MONKEYZ BLOG

This past long holiday weekend, I couldn’t help but contemplate the state of workplace America, especially as I strolled the beach, smartphone in one hand, sunscreen in the other, and visions of the next great volleyball match dancing in my head. Independence Day fell on a Thursday this year, close enough to the weekend to…

The Fourth of July is upon us. Without question, that means it’s time for baseball, barbeques, family and friend get-togethers, fireworks, parades . . . and for yours truly as much beach volleyball as these aging (ahem!) bones and muscles can stand. I like to think that our founding fathers would find comfort in the…

As shout out to all who attended, organized, or otherwise participated in these fantastic events during the month of June. A good time was had by all!

Catching the news these days (and it’s tough not to, between 24 x 7 cable news networks and ever-present Internet news feeds), it’s clear a lot of the newsmakers out there could use an attitude adjustment. From the stagnation that is Washington DC, to Russian president Putin’s purported pocketing of New England Patriots owner Robert…

The entries submission deadline has come and gone, but you can still attend this “kick-ass cocktail kickoff and awards show” June 26, 2013 at the House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Avenue, Downtown, San Diego 92101. The 2013 San Diego AMA American Marketer of the Year (AMY) Awards event recognizes marketing professionals and their work from…

Marketing 101 teaches us to define our ideal client or customer (our “target audience”) and to gear our communications and marketing efforts toward that broad group. Not to the exclusion of others, of course, but the idea is that if we communicate what we need to the people we most want to be our customers/clients,…

    Huntington’s Disease Society of America-San Diego is putting on its 12th annual outdoor party “Shoot to Cure HD!” this Saturday, June 15 at Petco Park. Guests are treated to food and drinks from more than 20 of San Diego’s favorite eateries, tickets to the Padres game that evening, a commemorative Shoot T-shirt, and moments they’ll never…

Cap and gown ceremonies, bridal bouquets, and the telltale absence of school busses on the roads tells me it must be summer again . . . or at least we’re getting mighty close. Summer officially arrives on June 21 at 1:04 a.m. EDT, but already the days are long and warm. While the winter was long and…

I read in a recent article from the American Marketing Association’s The Buzz that 70% of leads generated through marketing are never followed-up on, even though 65% of marketing budgets are spent on generating leads. Ouch! That’s like applying for a job and 70% of the time never following up on it. If you were…

On the heels of last week’s Blog about getting to know your customers better, and getting more comfortable asking them how they learn about, buy, and even use your products or services, I got to thinking “How do I incentivize my customers to give me feedback?” Granted, if the feedback is negative, I generally don’t…

Who are your customers? Do you know them, really . . . or do you just think you do. For most small- to medium-sized businesses, I’m betting on the latter, and here’s why: you would be amazed at how many times I’ve been asked to spearhead a marketing effort, or retool one, without benefit of…

In some ways, life is all about balance. Day balances night, the ratio of men to women in the world is roughly 1:1, and when we eat too much or spend too much time in the recliner watching the TV, we try to balance it all out by exercising, eating right, taking walks on the…

Don’t Assume. How many times have we heard someone tell us that, whether it’s at home or on the job? There’s usually a second part to that saying, something about “When you assume, you make a (posterior section) out of you and me.” Seems like sound advice to me. To “assume” means to take something…

Watching the ups and downs of Facebook stock over the last year, got me to thinking, “Maybe this social media thing’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” Add in Apple’s recent tumble from numero uno company in the land, and I really started to wonder if we’ve experienced some sort of social media/technology bubble and are…

We all need to disconnect at times from the day-to-day challenges of our business and personal lives, whether it’s for a planned vacation, an impromptu walk on a local nature trail or beach, watching your favorite sports team on the flat screen (Go Dodgers!), or simply checking out for a proverbial “mental health day” to…

The life of an entrepreneur is never dull, especially for an entrepreneur looking to make the transition from self-employed back to full-time employment. That would be me. If I’ve piqued your interest, read on about what’s been going on with me personally and professionally over the last few months. CAREER & WORK Hard to believe…