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Remember the game Marry, Kill, or Do? (In some cities, it was Marry, Kill, F$ck) You’d list three people, and you’d have to choose which one you’d marry, which one you’d kill, and which one you’d do. For instance:
Al Roker
Alicia Silverstone
Ghandi
From those three, you’d have to choose. It’s fun after a few drinks.
Anyhow, I came up with a variation for us in the industry, called “Client, Date, or Both.”
Basically, I’ll list a few lines of a song. You tell me if I’m talking about a client, a date, or both.
Ready? This is from an off-broadway show that ran in the late 80’s, called “Closer Than Ever.”
LAST NIGHT MY DREAM COLLAPSED AROUND MY EARS
BUT THAT’S NO REASON TO GO ROUND IN TEARS
I’LL START ANOTHER DREAM THIS MINUTE, WITHOUT <CLIENT OR DATE> IN IT
AND NEXT TIME, THE STARS WILL SING TO ME
NEXT TIME, THE <CLIENT OR DATE> WILL CLING TO ME
NEXT TIME, LIKE PERFECT SO PERFECT WE’LL BE
THIS TIME, I PLANNED IT BADLY,
BUT I’LL DO BETTER NEXT TIME
NEXT TIME, NEXT TIME.
YET WE BEGAN IN SUCH A PERFECT WAY
AND STRINGS OF NEXT TIMES WON’T MAKE ONE TODAY
WHAT DREAM IS WORTH THE FIGHT TO WIN IT
IF <CLIENT’S/DATE’S> NOT IN IT?
OTHERS
FOR NEXT TIME CAN’T BE AS SWEET OR AS TENDER AH.. AH.. AH…
OR PROMISE HALF OF THE SPLENDOUR
THAT THIS TIME PROMISED TO ME
NEXT TIME IS SELF DECEPTION
WHAT I WANT NOW IS THIS AH.. AH.. AH…
THIS TIME, THIS TIME… THIS TIME THE STARS WILL SING TO ME
THIS TIME MY <CLIENT/DATE> WILL CLING TO ME
NEXT TIME
Client, Date, or both?
Peter… your portrayal of the ’80’s is built on a cliche. You kinda forget to mention that Gordon Gecko was a character in a Oliver Stone movie directed to be unlikable… hate to break it to you… he was not real. When I was at Disney in the ’80’s…their benefits where light years better than they are today and culturally and socially it was a much friendlier place to be… same with my time at CBS. I get your point about being nice wins… especially in this connected world… but the challenge for brands today is not just the actions that portray you are nice but in having practices and policies that create the culture that supports it. So… what was truly nicer and able to build a honest social foundation on that asset… the ’80’s company that hired me and paid a decent salary to a 22 year old or todays world where that company offers an unpaid internship where a 22 year old have to beat out 5 peers to work for free while the gov’t bills them $600 a month to pay a $200,000 student loans… who is really eating their young?
OK. Let’s replace Gordon Gekko with Bernie Madoff. He hired interns. He was a “good guy” to all his employees… That obviously ended well. 🙂
Peter… your portrayal of the ’80’s is built on a cliche. You kinda forget to mention that Gordon Gecko was a character in a Oliver Stone movie directed to be unlikable… hate to break it to you… he was not real. When I was at Disney in the ’80’s…their benefits where light years better than they are today and culturally and socially it was a much friendlier place to be… same with my time at CBS. I get your point about being nice wins… especially in this connected world… but the challenge for brands today is not just the actions that portray you are nice but in having practices and policies that create the culture that supports it. So… what was truly nicer and able to build a honest social foundation on that asset… the ’80’s company that hired me and paid a decent salary to a 22 year old or todays world where that company offers an unpaid internship where a 22 year old have to beat out 5 peers to work for free while the gov’t bills them $600 a month to pay a $200,000 student loans… who is really eating their young?
OK. Let’s replace Gordon Gekko with Bernie Madoff. He hired interns. He was a “good guy” to all his employees… That obviously ended well. 🙂
Great article! Unfortunately, many people still think that nice guys finish last, and that the ends always justify the means. And my pet peeve: when someone admits to being an obnoxious person, and then continues to act that way.
Great article! Unfortunately, many people still think that nice guys finish last, and that the ends always justify the means. And my pet peeve: when someone admits to being an obnoxious person, and then continues to act that way.
Great article, wish it worked in practice, especially with the “entitled” generation of today. Unfortunatley, nice guys do finish last, and unfortunately what you’ve neglected is that in this day of technology people are more apt to post the negative than the positive. You were lucky. When your daughter is old enough to be on FB and text and whatever other social media that will be invented you will see we are not teaching our children to be nice. It starts in the home…..and then gets carried over to business and politics…sorry again loved the story, but that’s what it is…..
That’s the kind of defeatist attitude that stops progress right there. And it’s exactly what we should all be trying to change in ourselves, wherever we are.
Great article, wish it worked in practice, especially with the “entitled” generation of today. Unfortunatley, nice guys do finish last, and unfortunately what you’ve neglected is that in this day of technology people are more apt to post the negative than the positive. You were lucky. When your daughter is old enough to be on FB and text and whatever other social media that will be invented you will see we are not teaching our children to be nice. It starts in the home…..and then gets carried over to business and politics…sorry again loved the story, but that’s what it is…..
That’s the kind of defeatist attitude that stops progress right there. And it’s exactly what we should all be trying to change in ourselves, wherever we are.
I agree with you Peter. As business owner who relies heavily on referrals and the voice of my network within my social media outlets, I never take anyone who takes the time to connect with me for granted, even after 11 years. Plus, being nice does go a long way. I was recently stricken terribly with food poisoning after eating a horrible restaurant. In addition to getting sick, the service was horrible, the food being disappointing and the kitchen getting my order wrong, it was their smug attitude about it all that bothered me, along with their lack of any remorse or concern after finding out I had fallen ill. You better believe that I was more than happy to give the place a horrible review…and I’m hardly one of those “I need to complain on social media” types. Had they shown some degree of interest in how horribly lacking everything was, I probably would have dealt with it differently. Truly, it wasn’t the situation but how it was handled that was the hardest to deal with….well, that and being up at 3am sick as a dog.
I agree with you Peter. As business owner who relies heavily on referrals and the voice of my network within my social media outlets, I never take anyone who takes the time to connect with me for granted, even after 11 years. Plus, being nice does go a long way. I was recently stricken terribly with food poisoning after eating a horrible restaurant. In addition to getting sick, the service was horrible, the food being disappointing and the kitchen getting my order wrong, it was their smug attitude about it all that bothered me, along with their lack of any remorse or concern after finding out I had fallen ill. You better believe that I was more than happy to give the place a horrible review…and I’m hardly one of those “I need to complain on social media” types. Had they shown some degree of interest in how horribly lacking everything was, I probably would have dealt with it differently. Truly, it wasn’t the situation but how it was handled that was the hardest to deal with….well, that and being up at 3am sick as a dog.
I’m with you Peter, but I think your ‘be nice’ message will have it’s biggest impact within the company. I’m increasingly finding that being an employer is more of a partnership than the old-style top-down relationship. Motivating people who aren’t motivated by money requires a great working environment, innovation, freshness… and a hat-full of niceness.
I’m with you Peter, but I think your ‘be nice’ message will have it’s biggest impact within the company. I’m increasingly finding that being an employer is more of a partnership than the old-style top-down relationship. Motivating people who aren’t motivated by money requires a great working environment, innovation, freshness… and a hat-full of niceness.
I agree with your post. I have a very close friend whose family operates a family owned business in the Union Bank building in San Francisco. Their lease expired and management threw the husband and wife in the street and rented the location to another couple. I understand money is the bottom line in banks, but management sent a mass email to their employees, telling them that the original mom and pop want to leave their business. I cannot believe people are such….***********…….what has the world come to