Round Two All Over Again
Editor’s Note: This newsletter was originally published on March 28th, 2022.
First off, apologies! Approaching nearly 100 weekly connections with consistency, the noise eventually got in the way and I missed sending one last week. I’ll use it as a learning opportunity since it somewhat came about as a result of some return to prior “normalcy” or what I labeled “round two all over again”.
Last weekend, I went camping with my sons’ Scout Troop for the first time since March 2019. This time, it’s my youngest getting to start the adventure.
It was interesting that we were camping at the same place doing similar things almost two years later.
Apparently, now a little older, preparatory cooking & packing into the wee hours prior to the outing and keeping busy with work around camp during the outing isn’t as easy at 51 as it was at 49.
My usual Sunday afternoon writing session got consumed by a well-needed nap. The rest of this week was spent working through some new aches & pains that I don’t remember from the last.
I really should’ve gotten that ‘Extended Warranty’! LOL
That said, I plan to enjoy as many of these moments as possible. It is a blessing to see your kids growing, learning, and doing new things. It is doubly a blessing to be able to be there as they do.
It is these memories that they don’t even realize now that I want etched for those times when I’m not around. Time is undefeated, but memories last.
For the record:
- The Dutch Oven Chili turned out great and the Mexican Cornbread got compliments from folks who reportedly “don’t like cornbread”.
- The rest of the rusted Dutch Ovens got a good cleaning and seasoning that will hopefully last for a while.
- The aches & pains that cropped up were just hints that an existing problem needs to be addressed instead of putting it off. #OhWell
The good news is my youngest son got a weekend where the “sticks” in his hand were not attached to a device!
Have a great week & here’s to starting another streak!
your life, today pic.twitter.com/9U2hk5JKU6
— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) March 26, 2022
I was in a meeting a week or so ago discussing difficulties attracting talent as well as how challenging it is to keep existing team members. It boiled down to the simple statement above that when “they look; they leave”.
This sentiment applies to hiring/retention as well as management of a customer base.
There is simply a lot of competition and there will always be someone offering a “better deal” or “more money”.
In order to retain, we have to do our part limiting their reasons to look!
- What are you doing that makes customers feel welcome? How are you ensuring their satisfaction with every interaction?
- How do you make your employees feel? Do they know that they are part of your team or are they just there to fill a spot/get a check?
Keep in mind that the things that you are doing before they have reason to look are the actions that will ultimately retain your employees and customers. Change is usually something that people seek when they are dissatisfied. Happy people don’t upset apple carts!
Someone once told me that it is “easier to give birth than raise the dead”. This highlighted that it used to be easier to find new as opposed to repair a damaged relationship. Nowadays, giving birth has gotten that much harder as well.
If you have loyal employees or promoter customers, how much of your energy is spent keeping them that way? Remember that one of the greatest killers of any relationship is perceived indifference. Be sure that they know based on what you show!
Added note:
Beware of offering better attractions for new customers or employees than you provide to existing ones. One of the quickest ways to sour a relationship is to focus greater on getting “a new one” in a way that disrespects the ones you already have!
Flunk this part and you could become the guy who has one date for prom but keeps asking around hoping for something better. More often than not, he will end up with neither!
For those checking out the book reviews, I reviewed Twelve And A Half (Amazon affiliate link) by Gary Vaynerchuk. You can check out my notes at this link.
Keep a lookout as I have finished reading the following books and will be posting my notes for those very soon!
- E-Myth Revisited (Amazon affiliate link) by Michael Gerber [review notes link]
- One Million Followers (Amazon affiliate link) by Brendan Kane
- Content Inc. (Amazon affiliate link) by Joe Pulizzi
- Twelve And A Half (Amazon affiliate link) by Gary Vaynerchuk
Some old news, But important, Google My Business Becomes Google Business Profile Small Business Trends https://t.co/8cmWgCLros pic.twitter.com/ylwZHRG8yl
— GMB Marketing Services (@GmbServices) March 26, 2022
Other Links
Update Google Chrome
If you are one of Google Chrome’s over 3B users (like me), be sure to update your browser. There is apparently a pretty bad zero-day vulnerability that necessitated this single patch upgrade.
Doing it like this speaks to the potential risk especially since exploits for it are reportedly already occurring. I suggest upgrading immediately.
Revenue Losses From Organic Traffic Decline
Realizing that Traffic is the pathway to Customers who are primary sources of a business’ Revenue, measuring traffic and adjusting strategy as it changes is a key component for both continued operations and growth. Organic Traffic (from SEO and Content) varies over time as an audience’s needs change and as your competitors evolve.
Be sure that you’ve got a strategy that is both consistent as well as evolving as change is about the only certainty that we now find.
If you are having challenges with your Organic Traffic, be sure to check out the tools available for monitoring and improving your results (13 Best Free SEO Tools). Another area where you might add more focus is Local SEO to better target your local service area. If so, check out these links for ideas:
WordPress Skills To Develop
I make no secret that Sirus Digital uses WordPress for our website. If you are wanting to build a website for yourself using WordPress, this link shares some of the skills that you will want to develop.
As a WP user (and user of the Yoast WP Plug-in), I wanted to call this alert out as well (Yoast WP Plug-in Causes Fatal Errors).
While this post on our website is focused specifically on Bankruptcy Attorneys, the ideas are relevant across a number of legal (and non-legal) verticals. Be sure to check it out.
Building a startup is hard.
— Harsh Makadia (@MakadiaHarsh) March 20, 2022
But it's even harder if you don't use the right tools.
Here are 14 tools that you cannot miss in 2022:
8+ best SEO tools that SEO experts actually use in 2022
— Richa Pathak | Digital Marketer & Blogger (@richapathak_dm) March 21, 2022
1. #Ahrefs
2. #googlesearchconsole
3. #SEMRush
4. #KWFinder
5. #MozPro
6. #Ubersuggest
7. Answer The Public: Free SEO Tools
8. #SpyFu
9. #Woorank
Did you find this helpful?
let me know in the comment below. pic.twitter.com/0VMdO4suYR
