Millennials Have Bad Mannersstring(28) "Millennials Have Bad Manners"

August 6, 2015
, , , , , , Millennial Generation, Opinion, Video Blog 10

[Note: from time to time I get “comments” below from people who are just reacting to the title and haven’t actually watched the video to see the true message.  It’s amazing to see the vitriolic responses (which I remove). It really helps to watch the video first.]

It’s a phrase that has been echoed throughout the years about any given era’s younger generation . . . “Young people today have bad manners.”   It seems like every generation looks at the next generation and finds fault.   Currently, it’s today’s Millennial Generation which is being saddled with this proverbial character judgment.

But, is this assessment of Millennials really accurate? Do they truly deserve this negative estimation of their generation’s collective attitude?

In this video, I  explain not only why I disagree with the bad reputation many older folks associate with Millennials, but also why I firmly believe that the Baby Boomers of my generation should take a good hard look at how they themselves were viewed by previous generations back in the ’60s and ’70s, and why they should then reconsider their assumptions about Millennials.

I’m really eager to hear your thoughts and opinions on this one!  What do you think about today’s youth?  Also, I’d particularly like to hear what you think about the ‘old guys’ complaining about today’s youth.  Please share your feedback in the comment forum below.  I read absolutely every comment and I’d love to hear from you–thanks!

 

Make No Assumptionsstring(19) "Make No Assumptions"

October 21, 2010
, , , , , , , , Networking Prep, Networking Tactics 7

Many people make the fatal mistake of assuming that others know a lot about their business. I heard a florist tell a networking group, “I’m not sure what else to say.  You all know what a florist does, right?”  Wrong!  We didn’t know the variety of products this florist provided.  He knew his business and assumed that everyone else knew it as well.  Later, I asked him whether his shop was an FTD florist and . . .

  • Did he accept credit cards?
  • Did he offer seasonal specials for holidays?  If so, which ones?
  • Did he handle emergency orders?
  • Could he do a good job for weddings?
  • Did he give a discount to members of his networking group?
  • Could I set up a billing arrangement with his company?
  • Could I order online?
  • Do certain colors of roses signify certain things?
  • What type of floral arrangement would be appropriate for a graduation?
  • Could he give me any tips on keeping flowers alive longer?
  • What was his most challenging order?

I told him there were hundreds of things I didn’t know about his business, and others surely felt the same way.  Not using his time with the networking group to tell everyone something about his service was an opportunity lost.

Everyone has something he can say that will educate people about the services he has to offer.  Don’t pass up a chance to teach people more about what you do!

Try making a list of questions, such as the ones above, that people might ask you about your business and then try focusing on answering one question each time you attend a networking meeting — you’d be surprised at the things people really have no idea that you do!