Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

Which SC&P Employee are You?

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imgresI LOVE Mad Men, and Sunday’s finale did NOT disappoint. And if you haven’t finished the season yet, stop right here.

You’ve been warned.

Don Draper is a terrible team player and employee. Sending him on an indefinite “Break” was exactly what he needed. Well, he needed to be fired, but he’s a partner so can’t be. He’s selfish, pompous, and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. Awesome qualities in a coworker AND boss.

And after the Season 6 finale I realized, CRAP. I’m Don Draper.  If I don’t want to do something, I don’t. If I think it’s a bad idea, I won’t waste my time on it. If I think something is a great idea, I’ll push for it.

It’s THE biggest reason I started my own company. It’s not fair to other people to have to deal with my Draper-esque tendencies (plus, scotch for breakfast is awesome! kidding!) And it got me thinking…

What Mad Men Character makes you uncomfortable because it hits too close to home?

Do you get too invested in your work and forget to have a life like Peggy?

Are you so desperate for your boss’s attention that you step on the people below you like Pete?

Are you destined for middle management and just doing your job until you get shot in the face like Ken?

Have you been there for ever and are just showing up for the paycheck like Roger?

Are you the new guy and a total brown noser trying to make it like Bob Benson (my favorite new character/mystery this season!) 

Will you do anything the company asks to create security for you and your child like Joan?

Are you neurotic and afraid of getting fired all the time like Ginsberg?

is your email address costing you?

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One of my clients has a couple of team members who STILL use an AOL email address. Others use Gmail but none were using an @company email when I was hired.

A few years ago at PSBJ I taught a workshop with a resume coach. One thing she said was that if you have an AOL email address on your resume, she’s probably going to stop reading your resume. SERIOUSLY. We judge people based on their email address. Don’t lie, you do it too. Sure you’re a better person than me, most people are. When your job hunting have a REAL email address. firstname.lastname@XYZ.com is ideal, or some combo of that-my personal email has my middle initial in it. If you work for a company, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be using an @company email address.

As a company owner here’s WHY you need to have employees using a company email address:

1. They quit and take all your clients with their gmail account

2. They DIE and no one knows their email PW (it happens, you never know)

3. If I contact a company via their website and yourmom85@aol.com replies to me, I’m going to take my business to mom@company.com.

4. they die and no one knows who to contact to get access to their email account

You don’t think it’s costing you business, but you’d be surprised at how petty people are. It’s unprofessional, trust me.

My client is now transitioning to company email accounts, but it’s a much slower process than expected, and I have one person who’s refusing and bothered I’m asking them to look professional. It’s an uphill battle, so start off your company on the right foot.

What else?

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IMG_2458I love going to the meat market by my house, it’s a bunch of curmudgeonly old men, who don’t say “okay sounds good” they only ask “What Else?” And then I keep buying stuff because they’re big and scary! Okay, not really, BUT how often do you ask your clients- “what else”?

What am I forgetting to ask here? What else do we need to talk about today? What was on your agenda? What else are you thinking about (work related…)? What Else?

The next time you talk to a client or meet with a client, make sure to ask “what else?” you may be surprised by the answer!