Bob Potter's Scratchpad RSS

i'm bob potter.

i post interesting tidbits worth remembering.

Archive

Dec
13th
Sun
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The web’s link graph isn’t a meritocracy - like everything else in life, it’s a popularity contest. Those who find the best ways to distribute, promote and market their works to the audience most likely to link to it are going to succeed much more so than just the “great content” producers.
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A customer who is made to feel grateful most likely becomes enduringly loyal as a result.

It’s this kind of thinking that helped inspire Hyatt Hotels to start rewarding customers with “random acts of kindness” — like picking up the tab for hotel massages or bar drinks.

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And yet, no face-to-face store had the boot in stock, nor did they seem all that interested in helping me get a pair. In fact, they didn’t seem to want my money at all.

Chris Brogan on What Timberland Taught Me About Retail

There is a great need for retail stores to educate their employees on how to listen to our needs (your customers) and show us you want our business.

Dec
9th
Wed
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How to Land an Interview (and human resource mangers have feelings too)

Here are two three ideas that A) you won’t find anywhere else and B) are based on the belief that:

Human resource managers have feelings too.

If consumers buy based on emotions and businesses buy based on emotion, wouldn’t HR folks act on emotion too?

Of course they do. Human Resource mangers are no less human than you or I. They are delighted by experiences like consumers are delighted by Apple’s beautiful products or Moo’s print products.

Creative Cover Letters
1. Write a creative cover letter that speaks to the company’s culture and demonstrates that you get “it”. Here is a cover letter I wrote to Apple and another to MailChimp. Both of them landed interviews.

Resumes that Command Attention
2. Wedding InvitationWhile all the other applicants are sending the same old machine readable resume that ends up in the paper shredder, send a resume that causes a human to actually read it.

What do you think would happen if you treated your resume like a wedding invitation?

Skip the “24 lb. watermarked and ivory colored paper” that every other job seeker is using and put together a resume with the same attention to detail, care, quality, and appearance of the wedding invitation to the right (with appropriate design of course).

UPDATE - Get them to RSVP
3. In your resume put a RSVP card in there instructing them to RSVP for an interview. Setup a form using Wufoo, link to it, collect their contact information, ask them what date/time they are available, and invite them to a coffee shop for an interview (your treat, of course).

If you execute either of these ideas, let me know the results.

(Image source via e.m.papers)

Dec
7th
Mon
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Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which has overcome.
— Booker T. Washington (1856-1915)
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[Newspapers] are in trouble because they forgot to build a scalable, profitable online model for commerce.
Dec
4th
Fri
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Here’s the secret to true happiness: Don’t run toward trouble, don’t flirt with temptation, and don’t hang out with bad people. Instead, dive into God’s Word and never come up for air.
— Psalm 1:1-2 (RRPV)
Dec
3rd
Thu
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Kimo’s high expectations set a new pace for me. He taught me “the standard pace is for chumps” - that the system is designed so anyone can keep up. If you’re more driven than “just anyone” - you can do so much more than anyone expects. And this applies to ALL of life - not just school.
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Your success as a manager depends upon one ability - to bring driven, passionate, and hard working “individuals” together to work as a “team”.
Dec
2nd
Wed
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Customer satisfaction is worthless — Customer loyalty is priceless!
— Jeffrey Gitomer