Understand first that communication is the sharing of ideas, your thoughts and/or your feelings on a specific topic or interest. This can be done through your speaking, your writing and sometimes your gestures and overall attitude (body language). A Great Communicator knows how to use the “Power of Persuasion” to influence those around them to follow their lead. Mankind has always communicated in some form. Throughout history there have been those individuals that rose to the top of their profession or to the top of the conversation because they understood how to communicate in an extraordinary way. Here are 7 lessons for great communication:

1. Have a strong knowledge base of the subject matter. Know the variables, yet focus on the undiscovered strategies. Keep it fresh and keep it real.
2. Don’t focus on the written words so much, tell a story that captures the essence of the moment and the vision of a strong solution.
3. Understand the issues/challenges, and do not sugarcoat the problems. People expect honesty and will applaud your efforts to cut through the rhetoric.
4. Real-life experiences lend credibility to your position. Paint a picture so that people can understand the message with ease.
5. No jargon and no beating around the bush. Use plain English, Spanish or German (whatever your language may be) and get to the point.
6. Define what you want people to do or expect from them. This becomes an opportunity to issue the ‘call for action’.
7. Sincerity can not be fudged. If you are trying to pull one over on your audience – chances are slim you’ll get away with it.

All of these points equate to confidence. The more confidence you have with the conversation, the more effective and believable you will be. In the political field great Presidents were defined by their communication skills. Presidents such as Harry Truman, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln to name a few – knew that above all else – communication was the key to impacting public opinion. Each had obstacles and differences with the American People, but each knew the power of the spoken word. President Ronald Reagan arguably was the most effective communicator this century. In fact he was often referred to as the “Great Communicator”. Even those who disagreed with his policies, knew and understood that he was confident and a leader – his vision and communication skills set him apart like no other!

When you think of Chairman and CEO of General Electric Jack Welch, Virgin CEO Richard Branson and Apple CEO Steve Jobs; you immediately think of them leading their respective businesses through the power of communication. Some leaders stand apart from the masses because of their ability to persuade others through the power of the spoken word. They know how to grab more attention, create headlines, close deals, but mostly they know how to excite the people around them.

Each of us has the potential to be a “Great Communicator”, to rise above the noise and impact the conversation around us.

Sweaty palms, throbbing knees, dry throat. Sounds like you’re about to sit down for that all important interview. Remember it’s understood going in that this is not your chosen career – you’re a voice that wants to be heard however, you are an expert in your chosen field or you might be involved in a breaking story or new technology. Whatever the situation is, stay comfortable in your skin, never let them see you sweat – use extra deodorant that morning!

It’s no secret that most people hate to sit down in front of a camera or a mic for that dreaded or inspiring interview. It can be nerve-racking but doesn’t have to be. Let me help you out with these tips:

Be yourself. Please do not go into the interview attempting to be someone you’re not! When you ripoff another personality other than your own – it shows, that’s why most people come across as a phony – it’s because they are! Sincerity is the name of the game.

1. Listen carefully with two ears and talk like you have one mouth. Answer the question. Don’t offer up a diversion because you prefer to distract the interviewer and confuse the audience. By answering the question, you will rise above most others and your chances of being invited back increase exponentially.
2. Do not make excuses, the facts are the facts. If you have the confidence in the subject matter – then let it rip. If you don’t know something, then don’t lie and do not apologize. Honesty works well here. Avoid the sorry, I didn’t mean that – which will put more of a focus on what it is you’re trying to ignore. But keep in mind that there are some things you are expected to know – so prepare for the interview.
3. Look the interviewer in the eyes. In fact look everyone in the eyes. It’s a fact that when you’re looking all over the room and avoiding eye contact – you will never be taken seriously. This can only showcase your fears or avoidance of something that you don’t want to address or confront.
4. Dress smart, look good and feel good. Wear clothes that are professional, inspiring and speak to who you really are. First impressions are called that for good reason. Make yours count!
5. Let the interviewer know about your skills and accomplishments. Clearly explain what you can do and what you know. Nobody will know about your skill set unless you tell them! This is not about arrogance, it is about confidence.  It’s good to brag!
6. Enthusiasm is contagious. People hangout with, talk to and want to be around people they like. Smile, treat people well and let the chips fall where they may. Again, Enthusiasm is contagious!

How we connect with people and the conversations we have are certainly changing. Consider that 65% of adult internet users now say they use a social networking site in their daily routine. For many it’s the first thing they check in the morning, even before pouring the morning joe. What is even more amazing is that the senior population is embracing social media like never before. Among Baby Boomers aged 50 to 64, 32 percent said they use a social networking site on a typical day. That’s up sharply from 20 percent a year ago.

Pew Internet & American Life Project reports the following:

695 MILLION – Number of Facebook users.
148+ MILLION – Number of Linkedin users.
140 MILLION – Number of tweets created each day.
2.5 BILLION – Number of visits Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn together received in one month alone.
164 MILLION – Number of active blogs.

More than ever before in history, people are connected in their daily lives and not just in their communities, but around the world. We are seeing a new phenomenon in communication. We’ve seen leaders in countries across the world struggle with how to control the conversation and keep the order when social media spreads the word like wildfire. Social media is here to stay, but there are some very simple rules of the road that we can all follow.

1. Protect your loved ones by enforcing basic house rules for your children. It’s important to monitor without violating their privacy (not an easy task for sure). You can never tell who is on the other end of the line.
2. Learn when to turn it on and turn it off. Too many people are overly consumed with staying connected and have lost the value of face-to-face meetings and human contact. There is a time and place for everything.
3. There have been reports that using social media while driving is equally as dangerous – if not more – than driving under the influence. Decide if your life is more important than the last tweet you sent out!
4. Do not over sell your contacts. Too many people are pushing their sales agenda relentlessly  without considering the time and value of nurturing relationships. People want to engage with people who want to help them – not sell them everything under the sun.
5. Keep a steady stream of valuable information and insight that can improve lives. Social Media is a great place to build your personal and professional brand, but you must stay at it.
6. Invest time. Intrigue those around you. Intellect is the name of the game.

When you think about products that have completely transformed society and changed the course of direction to transform our lives – a few stand out amongst others. The automobile, the television and the computer are at the top of that list. Computers continue to transform our lives in terms of productivity and complex problem solving. The internet may be directly affecting the evolution of the human brain. The question is whether we can apply our new-found “brain space” for data storage and memory to more creative uses. But is it changing the way we think and ruining our lives? Some claim yes!

A recent report titled Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips sheds some light on how the internet is changing the way we store information. It seems the advent of the Internet, with sophisticated algorithmic search engines, has made accessing information as easy as lifting a finger. No longer do we have to make costly efforts to find the things we want. We can “Google” the old classmate, find articles online, or look up the actor who was on the tip of our tongue. The Internet has become a primary form of external or trans-active memory, where information is stored collectively outside ourselves.

Dr. Betsy Sparrow, an assistant professor of psychology at Columbia and her collaborators, Daniel M. Wegner of Harvard and Jenny Liu of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, staged four different memory experiments. In one, participants typed 40 bits of trivia — for example, “an ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain” — into a computer. Half of the subjects believed the information would be saved in the computer; the other half believed the items they typed would be erased. The subjects were significantly more likely to remember information if they thought they would not be able to find it later. “Participants did not make the effort to remember when they thought they could later look up the trivia statement they had read,” the authors write.

The study seems to indicate that with data accessibility our need and use of memory cognition and recall decreases- if so, is the internet dumbing us down or enhancing our intellectual ability? Well- that is up to you folks! The theory that humans use less than 10% of their brain is simply not true. People may choose to take the easy way out by not extending their ability to learn, process and retain information – but that’s their choice. I would argue that this is exactly why some people achieve more than others. Why do some people have the ability to make millions of dollars, while others choose to live a simpler life? It is not necessarily that the simpler life is the standard for people that are stupid- or the more PC term, low IQ.. The simpler life is a choice, just as the choice to reach higher and achieve extraordinary accomplishments can only be made by you. I always joked over the years that I needed to buy more RAM (random access memory) for my brain as I was on overload. People would laugh at this statement because of course you can only buy RAM for your computer. But what I was really saying is that I am storing so much information on a daily basis, how can I download some of this information out of my brain?

If we have the means to store and study data at a moments notice – it’s a good thing! I would like to see more of society use that new-found brain space to become more creative in their lives. Everyone (including you) has the ability to be creative. Think of it as problem solving. If you are capable of solving a problem, you are creative! It’s that simple. This puts you on the path to becoming a Brink Thinker my friend and that’s a conversation we’ll talk about on another day…

When the politicians are running their campaigns to get elected on jobs, jobs, jobs – then you know the country has an unemployment epidemic. If you were to highlight the top three factors that have resulted in the deep recession that has impacted America, they would be:

1] Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

2] Real Estate Crash

3] Dysfunctional government

While I do believe these are arguably the top three, I am sure you could add to this list and find many more. Let’s focus on jobs. 1 in 3.5 Americans have been impacted in some way by unemployment. The underemployed is a number that you never hear discussed in the media or political circles. However there are a significant number of Americans who have given up looking for work and others who have settled for part-time work. If we are to be successful in renewing our commitment to solving the unemployment puzzle, then it all starts with JOBS.

Here are 5 factors that will aide you in getting Out Loud in your search for a job:

1] This is the time to evaluate your life goals. What is it that you want to do when you grow up!! Understanding the difference between a job and a career is critical if you’re to be successful in finding the ultimate position. You need to recreate that PASSION in your life. Follow your instincts and that enthusiasm will spread to the interviewer.

2] Position yourself as an asset, not a liability. It’s all about bringing VALUE to the bottom line. How can you help the company grow and how can you bring value to their bottom line?

3] Be yourself and be sincere. If you are to be successful in being Out Loud then you need to know when to talk and when to listen. Out Loud does not mean that you need to be heard at all times – it does mean that you are truthful and direct. As I always say if you don’t want to hear the real answer – then don’t ask the question!

4] What is your Personal Brand? Everyone has one. How do you want to be perceived? What is the lasting impression you wish to make? Every factor and detail go into who you are and what you believe. You are always being judged and that’s the bottom line. Do not deviate from your Personal Brand (unless you truly stink). By the way, it is true – You only get one chance to make that first impression – make it count!

5] Stop complaining and get creative. Develop and design a unique resume and approach to finding that perfect position. Creativity has everything to do with problem solving. Place problem solving high on your list. Get yourself out into the surrounding communities and do more than network – build relationships. Relationships will only come to you when you stop trying to oversell. The smart people around you will see and feel the difference immediately.

Five elements to factor into finding that perfect career and position. It’s time for everyone to Get Involved and GET LOUD!

The phone-hacking scandal that saw Rupert Murdoch close the UK’s News of the World newspaper has riveted the media world. How does the top management in an organization not know a scandal such as the size of this one – not exist? Hollywood may very well take this real life event and make it into a blockbuster. In the mean time enjoy this preview…

“Human memory is adapting to new communications technology.” says Betsy Sparrow, an assistant professor of psychology at Columbia.

We can probably all agree that the internet has completely changed our lives. The methods in which we gather information and store that information has quickly evolved over the past two decades. This is both good news and bad news in how this translates into a more productive society. Sure we can accomplish more in a shorter period of time perhaps and we may take on more than we ordinarily would have – which is great for productivity but the down side is that we have become completely reliant on technology. When something goes wrong we feel the impact. The biggest question with our new found technological lifestyle is – Are we becoming lazy (mentally- we already know Americans have become physically lazy) as a society?

Dr. Sparrow and her collaborators, Daniel M. Wegner of Harvard and Jenny Liu of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, staged four different memory experiments as reported in the New York Times. “Participants did not make the effort to remember when they thought they could later look up the trivia statement they had read,” the authors write. The experiment explores an aspect of what is known as transactive memory — the notion that we rely on our family, friends and co-workers as well as reference material to store information for us.

The Internet’s effects on memory are still largely unexplored, Dr. Sparrow said, adding that her experiments led her to conclude that the Internet has become our primary external storage system.

My Out Loud bottom-line is that the rise of technology in our lives is not a bad thing – as long as we remember to interact with those that are important in our lives. No technological device of any kind can replace the touch of a human relationship my friends. Please don’t lose sight of the most important and precious of human interactions – a pad, a pencil, a conversation and two people who want to make a difference in the world.

By the way, the image in this column is thanks to TUAW and Chris Rawson. “They said it best: The Star Trek geek in me has to point out that these handheld boxes we use to access a huge storehouse of information, supplementing our comparatively limited “wetware” memories, is similar in many ways to the Bynars from the first season of The Next Generation. Those fictional aliens were reliant on their equivalent of the internet to a vulnerable extent, however; without their central computer, they’d be unable to survive.”

It’s always good to step back from the daily grind and take in different perspectives that are completely unbiased. I just arrived back to the states after a three week trip to the Middle East and Europe.  These conversations were with real people, not government or talking media heads. I can say this with certainty: there are many mixed feelings about America. Some think we are a bully, some think we’re on the path to destruction and some see us as the great nation we are. I asked a few questions and thought you’d enjoy the feedback:

Is America exerting its power and influence to the point of ineffectiveness? Many believe that we are, but seem to be grateful that America is always on the job. Our involvement in the Middle East is of great concern to people everywhere. However people recognize that the instability in this region of the world has great consequences for all of us. The American military machine is over worked and stretched thin. People recognize this around the world and are concerned that we may not be able to react in the manner in which we need to when the next crisis breaks out.

Are we pushing Democracy down everyone’s throat? Much of the uprising in the Middle East is due to a lack of basic human needs – food, water, shelter, and healthcare. Many people appear to be quite content with their own form of government and even prefer to pay higher taxes and give up control to the government when basic human needs are met. America has a philosophical belief that people everywhere want or deserve our form of democracy. That is simply not the case.

Perceptions of President Obama as a world leader? Most see him as ineffective as a leader, particularly as a world” leader. Much is do to the economic crisis that America finds itself in and the domino effect our continuing recession has on other national economies. Unemployment in America and the Great Recession are taking a significant toll on this administration.

How do others believe China will influence future world events? I asked that question to many of the people I met during this trip and I’ll say this – they are deeply concerned. People recognize that China is buying everything up and infiltrating other economic bases on a wide scale. Their involvement in Africa, South America and Cuba is not going unnoticed. While China continues to invest in their own infrastructure as well as foreign investments, America is spending their trillions of dollars policing the world. What’s wrong with this picture?

How are Americans characterized? The answer to that question varies greatly on who you ask and what area of the world their from. Most people see Americans as hard working and caring people who want to impact change in a most positive manner. They also believe we have become lazy and are no longer the pioneers and innovators we once were-that we have a sense of entitlement bordering on arrogance and ignorance.

If you ask what they think about the United States Government – that’s another story. The political bickering and partisan politics in regards to our federal deficit and addiction to spending is definitely having an impact on America’s reputation around the world.

This is one for the record book.  While on a trip through Europe, I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon in the beautiful country of Slovenia. What better way to see the beautiful coastal town of Koper, Slovenia than by a horse-drawn-carriage? Cobble stone roads, quaint villages along with it’s architectural flair and fascinating history make this bustling small city a gem! Lorraine and I had the pleasure of riding in the carriage on this day with Robert and Inaka – a lovely couple from Holland. Our journey began along the quiet roads in a small town setting but quickly changed as our horse-drawn-carriage merged onto a major interstate. I’m talking a busy highway with lots of traffic. At first we thought the driver was going to stay in the emergency lane somehow and venture off at the next exit. While strange, it made more sense than the alternative. The alternative was to pull right in front of traffic in one of the lanes and slow the entire highway down to a crawl. Our driver did the latter, which caused many looks, grimaces and blaring horns.

It made for a most unusual and enjoyable afternoon. Finding the humor in the situation with us was a wonderful couple from Holland. Amidst all of this, Robert made a comment that stuck with me, “Malcolm, everything and anything is possible”. It gave me pause as the words resonated with me.

Assuming the driver had done this before, I quickly accepted it as their usual protocol for a country horse ride. The unusual nature of the journey was completely confirmed by the police officer who pulled us over. By measurement of the stares on the faces of people as the officer on motorcycle pulled us over and gave the driver a ticket – this was not a typical route that this horse-drawn-carriage had taken before. We never did find out what inspired this driver on this day to take this route. The driver did not speak any of our languages, but he did keep saying “No Problem”, as he took it all in stride.

Stranger things have happened, I am sure. However on this particular afternoon, I was reminded that “everything and anything is possible” in this big wide world we live in. It also reminded me how inspiring and good people are from around the world.

Thank You Robert and Inaka.

“We are either progressing or retrograding all the while. There is no such thing as remaining stationary in this life.” James Freeman Clarke

If you’ve put your life on idle, then let this be a wake up call for you. Too many get caught in the everyday life of average. Average goals, average results equate to an average existence. You’re either pushing the boundaries of life or those self-imposed boundaries will push you.

We are losing it: That’s the conclusion of a study on innovation and competition. Globally Singapore is now ranked #1 in coming up with new stuff. The U.S. has now fallen to #6 behind Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark and South Korea.

“America has a problem: we’ve abandoned the spirit of innovation. In an attempt to get rich quick and create a steady stream of auto-pilot income, young entrepreneurs have turned to derivative businesses with no long term value – casting aside the spirit of innovation along the way. The result is a multitude of clever but generally meaningless businesses whose sole purpose is to entertain and advertise. Allowing this mentality to further penetrate the heart of entrepreneurship puts the economic future of our nation at risk.” An interesting column that is worth the read.

America is losing its competitive edge. Innovation has become nothing more than a buzz word that companies and their high-strung executives throw around. The new survival mechanism in this economy is to cut expenses, spending and payroll rather then grow the company to improve the bottom line. A growing government that is bent on over regulating and over spending has shifted the American business scene into that retrograde mindset. Government must invest in our business community. Not the big business bailouts, but the heart and soul of America, small business. Government must get out of the way and offer incentives to young entrepreneurial minded executives to step out and pursue their dreams. Removing the barriers to starting and running a business is the key to more  innovation in this country. In return those small companies must encourage their people to stretch the boundaries and pursue their best ideas and take a chance every now and again on a far reaching idea – after-all that could be just the idea that puts that company on the map.

Bring Innovation to the forefront of your team:

1. Make it policy that each employee/manager take one hour out of their day to dream
2. Take one day a month to get out of the workplace and change the environment to change the mindset
3. Collaborative exercises focus on everyone’s involvement
4. Encourage risk-taking – get people to the absurd stage
5. Provide the means of exploration for those early ideas that you can’t initially put a price on
6. What are some of the desired outcomes? Don’t limit, just explore
7. Consider new measures to solve an old problem
8. Question everything and then question again
9. No milestones in the idea stage – timelines can prohibit success early on

Yes we are headed the wrong way on a two-lane road. Yet there is time to turn it around and shift America forward!

The surest measure we can implement in moving our economy forward again is to provide the environment with the tools for executives and companies to take their ideas all the way to the Brink.

The energy echo gets louder and louder every election cycle. It starts just about this time every four years just like clockwork. You can set your calendar almost to the day. The echo can be heard through both political parties and will generally last through November of the following year – in this case November 2012. The date when America elects the next Commander in Chief.

It was just four years ago that the presidential candidates descended on Iowa promising to do whatever it takes to promote ethanol. The key to ethanol is the abundance of corn that is grown throughout the mid-west. The Republican candidates are seeking their position on ethanol and alternative energies as things begin to heat up in the race for the White House. Rep. Michele Bachmann who is a native Iowan, has professed support for ethanol production as part of an energy strategy, but she has been cautious regarding subsidies. “When it comes to ethanol, I think that it’s a part of our solution, but there’s concerns about that because of the subsidies. I think it’s just something that we have to look at going forward.”

“Political pandering comes in all shapes and sizes, but every four years the presidential primary brings us in contact with its purest form — praising ethanol subsidies amid the cornfields of Iowa” says former Sen. John Sununu.

Iowa GOP Governor Terry Branstad had this to say: “There are plenty of people that recognize that we need to have an energy policy that doesn’t rely solely on oil but also increases our wind energy,” he said. “There are a lot of things that we can do differently to reduce our dependency on foreign oil.”

Out Loud: Alternative energy is nothing but a political tool and a vacuum to suck up as many votes from the most gullible of Americans, until the American public hold these politicians accountable for their hot air. Will we continue to spin our wheels with the foot firmly pressed on the brake – which equates to us getting nowhere? Families are paying the premium at the pump while Washington continues to play ping-pong with the Middle-East. America is being held hostage by these deranged dictators.

Two points to consider:
1 – Aggressively pursue alternative energies and yes subsidize them only if it’s legit and proven to be for research and exploration of alternative energies.
2 – Make the process less painful when it comes to opening up drilling here at home.

There are many sources of energy that are renewable and considered to be environmentally friendly and harness natural processes. These sources of energy provide an alternate ‘cleaner’ source of energy, helping to negate the effects of certain forms of pollution.

1. Nuclear Power
2. Compressed Natural Gas
3. Biomass
4. Geothermal Power
5. Radiant Energy
6. Hydroelectricity
7. Wind Power
8. Solar Power
9. Wave Power
10. Tidal Power

Our future is completely tied to alternative energies and our capacity to lead once again! A task that will only be embraced by the Brink Thinkers of our great country.

While most advertisers stay clear of a controversial scandal such as the one that Rep. Anthony Weiner finds himself in – Spirit Airlines seems to enjoy and embrace such scandals. Spirit has a history of merging current events with aggressive advertising campaigns.

Spirit sent an email to its customers with the message: “Check out our Weiner Sale boasting fares just too hard to resist! Of course the airline is playing off the lewd-photo scandal of New York Congressman Anthony Weiner.

In 2009, the airline ran an “Eye of the Tiger Sale” to cash in on the Tiger Woods scandal. Spirit’s homepage featured a tiger driving an SUV into a fire hydrant to promote its $9 fare sale. Remember that one?

And then there was the promotion that Spirit ran on Virgin Airlines. Spirit: ‘We’re no Virgin! We’ve been cheap and easy for years’.

The airline has also had some fun with acronyms. In February 2010, it ran a promo called MUFF to diving destinations. MUFF, of course, stood for Many Unbelievable Fantastic Fares. That was preceded by a MILF promo (“Many Islands, Low Fares.”) Now while some people found that campaign to be very funny, there were those that were highly offended by it.

Is Spirit Airlines crossing the line and why do they insist on running such edgy campaigns? Very clearly to create the media buzz and extra punch that comes with such a promotion. Let’s face it – if they placed an advertisement on their rates in the local papers – it would never get the traction that one of these edgy campaigns get. It’s additional exposure (I know another pun) for sure! Anytime you can create a social media buzz and get the mainstream media talking about your product or service – you’re well ahead of the game.

Spirit has been growing exponentially and with new routes to the Caribbean and Latin America, the Miramar-based low-cost carrier flew more passengers in May than any other airline. So it clearly isn’t hurting them! Maybe it’s time for you to consider you’re own promotional and advertising needs for your business.

Would you be willing to implement such bold messaging with your own brand?

How do families relate to such a promotion? If you’re going to fly your family on a vacation- would this sorta message prevent you from using the airline?

Amazon goes Gaga and gives away 3.2 million dollars in free music.

Why would any company in their right mind sell something for 99 cents that actually cost them $8.39? That’s a loss of $7.40 a unit folks. In this case Amazon sold 430,000 units of Lady Gaga’s brand-new LP, “Born This Way,” for a total loss of $3.18 million. I’m no math professor, but this is certainly not what we were taught in school. The pure economics of this promotion makes no sense – or does it?

Why launch a new product in the red? Remember the saying ‘that it takes money to make money’? Well that is exactly correct and Amazon knows that and decided to put their money where their mouth is. The fact of the matter is Amazon needs significant media exposure if they’re going to have any chance to compete with iTunes. Amazon needs to increase its MP3 market share along with their new products, Cloud Drive and Cloud Player. The key to this promotion was to drive people to their site and bring awareness of their new products. The additional media exposure that Amazon received was worth plenty to their brand. Certainly beats running a traditional ad campaign.

So how can you benefit with your own promotion?

1] The best promotion is a wild promotion. If you want to get their attention, make it an offer that is wild but yet understood that you’re doing it for a specific reason. You don’t want the ‘too good to be true scenario’.

2] Never compromise on your quality or value! Give away the best so that they’ll come back for more. Too many executives give away junk thinking it doesn’t matter because it’s a deal anyways.

3] Put the press behind your promotion. Send out releases to emphasize the promotion. Remember the media will only pick up on it if it’s a wild promotion, it must be newsworthy.

4] Use social media and online venues, i.e. email campaign – to push out the promotion. You must create hype around the activities.

5] Consider giving away a percentage of proceeds to a not-for-profit. Bring in a worthy and known cause that will also get behind the promotion. Create a win-win.

6] Be sure to begin getting the word out regarding the promotion well before the promotion is ready for prime-time. Freshen up your website in advance of the promotion.

7] Be prepared by handling all the details. Create a thorough list of activities including inventory levels and media tools, etc. A great promotion is always well planned. Plan. Anticipate. Execute.

The National Debt is the topic of much conversation these days. And why shouldn’t it be – we’re $14.3 trillion in debt. This didn’t happen overnight and it wasn’t created by one political party. It’s difficult to wrap your mind around these numbers – hell it’s difficult to understand what a billion dollars is, let alone a trillion. The fat cats in Washington have been working on these numbers for years. It’s difficult to put this in terms that we can all truly grasp however. Recently I thought Dave Ramsey did an excellent job of doing exactly that.

Dave Ramsey: “The federal government will take in $2.173 trillion in 2011. That’s their income, and it sounds pretty good. Until, that is, you factor in that the federal government will spend $3.818 trillion during the year.”

How any government can spend almost two to one what they take in is mind-blowing. So much for being the poster child on capitalism. What kind of example does this make for the rest of the world? While other countries are investing in their infrastructure, their people and their future – America is busy investing in interest payments and subsidizing wars around the globe. “Because the government is projected to run a $1.5 trillion deficit this year, it must borrow money to cover its obligations, ranging from military spending to interest on existing debt.” reports the Wall Street Journal.

Dave Ramsey: “If their household income was $55,000 per year, they’d actually be spending $96,500—$41,500 more than they made! That means they’re spending 175% of their annual income! So, in 2011 they’d add $41,500 of debt to their current credit card debt of $366,000!”

If you tried this at home, they would be knocking at your door threatening to take you away. What credit card company in their right-mind would extend a line-of-credit to this debtor? Of course not, they would be shut down. You couldn’t work these kind of numbers in your home and you certainly couldn’t work them in your business.

Dave Ramsey: “It works the same way for our government. You can’t borrow your way out of debt, whether you’re a typical American family or the entire U.S. government. At some point, you’ve got to say, “Enough is enough!” and make the hard cuts necessary to win over the long haul.”

Well said Dave. Enough is Enough. Many Republicans and some Democrats have said they won’t vote to increase the debt ceiling without an accompanying deal to cut spending or tackle such longer-term fiscal problems. They argue the debt ceiling is a good venue to force changes needed to help secure the nation’s solvency.

What about the argument that not raising the debt ceiling will jeopardize the ‘full faith and credit of the United States Government’?

Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, said reaching the debt ceiling “should be a warning bell to the political system that it’s time to get serious about preserving our full faith and credit.” The Obama administration says a default would tip the U.S. back into a financial crisis, reports the WSJ.

What about owning up to the debt that we created in the first place? It seems to me that this government is comfortable with passing this debt onto our children and grand-children just so that they can be comfortable and save-face! Get spending in order and stop acting like you have lots of money to give away. No more borrowing! Cut spending and live within your means Uncle Sam!

Like everything in life, we pay or suffer the consequences. This generation needs to fix the problem that we created and not look like the cowards that we are surely becoming!!!

As the price of a barrel of oil continues to escalate and gas prices skyrocket at the pump, Americans are growing very weary of Washington’s ability to manage our energy needs. Conversation has heated up again as to whether we drill here at home off of our own coast or invest heavily in alternative energies. There is always the other alternative, continue to be held hostage by OPEC or as we have affectionately come to know them – the Consortium of Middle East Bandits.

President Obama spoke out this week “The US will seek to expand domestic oil production in an attempt to reduce dependence on imported oil and bring down fuel prices.” This of course will bring out all the environmentalist and anti-drill people you can imagine. In fact since the BP Oil spill even Americans who would have agreed to drill close to home are uncomfortable with the risks. The questions we continue to ponder are – Do the benefits outweigh the risk? Can enough quality measures be put in place to prevent another disaster such as the BP disaster of 2010?

While we continue to ponder and debate, Cuba appears to be moving forward with an aggressive plan to enhance their own energy needs. According to NPR a Chinese-built oil rig is due to begin drilling this fall in an area geologists believe may have huge beds of undersea crude which is located just off the deep water of Cuba’s north coast. This would create thousands of jobs and Cuba could go from being a net importer of energy to an oil exporting country. That would completely change the dynamics of the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba as the drilling would take place just 60 miles off the Florida coast.

Guess what happens if a major disaster takes place? You guessed it: America would be in the “Major Disaster Oil Cleanup Program” once again as that oil would be all over the state of Florida. “The question is how you minimize the risk, and there’s only one way to minimize the risk, and that is to have the kind of collaboration with Cuba that we have with Mexico or the Bahamas or any other country that is exploring for oil in a way that is potentially damaging to the U.S.,” says John McAuliff of the Fund for Reconciliation and Development.

Will Americans ever be comfortable again with drilling so close to home? A question that can only be answered over time.

Will Americans be comfortable with opening up trade and relations with Cuba once and for all? A question that can only be met with a resounding YES!

Looks like Washington may need to review this relationship from an entirely new perspective. We’ve spent decades penalizing the people of Cuba all for the sake of one man and an ideology that differs from ours. If we don’t start to work with the Cubans then the next crisis may very well be “The Bay of Oil”.

We’ve all been confronted by the obnoxious sales person whether it be a knock on your door one evening or at a kisok in the center of a mall. The process of selling has become very convoluted, when all along it’s always been about ‘providing a need’. This is obtained by the uncovering of the PAIN points. Every business/organization has PAIN points. Your job is to uncover those pain points.

Product knowledge, packaging and marketing play into the sales game; however if you don’t fill their need and cure their pain points – you will have little chance of succeeding.

It always comes down to relationships. People do business with people they like and trust! Trust is obtained when you do what it is you say you’re going to do, not when you shoot your mouth off with empty promises. It truly is a simple formula people.

Need +Pain + Trust x Relationship = Sales

There are 5 basic rules when it comes to ‘Bringing in the Bacon’. Smart people do not and will not be (over) sold. The key to sales is and always has been:

1. Bring real value to the project/conversation
2. Do what is in the best interest of the client/audience and not your wallet
3. Give more than you ever take (I call it the 150% rule)
4. Get to the point and do not waste peoples time
5. Be Real: Be Yourself: Smart people can tell a phony almost immediately

As you can see, the game of sales is not for the weak people who have nothing of value to add to ones life. If you can’t fulfill these 5 rules, then get the hell out of sales.

It’s all about adding value to ones life people. Most people suck at sales because they believe that it’s all about what they’re selling and not the needs and pain of the potential customer. That is it, if people know that you are trustworthy, sincere, have their best interest at heart and that you will not take advantage of them – then you will succeed 99.9% of the time. And those odds I’ll take any day!

www.MalcolmOutLoud.com
www.MalcolmOutLoud.TV

It continually amazes me how an upcoming election can and will change the dynamics of politics in Washington. Three recent initiatives by the president are game changers and are escalating his poll numbers.

1. Drilling: In his weekly address President Obama insisted the US could reduce its need for imported oil and improve safety. “The US will seek to expand domestic oil production in an attempt to reduce dependence on imported oil and bring down fuel prices. New leases for exploration will be granted in non-protected areas of Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico.” says the president. Bottom line: Out of control gas prices have angered many Americans and the president stands little chance of winning if he can’t get gas prices to drop at the pump.

2. Subsidies: The president urged Congress to back proposals to end taxpayer subsidies to highly profitable oil companies. Consider that the top five multi-national oil companies have raked in $1 trillion in profits over the last ten years. These are some of the most profitable corporations in the world, and yet they receive $4 billion in subsidies from American taxpayers. Bottom line: The Republicans better get with it – Americans are not going to allow their hard-earned money to pad the wallets of rich oil executives while their being squeezed at the pump.

3. Bin Laden: When the news broke that Bin Laden was dead – Americans were in a state of shock. When the details became clearer – that state of shock was actually a state of disbelief. Many Americans felt that President Obama was weak in foreign affairs and that he lacked the fortitude to authorize such a risky mission in the first place. Bottom line: It took a decade, but in the end it was Obama – not Bush that captured Bin Laden.

All of this good news spells trouble for Republicans as 2012 elections are just heating up. President Obama’s ratings are up double digits, and it may very well win him another term in the White House. Of course in the world of politics, anything can happen and probably will.

My bottom line and Out Loud Commentary: As a conservative, but more importantly an American – I congratulate President Obama for his tenacity in the killing of Bin Laden, his leadership in fighting the oil companies over the subsidies and in taking an aggressive stance in drilling, especially after the BP oil spill. Now if he could only do something about the NFL Lockout…

It’s the age old question: How do we make government accountable for their actions? And How much government is too much government? 24/7 Wall St. examined the records of many government agencies and news reports about important agency failures to fulfill their mandates and reported the following top ten failures:

1-Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme
Responsible Federal Agency: The Securities and Exchange Commission
2-Heparin Contamination Scandal
Responsible Federal Agency: The Food and Drug Administration
3-Epsilon Marketing Security Breach
Responsible Federal Agency: Federal Trade Commission
4-Drug-Resistant Meat
Responsible Federal Agency: The United States Department of Agriculture
5-Hurricane Katrina
Responsible Federal Agency: Federal Emergency Management Agency
6-BP Oil Spill
Responsible Federal Agency: Minerals Management Services
7-Sleeping Air Traffic Controllers
Responsible Federal Agency: The Federal Aviation Administration
8-Walter Reed Medical Hospital Neglect Scandal
Responsible Federal Agency: The United States Military
9-Mattel Lead Paint Toy Recall
Responsible Federal Agency: Consumer Product Safety Commission
10-Southwest Airlines
Responsible Federal Agency: National Transportation Safety Commission

I’ve been asking the question for years…

How do we get the brilliant thinkers to run for political office?

When you see the level of talent in our corporate board rooms, you quickly understand that there are plenty of smart, enthusiastic people across America. Just recently I asked Florida Governor Rick Scott why more of our “A”  students were going into business instead of government where leadership and talent are so desperately needed. His reply was “One has to be willing to put up with things being said about them”. Scott should know as the media has given him a few punches. Donald Trump knows this and now Speaker Newt Gingrich knows it too. So, in order to be a public servant and represent the people you better be tough enough (and your family and loved ones ) to handle the constant scrutiny, criticism, spin and outright hostility and attack that the American media and public have heaped upon our leaders.

Politics is dirty business people – we all know that. When the only people you have getting into public office are the people that are so squeaky clean that not an iota of negative press or history exists – then you basically have the people that are going to play it safe or always determine which way the wind is blowing before taking a stand. They’re not the people that are going to risk a damn thing! The entrepreneurs and executives on the front lines of Corporate America are the people that have fallen down and picked themselves up and dusted themselves off and moved forward again. It’s called “Failing Forward”. America did not become America by playing it safe people. Our best day happened because someone took a chance. Our best innovation happened because someone took a leap of faith. And clearly the people who take the chances are the business people – not the politicians.

If I can get Out Loud with you for a moment. Those of you who are easily led by the media and their cheap ’sound-bites’ need to get a life. You are the problem. Just because you sit home on your rump complaining about whatever it is you like to complain about – you do not have the right to be so critical of those who have stepped out and been knocked down a few times. If we want the smart creative people to get into and stay in public office then we can’t expect and demand vanilla, one-size-fits-all solutions.

Enough with all the cheap talk. Put Up or Shut Up!

It’s fairly easy to be critical of others, especially when you’re not the one being criticized.  We are often most critical of our political leaders, our business leaders and those that stake out opposing view points from our own view points. However there are life lessons to learn from those that you may not necessarily agree with.

By now everyone knows the rise and fall of Governor Charlie Crist. His time in Tallahassee as Governor of the Great State of Florida has come under much scrutiny since his departure. I’m not sure how he lost his way as a true republican in his rise to the highest office in the state, maybe he somehow got distracted with his mission. Charlie Crist served one term as Governor for the state of Florida and as we all know, he lost his bid for the US Senate to Marco Rubio. Some would argue that it wasn’t even a full term, as the distractions started early on.

His own party became quite frustrated with Crist as their differences became all too commonplace. As soon as Governor Rick Scott took the helm, many of the bills Crist vetoed were reviewed and resurrected. It was most difficult to understand what exactly Crist stood for. Did his ambition get in the way of the job that he was elected to do?

5 Lessons of Leadership Failure:

1. Don’t tell people everything they want to hear just for the sake of being popular. Stake out your position and stick with it!
2. Always remember to look before you leap. Understand the consequences of each decision you make – perception is reality in most cases.
3. Never burn the bridge behind you. Sometimes there may not be a door that opens back up quite so easily as the door you came in.
4. Talk is cheap, if not backed up with action. Action is costly, if your principles are being sacrificed.
5. When you stake out new ground or a new career, never sell yourself out. Do something you truly love – money should not be your motivation.

If you’re interested in seeing what Charlie Crist is up to these days, you can click on the following story: Charlie Crist Now Just Another Ambulance Chaser. The YouTube video is priceless.