Saturday, October 4, 2008

Just Say "Yes"

Today's post is dedicated to all the can-do people out there who's first instinct is to say, "yes," in stead of "no."

I'm not talking about taking on more than you can handle or saying, "yes" at the expense of life balance and sanity. I'm talking about one's natural reaction when presented with the idea of a new venture or with the opportunity to try something out of your norm.

A brief story on my part and then maybe a personal challenge for you this weekend.

Right now King Arthur Flour Company is at top of my list of favorite companies and the Container store is at the bottom. Yes, the Container Store.  The store to which I have been a faithful customer and advocate, is at the bottom. The reason? The Container Store has a well-developed "No-Reflex," while King Arthur Baking Company is still nimble enough to see possibility.

Months ago, in anticipation of an upcoming Highlowaha theme week, I mailed a representative at the Container Store a package. I'm talking a P-A-C-K-A-G-E! I'm no slouch when it comes to mailing treats. I derive pleasure from sending mail, so packaging is a skill I've developed over time. Not everything I mail is inspired, but this package was! I'm talking a pristine white Container Store box (of course) chock full of fun treats wrapped in bright Container Store tissue paper, with krinkle, a fun note, and of course a carefully selected treat for the recipient. I even went so far as to call the woman to whom I was sending the package to assure she was made aware (I didn't want her to be confused and to therefore dismiss the box once placed on her desk).

The entire gesture was designed to get a lunch date with someone from the Marketing department. I have a GREAT idea for the Container Store and I wanted to pitch it, in time for my upcoming theme week. I mailed the package, by the way, in August. The person to whom I sent the package didn't reply until I made two follow-up phone calls. Even then, she passed me off to someone else in the department. The woman I was pawned off on actually replied to my introductory email. She agreed to go to lunch at a future date, when the dust settled from a series of store openings in which she was involved. We tentatively planned on the last week in August or the first week of September. I have followed up a number of times, but to no avail. The woman at Container Store has never called me back to make good on her agreement and the realist in me knows she won't. Opportunity lost on the part of the Container Store. Too bad.

Juxtapose that with Rebecca from King Arthur's. In preparation of National Ice Cream Month, I contacted the company to see if they would donate an adorable ice cream cone cookie cutter that I saw advertised in their catalog. I couldn't track down the name of a particular person to whom I should address the letter, so I addressed it to, "To Whom It May Concern" - a cardinal sin when writing a letter of this sort. Months later... in fact, just two weeks ago, a representative of the company emailed me. She explained that the letter just worked its way to her desk and that she was sorry to have missed the event. She was quick to suggest that maybe there was another way we could work together.  Here's a woman with a strong "Yes Reflex."

Immediately, I told her of my plan to do a week focused on some of my favorite holiday items for kids. The focus of the items would be gifts that foster kids creativity. She told me of a series of new kids Cooking Kits that we being launched and offered to send me a sample. Deal made.

The difference? Woman "A" was intent on getting me, "off her back." In fact, so anxious was she to get out from under having to do something that she never returned my messages or formally told me she was not interested. Bad business etiquette! Person "B," on the other hand, knows Highlowaha is no big fish, but she was not so adverse to the unknown, that she was unwilling to let a in a new idea. Truth... 98% of our readership is women and many of us have kids. We will all probably all give at least one child a gift this holiday season - making the plug King Arthur's will get from Highlowaha worth every penny.

My plea to you is remain open to possibility.  Granted it's easier to say "no."  Saying, "no" assures you won't be any busier and that life will stay exactly as you know it.  Saying, "no" means you won't have to do anything more, learn anything more, visit someplace you've never been, or try something you've never tried.  But, it also means you might miss an opportunity.  Sure... going to lunch with someone you've never met to hear a "pitch" about something for which you are unsure....it's unconventional, I know.  All the more reason why a marketing person - assigned to promote and advance the Container Store image - should have said, "yes," instead of "no."

How about it?  This weekend and into next week, try to say "yes" to the requests and opportunities that come your way.  Try to relax your "No-reflex" and see what happens when your first instinct is to say, "Yeah, sure."

You could shrug me off, pretend you didn't read this, or say, "no," but then you'd be proving my point.  So try saying "yes" and surrendering to the challenge.

Let us know if something cool comes from it... and I will too.

Believe it or not, I am off to facilitate training for the a group of Methodist student leaders!  A spiritual retreat, Bas Mitzvahs, and Blessing of the Animals all in one week!  And, on the seventh day I think I'll rest.  See you back here on Monday... 

Oops!... Announcements:
  • Congratulations, Lori!  You had a clean sweep yesterday.  You won the Pet Match AND your dog Jessie (#5) was voted the cutest.  Dog treats coming your way.  The pet owners, in order, were:
Brian
Maureen
Cassie
Chaotic
Lori
Heather
Peggy
Susan
Lori
Tera and Treye
Maureen
Cassie
Lori
Claudia
  • Today Halloween Activity: Today we will go on a Hayride.  The local Pumpkin Patch opened yesterday at 3:00, so we'll make our first visit of the year later on this afternoon.  Have I mentioned, I love this time of year?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd like to think my initial reaction is to say "yes" sometimes almost to a fault (I can think of at least a one other reader in this same boat...cough Katie cough) But perhaps this week when I say "yes" I'll challenge myself to not also be thinking in the back of my mind about how much else I have on my plate and just do it with an open mind.
In the end it all seems to always work out so why weigh myself down at first with the "what-ifs".
12 minutes...that's all we need to get something really fantastic accomplished.

What will I be doing this weekend? Getting our leased car transfered into Texas so that we can mail these plates back to Kentucky (FYI for all my Kentucky people the plates on your car "belong" to the state so if you don't return them they will continue to charge you taxes!!!)

I'm off to give Lily her oatmeal which has been sitting cooling as I read today's message.

Oh and congratulations Lori...your dogs are adorable and clearly you have a good read on the readership to guess our pets correctly!

Cheryl Houston said...

Do you ever say yes to something then dread going to it? The "I'm too tired" excuses. Then, when you get there it's the best time ever!

I am off today to a mound of chores. Oil change, car wash, return items to stores, finding my mailing prank for Tuesday, soccer, yard work, laundry, and I'm pretty sure a nap is in there somewhere. I've been staying up too late this week.

Katie said...

Heather, I know you can't possibly be talking about me...you wouldn't throw me under the bus like that, would you?

Saying yes is something I find myself doing right off the bat, but then later going back and thinking it over in my head knowing I was probably crazy to say yes. However, I have also found that I will find a way to make it all work.

I always want to say yes because I never know what the experience might bring for me. If I had said "no" to some crazy lady who wanted to make a totally inexperienced freshman the chair of a major committee, would I be here today? No way.

My challenge to myself in the next few weeks is to say yes without thinking in the back of my head of all the reasons why it won't work. It's true, I do that on occasion (say yes out of my mouth but in my head thinking no way!).

Katie said...

Oh and what am I doing this weekend? Well, this weekend is Family Weekend here on campus. So, I will be out meeting the families of my RAs and residents most of the weekend. I will be working on a project due Monday for class. I will be cleaning this disaster area I like to call a living room. That's my weekend in a nutshell...here we go!

Anonymous said...

Katie...no I DEFINITELY wasn't talking about you.

Katie said...

I can read your sarcasm, woman...yes, even through the computer. That's just REDiculous! (you know what I mean!)

Anonymous said...

haha, heather and katie, you crack me up. I practiced this, I think, today BEFORE I read the blog! I am so proud of myself!! hehe. I was invited over to my friend's house for dinner, along with a bunch of other mutual friends. And my first instinct was to say no- I have SO MUCH other stuff I could be doing. Family Weekend is in full swing. Or rather, I will be living in the SAC until November (Katie, you know what I mean!), I have a test and paper due this Tuesday, AND another paper due Friday! Nursing school alone gives me a reason to say no to anything fun! BUT I decided that I would take a few hours off tonight and enjoy the company of some girlfriends, let off some stress, and laugh a little. I am excited to do it, but I need to get some studying done in the next two hours so I don't feel bad about going!! HAHA

maureen said...

Claudia as you already know I am known for always getting involved and helping out . Sometimes however saying YES gets me into hot water at home. I am constantly overextending myself and you would think its everyone around me doing all the work when I tell them what i got myself into. The moans and the groans. I just call them selfish.... There's plenty of me to go around. You are either a doer or not a doer there is no in between!

I never got on again yesterday but I did have a few of the pets right. Its funny how you can match picts of pets to an owner from paying attention to personality traits or past posts....

Have a great weekend everyone! I will be painting and re-decorating my daughters room. She will be 11 on 10/23 and says her room is too babyish. We are doing her room in 70"s art deco YUK! Im trying to make her happy... Once again I am guilty of saying YES:)

PJH said...

Hi - Hey, great story. Thanks so much for taking the time to post your experiences with King Arthur Flour. I'm one of the bakers at King Arthur, and we really pride ourselves and work hard on connecting with our customers. (In fact, we were proud to be one of two finalists in a worldwide customer service competition last year.) I like to say, we go the extra smile. Anyway, on behalf of my fellow 167 co-owners - glad we could help! PJ Hamel, King Arthur Flour baker/blogger

Brian K. Root said...

I feel like I already "just say yes" too often. And then I overcommit myself... but I'll keep the "just say yes" philosophy in mind anyhow.

Anonymous said...

I feel too that the Just say yes philosophy has to be more than just saying yes...if that makes any sense at all. The Container Store lady said "yes" I'll meet you for lunch but then didn't follow through, and would have likely had a million excuses along the way.
To me just saying yes has to be first saying it and then giving 100% to whatever project, task, or person you've said yes to.
Here is a great personal example I have. I said yes to helping Julie's Mom out about four months ago but took the "say yes but don't follow through or do the minimum required" approach for almost two month. I created the "Julie's Fund page" and gave the basic information and would have gladly put donations into the banking account we had set up for Julie. Julie's Mom wouldn't have held it over me, after all I was moving, getting settled into Texas, had a new job and a toddler to keep up with. But...saying yes gave me the responsibility to do right by Julie at the level I"m capable of which is much more than the bare minimum and thus I decided to throw myself into the projects that she asked me to head up. I now have the pay pal account active on the "Julie's Fund" page, I've put info out on facebook and myspace to all of Julie and my mutual friends, and of course HLA is helping me with the coke rewards.
Do you see the difference between saying yes and really "Saying Yes"?

I think when we have that nagging in the back of our minds about overcommitting we often default to doing the bare minimum and I guess really what I'm taking away from today's post is the bare minimum just isn't enough...we've got to do more.

I'd like to challenge my fellow readers to make a group decision to "Say Yes" to our Helping Hand project... what would that mean? Joining in on our blog-a-thon fundraiser even if you have something going on that day, don't like your writing style, or would have trouble asking someone to sponsor you. Step out of our comfort zones to do this for a good cause. And if you are comfortable with this project what would cause you to go to the next level? Soliciting 5 or 10 of your friends to take a writing spot?

Come on gang let's "Say Yes" and do right by this project and our family.

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Thanks, Heather for your thoughtful comments on how we might apply the "yes" philosophy to our Helping Hand Blog-a-thon - in spite of all the reasons we might want to say, "no."

Also, PJH... thanks for visiting our site!