This last week of December is a wonderful time to gather with friends and family, a great time to plan for a new year and close out the old, whatever and however you celebrate.  This year is especially poignant as we close out a decade.

Certainly, it wasn’t all wine and roses. It’s been a tough year for some–many people have lost jobs, others have lost homes and some people see little to celebrate. But I hope that in your reflection, you find thanks, peace and hope.  And regardless of your current circumstances, you strive for great things in your future.

• A special shout out to the hundreds of great agencies I’ve had the chance to meet this year: Thank you for your passion and enthusiasm for what you do.  You make my job a blast!
• To my clients, peers, allies and friends: Thank you for allowing me a window into your businesses.  Together we’ve learned a lot and accomplished so much and I’ve been honored to be involved.  I look forward to working with each of you in 2010.
• To prospective clients of Hitch: I especially look forward to meeting you.  I don’t even know you yet, but I know the challenges you present will be engaging, rewarding and provide opportunity for many talented people.

So Happy New Year.  If your year was up, may 2010 take you higher.  If your year was down, may you swing way up.  May you find meaning in your life and enjoy your work–whatever that looks like.

Peace~

See you all in 2010.  It’s gonna be a great year!

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I spent part of the day planning my business goals for 2010.  It’s one of the things I love about this time of year.  Well, that and the fact that I feel completely justified in having hot cocoa in the middle of the day.

For me, goal planning is as much about looking back as it is looking forward. Because this year also closes a decade, I looked back even further.  Reflecting on all I’ve accomplished and planning for all the things I still want to get done.

Goal setting turned to reminiscing and I was reminded of the words of a friend  from many years ago.  He was a very successful business owner, and I looked up to him tremendously as, at the time, I looked forward to what my life could become.

I’ve had (and continue to have) a lot of great mentors, coaches and teachers in my life, but this person was something special.  To begin with, he was in his mid seventies and at the time, I was in my mid twenties.  (I’m now in my forties.)  Something he said to me way back when keeps coming back to me today, so I thought I’d share it with my you:

-When you’re in your twenties, you don’t know sh*t.  You think you do, but really…you’re clueless.

-When you’re in your thirties, you know some things, but no one else thinks you do.

-In your forties, you get a little gray in your temples, people start paying attention to what you say.  Suddenly they know you know something.

-Your fifties, everybody agrees, you know something.  Even you.

-Then come your sixties, “suddenly” you’re an expert. Everyone wants to know what you think.  But you couldn’t care less, you’re more interested in having a life.  You’re headed in a new direction.

What ever decade you’re in in your life, I hope the coming year is one of continued discovery!

This post is dedicated to my friend and mentor, Had Estabrooks.

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Today’s Friday Philosophy is from Peter Kim,partner of the new Dachis Group.  This quote was from on one of his blog posts this week and it resonated with me.  Peter’s quote is indicative of what 2010 holds in store for marketers; especially, but not limited to, the Social Media tacticians among us.  2010 is the year of put up or shut up!  2010 is when social media becomes less about experimentation and more about accountability and tracking.  But that’s all better said by Peter in today’s quote.  Have a great weekend~

An action is worth a thousand words.

-Peter Kim

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A quick trip to Trader Joe’s to return an item got me wondering, how could more brands be like Trader Joe’s?  (And what would shopping be like if they were?)  Let’s look at what makes the Trader Joe’s experience so different from your everyday grocery store:

1. TRUST:   They exchanged my item with no questions asked. A company who believes and trusts their customers says a lot without them having to prove anything else.

2.  EASE:  An added benefit of the above scenario was TJ’s willingness to eliminate processes and add a little ease to a situation like a return.  No filling out forms or recording of zip codes.  Just a simple “tell the checker on your way through the line.”  Wow.  Easy.

3. INFORMED/HELPFUL:

Of course on my second trip to TJ’s within hours of one another I decided there were a few other items I should pick up while there.  The stockers not only had a handle on a myriad of products but knew exactly where they were located and what their status was.  (They were sold out, darn it.)

4.  ENGAGING:

I very rarely take the time to read my local grocery circular that comes in the mail or with the newspaper. For some strange reason (well written, fun copy) I read the Trader Joe’s “Fearless Flyer” ad every time it comes to the house.  It renews my faith in the fact that there still are people who appreciate wordsmithing and compelling copywriting.   It doesn’t hurt that, by extension, I feel my copywriter wife’s services will continue to be needed as long as there are companies out there like Trader Joe’s who place a value on the written word.

5.  FUN:  The Yeti

If you’ve never been to a TJ’s they have a stuffed Yeti that they hide somewhere in the store and the kid who finds it gets a prize.  One of the first times I went to TJ’s I missed the age qualifier for the contest and, much to the embarrassment of my wife, practically skipped to the front desk to tell them I had spotted the Yeti.  Dejected when they told me it was a a contest for kids, they directed me to the back of the store for a special prize anyway.  (The coffee sample cart.) I was pretty happy with that solution.

6.  FRIENDLY:  Someone once burst my bubble and told me the checkers at TJ’s are super friendly because it’s required.  Frankly, I don’t care.  Why?  Because, even if it is required, everyone seems to have bought into the idea that a good conversation creates a great environment for the employees and the customers.  Which leads me to my next point.

7.  PACE:   The aforementioned oversations add to the overall experience of shopping at TJ.  I never feel like I’m being ushered through as quickly as possible while the checker works against some unseen productivity quota being looked at by some unseen managerial staffer who really just wants to sell more stuff to more people quicker with less chattiness.  I’ve been in those stores. You know who you are–now, stop it!

8.  SELECTION:  It probably works this way in all grocery businesses, but TJ’s product replenishment loop (based on sales and feedback) is an interesting model that they’ve transparently made work for them.  Products have been tested, tried and are recommended by staff.  It’s like amazon.com reviews for groceries.  There are always new surprises cropping up in the store. Swiss Almond Crunch cookies?  Hmm, never seen these before.

9.  CREATIVE:

Hand drawn signs.  Why take the time and effort to hire a full time artist to draw all their signs?  A commitment to a brand ideal?  A quirk that just stuck?  I have no idea, but like their commitment to compelling copy of the Fearless Flyer mentioned above, it’s a nice touch and something about the TJ’s experience I enjoy.

10:  ENJOYING SALES:  All of the above really serves to do one thing:  Sell products.  They do it unashamedly with an ongoing sampling corner that probably pumps out as much coffee as your local Starbucks as well as nibbles of one type or another.  But Trader Joe’s does it with style.    They make it so that everyone enjoys the process.  And in the end, no one minds being sold to if it’s engaging, fun and informative.

What can your brand do in 2010 to employ some of Trader Joe’s tactics to your marketing?

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Hey Victor,

today’s Friday Philosophy comes from Pacific Northwest author, Sherman Alexie. It’s from one of the short stories in his book Ten Little Indians. It’s a great quote:

How can you live a special life without constantly interrogating it?

-Sherman Alexie

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