most excited for is one of my all time favorite books…

What pop culture have you loved this month? What did you see at Comic Con that you’re excited for?

5 Ways to Maximize Your Membership Benefits

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When I first start to work with a client, we will often talk about what organizations they’re a member of. If I am helping with their online presence I’ll review their online profiles and make sure that they are fully filled out and maximizing the benefits of their membership. I am SHOCKED at how frequently small business owners don’t maximize their benefits. You paid a lot of money to join this group, make sure you get EVERYTHING out of it! Here’s 5 Ways to Maximize Your Membership Benefits…

  1. Fill Our Your Profile – Why is this such a challenge? Right now, schedule 30 minutes in the next week to review all organizations you’re a member of and fill out your profiles. Maybe they just need to be updated. Make sure you have your headshot and logo (if an option). DO THIS. It’s the easiest way for other members to find you!
  2. Get That List! Many organizations include access to their membership lists. If it’s a physical mailing list then create a postcard or offering to send them. If you get email addresses then send an introductory email (through an email program like Mail Chimp) or maybe a drip campaign depending on the rules (some organizations say you can contact members ONCE). Sometimes the organization will send something on your behalf – make sure to do this!
  3. Freebies- Some organizations, like OEN (where I’m a member) give you free passes to try out different types of events they offer. This is a GREAT idea and a good way to check out some different kinds of events you may not otherwise think were the right fit.
  4. Create a Specific Offer – It may be something you promote in your profile or when you attend events. It may just be something you offer when you are meeting with individual members. For organizations where I’m a member I have created discount codes for my Kick Ass Follow Up Templates.
  5. NETWORK – I am SHOCKED at how many of my clients pay a LOT of money for memberships to organizations and then never attend events. Your profile alone isn’t going to bring you business. People will hire you, refer to you and respond to you better if they have a face to go with the name in their inbox or from that profile. You have to go to the events. Why would you join the organization if you never intended to go meet the members? The more time I spend engaged in an organization the more referrals and connections I receive. I can account for multiple clients because we networked at the same organizations before they hired me.

What other member benefits do you always make sure to take advantage of?

I’m Not an Expert, And Neither are You

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I was talking to someone the other day and they mentioned they want to be positioned as an expert in their field. As we all know, Malcolm Gladwell says that’ll take us 10,000 hours. Hop to it!

Expert, Guru, Maven – there’s a variety of ways we can present ourselves as an expert in our field. And I’m hoping to  never refer to myself as any of these things. I’m a business owner, who’s found my niche with small business owners, helping them with their newsletter and marketing efforts.

Should I be an expert? Maybe. Should I be on Facebook? Maybe. My ego isn’t at a place where I need you to think I’m the best at something and I have to do ALL THE THINGS to prove it. I have found my success in doing what I like to do, doing it really well and making my clients happy. When I do that, they refer business to me, colleagues refer business to me and I haven’t panicked about where my next client will come from in well over a year.

Are there people who are better at this and have more bells and whistles than I do? Sure. And if that’s what you want, you’re welcome to work with them. I understand. If you want to pay that premium price for an expert who will stick you into their cog, go for it!

I’m grateful to have found my niche and thankful for the clients who want to work with me.

And, when I hire people, this is the method I prefer. I’d much rather you show me how awesome you are instead of tell me.