Sklar Technology Partners - July 2020

Sklar Technology Partners - July 2020

JULY 2020

7462 Old Hickory Drive, Mechanicsville, VA 23111

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www.sklartechnology.com

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804-730-2628

$5 TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE How I Used Facebook Live as a Force for Good

interview videos really kicked off when I talked to Dr. Jonathan Schaaf, a doctor who has been treating patients infected with COVID-19. Turns out, folks really wanted to learn about the virus without politics getting involved. These interviews were a lot of fun to do, but I didn’t realize the true potential of these videos until I talked to Mark Smith, owner of Midas of Richmond. ‘It’s never wrong to do the right thing.’ In addition to running four Midas car care franchises, Mark regularly supports local causes. His shops host blood drives for Virginia Blood Services multiple times a year, and he regularly helps raise donations for our local food bank, Feed More. During our interview in late April, Mark announced a new program called MOR Good Deeds – 7 Days a Week. For the month of June, Mark challenged Richmonders to do one random good deed every day. Anyone who sent Mark a list of 30 good deeds they’d performed would get a free oil change. “It’s never wrong to do the right thing,” Mark said. “Every one of us can make a difference. If all of us did just a little, that would do a hell of a lot.” $5 to Make a Difference Mark’s words really spoke to me. Inspired, I got in touch with ASK, an organization dedicated to helping the families of children who have been diagnosed with cancer. Taking a page from Mark’s book, I decided to use my growing platform to raise money to support ASK. During the drive, I asked viewers to donate just $5 to ASK. In exchange, they would be entered to win

small parking lot. For years I’ve been telling him to set up curbside pickup/drop-off. Then the social distancing order was enforced and suddenly he discovered it was the ideal situation. They say necessity is the mother of invention. In this case, necessity is what finally got folks to get serious about adapting to the 21st century. I’m not completely off the hook in this situation. I also waited until a pandemic to do something my mentor has been pushing me to do for years: Facebook Live videos. With so many people holed up in their homes, social media sites and streaming services saw a huge uptick in traffic. Facebook alone had an over 200% increase in activity, and I knew I needed to take advantage of it, so I finally turned on the camera and started recording. I made a promise to myself that I would do a new video every day and make a habit of it. For five days in a row, I recorded new videos, keeping everything upbeat and usually covering great things I was seeing from local businesses. This was right when the pandemic was really hitting hard, so I figured people would enjoy hearing something happy. Turns out, I was right. I began to get feedback from folks letting me know how much they enjoyed the videos. Live With Randy Sklar Once I’d found a groove, I wanted to take my videos to the next level. Inspired by the interviews Joe Rogan does on his shows, I branched out and started doing Facebook Live interviews. I interviewed personal trainers, dieticians, even my buddy who owns the bowling alley, River City Roll, which he turned into a grocery store during the pandemic. These

This is the third financial crisis I’ve experienced while running a business. The first two were related to the dot-com bubble of 2001, which nearly killed our business, followed by the 2008 Great Recession, which happened when I was running the business. While the COVID-19 pandemic is a new experience for me, I have a lot more confidence navigating the challenges of the resulting financial crisis we find ourselves in. This time, I didn’t just look for ways to make sure Sklar Technology Partners survived and thrived — I took the opportunity to do some good in our community. This spring, I partnered with ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation. Using the unexpected power of Facebook Live videos, I helped raise money for the organization. When I look back on how I got here, I’m kicking myself for not doing this sooner. Adapt, Digitize, or Die I’ve been warning people about the digital revolution for years. I even wrote a book and have a podcast called “Crushing It In the Digital Revolution” about it! But I never expected it would take a global pandemic for businesses to finally embrace the level of technology and digitization they should have been using already. For example, my veterinarian has a

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Security. Availability. Support. .................................................................................... 804-730-2628 • 1 A REFERRAL IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF FLATTERY. WHEN A CLIENT REFERS FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES TO US, IT REPRESENTS AN APPRECIATION OF A JOB WELL DONE. IF YOUR FRIENDS OR ASSOCIATES COULD BENEFIT FROM OUR SERVICES, I’D BE HONORED TO HAVE YOUR REFERRAL!

5 Tricks to Enhance Your Charisma on Video Selling Remotely? Don’t Lose Your Personality!

We should always hold ourselves to a high standard. Aiming to deliver a great product or improve on the last job is how you keep growing. But there’s a big difference between wanting to be better and aiming for perfection. Neil Patel, digital marketer and co-founder of Crazy Egg and Kissmetrics, has compared the “elusive glory” of perfection to a unicorn. STOP WAITING FOR UNICORNS Are You Too Hung Up on ‘Perfect’?

“Sure, it sounds great,” Patel says, “but who’s actually seen one? I’d rather ride a real horse than wait for an imagined unicorn.”

While it’s great to aim big, the trouble with trying to be perfect is that you will never get anything done. You never reached out to that prospect because you couldn’t compose just the right email that was guaranteed to seal the deal. You never launched that new software because you’re still working out all the bugs. Your website still looks like it’s from 2001 because you couldn’t find exactly the right font for your landing page. Searching for perfection is how you get lost in the weeds. While details matter, if you’re obsessing over the color of the signposts, then you’ll never reach the finish line. This isn’t to say you should settle for doing things halfway and calling it good. Rather, if something has been done well, then why would you go over budget or miss a deadline in order to make it “perfect”? Aiming for perfection prevents us from improving or sometimes from ever even starting. If you want to improve your health, then you could spend weeks searching for the perfect gym and creating the perfect workout routine, or you could go on a walk this afternoon. Tomorrow, you can try going for a run. If you find yourself constantly chasing after perfection, shift your mental focus. Instead of emphasizing the final product, focus on the process. If riding the horse you have will get you to where you need to go, then why are you determined to arrive on the back of a unicorn?

Odds are if you’re a successful salesperson, you’ve cultivated a “sales personality” crucial to closing your deals. However, if you’re used to working face to face, it can be a challenge to translate your charismatic persona to the screen when you need to sell remotely. Video calls are a step in the right direction because they reveal body language and facial expressions, but they’re still not ideal. To make sure your charisma pops, try these handy tricks: 1. Secure a top-quality connection. Nothing kills the mood on a video call faster than a disintegrating picture or crackling audio. That’s why it’s crucial to test your mic, speakers, camera, and platform thoroughly before you use them with clients. If they can’t hear or see you, your personality doesn’t stand a chance. 2. Set your stage. Every sale is a performance. Is there an uncluttered, calming backdrop behind you? Are you the right distance from the audience (the camera)? Does your costume fit the part? When all of these things are done right, your personality will take center stage without unnecessary or annoying distractions. 3. Exaggerate like an actor. According to Psychology Today, posture, gestures, and facial expressions are key to communicating well over video. That means you need to be focused and constantly aware of them. Amp up your positive reactions, like eye contact with the camera, affirmative nods, and leaning in to listen, and tone down your gestures to avoid smacking a crucial piece of tech. 4. Ask questions and listen actively. A key part of a great sales persona is showing genuine interest in others according to Inc. magazine. When you can’t read the mood of a room, asking questions and listening closely will help you gauge the temperature. A subtle head tilt and hum of acknowledgment will help you come across as more empathetic and inquisitive. 5. Master the mute button. If your neighbor starts the lawn mower or your dog starts barking, it pays to be quick on the mute button. Having fewer distractions means your charisma is more likely to shine.

With these strategies in your back pocket, your sales mojo will continue flowing, even from a distance. Good luck, and happy videoconferencing!

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DOES SUNSCREEN PREVENT VITAMIN D ABSORPTION?

Summer is finally here. After spending most of spring holed up inside, we’re all ready to catch some rays and boost our vitamin D levels. Faced with growing concerns about vitamin D deficiency, many people have decided to ditch the sunscreen in order to make sure their body absorbs enough ultraviolet (UV) rays. However, medical experts warn that this is a dangerous, potentially deadly decision.

Department of Health and Human Services and the World Health Organization have identified solar UV radiation as a carcinogen. Studies have shown that regular use of sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher reduces your chances of developing squamous cell carcinoma by about 40%, melanoma by 50%, and premature skin aging by 24%. Regular sunscreen use is necessary to protect your health. Additionally, the idea that sunscreen use leads to vitamin D deficiency is groundless. Clinical studies have never shown that daily sunscreen use leads to vitamin D deficiency. This is because no matter how high a sunscreen’s SPF may be, some of the sun’s UV rays still reach your skin. An SPF 15 sunscreen filters out 93% of UVB rays while an SPF 50 sunscreen filters out 98%. This is good news because it doesn’t take much sun exposure for your body to produce vitamin D. If you’re worried about your levels of vitamin D, then talk to your doctor about getting a blood test. If you are vitamin D deficient, your doctor can help you come up with safe ways to get more vitamin D. These strategies may include changing your diet or taking supplements. It is important to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D, which helps maintain bone health by regulating calcium levels. However, risking skin cancer in order to raise your vitamin D levels is not a safe strategy. Feel free to get plenty of sun this summer, just make sure you apply sunscreen before you go out.

It is proven that regular sunscreen protects you not just from sunburns but from skin damage and deadly forms of skin cancer. Both the U.S.

Spicy Salmon Cucumber Bites

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Ingredients •

a prize package filled with great goods and services from some of the people I interviewed in my videos.

1/4 cup paleo mayonnaise 1/4 tsp smoked paprika 1/4 tsp Tabasco, or to taste 1/2 lb salmon, cooked 1 tbsp minced shallots 1 tbsp chopped chives Salt and pepper, to taste 1 English cucumber, peeled

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The package included a three-month gym membership, house cleaning services, a box of groceries, bottles of wine, and even lawn care services. In addition to giving this package away to someone who donated to ASK, I put together a second package to be donated to someone in the medical field who has been on the front lines fighting the virus. This was my way of saying thank you to those who have risked so much to keep our community safe. The drive was a great success and helped bring attention to their mission. Thank you to everyone who watched the videos and donated. In a time when a lot of folks felt powerless, it felt great to come together and support a good cause. Doing these Facebook Live videos has been a lot of fun, and it’s something I plan on continuing. If you’ve somehow missed all these videos, then you can find them on my personal Facebook page as well as on the Sklar Technology Facebook page at Facebook.com/SklarTechnology. Take a look and let me know how you’ve had to adapt and digitize over the last few months.

4 cherry tomatoes, quartered for garnish

Directions 1. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, paprika, and Tabasco. 2. Flake the salmon into large bite-size pieces. 3. Add the salmon, shallots, chives, salt, and pepper to the Tabasco mixture and combine. 4. Cut the cucumber into 3/4-inch slices. 5. Using a melon-baller, scoop out the center of each cucumber slice but leave the bottom fully intact so the filling doesn’t fall through. 6. Divide the salmon mixture and put dollops into each cucumber slice. 7. Garnish with cherry tomato. Inspired by NomNomPaleo.com

–Randy Sklar

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7462 Old Hickory Drive Mechanicsville, VA 23111 www.sklartechnology.com 804-730-2628

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Inside This Issue

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Adapt to Do Good 5 Secrets to Selling on Video Let Good Be Good Enough The Truth About Sunscreen and Vitamin D Spicy Salmon Cucumber Bites Stay Accountable With a Virtual Wellness Challenge

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Be Your Best Self With the Help of Others

HOW TO IMPLEMENT A VIRTUAL WELLNESS CHALLENGE

A lot of people struggle to keep up with a regular wellness routine because they lack accountability to hold them to it. Whether it’s exercise, meditation, or healthy eating, if you go through the process alone, it’s that much harder to will yourself to see it through. But at a time when isolation is still one of the best ways to stay healthy, how can you involve others in your wellness plan? The answer is simple: Create a virtual wellness challenge! Understand the Process A wellness challenge cultivates healthy competition among participants that keeps them motivated to stick with their wellness regimens. Challenges can be fully customized depending on the goals and abilities of those participating, and when the challenge is carried out virtually, participants have more freedom and flexibility in their routines without missing out on any of the social interaction that makes it fun. Get Started Every challenge should have a quantifiable goal depending on the theme. Challenges like working out for 30 minutes a day, getting seven hours of sleep at night, eating 1 cup of leafy greens with every meal, or meditating for 15 minutes every day are all great examples. Whatever it is, the target should be clear and reasonable in order to encourage maximum participation and low burnout.

Stay Accountable Treat the challenge like you would a weekly book club. Set a time every week to meet via a video call to share wins and setbacks, discuss necessary changes to the challenge, plan for the next week’s challenge, and offer encouragement. If you really want to up the inspiration, determine a prize to be awarded to the person who actively participates the most. Just be sure you have a tangible way to record and share those results, like video evidence of the activity. A wellness challenge shared among friends and family is a great way to work on your physical or mental well-being and stay connected with loved ones when you aren’t able to visit them in person. That kind of consistent personal connection can be wellness in and of itself.

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