Rise25 - February 2021

Rise25 - February 2021

rise25.com

PROFITABLE CONNECTIONS

February 2021

3 Easy Ways to Shower Your Clients And Referral Partners With Love

Valentine’s Day is more than a fun excuse to enjoy a nice dinner with your partner. It’s also a great time to celebrate the people that make your business possible — your clients and referral partners. But, as with any relationship, people can forget about how you feel about them. You have to remind them with thoughtful actions. The “thoughtfulness” quality is key. Even small actions can make a big impact if you put thought into them. So, if you’re looking for places to start, we have three ideas for you that we utilize all the time at Rise25 and have used for years at our previous businesses. First, we strongly recommend that you feature your clients and referral partners on your podcast. You might be thinking: But what do we talk about? That’s up to you. Do your work by researching and preparing questions. Make sure you’re ready to be a great listener and podcast host for them. Featuring them is a great way of giving your clients and referral partners love while showing them off to the world. Emphasize that you’ll be posting their episode over 15‑plus different channels, including iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more. It puts their brand and company over many different channels that will build goodwill.

Second, buy gifts that become conversation starters. We love to give gifts that are personalized or funny.

Recently, we sent a gift to our client Austin Clark, who is in the pest control industry. Before we sent our gift, Jeremy called and said, “Austin, we’re sending you something. Once you get it, let me know your family’s reaction.” A few days later, Austin’s family opened the gift and found three bags of flavored crickets and insect lollipops. The crickets were actual whole crickets, flavored with sour cream and onion or cheddar. The insect lollipops had scorpions, ants, and other bugs inside a candy sucker. We got a call from Austin, telling us how his kids squealed in disgust and no one wanted to try the lollipops. One thing’s for sure — it was not a gift they would soon forget. Lastly, send your clients or referral partners a text message or call once in a while. Sometimes, we’ll be listening to an audiobook and come across a chapter that makes us think about a client. We might take a screenshot of that chapter on our phone, then text it to the client, saying, “Hey, this book is really good, and this chapter made me think of you. Check it out!” It can brighten someone’s day when you let them know that they’re remembered and a valued part of your life in some way. Maintaining relationships isn’t easy — but with small, thoughtful efforts, it doesn’t have to feel like work. It’s fun to enrich and broaden our life experiences by connecting with people. Creating a podcast can help you take a great first step, but there are so many more ways to show that you care. What’s your go-to way to shower love on your business' clients and referral partners? We’d love to know! Have a wonderful February, friends.

Dr. Jeremy Weisz & John Corcoran

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The COVID-19 Economy Demands Happy Employees — Even Remote Ones! It’s Not Just for Silicon Valley Anymore

You know those businesses that are just different ? Think of Costco, Vistaprint, Whole Foods, and Southwest Airlines; they are great to do business with, you can tell the people who work there are happy — and you just know they’re killing it from quarter to quarter on their earnings report. Even during COVID-19, they’ve kept on trucking. The secret they know is that one great employee equals three average employees, and it’s cheaper to pay superstars 150% or more of the average industry wage to keep them around. What would it look like if all your employees were superstars? For starters, you might have weathered the pandemic better. Those kinds of employees are flexible problem- solvers who roll with whatever is thrown their way, and they stick around through tough times. On the flip side, if you saw people quit, I doubt they were all that happy or adding value in the first place. But how do you stop other employees from following in their footsteps? To make employee transitions easier, try the open exit. Under this plan, employees notify their manager when they start looking for a new job, sometimes months in advance. This allows you to keep their schedule flexible for interviews, and they can use you as a reference. In turn, during times of turnover — like the pandemic — you’ll have 6–8 weeks to find and train their replacement,

and your business won’t be short- staffed while you ramp up a new hire. Ideally, that new person is at full capacity by the time the old employee actually walks out. It pays to show the love. That can be tricky with remote workers, but good pay is one good way to do it. Benefits are another: Resist the urge to make your remote employees contractors! But don’t neglect the small things, either. A birthday card or note of appreciation in the mail can make all the difference. It’s tempting to view the flexibility of remote work as a reward in and of itself. But do your systems allow for true flexibility, or do they keep your employees stuck at a desk or constantly on the phone? Streamlining

your business, with employee input, is something we should all be doing.

Many books and training programs have other ideas on this topic. Try “Uncontainable: How Passion, Commitment, and Conscious Capitalism Built a Business Where Everyone Thrives” by Kip Tindell. I also recommend “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Passion, Profits, and Purpose” by Tony Hsieh. Finally, D.H. Hansson and Jason Fried’s “Remote: Office Not Required” is required reading for anybody doing business remotely these days. It's anyone’s guess what 2021 has in store, but no matter what it is, you can’t afford unhappy employees. Read up, and then level up your business.

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Fraser Gets Keys to the Citi The 1st Female CEO of Any Major Wall Street Bank

Since Jane Fraser, Citigroup’s former president and CEO of global consumer banking, was named the bank’s new CEO, she’s been profiled by People magazine, interviewed in Time, and discussed extensively by the news media. That makes sense: Fraser is the first female CEO of any major Wall Street bank. She’s also bringing new thinking to the sometimes stodgy industry, and those in the world of finance and business are watching her carefully, especially because Fraser will be leading the company through one of the most turbulent markets in recent years. That turbulence extends beyond the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout. Last summer’s protests over racial inequities have many Americans blaming capitalism itself for injustices, and Fraser is attuned to that. “The wealth gap is disrupting society and has caused people to lose faith, and so much of the problem comes down to access,” she told Time. “The average Black family in America has just one-tenth the wealth of the average white family.” Fraser worries that the economic fallout from the pandemic could exacerbate these inequalities if not addressed. She believes that solving this dilemma starts at home. Citi recently divulged statistics regarding the pay gap between its male and female employees, and Fraser is pushing for more diversity in its workforce. Citi’s focus on elevating “the talent that exists” among women and people of color is part of what led to Fraser’s consideration as CEO. As she put it to Time, “the biggest impact we can make as a bank is through our core business capabilities.”

And that’s an important point to make when many are doubting our system's ability to address inequality. But Fraser has always been a problem-solver. According to The Financial Brand, she led Citi’s Corporate Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions group through the 2008 financial crisis — a position enviable only for the paycheck. She moved people and assets around, freeing up smaller companies that could be sold to help make up for the losses everyone was experiencing at the time. In an interview with LinkedIn, Fraser also emphasized the importance of having a balanced life. One game-changer for her as a mother was realizing “that you can’t do everything at the level you are comfortable with.” Plus, leading a balanced life makes for “better leaders and far better professionals. You have to have the courage to say, ‘This is my path’ — and the organizations have to support it.” Clearly, this approach has taken her far. It’s taken Citi far as well. They’ve weathered the pandemic admirably, getting everybody home safe and working remotely when possible. Where others were struggling to stay afloat or make the transition, Fraser says Citi didn’t miss a beat. In fact, the pandemic has helped dramatically increase the rate of digital banking adoption by consumers and clients. Any time there’s a shakeup in a major Wall Street player, there’s potential for upheaval. Will Fraser’s appointment lead to turmoil? Or will she lead the industry into the future, addressing the needs of the public as she does? Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain: It won’t be business as usual. Handing out cards is now a well-loved Valentine’s Day tradition, but have you ever wondered why? It’s in the Cards Why Valentine’s Day Is the Ultimate Card Holiday There are legends that the originator of this holiday tradition was Saint Valentine himself. One story says that on the night before he was set to be executed, Valentine wrote a small letter to a jailer’s daughter. He ended the note with “Your Valentine.” It’s unknown whether that story is true, but to 18th century Europeans and Americans, it was inspiring! So inspiring, in fact, that the entire Valentine’s Day industry began to gain traction.

Rise25 Podcast Spotlight

"The Performance Enhancer Podcast" Dr. Ruchir Sehra

"NexxtLevel Brands Podcast" G. Steven Cleere Featuring: Thought-leaders in the CPG industry "Your Secret Is Safe With Me" Dr. Marie Murphy Featuring: Specialists on relationships, communication, and infidelity "Inside Auto Podcast" Aharon Horwitz and Ilana Shabtay Featuring: Automotive experts and leaders

Featuring: Top leaders on performance and health

"Engaging Experts" Round Table Group Featuring: Influential attorneys and expert witnesses

During the 1700s, it became fashionable to trade Valentine’s Day cards with a short poem or verse. The popularity of swapping cards only increased throughout the 1800s. Sometimes, people would go as far as to paint or draw spring-like images on the cards. Today, Valentine’s Day cards are an ingrained tradition, and now people can’t get enough of them!

"The Tax Resolution Ninja Show" Allan Rolnick Featuring: Leading experts on all things tax-related "The Pencil Kings Podcast" Mitch Bowler Featuring: Top artists and creatives

Go subscribe on iTunes!

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Inside This Edition

1.

Shower Your Clients And Referral Partners With Love

2. 3.

Did You Learn From the COVID-19 Economy?

New Citi CEO Shakes Things Up

What’s the Deal With Valentine’s Day Cards?

4.

Lockdown Ads: Have You Seen These Ones?

Well, That Was Fast Advertising in the Time of COVID-19

Almost a year ago, most of the United States entered a period of lockdown in an attempt to thwart the spread of COVID-19. For marketers facing an economic crisis, this presented a conundrum unlike any they’d seen before. On the one hand, it was likely that spending would drop, although the increase in nationwide unemployment payouts helped mitigate that. On the other hand, they now had a “captive audience” like never before, with people streaming movies and television from home at a record rate. The lifestyles of those consumers had changed dramatically — could advertisers meet the challenge?

in several large American cities, but it had yet to crack the national market. As their ads put it, they wanted to be a coast-to-coast solution for new car sales, and our newly confined circumstances meant many more Americans were interested in Carvana than before. The company dumped money into its streaming ads, and the results speak for themselves: Bottoming at $30 million in March, their stock was valued at more than $200 million just a few months later. Some advertisers settled for merely reflecting the new norms of remote life and work in their advertising, with mixed results. If we weren’t tired of the Zoom-focused Progressive ads featuring Flo and cohorts back in spring 2020, we’ve surely grown tired of their hard-to-parse antics by now. No matter who’s doing the advertising, studies done as early as April 2020 found that many consumers were tired

of being reminded of the pandemic every time they sat down to watch TV. With national anxiety at an all- time high and mental illness spiking during the pandemic, that’s no surprise. People didn’t want to face the reality of the virus every 10 minutes due to advertisements. On the other hand, some businesses were just hampered by circumstance. Carnival and Norwegian Cruise lines both ran aground with their streaming ads focused on spring and summer getaways. These seemed especially tone-deaf given that cruise ships made headlines at the time as vectors for massive COVID-19 spread. But the true loser of 2020 advertising was Corona beer. The poor beverage company never stood a chance.

They certainly tried.

For retailer Carvana, the virus was almost a boon. The Tempe, Arizona- based auto seller had already gained fame for its “car vending machines”

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Rise25: Helping B2B Businesses Build Profitable Connections

to Get More Referrals Today 4 Strategies

We are big advocates and proponents of hiring your biggest advocates and champions. Take some time to understand your biggest supporters. They may have referred several clients to you already. Are you putting money back in their pockets? Whenever there are opportunities for you to hire them or to use their services, grab the chance. Don’t expect them to give you the service for free. Put money back in their pocket by showing them you value their work and appreciate the time and energy they spent advocating for you. Referral Strategy No. 2: Pay to support your biggest advocates and champions. Referral Strategy No. 1: Give referrals without expectations. The best way to get referrals is to give referrals and make introductions without expecting anything in return. When you do this, you will find that people want to help you. So, ask your best clients, best referral partners, and best strategic partners who they are most interested in connecting with right now. You never know how you can help until you ask. When you make a mutually beneficial introduction, people will want to do the same for you. Referral Strategy No. 3: Have a podcast and leverage the principle of reciprocity. We are huge advocates of podcasting because it is a great way to give to your network. When you profile someone else’s work, career, and/or services with a podcast, you are promoting them across multiple media channels and platforms in one shot. But, more fundamentally, you are spreading the word about what they can do and what they offer. This will motivate them to repay the favor, which will result in more referrals and recommendations for you. Robert Cialdini talks about the law of reciprocity in his book “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.” It’s a win-win all around.

Referral Strategy No. 4: Have a formal referral program. Having a formal referral program allows you to pay your friends commission for their referrals. Starting and actively using your referral program is a great way to appreciate your network. It does not mean you think your friends and champions are only referring to you because you have this program. On the contrary, it’s a great way for you to recognize them for supporting you, and this gives you the opportunity to support them in return.

How to Always Fill Your Pipeline With Incoming Clients and Referral Partners With a Podcast (Get ROI Without Cold-Calling)

If you are a B2B business, schedule your Referral Pipeline call

• Get More Referrals • Connect With Hard-to-Reach Ideal Clients

• Do Business Development & Content Marketing at the Same Time

• We review your current referral marketing plan. • We brainstorm your ideal client and referral partner niches. • We also provide partnership insights from our 20 years of experience. Here’s what you get in your Free 30-minute Referral Pipeline call: Schedule Your Free Referral Pipeline Call NOW Email [email protected] or text 773-570-0594. Offer ends Feb. 28 and is limited to the first 3 people. Contact Us Don’t miss this killer opportunity — we have limited time slots!

Email [email protected] or text 773-570-0594.

BONUS : All 3 people will also receive our “Predictable Podcast Profits” Masterclass (that we exclusively sell on Rise25.com for $1,500) absolutely FREE!