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December 2021 The Contractor’s Advantage
HarrisonLawGroup.com (410) 832-0000 jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com
Reminders for the Holidays
How to Approach Shorter Days, Busy Seasons, and Opportunities for Rest
I often find this time of the year to be nostalgic. The holidays, traditions, and gatherings we partake in this season conjure up many great memories for us all, and what I am most reminded of is my childhood in Yorkshire, England. And it’s not necessarily the trees, gifts, or lights that come to mind; instead, it’s the weather.
This year has been no different — although, it has certainly had its challenges! As the parents of a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old, my wife and I have been very cautious over the past year and a half. Like many, it’s been a time of uncertainty. We’ve chosen to limit contact with others to protect our children, but if all goes well, we could spend a safe holiday with our extended family. I’m hopeful that can happen this year! During a normal year, our holiday celebrations tend to include shuttling between my wife’s two sides of the family and my two sides of the family. There is often a lot of food, gift-giving, and catching up at these events! Like others, the holidays are often a busy time for us, but we make an effort to see our family when we can. We also carry on a tradition we began years ago with our neighbors. A while back, we had friends and neighbors who didn’t have a place to go for the holidays, so we invited them to join us. Since then, we have made it our mission to invite others who don’t have plans during the holidays to join us for dinner. It’s a great way to connect, and it’s a poignant reminder for the season. After all, it doesn’t matter whom you spend the holiday with, so long as you celebrate together with joy. I appreciate that my children are learning that serving others can come in many different forms. This season, as the days shorten, opportunities to celebrate pick up, and nostalgia kicks in, I hope you take a few moments to reflect on what this season means to you. Maybe it’s a chance
Yorkshire is a northern county in England and home to dark, bitterly cold winters. As our days get shorter and colder in December, I’m often taken back to Yorkshire, when long nights and short days were as common as breathing or going to sleep. There was always a crisp winter chill in the air, and while others may struggle with longer nights and less sunshine, I often find a little comfort in these shorter days. It reminds me of my childhood and a place I called home for years. Still, I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit that there are days in any season where my motivation is lacking. It’s completely normal. As the days get shorter, our to-do lists get longer, and the time between periods of rest increases, we all tend to devolve a bit. During those days when I’m the most stressed and the least motivated, I try to stick to a routine. Exercise and staying active are powerful ways to build that motivation, especially during the shorter days. Additionally, the natural slowdown around the holidays is often a time for resting and resetting. I try to optimize this season as best as I can.
to enjoy the company of those you rarely see or an opportunity to slow down and take some time for yourself. Maybe it allows you to remember fond memories. Whatever it is, relish in it and appreciate it.
Happy Holidays!
-Jeremy Wyatt
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Engage More Customers in 2022
How This Bookstore Became a Hub for Its Community
In the age of Amazon, investing in a brick-and-mortar bookstore might seem ludicrous. But that’s exactly what Christin Evans and her husband Praveen Madan did in 2007, and since then, they have turned two historic San Francisco bookstores into community pillars and social movements. Their not-so-little print-based business is faring much better than one would expect in this digital world, and their secret is right in their community.
you. So, Christin and Praveen founded Kepler’s Literacy Foundation, which is focused on creating and promoting literacy programs, and bought GiftLit, a subscription- based book gifting company. By doing both of these things, Christin and Praveen are encouraging readership, engagement, and local advocacy. They are essentially generating customers (and doing some good, too)!
Now, It’s Your Turn!
How Did They Do It?
You may not be battling Amazon or promoting literacy, but you can use the ideas that made The Booksmith and Kepler’s essential to their communities and transform the way you engage your customers. For instance, a dentist can host a workshop for young parents who are concerned about how to teach their children best oral health practices and also create a curriculum for classrooms across the region to promote oral wellness. In doing so, they create an active community around their business as more than just a dental office — they become more essential to the next generation of oral health.
The couple purchased The Booksmith in 2007, and Christin left a corporate job to oversee the daily operations of the store. From the very beginning, she knew they had to engage with their customers and encourage them to actually visit The Booksmith. As a result, the couple was able to purchase another bookseller, Kepler’s Books & Magazines. 1. They started with the space. Christin knew her store had something that big booksellers or online retailers didn’t have: a community. The Booksmith and Kepler’s could tailor their customer experience to what locals wanted and turn their bookstores into miniature community centers. It helped the community view their stores as essential rather than just available. 2. Then, they hosted events. There is something for everyone at the store. Those who love happy hour but want to read can enjoy Silent Reads, where participants simply come to the store, read, and enjoy cocktails. Other events include mom groups, music nights, and — of course — book clubs. The community always has a reason to visit The Booksmith and Kepler’s because it invites them to stay engaged.
Don’t wait for customers to engage with you in 2022. Collaborate with your team and go to the customers instead.
3. Finally, they got involved. If you’re going to talk the talk, then you have to walk the walk! Customer
engagement should also include what you can do for your community — not just what your community can do for
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HAVE A Laugh
If you’ve seen the classic movie “Casablanca,” you might be surprised to learn the original version was more risqué that what was shown on theater screens. The night Rick and Ilsa shared in Paris was more, ahem, explicitly passionate, but those lines were dropped on the cutting room floor. And it wasn’t because of artistic choice. There was an industry standard of the time called the Hays Code (or officially, the Motion Picture Production Code). This now- forgotten list of rules predated today’s movie rating system and governed Hollywood from 1934 to 1968. It was intended to clean up the violent, drug-filled movie business much like The Little-Known Story of the Hays Code
Prohibition — which preceded it — had been designed to clean up a drunken America.
You’ve likely watched many movies and TV shows filmed under the restrictions of the Hays Code. For example, Mental Floss reports the code is the reason “I Love Lucy” never showed Lucy and Ricky sharing a bed or used the word “pregnant,” even when Lucy was expecting!
Think Better With Adam Grant’s ‘Think Again’
A Better Mindset for Growth
Think about the sting you feel when you are proven wrong. It hurts, doesn’t it?
we can speak and argue with conviction while actually engaging and listening to arguments as if
But what if it didn’t have to? Better yet, what if it shouldn’t?
Regardless of our attempts at humility, humans’ egos have inflated, and we are all conditioned to believe that being wrong somehow equates to being a bad person. However, renowned author and psychologist Adam Grant challenges this notion in his New York Times bestseller, “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know.” With today’s divisive climate, Grant argues that we hold our beliefs up like a badge, illuminating them so brightly that we become blind to other truths or realities. Far too often, our mindsets focus on what is black and white, rather than understanding the gray nuances found in between. In “Think Again,” Grant’s third book, he argues that as rapidly as we get information in today’s digital world, we cannot be expected to fully know all of it. Being wrong is part of human nature, but as we gain more accessibility to information, we must be willing to do two things: rethink and unlearn. Grant challenges readers to stand in the discomfort of being wrong, celebrate that there is something new to learn, and challenge themselves to interact with those who propose a new way of thinking. By doing so, Grant asserts that
we are wrong. This allows us to learn, engage, and grow. In “Think Again,” Grant asks readers to consider better ways to approach their steadfast beliefs. Readers will find
amusement in Grant’s real-world examples of turning skeptics into believers within a variety of topics. And, through these examples, readers will discover new ways to listen so they can gain a greater understanding of the world around them.
You can pick up your copy of “Think Again” and other books by Grant from an independent book retailer or by visiting Amazon.com.
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Jeremy Wyatt jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com HarrisonLawGroup.com (410) 832-0000
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40 West Chesapeake Avenue, Ste. 600 Towson, MD 21204 Inside This Edition
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Keep These Ideas in Mind This Holiday Season
3 Steps to Engaging More Customers in 2022
The Little-Known Story of the Hays Code
Embrace Being Wrong With Adam Grant’s Help
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4 Steps to a Better Lead Nurture Campaign
See Sales Grow
With 4 Lead Nurture Must-Do’s in 2022!
People want to do business with people they trust, and you can’t form a strong relationship after just one interaction. It takes time to build a connection with potential and current clients, and the more you put into these relationships, the more you will get out of them. When lead nurture is one of your top sales priorities, you land better sales, generate more customers, and create lasting partnerships that spawn referrals and more money spent.
time? Commit to the long game, and you will gain the right customers who are excited to work with you!
Use Multiple Techniques: In today’s digital age, you may believe email is the best way to put your message at the forefront of your prospects’ minds, but that’s the wrong approach. Your prospects get hundreds of emails every day — what’s going to make yours so special? (It probably won’t be.) You also have to target them with direct mail, phone calls, and freebies. Hit them on multiple levels, allowing your business to stand out from the crowd. Track: Once you make a sale, ask the customer what motivated them to buy from you. How did they hear about you? What platforms did they enjoy? This information can
If you’re ready to get started, don’t forget these four tips.
Automate: There’s no reason lead generation has to require extra work, even if it is a top priority. Set up weekly or monthly email messages, newsletters, postcards, celebration cards, and coupons that directly put your information in your potential consumers’ hands. This constant drip
ensures you are always communicating with your leads without much effort.
help you track what’s working and what isn’t, allowing you to invest properly in your lead generation campaign. Furthermore, track open rates, responses, and phone calls after you release a lead nurture message. This data is invaluable. Lead nurturing should be a big component of your business in 2022. We promise the effort will pay off!
Be Consistent: Far too many businesses give up after three or four lead generation tactics because they “haven’t seen a response.” Nurture takes time! You wouldn’t expect a newborn to walk — why are you expecting your prospects to invest after such a short
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