Warwick Merry | Warwick Merry CSP CVP

Respect Your Brand

I am a Star Wars fan.

I was 9 when the first film came out. The first three films were great, the second three – not so much.

When I heard Disney bought Lucasfilm I was concerned. Disney are known for their focus on achieving a significant return for their investment, sometimes at a cost of the brand. (Recently they sent legal letters to people posting photos of their legally bought Star Wars action figures.)

The long awaited Episode Seven is due to open on the 18th of Dec. Already the marketing and merchandising has been going full steam ahead. I was stunned today to see the licensing of kids yoghurt balls (the advert is above).

I am certain many brands would love to piggy back on Star Wars popularity but what is the cost to Star Wars and Disney?

As a long time fan, I am saddened by all of the marketing. Somehow aligning “The Force” with everyday products takes away the “special” feeling the brand used to have. It is no longer unique but common.

What about your brand? Whether it be your company brand or brand “YOU”, be aware who you align yourself with.

If you don’t respect your brand, why should anyone else?
PS We ran a special Blab on Friday talking about Mindfulness and Communication. We also created a special deal for the 2016 Kick Off. You can check out the recording here and take advantage of the deal until midnight tonight (Monday 14th December 2015).

Mindful, Confident and Successful

This afternoon, Zerafina Zara, Therese Sheedy and I had a Blab chat about our upcoming 2016 Kick Start.

We talked about colouring books, mindfulness, communication, listening, success, deep conversations and more.

The conversation goes for about 30 minutes and you can check out the replay here.

There is also a special offer that almost doubles your value – details at the end of the video (of course!)

Special Offer

After watching the recording you will see that if you book your spot on the 2016 Kick Off by midnight Melbourne time Monday 14th December, you will get the Get More Business Success 12 CD pack worth $597 for NO EXTRA CHARGE! That’s right, it is your bonus for being a take action kind of person. Simply visit the 2016 Kick Off page and book your spot and we will get the CD pack to you.

See you at the Kick Off!

How Strong is Your Spirit?

Here is a surprise. I went to the boxing on Friday night. I know, how weird of me!

Now in the words of the late, great Kevin Merry, I am a peace loving man. So it was a little in your face (even if you weren’t in the ring).

The victor above is my personal trainer Chris. He is also a martial arts trainer and as part of his preparation for 2nd Dan Black Belt certification he thought he would improve his fitness and foot skills by going in for the Fight Fit challenge and have a real boxing fight of three rounds. It was full on!

What I noticed about Chris was not only what he physically fit, his fighting spirit was strong as well. All the fighters I saw almost collapsed in between rounds as they sat on their chair. He stood the entire time in a power pose (think Superman with his hands on his hips). Maybe he was psyching out his opponent or maybe he was triggering his own psyche, whatever it was he was doing, it worked.

Now for you and me, it is not boxing that damages our psyche or spirit, it can be more mundane things. A complaint from a customer, feedback from a colleague or simply the seed of self doubt. So what can you do to keep your spirit strong?

There is a lot of evidence supporting a power pose to give you strength. The right music does great wonders. Meditation can do amazing things for you. Others use the power of interpretive dance (I have to say this doesn’t work for me as I am too self conscious!) The secret is to have a plan and then use it BEFORE you need it as well as when you do.

Have you got a plan and is your spirit strong?

PS Speaking of strong spirits, Jedi Charli cut her hair last week. You can see some photos here (just scroll down a bit) as well as see that she raised over $3,000 for the Cancer Council. A HUUUUUGE thanks to all of you that supported her. It was wonderful of you.

PPS I will never use the phrase “Hits like a girl” anymore either. Those ladies can really pack a punch. It was almost comical to hear the MC announce the next fighters, “In the blue corner, Marina a Marketing/PR representative and in the red corner Jane a naturopath.” These two fighting demons then descended on each other. All I know is that I wouldn’t want to be on the other side of them!

PPS If you want to see some of Chris’ fight, here is my recording of his first round.

Be a Jedi

Let me introduce you to my new Jedi buddy, Charli.

Now you may not understand what I am talking about so let me explain.

In his training of Luke, the Jedi master, Yoda stated, “Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to Anger, Anger leads to Hate, Hate leads to Suffering.”

With all of the fear, anger, hatred and suffering in the world right now, we need someone strong in the Force to keep us on the right path. So let me introduce Jedi Charli.

As you can see Charli has some amazing hair. Not bad for a six year old. Out of the blue last week, she said to her parents that she wanted shorter hair so what should she do with her long hair. After a big discussion, she decided to donate 30cm of her hair to kids with cancer. Charli thought that her hair could make some great wigs. She recently reconsidered and decided 45 cms would be better!

With the help of her dad, she also set up an Every Day Hero page to raise some money for the Cancer Council of Victoria. Charli came up with the target of $2,000. She is so close! At the time of writing she is sitting on about $1,700. Click here for the latest figures.

A quick reminder, Charli is SIX! Such fantastic, positive, loving Jedi thinking from one so young. We old people could learn a thing or two.

In a time of fear, anger and hatred I choose to focus on the positive and the good in the world and Charli represents this in spades!

So what can you do? Can I encourage you to blow Charli’s target out of the water by making a significant donation? Help show this young girl that she is doing an AWESOME thing and we can help her. Cast your mind back to when you were six and think how attached you were to YOUR hair!

The next thing you can do is be pleasant to people you meet and to open your arms and your hearts to others. Personally, I am skipping the news and not focussing on the drama of all the attacks. Maybe I am naive, but it helps me defeat the intent of these attacks. Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear, anger and hate can only lead to suffering.

So be a Jedi and focus on the good.
PS Don’t forget to click here to donate to Charli’s appeal, Thank you so much for your donation.

A Message from the Music Industry

I was speaking with Zerafina Zara, one of the performance coaches for Mushroom Records recently about the music industry. There is a constant message that applies to your business that you need to know.

No matter how good you are, it doesn’t matter a damn if you don’t have an audience.

So many people work on their skill set, their techniques, their song writing, their creative process, their new development, but if you don’t have an audience, you will starve.

Apparently some performers get to the point where they think getting an audience is “beneath them”. From first hand experience, there are plenty of business people who are not focussed on getting an audience, or as I like to call it, SALES.

We have all seen products and services that are not that good but they have a huge following and significant sales. Maybe it is your competitor and you even have a better product or service than they do. But they have clearly focussed on their marketing and sales processes. This is because they know the value of an audience.

So do you have an audience? What will you do this week to increase your audience rather than work on your product or service?

Priorities Count

My gorgeous wife and I have just returned from the delightful Dominican Republic.

Our flight home had a 24 hour stop over in Los Angeles so we chose to rent a hotel room and then hire a car for a day to do some roaming around and shopping at some outlet malls.

This is where it became a matter of priorities.

We could have spent a fortune on a hotel with all the modern conveniences, fluffy towels and 24 hour concierge. But that wasn’t our priority.

You may recall that my wife is a petrol head. So we went for the very simple, bed, bathroom and free wifi hotel for under $100. We spent twice as much on our car for the day and neither of us regret that decision at all! Here’s why.

That’s right, it was a muscle car – a Camaro SS just like Bumble Bee in Transformers.

After hitting the Walmart (you can see it in the background) we did a little more shopping and then headed back to the airport driving a couple of hours down the coast road. It was the quintessential Fast and the Furious kind of experience and it was impossible to get the smile of our faces (zoom in and check out my lovely wife’s).

Who remembers their hotel room? I can’t, I just slept through it!

So what are your priorities? What are you doing because you “should” not because you want to? What will bring you the most joy? What represents SUCCESS to you?

Choose wisely because priorities count!

Eyes of Wonder

Sydney is an amazing city. It has significant history, fantastic architecture and of course, a stunning harbour.

While hosting a conference this weekend, I was fortunate to participate in the social outing of a harbour cruise. Two hours motoring around the harbour with 200 of my newest friends!

I got talking to a Sydney-sider who told me how they forgot how beautiful Sydney was and that this twilight cruise really opened their eyes again.

We get so used to our own situation that sometimes the amazing things we have or have achieved become “normalised”. That is, they lose their wonder or more accurately, WE lose our “eyes of wonder”. Sydney’s harbour, Melbourne’s botanical garden, Brisbane’s river front, Adelaide’s churches, Perth’s beaches, Hobart’s Mount Wellington and Darwin’s night market can all become ordinary things.

What about you? What is amazing in your life? What do you no longer see?

How can you open your eyes of wonder?

It’s Finals Time

So how was your weekend? Were you one of the many that watched one of the football finals?
You had your pick of the bunch this weekend! Aussie Rules, Rugby League and there was even some other form of rugby happening in the UK. In Victoria, we even had a public holiday for the parade of the AFL Grand Final teams the day before the final (I am still not sure why).

No matter which game you may have watched, the look of jubilation and achievement on the victors faces, holding aloft their trophy was pretty cool. They had strived, trained and sacrificed to get to this spot and they deserved the win.

Here’s the thing. That team that came second place, they had also strived, trained and sacrificed. They probably deserved to win just as much.

When you think about it, even the third, fourth and fifth teams had strived, trained and sacrificed.

So while the striving, training and sacrificing are important, it is performing under pressure that counts. Being able to do what you said you would, regardless of your situation.

When is it Finals Time for you? When do you need to perform under pressure and how can you best prepare for it?

Yes And

I have just spent the last two days participating in an Impro Melbourne workshop called Harold (well everything needs a name).

The underlying philosophy of improv is “Yes And”. No matter what someone proposes as an idea or starts as method, we make them right. We say YES to that idea. Then we add to it. It becomes a “Yes And” moment. Sometimes, the biggest “Yes And” is needed for our own ideas.

These workshops have been great for my speaking and MC work but they underlying philosophy has been far more valuable.

In our workshops I see how easy it is to default to the “No But” approach. To make the other person wrong, kill their idea and try and make ours right. It seems to be a baseline that it is very easy to fall back to. Constant work is required to focus on the “Yes And” and continue to make the other person look good.

This seems to be the case in the workplace as well. While it is true that sometimes people are incorrect, there is nearly always a “Yes And” approach to addressing a situation. To make the person feel supported and right, even while fixing a mistake. It can be hard to always focus on the “Yes And” but it is so worthwhile.

So how will you embrace the “Yes And” approach today?

PS I strongly encourage you to find an Improv school near you and take a few classes. It is great fun and there are so many fabulous life lessons too. Are you up to the challenge?

Alleged Associates

Every now and again on a Friday night at 7pm I will make my way over to Smokehouse 101.
It is a funky little cafe on the West side of Melbourne and serves some yummy food but that is not what I am there for.

Every Friday the Alleged Associates perform. They are a very loose arrangement pulled together by their lead singer Zerafina Zara. Now Zerafina is a friend of mine so she is not happy for me to remain in the audience. She let’s me perform. So a few random words of delight, dodgy jokes, radio voice overs and even a song or two with backing vocals usually happens.

It is a fun night of creativity and music. Terry the guitar player used to play for John Farnham when he was Johny Farnham and the bass player has played all over the world. Their willingness to try anything and have a bit of fun creates a magic evening that couldn’t be repeated, even if they wanted too!

Last Friday Sandra (their number one fan and groupie) and I were able to record a bit of video. Through the magic of editing, you can check it out here.

Don’t forget to come and see us live at the Smokehouse101!

What’s Your Success?

Here are a couple of thoughts on success and what you can do to build your own.

The video is only 2 minutes but the lessons lasts a lifetime, so click play and enjoy.

Are You in Their Shoes?

Hosting conferences means that regularly I get exposed to some great ideas from the sponsors.

Yes, it is true that I run the Exhibiting and Sponsorship Institute, but the first thing you need to know about sponsoring and exhibiting is that there is no ONE WAY to do things. There are many ways and trying new ideas can deliver great results.

One of the great ideas I saw recently was when hosting the Crane Industry Council of Australia’s conference in Perth.

The exhibitor was FinLease, a finance company. They had some awesome socks.

Here are the key reasons they are a great give away:

The audience was predominantly male – men always need new black socks
The message for the wearer can only be seen by the wearer – otherwise it is in their shoes
The message is subtle – for the most part, they are standard black socks
The cost per impression is very low – the wearer will see the message many times unlike some other gifts
The cost per pair would be relatively low
It is a great message – “We put ourselves in your shoes”. It is true literally and figuratively

A little bit of brainstorming, a dash of creativity and a willingness to do something a little different has created a winning marketing piece.

What would you do for your business?

Wisdom from Winston

This is Winston, our Toy Poodle. Yes, you are right – he IS a very manly dog.

He turned two last month and I wanted to share with you some of the lessons he has taught us in that small time. They are valuable lessons that my help you in life.

Constantly show your love for others. Bark at them, lick them, sniff them, jump up and down – do whatever it takes.

Share your stuff. If someone comes to visit, be sure to share your toys with them. They may have fun with it too!

If it feels good, do it. It may be weird to sit on the heater vent with your ears blowing in the warm air, but it feels good.

Snuggling is good. Even sitting on the couch watching TV, it is good to snuggle in and be loved.

Say hello to strangers. Just because you haven’t met them before, doesn’t mean you can’t be friends.

Welcome home your loved ones. Whether they have been gone 3 seconds, 3 hours or 3 days, show them how excited you are to see them.

Tell others what you want. Whether by scratching at the door, dropping your toy at their feet or sitting on their head to get attention.

Do everything with enthusiasm. It is not just a walk, it’s A WALK! It’s not playing, it’s PLAYING! Let your enthusiasm be contagious.

Who would have thought such wisdom would come from such a delicate being?

It’s Good for You

I have just spent the weekend with 20 of my closest friends in an eight bedroom house. They are the choir that I belong to, Mood Swing. It was our band camp where we did some drumming workshops, body movements and, of course, some singing.

It is amazing the bond we have created, the fabulous music we create and and the fun we have.

It’s …. GOOD. Good for the mind, the body and the spirit.

There is so much research on how singing together is good for you and your community. Even corporate choirs are becoming more popular and provided as part of “stress management” in the work place.

What about you? Would you Sing For Good?

As I have mentioned previously, I am honoured to be one of this years ambassadors for Sing For Good. I can highly recommend that you have a sing with some friends, video it and submit it to the site. There are some great prizes on offer and also money raised goes to support the great work that Creativity Australia does with their “With One Voice” program.

If you are not the kind of person to sing, no dramas. Head on over to the Sing For Good website and support your favourite entry with a donation. (I recommend you consider Mood Swing’s entry, but I am biased!)

Even if you don’t do that, at the very least when your favourite song comes on the radio, sing a long to it. It’s even better if you are with someone else and you both sing a long. It does great things for your health, physically and spiritually – basically, it’s GOOD!

Be A Better Speaker

I had the privilege of hosting TEDxMelbourne on Friday. The theme was “The Stuff of Dreams” and we had 19 speakers presenting to 1,400 Dream Makers in the audience. By all accounts, it was a fantastic day.

For many people, performing on the TED or TEDx stage is a speaking goal. Quite a few people ask what should they do to be a better speaker to get there.

Just so you know, it’s NOT picturing the audience in their underwear – 1,400 people in their finest lace, boxers or super white cottontails would be quite distracting!

For me, there is ONE THING that will make the biggest difference.

While mind maps, watching videos of yourself, watching videos of others (including other TED talks), rehearsing in front of a mirror, performing tongue twisters, not moving at all, moving more, having longer pauses, being funnier, being more serious, interacting with the audience, and visualising are all valid ways to improve your performance there is ONE THING that will have the most impact.

That ONE THING is of course, speak more.

Take every opportunity to present. Whether it is at your local sports club awards night, a Rotary club (they always need speakers) or volunteering to present at a work meeting, presenting more makes you better. The more you present, the more comfortable you are on stage. Yes there are other techniques to fine tune what you are doing, but getting up there and doing it is the most important thing.

If you speak more, you can’t help but be a better speaker.

BUT WARWICK I WANT TO KNOW MORE!!

Tune in to RRPFM this Friday at 11am Melbourne time for the award winning Taking Care of Business show where I will be guest host.
I will be talking to Zerafina Zara from Forte Presence and Russell Pearson from Crimson Fox on what else you can do to be a better speaker.
Email me any questions you have and we will incorporate it into the show!

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