The Crisis Ready Response to Coronavirus COVID-19
(Posted on Friday, March 13, 2020)
“Yes, over my weekends, because crises don’t sleep.”
That direct quote, from a webinar held on Wednesday, March 11, should give you all of the insight you need into the commitment crisis management expert Melissa Agnes has to her work. Melissa is the author of Crisis Ready: Build an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World and has been at-the-ready with her response to the coronavirus COVID-19.
Her answer to this now global pandemic could have been simply hawking her book on social media, relying on her audience to order a copy and to make their own conclusions based on that content. Armed with a Forbes top business book of 2018 and a work taught in higher education courses around the world (including Harvard University and Homeland Security), one could argue that anyone with a copy of Crisis Ready would be, well, ready.
But Melissa took her role ten steps further, developing and hosting a comprehensive webinar specific to the impact of COVID-19 in just over a week. It was free to the first 500 people who registered, and no assumptions were made that attendees were well-versed in the practices Melissa preaches. She solicited questions in advance, incorporated them into her presentation, and also answered questions in real-time to make it as valuable as possible to attendees.
If you ever find yourself asking how to expand the lifecycle of thought leadership books, take a literal page from Melissa’s book, released two years ago. At the highest level, it’s about applying your subject matter authentically and thoroughly to the national conversation with the same level of commitment it took to cement your positioning in the first place. Here’s more from Melissa on how she got from there to here:
When did you decide to put on the webinar?
Specifically, I decided on Tuesday, March 3, while speaking with my team, expressing my frustration on the current lack of leadership and the undeserved domino effect this has on businesses and society at-large. This situation is unprecedented and people are scared. Of course they are. But they don’t have to be alone and I have a ton of experience and knowledge that can help, so I gave as much as I possibly could within a short 75-minute window.How did you promote it?
Within 24 hours my team had a webpage up and we shared that to my newsletter list, on social media and we asked others to help us spread the world. I framed it as their form of payment for the webinar by saying:
The coronavirus is a global situation that calls for us all to come together and support one another. For this reason, we are not charging for this webinar. However, what we are asking for as a form of ‘payment’ is that you share this link and information about this webinar with your network, so we can increase the reach of this important information to all of those who will benefit from it.
I was very blessed to have—and continue to have—many shares, as the replay of the webinar, as well as all of the free resources that come along with it, are all still available for free to anyone who is interested.
How long did it take you to put the deck together?
It’s not just putting the deck together, but also figuring out the flow of the message I wanted to share, writing the copy for the webpages, setting up email automations, time promoting it across channels… all of which took about 4 days of my time, not counting my team’s time to actually launch the webpage for me, put up the Institute’s splash page, create new automation emails for those who registered, etc. All of this was forced to happen over the weekend and well into the early morning hours, since my day job consists of consulting and advising clients who are currently facing the impacts that COVID-19 are presenting to their businesses.
What else have you done related to COVID-19?
I’m advising clients and constantly trying to find ways to spread the Crisis Ready message to help others through this difficult time; I’m offering a very exclusive opportunity for companies through the Crisis Ready COVID-19 Coaching Program; the Monday prior to the webinar I hosted a Mastermind Session on COVID-19 for my Crisis Ready Community; today, I published this blog post, which I hope will also help inspire hope and provide access to helpful resources… And if anybody has any other ideas, I’m all ears and would be very grateful!
For more on Melissa, go to MelissaAgnes.com and order your copy of Crisis Ready on Amazon.
December Featured Title: Joy of Financial Planning
(Posted on Tuesday, December 17, 2019)
“We have a chance to transform our pessimism into optimism; our confusion into clarity, our passion into action; and our potential into real life success.”
Our December featured title is Joy of Financial Planning by Jason Howell! We chatted with Jason about his extensive political and financial career, his involvement as an alumnus of George Mason University, and how we can reclaim our American Dreams through financial planning.
1. As President of the Jason Howell Company, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and a former U.S. Congressional candidate, you have a very extensive background in finance and politics. What inspired you to share your knowledge with American families through your new book, Joy of Financial Planning?
When I left politics, I became a financial planner so I could make a living while still serving the community. What I found over the years is that only so many people could choose to hire a true financial planner. Writing the book was a way to reach a larger audience who wanted (needed) the information, regardless of their ability to hire a professional.
2. In the preface of your book, you address the idealization of the “American Dream”, and how it has evolved over time as a result of inflation and other economic challenges. What does it mean for us as Gen X’ers and Millennials to reclaim our American Dreams?
It means we have a chance to transform our pessimism into optimism; our confusion into clarity, our passion into action; and our potential into real life success. This generation of adults has so much potential but we need the success principles of financial planning more than any other generation in US history. We face unique economic challenges but we also have unique opportunities. This is the generation that will face the effects of climate change, social unrest and income inequality. The “JOY of Financial Planning” allows us, through intentional actions, to solve problems and create opportunities for ourselves, our families and our communities.
3. You outline the steps that we can take to reclaim our American Dreams in seven distinct parts. Why did you choose to structure the book this way? What was your writing and researching process like?
I separated the book into seven distinct sections so people weren’t overwhelmed. In my family wealth practice, I have found that clients usually come to the table with a particular financial struggle that has their attention. Without that attention, they would have never picked up the phone and I wouldn’t have been able to show them all of their other opportunities. What I wanted readers of the book to be able to do was skip to what has their attention and discover the rest over time. My writing process was a mix of research, personal and professional experience. Unlike many of the other “personal finance gurus” I am still in practice as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. This means I face real problems from real families and work to solve them in a current, practical way. And my personal financial situation is reflective of the dual-income professionals my firm tends to attract. Readers will enjoy that the book is a mix of academic, professional and personal content.
4. You are a very active alumnus of George Mason University, where you were recognized as a Prominent Patriot in business and was twice the distinguished alumnus speaker for the School of Business graduating class. During one of your keynote speeches, you notably said the following quote:
“Twenty-one years ago, somebody told me I was going to be an alumnus. I had no idea what that actually meant. I think it means you come back.”
Why do you feel it is so important to give back to your school, and to share your experiences and knowledge with aspiring businessmen and women?
George Mason University was good to me. My experience was more valuable and rich than I expected. I believe everyone of us has value to share and it’s not just a nice thing to do, it is necessary. Academic institutions require resources from the state, from the faculty, from the staff and from the alumni to remain relevant in an ever changing society. Northern Virginia is a great example of a thriving, changing society and “coming back” to Mason is my way of contributing to a community that I have benefited from for over 30 years.
5. What are the key takeaways from the book that you hope will help readers to take ownership of their financial joy and success?
I hope readers recognize that we can still achieve our potential and reclaim their version of the American Dream. And with that reassurance, I hope readers talk more regularly about money with their significant others, write down their personal values and aspirations, balance their priorities and make the best use of their time on earth. I bet you thought I’d say something like reduce debt right? Yes, that’s in the book but the takeaways listed here are just as important.
Get your copy of Joy of Financial Planning at the Amplify Bookstore.
To learn more about Jason, visit www.joyoffinancialplanning.com and www.Jason Howell.com, and follow him on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Amazon.
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