While I’m away, read more from social media intern, and smart, thoughtful woman, Jessica Mack…

The beginning of 2020 looked promising. Theaters were promoting the newest shows, ice skating in Millennium Park was a must, and Chicago Restaurant Week promoted some of Chicago’s finest dining for tourists. January was a beautiful winter wonderland and Chicago planned to enjoy it to the fullest.

But all of that changed in February with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. In early March, the U.S. shut down – literally and figuratively. All businesses except for those labelled “essential” closed, leaving them with a big question: When would they be able to open back up for business?

In Mercury Theater and iO Theater Chicago’s cases, the answer is never. It was announced last week that both operations would be closing their doors permanently at the end of June, due to lack of funds.

What does this mean for other theaters in Chicago? Could they meet the same sad end?

Phase Four of Chicago’s post-lockdown reopening began Friday, June 26. According to the State of Illinois Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response page, this means “Gatherings of 50 people or fewer are allowed, restaurants and bars reopen, travel resumes, childcare and schools reopen under guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health.”

But even with this announcement, it’s not looking up for live performances. Reading Chicago’s Performance Venue’s Reopening Guide, it stipulates that people must stand six feet away from one another – and only 25% of the venue can be filled at a time.

Only 50 individuals are allowed in the building, unless there’s balconies causing separation. But overall seating capacity is limited to 25%, which begs the question of how venues can generate enough revenue.

Financially, it may not be worth it for theaters to reopen under these circumstances. Costs have to be considered, like paying staff among other things. And given that the pandemic in America gives no current signs of being in control, theatergoers may be too concerned about public health to risk a night of entertainment. 

In the end, we don’t know what will happen to Chicago theater, but present trends are not encouraging. Mercury Theater’s demise could be the start of a domino effect. Our artistic venues need our help.

Please consider a donation to the Chicago Theater Workers Relief Fund, sponsored by Chicago Plays. Click here to give any amount.

My first guest post of 2020 comes from my current social media intern, and smart, thoughtful woman, Jessica Mack…

When I was a child, I heard the word feminism. I was never told what it meant: it always had bad connotations attached to it. People in the news always referred to it as women who hated men and anything associated with the male race. Feminists were never happy with equality and always wanted more and more people said.

One day I was watching the news with my parents about a feminist rally when my father said, “I hope you never become one of those crazy feminists, Jess.”

This conversation made me look at him and ask “Why? What do you mean crazy?”

He just shrugged and focused on the TV again, not sure how to reply.

Because of this interaction and media presence, I’ve felt like I had to be passive about my beliefs my whole life, creating a docile version of myself. Whenever women are too “outspoken,” it becomes a critical hit to our image in the face of both men and women – “Why can’t she be normal?” or “Why can’t she keep her opinions to herself?” or “Why’s she so loud and noisy?”

But why is that? Why is it that most men can be themselves, and women can’t?

If women act confident, then they’re overconfident. If men act confident, they’re seen just as that – confident. If women are angry, it backfires and makes them less approachable. When men are angry, it could be seen as sexy or even give men more power over a group. It’s a sad but solid truth – that even if a woman expresses the same anger the same way a male would, a woman will face negative consequences while a man will receive praise.

But it’s not just men who are at fault. Women are to blame, too. Society as a whole has limited our thinking and constructs, making this the societal norm of sorts.

Maybe this is why feminists seem to be angry all the time. We can’t be ourselves, and to admit being a feminist makes us seem like we’re “crazy” like my father put it.

But how can we forget what feminism has done for women?

Because of feminism, women were able to finally have an education, obtain equal pay, possess rights over their own bodies, and even be involved in politics. Feminists in early America have changed women’s lives.

We should never forget that feminists are the reason America has changed for women for the better. But the fight isn’t over. Equality is still an issue even today, although less pronounced.

Where feminism is considered, we should think of empowerment, not anger or craziness. If you believe in women’s equal rights, you are a feminist in some regard. You just didn’t know it.

That doesn’t mean you’re angry. It just means you believe that women deserve equal rights, and there’s no fault in that.

Customer relationship management (CRM) is critical to promoting progression through an organization’s sales cycle. More than just a warehouse of contacts, an optimized CRM solution contains critical data about your company’s clients, prospects, colleagues and/or suppliers.

CRM systems are responsible for some of the biggest gains in 21^st Century commercial productivity, because data is king, and the ability to access it – easily, completely and accurately – can mean the difference between opportunities lost and won.

A top-performing CRM system tracks activity at every stage of the sales cycle. But it goes further, guiding producers on the sequential steps required to close a deal or cross-sell a particular client. To facilitate this, a full history of all communications and documents shared must be part of every CRM record.

And that leads us to a truth that cannot be overstated. Fresh, relevant and compelling content is absolutely critical to keeping your clients and prospects engaged, and the sales process moving. Here are some tips for developing web and social media content that supports your customer relationship management efforts.

Newer is better

You’ve heard the saying “what’s old is new again?” Forget that when it comes to the development and promotion of digital content. You don’t have to overhaul your company’s home page every week, but consistently adding new content gives visitors a reason to bookmark the site and return.

Know your audience

In a well-meaning effort to be all things to all people, companies can lose sight of their key messages – and their target audience. Remember the following acronym: WIFM. What’s in it for me? Your content should vary, but always relate to your demographic and its interests.

Leverage your expertise

Trust is big – and your reputation as a subject matter expert can open doors. If you can save a customer or prospect time, money or otherwise make life easier, don’t hold back. Best practice content delivered to your audience is a soft sell method that builds confidence in your business over time.

Keep it simple

Bulleted tip sheets, short articles with numbered titles (“7 Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Garage) and brief blog posts (300-500 words) can hold a reader’s attention span. Dense documents do not.

Be consistent

Keeping the content on your website and social media platforms updated is a job, but it doesn’t have to be a time-consuming chore. If you own a startup business or work for a small team, hands can be scarce. Schedule a regular hour or two on your calendar every week to review, plan and assign content. The consistent flow of new opportunities into your CRM system will make the effort well worth it.

Originally published on the SAVO corporate blog. 

My maternal grandfather Eugene Casimir Bosiacki was a quiet man who weighed over 400 pounds when he died in July of 1993. Though he was passionate about polka, golf and food, my sister and I could never get him to talk about his time missing in action as an Aerial Gunner in World War II.

Through the hushed whispers of other family members who attended his funeral, we learned of the squalid, deprived conditions in which he spent four weeks waiting for rescue in the Philippines. Conditions that left him with a lifelong distaste for insects.

When Poppa (as Jenny and I called him) retired from a long career in sales, he took up a second vocation that united his love of silence and keeping the environment bug-free. Poppa went down to the corner drugstore, bought himself a blue fly swatter, filled a giant plastic cup with water and commenced the soldier’s version of neighborhood watch. Sitting sentry, Poppa surveyed the kids on the block at play, scrutinized suspicious characters and most importantly, leveraged that omnipresent blue fly swatter to disabuse flying critters with notions of sharing his space.

Having grown up in immense poverty before joining the Air Force at age 15 after expulsion from an orphanage, I don’t think Poppa knew much of control or choice in his life. But he could decide how many of his thoughts were shared – and what earned the right to fly into his home.