Cancelling a Gym Membership

If you've ever joined a gym, you know how difficult it can be to leave. One gym I considered joining a few years ago had very low monthly rates but required significant documentation -- including a letter from a doctor -- to cancel a membership. When I decided not to join, the salesman accused me of using his gym for free and ripped up the contract. Needless to say, when I looked up the company, they had their own issues with commitment, as they regularly opened and closed clubs under new corporations.

So today when I joined New York Sports Club, I was surprised to hear the salesman tell me not only about the free month being offered with annual membership, but also a way to cancel that membership without incurring a $150 fee. (If you're curious, it just requires downgrading from an annual to a monthly fee which has no cancellation fee).

Why would a salesman, who is trying to get me to join, explain how I can leave? One word: empathy. Just as we appreciate the ability to return items we bought, we value services that allow us to cancel at any time. It shows that the person who is taking our money is human, and understands that by choice or circumstance, we may change our minds. That's why cell phone companies have changed to monthly plans with no contracts, and why companies like Zappos and Shoebuy offer free return shipping. Offering people the option to reconsider shows empathy for customers, who in turn feel a greater sense of power and ownership over the sale. Put simply: if you want to draw someone in, make sure you give them an out. 

Top 10 Reasons Why Lists Are Listless

If you haven't noticed it yet, lists have become among the most popular posts on the web today. Mocked by some as "listicles", loved by others addicted to BuzzFeed -- for now, they are here to stay. As readers, we like lists for a variety of reasons, including our increasingly busy lifestyles and our preference for finite and easily remembered facts. Content producers adore lists because they increase their sites' SEO rankings. For a great top 10 on why lists are popular, check out this list from NPR:)

So in that spirit, I am going to give my top 10 list for why lists are listless. But so I don't sound like one of the top 10 hypocritical bloggers of 2013 , I will write my thoughts in a short essay:

Lists are listless because they're lists. In a mobile minute, the "best" lists tease us with ways to improve ourselves or laugh at others. But as quickly as we share them on Facebook and Twitter they're forgotten.Who remembers the "Top 10 Ways to Lose Weight Without Dieting"? (How does that work again?) Or the "Worst Five Hairstyles of the 2012 People's Choice Awards"? The best way to write memorable content is simple: take one item from your next list and write about it. You and your readers will be happy you did for more reasons than you can ever list.    

When to Throw in the Towel

Arakawa takes a shot from Figueroa last night. (Source: http://thesweetscience.com

)

 So I have to admit: I love boxing. Boxers endure intense training to prepare for a fight, and in the ring, they battle not only their opponents, but also fear and exhaustion. But as much as I enjoy the sweet science, even I was a little uncomfortable watching last night's fight between Nihito Arakawa of Japan and Omar Figueroa of Texas. At first, Figueroa started bleeding from above his nose -- the result of an accidental headbutt. Then, Arakawa's eyes began to swell to Rocky-like proportions -- as he took an unbelievable number of power shots from the hard-punching Texan. The fight lasted the full 12 rounds, but many spectators on Twitter were thinking Arakawa's corner should have thrown in the towel. After all, it's those kinds of beatings that have been known to lead to long-term brain damage, and sometimes death. I have to agree with them. There was no point to fighting on once he'd lost the fight. People had gotten their money's worth, and he'd shown his courage.

History is replete with examples of times when armies should have retreated and regrouped. Sometimes in life, it's important to know when to stop what you're doing and live to fight another day. In business, they call this "pivoting." In the middle of team sports, they call it a "timeout." And if you're afraid that losing shows a lack of will, remember: no one ever becomes a success without learning how to fail.

After Nearly a Billion Dollar Renovation, Why Move the World's Most Famous Arena?

Full disclosure: I was once named the Twitter Follower of the Week by MSG:)

If you missed the news yesterday, the New York City Council put the future of Madison Square Garden in question, when it approved a special operating permit for the arena for only 10 years. The permit's short time span is designed to push MSG to relocate and give its underground neighbor, Penn Station, room to expand. But while a renovated Penn Station would be great for commuters, MSG has almost completed a nearly one billion dollar, three-year renovation that has made the arena more beautiful than ever.

So how should MSG respond to the disappointing news? Should they criticize the City Council's decision and keep it in the public eye? Or should they ignore the story and let it die down?

MSG officials seemed to have chosen the latter, saying only that they are looking forward to the completion of the Garden's renovation. From a PR perspective, that was the right decision. Right now, there is no expansion plan for Penn Station. Who knows what such a plan would look like and how much it would affect taxpayers? Also, at least two of the city's mayoral candidates are backing MSG in this potential fight, according to The New York Times. The political landscape could change dramatically in 10 years.

At the same time, if MSG does have to move, focusing on growth now will only help. After all, a modern arena with sold-out crowds and die-hard fans will be worth a lot more than a building whose owners are fighting to keep alive. The best decision is to keep doing what they're doing and let the fight come to them. 

Inventing Company Names

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting story about the challenges of naming startups when the availability of domain names drops everyday. Many entrepreneurs, searching for short URLs, have used their to imagination to invent their company names, such as Kaggle, Mibblio, and Zaarly.

The creative names are part of the mentality of today's entrepreneurs, who are breaking all the rules as they follow their dreams. In a sense, that's what the startup is all about: creating not just a business but a home that expresses who you are. Entrepreneurs today want casual offices with ping-pong tables and free food and drinks. They want employees to love what they do, and share in the company's success. Most of all, they don't want to be bound by the established norms. They are ready to be part of a new world, where anyone with a dream, a strong work ethic, and access to cheap programmers overseas, can become a successful CEO.

So to all those doubters, beware: my company, www.dhfmanfrauec.ly is launching soon.  
 

Prison in Dubai for Extramarital Sex: Human Rights Violation, or Something Else?

Abraham Lincoln's honest and direct communication was key to his success as president.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a reputation as one of the more modern countries in the Arab world, and Dubai is known as one of the most beautiful cities in the Middle East. But recently, a Norweigan woman who reported being raped in Dubai was sentenced to 16 months in prison, according to a report by cnn.com. Among the charges brought against her: having sex outside of marriage. The Norwegian foreign minister has said the conviction of the woman, Marte Deborah Dalelv, is "contrary to fundamental human rights" and could hurt Norway's relationship with the UAE. The story goes on to cite other examples of the UAE's human rights record, including three other foreign women, who reported being raped there and were punished with fines or jail time. All of this got me thinking: why do we call them "human rights violations"?
  
Obviously, "human rights" are a convenient way to categorize any number of acts that we consider immoral and inhumane. They are a euphemism that makes acts like imprisoning rape victims seem like a legal and political issue. But at a certain point, I think they do a disservice. A little specificity can go a long way in communicating your values. Norwegian officials could put it this way: "This is an atrocity that threatens the safety of all women in Dubai. We cannot sit idly while foreign women report being raped and are then jailed for extramarital sex. If the charges against Marte Deborah Dalelv are not dropped immediately, our relationship will soon end."

From a diplomatic perspective, this might be a little too aggressive for Norway's taste. But from a communications perspective, sometimes you just have to be a little direct.

How Does Bankruptcy Become a Compelling Story? People, People, People

Depression Bread Line (1999) by George Segal (For more on Segal, click here)

The royal baby, and for that matter, Kim and Kanye's newborn, seem to be getting more coverage in the media than Detroit declaring bankruptcy. It's not because Americans don't care about Detroit, a city that has been in decline for decades. Or that the public knows that the bankruptcy is a political issue that has upset city employees and is being challenged in court. (For more on this, read the excellent story by John Cassidy on The New Yorker website.) But the real reason is clear and simple: we relate more to people than to complex ideas. While many in Detroit would be affected by this bankruptcy, we don't know them. The idea of a city going bankrupt is just too big to process, and hard to believe and understand. But everyone can relate to mothers and babies, and I think most Americans have heard of Kate and Kim.

So how can the media increase the relevance of Detroit's bankruptcy? The old-fashioned way: just keep talking to people, digging for the most compelling stories that illustrate the impact of the bankruptcy. Perhaps focus on one or two Detroit families and create something akin to a reality series that traces their past, present, and future in the Motor City. Or maybe, find one business, big or small, that is emblematic of the decline, and create a series based on its experiences. There are many ways to humanize the story of Detroit, but at the heart of all them is its people.