Keeping an open mind

Microscope

One of the most important lessons I learned from working for Dr. P. Michael Conn for nearly two decades was the value of pursuing a goal while being open to opportunities outside of that goal.

Dr. Conn was a scientist who performed basic (vs. clinical research) which means he looked at science on a cellular level. He studied the literature, developed hypotheses and his lab performed experiments to test these hypotheses. Every morning he met with his primary collaborator, the woman who ran his lab, to discuss the lab’s previous day’s work and what the day’s focus would be. Every day he reviewed and analyzed information. Continue reading

You Have a Social Media Program

Woman surrounded by social media bubblesYou have a social media program whether you know it or not: People are talking about you. And they’re probably doing it online whether you’re there or not.

They’re talking about your products. They’re talking about your services. They’re talking about your customer service.

Your competition is most definitely talking. They may even be listening.

So why aren’t you engaged in the conversation?

Doing It Right: Breaking Pointe

My pilates instructor, Kelly Recktenwald, is passionate about all things dance. So last week when I happened to catch the new show Breaking Pointe she was the first person I thought of, so I tweeted her. But, of course, by the time she saw the tweet the episode had finished.

Last night I happened to come across what turned out to be the second half of the second episode, so I tweeted her again. She was in allergy hell and missed the my message.

Aside: It just seems wrong to call or text to let a person know that a trivial reality show is on T.V. Ya know what I mean? I don’t know why, but tweeting seems a little less intrusive.

Anyway, imagine my surprise when I noticed this tweet from Allison DeBona: Continue reading

Embracing Negative Feedback

Face of an unhappy personWhat do you do when you notice that someone on Twitter is bashing your product? So many businesses just ignore negative feedback, using a head-in-the-sand technique. Why? They’re either hoping that by ignoring them the naysayers will disappear, they’re a little afraid of them or they just don’t know how to respond.

How do you deal with negative feedback or push-back from customers? Here’s what I suggest. Continue reading