October 2, 2008 by Kyle.

I waited like the other 150 people in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis.

Finally, the Duckmaster rolled out the red carpet, the music played, and the famous Peabody ducks marched from the ornate fountain to the elevator where they were whisked away to their Duck Mansion for the night.

It’s amazing that 5 plain old Mallard ducks can create such a buzz.

But they do.

Every day, morning and afternoon, people line up along the path to watch these 5 ordinary looking ducks walk 50 feet between the elevator and the fountain.

But the Peabody Hotel has cultivated that buzz and has perfected the performance.

So if you tell your friends you’re going to visit Memphis, it’s likely someone will enthusiastically say, “Memphis? Are you staying at the Peabody? You’ve got to go see the ducks!”

What are you doing in your business to build that kind of buzz? What do you do that sets you apart from your competition?

The Peabody is a fabulous hotel. Friendly staff, comfortable beds. They do the basics right. But they have the added advantage of the ducks.

What is your business’s Peabody duck?

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September 27, 2008 by Kyle.

What are you passionate about?

I’m very proud of this guy (my dad) who continues to play competitive softball in the senior leagues. He’s on the 80 years old and over team!

The only challenge is finding enough other 80’s teams to play against!

It’s fantastic to watch these grandpas out on the field with their back braces, knee braces, and ankle wraps. In spite of a little arthritis or knee replacement surgeries, they’re fierce competitors.

Maybe a little slower than they were 65 years ago when they played high school ball, but they still love the game.

Next time you’re complaining about being tired or a little sore when you get out of bed, remember these guys who travel across the country for one more chance to swing the bat and turn that double play!

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August 11, 2008 by Kyle.

When was the last time you met a rock star? No, I mean a real live, guitar-playing, million-album selling, rock star?

REO Speedwagon lead singer Kevin Cronin made an appearance at the National Speakers Association convention last week, and I had the good fortune to meet him. I was coming back into the hotel just after midnight. Kevin had been out also getting some Chinese food. I recognized him from his remarks on stage earlier in the day and took the opportunity to say hello.

He was very gracious, and polite, and allowed us to take a couple of photos. We rode up in the elevator together and had a chance to visit.

Regular guy. He just happens to play rock and roll music for a living.

My brand as a professional speaker is the Black Belt Speaker. From my own background, I equate excellence with having a Black Belt in the martial arts. This guy is definitely a Black Belt musician!

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June 24, 2008 by Kyle.

I booked a flight online recently. Selected my location, return time. Even selected which seats I wanted for each leg of the journey.

Then I got to another drop down box where it asked me about my food preferences for my meal on the airplane. I scrolled down through the choices such as: vegetarian, low sodium, bland, heart-healthy…

Wait a mnute! Bland?

That’s a choice? That must have been my default choice for every flight in my life because bland is what every meal I’ve ever had on an airplane has been.

Who orders a bland meal?

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June 6, 2008 by Kyle.

Do people remember what you say?

Do you give them any reason to remember? How do you create a ’sticky’ message?

Made to Stick is a great book by Chip and Dan Heath about what makes ideas sticky. Whether you are in advertising, a preacher, teacher, writer, speaker, sales manager, CEO, or parent, this book has some great examples and 6 specific factors to help make your ideas stick.

Read why people remember things like Jared from Subway commercials, a Texas anti-littering campaign, and “Where’s the Beef?”

Read it. Highlight it. Keep it handy for a reference when you’re writing a newsletter article, speaking to the sales team or the Rotary meeting, or when you need to launch a new product.

Make it Sticky!

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May 9, 2008 by Kyle.

Just returned from a workshop in Sedona, Arizona. If you’ve never been to Sedona, put it on your list.

Fabulous rock formations, great weather. I hear the spas are fabulous.

And Pink Jeeps!

You can take a tour of the Sedona area and learn all about the history, rock formations, etc. and get a close up look from a pink jeep. (kind of like Elvis had in the movie, “Blue Hawaii.”)

Now, there are other tour companies in Sedona, and several of them use jeeps. But they are not the companies people remember.

People remember Pink Jeeps (www.PinkJeep.com).

The name is sticky. It’s memorable. Most people wouldn’t normally buy a pink jeep.

It rhymes (kind of). It’s more fun to say ‘pink jeep’ than ‘brown jeep’ or ‘white jeep’ tours.

In your business, what are you doing that’s memorable?

What title, service, company name, or product do people remember and tell their friends, “Oh, you’ve got to go by and try _____________.”

Be different. Be pink!

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April 30, 2008 by Kyle.

I did it! Finished the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. 26.2 miles.

That’s a long way. I’m ready to rest for a few days. In fact, I’m not running anywhere for a week or so.

I’m not running to the store. I’m not running to the bathroom. I’m not even running any errands this week.

But it sure feels good to have accomplished my goal - to complete a marathon in under 4 hours (my time was 3:58).

What is your huge goal? The one in the back of your mind that initially makes you roll your eyes and say to yourself, “yeah, right.” That was my reaction when I first considered a marathon.

Get started.

Do something toward that goal - if you’re serious.

You don’t start training for a marathon by running 14 miles. You start by taking baby steps. Walk a half mile. Increase that to a mile. Start jogging a little during your walks.

Eventually you’ll be jogging one mile. One becomes 1 1/4. Then 2. Then 3. Before you know it, you’re up to 8 miles. You’re getting serious. Getting better shoes and running clothes. You set intermittent goals - and achieve them.

So get started.

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March 6, 2008 by Kyle.

“Black Belt” is synonymous with the best.

I experienced some Black Belt Service this week. I had some printer cartridges refilled and installed one of those refills on my office printer. However, it didn’t print properly.

After trying to align the cartridges, clean the print head, and all those maintenance tasks, I called the store where I got the cartridges refilled to see if they had any suggestions.

I described the symptoms, and the guy asked for my address. Then he said, “OK, I’ll bring you a new cartridge. It sounds like it’s our fault.”

What?

I was so stunned by this level of service, I talked him out of it.

“Uhh, no, you don’t have to do that. I can come by and get another one,” I said.

“It’s no problem. I’ll be glad to bring one to you,” he responded.

I had another errand to run, so I went back to Cartridge World where the guy tested my cartridge.

(Turns out it was just needed to be primed a bit.)

Now, I’m not Cartridge World’s biggest account in my city. Probably not in the top 50. So that makes it even more impressive that they were willing to come to me to resolve a problem.

I expect I’ll keep using Cartridge World for a while.

Are you offering that kind of jaw-dropping service to your customers, whether they are internal or external customers?

Do people say, “Wow, I sure didn’t expect that! Thanks!”

Why not? What do you need to change to start providing that level of service?

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February 21, 2008 by Kyle.

I went to a Billy Joel concert last year. Great show. As many performers do, Billy Joel introduced the band during the concert.

Drummer, backup vocals, keyboard player…

Wait. Keyboard player?

Billy Joel is a fantastic pianist. In fact, he is often known by the title of one of his early hits, The Piano Man. So how tough is that job interview - keyboard player for Billy Joel?

Even though most people don’t know the name, Dave Rosenthal, he is clearly an extraordinary musician - a Black Belt, if you will, because he has put in the time, honed his skills, and chased his goal of being a world class musician.

It was great watching Billy Joel play his grand piano while Dave maneuvered around his numerous keyboards and synthesizers.

What are you a “Black Belt” at? In what area do you seek to be world class?

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February 18, 2008 by Kyle.

Judge at a beauty pageant!

How cool is that! You get to stare at beautiful women and rate them - without your wife giving you a hard time!

Wow, Kyle, how do you get a gig like that?

I met the pageant director at a business function. She found out I was a professional speaker and later contacted me about being one of the judges since the contestants’ verbal presentations were critical in the scoring.

In this particular pageant, the women had 30 seconds to tell the judges and audience about their platform or social issue (such as childhood obesity, scoliosis, illiteracy, etc.).

Their score for that 30 second presentation counted for half of the total - as much as the evening gown and fitness wear combined (sorry, no swimsuits at this particular pageant).

30 seconds to engage the audience, articulate their message, make it concise yet compelling. 30 seconds to make eye contact - with the entire room.

It’s easy to give a 45-minute speech. Very difficult to nail a 30-second presentation.

How would you do?

In front of hundreds of people. Being scored by judges.

Work on your presentation skills. You may not become Miss Ohio or Miss America, but those skills can help you become Miss Division Manager or Mr. Vice-President of Marketing.

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