It’s Not Failure, It’s an Opportunity

It’s Not Failure, It’s an Opportunity

by | Mar 9, 2018 | Leadership

Have you ever had a plan that didn’t work out as you had hoped? If your plans are always perfect, I applaud you. Mine usually go off without a hitch, but this weekend I did have a bit of a hitch. I used it as a teaching opportunity for my kids and to remind myself that when a plan doesn’t work out, you gotta get creative and keep moving forward.

On Pinterest, I saw a recipe for a whoopee pie cake and thought this could be fun to make. I’m a very good cook and baker and my friends think I never have a kitchen disaster but this time I did. I even sent them this picture to show them.

 

Yup, the top two layers slid right off and the top broke in half. At first glance, it was beyond repair. I was ready to throw it in the trash and call it a day but my seven-year-old son said, “Mom, what the heck happened to your cake?” I wanted to use a few choice words but told him it didn’t work out as planned, so how can we fix it?

What does my cake failure have to do with your business? Everything! I led a very successful birthday party program and know how hard it can be to reach your goals. Some weeks we had to get creative on how we were going to make our goal, but we worked as a team and never gave up.

Imagine if this year we planned on doing $500,000 in birthday parties or group events and we came up short. Do we just throw in the towel and say, “Well, we didn’t reach our goal so there’s no point in moving forward or trying next year?” Or do we work as a team, set a goal, and create a plan on how we are going to reach that goal next year?

What if we realized our leadership or sales team members don’t have the right training to provide the best service? Do we just let them keep doing the same thing or do we find a way to help them get better in leadership and sales?

Walt Disney put it best, “Around here, however, we don’t look backward for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

One hundred times yes! Today, I want to give you three tips to help you keep moving forward.

1.    Don’t Fear Failure

I hear this so many times. People are scared to fail and we shouldn’t be. The word shouldn’t be in our vocabulary as we are not failing, we are learning. If you can continue to see every one of these stumbles as an opportunity to learn and teach others, you will grow and see more successes.

2.    Have a Plan

We have worked with hundreds of sales and leadership teams in North America and I’m always amazed how many of them want to sell more or grow their business but don’t have a concrete plan. A goal without a plan is just a wish. Spend time with your sales and leadership teams and create a plan for success.

3.    Hire a Coach

This year I found a mentor/coach to help me grow in my leadership abilities. In a short time, it has made a world of a difference. Remember, you don’t have to do it alone! Someone has already made the fought the battles, made the mistakes, and created plans for success.

If you are ready to grow your people and your business, don’t wait, call us today. We want to understand your business and your current challenges and, based on your needs, we will prepare a plan of action for your business. Once we have created that plan together, we will work directly with you and your team on a weekly basis to GROW your business.

Before we go, I know you are dying to know what happened to the cake. Well, we decided to throw it in a bowl and make cake balls. The little hurdle didn’t stop us from having a great dessert and feeling frustrated, overworked, or anxious shouldn’t stop you from growing your business. Call us at 817.886.4840. We’re here to help!

FEC Marketing Made Easy Vol 2

FEC Marketing Made Easy Vol 2

by | Mar 1, 2018 | Marketing

Welcome to this month’s marketing blog!

If you missed our first edition, you can see it here. Each month we’ll share information about what’s happening in social media and marketing, give you promotion and marketing ideas, and answer questions you have about marketing your FEC. Just submit your questions to marketing@trainertainment.net.

Let’s get started on this month’s topics.

Instagram Tests Sharing to Stories

Right now Instagram does not have a “regram” option to share other people’s content. There are loads of apps you can download to reshare content, and now Instagram is testing an alternative to reshare other people’s content to your story. Read TechCrunch’s article about this news and some information on privacy settings for users.

Personally, I’m excited about being able to share straight from the app. Streamlining is always a plus and having fewer apps on my phone is another win. Plus, this is going to be an excellent way for centers to engage their communities on Instagram.

Right now it’s in test mode so you may not have the option. At TrainerTainment, we don’t have the option yet, but we’re eagerly waiting for it. I wanted to start talking about it now is so you can be prepared when it does come out.

There is a lot of content out there focusing on children and, since we’re in the family entertainment business, we need to be mindful of what we are sharing. As of right now, Instagram does not have clear rules about sharing content other than what’s in their TOS (terms of service): “You are solely responsible for your conduct and any data, text, files, information, usernames, images, graphics, photos, profiles, audio and video clips, sounds, musical works, works of authorship, applications, links and other content or materials (collectively, “Content”) that you submit, post or display on or via the Service.” 

This statement may seem general, but remember, you violate copyright laws when you share content that is not your own without permission. Consider how your social media team will ask to share someone else’s content. Here are a couple of my suggestions.

How to Ask to Share Photos on Instagram

Asking permission directly on the post is the easiest and most clear way to give a person the ability to say yes or no. Recently, I posted something on my personal Instagram and had someone ask to share my content. It was easy for me to reply, permitting it.

Another option is to send a direct message. To do this, you just click on the direct message button, search their Instagram name, and write your message. Your message will also include the picture you are referring to so there isn’t any confusion.

Another way is in your description and around your center. Ask people to tag you with a unique hashtag on their Instagram feed. Two of my favorite things in life are food and travel. Travel and Leisure and Food and Wine state very precisely how you can be featured on their Instagram feed.

Regramming content is a great way to engage with your audience and showcase your business with weekly visitors. The key is to be sure you are protecting your fans, your business, and your content and not get into a legal bind.

 

Marketing and Promotion Ideas

What promotions are you running during the next 90 days? In the next week or two, you should have your summer calendar ready to go! Summer is the perfect time to engage walk-in customers and show them how great your center is. Here are some promotion ideas for planning your summer calendar.

  • Late Night Special – Summer is the best time for kids and families to stay up later. Drive traffic later by having a late night summer special.
  • June is International Childhood Cancer Month – Partner with your local children’s hospital and Children’s Miracle Network and sell balloons all month long.
  • Summer Reading Club – Motivate kids to read all summer and reward them with great prizes! We have made it easy for you to create this and have a step by step guide in our Marketing Manual. You can work schools to kick it off and your local libraries, too.
  • Father’s Day – We always make a big deal of Mother’s Day so plan a fun day the week prior for dads to spend time with their kiddos. Have a “Color your dad’s tie” contest and hang them up in your center.
  • 4th of July Celebration – Get involved and have a float in a local parade. Host hot dog eating contests and give away prize packs.
  • Back to School Contest – Host a contest on social media. Have fans tag you with their best back to school pictures.

Marketing Resources

Not knowing where to start or planning promotions can sometimes lead to frustration. Our Marketing Manual has everything you need to get started. Learn how to plan using our 90-60-30 day process with milestones and checklists. Get seven events with everything you’ll need including step-by-step how-tos to implement in your center. 

Have marketing questions you want to be answered? Email us at marketing@trainertainment.net, and we will answer your questions in the next newsletter and/or on our Facebook page.

 

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