Guest post by: Tricia Coffey, Berry Network Manager of Training & Development If you dread New Year’s Resolutions, you are not alone! Less than half of American adults even make a resolution. In the business world, we make “New Year’s Resolutions” when we are required to write self development goals for our Annual Performance Review Plans. How many of you really put thought into your developmental goals? I’d be willing to bet the resolution stat applies and less than half of you do. Why don’t we give serious thought to our business “New Year’s Resolutions”? Do we not want to learn more? Do we not care if we grow as individuals? I don’t think that’s it.  In all my years of managing and training people, there is one consistent theme…time.  In today’s environment of doing more with less, it’s more important than ever to identify self development goals.   I believe that we won’t be able to do more with less without self development!  We are constantly challenged to find smarter, more effective ways to do business. It’s not just a matter of doing things faster, but we are being asked to do more things – create more spreadsheets, sell more products to more people or develop new products. However, wouldn’t you be doing that now if you knew how?   I challenge that by investing time to learn a new skill you will become more efficient. “If the untapped potential locked inside employees is unleashed and channeled effectively, it will surely boost the company's performance a great deal,” says Six Sigma. Otherwise…you may end up spinning your wheels.  In fact, do you know the definition of insanity? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.    What are YOUR thoughts on making time for self development this year?  

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A new partnership between Devon Security and Berry Network, Inc. is particularly important to Devcon’s massive nationwide expansion efforts.   By leveraging Berry Network’s strength and expertise in local search advertising, the new alliance will help Devon Security build brand awareness and increase advertising presence in new market areas.    “We chose to partner with Berry Network because of the strategic value they bring to the table,” said Kristin Clark, Devcon Security’s Vice President of Marketing. “The team at Berry Network excels at implementing our advertising programs, but more importantly, they’re willing to develop and explore unconventional strategies to help us achieve our goals.”   “Devcon is a perfect fit for our agency,” according to Sherri Kavanaugh, Berry Network’s Vice President of Client Strategy.  “We’re at our best when we’re working with clients that desire a true strategic partner. Devcon is strong, expanding rapidly and there are lots of opportunities for us to utilize our expertise, tools and proprietary technology to support and accelerate their growth.”   About Devcon: Devcon Security is one of the fastest growing security companies in the nation. Founded in 2004, the Devcon brand is composed of local security companies rooted in the security business since 1968. Devcon is run by a management team with more than 100 years of security experience and employs nearly 1100 people in offices across the nation. Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, Devcon maintains two monitoring centers and offers superior customer service. The company offers residential home security systems, as well as small and large business security solutions – including commercial alarms and video surveillance systems. Devcon is proud to be among a small percentage of security companies to have a 5-Diamond certification from the Central Station Alarm Association.

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The message to mind connection is critical in delivering our messages – in making them matter to, and stick with, our intended audience. The deepest and strongest connection of the mind to a message is achieved with visual imagery combined with written and/or verbal language. From a very young age we are always encouraged to communicate with words and language. We start out coloring and drawing pictures with crayons and paints. Then, when we start learning to read and write, we add labels to those pictures (mom, dad, house, etc.) creating a visual connection with language. By the time we are in school we are dealing mostly with words and language as we learn. As adults we make lists - lists of things to do or shopping lists because writing is quick and easy. Sometimes we forget our list or we are given a list verbally over the phone and ultimately what happens. We forget one or more of the critical items we were asked to obtain (fortunately we have cell phones today for those shopping impaired like me). What if our lists were an image gallery of what we needed, would we more easily remember them? Better yet, what if our list included both an image and the name of the item just like the flash cards we used as a child learning to read? I have known of some very successful people who remind themselves of long term goals, not with a list or words, but with images or photographs of what that goal looks like posted in a prominent place at their work or home. Weekly circulars take full advantage of this visual connection. High quality photos of products draw your attention to the products you desire or need. They are accompanied by large bold prices, most likely ending with that familiar and somehow comforting 99 cents. If your perceived value of that product is significantly higher than the price accompanying it, they’ve got you right where they want you. For those shrewd shoppers, a couple lines of small type give you just the right amount of information for your rational side to ‘give in’ to your emotional connection to that product and… that’s right – you write it down on your shopping list. Do you have any examples of a time you experienced a strong connection to a visual marketing message? If so, I would love to hear about it.

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