Jon Carson Consulting - May 2021

Jon Carson Consulting - May 2021

May 2021

MY MAPLE BAR MASTERPIECE!

I’m a Taurus, which means I celebrate my birthday this month. Normally, at this stage of life, I don’t like to promote my birthday much. However, my mom always makes it a memorable day for me. She doesn’t send or make me a traditional birthday cake. Oh no, she does something infinitely better: She makes me a maple bar birthday cake.

I found this photo from my 9th birthday. I recall saying to her then, “Mom, I’m not very fond of birthday cake.”

She replied, “Well, what would you like instead?”

I really like maple bars, so without hesitation I requested maple bars. My mom didn’t just wrap up a store-bought maple bar in wax paper, though. She created my Maple Bar Masterpiece! And, of course, the number 9 candle on the top made it all the more special! As you can see, I had some hair way back then. My mom could have just grabbed a pastry from the grocery store and handed it off to me, but she made it much more memorable by adding her personal touch. Additionally, my birthday is now more significant every year because of my mom’s maple bar cake! I may be the only person in the world who gets a maple bar cake on his birthday, but I can’t tell you how special it makes me feel. Keep this mind when making a purchase for your company. The principle can be applied to even the most mundane purchases. The key is to ask yourself, “How can I turn a regular birthday cake into a Maple Bar Masterpiece?” A number of years ago, a friend of mine had to replace the football field’s surface with new artificial turf. He told me he was going to make an $800K investment for the school and not one person would even flinch at the expenditure. Ah-ha! Birthday cake into maple bars! He decided to install blue turf instead of the traditional green turf. At the time it seemed a strange choice to some folks. Today, however, the blue turf of Boise State is one of the most iconic sports marketing tools in college football. Another friend of mine had to purchase a fleet of 100 pickup trucks for his business. He could have gone with the color white for a clean, generic look like so many others. However, he decided to turn the birthday cake into a

maple bar cake and painted all of his trucks pink. I wouldn’t normally think of pink as iconic, but now most of his customers refer to Right Now Heating and Air Conditioning as “the guys in the pink trucks.” You may not be dreaming of a fleet of pink trucks, but when it comes to memorable marketing, it’s right up there with blue turf (or a Maple Bar Masterpiece)!

Find a way to make your normal, everyday purchases memorable. Thank you, Mom, for my amazing Maple Bar Masterpiece!

-Dave Tester

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CONFIDENCE IS KEY WHEN YOU WANT EVERY DECISION TO BE A TOUCHDOWN

If you’re a business owner, you’ve no doubt faced hard decisions. And when we say “hard decisions,” we don’t mean the ones you make on a daily basis. We’re talking about make-or-break decisions that have serious long-term consequences. Choosing the right path forward could mean years of business growth, but choosing the wrong path could be the death knell. With stakes that high, decision-making may not feel that exciting. The prospect of making difficult choices leaves many business owners understandably in a state of paralysis. You may stop and ask yourself: Am I making the right call? What if this endangers the livelihood of my business and my employees? This paralysis is normal, but it can prevent you from making the moves your business needs to survive. Luckily, however, you can change this initial reaction. According to David Meltzer’s book, “Game-Time Decision Making: High- Scoring Business Strategies From the Biggest Names in Sports,” you can be ready to make hard decisions before the buzzer signals the end of the game. As Meltzer’s book title suggests, decision-making in sports parallels decision- making in business. Business leaders can learn lessons from the court, field, or rink, even if they’re just sitting courtside.

than done. According to Meltzer, one way to boost your confidence is by surrounding yourself with people who support you and trust your judgment. Just like having an all-star team that trusts your judgment in the game, having friends and colleagues who affirm your decisions goes a long way toward building your confidence. It’s also important to have a positive mindset. It’s tempting to expect the worst from any decision you make, but according to Meltzer, the most confident decision-makers are those who have a positive outlook on the future. This makes sense, considering how challenging it is to move forward with a decision when negative thoughts are clouding your judgment. After all, no one ever made a game-winning touchdown after imagining all the ways they might fail to do so! While reading books like “Game-Time Decision Making” can certainly help you become a more confident decision-maker when everything is on the line, the fact is that confident decision-making comes with time and practice. So, if you want to be ready to beat the buzzer on your next tough decision as a business owner, surround yourself with a team that supports your call. Let their confidence in your leadership inspire your abilities, and remember: Don’t let thoughts about how your decision could go wrong stop you from making any decision at all. Maintain a positive outlook, put together an all-star team, and you’ll be making confident decisions in no time.

The biggest lesson is that confidence is key. But having confidence in your decisions — especially ones with serious consequences — is easier said

TESTER-

MONIAL Are you ready to better yourself and your business? Have Dave secret-shop your front desk today! Call 208-707-9807 or visit GoDaveTester.com for more details.

“I have worked with Dave for over seven years on myriad initiatives, from call training to recruiting and hiring. One thing separates Dave from other trainers and consultants: Every project we have worked on has resulted in a significant return on investment. Not only is my team better because of his training, but we also generate more revenue, period.”

Check out Dave’s new book, “Fearless Communication: How to Energize Your Team for Success on the Phone”

–Coby Baker CEO Alderus Mortgage

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HOW YOU CAN USE CUSTOMER STORIES To Make a Ki l ler Marketing Campaign

Stories are one of the oldest forms of communication. For as long as there has been language, people have used words to spin yarns and convey ideas. Today, when it comes to marketing your products, stories emotionally impact your customers in a way that mere facts never could. How do stories do this? According to behavioral economist and author Peter McGraw, memories are built on associations. When you form a habit, routine, or ritual, you’re essentially creating a new set of associations. Using stories, you can show how customers who use your product or service incorporate it into their rituals. If others see that your product has a benefit, they might be compelled to do the same.

tips that might help you curate the stories your customers share and see.

products and services helped them the most? Incorporating this information into your storytelling campaign can also ensure that those stories resonate a lot more with your customers. DITCH THE JARGON. Always remember to keep your stories short, to the point, and accessible. No customer is going to be interested in reading an eight-page white paper or listen to a testimonial that they can’t understand because it’s so full of industry jargon. That’s the beauty of good storytelling — it can impact anyone, transcending industries.

MAKE YOUR CUSTOMERS THE CENTER OF THE STORY. Many businesses make their product or their brand the hero of the story, but this isn’t the most effective way to grab your customers’ attention through storytelling. Instead, focusing on your customers, their rituals, and the success they’ve achieved can resonate a lot more powerfully. Of course, you’ll want to make it clear how your product helped them achieve success. MEET YOUR CUSTOMERS WHERE THEY ARE. Find a way to get customer feedback on the products and services your business provides. What do they like about your product? How have those

Before sharing testimonials of customers using your products willy-nilly, however, there are a few

Take a

BREAK

GG Gretchen’s Kitchen (My mom’s secret recipe)

Pea Salad

Ingredients

• • • •

3 1/2 cups macaroni

•

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

4 cans tuna

• • • •

5 tbsp lemon juice

4 cups cooked peas 1/2 onion, chopped (optional) 1/2 green pepper, chopped (optional) 1 celery stalk, chopped (optional)

1/2 tsp thyme

Corner Post MINISTRY

1/8 tsp black pepper

If you would like to listen to Dave’s spiritual podcast, visit CornerPostMinistry.com.

•

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

•

•

1/8 tsp salt

“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” – Psalm 30:5

Directions 1. Mix all ingredients, chill, and serve.

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PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

6700 N. Linder Rd., Ste. 156 #297 Meridian, ID 83646 208-707-9807 GoDaveTester.com

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My Maple Bar Masterpiece!

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Make Every Decision a Touchdown

Tester-monial

Why Customer Stories Are Your Best Marketing Tools

3 Tips for RVing on a Budget

BECOME A SAVVY RV USER And Save Money on Your Summer Road Trip This past fall, RV manufacturers reported a 31% increase in sales

mph or above in your RV, your gas mileage will drop. Furthermore, you can keep your gas bill in check by sticking to trips within your state, planning your route to avoid unnecessary detours, and leaving early to miss the traffic. Each little action could make a big impact on your fuel bill.

compared to 2019. This was no doubt related to an effort to stave off the spread of COVID-19, which had more families opting to take road trips and camp instead of going on tropical and European vacations. While the great outdoors can be the perfect affordable backdrop for family vacations, it doesn’t come without a cost.

You can hit the road without your bank account taking a hit with these three must-do tips!

STAY FOR FREE If you’re on a cross-country adventure, you will need a place to park and rest each night before continuing your adventure the next day. Rather than shelling out money every night, consider free options. Search for public land that’s part of the Bureau of Land Management or in a Wildlife Management Area that allows overnight camping. Walmart allows RV parking at no cost, but some locations pose safety concerns. To mitigate this, well-meaning RVers have listed Walmart locations with red flags. You can check them out at AllStays.com. SAVE ON FUEL Fuel could be your biggest expense, but you can cut down on the inevitable by driving slower than 60 mph when it’s safe to do so. Once you hit 60

RE-USE ITEMS IN YOUR HOME

You may have a long to-buy list for your RV, but not everything on there may be necessary. Before splurging on the latest gear, consider what you have in your home. Use old kitchen utensils and plates, cleaning supplies, bedding, and entertainment items like books and toys in your RV to save money and clear some clutter from your home. It’s a win-win!

Looking for more RV tips? Check out GanderOutdoors.com or download apps like AllStay, RVParky, and State Lines. Happy trails!

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