The Likeability Factor

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Every once in a while I get quiet. I know it’s hard to believe.
It’s hard to believe that a girl who came to Lburg for a simpler existence can get caught up in so much, in search of so little.

This week I’ve had a real life experience with likeability. When I first met Author of The Likeability Factor Tim Sanders – I was a busy destination marketing executive looking to make a difference in the state I loved. Now some 10+ years later, I find myself looking back on that interaction all the time. Again, the simple notions he taught us are something I find myself reflecting on  realizing I’m still on the hunt.

If you haven’t read “The Likeability Factor” or seen Tim online- his premise is pretty simple. Everyone has an L Factor. The higher your factor the more likely you are to get ahead in business, have more time with the doctor at your kids’ appts, land that big sale. You’re basically better in relationships if you pay attention to your factor.

Like it or not – our decisions are swayed by likeability factor all the time. I had a kid shovel my driveway last week during a brief cold spell, not because I needed it but because he was so polite at my door. That same kid told me he made $61 by 11am that morning. He was 12.

In a nutshell, nice sells. Some managers say competence ranks hirer than likeability but that’s not often the case. I know some very competent people who quite honestly have treated me poorly and damaged relationships just with their words and their tone.

I have to think about likeability to check myself every once in a while. I blame my directness on speed to market, my need to preserve my limited time, my being a Sagittarius. But in all actuality, I know removing the gentleness from my tone, the forethought to my requests, is my mistake.

Every once in a while, God shows me those traits in others and they hit me so deeply that I have to recalibrate my own response and interaction with others. Helpful, humble, positive. Sometimes I get 2/3 but 2/3 with the right tone and approach is where I’d rather be.

The world could user a few more gentler, kinder souls. I’d like to slow down enough to be one of them…

A Round Peg in a Square Hole

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do…”

We’ll always remember you Steve Jobs.

 

 

Affluents Cautious on Luxury Spending

High-income shoppers are often described as being “immune” from economic influences, but while most forecasters expect solid growth in online sales this holiday season, there are also signs that consumer confidence is waning in this period of economic uncertainty.

Luxury researcher Unity Marketing reports that consumer confidence levels among the affluent were down, some studies showing the lowest levels since 2009.

Affluents were similarly cautious about their plans for future luxury spending.

If affluent spending on high-ticket items is down, their media usage is up, especially on digital. According to the Ipsos Mendelsohn“Affluent Survey,” US consumers with household income of at least $100,000 annually increased the amount of time they spend on the internet each week by 5 hours between 2010 and 2011, to 30.3 hours.

Marketers looking to give a boost to affluent purchase intent on luxury and other products can try to reach them via mobile and video, two channels they are highly engaged in, and should keep in mind that video and search ads drive the most action among this group.

Affluents …reachable, but cautious. 

via Affluents Cautious on Luxury Spending – eMarketer.