Top Wellness Tips

I read a lot of blogs and have noticed that many have their own lists of top wellness tips. After reading several of these lists, I think I can do better.

10. Sleep
Americans average less than the recommended eight hours of sleep each night. Lack of sleep can lead to difficulty in concentrating, irritability, and poor judgment. Taking a warm bathe before bed, listening to relaxing music, and doing yoga can help you relax before bed.

9. Water
A few weeks ago I started tracking how much water I was actually drinking and found that on average I do consume the 8-8 ounce glasses a day. But on the weekends I wasn’t. I know that I am more prone to headaches when I don’t drink enough water which usually leads to crabbiness.

8. Say No
I tend to over commit myself at times scheduling too many activities which sometimes leads to stress. I recommend saying no more often. No, I cannot work late tonight or no, I can’t clean out the closets this weekend. Take a little time for yourself to relax. Go to the movies or take a bathe. Even laying on your bed reading a book is a great way to enjoy a little me time. Andy recommends petting a kitty.

7. Exercise
We’ve all read all of the studies about the benefits of exercise: stress relief, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, stronger bones, and higher body image. Go for a walk before or after work or enjoy a run on the weekend. You’ll feel better.

6. Wash your hands
I admit that I don’t wash my hands enough. I’m sure the cold I have now could have probably been avoided if I would have washed my hands more often.

5. Eat less meat
A great way to save money and calories is to eat less meat. Skip the pepperoni on your pizza and go for spinach, onions, and tomatoes instead. Personally (even though I still eat meat) I’ve found that I prefer my spaghetti without meat. My point is give it a shot, you never know.

4. Bring your lunch
I’ve found that bringing my lunch to work saves me a lot of money and is WAY more healthy than buying it every day. I often eat leftovers which also saves me money because food isn’t getting wasted.

3. Get regular physicals
If you have health insurance, then use it. Many Americans don’t have the luxury of good health care so take care of yourself. Physicians can help diagnose a potentially serious problem if you visit them on a regular basis.

2. Quit tobacco
I think we’re all in agreement on this one.

1. Cook good healthy meals
Before Andy went back to school, we ate a lot of our meals out. Now, we’re cooking almost all of our meals at home. It was hard in the beginning to cook on a regular basis. Sometimes it was really a pain. But like everything else, practice makes perfect. The internet is a great place to find quick and easy healthy meals. Food Channel, Food Network, NY Times, etc. all have links to healthy easy to make meals. It’s cheaper and better for you.

A Quick Lesson In Customer Service

Here’s a quick lesson for all businesses out there. Your customers understand when forces beyond your control prohibit the delivery of goods and services. What your customers will not forgive is lack of communication.

Andy and I had a dentist appointment scheduled with (my legal council has advised me against providing the doctors name) on Tuesday morning. As I have mentioned numerous times, Portland has been experiencing poor weather since December 13th/December 14th.

Andy and I have been going to Dr. X’s office for a few years now and have always been pleased with the level of service that we’ve received. The Dental Hygienists are very friendly, the reception staff always remembers past conversations they’ve had with you, and Dr. X is very gentle and pleasant.

On Monday, I starting worrying about the dental appointment as the weather was really nasty outside. Normally the reception staff calls you the day before your appointment to provide a quick reminder. By 4:00 pm I still hadn’t received any call. I did a quick Google search and found their website and called the office.

There was no outgoing message alerting patients to any cancellation so I figured that the appointment was still a go. I called during normal business hours but there was no answer. I left a detailed message explaining my situation and provided my name and phone number as I requested a call back.

The next morning, Andy and I woke up early to get dressed and trek the fifteen plus blocks to the office. I didn’t really feel that great and was very hesitant to make what I thought would be a futile journey. I called the dentist office again and still no outgoing communication. I left another message and went to finish getting ready.

At approximately 7:20am I called the after hours number and left another message. With no communication, Andy and I felt that we should honor our commitment and head over to make our 8am appointment.

There was no dentist appointment that day. Andy suggested that we continue on our way and walk several more miles to get some groceries. At approximately 9:05am on the day of our appointment, Dr. X did return my call and left me a long message explaining that the staff couldn’t make it into the office. I will admit, that I was so annoyed that I could barely hear his words.

I understand that he and his staff couldn’t make it into the office to call each customer to cancel their appointment. What I don’t understand is why an outgoing message explaining that all appointments from Y day to approximately Y day were canceled due to the weather. I also don’t understand why there wasn’t information on his website that communicated this as well (there is information on the site now).

I think this highlights a unique opportunity to investigate different pieces of technology and how they could improve customer service. Maybe they use Twitter, maybe they use Salesforce to gather customer info (such as email addresses) and send out emails alerting their customers to delays and cancellations. Or maybe utilize the outgoing message they currently have.

Technology has provided businesses with many low cost (and free) ways to communicate with their customers. Businesses need to ensure that they are communicating with their customers the way that those customers want to be communicated with. Glen Manchester writes:

So, highly effective, compelling customer communications are really all about preference, channel and context. Getting personal means communicating in your customers’ preferred languages. It means embracing your customers’ preferred communication channel or channels. It means bringing context — based on the customer information you already own — to each and every communication.

I think that says it all.

Coffee, Absinthe, & Irish Drinking Songs

I’ve avoided writing anything until now because quite frankly I have a poor attitude. I went to New Mexico for four days and arrived at PDX on December 14th to snow. Without too much detail it was rough getting from the airport to my apartment.

We’ve had snow off on on (mostly on) since the 14th. I have been working from home for the majority of the days. Andy and I have been living from day to day trying not to dwell on the fact that we are basically stuck inside. We’ve been watching movies, playing boardgames, surfing the internet, and drinking coffee.

Andy is pretty happy being at home while I get stir crazy pretty quickly. I just don’t like being stuck in the house forced onto me. There are times that I will stay in for a day or so but it’s my choice. Not mother natures.

The time comes that a little madness sets in and you need a good stiff drink after being stuck in the house for days on end. We have four bottles of absinthe that Andy purchased a couple of years ago from the UK still left.

Andy & absinthe

Andy & his favorite absinthe

So we broke down and poured ourselves a couple of absinthes and listened to one of Andy’s albums called “Irish Punk Drinking Songs”. I even became courageous enough to try a particularly bitter brand of absinthe:

Yeah it's bitter!

And then we decided to venture out of the apartment and over to North for a beer.

Portland.

Yikes.

Portland loves it's bikes.

We finally made it to North and enjoyed a few beers.

Aleta & Andy at North

Headhunter

This afternoon I got a call from a headhunter. An acquaintance of my mine had provided my information to this individual. Although I was glad that someone who didn’t even know me wanted me to work with them, I was slightly disturbed by the call.

This headhunter wanted me for a sales position and spent about 23 minutes explaining what the difference between account management, marketing, and sales. Wait- I think I am getting ahead of myself.

First the headhunter asked what I did at my current job. I explained my duties as an Assistant Account Manager which include taking care of customers. Then he asked what I was looking for in my career. I explained that I had a Bachelors in Marketing and felt that although I enjoy what I do now, I would be moving in that direction. He asked what I enjoyed about marketing. I replied that I enjoyed the creativity among many other aspects.

I’m not sure if I offended him or what. He then launched into a monologue of what sales meant in detail. He explained the differences in a Business Development, Account Management, and Sales Manager positions. He kept using the word traditional and seemed to have a fair amount of disgust for companies that advertised for a Sales Manager when the position didn’t actually manage any people.

He felt that traditional marketing had two different positions: branding or lead generation. I didn’t interrupt at this juncture because I felt that he didn’t understand how the world was evolving. Or was it me that didn’t understand how this traditional world worked.

The phone call really bothered me because this guy insisted that what I was currently doing was sales. Not account management but hard core sales. Over the last few years, I have resisted every effort to become a sales person. I think it’s because of the idea I have of a sales person. You know tacky suit, winking, and giving the thumbs up. Never mind that I work with several sales people who wear very fashionable clothes (Leah has great shoes!) and have never given me a thumbs up.

I like being creative and coming up with new ideas on how to reach potential customers. I like the lead generation aspect of marketing. I like the messaging and strategy part of communication. I like events such as new product launches and trade shows. I like researching competitors. I like packaging. This is MARKETING!!

I think what also bothered me is that this guy was attempting to define me, my company, and my work. What I forgot is that this guy is also a salesperson. He’s trying to sell a position and a company. Once people start blurring job descriptions, it makes his job really tough. Imagine if your sales channels started mixing around. It would make your job harder as a salesperson.

So define yourself. Don’t let others do it for you.

Trip to New Mexico

Last Thursday I ventured to New Mexico to spend some quality time with my family. Needless to say, I had a fantastic adventure, ate a bunch of food, and even got to hang out with my brother Jimmy. I don’t get to hang out with him very often so this was a special treat. As you can see, we both share similar interests:

Jimmy with fixings for margaritas

I also got to hang out with Jimmy’s wife Ramona (my sister-in-law) who’s super fabulous. I’m not sure how my brother got her to not only go out with him, but marry him, I’ll never know. But we’re happy to have her in our family.

Ramona

I also spent time with my mom who absolutely hates to get her photo taken.

Hi mom.

My sister Jennifer (no photo available) made our cats Christmas stockings with their names embroidered on them!

For the cats

Here is my sisters cat Picky. Picky is so sweet. Oh I wanted to take that cat home with me. But the other 3 cats would slash me up like an old pair of jeans.

Picky the cat

I have some photos of my nephews but haven’t gotten permission to publish them yet. So there is a good chance that this post will be edited several times over. Stay tuned.

Enjoying a Beer Festival: 10 Tips

After attending the 13th Annual Holiday Ale Festival in Portland, Oregon last week, I decided to write a post on how to have a great beer festival experience. What I have found is that the biggest tip to have a good beer festival is to plan it out.

During 2007, Andy and I attended every beer festival we could. We attended a festival in a parking lot of a bar, we drove to Bend, OR to partake of the Wet Hop Festival and made appearance at Brewer’s Festival, Holiday Ale Festival, Organic and even International Beer Festival. Eventually yes, our livers did recover.

We found that with proper planning, we could have a GREAT time. Just showing up and expecting to have a good time, sometimes didn’t work out. We found that with no planning, Andy went hungry because there were no acceptable vegetarian dishes, beers we wanted to try had run out, or prices were much higher than what we budgeted.

The first step to having a great beer festival is to research the festival online.

1. Where will the event be held at? How will you get there and back safely and legally? (Think either mass transit such as a train or bus or a taxi. DO NOT RELY ON A DESIGNATED DRIVER. Allow everyone in your party to partake.)

2. What beers will be available? Once you find out the line-up you can determine which beers are priorities for you to sample.

3. What are the fees associated with entry, mugs, and samples? Are they a cash only festival and if so where are the ATM’s located?

4. If there is an event map available online, print it out beforehand. Many festivals only offer maps for a fee.

5. Can you bring in your own food and water? If they allow it, bring in some snacks and water to help some money.

6. If you are traveling with friends or a spouse, come up with a plan for where you will meet if you get separated. Many times, the festivals get really loud and you might not be able to understand a simple cell phone conversation.

7. Dress appropriately. Wear shoes that are comfortable and don’t mind if a keg of beer is spilled on them. Check the weather before heading out and wear layers if the weather might turn nasty. I like to bring a small back pack to carry souvenirs and anything else I might pick up.

8. Make sure you eat a good protein packed meal before arriving. You’ll still have time to sample brats and pretzels but eating first will ensure that you are on top of your game.

9. Be patient and be respectful. Remember that other participants are there to do the same thing. Be patient while waiting in line and be kind to the people working the festivals as they are probably volunteers.

10. Pace yourself. Enjoy the festival and the beers but remember to be take it easy. You’ll enjoy yourself a lot more both at the festival and the next day.

If you have additional tips, please leave your comments.

Holiday Ale Festival

On Thursday night, Andy and I went to the 13th Annual Holiday Ale Festival at the Pioneer Courthouse Square.

At the festival

For those of you that aren’t familiar with what this is, here’s a quote from the festival’s website:

Held in the heart of downtown Portland, the Holiday Ale Festival keeps attendees warm and dry under a large clear top tent that covers Pioneer Courthouse Square while allowing for views of the city lights. Gas heaters create a cozy ambience under the boughs of one of the region’s largest decorated Christmas trees.

More than 40 potent winter ales are featured at this year’s event, all of which are created specifically to bring warmth and cheer to the holiday season. These aren’t beers you’ll find in the supermarket – our brewers have put together special recipes just for the Holiday Ale Festival. From Belgians and Barleywines to Porters and Stouts, these beers are rich, robust and full of complex flavors.

Aleta & Andy

Unfortunately Andy and I didn’t get to try all of the beers available. Actually I’m sure our livers are thanking us for that as most of the beers are rather high in alcohol volume. Of the ones that we did try, New Belgium’s Abbey Grand Cru was a favorite for both of us. Andy usually likes stouts and porters while I prefer Belgian Style Tripel’s, reds, and ambers. Andy liked Lagunitas’s Imperial Pepper Stout.

Hi Mom!

Hi Mom!

Customer Service?

In my job, I deal with the public and customers. With the public I hear all sorts of weird stuff I wouldn’t dare repeat as most of it is just weird and not funny. Mostly people either trying to get something for free (and then get angry when they don’t) or people trying to sell you on ideas. Now with customers I hear a lot of indifference or hostility which is fine. Sometimes I talk to people who are really excited about our products and that’s awesome. I love those days. Rarely can a customer bring me to tears.

I got a voicemail from a customer who said that he was selling his business and wanted to get out of his contract. Occasionally we get these calls. They are usually from people who might not realize that my company is small and we rely on our customers to make good on their word aka contracts. This is where my salary comes from. There is usually a good ‘story’ involved with why they should be let out of their contract such as they forgot or they have no money, etc. I am also professional with them and gently remind them of their contractual obligation. But this customer had something in his voice.

I called him back and asked him to explain the situation. Here’s what he told me: the CEO of the company got sick rather unexpectedly. It was decided that due to that unforeseen situation the company would be sold. The gentleman that I spoke with sounded like he was in his mid 50′s or so. I knew he was a senior member of the company so I asked him a personal question: what happens to you? He sighed deeply and began to explain. His voice broke and then he began again. It turns out that the CEO is his wife and their company is family owned. Her family started the company and their fathers were good friends. Many of their family members work for this company. Unfortunately there is no family member that can take over the company. The company that is buying them out has asked that all family members step aside.

He paused for a moment and then said, “I’ve been in this business for over 35 years. This is all I know.” I had to blink back tears and swallow the large lump that had accumulated in my throat. He continued with “I don’t know what’s next for us but I want to make sure that the employees get taken care of.” I assured him that I would do my best to help him in this particular situation. He thanked me several times and then quietly hung up the phone.

Rarely can a customer bring me to tears, but this gentle and kind man did. So I wish all of the people that are struggling with issues whether it is a layoff or illness or something else that seem insurmountable-peace.