It's My Birthday! 4 Ways Brands Can Learn From My Tory Burch Experience

Facebook has my birthday so I assume every other retailer and their first born also has it available to make my day extra special. If they can re-target and follow me with Instagram ads using beacons after I walked into their store, then the possibilities are endless!

My birthday was just a few days ago, on December 7th. I began to receive birthday offers from stores on December 1st. Perfect timing! It made me think about how brands can take advantage of this opportunity to gain a new loyal customer or enhance the budding relationship.

“A study by Germany-based customer engagement company Hybris, conducted by Forrester Consulting, shows a gap between consumers’ expectations of personalized marketing and what marketers are delivering. The study shows that while 66 percent of marketers rate their personalization efforts as “very good” or “excellent,” only 31 percent of consumers say companies are consistently delivering personalized, cross-channel experiences.”

Based on this study and what I have experienced, I agree. Retargeting on Facebook and Instagram is standard compared to an overall personalization strategy that can deliver a birthday experience that is relevant to you, your purchase history, consistent across channels, and accessible to your employees.

Compete on experience instead of racing to the bottom of price. A birthday is the best time to make a difference. When someone is passionate about your brand and has a connection, they don’t look for the low price, they get value in other ways — like the birthday gift you send them via snail mail. I will pay more for a good quality brand that I trust.

Here is what brands need to get right in order to win the race to the top of experience. Kudos to Tory Burch for getting it right!

The Right Timing

One of the offers I received was for $10 off within the next two weeks for a service. Come on! Give me some breathing room - especially for a service that doesn’t even need to be that frequent. That offer is definitely a bigger win for the brand, not me.

I received my Tory Burch birthday email gift on December 1st with NO EXPIRATION DATE. Perfect timing!

The Right Offer

I recently attended the ‘Connect Shopper’ webinar hosted by Salesforce which highlights

“79% like it when they receive complementary product offers or promotions based on their purchasing histories from a retailer, indicating a desire for more personalized shopping experiences.”

In the offer content, demonstrate your personalization skills and highlight some recommendations, while also leaving the door open to purchase anything. I am a fan of the discount on total purchase as was presented in the Tory Burch offer.

The Chosen Channel

It isn’t about one channel - it is about the unified journey across all channels. As you can see from my Tory Burch birthday gift, she provides me specific instructions on how to use at the store or online. 

It is a myth that Millennials are so-called e-commerce shoppers - 23% do research in-person - higher than both Generation X and Baby Boomers! In fact, they research on every channel which means you have an opportunity to grab their attention and enhance the overall journey across all channels.

If you are communicating on several channels, save your reputation and make sure it is uniform. Another stat from the ‘Connected Shopper’ report shows 47% of shoppers feel annoyed when they receive an offer via a separate channel for the same product that they purchased in store.

If you really want to go the extra mile with the birthday gift, send it snail mail. Last year, I received a merchandise birthday and Christmas gift from Tory Burch in the mail. Apparently, I didn’t shop as much this year…

The Right Tools

Make Sure Your Employees Have Access To Information! Salesforce is a great example of a tool that provides the ability to connect to your shoppers in the right way and seamlessly across channels.

I don’t know what tools Tory Burch is using; however, I was amazed by the experience on my visit during my birthday trip to the Hamptons. I was thrilled when I saw there was a Tory Sport store in East Hampton. Since the brand is fairly new and there are only a few physical stores, we just had to stop to complete my collection of golf dresses. I am right there with the 66% who prefer to touch and feel stuff in the store. My boyfriend told me to pick out something for my birthday.

Upon checkout, I remembered that I received the birthday email; however, I was having trouble locating it. While I would expect a certain level of service at my normal Tory Burch store in NYC, I was in a different store and brand - anything goes.

Since I am a fanatic about customer experience and technology, I notice when disjointed online and offline systems cause employees pain. I was not optimistic that the systems in place would enable me to use my offer. I was pleasantly surprised when the associate was able to locate MY PERSONALIZED BIRTHDAY email and code!

The Tory Burch experience is a perfect example of how brands have an opportunity to create an advocate and loyal customer through personalization. I don't purchase Tory Burch products at department stores or other distribution channels because the experience I receive direct at Tory Burch is best.

Remember that personalization is delivered by the STORE instead of the BRAND you purchase.

The distribution model adds a whole different challenge to a brand's ability to deliver a unified customer experience. I will leave that for a future discussion.

If you are not in B2C, this can still apply to you. Recognizing your main contacts birthday at the business or the company anniversary is a great complimentary strategy for B2B businesses.

What are the best offers you have received on your birthday?

Yours Truly,

Randa Green

www.thepukkapanda.com

How Pure Barre Is Pure Brilliant - 6 Things You Can Learn From A Great Experience

In honor of my 100th Pure Barre class at Pure Barre Brooklyn in Park Slope, I thought I would share why Pure Barre is Pure Brilliant. I am no stranger to organized classes… Gymnastics through high school, Pilates, Aerial Silks, Martial Arts, Spin, and more - excluding those I took when I was young as I can assure you I didn’t critique business structure and experience until I entered the business world.

The Mind Body platform must have a monopoly on these classes as most of them use it as their system to enable payments and scheduling. What a great idea to allow the experts to focus on their core business! While they all use the same platform, it is the experience you have when you go to the class that makes all the difference.

Believe me, this franchise is killing it! Out of all of these places, I have not seen the level of experience in which you receive at Pure Barre. The branding, messaging, consistent approach, thoughtful motivation, guidance of technique, and attention to subconscious details through organization are all on point.

I am all for the statement ‘no pain, no gain’. Whether it is business, personal, or fitness - you need to push yourself to see the difference. There are no short cuts.

On my first visit, I walk into the front door to a welcome smile at the front desk. As typical behavior for me, I arrive early. I am pleased to see that it is not packed with people exiting the previous class. They brilliantly schedule 30 minutes between classes to avoid the mad rush of people at the switch of a class.

#1 Organization - Pay Attention To The Details

Pure Barre has an attention to detail and has everything ORGANIZED!

After I signed the waiver, purchased my Pure Barre sticky socks, they sit down with me to explain the concept of tucking your hips, how we will start with the most movement during the warmup and progress through each muscle group with tiny movements.

They conveniently sell everything you need to attend class in case you forgot, or just need to add to your wardrobe since you attend class so frequently. My forgetfulness is to blame for my sticky socks while the latter is responsible for my leggings and Pure Barre brand tops. I am hooked.

#2 Consistent - People, Classes, and Locations

After over 100 classes, every instructor CONSISTENTLY sits down with new students to explain the Pure Barre concept, introduces themselves, confirms there are no injuries which they are not aware of, and follows the routine perfectly for the remainder of the class. While consistent, they each add their own personality and flair to make the class unique.

Personality makes a difference at any business. I am drawn to personality. Even if I like a brand, I will not shop or do business with those that are rude. Just not my style.

One of the biggest reasons I continue to go day after day is that I am in pain EVERY SINGLE TIME, you work your muscles until they fatigue and shake - all in about 2-3 minutes per muscle group.

We start with 15 minute warm up for abs and weights.

#3 Emotional Connection - Understand and Motivate Your Audience

The MOTIVATION begins in the first part of class, and continues throughout as the instructors learn names and provide positive praise for technique well executed.

"This is your first big challenge. You have 90 seconds in this plank. This is your time. Take this time to set a goal for yourself. Leave everything else at the door..."

You have an option to use no weights, 2, 3, or 5. Whichever you choose, you will feel the pain when doing the technique properly. In fact, 3 pound weights never felt so heavy with small movements and ultra fatigue.

More MOTIVATION

"Only 30 more seconds until you are done with weights and can stretch your arms. You can do anything for 30 seconds. That's 10, 2, 3, 4..."

Your brain immediately grasps onto the CONSISTENCY and meaning of the count to 10 that ends each exercise and often feels like eternity.

The person at the front desk enters the room to help pick up our weights as we do an arm stretch with the stretchy tube. Another great example of ORGANIZATION and TEAMWORK.

Next we move into about 9 minutes of thigh work. Who is counting? Your thighs literally shake from the fatigue which proves that it is making a change.

"Down an inch, up an inch, now tuck and tuck. Down an inch, up an inch, now tuck, tuck deeper. Smile. It helps."

Yes. Yet another time when smiling does really help! There is a perfect balance of relaxation, pain, repetition, variation, and mental encouragement.

#4 Guidance - Provide An Opportunity To Learn

I learned during a recent ‘Breaking Down The Barre’, session which is free monthly at my Pure Barre studio, that you can literally take the class with your eyes closed since they provide such great verbal GUIDANCE.

Remember, if your customers are confused or don’t know how to use your product, it can lead to a poor experience. In addition to the free monthly class, Pure Barre does a fantastic job at correcting form during the class, and are available after class to assist. (Since they don’t schedule back to back classes, they are ORGANIZED to enable instructors to remain after class)

A big thigh stretch has never felt better! Just a few short minutes of drifting into la la land, and it is time to tone the butt. Or, commonly referred to as ‘The Pure Barre Ledge’. You know, the one that got Victoria Secret into all that trouble for screwing up their photo shop.

And, why wouldn’t the music be perfectly timed to all the exercises! Brilliant. I may have been caught dancing and singing to a few of the great tunes, but who is watching when you can take the class with your eyes closed?

"Close your eyes and let the music take you to the end..."

As we finish toning our butts and making funny faces from the pain, the instructor places the perfect quantity of BRANDED pink mats in the middle of the room to prepare for the deep abs part of class.

#5 Brilliance Indicator: Relaxation - Make Your Audience Comfortable

Pure Barre challenges me to RELAX my mind. If my mind starts drifting off to think about work or whatever else is going on, I lose my form.- and am luckily corrected by the  instructor. In order to get the most out of the workout, you need to concentrate and focus on the form.

The lights are dimmed at this point. DETAILS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

"Grab a mat and place it about 3/4 against the wall. Sit in a slouchy position so it feels like you are in front of the TV balancing a bowl of popcorn on your stomach. Now take your right leg and pull it up to your face..."

Okay. You will just need to go to a class to learn about this part. It is magic! You learn how to move your legs with your abs. I am not joking!

The music bumps up a bit for a faster pace of ab work against the wall.

"Now scooch that newly toned butt all the way back against the wall so there is nothing between your butt and the wall"

The lights are now turned completely off to encourage more RELAXATION.

"It's time for abs and cool down. Grab your matts and head to the center of the room... sit at the edge of your matt, legs out with a 3/4 length bend at the knees, toes together, heels apart, on your toes, now sit up straight and round your back to a c-curve.."

During cool down, the instructor drops of wipes for your ball and matt. Once again, a DETAIL that makes leaving class so much easier!

Class after class, instructor after instructor, my experience is the same each and every time! There is a reason I have gone to an average of about 15-20 classes per month since October… And, it may or may not be that they include a COMPETITIVE factor into the mix.

#6 Competition - Give Them Something To Win

Pure Barre incorporates COMPETITION into the program to MOTIVATE people in a different way. Twice in the past 5-6 months, there has been a sign up on the wall to post your name and put a sticker each time you attend a class.  When you hit the goal quantity of classes, you are entered to win - great prizes like an unlimited year of classes. The bonus is public recognition that you made your target.

As a reminder, here is why I am a true believer of why the Pure Barre franchise is Pure Brilliant, and you should either check it out or learn from their experience.

1. Organization - Pay Attention To The Details
2. Consistent - People, Classes, and Locations
3. Emotional Connection - Understand and Motivate Your Audience
4. Guidance - Provide An Opportunity to Learn
5. Relaxation - Make Your Audience Comfortable
6. Competition - Give Them Something to Win 

As a consumer, do you notice and appreciate these 6 areas?

As a business professional, how do you incorporate these tactics into your business? Do you have any plans to change processes to include them?

Yours Truly,

Randa Green

What You Can Learn From A Difficult NYC Bike Ride

My first biking memory is being excited that my mom gave me a brand new red ten speed.  As I passed the police station on my first ride, I crashed straight into a red brick sign and destroyed the handle bars.

It wasn’t dissimilar from many other experiences falling on my head in gymnastics, several trips to the emergency room, and tearing a ligament jumping over an NYC puddle in 4 inch wedges.

I ALWAYS get back up - and for the most part laugh it off. Falls are both physical and mental. It is how you deal with them.

Here is what I learned about myself as an adult re-learning how to ride a bike with the clip-on shoes my boyfriend bought me promptly after I got my new Trek road bike.

It was time for my first bike ride with the new shoes to go over to his place in Astoria after work one day.

Area To Improve #1: Take Your Time

Of course I wanted to get there as quickly as possible or I may decide to take an Uber vs take on this challenge. I rushed to attach the cleats to my shoes.

Area To Improve #2: Ask For Help

If I took the time to ask for help at the bike shop that was on the way, I could have saved myself from a few bruises that day.

I walked my bike across the street to face the right direction and fell sideways literally within a few pedals.

A nice couple helps pull me up while my feet were still stuck to the pedals. When I am upright, I explain to them that it is my first time trying these shoes. We share a laugh as they had experience biking and proceed with guidance for ‘twisting’ out of the pedal before they set me free for the rest of the ride.

Area To Improve #3: Practice

I admit. I failed to listen to the guidance to practice. I only tried to remove my feet a handful of times. Apparently, that wasn’t enough. I was just ready to get going, so I did.

Strength #1: Open To New Adventures

On the side of strengths, I am not afraid to new adventures. I took on a new challenge even though I was scared.

I continue across Midtown with no issue until I had to stop at a red light on 8th Ave and 50th street. I gracefully fall over to the side promptly after I stopped.

The gentlemen on his bike next to me reaches his hand over to try to help me up unsuccessfully since I am glued to the pedals.

Another couple step in to help; however, when I tell them it is my first time using clip-on shoes, they just think I am crazy to learn in NYC rush hour.

Strength #2: Authenticity And Grace Defeats Judgement

I confirmed during the bike ride that I am definitely okay with being authentic - not phased by others judgement.  I truly looked silly each time I fell. I could have been embarrassed, concerned, or afraid to let others help me.

Strength #3: Plan B

I realize that I should be a bit more careful and could potentially hurt myself. I decide to leave one foot unclipped so I can put it down - and not fall. My plan b was successful for the rest of the bike ride across Midtown, along 2nd Avenue, over the Queensboro bridge and through Queens.  

I was excited and relieved to arrive at my destination -  frustrated, annoyed, and felt silly for having so much difficulty. On top of it all, I had to get back on the stupid bike in the morning before work and do it all over again.

After I share my horror story with my boyfriend and he looks at my shoes, I learn that I didn’t attach the cleats tightly enough so they just swiveled. Next time I try something new, I need to take my time, ask for help, and practice. Perhaps, then I will have a better first time experience.

Strength #4: Get Back On Your Feet

While I could have decided to ditch the whole effort after the first fall outside my apartment, a few bruises won’t stop me towards a goal.

I got back on my bike and rode the next morning with my boyfriend into the city. Even with my cleats on tight with his help, I continued to take a couple more falls that same week.

The scariest was the time I fell under a truck next to Central Park. Luckily, I got one foot out in time to get up on my own - with a doozy of a bruise on my bum.

That was one of several bruises that first week weaving in and out of traffic in the city. I was able to use the ‘roadkill’ bruises on my legs as an icebreaker in a product roadmap presentation.

Practice Pays Off

I am pleased to report that my continued practice has paid off. I successfully finished a century ride one month after I got the bike with only one fall. I still need to practice changing gears before tackling a big hill.

I rode across Iowa during Ragbrai last year which was over 400 miles in 6 days. No falls.

Finally, I completed the Timberman 70.3 half Ironman a few weeks later the summer of 2014. And, lucky for me, I didn’t fall or get a flat tire because I need to learn and practice how to change a tire. A race is NOT a time you can ask for help.

Thanks to my bike ride, I learned and confirmed some valuable things about myself.

Yours Truly,

The Pukka Panda

Learn Through Frequent First Time Experiences

There is something about the first experience that we don’t forget. Whether it is the first trophy, kiss, gymnastics competition, 'The First Time', or when we first learn what it feels like to be hurt - from peers, co-workers, someone we love… it shapes who we are as individuals…  The first time we experience something, we are the most vulnerable; hopefully open to learn and embrace the opportunities the world has to offer.

I personally love to try new things, embrace challenges, meet new friends, and welcome opportunities to learn and grow. Here are two recent events that remind me of the significance of first experiences.

Being Vulnerable

During a recent business trip to California, I watched ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ starring Audrey Hepburn - a personal fashion icon of mine. I am refreshed by her carefree attitude, authenticity, and positive outlook on life. She and her neighbor take a day of adventure in NYC to experience a day of ‘firsts’ - being vulnerable to both new things and about one another.  Wondering why I don’t do this more frequently, I texted my boyfriend the idea as soon as I landed…

To my surprise, Friday of that week, he planned an evening of first experiences for me in NYC; running 5 miles of interval training on a Friday evening (I typically like to run in the mornings…), walking across the Brooklyn Bridge (I had only biked), dinner at a new restaurant, and the top of the Empire State Building. I truly felt like a little kid in a candy store with the world to explore and learn - and luckily the world is a big place.

Times Square and Bryant Park from the top of The Empire State building

Tough or Rewarding - It Is Your Choice

I signed up for my first Tough Mudder a few weeks ago for Saturday, August 15th. I didn’t really know the details until I watched videos a few days later… I just expected some mud, monkey bars, ropes; however, the Electroshock Therapy 2.0 particularly worried me a bit. I was secretly hoping I would nail the Funkey Monkey 2.0 with my background as a certified child monkey.

As you can see on my face, the electric shock was not my favorite. At least it was the last obstacle. It was just a really weird feeling since you could feel it throughout your entire body.

Fast forward to past our team carpool from Brooklyn, Def Leppard jam on the school bus ride to the location, and coordinated ‘warm-up area’, it was finally our turn to be TOUGH! When we arrived at the start line, we were told to kneel down for a pep talk from Sean Corvelle, the MIC guy for Tough Mudder. During his speech, he emphasized the power of teamwork and positivity, shared Tough Mudder stories, and highlighted the importance of trying new things. 

I am pleased to report that I successfully completed the Funkey Monkey! The monkey bars were always my favorite on the playground. Even today, I become a kid again at any playground that has monkey bars or anything to climb.

Sean said, "Try to do something for the first time at least once a week."

Done! The Tough Mudder was not only a great first experience, I am now inspired to try take Sean’s advice.

Whether the first experience is tough or rewarding, I encourage you to be open and think positively. You have the choice to create your own adventure, learn from each challenge, and create endless opportunities for yourself and others.

I look forward to sharing new first experiences with you all. I would love to hear about your first experiences.

Yours Truly

The Pukka Panda

A Challenge Is Your Opportunity To Create A Winning Solution

I don’t accept no for an answer. There is always a way to find a solution to achieve the desired objective. Think differently. Ask the next question. While It may not be the easiest path, there is a a way to get where you need.

Fortunately, my life is filled with family, friends, and business leaders that have taught me you can achieve anything with the right approach. I am always up for a challenge, which is well known to those people… especially my mother when challenging me to cross the adult rings at the lake at age 6, to climb a tree, or recently to swing on a vine in Puerto Rico.

When there is a challenge to overcome...

I recently watched ‘Moneyball’ - a great story of challenges and the motivation to win. In ‘Moneyball’, they are challenged by the lowest budget for baseball. How do you win with no budget to buy the best players? After losing their top player, Billy, the General Manager pleads for additional money as his first approach. Being told ‘no’, he tries his next option to buy a sub-par player from another team. When Billy hears ‘no’ again influenced by a recent Yale Economics graduate, he takes the opportunity to dig deeper with this individual and learn more about why he won’t give up this player. Sold on this new method using analytics to redefine what makes a winning player, there is an opportunity to get the right team of players to win the game.

It is not about one player, it’s about the team...

Billy is motivated to create a winning team and hires the Yale graduate to help him find those players. While Billy is motivated, his initial method to execute on the new analytic approach is a failure - the team loses 15+ straight games with the three new players, while giving him a bad name. Billy was determined, yet was trying to win with a strategy in a vacuum of two people, without properly communicating the tactics to the rest of the team.

And leading through personal connection and individual motivation.

After a tarnished reputation from failure to deliver using the new technique, it hits Billy personally when his daughter expresses her fear of him losing his job and moving away. At that point, there was something that hit home and he became a leader.

Before, he was unattached to the players on the team - not riding on the plane with them or visiting them in the locker room. There was no personal connection. He was not being a leader.

Billy took the time to meet with each person individually, to understand them, to learn what they needed to feel motivated. Sure enough, the team wins the next 20 straight games to beat the record.

In the end, they did not win the World Series; however, Billy grew as an individual and learned what was important. He was offered the highest General Manager position and refused it to stay with his team. It wasn’t about the money, it was about how he felt - accomplished - appreciated. In the story, he made a difference in the game with other teams adopting the strategy in future years.

Whether you are on the giving or receiving end of ‘no’, use it as an opportunity to help provide an alternative solution or think differently to achieve the objective. I would love to hear your story about creating an opportunity out of a challenge.

Yours Truly,

The Pukka Panda

Crush Your Goals With Daily Metrics

Crush Your Goal With Daily Metrics

You successfully established a goal that will help you achieve the desired outcome, you set a timeline, and you chose the device to measure the activity towards the goal.

Congratulations! Now its time to analyze the results to see how you crushed your goal.

Hit Your Metrics & Crush Your Goal

As a salesperson, you make countless dials a day to hit your sales goal. If you don’t hit your sales goal at the end of the month, do you see a correlation to the amount of sales calls or meetings you held?

As a customer service agent, you answer the call quickly as a part of making the experience effortless for the customer. When there are long hold times, do you notice the customer may be a little less tolerable than preferred?

As a manager, you monitor these numbers to track the success of your team to ultimately improve and support the best customer experience. When the numbers don’t match your ideal goals, do you see impact to the customer experience metric?

Our personal behaviors are just like our business habits. Our daily data will help keep us in line to our long term objective.

Learning Experience

As a healthy individual, you track your steps, calories, heartbeat, and laps in the pool to achieve your desired outcome.

• Did you meet the goal consistently?

• What tactics did you find most effective?

• What areas can you improve for next time?

• Does the short term goal line up to final objective?

When I successfully burn over 2200 calories a day, I expect it will help with my ultimate objective to have a healthy balance of muscle quality. When you are able to see daily success, it makes the goal seem more achievable vs. setting goal to improve muscle quality.

I now introduce the SKULPT 

Forget about weight and BMI. Focus on quality of your muscle. We are all different. Let’s embrace the differences and work towards our own personal health goals. I have not tried this device yet, but am really excited. I don’t care about what food I eat. I want to eat whatever. I want to be active and healthy. There is a balance.

What daily goal did you set to help with long term objective? I would love to hear from you.

Yours Truly

ThePukkaPanda

Choose Your Wearable With This Personal Shopping Guide

Device Personal Shopper: At Your Service

Now that you have set your goal, established a timeline, you are ready to choose the device that will help you effectively hit your goal - balance fitness with fashion and communications.

The wearables market expands to different categories: Apparels & Textiles, Devices (mainly conventional technology), and Allied Subjects (typically carried, not worn). This post will focus specifically on devices that enable you to track your movement through apps and connection to  phone or pc. You may need to use a few devices if the wearable does not have an option for your activity. I suggest choosing one application or wearable to be the source of truth for your data metrics.

My original 6 device comparison expanded to 33… In a previous post, I shared that limiting customer choice increases sales by 600%. The Paradox of Choice. People have a hard time making a choice when there are too many options. The magic number for optimum choice is between 1 and 6.

One of the methods I shared to limit choice is through ‘Personal Service’. I was your Personal Shopper to limit the wearables into categories that makes sense to your lifestyle: Fashion, Fitness, or Both. Hopefully this helps make it easier for you to choose the right device.

My favorites in each category as shown in flowchart:

• Fashion: Mica Smart Bracelet for Women & Michael Bastian for Ben
• Swimming w/ Screen Status: Garmin Vivo Active
• Swimming w/ No Status: Withings Activite
• Keep it Simple: Mira Bracelet for Women & FitBit Charge for Men
• Heart Rate: FitBit Surge - *note devices in swimming and communication columns may also monitor heart rate. This column is strictly for devices that do NOT have communication capabilities.
• iOS and/or Android: Apple iWatch
• Android Specific: Samsung Gear S

 Which is your favorite? What will you choose to track your goal?

Yours Truly

ThePukkaPanda

Next Step: Beat Personal Goals With A Set Time For Your Wearables

Set your Timeline

At work, we use a tool called Halogen to track our quarterly goals. There is a process to enter them, review with your team and manager, and rate them… Personal goals are no different than business goals; however, you are your own boss. You pick the timeline that will make your goal achievable. Set yourself up for success.

Since you may not want to be married to your wearables, it will be okay to stop wearing it, or choose to continue once the time is up and you start your next goal. It is a decision to make at the time you choose.

This is step two of four. Catch up to the series: 

• Intro: Lost In Your Wearables And Devices 
• First Step: Mixed Up in Wearables? Your First Step To Getting It Right

Device Dilemma

I admit, I am not likely to wear a Nike Fuel band or this Fit Bit for the rest of my life. Actually, I only wore the Fit Bit for one week to track my sleep patterns. When it told me I only slept 2 hours with 250+ minutes of being restless and 8 hours in bed, I began to wonder why I sleep so poorly…

Is there something wrong with me? I changed different variables of caffeine, wine, and exercise without ever getting more than 3 and half hours of sleep each night out of consistent 7-8 hours in bed.

Level Set

One night I borrowed my boyfriends newer version of the Fit Bit to sleep one night since his kept saying 6 hours… I admired his ability to have quality sleep. Well, his Fit Bit said I slept 6 hours! I wore my Fit Bit for a only a few more days. Since I started to wear it to see how well I slept, my Fit Bit time was up. The problem is that I still don’t know which one was right… nor did I establish a goal and set timeline BEFORE I started wearing the device.

On a positive Pollyanna note, my challenge with the Nike Fuel Band was keeping it charged - the Fit Bit has nice push notifications on my iPhone and emails to inform me the battery is running low. They have orchestrated their customer journey to help them use the product more effectively.

Take Control

I have successfully established my Key Performance Indicator of burning more than 2200 calories per day. It is an achievable daily goal. If I burn over 2200 calories per day combined with a normal diet as suggested on the food labels, there will be positive results. Of course, it needs to be done consistently for a long enough period of time.

I will commit to use the same wearable to track my goal for 1 month. This series of posts is specific to taking control of your wearables. In the end, eating right and consistent exercise need to be a way of life. Set goals that can remain as habits after your time is up.

I would love to hear your feedback and experience with setting time frames for personal goals. 

Stay tuned for the next post reviews on several wearables and my pick. 

Yours Truly,

ThePukkaPanda

My personal goal was to complete the race as it was my first triathlon and second race. My finish time was 7:14:46, ranking 91 out of 125. Next race I will set a new goal.

Links from around the web

http://thinkingloudily.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-goal-without-timeline-is-just-dream.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_5655256_make-personal-short-long_term-goals.html

http://www.theemotionmachine.com/create-a-timeline-to-better-envision-your-goals

Mixed Up In Wearables? Your First Step To Getting Them Right

Establish Key Performance Indicators

I am prepared to take control of my wearables instead of wasting money and watching them collect dust. The first of four steps is to ‘Establish Your Key Performance Indicator(s)’. You will notice that each of the steps can apply to your personal wearable devices and business initiatives.

Read the intro to this 4 step guidance, Lost In Your Wearables And Devices.

We all know, ‘What Gets Measured Gets Managed’ unless you measure it without a goal and end up just watching some silly numbers with no meaning.

Maintain Your Focus

Establish your KEY initiatives related to your area of focus. Don’t get stuck in the weeds or try to juggle too many at once. If so, you may lose focus or give up entirely. Look at the details when you want to plan tactics to meet the KPI and analyze how and why you are seeing certain results.

Small Rolls Up to Big

Start small and work towards the greater goal. It is easier to stay motivated on a daily basis while you crush your targets. As you achieve your small goals, you will better understand what to target for long term objectives. 

Based on the short time that I wore my Fit Bit, I typically burn about 1800 calories based on my weight, height, and age. It automatically gives me 1259 calories per day, so 10K steps per day and basic activity adds around 500 calories. On a day that I attended two pilates classes (which are not aerobic…), my Fit Bit said 2200 calories. My KPI needs to stretch my “Standard” activity levels so I can continue eating pizza.

Since this post series is about wearables, my KPI is to ‘Burn over 2200 calories per day’.

Create The Tactics

In order to meet your target KPI, you need to come up with an action plan. What tactics will you use to hit the target?

My tactics to burn over 2200 calories per day:

• Walk over 10K steps

• Take the stairs at work (7th floor)

• Walk one subway station further

• Physically express my love

• Exercise

Now that I shared my KPI to improve the effectiveness of my wearables, what is yours? I would love to hear from you.

If you are having a challenge, check out a few sources for goal setting

http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2013/09/29/10-things-you-should-know-about-goals/

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-Personal-Goals

Stay tuned for the next post with step 2 of 4 to help you take control of your wearables.

Yours Truly,

ThePukkaPanda

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Lost In Your Wearables And Devices

For a work health program, I released all the personal data about my blood, weight, and fat to support lower healthcare costs. Anything for a free Fit Bit, right? Not exactly, I actually just wanted to know my fat percentage.

I got to add my Fit Bit on the shelf with the other wearables. I could not even get rid of my Nike Fuelband at my stoop sale. My iPhone tracks my steps and a million other activities if I choose. I use RunKeeper to track running, biking, and swimming patterns. This Fit Bit is just another device for me to either forget to charge or lose it all together.

That was it! I stopped using the Nike Fuelband because I forgot to charge it one day so all my metrics were off.  The data was now bad. You can’t use bad data to track an initiative. In all reality, there is no motivation since I am an active person in general and don’t have problems with my ability to take steps.

Fast forward a few months. My boyfriend bought the new version of the Fit Bit so I shared my reasons why I had yet another device collecting dust on the dresser, followed by saying  “I should write a post on why wearables are not good for type A personalities…” Or, the alternative positive spin is "to determine how type A folks can get the best results out of wearables".

Too many devices, which to choose, which to use...  The same problem exists in a business environment. We need to choose the right application or tool to track our defined initiative. Lucky for us, it is normally someone’s job to manage the server so charging is likely not a problem.

I have been slacking in the exercise department since the Half Ironman last August. Since writing something down increases likelihood to achieve goals by 42% and sharing with others by 75%, I will share my own journey of 4 steps to figure out how to best use my wearables. 

Hint: I may need to get a new one to meet my goals. Stay tuned for the post on choosing the device to track your progress. 

Thanks in advance! :) Did I say I was a bit competitive too? I bet if you share your journey along with me, we will both succeed. 

Which wearables and tracking devices do you use? What is your strategy?

Truly Yours,

ThePukkaPanda

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