June 2018
The Creative Genius That Keeps on Giving
It’s been almost five years since I lost my dad, but he hasn’t left me at all.
owning the station for a short while. That station was special, and it was neat to have a family legacy in that building. Even though my dad was amazingly talented, he was also shy. He didn’t sing or dance but was theatrical with his voice. He liked being behind the mic and loved music — he was drawn into the performance side of radio broadcasting as a DJ. He performed in the “Theater of the Mind” creating characters, personas, and sound effects. People enjoyed the novelty and it suited his elusive personal nature well. The creativity that Dad expressed in everything he did influenced me in the same way. When I approach my clients in marketing, I try to be creative and unconventional … do what others won’t or can’t do. Every time I embark on a new project, I flashback to the late nights dad spent sawing, painting, sewing, and tinkering with all these crazy things in the garage. My family wouldn’t even know what he was working on until we’d wake up and be in awe of his creation. I loved everything he did for other people, and especially for us. This Father’s Day, tell your dad what you love about him and how he inspired your life. That’s better than any gift you can buy!
My dad had a great, creative mind. He was a hardworking father both in and outside of the home, and his ingenuity and creativity were part of everything he did. As an example, he once found some broken down bicycles, took them apart, painted, tuned and reassembled them. They looked brand-new once he finished! He also built amazing waterbed frames for us, complete with mirrors and bookshelves. He grew up very poor, so he used his creativity to get what he wanted. As a kid, he loved playing cowboys and Indians. Instead of being satisfied with just a toy gun, he built a holster, saddle, and stirrups all out of cardboard, shoelaces, and markers. The photo is Dad wearing his father’s fedora and the saddle he created for himself. Later in life this led him to be the “go-to” guy for making backdrops and props for church plays. Before superhero costumes were produced commercially, he dyed fabric and cobbled together used clothing, vinyl, and gloves to create Batman and Robin, Spiderman and the crew for parades and promotions. He even converted a 1958 Oldsmobile into a “Batmobile” complete with “glass” domes, flashing lights, and sparks flying out the back!
it to radio broadcasting. He was one of the pioneers of live remote broadcasting promotions in the 1960s. He created entire events and announced them live on the radio with dignitaries, performers, beauty queens, and more to garner attention for his clients. He was doing far more than just showing up with broadcasting equipment and doing an interview — he was producing a show! My dad grew up in Twin Falls and started radio broadcasting for Burley and Rupert. He did a lot of DJing, but once he had a family, he transitioned into the advertising side. After working at stations along the West Coast, he settled in Eastern Oregon to raise us four children. As a kid, I spent a lot of time at the last radio station where he worked, KSRV. About 30 Years later, Dave and I ended up
— Claudia Weathermon
In his professional life, Dad took his ability to think outside of the box and applied
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The Secret to Remembering Names That I Learned in Grade School and Solidified on the Big Screen
The origin of “nickname” is “ekename,” which was attested in 1303, meaning “additional name.” By the 15th century, ekename was rephrased to a “nekename.” And later, the spelling evolved to “nickname,” which is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place, or thing. My mastery of nicknames came early in life, and I’m not sure if it was a harbinger of things to come in my sportscasting career. But those terms of endearment, or sometimes diminutive name changes, came early for me. From “The Snowman,” to “Half Speed,” to “The Commander,” to “Gilligan,” I was the self-proclaimed Master of Nicknames, and still enjoy the craft today. In fact, just recently, I saw on Facebook that it was my friend Steve Oare’s 50-plus birthday. A mutual friend, John, gave Steve the written shout-out: “Happy Birthday, Cookie.” I couldn’t have been prouder. I gave Steve his nickname in fifth grade at Dalton Gardens grade school. It began as a derivative of Oreo and morphed into “Cookie” by sixth grade. The nickname “Cookie” still stuck to him, just like middle of the Oreo that we all save for last, all these years later.
So, how is this nickname stuff supposed to help you with remembering names?
I often wondered why I handed out nicknames like some Rotarian handing out candy during a parade, and I found myself harking back to my grandfather. When faced with remembering someone’s name that didn’t ring a bell to him, he used the universal nickname of “Zing.” He would either call someone that, as in, “Hey, Zing, would you be willing to help me out?” or, better yet, refer to them to others as “that guy in the Sheriff’s posse, you remember, Old Zing.” And either Zing would respond by sharing his or her name to my granddad, or we would jump in and remind him that “Zing’s” name was Ken Simms. In the movie “George W.,” our former president George W. Bush quickly recited the names of other members by using nicknames during a fraternity hazing event while attending college at Yale: Brittan “Cape Cod” Cotner, Scotty “Scotch and Soda” Sonnenberg, and Paul “Puttin’ on the Ritz” Richardson.
George W. would also use this as a technique in the White House when he failed to remember names.
Here’s Cookie’s response to that reminder of his “nekename.”
“Bushie” was First Lady Laura Bush, and “Pottie Poot” was Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nickname.
I’m not suggesting that you create nicknames for everyone you meet; I’m simply sharing a tool that works for me. Ron White, who specializes in memory name training, uses what he calls the “Pencil List.” This is a favorite tool of mine to store information. You memorize 10 items and use those items as holders in your brain. Item one is a pencil, item two is a sink, all the way to item 10, which is fingers — as in 10 fingers.
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Tester-
MONIALS
Dave,
Just when I think I know it all, I hear more pearls from you. I really appreciate all the time you spend with our calls. Thank you!
–Robin Mattingly, Beverly Hills, CA
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… continued from page 2
If I use the Pencil List to remember things, I can go into drawer two, visualize a sink, and remember that I need to buy carrots. Or, I can go into drawer number nine, which is a baseball, and remember that my new prospect’s name is Brooks, as in Brooks Robinson.
Find a way to get sticky with names.
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RON WHITE’S PENCIL LIST
I love the Pencil List because I only need to memorize 10 items. Google “Ron White’s Pencil List” or “memory secrets.”
The second tool I use when I meet someone is that I visualize a friend who has that same name, sitting on their shoulder. A new company that I sales train for features Mindy. I put Mindy Michaels from my junior year of high school on her shoulder. Her colleague Melinda has a former TV talent, Melinda O’Malley, on her shoulder, and the sales manager Joseph has two people on his shoulder: Joseph and Mary. The system you choose to use is not critical. You can use nicknames, a Pencil List, shoulder sitting, or take a class on memory. What is important is that you master the skill. From my years in television broadcasting, I can remember the one thing that always made the phone ring or got my viewer upset: forgetting the name of their son or daughter on the evening sportscast or, worse yet, mispronouncing it on the air.
Take a
Mom’s Rhubarb Cake
BREAK
Ingredients
Cake • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar • 2/3 cup shortening • 1 egg • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk • 2 cups flour • 1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped Topping • 1/2 cup sugar • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix together shortening and brown sugar. 2. In the same bowl, beat in egg and vanilla. 3. In a separate bowl, sift together 2 cups flour and baking soda. Add sifted ingredients alternately with buttermilk to make creamed mixture. 4. Toss in rhubarb with 1 tablespoon flour until coated, then stir into batter. Pour batter into buttered pan and smooth the surface. 5. Blend together 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over batter. 6. Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes.
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The Creative Mind Passed on Through the Generations
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The Secret to Remembering Names
Tester-monials
Mom’s Rhubarb Cake
The Green Eggs and Ham Line
The Green Eggs and Ham Line If only I had known that the best sales book in the world was written by Dr. Seuss, my sales career would have started in the third grade.
However, if you are just making it up as you go, the numbers prove that most of you would quit at Page 1, and the rest would stop at Page 3.
“Mom, read it again,” I asked, as my 8 p.m. bedtime came rolling about. “I love Sam I Am. Green Eggs and Ham!”
The Green Eggs and Ham Line
Apparently, I’m not the only one with a copy of Dr. Seuss’s best- seller. The book “Green Eggs and Ham” was published in 1960. According to the latest count, 8 million copies have sold worldwide. By the way, whether you are just starting in sales or are a seasoned veteran, the book with the orange cover is a must-read. It’s also the baseline for what I call the “Green Eggs and Ham line.” Most sales studies show that 50 percent of sales people quit on a prospect after making one call. Of those still calling on that same prospect, 20 percent stop pursuing after the second touch. 10 percent call it quits after the third try. Here’s the good news: 80 percent of sales or closing situations occur after the eighth touch. Here’s where I put in the Green Eggs and Ham Line.
1. 50 percent quit after the first call (Dial No. 1).
2. 20 percent quit after the second call (first contact with the gate keeper).
3. 10 percent quit after the third call (surprise, or value add).
4. Provide the prospect with a white paper about their industry.
5. Purchase a book as a gift for them.
6. Make another call. (You now have permission to say, “She’s expecting my call.”)
7. Make an appointment. (Discover pain, budget, and decision.)
8. 80 percent of sales happen after the eighth touch. (Let’s give those Green Eggs and Ham a try.) What are you doing between now and when the prospect decides to buy? My first suggestion is that you purchase a copy of Dr. Seuss’s classic book. Then, build a plan using the Green Eggs and Ham line.
What are you doing between now and the time the prospect decides to make a purchase?
“Sam I Am, Green Eggs and Ham. Would you like them here or there? Sam, if you let me be, I will try them, you will see.” What does your marketing, sales, or follow-up funnel look like between touch No. 3 and No. 8? There you have the Green Eggs and Ham line. Your funnel or plan should already be mapped out.
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