Archive for the ‘Positivity’ Category

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No, not yet and nothing at all

March 15, 2012
American Idol Judges

"Not Yet"

Another young hopeful prepares for their huge moment in front of the judges … will they get to Hollywood?

Of course the scene is set with their touching interviews ..this is what they have always dreamt of and if this doesn’t come through for them, their life will be over!

The big performance happens and then they wait for the judges verdict… The scene is set as the music plays in the background to heighten the drama and tension of this make or break moment.

This is American Idol…one by one, Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler give their verdicts.

Expecting to hear a simple “yes” or “no” as we have come to expect from these shows I am surprised to hear Steven Tyler, the Aerosmith legend say “not yet” to the young hopeful.

“Not yet” …I hadn’t heard that language used before on the show and it struck me that it was a really great way of rejecting the young singer in a positive manner, dealing them that dreaded news but in a way that left them feeling encouraged and that the world hadn’t ended.

I guess in the show someone had reflected on the whole Yes/No scenario and decided that there was an option and some sense of responsibility around the cold delivery of rejection – why not do it differently so that it might actually leave people feel ok about themselves and willing to possibly try again next time?

With young vulnerable people there is a particular responsibility to show encouragement even in a negative situation.

In business we all face rejection and at times we also have to do the rejecting …

“No”

“I’m not interested”

“No, it’s not for me”

“Thank you for all your efforts but unfortunately not at this time”

“Sorry, it’s not exactly what we are looking for”

“Unfortunately our budget won’t stretch that far”

– there are so many ways to say no and while it is always tough hearing it ,”not yet” or some sign of appreciation or encouragement always softens the blow.

Worse than “no” has to be the Nothing ..

Feel Good LostMy son, Brendan Canty who is new to the business world and doing really well with his music and film production company, Feel Good Lost shared some of his recent frustrations with me.

He spoke about a recent situation where he had put a fortune of work into a pitch, mocked up sample footage, presented and received encouraging feedback and then hears “nothing” back from the prospect.

He waits, he emails, he texts, he calls and despite his considerable efforts ….nothing. Then you tread a line between being pushy and just wanting some feedback. It drives him nuts, not receiving any feedback. As he says himself, he would prefer to get a clearcut “no” rather than the dreaded “nothing” treatment.

This experience bothered him so he came to me looking for some inspiration or advice … “Brendan, welcome to my world!“.

This happens in business and unfortunately it is just something that you have to live with as some people are either being rude or they just have a huge problem with saying “no”.

Is “No” better than nothing ?

Greg Canty is partner of Fuzion

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Posted in Customer Care, Marketing, Personal development, Positivity, PR, Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

“Live” Testimonials – Who thinks you are great?

February 25, 2012
testimonials

I think you're great !

My poor laptop was starting to fall apart, left mouse button a bit wobbly, battery life of about 2 minutes and a regular dose of crashing and ctrl alt deleting required ..

I just wasn’t up to the trauma of changing, mail system not working, transfer of files and program’s, a few days of frustration …. too busy for all of that!

In the end I was forced to bite the bullet so I rang my buddy Sean Ware from TSG who gave me a really good price on a well spec’d machine and promised to do a painless changeover.

Hmmmm … I wasn’t convinced, it never works out that way!

To be fair to Sean he had convinced us earlier in the year to move to Google Apps for our email service, which not only protected our emails but also made and changeover a lot easier.

A few days after ordering Sean arrived with the new laptop, software installed and even my email was set up. An hour later we were 100% up and running after transferring files and re-installing a few random pieces of software that I use.

I must hand it to him – the transfer was incredibly painless.

I paid him and sincerely thanked him for the great service.

Going out the door Sean winked at me and suggested that if I was really happy with the service I might “tweet” out that I was happy. To be honest he didn’t need to suggest it as I would have done it in any case! I was more than happy to oblige of course.

“Live” Testimonials

This is where social media is absolutely brilliant – you can capture “live testimonials” for you and your business for all to see.

Word of mouth was always the best form of referral and the traditional face to face method was the only way this really travelled. Now with your Facebook page, Twitter account and LinkedIn presence (of these LinkedIn personal recommendations are the most permanent and  powerful) you have an opportunity for anyone that is happy with you and your business to post that positive feedback “live” – what better way to capture that your customers are satisfied with you?

Next time someone tells you that you are great you know what to say to them!

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion PR

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Posted in Brand Loyalty, Customer Care, Positivity, PR, Social Media | 4 Comments »

Do you want my number or do you want to connect?

February 15, 2012
Alone in a Crowd?

Connections or just numbers?

@gregcantyfuzion is following you – Great, that’s another follower and your numbers are building. Who exactly is this guy?

According to his bio he is a partner with a PR & Marketing in Cork and Dublin firm, called Fuzion. If you have any interest in this guy having had a peep at his profile you might follow him back. Why did he follow you and what is the value of the connection- is he just “collecting numbers” for vanity sake?

I try a little test when people connect with me by asking a simple question – “Hi Greg, thanks for connecting, how is everything in your world?”

On Twitter, nine times out of ten I don’t get a response – they are either rude or just in a game of boosting their numbers. Worthwhile connection? – mostly not.

Greg Canty wants to connect with you on LinkedIn – Great, that’s another connection and your numbers are building. Who exactly is this guy?

According to his quite detailed bio I can see what he does, where he works now and where he worked in the past, I see links to his website, his recent comments and his other connections. He looks interesting so you decide to connect with him. Why did he follow you and what is the value of the connection – is he just “collecting numbers” for vanity sake?

I try a little test when people connect with me and ask a simple question – “Hi Greg, thanks for connecting , how is business with you?”

On LinkedIn, nine times out of ten I do get a response – quickly you get a sense of why they wanted to connect with you. Worthwhile connection? – mostly.

These are generalisations but from my own experience the quality of your LinkedIn connections are much better, which says a lot about the platform. This is not to say that Twitter connections are worthless, but many of them seem to have very little depth. On LinkedIn the platform makes you jump a few hoops before it allows you to request a connection, which does preserve the quality to some degree.

You can find a “gem” of a connection on any platform but as with everything else in life if it’s too easy then it probably isn’t worth as much. The real magic starts when you start communicating openly with these connections and get a chance to show them who you are and what you do and vice versa.

so … do you want my number or do you want to connect ..?

Happy connecting !!

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion

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Posted in Marketing, Positivity, PR, Social Media, Uncategorized, Web Marketing | 12 Comments »

Is the Grind worth it?

February 1, 2012
Tired Runner

Is the Grind worth it?

In recent months I have posted about the importance of following your passion and also about avoiding the trap of a job that does not provide fulfilment. Isn’t there a huge personal risk in letting that happen?

I received a response to one of these posts that really moved me and it did make me think long and hard about the grind of working for yourself.

Interesting sentiments Greg. Having always run my own businesses and taken risks from the perspective “you’ll regret what you didn’t do” this is something I’ve reflected upon a lot – At one stage I left a very cushy public sector job and we then went through very tough times as the recession hit.

It’s very hard to comfortably make a good living in Ireland now – fair play to anyone who can make more than they could in the corporate world once all salaries, outgoings etc. are paid. I’ve gone back into the corporate world and am making more than I did at my business at the peak of the boom- with none of the recent stress.

At the end of the day all that matters is your ability to educate your children and give them a decent lifestyle. I would guess that that guy at Guinness slept easy at night and his kids have never wanted for anything.

If you have a true vocation it makes sense to do what you do best – and follow that path. However most small business and startups are struggling – I see people grind away for years, barely surviving – and this is not a good place to be over the long term.

When I read this I started to feel a little guilty that maybe I am being a little disrespectful with my blog posts to all of those who have tried their utmost and despite everything it just still has not worked out for them.

I’ve been reflecting on this ..

If you find a better life working for someone else then well done to you – I hope that in Fuzion we are giving our team a good life.

If you find yourself without work then I would encourage you to take control of the situation and  try to start off something for yourself. It is hard but it can be great fun (and yes…very worrying and stressful at times).

But, someone somewhere always has to be the starter..

If you try and it doesn’t work … well done, at least it was your grind.

What do you think?

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion

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Posted in Business Planning, Business Start Ups, Positivity, Recession, Self Help, Uncategorized | 31 Comments »

What is the biggest risk of all?

January 15, 2012
Hang Gliding

Freedom to Fly !

When we talk about risk we nearly always think in terms of financial risk – financially what am I putting on the line if this project or job doesn’t work out?

It brings back a simple conversation that I had with one of my bosses many moons ago when I worked in Guinness. This guy was very senior, successful and I guessed very wealthy.

He had all trappings of success, a prestigious home in Dublin, a marque company car and quite a senior and highly respected position in the company.

We were chatting about career, success and life in general and I was asking him about his goals – he had a very colourful career which included some very senior international posts with Guinness and now he was settling back to a senior post with Guinness in Ireland.

In my view the new role he had, while quite prestigious seemed to be a little dull compared to his previous ones – he spoke to me quite eloquently and it was the first time I heard about the concept of a “fur lined mouse trap“.

Basically he was telling me that he wasn’t enjoying what he was doing but the rewards were so good that he could not ever consider leaving the job. What a huge price to pay?

Over the last few years we have had the pleasure of dealing with many new clients who through a mixture of redundancy or choice have jumped off their corporate treadmill and explored new possibilities in their own new businesses. All of them will admit to working harder than before but will also admit to a huge sense of satisfaction and achievement. Quite a common sentiment is “Why didn’t I do this earlier?”

I wonder is financial risk the biggest risk of all?

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion

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Posted in Ireland, Irish Economy, Personal development, Positivity | 13 Comments »

Are You Ready..?

January 9, 2012
Phil Lynott - This Lizzy

Are you Ready !!!!

I was 14, it was 1979 and I stood there in awe in a hot, sweaty and packed City Hall as Phil Lynott roared down at us with his fist shaking .. “Are You Ready?“.

Of course he was greeted by loud roars from the thousands of rockers. Again he roared “Are You Ready?” and he managed to increase the decibels even more from the devoted audience.

Once more he roared the same even louder and with the crowd now in a frenzy the band launched into an incredible version of the song “Are You Ready” and lifted the roof off the place!

I was mesmerised…to this day it must have been my best ever concert moment and it cemented my passion for music. Thank you Phil!

So, start of another year and to take a lesson from the Phil Lynott school of motivation … Are You Ready?

It’s a time for resolutions and of course we all have the very best of intentions so I just wanted to offer you a few of our Marketing & PR tips to help you on the way – if you’re as passionate as Phil about your business as he was about his music this will be valuable ..

  1. Positive Intent – before I go into all of the practical stuff it is vital that you have positive intent and that your let your team know that you want them to have the same. This should be the driving force behind every thing you do. You will be amazed the opportunities that come your way and will appear when you have this mindset.
  2. Get in the game on-line by being found – this is all about the low lying fruit. These are the prospective customers who are already looking for your products or services. Test it – try a few Google searches and see how your website performs (for example PR firms in Ireland should hopefully bring a listing for Fuzion). If you are not found for your priority keyword searches you need to optimise your website and maybe consider a pay-per-click advertising campaign on Google to ensure the right people find you.
  3. On-line Communication – if you decide to communicate to all your customers, previous prospects and other contacts right now could you do it? If not consider adding an email newsletter service to your communications routine and let people know of changes to the business, new products, new services, awards and other news on a regular basis. This is easy to set up and it is easy to capture new contacts for your newsletter directly from your website. Consider doing this at least quarterly.
  4. Social Media – one of my buddies gave me some guidance recently gently advising that I was too concerned about on-line matters. I’m sorry, when I see an opportunity maybe I just point it out until I see it being grasped! On-line gives you an opportunity to amplify your existing efforts – In truth very few people in business today are using the popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter and even Facebook properly. There are a few who are thriving by using these very cleverly – thankfully we are one of these and to be honest we could always do even better. Social Media Consultancy is a thriving industry because there is a huge appetite to learn by those who have spotted the importance of this communication medium.
  5. Good stories – one of our motto’s at Fuzion with our clients is Never waste a Good Story. If there is good news happening in your business, if there are interesting personalities, if there are changes that should be publicised and great products then get them out there with a strong PR Plan. Every business has good stories – don’t waste them by not publicising them. PR can be a very effective and economical way of getting your message out there.
  6. The Mirror – have a good look in the mirror for your business. Does your branding, signage, website and other tangible visible elements properly reflect the essence and quality of your business, products and services? Right now take a glance at your business card! It may be time to refresh your branding and put your best foot forward.
  7. Advertising & Promotions – If you have pulled back on activity in this area then maybe it’s time to reconsider. There is terrific value to be had if you do this in a very planned way, securing great prices and also negotiating promotions and editorial coverage. There is a strong chance that your competitors have cut back on their activity – time to steal a march on them?
  8. Marketing Plan – Map out all of your Marketing & PR activity including your budgets for the year and share this with your team. Try to ensure that there is a constant stream of activity so that your business is always very visible with your target audience.
  9. Measure – Track the success of your activities, giving each of them a proper chance to seed so that you can properly assess their effectiveness. Flex your plan where necessary.
  10. Be Ready – Be ready to grab those new opportunities as they come along – they will!

Have a great year and we should leave the last word to Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion

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Posted in Advertising, Facebook, Graphic Design, Marketing, Online Advertising, Positivity, PR, Teamwork, Web Marketing | 9 Comments »

New Years Resolution 2012

December 31, 2011
Louis Copeland

Get up earlier and roll the sleeves up!

At the early stages of the recession I heard the great and inspirational Louis Copeland (King Louis!) being interviewed on the radio offering the following advice to anyone in business – Get up earlier, roll up your sleeves and work harder.  I took this advice on board fully along with a determination to stay positive within ourselves and for our clients. It has thankfully served our business really well.

However this approach comes at a personal cost – I have got up earlier, I have worked my socks off, I have approached every situation with determination and positivity and I have seized opportunities as they came along.

Unfortunately this had to mean big sacrifices in terms of personal time. Both Deirdre and my kids in particular have suffered and I even missed a pile of Liverpool matches (some may say that is a good thing!). In reality there was nothing I could do about this – that’s what you have to do now to have any chance of surviving and thriving but I did feel towards the end of 2011 that I let my own personal resources run dangerously low.

My New Year’s resolution is to continue with this positive and hardworking approach but to make sure I make more time for everyone that is close and special to me.

That’s probably easier said than done but at least lets make it a real goal!

Happy New Year!

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion

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Posted in Irish Economy, Personal development, Positivity, PR, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Are you following your passion?

December 16, 2011
Peter D Walls

Are you following your passion?

I started telling this story in a previous blog post “Breaking Bread Together” , but there was a separate story there which I felt warranted its own stage so here goes eventually for the one I intended writing in the first place..

Fuzion Friday had arrived again – on Fridays our team at Fuzion share a meal together at lunch time. This is something we all look forward to as it is a highlight of our week when we all let the hair down and shake off some of the stresses of the week.

The chat starts off at around 12, “where will we go for lunch today” and after much discussion (Mary normally getting her way!) a restaurant is chosen and while the intention is to get there before 1 to avoid places being too busy we normally find ourselves trekking out the office door at about 10 past 1 because someone is always finishing something!

On this occasion it was me that was delaying proceedings so eventually I told the bunch to go ahead to Cafe Bar Deli and I’d catch up in a few minutes. As always I underestimated the 2 minutes it would take to finish what I was doing and I could see the “where the hell are ya” phone calls coming through to my phone.

Eventually I finish what I am doing and I race down the stairs and make my way quickly towards the restaurant. Heading quickly towards Oliver Plunkett Street I start to hear a really beautiful sound coming towards me – at a street corner I am greeted by the sight of this very tall gentleman dressed in a tuxedo singing the most beautiful version of “The Town I Loved So Well“. Despite the rush I was in I just had to stop and listen to this gorgeous performance, which was a rare treat not to be missed.

A few people did stop to listen, while other busy shoppers shuffled by going about their business. I could feel my phone vibrating in my pocket but I ignored it as this moment was too previous to miss. Eventually I had to move on (I could start to imagine the earful I was going to get by the crew) but only after first shaking this man’s hand and thanking him for a beautiful moment in an otherwise crazy busy week.

I took a photograph of this guy and noticed the sign by his feet complete with phone number and web address – his name was Peter D Walls, www.peterdwalls.com and his number (086) 7728344.

Over lunch I could not get this guy out of my head – what is his story? He was clearly very talented and here he was singing on a street corner, which surely was something “beneath him”? At least this is what my immediate reaction would be.

Intrigued I decided to check out his website and learn a little bit more about this street singer. With the help of Mr. Google I found his website, I found a YouTube clip of a street performance and I listened to an interview that someone did with him. It turns out he does this frequently, he appears in Thomas Street, Limerick every Saturday and he performs in Dublin during the week also.

Is this beneath him, surely his talent deserves a much better stage, why is he doing this, why is he putting himself in the mix with other buskers, who to be fair would not lace his musical boots?

Looking desperately for an answer to this question I found a simple quote on his website –

“It’s never too late to follow your passion”

..does it really matter what you are doing and where you are doing it as long as you are following your passion?

Happy New Year!

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion

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Posted in Personal development, Positivity, PR, Uncategorized | 31 Comments »

I had a Great 2012 because ..

December 14, 2011
Diary entry

I has a Great 2012 because ....

Well – how did you do?

Did you achieve what you set out to achieve in 2011?

Did you make ambitious plans and fall short of them or did you make any plans at all? – If you did, well done!

I don’t know about you but making plans and actually achieving them is always challenging and at the start of the year I find myself at the start of that loop all over again making promises than often will never materialise!

Last year I wanted it to be a little bit different and I had my own creative and quite practical idea, which was inspired by a book I read called “The Art of Possibility” by Benjamin and Rosamund Zander (a really interesting motivational book by the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and his wife who is an executive coach).

This idea is rooted in the power of visualisation – the principle behind this is that if you visualise what you want to achieve then there is a much better chance of it actually happening.

Here goes ..

Take a pen and paper and simply write your diary entry in advance for your last working day of the year ..

Imagine just before you switch off the lights in the office, before you head out the door to do some last minute shopping and enjoy a well-earned rest, you quietly write your diary entry.

It might go like this..

23rd December, 2012

Wow, that was some exciting and really fulfilling year!

It was a great year because I really achieved what I set out to both personally and professionally and even more besides because of those opportunities that cropped up that I wasn’t even expecting. At least I had my eyes open and when they occurred I spotted them and grabbed them.

I started the year with a few really clear goals including (go for it, be specific – list at least 5!)

I thought these goals were going to be really challenging, but I achieved these as I made a few important changes in my life that were necessary such as (be honest – what needs to happen for you to achieve those goals – your conditions for success).

It wasn’t all plain sailing and I had a few setbacks but I kept a clear focus on my goals, I kept a positive outlook and by digging deep and having a clear belief in myself and my abilities I managed to achieve them all in the end.

I’m glad I kept a positive outlook and kept my eyes open for those genuinely unique opportunities, which I know will only present themselves in this challenging economic climate – it made a huge difference to my business this year, which I wasn’t expecting.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,  2013 – Bring it On!

Your signature (make sure you do this)

Put this in an envelope, place it in your top drawer and have a peep at it on the first day of every month (set a reminder in your computer to do this) and see what happens.

We did this with our full team at the end of 2010 and I can tell you it worked out quite well, thank you very much!

We will do it again this time round – I’ll let you know how we got on in about 12 months’ time.

By the way I’ve just ordered a really nice new car – guess what was on my list last year!

…what are you waiting for?

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion

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Posted in Business Planning, Personal development, Positivity, PR, Recession, Self Help, Teamwork, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Breaking bread together

November 30, 2011
Fuzion PR

Where will we go to lunch today?

Every Friday the team at Fuzion go to lunch together – we call it Fuzion Friday!

No matter what happens, no matter how busy we are we keep Friday precious and break bread together. Its a time when we chill out for a while, chat about the week, relax, crack a few jokes and simply bond over a bite of grub and yes, if we’re not too much under pressure we will share a bottle of vino.

We started this tradition a number of years back when it was just me, Dee and Ali in the team and somehow we never stopped and now the whole bunch of us go – that’s 9 of us when we are all together! Sometimes we might bring a client along and even the odd brave journalist has been known to join us. When things were very tight financially (when aren’t they!) the crew came to us and suggested that maybe we should stop this practice as it was probably costing us too much.

For us the ritual of sharing a meal together and de-stressing, just for a while every week is too precious and worth too much not to do.  I look forward to it so much – it’s a simple ritual that signifies we have pulled together as a team through another busy week. After all what is the point if we can’t do this?

I have worked in small companies and I have worked in large organisations and for me the most important thing is being happy – we spend so much of our time in work it is vital that we enjoy who we work with and that we enjoy a happy atmosphere together. For the most part my working life has been in good places with a good atmosphere but I have also experienced the total opposite. If that is you then “get out” – it will eat you up.

Now, don’t get me wrong – we do have our moments when we are under stress and everything isn’t Utopia (invoice day!) but to be honest they are more the exception.

I work with a great bunch, I will always protect the positive atmosphere because I just couldn’t bear the opposite – life is just too short to be unhappy at work.

I started this blog to share a particular story with you but realised half way through that the story of breaking bread together was worth a stage all of its own. I’ll tell you the other story next week!

Break bread with your team this week .. 

#WinHappy

Greg Canty is a  parter of Fuzion

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Posted in Positivity, Recession, Teamwork, Uncategorized | 14 Comments »

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