Month: February 2017

The Little Things in Life

Robert Borneff Lifestyle , , , 0 Comment
The Little Things in Life

Isn’t it amazing how seemingly unimportant things can sometimes make your day. Besides accomplishing goals and reaching targets, there are very often coincidences on the sideline that change everything. I remember sitting in school classes that would not end and there was this little bird outside the window sitting on a tree. My thoughts turned to the bird and how he enjoys his freedom and the time in class went by much faster.

Or did you ever eat the perfectly ripe Mango. Buying Mango is like playing the lottery. They often look good and smell good, but when you cut them open, they still taste sour and are chewy. Other times they are already turning brown inside and have that taste of fermentation. What a great day is it when your Mango turns out to be sweet and juicy.

I remember in college missing my train on those cold, wet, foggy days in Germany. While I was standing there on the tracks looking for the next connection the sun came out and I realized that I am an hour early anyway, because I forgot to change my watch from day-light-savings-time to winter time. What a great day!

In our busy lifes we often overlook the important things that have an impact on us. Last year I joined the Roanoke Valley Bird Club together with my son. Standing there in the quiet forest listening and watching the birds, it is amazing to realize what’s around you that you would never realize this otherwise.

With this experience in mind I started to pay more attention to the things on the sideline of my life. Now I see the world around me more mindful. During a yoga class outside in a park I was able to follow the hunt of a hawk for a smaller bird. Thankfully it did not end in bloodshed but to hear the shrieks of the hawk and see the two birds chasing each other in the sky was incredible. I was probably the only one in our yoga group who recognized this spectacle.

Try it out! Start paying attention to the things you normally don’t see. Sit in your living room and look around. Take a walk around your neighborhood. Turn off your phone and just enjoy the moment. You will be surprised about the world around you!

Art at Home

Robert Borneff Decorating , , , 0 Comment
Art at Home

There are few things in your home that are less functional and practical than art. And still, it’s one of the most important elements of a home. It’s an easy way to express yourself in your home.

Art in a home is the personal bridge to the owner. Especially if your home is filled with artwork you love. It relates to memories and experiences as well as ambitions and feelings. Not many things reveal so much of somebody’s personality than the art in their home.

Art is often unhitched from the design of a room since it must not follow the style, colors and structures of a room. Art is just a very personal thing. The important thing is that it moves the owner of the home, independent from monetary value or the opinion of others.

Art is not only for art collectors. Think outside the box. Art for your home can include paintings, drawing, prints but also sculptures and the artwork of your kids. You don’t find it only in a gallery. It’s more about how it feels than what it looks like.

Here are a few unconventional ideas to make your home more artful:

Textiles

Find a favorite fabric and hang it on a wall. You can either hang it in square form like a picture or form the size to an artful sculpture.

Mirrors

Little mirrors of different sizes and shapes arranged on a wall lighten up the room and make it appear bigger.

This is especially effective for the entrance area of a home. A number of hooks and maybe little shelfs clean up hats, mittens, shawls and umbrellas.

Baskets

Baskets make nice little sculptures that can be placed anywhere in your home. Besides the artful effect, they are very functional since baskets can be used to collect all kinds of things.

Maps/ Menus/ Sheet Music

Depending on hobbies you can put a map of your favorite place on the wall, the menu of your favorite restaurant or sheet music of your classical piece.

Always remember that it is your home and it must serve you. The art in your home is there to make YOU feel better.

Change in Retail – The Customer in the Center

Robert Borneff Retail , , , 0 Comment
Change in Retail – The Customer in the Center

Online shopping is booming. Big traditional retailers like Sears and Macy’s have eliminated stores and cut jobs. Amazon seems to continually grow and expand. Online shops take market share away from brick and mortar stores.  Thanks to the development of mobile devices such as all inclusive cameras, alarm clocks and communication tools with social media that we carry with us 24/7, online shopping is a no-brainer. Mobile devices become the most important shopping partner for price comparisons, product reviews and recommendations. Does that mean there will be no physical stores in the future?

Regarding indifferent commodity products like toilet paper or cleaners it is likely that these products will be bought increasingly online in the future. But what about products that need to be selected more carefully like fresh produce, fashion or higher class furniture? These products still need to be seen, smelled, or tried out by the customer. The purchase of these products itself provides an essential experience that can’t be replaced with virtual or augmented realities.

Classic go-to stores will always be there in the future. But they will probably look not like the ones we used to know. Here are some major trends for the next years:

Read more

10 ways to connect with the customer

Robert Borneff Marketing , , , 0 Comment
10 ways to connect with the customer

On my search for ways for companies to connect better with their customers, I stumbled over the book “Emotional Branding ” by Marc Gobé. Even though it is a couple of years old, its “10 Commandments” to improve customer relations are still inspiring:

  1. From Consumer to People : Consumers buy but people live.

Instead of trying to win over a customer create a win-win situation. For example instead of pushing someone into a deal, develop a mutual agreement. The customer may appreciate your approach. Instead of waving a sales sign “valid only today”, ask your customer to show you pictures of the room to be designed. Then develop design solutions together.

  1. From Product to Experience: Products fulfill needs whereas experiences fulfill desires.

Offer more than just price and convenience. Arouse the imagination of the customer and turn “needs” into “”wants”. Add emotional relevance to your product. The age and smell of a chair for example could relate to historical events.

  1. From honesty to trust: Honesty is expected. Trust is engaging and intimate.

Top your best practice policies by eliminating risks for the customer. Generous return policies are great as well as products on trial.

  1. From quality to preference: Quality is a given. Preference creates the sale. 

Offer more than the competition. How is your product outstanding? Sell what others don’t have.

  1. From being known to being loved: The difference between notoriety and aspiration.

Think of telephone companies. Just because everybody knows you does not mean everybody likes you.

  1. From Identity to Personality: Identity is recognition. Personality means character and charisma. 

American Airlines has a strong identity, but Virgin Airlines has personality.

  1. From function to feel: What a product is for and what a product can do

A Harley Davidson is not just a motorcycle. It’s an experience.

  1. From Omnipresence to Presence: The difference between being there and being seen.

Quality tops quantity in advertising. Billboards and commercials are everywhere. Starbucks is at the right place at the right time.

  1. From communication to dialogue: Communication is telling. Dialogue is sharing

 Think of the benefits of social media. Listen to your customer.

  1. From service to relationship: Service is selling. Relationship is acknowledgement.

Howard Shultz, CEO of Starbucks:”If we greet customers, exchange a few words with them and then custom-make a drink exactly to their taste, they will be eager to come back.”

How do you foster the relationships with your customers?

Source:

Marc Gobé: Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People; 2010

 

Snooze to be well

Robert Borneff Lifestyle , , , 0 Comment
Snooze to be well

How are you? Are you feeling good today? Did you have a good night sleep? We all know that sleeping enough is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. It can benefit your heart, your body, your mind and much, much, more. You can even learn better when you sleep enough, because your brain strengthens and retains memories that you gained while you were awake. That means the presentation or the music piece you practiced in the evening  will turn out better in the morning.  People that don’t sleep enough can even become depressive. In summary, we can say that a good day starts the night before.

But many of us don’t get enough sleep.  The days are just not long enough. Long working hours, late night travelling, personal stress, and small children are all factors that keep our beds empty at night.  Personally I am not a friend of sleeping pills and that’s why I looked for alternative ways to help me fall to sleep:

  1. Don’t push too hard

Very often sensitive and well disciplined people tend to ponder about falling to sleep.  If you think about falling to sleep, you are already standing in your own way. Just let the sandman come whenever he is ready.  This works when you are tired, but not if you need to sleep, because you need to get up early the next day.

  1. Night time routines

It may help to adapt some habits which have to be repeated every night. This way the body gets used to the ceremony of going to bed. Writing a diary could be helpful. The imagination of being at the beach or elsewhere on vacation while laying in bed may also work. Even a routine of reading before falling to sleep is helpful, as long as it is short. Works for me!

  1. Be a Night Warrior

If you have a hard time sleeping, don’t go to bed until you are really tired. With a couple of short nights you may find better sleep in a couple of days. Always a good one!

Important: No TV in the bedroom! The blue screen light prevents deep sleep.

  1. Take it as it is

Some people always sleep well, others don’t. People that accept that they are not like a groundhog often have less stress about sleeping. I have adapted to the fact that sleeping is not my favorite thing.

  1. Relax during the day

Don’t rack your brain with fears and sorrows during the day. Most likely they will follow you to bed. End your day being assured that you have done all, what you could do. For me this works only, when I am not too nervous about the challenges ahead.  What then helps me is Reiki and things are much better.

  1. Change the game – Think Positive

Switch from worrying to problem solving. When your head is busy finding solutions, there is less room for worry. The negative effect that prevents sleep gets buffered by the problem solving thoughts.

To master this switch it helps to appreciate your daily accomplishments. Regarding the undone things you should have a plan to get you in a positive prevailing mood. Don’t bring unwished business home with you mentally.

  1. Don’t drink too much

Low quantities of alcohol support sleep, but too much will prevent deep sleep and wake you up in the middle of the night. People over 40 like me should generally stop drinking before going to bed to avoid numerous trips to the bathroom.

And now it is time for

Good Night…

Source: Welt N24; So schlafen Sie abends besser ein; 07.26.2016

Corporate Social Responsibility

Robert Borneff Marketing , , , 0 Comment
Corporate Social Responsibility

In one of my last posts (“Transparent Marketing”) I was talking about the importance of an open and honest business approach. To gain the trust and establish rapport with customer a business has to send truthfully and reliable messages to their customers.

In this post I want to show what influence the internal actions and policies of a company have on its public relations. I am talking about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

A couple of years ago it was more or less up to a company how it was acting and what values it was representing. Thanks to modern communication technology everyone stands in the spotlight. Customers are rewarding companies with more sales for their social responsibility. For example in our community Kroger supports local Non-Profits and the people appreciate that. On the other hand Lumber Liquidators almost collapsed over allegations it would use wood from illegal sources.

Companies that share the the concerns of their customers have a positive impact. And it’s not just big corporations with large marketing budgets that can promote their intentions of doing good. Also small local companies can benefit from supporting a good cause. Here are some examples:

  1. Acting responsible

Customers reward companies that practice good business culture. Being known as  a good employer for example also creates trust in customers. Companies which are thoughtful with their garbage and emphasize recycling show that the earth is important to them. This also counts for efforts to save water and energy.

Responsible companies also show that they care for their customers in offering products that are made out of environmentally friendly materials.

  1. Support the community

Customers like companies which are engaging in the local community and support organisations that provide provide assistance locally. Here are just a few organisations that appreciate support financially but also donated volunteer hours:

-Habitat for Humanity    -Refugees Centers   – SPCA         – Schools and Day Cares

  1. Support of organizations that promote sustainability and fair business culture

Here are four organizations in the furniture industry that stand for Corporate Social Responsibility .

The Sustainable Furnishings Council is a coalition of manufacturers, retailers and designers dedicated to raising awareness and expanding the adoption of environmentally sustainable practices across the home furnishings industry.

  • Better Business Bureau                  bbb.org

BBB helps people find and recommend businesses, brands and charities they can trust.

  • GoodWeave                                       goodweave.org

GoodWeave is helping children in the international rug industry by certifying child-labor-free rugs

  • Forest Stewardship Council           fsc.org

The Forest Stewardship Council sets standards for responsible forest management. A voluntary program, FSC uses the power of the marketplace to protect forests for future generations.

 

In this context in want to close with a quote of Warren Buffet:

Look for three things in a person: Intelligence, energy, and integrity. And if they don’t have the last one, don’t even bother with the first two.

 

Hausmannskost – Cooking at Home

Robert Borneff Lifestyle , , , 0 Comment

In Germany during the 16th Century it was common that the food of the man of the house was more hearty and solid with more meat and fat compared to the other members of a household. In some areas this was usual until the 1900s. Today the expression stands for simple, traditionally made food with primarily local ingredients. I am using it here as a synonym for home-made-food.

Unfortunately, the fate of home cooking looks grim for the future. The Washington Post even titles an article “The Slow Death of the Home-Cooked meal”. All the cooking shows and celebrity books can’t change it: only about half of all dinners eaten at home in the USA are homemade and eating out is very popular.

Well, there’s nothing wrong with eating out. My family loves it! Picking a restaurant for a special occasion; enjoying vacations; trying out things you don’t cook at home. Eating out is great! Same thing with catered or processed food. Time is scarce, schedules are busy. Who has the time and the guts to stand in the kitchen every day?

But here is the thing: Eating out becomes boring, when done too often. Plus, it’s not healthy. Processed and frozen food is known to be bad for the waistline. And considered from a financial point, both eating-out and processed food is expensive. So…

I have to admit I love eating and I always have. I joined my mom in the kitchen from early on (even she did not always like it). I loved the TV shows of the French Maestro Chef Paul Bocuse.

The way he picked out his fresh ingredients on the farmers markets; the way (and speed) he sliced his onions; the amounts of wine and cognac in his dishes; unforgettable!

But the switch from just eating to actually cooking the food myself came with my family. And this is probably the most important reason why I cook: Home cooking is a group activity. That certainly sounds like everybody’s helping and setting the table and all that, but that’s not it. It’s the act of cooking for my family. Cooking what they want, when they want it, and how they want it. And the best part of it is sitting at the table together and eat.

Guten Appetit!