On my last two visits to Quizno’s I noticed they have changed the way they wrap their sandwiches for carry-out. Normally this kind of thing wouldn’t garner a second thought from me, but the new way they are wrapping their sandwiches is somewhat annoying to me. So I looked into it and discovered Quizno’s is trying to “be green.”

I happen to be something of a sandwich lover. Turkey sandwiches to be specific. So you will regularly see me at Subway, Togo’s, or as in the case today, Quizno’s. And since I eat said sandwiches at my desk I like to have something to open up and use as a sort of placemat. The new wrapping is contains “significant amounts” of post-consumer materials and supposedly uses less paper. Post consumer materials is good, it’s the way they designed the “less paper” I find issue with.

With this new wrapping I now have to carefully tear open the cute little sleeve the sandwiches come in to have a flat and somewhat larger place to put the sandwich down between bites. (I don’t like to work for my food.) And once the paper is flat it isn’t all that much smaller than the old school style Quizno’s used to have. Add in the glue, which I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure is not environmentally friendly, and I’m not sure this isn’t more than a marketing gimmick; Quizno’s attempt to capitalize on a recent trend toward being “earth-friendly.”

Now don’t get me wrong, I am all about helping the environment. I recycle as much as possible and get e-bills from those I can so I don’t waste paper. But when your efforts as a service company (the service of offering convenient food) to go green impede the very service you are offering, that’s where you need to take a second look.

Okay, maybe I’m just being picky. I like my sandwiches and I want to enjoy them without hassle. Is that too much to ask? This may may make me rethink Quizno’s the next time I want a turkey sandwich. What do you think? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

Then I began thinking about a conversation I had earlier that day with my new boss. She and I had agreed that we liked to jump in and tackle an assignment and get it done sooner rather than later. I realized that I had not always been like that. I used to thrive under the pressure of a deadline (still do), but now I prefer to just get the work done and out of the way. What changed? I believe it was becoming a mother that changed me.

Now I realize the power of NOW. I must jump at opportunities when they present themselves. If my daughter wants to get dressed I had better go do it right that second because she may not want to in 5 or even 2 minutes and then I’d have a fight on my hands. And don’t even get me started on potty training and jumping up at a moment’s notice. I also no longer complain about tasks that are unappealing, but instead I realize they must be done and just do them, again, right away so as to get them out of the way.

I have developed a much greater sense of patience too. Putting my daughter to bed can take a very long time some nights. My will power and self restraint has improved greatly too. Watching my daughter feed herself and not take the spoon away because I could do it better and much faster takes Titan like will power and self control.

And without even knowing it, because they have become second nature, I am using these skills in all aspects of my life. Am I a better employee now than I was 3 or 4 years ago?

Assuredly, Yes.

Is it due to additional years of experience or because I am a mother now? I’m not completely sure. But I do know that even if it is due to work experience, motherhood has sped the learning curve.

Don’t we all feel just a little better when we realize we are not alone in thinking this or that, feeling something, or in our odd little habits we think no one else does? We are the same as many other people in many different ways. But when it comes to putting ourselves into groups why do we always insist we are unique from others? We aren’t. We are all alike in one way or another. It’s like we say, “Sure there are other working mothers (or insert your own group), but I’m different than ALL of them because…” and finish the sentence with some pitiful excuse as to why you are unique. But chances are there are at least a dozen (probably a couple hundred dozen) women who feel the exact same way you do and would finish the sentence the same exact way.

And that is exactly what allows marketers the ability to advertise to the general public. Because we are general, in one way or another. If we were as unique as we think we are, sometimes marketing wouldn’t work. Each message would have to be tailored to one person. But advertising and marketing do work because we are all motivated by very similar things, and react in very similar ways.

So the next time you think “No one could possibly know how I feel,” think again. Or “I’ll bet I’m the only person on the planet who washes my socks like this,” wrong! Chances are there are hundreds, if not thousands who are just like you. And thanks to the internet we can all find each other through odd little websites and forums.

But what does it all come down to? In my mind it is about value. At the end of the day we are all sales people trying to sell a product, you, to a particular company. You want them to “buy” you, as in give you a job. Or in some cases you want them to not let you go. Either way your task is the same, show that you provide value, so much value that the company cannot afford to do without you. You need to know how to market you.

So how do you do that? In my opinion the first step is confidence. As Mary Kay Ash once said, “If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can’t, you’re right.” It boils down to believing in the gifts and talents you have. Think of all the things you have accomplished. Make a list if you have to, and list everything. I graduated from grammar school, and high school, and college. I wrote a resume that landed me a job. I made a great birthday cake for my cousin and everyone raved. And so on. As human beings we tend to focus on all the things we did wrong. Flip that around and focus on all the many things you do right. Think of all the things you are good at and list those. These lists will help you see that you have talents, skills and value to add to any company.

Next, (and this one may seem obvious) Do Your Job. I have seen it more times than I’d like where someone is so concerned about losing their job, they spend work time updating their resume, or making networking calls, or even complaining to anyone who will listen. If you are doing any of the above, STOP! If you currently have a job, one of the best ways to make yourself indispensible is to put your shoulder to the wheel and work hard. If you are currently out of work your new job is to find a job. Don’t sleep until 10 and wander around in your PJ’s. Get up, get dressed (complete with hair and make-up done), and go to work. If you aren’t spending at least 30 hours per week on this, you are truly job hunting.

Last, with all the great material online today you have no excuse for not building your personal brand. Dan Schwabel has an entire blog dedicated to personal branding with really great content. Make sure your various online professional profiles are up to date, such as LinkedIn, for example. When you meet with friends, work associates, or networking contacts dress professionally and not in gym clothes or pseudo-pajamas. How you dress, act, and look is as important as your resume, your online profile AND what comes up in a Google search of your name. When someone does a Google search on you (and they will) what shows up? Anything? Be in control of that and determine what you want that content to say.

We are all in control of our own situations. You choose how you will react to any given situation. If you are out of work or worried about losing your job, choose to have a good attitude and it will get you further than you think. Choose to be proactive about your situation and you will be miles ahead of the competition.

What kind of closing is that? I’m still scratching my head wondering what in the world this guy wanted. I’m guessing, as most intelligent people might, that he wanted my business. But this goes back to one of the very first rules of sales and marketing, the call to action, and in the case of this email, there was none.

I read the email three times just to be sure that my email-ADD hadn’t kicked in. (I have the tendency to skim emails, sometimes skipping entire paragraphs which has gotten me into trouble on more than one occasion.)

What’s even more perplexing is that the subject of the email was “Request from ABC Company” I did not see any requests at all in the body of the email.

Just a week ago I received another email asking me to be a part of a networking group. The sender included in the email that she thought of me because the group didn’t have any chiropractors. What?

I was pretty sure these were known by most people, but when you do email marketing make sure you:

1. Get the person’s name and occupation right
2. Have a call to action

Any other no-brainer rule you have seen violated?

We have access to blogs that cater to every possible interest whether you are a social media marketer, a hockey fan, or an avid knitter. And these blogs are all free to read. So why would we spend our ever decreasing “disposable” income on content that does not met a very specific need?

Every now and then a magazine comes along that really does seem to hit the spot. I enjoy reading Pink Magazine. However, not every article in every issue interests me. To be fair, not every post on every blog I read interests me either. But since I am paying for the magazine content, I feel gypped when a particular issue is weak on content for me. (This is not to say it wouldn’t interest someone else.) Plus, it seems the more narrow the focus of the audience, like Pink who target working women, the higher the cost.

Magazines do seem to be moving in the right direction though by putting their content online and offering free e-newsletters. But does all this mean that the print versions of many magazines are in jeopardy? Will we continue to pay for content that isn’t customized to our interests? What are your thoughts?

It is almost a cliché how people say that you never know how a child will impact your life until you have one. And I’ve heard it so many times that people will say “I knew my life would change just like people say, but I never knew how much!” Okay so here is my contribution to that cliché. I kept thinking that once my child reached this or that milestone it would get easier. But then I began to realize that each of those milestones were precious moments in her life that I would never get back, things I was missing out on. And instead of getting easier, it began to get harder, and the guilt got worse instead of better.

In addition to being a guilt-ridden mom, I’m also a Marketing professional. My first love was marketing (now my first love is my daughter). I have been in Marketing for over 10 years, mostly on the small business side. Now that I am a mom I find it fascinating to see how many companies market to moms. We truly are a unique target market. I’m a mom, but I’m also a Marketer. It’s like seeing something from both sides of the looking glass.

I started my first account on Twitter in December of 2008 and found this huge group of moms just like me! They were blogging and discussing their issues and being successful. It was so wonderful to begin interacting with these wonderful women. I discovered that I too could have a chance to express myself, my experiences, and my observations. And maybe I could offer insight or help to other moms like these women have provided to me.

MarketingMommy.com is a blog on my views about being a mom, a consumer of mom-type things, and being a Marketer trying to reach moms (and other target markets).  I hope you enjoy reading.