I am glad it is wordless Wednesday because the following left me speechless!
Doors Must Remain Closed At All Times
Nov 19
What is your X-Factor?
Tony Robbins’ Unleash the Power Within seminar that I attended a few weeks ago focused on personal development. It is Tony’s most sought out seminar and professes to give you “the key to designing your life blueprint, shifting your limiting beliefs about what you think is possible, and learning how to take immediate action to get results”.
I was captivated by Tony’s energy, insight and mission. I had been on the path of self enlightenment for quite some time and was ready for the next step. Unleash the Power Within was a BIG next step. Tony ignited a flame in my heart that I am confident will light the path to my desired future.
I would be more than happy to go into detail about what the seminar did for me personally, but don’t want to bore all of my readers! If you would like to know more, please feel free to ask.
What you may not know is that Tony Robbins is a highly coveted, world renowned business consultant. He was ranked in the “Top 50 Business Intellectuals in the World” by Accenture’s Institute for Strategic Change. Harvard Business School, where he has been a speaker, ranked him among the “Top 200 Business Gurus”.
One of the points Tony touched on to revolutionize your business is knowing your X-Factor. What is your X-Factor? Your X-Factor is your business’ unique way to add more value to your customers than your competitors. Your X-Factor is what makes you different from everyone else selling the same thing. You should make it a priority to uncover your business’ X-Factor and put it to work for you. Your X-Factor should be the focus of your marketing strategy.
The X- Factor is what makes Apple dominate the telecommunications, music, and computer industries. It’s what make Amazon the number one Internet retailer in the world and Facebook the undisputed king of social networking.
Take some time in the next month when business is slower and ask yourself what your company does better than your competitors. Why should a contractor purchase doors from you?
If you can’t come up with a clear X-Factor, then surely your customers can’t either and are just responding to price. If you do not have a clear X-Factor yet, don’t worry. You can create one. What would you like to do differently than your competitors, what could be your edge?
Research the X-Factor, it’s not just Tony that thinks it’s important.
Nov 15
Snake Door Pull
Bill Jahns took this picture of a beautiful snake door pull while in Vegas for the DHI Convention. Thanks for sharing, Bill!
Nov 12
Why is a Rim called a Rim?
Someone new to our industry recently asked me why a Rim Panic Device was called a “Rim”. Not as self explanatory as a vertical rod to be sure. I explained that I wasn’t sure myself but I would find out. I turned to Bill Jahns, our hardware guru at Design and asked him “why is a rim called a rim”? He had this to say:
“I think it got it’s name from rim locks because they are surface mounted and the latch is in the same position on the rim of the door.” Here are some images of rim locks. He added that both rim locks and rim exit device are commonly operated by rim Cylinders.
No one else I asked seemed to be able to add anything to this mystery. Please comment below if you can confirm this theory or have another.
Nov 07
Mesker’s Extended Top Hinge Reinforcement
“Have Door and Frame Field Conditions Improved Since 1996” was an article that caught my eye in the August issue of Doors & Hardware magazine.
Carlos Alcantar, CFDI, the author of this article as well as an article published in the June 1996 issue titled “Door and Frame Rescue 911” asks, “What really has changed over the years? Are there proactive solutions now in place?”
In the beginning of the article Carlos talks about being asked to attend and advise an opening installation at a hospital in Los Angeles. An ICU 90 minute Double Egress opening had major failures. Due to poor hardware selection, improper reinforcements, Z-clips not being attached to studs, etc. the 16ga frame literally ripped from the tension of the power operators.
There are many factors to be considered in planning for a successful opening. Proper installation and reinforcements are imperative for a long healthy lifespan of an opening.
Because the top hinge carries the bulk of the weight of the door, focus on the top hinge reinforcement would add additional lifetime to an opening.
Mesker includes a 7ga EXTENDED TOP HINGE REINFORCEMENT as a standard in all of their doors.
So a door right off your stock shelf will be better able to handle high frequency abuse and result in less opening failures in the field.
If you skipped the article in the August issue, I recommend a second look.
Mesker’s Extended Top Hinge Reinforcement
Nov 05
Celebrate!
I had an epic weekend with Tony Robbins. I have a lot to share but that will take time to organize my thoughts, emotions, feelings and notes! I will start you off with these pictures of great energy!
Nov 01
“Where is Amanda” – with Tony Robbins!
“Where is Amanda”? You may be asking that the next couple of days. It is very unusual for me to be out of reach for long periods of time but please bear with me on Thursday and Friday. I am lucky enough to be spending four very long days with Tony Robbins at his “Unleash the Power Within” seminar in Orlando November 1-4.
I was able to get a great group rate as a NAWIC member and knew it was something I couldn’t pass up. I am very excited and will share the details with you next week. For those of you who are wondering, (and if you’re wondering, you don’t know me very well) yes I will participate in the Fire Walk!
Please email, text or leave me a detailed voice message if you need me as I will check all during my breaks.
Chili at Mesker & Scott at Design are always eager to help as well.
I can’t wait to share my experience with you!
Oct 30
Team Building Exercises
Strategies for building a successful team…
Mesker Door and Design Hardware held their annual sales meeting during the week of the DHI convention in Las Vegas. A special thank you to our national sales managers, Nick McCarty and Joe Lopez for organizing such an energizing sales meeting with team building exercises.
Team Building – Wikipedia – “Team building is a philosophy of job design in which employees are viewed as members of interdependent teams instead of as individual workers.”
The premise is everyone working toward the same goal and each team member’s contribution is equally respected. Whether you are a business owner, manager or an employee you must admit that sounds like an attractive proposition. Being a member of a team means you are not in this alone.
One exercise we participated in, often referred to as “Mine Field”, was designed to improve communication and trust. The challenge was for a team member to be blind-folded and guided through a set of obstacles by another team member by simply listening to their verbal instructions.
We used staggered chairs as the “mines” in our field as we were in a hotel conference room. I will share with you that one group knocked over one of the banquet tables and sent papers and water everywhere. Another team guided their blind-folded participant to walk straight and pick up and move anything in your way. So, I do suggest setting up some parameters and rules before executing this particular team building exercise! It was effective in uniting our efforts toward a common goal, and of course a lot of fun.
I liked this exercise so much I would like to expand this idea and move it to the factory. Include both the outside & inside sales staff along with an employee from each department including the production line, shipping, credit department, etc. What a team that would make.
If you are interested in learning more about team building activities or need some suggestions, check out Mind Tools.
Oct 26
Logging those trail miles
Last week I found myself in an internationally renowned major resort city packed with gambling, shopping, fine dining and shows. Las Vegas bills itself as the entertainment capital of the world. In spite of all that concrete and steel I was able to log in some trail miles.
On Saturday, I rented a car and headed to Red Rock Canyon. I decided on a short, moderate hike so that I would have energy to gamble later! Not to mention that I felt naked without my normal hiking gear. I hiked a little over a mile into the canyon on the Keystone Thrust Trail. The climb was moderate and only gained 1000 feet in elevation. The dessert environment was very different than what I am used to. It was beautiful, but I did miss my eastern mountain trees.
Keystone Thrust is the most significant geological feature of Red Rock Canyon. It is part of a large system of thrust faults that extend north into Canada. For more information on Red Rock Canyon and it’s geographical wonders, check out the Nevada Bureau of Land Management.
Even though the terrain would not be my ultimate choice in hiking destinations, I did enjoy the hike very much. As soon as my feet hit the trail I was happy. I would definitely go back and plan to spend more time in the canyon.
Oct 22
DHI CoNEXTions 2012 Las Vegas
I had a wonderful time at the DHI CoNEXTions 2012 Las Vegas. The week was full of meetings, (wo)manning our booth, networking and having fun.
Even though technically we have co-workers, sales representatives are spread across the country and rarely have the chance to spend quality time together. Thank you to our team’s National Sales Managers, Nick McCarty and Joe Lopez. Not only did they pull off a fun annual sales meeting, they made sure we had ample opportunities to have dinner with our professional families. It was wonderful getting to know everyone better and sharing territory travel tips and experiences.
The DHI Convention allows for the ideal atmosphere for spending time with your customers. What is a better way to get to know someone than sharing a vacation. I feel we have been spoiled the last two years with venues like New York and Las Vegas. They both afforded multiple entertainment options. It is not everyday that you can have a drink with a customer in a bar that is Minus 5 Degrees (C).
Yes, take time for all that the convention has to offer including walking the trade show floor, attending Forum For The Future, educational opportunities, etc. This year offered new events like the ChannelExchange and SolutionSessions. But why stop there. Get out and see what the host city has to offer.
My only complaint about this years convention was the poor cell service in the convention hall. I had intentions of keeping my social media followers up to date on the convention happenings. I feel we missed out on the opportunity to educate SoMe followers on what DHI offers. Not only did I not have the ability to tweet a pic, but I couldn’t receive calls, emails or texts. I did not like being out of contact with my customers for such a long period.
I am already looking forward to Dallas 2014. I think I will freshen up on my line dancing skills!
Comment below and share your experiences/thoughts.
Oct 17
Exit Doors Too Inconspicuous?
On a recent business trip I was visiting a large outdoor gear shop and came upon these interesting doors. The doors, as well as the walls on either side are covered with what looks to be tiles of tree bark. Although I do think they are architecturally pleasing, I wonder if they push the limit a bit are not visible enough. Not only are they covered to look like part of the wall, the EXIT sign is not directly above the doors. It is on the side wall pointing to the doors.
There was also a door to the left of this pair with a “Fire Panel” sign on it. I hope someone is able to find that one when needed.
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