INTERVIEW: Aaron Danchik, Owner of Sychronized Solutions, Business Coaching
Interviewed by: Anna Dalea, ERT Website Solutions
TOPIC: THE POWER OF WORDS
1. How would you describe your company?
My company, Synchronized Solutions, provides accountability for businesses from a sole proprietor to a Fortune 500 company. The objective is to achieve goals. An assessment is completed to identify areas of opportunity for the individual or business and then a customized plan is developed and implemented. This is done through a process of spaced repetition learning. The company has duties that must be completed so we schedule a once per week session of two hours where we can review what was completed the prior week and implement new ideas and materials. This too can be customized. Scheduling one meeting per week for two hours is less disruptive than having staff members plan to be out of production for an entire day. Any program can be facilitated in a one day seminar. All of the implementations are interactive. This structure reinforces the materials and accountability. There are quarterly follow up sessions at three, six and nine months that are all inclusive within the project agreement. A fee will be agreed upon and regardless of the amount of time needed there will never be an increase or additional bill for the client. I also have a program, Business Coaching On Call, where I do not initiate the communications but the client does after purchasing a bank of time to be used over a specified period of time. This greatly reduces costs.
2. You have written two books so far. Can you summarize, or give a quick explanation, of what the books are about?
The first book, IF… takes a look at perspective in the work place. This book looks at how to cope with variables that come at us on a daily basis and how to re-prioritize our day to stay on track and stay productive. This is the mental aspect of the books I have written. Perspective is a choice. This book discusses how we choose.
The second book, WHEN… discusses how to control communications within the work place. This is based on the premise of eliminating the “Them versus We” mentality in many multi-departmental organizations. Through effective communications, acquiring buy in from the people involved with projects and effective goal setting companies can become much more productive. By not having to repeat efforts we all save time and money. This book addresses how messages are delivered to avoid negative feelings while staying focused on achieving goals.
[If you would like to purchase either of his book: IF... , WHEN... ]
3. You're writing a book called "The Power of Words". What can the readers expect to learn from this book?
The concept for the book is “The Power of Words.” The title has not yet been finalized. Staying consistent with one word titles it will likely be NOW… IF… is the mental aspect and WHEN… is the action that needs to be taken. NOW… will focus on why we use certain words, phrases or comments in conversation. The objective is to bring a conscious awareness to common phrases and words people use every day. These phrases or words are often taken for granted and because they are so common, many people may interpret them differently than how the person delivering a message intends the meaning to be. This leads to miscommunications. Simply being aware of why certain things are said and the potential interpretation of what we say, we can improve communications within businesses and avoid having to do things over because someone else received a message and interpreted it differently than was initially intended. NOW… will hone the skills identified in IF… and WHEN… I call the set the Communications Trilogy.
4. In terms of websites, how important are the words that one uses in their page content?
I believe this is critical. Web copy depends on the message you wish to convey. Are you utilizing a web site as a reference tool for an organization or to do the actual selling. This presents two unique opportunities depending on the type of business the web site is promoting. For my company a web site cannot do an assessment of needs. A web site or anything that represents a company must have the purpose behind it defined. What is the objective to be achieved by having the site? The words must respond to a question the person searching the web wants answered. Sometimes the site must suggest situations and offer a solution because a visitor to the site does not really know what they are looking for or looking at.
5. What effect do these words have on web surfers, would you say?
People surfing the web need to be their own thesaurus. This reaffirms why communications is so important. What a web site states may be what someone is looking for however the terminology used to describe what the company does is different than the perceptions of the person searching for information. As such, the words must overlap with all or as many eventualities someone can come up with. Time management may also be reducing overtime. Customer service may be client relations. This list can be exhaustive or endless. Web copy needs to be as creative as the multitude of surfers seeking information.
6. Under what circumstances should someone write their own copy versus using a copywriter or business coach to assist them?
Depending on the experience level of the person writing the copy, it is really up to the individual whether they utilize an outside service. As stated earlier, it also depends on whether the site is a reference tool or it is going to do the selling for the business. With any writing it is important to have someone else read the copy and offer what views the message conveys. Without solicitation, have two or three people read the copy. They can then summarize their understanding. Provided this shared information is what you are looking to accomplish, run with it. You will not know completely until you do a test pilot study. We often know what we want to say yet struggle with putting it into words for others. Brevity may be an issue. Who is the audience the site will target? Vocabulary becomes an issue. There are also the “power words” that inspire action. Utilizing verbs and avoiding words with negative connotations or those that reinforce a negative is important. The real question is whether someone is effective at communicating their thoughts on a broad scheme.
7. Can you give an example of powerful content versus content that can harm your business' image? (perhaps for, let's say, a plumbing company)
Powerful content is anything that will identify with a “pain” someone is dealing with and offer a solution. When the words identify an issue, concern or problem someone is experiencing and there is a solution it is very powerful. When you are thirsty and someone describes an ice cold beverage quenching that thirst and cooling your entire body it is very powerful. Reinforcing a negative situation without offering a solution or speaking ill of competitors will harm your image. “ABC Company is the best and will meet all your needs. We will not treat you like XYZ Company because we believe you are smarter than that.” This would not work well and could likely get you sued.
8. When can we expect your new book, The Power of Words, to be on sale?
The new book, NOW…, is currently in the early stages of production with the outline, mostly. I am gathering common phrases, words and comments people use. The list is over one hundred and fifty in combination of these three categories. I will have the book completed and submitted to the publisher by the end of July to first half of August. The target for the book being available will be the end of September or early October 2007. The book will complete the trilogy with IF… and WHEN…
9. Can you give an example of how you applied your strategies to your own website?
For my web site I streamlined things quite a bit. Many of the programs had full page explanations of the programs. This was reduced to a more simplistic snapshot of what the program is and what it will do. Additional information can then be requested. I believe testimonials, from third parties, is also important so this too was added to the site. I present an analogy of a youth sports team not having a coach except for the games and ask how effective the team would be. This provides a visual of the importance for coaching. As business people we all have things we would like to improve within our organizations. To identify just one item, consider would it be valuable to have a resource to help the business focus on the desired result as though the resource was a magic wand? This helps personalize the issues a business may face. It shows how there are solutions and help for any circumstance.
10. Is there anything else that you would like my readers to know about you, Synchronized Solutions, or your books that I have not mentioned?
My objective in writing the books was to document my thoughts and share what I have witnessed in the past twenty years working in corporate America. Some of the items are based on what worked and others on what to avoid because it did not work. Perspective and action are what I summarize in the books, respectively. I believe there is a solution out there for every situation. The solutions need to be synchronized to the problems or issues being experienced. Bringing processes full circle to synchronize actions to be the solutions to achieving goals, dreams or objectives is my objective. The newest protocol developed, Business Coaching on Call, was developed to assist companies of any size, especially small companies, to have a resource available to them to assist with achieving goals and not requiring extensive investment. Reading the books is a great start and has valuable information and examples from the perspective of an employee and employer. This coupled with the Business Coaching on Call can provide informative guidelines to businesses without substantial investments or contracts. My objective is to fill the void or gap from yearly high dollar agreements and offer a “test drive” for a small business to see whether they respond well to a fresh perspective from outside their business. The books are designed to establish the mental perspectives first, with IF…, then the actions and how to take actions, with WHEN…, and finally NOW… will focus on honing those skills to become even better.
