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49 Lessons from the Class of 2013

December 26, 2013 By Jill Of All Trades Leave a comment

2014

©iStock.com/themacx


The holidays are always a natural point for reflection. With friends and family gathered around, you share memories of the year that was and hopes for the year that will be. The successes are celebrated and the failures are looked at through a lens of experience, rather than regret.
So, it is with this same spirit of introspection that we at Reman University take a look back at the year that was, and look to the future with the sage insight of a wise old wizard. Without further adieu, here are 49 lessons learned, lived, and lovingly presented by the Reman University Class of 2013.

  1. When all else fails, value sells.
  2. The people you employ to make your products sell your business better than the people who sell your products. 
  3. Squeezing in a session of glute-blasting while on the clock is never a waste of time.
  4. The quality of your customers is more important than the quantity. (Unless your customers are made of chocolate.) 
  5. Like vehicles, relationships require regular maintenance. Unlike vehicles, they do not have a handy “Check Relationship” light. 
  6. Internal communications help reinforce your tribe.
  7. When you rock at social media, you rock at customer loyalty.
  8. Maintaining an active blog is a commitment. It’s not always fun, but, dammit, you made a promise.
  9. An organized workspace is the key to an organized mind and finding out where the hell that smell is coming from. 
  10. Project management is a learned skill, but being a sh*t tornado is a natural talent.
  11. No is the most powerful word in your business vocabulary. And the only word in your vocabulary if you’re Grumpy Cat.
  12. How you handle stress affects how your team handles stress.
  13. Your attitude affects the attitudes of those around you. Now go away.
  14. Books may not contain all the answers, but it may contain a path to the answers.
  15. Turn spring fever into sales momentum, not babies. 
  16. Dress for the part you want to play, not necessarily the role you have. (Which explains why I’m wearing this dinosaur costume.) 
  17. “Yes”, “no”, “please”, “thanks”, “help”, “stop”, and “sorry” are powerful words, and so is “BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL… I HAVE THE POWWWEEEERRR!” 
  18. Fishing for young talent requires the right kind of bait. 
  19. Entering the workforce is a challenge to be met head-on and with an air guitar solo.
  20. There’s a difference between making a team and making a great team. Think: 2013 Houston Texans vs 2013 Denver Broncos.
  21. Getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar once may lose you a customer for life and the cookie. 
  22. Hype is a marketing tool that Daft Punk wields like a mighty scimitar.
  23. Mutually beneficial business relationships are the key to building trust. That’s why no one ever does a Trust Fall on the Death Star.
  24. In sales, “fashionably late” is, like, SO last season.
  25. Find what gets you psyched up to help bring your sales A-Game. Or, if you’re Canadian, Eh-Game.
  26. Having a great product is all very well and fine, but great people will keep customers coming back for more.
  27. Take a cue from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Don’t Panic. Even if you’re being chased by the ravenous bugblatter beast of Traal. 
  28. Game of Thrones is a lesson in cutthroat business practices. No pun intended, Catelyn Stark. Or Robb Stark. Or Ned Stark. Or well, pretty much anyone else in Westeros.
  29. It takes a little finesse to close a sale.
  30. Draw up your battle plan before ever setting foot on the field.
  31. Football and sales are a lot alike – at the end of the day we’re all drained, sweaty, and covered in beer from the guy behind you. Wait, what? 
  32. Stop chasing your customers and give them a reason to come to you.
  33. There’s a difference between confidence and cockiness – Don’t nobody want a cowboy who’s all hat and no cattle. 
  34. You don’t become a Tough Mudder Fudder overnight. 
  35. Your lobby is a reflection of your corporate culture, so try to keep torture devices to a minimum.
  36. Work is a lot like laser tag – minus the headshots and crawling around hiding. Well, maybe just the headshots.
  37. Instagram, Vine, and Tumblr may be the perfect saucy addition to your marketing sammich.
  38. 11.8 miles of electrical shocks, ice water, fire, and mud is just another day at the office. 
  39. If answering “What do you do at your job” makes you curl up into the fetal position and cry, you may need to take inventory of all the hats you’re asked to wear.
  40. Working from home isn’t all pillow forts and pajama-jammy-jams – it takes dedication and discipline.
  41. Sometimes, the best way to increase your productivity at work is to get away from work. 
  42. The devil is in the details, and leaving those details out may leave you with hell to pay.
  43. How to be a rock star: under-promise, over-deliver, go to rehab.
  44. By the time you read this, 3 new videos of cats have been uploaded to YouTube, so maybe it’s time to hop on the video train. 
  45. That constant feeling of being overwhelmed is probably a sign that you’re understaffed.
  46. Which came first: the turkey or Thanksgiving traditions? 
  47. Embrace change. And when you do, maybe give it a little back rub and sniff its hair. 
  48. You don’t have to cringe when a customer says, “I Googled it and…”
  49. We wouldn’t be shift without you.

 
Happy New Year, everyone. Here’s to another year of lessons learned and opportunities maximized.
Now pop the champagne and get ready for 2014!


Jill of All Trades Aimee Brock has personally read each of these articles and is now a fount of business, sales, and marketing knowledge. What’s been your most eye-opening Reman U moment? Leave a comment below or email Aimee!
FILED UNDER: CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT MARKETING REMAN U ARTICLES SALES UNCATEGORIZED

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