Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): On How The Right "Vision of the Possible" Can be Created

It is the advent of a new month here throughout our Properties as we welcome all with this very cute headline courtesy of the team at the Mission which we enjoy checking out!!!

Our team picked up excerpts of a newsletter outreach from one of our favorite companies, Arcadia Power, on how they're at the forefront of creating the true vision of the possible along with Verne's Insights on how successful folks are on an on-going basis with thoughts & ideas.    Please enjoy as we say, "onward"!!!

Reduce your carbon emissions from transportation Did you know that transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States? We have partnered with the mobile application, offCents so that you can effortlessly offset your carbon emissions from travel. offCents users support projects such as landfill gas capture, livestock methane capture, protection of forests and renewable energy. Download the offCents application here. Arcadia Power Community Solar in The New York Times The first community solar projects in New York City have begun generating power, and Arcadia Power is connecting local members to solar savings. A recent article in The New York Times detailed how these programs work to connect anyone, even apartment dwellers, to local solar power and monthly savings. Read more - now even apartment dwellers can use solar power Two big announcements from Arcadia Power HQ Last week was a big week for everyone at Arcadia Power – our growing team at our D.C. headquarters, and, most importantly, our nationwide community of members. We closed a $25 million investment round and are building 40 new large-scale solar farms across 600 acres for Arcadia Power members. Read more in our latest blog The world's largest solar farm rises in the remote Egyptian desert Over 100 years ago the the world’s first solar thermal power station used the Egyptian sunshine to pump 6,000 gallons of water a minute from the Nile to irrigate a nearby cotton field. The same power station is now set to re-open as the world's largest solar farm next year. Read more at The LA Times

Apple Tops $1 Trillion -- OK, it's old news (a week), but still a significant milestone for a company whose iconic founder passed away almost 7 years ago. It's worth 1 minute to read Reuter's reporting on the memo CEO Tim Cook sent out to Apple's 120,000 employees. It's simple, direct, and reinforces Apple's core ideals. I great example for us to all model if we have something significant to communicate to our teams. More below on why I think Apple has been so successful, but first...

Top of Mind -- four questions frame the ideas in John Hall's insightful and well-written book Top of Mind:

1. Am I delivering real value to my customers every day outside the products and services that I offer?
    
2. Do I understand the real needs and pain points of my customers and prospects?
    
3. If my customers are having a significant problem, would they think of and contact me first?
    
4. Do my customers like and trust me?"

It's question 3 that is the most important in my mind. Are you top-of-mind in your marketspace? Notes Hall, "In this book, you'll learn how to engage and position yourself (and firm) on top of the minds of the people who matter most - so that whenever opportunity arises, they'll already be thinking of you."

Best Buy Gets It - Relationship Selling -- a company that was expected to be vanquished by Amazon, like all the other retailers, instead has seen its stock quadruple since Hubert Joly was named Best Buys CEO, a guy with no retail experience (see, it's not an industry knowledge issue, it's a leadership issue). Notes this Bloomberg BusinessWeek article, describing the five-week training process new Geek Squad recruits go through (do your new recruits get five weeks of training?):

Now they're in this conference room practicing how to sell by seeming not to. "Be a consultant, not a salesperson," Bucknell says. "Use phrases like: 'How would you like it if,' 'Do you think it would help if you could,' 'Have you ever thought about.' " They're supposed to establish long-term relationships with their customers rather than chase one-time transactions. They won't need to anxiously track weekly metrics and, unlike the Geek Squad and blue shirts working in stores, they'll be paid an annual salary instead of an hourly wage. Their house calls are free and can last as long as 90 minutes.

Please take 4 minutes (worth every second!) and read this story of how Joly turned around Best Buy - lots of lessons for all of us!! Thank you to Scaling Up certified coach Bill Gallagher for pointing me to this insightful article that aligns so well with John Hall's book and teachings.