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Table of Contents
1. Marketing and the Message
2. Book Site: Renaissance Not Retirement (Llumina Press 2004); Father Joe (Random House 2004)
3. Peace Corps alternatives
4. Cruising and Resort Jobs
5. Moveon.org and The Red Hat Society
6. Uh-oh Marketing and the Message We gave a talk at the Life Planning Network (Boston) this week that has relevance for all of us who are embarking on new ventures. It was on the subject of marketing and honing one*s message, and derived from our recent experiences promoting Too Young to Retire (the book).
Marketing, that esoteric sounding discipline, is not only quite simple, it is absolutely necessary when you want to accomplish something, whether it is finding a job, changing careers, launching a business, raising money for your favorite nonprofit or any one of the many things we do in our public life. To paraphrase Guerrilla Marketer, Jay Conrad Levinson, marketing is every contact any part of your business has with any segment of the public. Remember a billboard created by the Advertising Council some years ago? Question: What happens when you don*t advertise? Answer: Absolutely nothing. Advertising is just one of the ways we market our product, service, idea, or ourselves and not always the most effective. Equally important are the simple, less costly things we can do on an ad hoc basis, by keeping the intention clearly in our minds. In a way, we personify what we stand for or intend to accomplish. Example: when we were putting together 2young2retire.com, we needed a logo. We knew we wanted something that graphically captured the liveliness and fun of being too young to retire. So one day, we were in the elevator at our condo complex and got chatting with a young woman who turned out to be a graphics designer. She worked out of her apartment, right down the hall from us, and her work was fabulous. She created the jaunty 2young2retire logo for us and weve used it ever since. A yoga student of Marikas who has since become a close friend is an art director and did the design for our self-published book; another friend who edits books professionally, edited the book. The point is, if you are passionate about what you are doing or planning to do, its very infectious. Youll attract the people you need to help you, often at very reasonable cost. So, one thing you should create for yourself is an elevator speech a pithy sentence or two you can deliver between floors to someone who expresses interest in what you do. It is like a mission statement (another good thing to create for yourself) and can sometimes BE a mission statement. You have to be comfortable saying it, so be sure to practice it on everyone you know until it just rolls off your tongue. Everything else you do to deliver your message to your target audience can flow from that one statement. Heres ours: We are working to retire retirement. Sometimes you have to go out on a limb to get attention and make news, and were doing that by taking a provocative stand against retirement when given the opportunity. The truth is, we really believe retirement is hazardous to a persons health, not to mention the economic and social health of the country and world. But we realize that its not effective to tell people who ARE retired that they are wasting their lives. (Tempting, but not effective.) Not if we want to win them back to a bigger life than leisure 24/7. But controversy is newsworthy, sells books and spreads the message. Its a good tool used for a specific purpose. Just be sure you have some good answers for the devil*s advocates this strategy often attracts.
Check out the whole Guerrilla Marketing series, anything you can get your hands on viral marketing, and discover our favorite self-promoter, Ilise Benun, at http://www.theartofselfpromotion.com and http://ww.selfpromotiononline.com (If you arent getting a hot link,* please copy and paste this and other links into your browser window.) BOOKSITE OK, guys (you 60-somethings men with enough money but not enough life), listen up. Robert E. Linneman, Ph.D., a former professor at Temple and St. Josephs Universities, business consultant, and founder of Renaissance Counselors, is going to make it much easier to figure out what you going to do with all that time ahead. So loosen your tie (assuming youre still wearing one) and dig into his new book: Renaissance Not Retirement: For Men Who Have Enough Money But Not Enough Life (Llumina Press 2004). This six-step program is packed with self-assessment tests, worksheets and mind-bending exercises to help you design the life you always wanted. It assumes youve got the money handled, but that like so many folks who hadnt figured on this gift called longevity, you need a little help with the rest. The book is sprinkled with stories and examples of people youll no doubt find familiar, drawn on interviews he conducted between 2000 and 2002. Some actually described themselves as retired, notes the author, when actually they are pursuing occupations or professions that they consider to be their lifes work. The book is friendly and accessible, not unlike the voice of a college dean, one of Bob Linneman*s former incarnations. 208 pp., $17.95.Available from Amazon.com and other book outlets. Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul (Random House 2004), Tony Hendra, 276 pp., $24.95. Already much praised and on its way to best-sellerdom, Father Joe is this year*s Tuesdays With Morrie and that is meant in the best sense. Sometimes a book (or person) just gets you in all the soft unguarded places and takes up residence in your heart. This is one of those books and Father Joe is one of those people. Publishers Weekly on Too Young to Retire: 101 Ways to Start the Rest of Your Life As a couple approaching retirement age, the authors came to the realization that "retirement was a great place to visit, but who in their right mind would want to live there?" And so they skipped the Sunbelt retirement and set out to start a new chapter in their lives, which involved the creation of a website (2young2retire.com) and the writing of this book to encourage others to stay in the workforce after 65. Written in a friendly, understanding tone, this volume is both inspirational and realistic. It addresses practical issues like money and provides an extensive list of resources for getting started and formulating ideas. Each chapter also includes a "try this" section, which provides simple and doable ideas for making small life changes on the way to achieving goals. And, indeed, the book does include 101 specific ideas for vocations and avocations to pursuecake decorator, computer tutor, ghostwriter, nanny, park ranger, wedding planner and many more. The authors also explain what is perhaps the ultimate incentive for staying engaged and active: its good for health and longevity. And they offer a host of tips for staying as healthy as possible so would-be-retirees can fully enjoy this fantastic stage of life. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. POTPOURRI The Peace Corps has prestige, but its not the only way to see something of the world while you provide needed services where they are in short supply. For opportunities to live/work abroad, also see Global Crossroad (http://www.globalcrossroad.com) and Cross Cultural Solutions (http://www.crossculturalsolutions.com). Ann Mariah Stewart, whose earlier exploits, including a tour of duty teaching aboard navy ships, are detailed in her story (http://www.2young2retire.com/annmariah.html) has also traveled to China with a English as a Second Language (ESL) program. For more info on turning your skill as a native speaker of English into a job, see Daves ESL Caf (http://www.eslemployment.com/daves-esl-caf*.htm Need a breather? Cruising will be with us as long as there are people who hunger for a taste of the exotic, while giving up none of the comforts (and then some) of home. Cruise lines are looking for mature people who can lecture, teach or entertain. Someone we know took her calligraphy skills for a cruise (and her husband, too); another gets regular gigs at sea playing harp during the dinner hour. Not a bad way to chill, meet people and make some money. Check out: http://www.cruiseshipjob.net/ and http://www.cruiselinejobs.com/ Heres a real current ad: Lounge Performers (entertain in certain locations on board: piano bar, night club etc. providing their own music and materials) - solid experience and ability to play a wide diversity of musical styles required. Fluent English Language skills required. Salary range: $2500-4800 U.S. per month. See also, jobs at resorts: http://www.resortjobs.com/ a window lets you search by keyword or location. Alas, no one was looking for a mature yoga teacher right now. They need skilled workers Down Under. Live/work in Australia under a special visa. Most Skilled Independents* land a job within six months, according to this web report: https://secure.migrationexpert.com/register_skilled_professionals.asp?fid=100036. Be sure to do your due diligence before you sign any contracts.
- No matter what you think of them, MoveOn.org and The Red Hat Society (about as different in goals and methods as can be) are great examples of how our desire to bond with others becomes a movement. MoveOn.org, an on-line PAC founded by Joan Blades and Wes Boyd, is a great example of a grassroots political movement that harnessed the power of the Internet and email, captured wide media attention for its political ads, and grew swiftly into a 2 million membership organization. Whatever your political persuasion, their new book, 50 Ways to Love Your Country, is inspiring.
The Red Hat Society started about four years ago as a play group for women over 50. In the spirit of When Im an Old Lady I Shall Wear Purple, its members meet wearing fancy red hats to have fun and greet age with humor, verve and lan. It has ballooned to 18,755 chapters in 21 countries, with a total of 400,000 members. Our goal is to be recess for women, says Sue Ellen Cooper, the organizations 59-year-old Exalted Queen Mother. There is also a book When I Grow Up, at the Arizona State Universitys Nelson Fine Arts Center, takes aim at the them and us mentality that divides the generations by showing the current lives of elders. Five artists address universal subjects such as independence, the creative thinking process, physical fitness, racism, and attempts to impose order on one*s surroundings. Until September 11, 2004, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Architect Sylvia St. Clair has designed and is building a community for the 50+ on a 2-acre property five minutes walk to the Pacific Ocean and 20 minutes walk into Todos Santos, a small artist community in Baja California Sur, Mexico. To buy into the community of one bedroom/one bath townhouses, you become a shareholder in the corporation, similar to the cooperatives of New York City. Plans include a 2000 sq. ft. community house containing a gym and two guest rooms, pool and spa. For more information, contact sasinbaja@yahoo.com
Of our report on the UK., a subscriber admonishes: About UK bus passes, Σ youve got it all wrong. First, a woman qualifies at 60 for a bus pass, but men must wait until 65, which is only a very small example of the strange but very important kinds of discriminations that exist in the UK. Secondly, I dont know where you got the idea that the UK public transportation system is exemplary because it is regarded as a notorious scandal here by people. . . while buses are reasonable for older people without a bus pass (e.g., in London, costing between $1.30 and $1.80 per ride, which means no transfers), the tube costs a fortune (about $3.00 for a short trip) compared for example, with NYC, Paris and the rest of the world.* RRNews replies: Granted. But at least there are more viable alternates to driving and a car is not an absolute necessity.
- Quote to ponder: "We are at the very beginning of time for the human race. It is not unreasonable that we grapple with problems. But there are tens of thousands of years in the future. Our responsibility is to do what we can, learn what we can, improve the solutions, and pass them on." -- Richard Feynman, physicist
Stay well, make it new, make it better.
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