The Kmiec Ramblings

Hospitality

Written on July 4, 2011 by Adam Kmiec in Events, Misc.

Webster says “the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way” is how to describe the word hospitality. I tend to think of it as making visitors feel like they belong. This isn’t an easy task. I’ve been on the receiving end of some poor hospitality. Have you ever had one of those visits where you just feel like you’re a bother? As if the people hosting you clearly preferred you weren’t there?

Basically, think of that famous scene in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts walks into the store, armed with cash and ready to shop, but the staff looks down on her and suggests she shop elsewhere. Well I have experienced that kind of hospitality (in-stores and at-homes) and it’s not fun.

Growing up my grandmother, her sister and my mom amazed me with how generous, warm and yes…hospitable they were. Paraphrasing my grandmother’s eulogy, there was always another seat to be had at the table, another glass that could be filled and more rice to be spared. That’s just the way things were and still are, in my family. I’d probably also add, there’s always a floor, bed or couch to sleep on/in and someone to pick you up from the airport. Again, that’s just the way my family does things.

This past July 4th weekend I was given a taste of hospitality that was wonderfully reminiscent of my own family. From the get go I just had a feeling these were “good people” as my dad sometimes says. They offered to pick up and drop off from the airport, asked what I’d like to drink ahead of the trip (lots of pepsi in the fridge!), took me for a tour of the island, provided keys to the house as needed and access to their bikes, took an interest in my interests and even let a friend of mine “crash” the party at the last minute.

That’s all well and good. It makes for a nice list. But, the true testament for how wonderful the hospitality was, is how I felt throughout the weekend. It simply felt like I fit. That’s a hard feeling to create. I’m so thankful to have met these wonderful people.

I know it sounds like I’m gushing and this is a little over the top. But, if you had been here in Ocean City at this house, with these people, you’d be doing the same. Creating a sense of hospitality is not easy. Retailers like Tiffany’s and Barney’s have mastered this art. And, so have these people. I can’t wait to come back.

Tags: Manners, New Jersey, Vacation

Please And Thank You Revisited

Written on July 21, 2010 by Adam Kmiec in Misc.

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The post below is something I wrote a while back, but lately it’s feeling very relevant again. I was recently presented with a situation that demonstrated such an utter disregard for basic manners that I honestly didn’t know what to say. For those of you who know me, you know that’s no short order.

Now granted, I come across this weekly when I go to the playground with my kids. I see kids who are so into what they’re doing that they forget to say please or thank you. You can easily forgive things like that. After all, they’re kids.

But, this lack of common and basic manners…and respect…came from an adult. And by adult, I don’t mean someone who’s legally an adult and over the age of 17. No I mean a real adult. I’m continually blown away by how self absorbed people can be. What has become of our society? When did we stop thinking about others? When did we forget things that were taught in kindergarten?

Please and thank you. Simple words. Very simple actually. We’re taught these words at an early age. My daughter learned the words and when to use them before she was 2. On a daily basis she uses them. In truth, she probably uses them more than she should. But, I’m not about to scold her for overuse

So, why, if a 2 year old can understand the concept of please and thank you, can’t adults? Think about it. This isn’t some gross over exaggeration or a very wide brush I’m painting with. Think about your daily interactions with people. Whether those interactions are online or offline, we seem to have forgotten please and thank you.

Lately, I’ve become hyper sensitive to this phenomena. I took an inventory of people that I work with and engage with on a daily basis. I didn’t just look at the people I currently interact with, I actually took a 6 month look back. This inventory covered client meetings, social gatherings, family events, business functions and of course interactive communication. It’s times like this that I wish I had paid more attention to Business Stats 3001 so that I could have done some formal modeling to better represent my findings. But, seeing as I was busy playing intramural basketball, there won’t be any pretty graphs.

In lieu of graphs and charts, I’m just going to provide some simple raw analysis. Here’s the deal, the people who remember “please” and “thank you” are the people I enjoy spending time with. They’re the people who make me want to be be better…to over deliver for them. They also happen to be the most successful. Those who kind find the 5 seconds it takes to say please and thank you, are without a doubt the most selfish, self absorbed and disingenuous people I interact with.

I realize, I’m just a small sample size. I realize this isn’t scientific. But, I gotta tell you, in the spirit of Blink, my gut tells me I’m right on. Given how simple, quick and easy it is to say “please” and “thank you,” why aren’t we doing it more? What’s your daily interaction like? Are you finding a similar story? I’d love to hear about it.

Please share your feedback. Thank you. See that wasn’t so hard.

Tags: Manners, Please, Thank You

Thank You Is The Loneliest Phrase

Written on May 19, 2010 by Adam Kmiec in Misc.

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I love connecting with old and new colleagues at iMedia. Roughly a year ago I met Eric Franchi of Undertone in person at iMedia Scottsdale. I say in person because we had been twitter friends for some time before that summit. Eric is a hell of a guy. He’s one of those “sellers” that doesn’t sell. He simply brings killers ideas and a lot of value to the table. Well, at iMedia Austin he brought that and a comprehensive team with him. Everyone was solid and I definitely got along well with all of them. In this business, it’s all about relationships. Being able to get along with the people you’re going to be working with is a critical component to driving success.

One of the people Eric brought with him was a guy named Tony Franklin. To say we hit it off would be an understatement. Tony is your classic roll up the sleeves, meat and potatoes, low maintenance guy. We ate BBQ not foie gras. We drank beer not a special martini. In short we broke bread and real conversations. Honestly, it was a hell of a nice welcome change from the normal get togethers organized by “sellers.”

iMedia attendees are broken up into two categories, buyers (the agencies and marketers) and sellers (the publishers, ad networks, technology companies, etc.). It’s interesting to be considered a “buyer” since most of the time agencies are put in the position of seller. Tony, Eric and their team weren’t sellers by any stretch of the imagination. They acted more like good partners. I’m glad Eric brought his team out with him. The people he brought with him only reinforced my belief that Undertone is one of the best ad networks out there and they’re focused on true partnership. That’s a rarity in this industry.

I titled this post, “Thank You Is The Loneliest Phrase” for a reason. You might be scratching your head at this point wondering why I titled the post this way. Well, here’s the deal. As a seller you have an inherent obligation to entertain your buyers. Part of that entertainment is staying up later than you’d like, choosing a great place to eat, ensuring we don’t go thirsty and yes even picking up the bill.

It can be a draining experience and it’s one where you’re rarely thanked. Some of the people that were part of our large group clearly forgot their manners. They took the situation for granted and lacked the ability to cover the basics, like please and of course, thank you. Not cool in my book.

Though I said it a few times last night to Tony and his team, you can never say it enough: Thank You.

Thanks for great conversation. Thanks for a killer presentation. Thanks for offering up ideas and advice designed to help us transform our clients’ business. Thanks for dinner. Thanks for being a solid bunch of people.

I’m looking forward to working with Undertone. If you’ve been on the fence or have been considering the myriad of options out there in the Ad Network world, my advice to you is simple. Pick up the phone and connect with the team at Undertone. You won’t be disappointed.

Tags: Manners, Simple, Undertone

Whatever Happened To Please And Thank You?

Written on February 22, 2010 by Adam Kmiec in Marketing & Advertising

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Please and thank you. Simple words. Very simple actually. We’re taught these words at an early age. My daughter learned the words and when to use them before she was 2. On a daily basis she uses them. In truth, she probably uses them more than she should. But, I’m not about to scold her for overuse

So, why, if a 2 year old can understand the concept of please and thank you, can’t adults? Think about it. This isn’t some gross over exaggeration or a very wide brush I’m painting with. Think about your daily interactions with people. Whether those interactions are online or offline, we seem to have forgotten please and thank you.

Lately, I’ve become hyper sensitive to this phenomena. I took an inventory of people that I work with and engage with on a daily basis. I didn’t just look at the people I currently interact with, I actually took a 6 month look back. This inventory covered client meetings, social gatherings, family events, business functions and of course interactive communication. It’s times like this that I wish I had paid more attention to Business Stats 3001 so that I could have done some formal modeling to better represent my findings. But, seeing as I was busy playing intramural basketball, there won’t be any pretty graphs.

In lieu of graphs and charts, I’m just going to provide some simple raw analysis. Here’s the deal, the people who remember “please” and “thank you” are the people I enjoy spending time with. They’re the people who make me want to be be better…to over deliver for them. They also happen to be the most successful. Those who kind find the 5 seconds it takes to say please and thank you, are without a doubt the most selfish, self absorbed and disingenuous people I interact with.

I realize, I’m just a small sample size. I realize this isn’t scientific. But, I gotta tell you, in the spirit of Blink, my gut tells me I’m right on. Given how simple, quick and easy it is to say “please” and “thank you,” why aren’t we doing it more? What’s your daily interaction like? Are you finding a similar story? I’d love to hear about it.

Please share your feedback. Thank you. See that wasn’t so hard.

Tags: Grover, Manners, Please, Thank You