Tag: education

Smart People Show their Work

Posted on Posted in Interpersonal communicationTagged , ,

Just like diamond sparkles when light hits it, showing its superior cut and clarity– smart people have evidence of their brilliance.

Think back to elementary school when a teacher assigned a math problem, you supplied the answer, and the teacher marked it wrong.

Or maybe your teacher wasn’t so harsh and instead gave you partial credit for supplying an answer.

Do you remember her remarks next to the math problem?

Did it say something like that?

“didn’t show your work.”

Showing your work allowed the teacher to see her own reflection in your level of understanding of the concepts she shared.

Years later, when you or others still seem to be able to pull answers out of the butt – and others label you “the smart ones”; do you gloat over the accolade, or does it frustrate you because you have nothing to show for your alleged brilliance?

If you’re anything like me, it frustrates you to no end because smart people show their work.

They rarely say

“I’m, like, a smart person”

they don’t have to; there’s evidence.

“Show your work” is the best direction a teacher could have given me.

Not only is it humbling when you find yourself becoming a narcissist, but it also allows you not to be bamboozled by the ole razzle-dazzle…

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!

(FYI: Teacher Appreciation Day was Tuesday, May 9, 2017.   I had this stuck in my draft folder. smh)

Federal Reserve in the Education Business?

Posted on Posted in Public PolicyTagged , ,

As the college graduating class of 2014 looks towards the future, some may see it includes paying down on the largest student loan debt ever of 1.2 Trillion dollars.

That’s a Trillion with a “T”; a 1 followed by 12 zeroes (1,000, 000, 000, 000). To put this in perspective – student loan debt now surpasses auto loans ($783 billion) and credit card debt ($679 billion).

According to the “Bank On Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act” fact sheet, this year alone, the federal government will make $34 billion off of students.

If congress doesn’t act on Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) “Bank On Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act” bill S. 2292 before July 1st, that amount will increase when the Stafford loan interest rate goes from its current rate of 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent.

In short, the bill asks Congress to allow students to refinance their loans at the same Federal Reserve interest rate it charged banks in 2013 – 0.75%.
It also asks the Federal Reserve to fund the student loan program, and the Department of Education administered it.
As of May 6th, however, S. 2292 “Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act” sits in committee.

Student loan borrowers in the college graduating class of 2014 will have a 6-months grace period before their first loan payment becomes due.

If this bill becomes law – it will mean the difference between students paying $957.03 versus $9524 interest on a $25,000 loan.

MARKETING ≠ SALES

Posted on Posted in Media TrainingTagged , , 1 Comment

I know, I know, if you are a Marketing and/or Sales practitioner, of course, you know marketing and sales are not synonymous.

However, if you are working as an independent marketing consultant, it is possible that your prospects may not know the difference. Sure, you know everything about your potential clients. You’ve done your homework and researched them thoroughly. You know where they live, how they live, their habits, likes, and dislikes. As a Marketing professional, you’ve analyzed the data, and now you know how to communicate with those in your target market. If you are really successful, they have even reached out to you.

But have you ever thought that maybe your prospects don’t have a clue as to how to use your services?

‘I recently encountered this challenge when a business owner inquired about my”Sales’ program. Since I offer Marketing Communications services, not Sales, I declined the invitation to do business.’I recently encountered this challenge when a business owner inquired about my ‘Sales’ program. Since I offer Marketing Communications services, not Sales, I declined the invitation to do business.

Simply put, I’m not a salesperson. I’ve closed very few deals other than what I’ve closed for my own consultancy. On the other hand, I have exposed my clients to hundreds of thousands of potential customers, thereby enlarging their warm market in which THEY could sell. I am excellent at attracting potential customers and communicating with those prospects. However, I believe selling to them should be done by someone skilled at closing deals.

And the aforementioned is exactly what I should have told the prospect, but it didn’t occur to me until days later.

However, in every meeting, there is something gained. In this particular encounter, I learned that we, the Marketing professionals, would do ourselves a favor to teach our prospects how to use our services. In doing so, we educate others about the goals of Marketing and what it can achieve.   We can also educate our prospects on how effective Marketing can be when combined with a great sales program.

Copyright (c) 2009 MH