Purge Marketing Database: Pointy-Haired Boss Made Me Do It

Instructions for reading this blog:

1. Put your index finger on the lower left portion of jaw and rest your head
2. look towards the ceiling after you're done reading
3. think

My Reply to VMware

From: lorrinda [mailto:lsm@lorrinda.com] Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 1:45 PM To: 'The VMware Team' - vmwareteam@connect.vmware.com Cc: 'mmarks@vmware.com'; 'rjackson@vmware.com'; 'pmaritz@vmware.com' Subject: RE: Last Chance – Removal from VMware Marketing Database Dear VMware:

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This is silly. Why would you purge an opted-in potential customer from your marketing database. What was the cost to get me as a subscriber? That money wasn’t well spent? Clearly you know I have not updated my profile and/or subscription preferences in the past 6 months. Why not continue to market to me with ‘baby-come-back’ campaigns or something. Maybe you just want me to think you will purge my name, but you really are not planning to do it… thereby creating a [false] sense of urgency so I will go ahead and do the update.

What would of worked for me here is something like this… We miss you… please visit _______ and update your profile so we can keep in touch. The presentation (colors, design, etc) of this message was excellent. The message was foo foo.Glad your first quarter profits are up! Sincerely, Lorrinda S. Michieka, MBA Move My Mountain, LLC http://www.movemymountain.com lsm@lorrinda.com

Original Message

<------- original message ---------> From: The VMware Team [mailto:vmwareteam@connect.vmware.com]

Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 10:03 AM To: lsm@lorrinda.com Subject: Last Chance – Removal from VMware Marketing Database General Service Announcement:

Thank you for your past interest in VMware. As part of our routine scheduled maintenance, we will be removing email addresses and associated subscription information from our marketing database for contacts who have not updated their profile and/or subscription preferences within the last 6 months. If you would like to remain on our mailing list and wish to receive updates on news, specific solutions, offers and much more, then please update your current profile. If you do not take any action by June 30th, we will permanently archive your record. We encourage you to visit the profile center and update your profile today. Best regards, The VMware Team PS – Visit the "Profile Center" today to avoid being removed from the VMware database!

Secrets to Getting Your E-commerce Customers to Come Back

My mom was helping me file stuff found in a stack of stuff at my home office. I ran across a coupon from Springfield Wire that came in my box of Danny DuzIt stainless steel sponges. This coupon continually made the cut when I was 'cleaning' my desk on previous occasions because I knew that Danny was the only pot scrubber that I ever wanted to use and I regularly give them as gifts. These things are amazing. I was first introduced to them in 1996 when somebody was selling them as a fundraiser. I've been hooked every since. They do not rust or tear like the store brands and can last up to a year it seems. No, I don't cook a lot, but when I do, there is sure to be a mess that Danny can fix. I have learned not to leave the kitchen the entire time something (anything) is cooking so I could stop burning stuff to the point that I could not eat it. That little coupon (and re-order slip) inside the box told me that Springfield valued me as a customer and my repeat business would be appreciated. There was a handy re-order form included too. Therefore, I am still giving 'their' product as gifts and blogging about it! Be sure to include a little something extra when you ship to your customers. When you ship an order to a customer, what do you include in the box? If your answer is: “The product and a packing slip,” you’re missing out on a big opportunity to keep customers coming back, says consultant John Park on … Secrets to Getting Your E-commerce Customers to Come Back

HBCUs should PLAN --> DO --> CHECK --> ACT

When it suits me, I consider myself a HBCU insider since I worked at one for several years and I took some classes while there. Shaw University in Raleigh, NC is in financial trouble. Many other schools are in trouble too, not just HBCUs, but this hits close to home for me.

From where I sat the amount of planning that was allowed to happen could have increased dramatically. I worked in the Business and Finance office for a while before ultimately becoming the Director of Administrative Computing and it seemed we stayed in emergency mode more than anything else. Stephen Covey’s “First Things First” analogy with the jar, the marbles and the golf balls was hauntingly true for us it seemed. Since administering a college is as cyclical as the college academic year itself, when things did show down we ‘shut down’ from sheer exhaustion. It is humanly impossible to be effective AND work at that pace long-term.

We are all familiar with the Academic Calendar. My unique contribution was the Administrative Calendar. I knew (and published) what had to be done in January to have the student information & financials system (Datatel) ready for incoming freshman. My sole daily work was that preparation. If I hit a showstopper in that prep, it was easy to shift gears and help others with their goals since I knew that system inside out and by default was cross-trained on every position in order to successfully migrate the system to a new major release. Cross-training employees is critical.

This morning, the Interim President of Shaw University, Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy said that she has an Abraham Lincoln-like management style; managing by moving about (MBMA). I really hope her enthusiasm is contagious, but more than that, I hope that her MBMA turns up documented cases and scenarios that bring about real change instead of an elaborate silent alarm system when she’s on the prowl. Dr. Yancy is making a great personal sacrifice to delay her retirement to fill this role for Shaw U so I believe her when she says, “Shaw has been around too long to fail. I believe in higher education, but I am totally committed to black higher education. I believe in HBCUs. I believe they should exist. And I believe that if they were not here, they would have to create us this morning.”

Raising $145 million during two capital campaigns while president of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC is truly admirable, but did she teach them to fish? I hope so. Is the $39 million increase in their endowment still growing?... or have they ‘shut down’ from sheer exhaustion ? How did she do it? I, like a lot of other people, am hoping she does it again at Shaw. This is what I recommend happens at Shaw:

1. Take a hard look at every department, process and practice and decide how it feeds into the bottom line.
1. The ‘look’ should be extremely detailed and written.
2. Decide ‘What we do and why.’
3. Put everything in one of two buckets; (1) must-have and, (2) Nice-to-have.
4. Immediately halt spending for each “nice-to-have”
5. Analyze each must have and document processes and prioritize them.
1. Re-write and/or create job descriptions based on must haves.
2. Match employee skills to must-have positions.
3. Empower employees to own and do their jobs with built-in accountability.
2. Create measurable, repeatable processes and workflows that directly relate to university goals.
1. Each department/office should have weekly, monthly and annual goals that are transparent, monitored and measured.
3. Improve internal communications and reporting using technology & standards.
1. Leaders should be able to monitor, communicate and tweak departmental goals and progress.
2. Tweaking should be managed, documented and justified.
3. There should be a systematic way for customers (students) and employees to complain and/or give praise.
4. Faculty & Staff should know exactly how their role(s) contribute to revenue streams. They should absolutely be able to see and focus on the big picture through the daily grind.
1. Tie bonuses to performance.
2. Create incentives to motivate employees.
5. Take inventory of supplies, procurement practices and equipment.
1. Cut waste… who is using all the paper, ink, toner, pencils?
2. Are we paying too much for goods and services?
6. Account for and justify each incoming/outgoing dollar.

THEN… check all you’ve done, tweak, repeat.

Welcome Madame President. Good luck Shaw! I believe in you too.

Sincerely,

LORRINDA STEWART MICHIEKA, MBA Business Analyst Process Rengineerist (made that one up… [smile]) Total Quality Manager Lifelong Student Creative Effectiveness Guru http://www.movemymountain.com/ http://www.lorrinda.com/

Links: http://www.shawuniversity.edu/press_releases/Dr_Yancyl.htm http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5260644/ http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1552170.html

Deserving Ring Patent

This is the most innovative, beautiful and clever ring that I have ever seen in my life. Ya’ll know “I love me to clever” and as a creative, I revel in practical, simplistic and genius design. With all that said, I’m not big on jewelry… PROOF = I’ve worn the same diamond hoop earrings every day for the last 7 years… (Nuff said?? – told ya J) …BUT THIS I had to share.

No! I wasn’t ring shopping. I stumbled upon their elegant logo and went on a tiny research expedition to uncover the product and company behind the seemingly distinguished brand. I was right! World class. This page is in Dutch, but I finally saw the English version… duh!

The logo unicorn absolutely says “fantasy” and “extraordinary,” while the colors say, “modest but swanky; reserved yet regal.” Agree? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

A company brand-- (how you feel about the company), should do just what this one did for me... The brand should create an emotional connection to your company, product or service. Everything your company does and everything that has your company name on it: (logo, brochures, business cards, website, etc) builds your brand. I get really excited when companies get it right and I am in the business of helping companies do just that. (Visit the mountain.) http://www.gebrueder-schaffrath.de/kollektion/liberte/ Light & Motion Diamond Ring - Arcana - Liberte Collection - Gebruder Schaffrath -- "Gracefully, the diamond glides freely in its setting, held by an arch of polished platinum. The light hits it from every angle and ignites its brilliant fire. With every movement, the stone and its wearer unveil a new, shimmering side of her personality." I hope your Memorial Day Holiday is grand! Warmest Regards, Lorrinda

Dear John Scrum:

J and I got went on a two hour brainGasm yesterday. Some real earth friendly stuff came out of it, but I must admit brainGasming with someone else was a unique experience. I ended up writing things down, following up with emails, getting all warm and fuzzy and having a blast. Actually I felt like taking a nap afterwards because the experience was terribly draining.

I dug out another poem... apparently this one was written while I was still working at NCFB because it is on one of their inter-office routing slips. I would love to tell you that I did not waste a company memo on a stinky poem and that the memo was used and I was writing on the back, but that would be an untruth. Since untruths usually come back to haunt me in a very rude way, I will simply say that the memo was not used for its intended purpose. Nuff said.

That idea of 'intended purpose' flows nicely into the subject matter of the poem. It is about understanding. Though I really cannot remember what the exact situation was that prompted this writing, I do know that it must of been a pretty heavy situation in order for me to gasm in the middle of a work day. I wonder if I wrote a "Dear John" letter after writing on the memo? The letter may have looked something like this...

...if the break-up letter was as cryptic as this poem is. I created this art as a student at the School of Communication Arts in Raleigh. It didn't make it on the hallowed walls at the school, but I proudly display it on lorrinda.com.

IF YOU REALLY UNDERSTOOD, you would know that there is no need to repeat the fact that you've already said, "I'm sorry." IF YOU REALLY UNDERSTOOD, you would know that I wasn't making accusations or innuendos, but simply reaching out to be UNDERSTOOD. I'm sorry you don't UNDERSTAND. I do.

Understanding is a funny thing. Just when you think you've got it, clarity show up and blow your theories out of the water. I read an interesting quote today that said, "Inspect what you expect -- If you've got some expectations, give clear instructions and get involved to make sure your expectations are met." I took that as very good advice since 20/20 hindsite vision says usually reveals that a misunderstanding could have been avoided if the proper information was shared with the proper people.

You know how there's always at least one person at the office who everybody things is a slacker. We talk about them at lunch and peep in their cubicles when their on vacation to try to figure out, "what the heck does he do all day?" Well, maybe all offices should do a daily scrum meeting for about a week and see where the chips really fall. Scrum is an iterative, incremental process for developing a product or managing any work. One of it's hallmarks is the daily scrum meeting (we called it a 'stand up' meeting back in the day). At the daily scrum there are no chairs and the meeting lasts about 15 minutes. Three questions are asked...

1. What did you do yesterday?
2. What are you going to do today?
3. What obstacles are in your way?

If 'slacker' even participated in the daily scrum, that would mean that he wasn't slacking outside on his cell phone or perched in the entryway of some hard working person's cubical with a full cup of fresh brewed coffee. Several things could be reveald in this little scrum venture... Perhaps it would be clear to the chiefs and the indians that slacker is really a slacker. Now what? Perhaps it will come out that slacker is an undercover top management agent sent to report who the slackers really are... perhaps we will finally know that slacker is just MISUNDERSTOOD.

Appreciate the Mail Clerk: Project Rework

I have a drawer full of poems that are gathering dust so I thought I would make blog posts of them. This poem was to the ladies in mail-out, who kept the data entry clerks in line back in 1992 when I worked in the Automobile Data Entry Department at the North Carolina Farm Bureau Insurance Company. Around the time this poem was written, the air was buzzing with talk of the 'new system' that would automate things. I had the pleasure of writing some workflows and helping some field offices get organized for the BIG SWITCH. Those trips were exciting and relaxing since there was one guy who insisted on doing all the driving. I landed the NCFB job after being a temporary worker for about 6 months. A job opened on the board and I applied, was hired and stayed there 8 years. I worked as a grocery clerk before that and came home one day and told my husband that I hated my job and wanted to quit, buy a typewriter, be a housewife, learn to type and get a job that I didn't have to stand all day. The typewriter was pink and white and I bought it from the girl who relieved me for my two 10 minute breaks and 30 minute lunches on 9 hour shifts. My man sure ate good those days and the house was spotless as I tried to 'earn' my keep. His job every night when he came home at 6:30 PM from dump truck driving was to time me and see if I had reached the 45-50 accurate, wpm's that the temp agency required to give you an assignment. In about a month, I was fast enough to get a temporary data entry job sitting pretty. I am so grateful to him for allowing me to do that. Perhaps that is why we're still friends after being high school sweethearts and being divorced for 15 years. I talked to him yesterday and he still calls me 'sugar babe.'After passing the INS-21, INS-22 and INS-23 exams to earn my General Certificate in Insurance, I realized that money was not a good enough motivation for me and I needed to move on to a line of work that I felt passionate about. I landed at Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh, North Carolina as the Administrative Assistant to the VP of Finance after being rejected by the President of the College to be his housekeeper. That's a long story... :-) I'll be sure to put it in my autobiography! [SMILE] Being one to easily feel the pain of others, I must have really needed to say I'm sorry for being extremely fat-fingered that week or something. In our bins each day would be new work and work that was returned for corrections. Maybe that is one reason that when I have a project to manage, rework is one of my biggest irritants. I am a firm believer of planning the plan, working the plan, measuring against the plan and revising the plan as needed throughout the project's life cycle(s). How can you possibly start work until we define what DONE is? It's like planning a trip with no destination.

Even though rework can be a sore subject for me, all good project plans include rework contingencies. Sometimes, rework happens not because you did the original work wrong, but when the client gets what they asked for, they realized what they should have asked for.

In those cases, the thought of doing work again does not bother me so much because I know in the end, the client will be satisfied and that's the whole point anyway right?

Well, here's the poem... Thank you ladies for being "A" team players by helping make sure that the green and white, NCFB auto policy declarations were as accurate as humanly possible!

In the process of keeping us in line,
You look at change 'one' and what did you find...
An L/P spelled F-R-D and a bill that should be PPP3.
Looked a little further just to see,
A car classed as 1A and not 1B.
With a pop of the lip and a whip of the pen,
You returned the file to correct the VIN.
When all is come back, assuming correct...
Nobody deleted the 84 Chevette!
And lo and behold at no big surprise,
Somebody spelled Hyundai without the "I"
Oh well, you say, here we go again,
The work of a mail-out clerk never ends!

--LSM
9/29/92

Alan's Words

WORDS... Flowing like great rivers of water; expressive; vivid; revealing the inevitable hiddenness of human nature. WORDS... Ones not spoken by all, but understood by those who care to open theirminds; A precious gift. WORDS... Announcing truths with uninhibited force and the gentle voice of reason; relating; Bridging the gaps. YOUR WORDS... Move me, just as they will many more like me; Making paths for fresh viewings of the phenomenon of this world and allowing brilliant insight to become not so unusual; poetically whispering while chipping away the rock of ignorance. YOU... a breed deemed rare and almost sacred; Judged vital to society by prudent minds; assuredly marked for success; predestined to clarity the profound; to change the world. WE... as a people cannot afford your genius silenced. Speak it; write it; merge your potential with a sacrificial longing for compassion to abound. "How?" you say... by the GRACE OF GOD, of course. NEED... to be heard and people will listen; never lacking an audience. I, for one, believe in you and grant you my promise of heart felt honesty and encouragement: UNCONDITIONALLY. FIND YOURSELF... within yourself; knowing who you are by knowing who you are not. Who you are when you're not alone is your personality. Who you are when you are alone is your character. Know that your direction is guided and that the way is already made. To my true friend Alan Johnson ~1993 May you continue to rest in the bosom of our Lord. -LSM

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