I am feeling pretty good about myself and how far I've come in this online journey I've been calling coreytyhurst.com. Slowly, but surely the site is coming together nicely. No doubt I have much more work to do on content, and I have some really basic SEO that I need to work on, but at least everything is looking decent on the surface.
The latest addition to my blog is the Facebook "like" button. I added this because its been working wonders over at www.empirebuilding.net, so we'll see how it works here. I must admit, I haven't exactly figured out the right strategy for my Facebook page, as I'm not selling anything and don't really have a reason for people to go there aside from me piping in all of the articles which I deem interesting.
The experiment continues!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
My First Case of Writers Block
I never thought I'd be THAT guy.... the one who is up in the wee hours of the morning trying to work on his blog posts. To top it all off, with my never ending stream of opinions on everything, I'd never think I would be the guy with the writer's block. Sometimes no matter what you write it just doesn't flow the way you want!
Alas, here I am. I don't think I should be surprised however, given my history.
I've never considered myself much of a writer even though I think I've always showed some of the characteristics of a blogger. I enjoy staying up late, I work the best when I feel like working; not at some predetermined hour, and I thrive off of deadlines.
The only reason I'm even up at this hour on a Sunday is because I'm on vacation from my day job this week. I must admit though, I haven't been sleeping well lately. I am truly excited about the launch of www.empireavenue.com, and I'm so happy that I have been able to participate in the site since the early beta stages.
During my undergrad in Business Economics, I frequently wrote my papers and marketing plans in the wee hours of the morning, but yet somehow the thought of staying up late and writing articles seemed like something that was in my realm of interest. I must say, since I've started this blog in January, and from my last month or so blogging with www.empirebuilding.net, I think this is becoming a secret passion of mine.
Now that I've distracted myself for a bit on the advice of Cliff over at the Empire Building Network, I wonder if I can go back and finish the damn work that I wanted to get done tonight. Hell hath no fury for a guy trying not to wake up his gf in the other room while he figures out what the hell he wants to write about.
Alas, here I am. I don't think I should be surprised however, given my history.
I've never considered myself much of a writer even though I think I've always showed some of the characteristics of a blogger. I enjoy staying up late, I work the best when I feel like working; not at some predetermined hour, and I thrive off of deadlines.
The only reason I'm even up at this hour on a Sunday is because I'm on vacation from my day job this week. I must admit though, I haven't been sleeping well lately. I am truly excited about the launch of www.empireavenue.com, and I'm so happy that I have been able to participate in the site since the early beta stages.
During my undergrad in Business Economics, I frequently wrote my papers and marketing plans in the wee hours of the morning, but yet somehow the thought of staying up late and writing articles seemed like something that was in my realm of interest. I must say, since I've started this blog in January, and from my last month or so blogging with www.empirebuilding.net, I think this is becoming a secret passion of mine.
Now that I've distracted myself for a bit on the advice of Cliff over at the Empire Building Network, I wonder if I can go back and finish the damn work that I wanted to get done tonight. Hell hath no fury for a guy trying not to wake up his gf in the other room while he figures out what the hell he wants to write about.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Primerica: If You Aren't A Scam, Please Don't Sound Like One
Today I got a random phone call. I normally don't answer calls from numbers I don't recognize, but I was working from home today and it could have been business related.
But then the specific questions started coming from me, and it wasn't so obvious that this was legit anymore.
The gentleman asked me if I'd be willing to come in for an information session. I said that I wasn't going to commit until I could get a chance to check out the website and give him a call back. I felt like this was a reasonable request, as I am very happy in my current job, and I wanted to know about the company he was touting, Primerica Canada. This guys job is obviously to close the sale, so he wasn't satisfied with that answer. I completely understand that.
The Call Turns Suspicious
Here's what happened next that started making me suspicious:
-When I mentioned visiting the internet to look up his company, he was gave me this line about how his company had spent millions on marketing, including a website, and if the website was the best way to disseminate information to people, he would spend most of his day emailing folks. My question then is: why spend the millions?
-He asked me if I wanted to bring a trusted friend, or a spouse to the information session with me. While I understand that changing careers is a big life choice, they can't be THAT selective if they are just bringing anyone they want to these information sessions. I have since learned that this is common in financial services, but I didn't know this, so a reputable thing to do would have been to mention that this is normal in the industry, and practiced by firms such as the Investors Group.
-When I asked him out of curiosity how he got my name and cell phone number, he started getting vague and would only refer to someone named "Arek". (I asked him to spell it for me).
-When I Googled the gentleman I was speaking to on the phone after the call, I had to really work to find him. If you were "regional VP of a financial services distribution company", wouldn't you have a LinkedIn profile?
-When I Googled Primerica the first thing I kept getting was "its a scam", "beware", etc.
-Even on the official Primerica Canada site, there was a whole page dedicated to "important disclosures", which says it IS a subsidiary of Citigoup.
Transparency Enables Clarity
After sharing what I had found on Twitter and how I felt this could affect ones personal brand, I got a few polite messages about how my information was incorrect. I'll admit that I didn't spend hours researching before I tweeted, but thats why I shared it, to get feedback to find out what the real story was. Also, the subsidiary piece is right on the website, so I just tweeted what the company itself told me.
From what I can gather from all sources, it seems like Primerica IS a legitimate company, but due to its agent based structure, there are inconsistencies in the level of ethics across branches. There is also evidence that the company used to be worse, but since going public it has cleaned up its act. I'm perfectly comfortable with this, but frankly, that should have been one of the first things mentioned when I began asking about going online to check out the company. I can deal with past mistakes, I REFUSE to deal with not being transparent.
If they truly are changed, they should acklowledge there were issues in the past and pledge that they have rectified the situation. I honestly would have expected something on the Primerica PR site (which btw, says it's NOT a subsidiary of Citigroup), but nothing to be found. Being listed on the stock market doesn't automatically indicate youhave good business practices. I think we all remember that little company named Enron.
This gentleman was polite, proactive, and well spoken. I don't know him. I'm sure he's an upstanding guy. I gotta say though, even after doing the research, I'm still not exactly sure how Primerica is or isn't related to Citigroup at this point due to conflicting sources.
My suggestion for Primerica
If you aren't a scam, try not to sound like one.
He didn't press the issue of me coming in to talk to them anymore, so I'm assuming they found someone they were looking for. I wish them both the best, but again, doesn't sound like other legit companies I've worked with.**
A professional sounding gentlemen began asking me whether I was interested business opportunities, etc, etc. I have had calls from headhunters before, and they are usually straight up with you:
"I work for a client who is looking for x. This is the job, this is the company, would you be interested in talking?"As I explained in a previous post, I enjoy hearing the selling techniques employed at other companies, as it helps keep me on my game, plus it gives me something to blog about! He gave me his full name when I asked for it, so I was willing to listen to the pitch. In addition to that he seemed to be able to answer the general questions I was throwing at him about the opportunity in question.
But then the specific questions started coming from me, and it wasn't so obvious that this was legit anymore.
The gentleman asked me if I'd be willing to come in for an information session. I said that I wasn't going to commit until I could get a chance to check out the website and give him a call back. I felt like this was a reasonable request, as I am very happy in my current job, and I wanted to know about the company he was touting, Primerica Canada. This guys job is obviously to close the sale, so he wasn't satisfied with that answer. I completely understand that.
The Call Turns Suspicious
Here's what happened next that started making me suspicious:
-When I mentioned visiting the internet to look up his company, he was gave me this line about how his company had spent millions on marketing, including a website, and if the website was the best way to disseminate information to people, he would spend most of his day emailing folks. My question then is: why spend the millions?
-He asked me if I wanted to bring a trusted friend, or a spouse to the information session with me. While I understand that changing careers is a big life choice, they can't be THAT selective if they are just bringing anyone they want to these information sessions. I have since learned that this is common in financial services, but I didn't know this, so a reputable thing to do would have been to mention that this is normal in the industry, and practiced by firms such as the Investors Group.
-When I asked him out of curiosity how he got my name and cell phone number, he started getting vague and would only refer to someone named "Arek". (I asked him to spell it for me).
-When I Googled the gentleman I was speaking to on the phone after the call, I had to really work to find him. If you were "regional VP of a financial services distribution company", wouldn't you have a LinkedIn profile?
-When I Googled Primerica the first thing I kept getting was "its a scam", "beware", etc.
-Even on the official Primerica Canada site, there was a whole page dedicated to "important disclosures", which says it IS a subsidiary of Citigoup.
Transparency Enables Clarity
After sharing what I had found on Twitter and how I felt this could affect ones personal brand, I got a few polite messages about how my information was incorrect. I'll admit that I didn't spend hours researching before I tweeted, but thats why I shared it, to get feedback to find out what the real story was. Also, the subsidiary piece is right on the website, so I just tweeted what the company itself told me.
From what I can gather from all sources, it seems like Primerica IS a legitimate company, but due to its agent based structure, there are inconsistencies in the level of ethics across branches. There is also evidence that the company used to be worse, but since going public it has cleaned up its act. I'm perfectly comfortable with this, but frankly, that should have been one of the first things mentioned when I began asking about going online to check out the company. I can deal with past mistakes, I REFUSE to deal with not being transparent.
If they truly are changed, they should acklowledge there were issues in the past and pledge that they have rectified the situation. I honestly would have expected something on the Primerica PR site (which btw, says it's NOT a subsidiary of Citigroup), but nothing to be found. Being listed on the stock market doesn't automatically indicate youhave good business practices. I think we all remember that little company named Enron.
This gentleman was polite, proactive, and well spoken. I don't know him. I'm sure he's an upstanding guy. I gotta say though, even after doing the research, I'm still not exactly sure how Primerica is or isn't related to Citigroup at this point due to conflicting sources.
My suggestion for Primerica
If you aren't a scam, try not to sound like one.
- If there have been past issuesaddress them head on instead of trying to ignore them. If you don't make it clear where you stand, the internet will.
- Be straight up with what is true or isn't true and you'll attract the kind of people you need to grow your business.
He didn't press the issue of me coming in to talk to them anymore, so I'm assuming they found someone they were looking for. I wish them both the best, but again, doesn't sound like other legit companies I've worked with.**
Friday, July 9, 2010
I Love Jib Jab so much. It's. Just. Awesome.
Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!
The video pretty much speaks for itself. For $12/year I can send as many ridiculous cards and put as many of my friends into hilarious videos as I want.
The Facebook integration is brilliant, they've clearly been doing their work on the business end (Star Wars 30th Anniversary, World Cup, and now promoting the new Season of Mad Men).
Here's the one I made of me in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Btw, if you are planning on scoring points with your gf on this one, be sure she is Princess Leah as opposed to someone else. Just trust me on this one.
And, if I'm not interested in shelling out the cash, I can still watch a hilarious video making fun of every single event that happened in a year.
In short, Jib Jab is a great site, and it's been one of my favourites for a long time.... ever since John Kerry thought he could give Bush a run for his money.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Social Media, Canada, Independence- 3 Great Days All In One Weekend!
The mass exodus from the city to the cottage for the Canada Day long weekend is well underway in Toronto. This was evidenced my my super speedy trip to Best Buy to pick up a Pink Nintendo DS Lite for my girlfriends birthday (she chose the colour of course).
During this fine weekend our neighbours to the South also celebrate their own independence and I can't help but think about the long standing relationship our two countries have had in making North America a great place to live.
While we celebrate long standing traditions, this weekend also brings us closer to the future. Mashables Social Media day, celebrated in many countries all over the world yesterday is a testament to how the world s changing through technology.
We are quickly moving to a world where its less about that I live in Canada or have coworkers who live in the US. The Internet (with Social Media as a large component of this) has quickly began erasing the concept of borders, reminding us that we are all citizens of the Earth before we are part of some political organization known as a country, and that thinking globally will be the only way for our planet to succeed in the long run.
As I head out of town for my own Canada day celebrations, I urge you to take pride in your country, take pride in where you are from, but remember that we're all human, and thats what really matters.
During this fine weekend our neighbours to the South also celebrate their own independence and I can't help but think about the long standing relationship our two countries have had in making North America a great place to live.
While we celebrate long standing traditions, this weekend also brings us closer to the future. Mashables Social Media day, celebrated in many countries all over the world yesterday is a testament to how the world s changing through technology.
We are quickly moving to a world where its less about that I live in Canada or have coworkers who live in the US. The Internet (with Social Media as a large component of this) has quickly began erasing the concept of borders, reminding us that we are all citizens of the Earth before we are part of some political organization known as a country, and that thinking globally will be the only way for our planet to succeed in the long run.
As I head out of town for my own Canada day celebrations, I urge you to take pride in your country, take pride in where you are from, but remember that we're all human, and thats what really matters.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)