In this slide show I prepared with the colors and images of Christmas, I wanted to look back at some of the threads and learning that characterized the year.

1. Embracing Change with Gracefulness
(the year in quotes)
© Valeria
Maltoni, Conversation Agent,
www.conversationagent.com @ConversationAge
http://www.flickr.com/photos/luchilu/2122762150/

2. “What really decides consumers to buy or not to
buy is the content of your advertising, not its
form.” − David Ogilvy
Content marketing is the beginning of the journey
© 2009 Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent http://www.conversationagent.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/noelzialee/2111228215/

3. “Success is the sum of small efforts,
repeated day in and day out.” − Robert
Collier
Social media is no silver bullet. You still
need to do the work every day
© 2009 Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent http://www.conversationagent.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/christianabe/2129826272/

4. At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt
Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a
hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single
day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel
Catch-22 over its whole history. Heller responds, “Yes,
but I have something he will never have ... enough.” −
John Bogle, Enough
Decide the one thing you want to accomplish, focus on it
© 2009 Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent http://www.conversationagent.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/3134976060/

5. “The best way to predict the future is to
create it.” − Peter Drucker
Control is over how you prepare for and
respond to events
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bestrated1/71515803/
© 2009 Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent http://www.conversationagent.com

6. “Your premium brand had better be delivering
something special, or it’s not going to get the
business.” − Warren Buffett
Value/values alignment matters
© 2009 Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent http://www.conversationagent.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/akbuthod/4156692690/

7. “A lot of companies have chosen to downsize, and maybe that was
the right thing for them. We chose a different path. Our belief was
that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they
would continue to open their wallets.” − Steve Jobs
The product is marketing
© 2009 Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent http://www.conversationagent.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/ranopamas/2129685912/

8. “If you do build a great experience, customers tell
each other about that. Word of mouth is very
powerful.” − Jeff Bezos
Customer focus is key
© 2009 Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent http://www.conversationagent.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/bestrated1/73485440/

9. “If you don’t see yourself as a winner, then you
cannot perform as a winner.” − Zig Ziglar
Employees are brand ambassadors who build
bridges between the business and its customers
© 2009 Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent http://www.conversationagent.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/bestrated1/79777311/

10. “Our lives are defined by opportunities. Even the ones we miss.”
− Benjamin Button, the movie
Consider the cost of not doing
© 2009 Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent http://www.conversationagent.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/tearsandrain/2151840098/

11. “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough;
we must do.” − Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
With execution you need to measure and show performance
© 2009 Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent http://www.conversationagent.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/2074393894/

12. “The strongest principle of growth lies in
human choice.” − George Eliot
It’s not only how much− it’s why, what,
who, when, and how
Merry Christmas to you & your loved ones.
© Valeria
Maltoni, Conversation Agent,
www.conversationagent.com @ConversationAge
© 2009 Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent http://www.conversationagent.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/gadl/330369285/