Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz

I initially bought this book because I thought it would be about network marketing.  I was a bit surprised to find that it is actually written to traditional businesses.  However, I found that the concepts and the tools provided will be extremely useful to me in a variety of settings, particularly with the various non-profit organizations with which I volunteer.

 Andy’s basic message is this:  You can no longer hide a bad product by putting it in a pretty package and developing a clever commercial to market it.  The minute the consumer opens it up and actually uses it, the word of mouth marketing will kick in and your bad product will be toast!  He focuses on the power and effectiveness of the word of mouth marketing, going as far as to say, “Traditional marketing is no longer the safe way to go.  It may make you more comfortable, but it is becoming gradually less and less effective for more and more companies.”  He also states that, “Real consumers, with real communications power, have added their voices to the mix.  And their voices are drowning out traditional media.  A single consumer voice, in the end, has far more impact than any ad could.”

As I thought about this message in conjunction with my current role as PTSA President and my upcoming role as Council PTA President,  I realized that PTA definitely has a product it is trying to sell– parent involvement, leadership development, membership, etc.  This book really pointed out the importance of creating a product worth talking about and then getting your ‘talkers’ talking.

I found myself thinking through the five T’s – Talkers (who will tell their friends about you?), Topic (what will they talk about?), Tools (how will you help the message travel?), Taking Part (how can you join the conversation?) and Tracking (what are people saying about you?) for each of the organizations I work with or volunteer with. 

Who are my talkers for PTA?  What have we done or what can we do that is worth talking about?  What can we do to help the message travel and how can we join the conversation in an appropriate way?  How can we track what is being said so that we can respond appropriately by thanking everyone for their feedback and making changes where changes are needed?

 Who are my talkers for YFP (the mentoring program I oversee)?  for America-Israel Friendship League? for Headstart? for Cache Inter-agency Council? for each of the other programs I care about?

This has been a very thought-provoking book and, in fact, was so compelling that I actually tracked down where I could order bulk so that each of the leaders I work with can have their own copy.

Of course, as a true believer in the network marketing industry and the incredible potential it offers people for financial security, I was also pleased with the unequivocal message Andy had on the effectiveness and power of word-of-mouth marketing.  While his intention was on helping traditional businesses stay current in their marketing practices and helping them to utilize word of mouth marketing along with their traditional marketing campaigns, his research and comments clearly support the wisdom of the network marketing model as not only a viable model, but as a significant force in today’s marketing practices. 

While I have known this all along, I hope that many other people will get over their mlm fears and realize the legitimacy and the power available to them through network marketing opportunities.  To do otherwise is equivalent to burying your head in the sand and pretend nothing has changed.  To do otherwise is to keep yourself from the abundance that is available to those who understand and master the power of word of mouth marketing in a way that will be a win/win/win for everyone involved.   There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.  Network marketing, the ultimate word of mouth marketing, is a business model whose time has come!  It is legitimate, it is effective, it holds unequalled potential.  The only remaining question is where you will stand in the word of mouth revolution.

Seek Ye Out of the Best Books Words of Wisdom . . .

This morning I received an email from a new friend who gave me permission to quote her.  She said,

“I’ve loved books ever since I was a child; still do!  It’s amazing the doors that literacy can open – people have asked me where I did my graduate studies, and they’re always SHOCKED to find that I’ve never attended a single university class.  I’m “only” a high school grad, but I read voraciously, particularly classical literature; so my education may not have been formal, but it’s up there with the best!    What wise counsel we’ve been given, to “seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom . . .”

This is so true!  I’m sure that most of us have found that our lives have been enriched and our wisdom expanded through reading.

Thanks for sharing this thought with me, Tanya!  And THANK YOU to the authors out there who have written the books that entertain us, teach us, and enlighten us!! 

Index of Book Reviews

• Biographical

In An Instant by Bob and Lee Woodruff

• Business

Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz

The Power of Nice by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Linda Koval

• Easy Reads

The Lesson: A Fable for Our Times by Carol Lynn Pearson

• Fiction

The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright

for one more day by Mitch Albom

• Financial

Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

• Leadership

• Parenting

1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 by Thomas Phelan

• Self-Improvement

The Angel Inside by Chris Widener

for one more day by Mitch Albom

“This is a story about a family, and as there is a ghost involved, you might call it a ghost story.  But every family is a ghost story .  The dead sit at our tables long after they have gone.”

This is a beautiful, haunting novel about the family we love and the chances we miss.  It explores the question, “What would you do if you could spend one more day with the ones you love?”  The story covers a conversation Charley Benetto has with a sports writer.  Throughout the conversation he goes back and forth between the one last day he had with his mother and the important events in his life, sharing his feelings– both past and present– about them.  I particularly enjoyed the  way he shared throughout the book little vignettes of the times his mother stood up for him and the times he didn’t stand up for her.  As a mother myself, I couldn’t help wondering if someday my own children would be able to look back and see with clarity the sacrifices I have made for them.  Throughout the book I ‘heard’ some of the same things from the young boy Charley that I hear from my own children.  It was rewarding and brought hope to see him come to a realization of how his interpretation of the events had been inaccurate and skewed by emotions in the moment.  Perhaps my children will also understand someday–

As a young boy Charley Benetto makes the choice to be a daddy’s boy and does everything his father asks him to.  Then his father disappears, leaving a broken family and an embarrassing situation for the young Charley to endure.  Being raised by a single mother has it’s challenges and plenty of embarrassment, many that Charley takes out on his mother.

“So he chooses his father, and he worships him- right up to the day the man disappears.  An eleven-year-old Charley must then turn to his mother, who bravely raises him on her own, despite Charley’s emabarrassment and yearning for a complete family.”

 ”Decade later, Charley is a broken man.  His life has been crumbled by alcohol and regret.  He loses his job. He leaves his family. He hits bottom after discovering his only daughter has shut him out of her wedding.  And he decides to take his own life.”

“He makes a midnight ride to his small home-town, with plans to do himself in.  But upon failing to do that, he staggers back to his old house, only to make an astonishing discovery. His mother- who died eight years earlier- is still living there, and welcomes him home as if nothing had ever happened.”

“What follows is the one ‘ordinary’ day so many of us yearn for, a chance to make good with a lost parent, to explain family secrets, and to seek forgiveness.  Somewhere between this life and the next, Charley learns the things he never knew about his mother and her sacrifices.  And he tries, with her tender guidance, to put the crumbled pieces of his life back together.”

I related to this story on many levels.  As a single mother myself I could relate to many of the experiences described and gained insight into what my children may be experiencing as a result of events they have no control over.  As a daughter who has at times experienced a strained relationship with my own mother,  I gained valuable insights into my own childhood memories and interpretations and was reminded, again, that there is much more to the story that I do not completely understand.   And as always– the betrayal revealed in the end made the recent and painful betrayal of my own life seem small and insignificant in comparison.

This clever story, told in Mitch’s masterful storytelling style, has left me with a new appreciation and understanding for those I love and has motivated me to be more intentional in valuing and cherishing the relationships I enjoy with those I love so that I will not be left with regrets for the experiences and the love lost.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever been a part of a family, who has ever lived with regrets, and who has ever questionned the value of their very existence.

The Lesson: A Fable for Our Times by Carol Lynn Pearson

“On Robert’s first day at school, he had a wonderful time.  He swung on the swings.  He sang with the other children.  He listened to the stories.  He loved siting at a desk and smelling new paper and touching new pencils.  And his teacher was very, very nice.  One day Robert’s teacher said, ‘Children, it’s time for our lesson.  We are now going to learn how to solve a problem.  One plus one equals what?’”

Robert solves that problem and is very happy because he has learned how to solve the problem.  However, the next day he looks at the blackboard and sees a new problem.

“‘What?’ Robert looked at his teacher in surprise. ‘Another problem?’”

“‘Oh Robert,’ the teacher said . . . ‘this is just the beginning.  There are lots and lots of problems.’” 

And so it goes– every day there are new problems for Robert to solve and sometimes he says that the problems are not fun.  However, his teacher tells him he must solve the problems anyway because that is what he is there for- to learn.  So he keeps solving problems and he moves up a grade.

Soon Robert is solving story problems–

“‘If you are outside playing . . . and you have three cars and one truck and Joey comes along and grabs two cars and the truck, how many times should you hit Joey?’  Robert thought and thought.  ‘Two times!’ he said.  ‘Wrong,’ said the teacher.  ‘Three times!’ said Robert.  ‘Wrong,’ said the teacher, and looked at him with soft, expectant eyes.  Robert puzzled over this for a little while, then his hand shot up and he said brightly, ‘I know! No times!’  ‘Right!,’ said the teacher.”

Robert smiles as he realized that he has solved yet another problem, but as Robert grows bigger and bigger, so do the problems he must solve.  While Robert has lots of fun at recess, there always come the problems and sometimes Robert “slumped down in his desk and said, ‘I am not enjoying this!  Why are you punishing me with all these problems?’”

“And Robert’s teacher, now twinkling as if the secret were even more wonderful, answered, ‘Oh, Robert, I am not punishing you.   It’s just that you have moved up a grade and are ready for harder problems.  And here comes one now . . . Robert, if you ride your bicycle two blocks east and three blocks north, and you fall off and break one leg, is it your fault or the bicycle’s fault or the sidewalk’s fault or your parents’ fault because they gave you the bicylce for your birthday last August?  And do you ever ride a bicycle again, and what do you do while you are lying in bed and can’t go out to play?’”

“Robert worked on that one for a long time, and it was not fun at all, but finally he got it right, and his teacher smiled . . . and moved him up another grade.”

And so it continues-  Robert is faced with more problems to solve.  They become more complicated and more difficult to solve.  Sometimes Robert cries out, “‘Oh, no! . . . I don’t want that problem.  Give me a different problem!’  ‘But I can’t,’ said the teacher.  ‘This is your problem and you must solve it.’”

And so he does.  Sometimes he cries a little, sometimes the problems scare him so much he hides under his desk to avoid the problems.  He doesn’t always get it right the first time, but always the teacher is there to lovingly help him through the problem with extra loving care and attention.

“‘Whew! That was a tough one!’ ‘It was indeed, Robert,’ said the teacher, ‘But you solved it and I’m proud of you.’”

“Robert’s teacher gave him all kinds of problems, and he eventually learned it was no use to hide uner his desk or to tell the teacher no or to yell.  They were his problems and he would have to solve them.  And sometimes a new one came before the last one was finished.  There was recess, and there were weekends, and there were long holidays.  But always the bell would ring and there was his teacher with a new problem.  And as soon as he got it solved- you guessed it- he was moved up to the next grade.  And it felt good.”

And so the problems continued . . . “Robert sat at his desk for years and year and did his best.  And everyone who loved him gathered around and encouraged him, but they knew they could not do Robert’s homework for him, for these were his problems.  And they each had problems of their own, and Robert encouraged them, but the only problems he could really work on were his.  And when he couldn’t solve a problem, no matter how he tried, the teacher was very patient and smiled and said, ‘That’s all right, Robert.  We’ll come back to that one some other time.’”

In time Robert quits questionning the teacher about why he is being punished as he learns to realize that “he was there to learn, and he learned that learning made him happy.”

This is a wonderful book on life and living and loving.  The lessons presented in the book really hit home even if they aren’t the same lessons the reader is facing.  The lessons Robert faces are presented in such a way that it speaks to each person individually and the lessons the reader is facing, or has faced, become a part of the reading and a part of the story without the words being printed on the page- for they are recorded in the heart and in the DNA of the reader.

In the end Robert ”realized that all the lessons he had been learning all his life had really been only one lesson, that all the problems he had been working on all his life had really been only one problem- this problem:

‘Robert, how much do you love?’”

What a great read! 

1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 by Thomas Phelan

I remember reading this book when my children were young and being so grateful for the techniques and concepts it taught.  It Works!!  I highly recommend the book.  Thank you, Denise, for the excellent review!

1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 – A Book Review

By: Denise Willms

My son had just turned two and had transformed into a child-sized monster before my very eyes. I mean, I had heard about the terrible twos, but I hadn’t expected this!

I told my doctor about my frustrations at our next check-up, and she recommended I read 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 by Thomas W. Phelan.

I honestly didn’t believe a simple book could help us. As a former teacher, I had spent years learning child psychology and behavior management. What could one book possibly offer that I hadn’t already learned?

Fortunately for my family, that was the best medicine I’ve ever been subscribed.

Once you begin reading 1-2-3 Magic, you can apply the techniques immediately, before you finish the book. Dr. Phelan starts out by explaining why many parents can’t manage their kids’ behavior. He believes we go wrong when we try to reason with our children instead of parent them. Children, he reminds the reader again and again, are not miniature adults, and should be treated like children.

Dr. Phelan gives step-by-step guidance for every discipline that arises with young children, whether you want the child to stop a behavior or start a new one. He also gives several true-to-life examples of how the program looks when used correctly and when used incorrectly.

We’ve used this program with our two children for over 10 years, and we haven’t encountered a situation where we couldn’t apply 1-2-3 Magic, or where it didn’t work like, well, magic.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

 

Denise Willms,a homeschooling mother of two, helps work-at-home-moms get targeted traffic to their websites through copywriting, article writing, and press releases. Subscribe to her newsletter, WAHM-Articles Ezine, and receive 105 Power Tips to Get Your Online Business Noticed and Profiting.

Books on Leadership

For quotes on leadership from a variety of books on the same topic be sure to visit the Leadership Revoluation Blog.

The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright

Last night I read The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright. What a wonderful story of love and commitment; forgiveness and redemption. A beautiful story line entertwines the pain of the past with the challenges of the present; the example of loving and devoted parents with the discovery of some of their deepest, darkest secrets; the loss of death opens the window to knowledge of things that turn the world upside down, if only for a moment. The example of the Wednesday letters will lead many of us to write more letters– to reach out and to communicate with loved ones even during the rough spots.

The message of this book was particularly timely and healing for me personally. It was a story of betrayal and pain; healing and forgiveness; rebirth and change; and in the end it was revealed that things are not always as they appear to be– even that which appears to be rock solid ‘proof’ can turn out to be misperceptions or even ‘planted’ and ‘contrived.’ It is absolutely amazing to realize what humans are capable of doing to each other when human emotions take over. I have spent this past week focusing on love and forgiveness in the wake of one of the most painful and far reaching betrayals of my life. I have spent literally hours learning to love and forgive those who have such malice towards me in their hearts for injustices I have yet to understand or be notified of.

As always, these experiences have also led to some incredibly beautiful and life-changing personal experiences as well and has opened a new chapter of my life. Sometimes when it is too difficult to stand you have no choice but to kneel; it is a humbling, but beautiful experience to have to rely 100% on a higher power and allow Him to carry you until your feet become steady once again. Only going to such incredibly great depths of pain can lead to such heights of progress and joy (that I know will come eventually). As the book winds up and the ‘truth’ comes to light I found the tears flowing, not only for the characters in the book who had finally achieved some resolution after literally YEARS of waste and unnecessary pain, but for myself– for the losses of the past week which are very real, in spite of the gains; for the knowledge that it can take time– even years– for the full truth to come to light and a name to be cleared of false accusations; for the emotional release of realizing that you are not the only one that has ever gone through the experience, and in fact, others have suffered far more. While I realize that the book is fictional, it is written in such a way that it is very real and you know that others have indeed experienced similar circumstances.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever loved, who has ever hurt, and who has ever wondered if the sun would ever shine again.

In an Instant by Bob and Lee Woodruff

This incredible book, written by Lee and Bob Woodruff, is the story of Bob Woodruff, ABC News Anchor, that was embedded with the army in Iraq and injured when an IED (improvised explosive device) went off near the tank he was riding in. It is an incredible story of survival and a family’s journey of love, teamwork, and healing.

As always– there were so many different angles that had a huge impact on me. First of all– it really put my current challenge in perspective. What’s a little betrayal (okay– a BIG betrayal) when compared to a family struggling with the very real possibility of losing their husband and father to death? We see tv personalities and assume that their lives must be peachy as they go through life with their cushy jobs, etc. However, as Lee (Bob’s wife) shared some of her struggles and ‘bad days’ I couldn’t help thinking how blessed I have been. My life has been pretty darn magical when compared to what some have been called to bear.

Still– there were some incredible quotes that stood out to me as I experience my current challenge of having been betrayed. For starters, Lee says, “You can’t know how you would behave in a crisis until it drops out of the sky and knocks you down like a bandit: stealing your future, robbing you of your dreams, and mocking anything that resembles certainty. Sudden tragic events and even slow-burning disasters teach us more about ourselves than most of us care to know.” I was grateful to realize that I have handled my current ‘bomb’ with patience and love in spite of the hurt and injustice. While every once in awhile I have the urge to take revenge and strike out at those who have succumbed to hate and envy and behaved badly, I have learned a lot about myself as I have been able to calm the rage inside and move back to a place of peace and joy in knowing that I can and will remain Christ-like in the face of injustice. After all— in the end if I haven’t chosen Christ, it won’t matter what I have chosen. I’m not willing to trade my eternal peace and joy for a little justice and redemption here on earth. People will have to believe whatever they are going to believe– betrayal by others is one thing— I will not betray myself!!

I also found hope in Lee’s observation that ” . . . as trite as it may sound, time really is the ultimate healer. No matter how black the hours, light, laughter and feeling will slowly begin to trickle back one day . . . But I also learned the scar is always there . . . there are no shortcuts to healing. There is no circumventing the pain. To really heal you must walk right through the blazing core of grief and face it head on, every agonizing day. Only then can you begin to take baby steps to recovery. Grief is an alchemist. It will change you, morph you into someone more sympathetic, more aware of what is precious, and more clearly able to see your priorities.” The reality is that I will never be the same again– because of the experience of the past 10 days I will be forever a better person. The experience has stretched me and pushed me beyond mere forgiveness to being able to see others as Christ sees them, to love them wherever they are, and to ache for their pain that leads them to betray themselves and their highest good.

I was acutely aware of the way my heart bristled against the comment, “Misfortune and trouble can find you at any time. The part of me that believed in the order of the world, that decent people triumph and good deeds are rewarded, was shaken hard . . . After that, a little part of me, deep in my heart’s scar tissue, would always remain watcheful, like a sentinel, waiting for the other shoe to drop.” While the first part range true to the very core for me, I was also so aware of how I don’t want to go through life not trusting. While I have had moments of feeling that every vestige of trust I had was stripped from me and I could never trust again– I don’t want to go through life not trusting. I must put my trust in the Lord and trust that He will carry me through whatever learning opportunities present themselves in my life and that I will be okay. If I can trust in the Lord, then I can trust humans again– knowing that everything is as it should be and all good comes to me in perfect timing and sequence. Even when it seems that people are untrustworthy– even when people ARE untrustworthy– faith in Him can allow me to trust the imperfect humans I share this earthly space with and express gratitude for they role they play in my journey.

I’m not proud to admit it, but I found great comfort in Lee’s sharing of a night when she lost it and behaved in a less than perfect manner for a mother. As a single mother I have had moments that I would prefer had never happened. There was an odd sense of comeraderie to know that I wasn’t the only mother who has ever felt like I just couldn’t take one more moment!

The last quote is perhaps the best of all— “We’ve had more than our share of happy times, wonderful times, laughter to fill buckets and joy enough to burst a human heart . . . life is not so ulike the evening news. It’s nice to end the story with a happy kicker, a piece that makes us all feel good inside . . . But the moments that define us, that strip us down to raw bone and cartilage and build us back up: they are the tough ones . . . I believe how we attack those curve balls is the stuff of life; they count just as much as the good times. Perhaps there are lessons there, lessons for others who will hit the gritty pavement of life, often when they least expect it.” Yes— these next few weeks are the moments that define me– if only for me. If I am the only one who ever knows the truth and sees this experience for what it is– that is enough– that is the stuff of life and will see me through the future and lead me to heights I never could have achieved without this ‘exercise.’

“You can’t make deals, barter, or trade to spare one another . . . you can only hold faith and hope in equal measures in your heart, and in the end you can teach yourself how best to endure and then to survive and overcome . . . and so we have to choose to laugh and keep smiling. We have to hope that there is always something better around the corner . . . we have to dig down, to believe unfailingly in the ability of the human spirit to triumph in ways we didn’t think possible. To make the choice to be resilient, ultimately to bounce back, is to make the choice to be grateful, as grateful as possible for the cards you have been dealt.”

Life is a choice, and the moment of power is always in the present moment. Now is the time I get to choose– how to respond, how to think, how to feel about this circumstance and those that have betrayed me. I can not control their thoughts, feelings or actions— but I CAN choose how I feel about it and how I perceive my current situation. I get to create my reality by choosing my thoughts and feelings about the things in my life.

Thank you, Lee and Bob, for sharing your story of pain and healing and triumph. For making the choice to be resilient, that you could share with me at this important juncture the insight and strength and love that you picked up along your journey. Best wishes as you continue on your journey of healing–your sharing has helped to ease the pain of my own path through darkness.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever felt that life has dealt them a challenge they cannot bear. My guess is that in comparison the load will be light. At the same time— even though your pain may seem minute compared to the life and death situation the Woodruff’s experienced– it is very real. The pain is real, the darkness is real, the feeling of suffocation and inability to go on is very real. Go through the pain– face it head on– and come out on the other side stronger, better prepared, and with a heart filled with gratitude for life, friends, and love!

Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason

This is another great book about finances with a WEALTH of good information. There was one quote I particularly liked. Back in 1926 Mr. Clason wrote Arkad, the Richest Man in Babylon saying, “In my mind rests a belief that some day wise-thinking men will devise a plan to insure against death whereby many men pay in but a trifling sum regularly, the aggregate making a handsome sum for the family of each member who passeth to the beyond. This do I see as something desirable and which I could highly recommend. But today it is not possible . . . some day do I feel that such a plan shall come to pass and be a great blessing to many men, because even the first small payment will make available a snug fortune for the family of a member should he pass on.” (pg. 38)

Could he have been envisioning network marketing? It sure sounds like it to me. I absolutely LOVE that last sentence because it is soooo true! Looking at my own situation– based on my efforts with Bookwise over the past 4 months my monthly residual income (from my own organization and matching commissions) is only at about $175/month so far, which isn’t that much– BUT, that $175 per month is for the rest of my life (and beyond). If I live for another 30 years that’s $63,000 I made in the past 4 months. If I live another 50 years (which I plan to do!) that’s over $100,000. And, of course, now I have 120 people out there working with me to build OUR Bookwise business, so that’s not even a true picture of the value of the work I’ve put in during the past 4 months. [UPDATE: After 6 months the monthly is just under $400/month and there are more than 225 people on my team. We are set to absolutely EXPLODE!!]

So truly — “even the first small payment (of $35) will make (has made) available a snug fortune for the (my) family . . . (whether I remain alive or) should (I) pass on.”

Gotta love Bookwise– and can’t help thinking that George Clason knew what he was talking about!!