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Archive for the ‘Interesting Stuff / Other Things’ Category

My brother is a shoe bomber (Or… context matters)

February 26th, 2010 by Mandy Vavrinak

So…. my brother is in Nashville for an FOP convention (for the uninitiated, that’s the Fraternal Order of Police). While wandering around the sights after the convention wraps, the sole of his boot starts to separate. He, being the McGyver type and also a serious cheapskate, decides to use superglue to reattach the sole. He makes the repair, and satisfied with the results, winds up the trip, packs and heads to the airport.

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They Buy Because We Use These > Brand Audit, Pt 2

January 4th, 2010 by Mandy Vavrinak

By now, you’ve completed all the steps in part 1 (previous post) and have a mountain of data…. random bits of impersonal knowledge. Next, we need to add some human insight to the data, season with some business sense and a dash of intuition and we’ll develop actionable information.
Talk to your customers. Especially your best [...]

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Posted in Economic Development, Interesting Stuff / Other Things, Marketing, Small Business | 1 Comment »

Pause For Station Break…

December 29th, 2009 by Mandy Vavrinak

I was getting ready to write the second post in the DIY Brand Audit for Businesses post when I wondered… since the first one didn’t exactly generate conversations, comments, crazy sharing… maybe I’d better evaluate.
I’m just wondering what you would like to see/hear/explore in this space. The blog is going to evolve in the [...]

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Posted in Economic Development, Interesting Stuff / Other Things, Marketing, Small Business | 3 Comments »

Passion, Influence, Relevance and Bubbles

December 21st, 2009 by Mandy Vavrinak

Someone who is passionate about an idea or product or brand keeps on learning, and loving, and sharing experiences and interactions born of the love affair. And those shared moments will typically only resonate with those who are interested in the same brand or idea. Maybe the audience isn’t in love yet… maybe just experimenting or looking for a first date. That’s where passionate people and influence intersect.

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Posted in Interesting Stuff / Other Things, Marketing, Small Business, Social Media | 14 Comments »

It’s NOT a “Fall Festival”

October 29th, 2009 by Mandy Vavrinak

It’s Halloween. Part of a three-day celebration (at least, in the Catholic church) called Hallowstide. All Saints’ Day, or All Hallows Day, is November 1st. The eve before is therefore All Hallow’s Evening… All Hallow’s e’en… Hallowe’en. The day after (in case you’re curious) is All Souls’ Day, or Day of the Dead.

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Hardwired to Communicate

October 14th, 2009 by Mandy Vavrinak

Humans are hardwired to communicate. Effective communication involves framing and sending signals plus receiving/interpreting them accurately. Reducing the noise between buyer and seller would yield immediate tangible benefits.
Even more life-changing would be this type of investment in our other personal relationships.

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Automating Politeness

October 3rd, 2009 by Mandy Vavrinak

There seems to be a school of thought in social media circles that automating anything is not authentic. I disagree. Would you go back to keeping your books in a spiral notebook, or have you gotten used to software to automate many of those tasks?
How about your Tivo or DVR? Is scheduling programs to automatically record watching television in an unauthentic way? Advertisers might say, “Yes!!” but I digress….

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Posted in Interesting Stuff / Other Things, Marketing, Social Media, Social Media | 7 Comments »

New Website In Progress

August 30th, 2009 by Mandy Vavrinak

The new website is up… not all the way complete, but up none the less. Stop by and let me know what you think! :)

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5 Basic Communication Rules

August 25th, 2009 by Mandy Vavrinak

If you clearly set expectations with your customers (or your kids), including noting the choices or options available, sharing any relevant urgency, reminding them of the important parts and delivering what you promised, your interactions will be much more fruitful.

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Some Days Are Better

August 12th, 2009 by Mandy Vavrinak

What do you do on those days? When nothing is really wrong, but nothing is right, either? I think those days are the true test of our resolve to go forward, to be nice, to choose good. Even the selfish can respond unselfishly to a tragedy, but how we respond to the minor annoyances, set backs and irritations on a daily basis is indicitive of our true character. And, fundamental to the character of our business.

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