One Saturday night my home laptop died an unexpected death. As I was to find out, the hard drive died along with the computer. So once I got through the grief period, I set out to buy a new laptop. BUY a new one is the important word in the sentence and the shopping experience. I went to Best Buy where two “salespeople” worked so hard to be user-unfriendly that I walked out of the store, across the parking lot, to HH Gregg.

Lesson Learned:  I was not window or price shopping. I was going to buy a laptop that night. The two Best Buy un-salespeople kept throwing up roadblocks and additional costs. They forgot they were selling a commodity. I went to HH Gregg where I was met by Davor Mierzvinski, a salesperson and U.S. army vet. He listened, helped me, helped me quickly, went above and beyond by offering to try to get the info off my dead hard drive. When that was not possible, he invited me to bring my office laptop and he transferred all of my files for me. Are you making it easy for people to buy from you or a challenge to buy from you?

My Dad always said that it didn’t matter what they said about you, as long as they spelled your name right. Recently Akron Life & Leisure magazine asked me to have my picture taken for an article on the KNOW in which they were nice enough to include me. After the magazine “hit the newsstands,” I received an envelope in the mail. I noticed my name was misspelled as I tore open the handwritten envelope. Someone, anonymous of course, had photocopied the picture and wrote a note to me, “H is for hideous.”

Lesson Learned: You might be wondering why I would share what could have been a private story. Two reasons. 1. We are always figuratively one envelope away from an alternate reality. We could be one envelope or one phone call away from a life-changing client or one envelope away from someone thinking we are hideous. Life can change for the better or worse in a moment. 2. The sender did not spell my name right. But I did get coverage and my Dad would say that was most important: someone was talking about me. Are people talking about you?

Stieg Larsson’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was an international best seller before it was an American movie. So, whoever would get the lead would become the new IT girl. The lead went to little known Rooney Mara, a product of two football dynasty families. For authenticity, she had her nipple pierced.

Lesson Learned: I’m thinking glued would have had the same effect. But I do admire the steps she went to truly become her character Lisbeth. In a less painful way, how can you prove to your audience that you are willing to walk that extra mile to get their business, to come through for them, to make a deadline?

In August, I interviewed Joy Chicatelli. She had written a children’s book titled Bailey’s Heartstrings. For pet lovers it took up where Rainbow Bridge ends. According to her book, Bailey could not cross over “The Bridge” until he found a new dog for his family. After searching the world, he found his replacement at a pet shelter.

Lesson Learned: When I met the 3-month puppy who would become Miss Natcha Vallarta, I thought of Bailey’s Heartstrings. I did not go to Mexico with the idea of coming home with a dog. As I kept going back to see her each day, sitting on that cold hard floor, I wondered if my Missy was leading me to her. Did Missy need to finish her job? What can you believe in just because you want to?

Candidates have a similar dilemma as any job hunter. They need to dress for the job they want not the one they have. The visual is very important in communicating any message. People may say it does not matter what they wear. But, when we had 9/11 and Bush 43 addressed the nation that night every fiber of his being had to convey confidence in the midst of crises. Romney’s visual is such a challenge. In jeans, he still does not convey the guy next door. Besides, they are bad fitting jeans. Memo to Michelle Baughman, no one wants a presidential candidate that has eye lashes like Kim Kardashian. It is just wrong. Rick Santorum can’t get to the White House dressed like Mr. Rogers. Not going to happen.

Lesson Learned: Bad jeans, bad eyelashes, and bad vest. It all matters. We can argue all day about whether or not it should. But it does. It matters if you have 250 million in the bank or $2.50.

Sometimes people think I care more about communication than the “average person.” There have been more debates in this primary season than ever before. Two debates even took place within 12 hours of each other! Obviously, “average people” must be watching or networks would not be televising them in prime time. What are voters looking for and how does a debate help them select a candidate?

Lesson Learned: Regardless of your party affiliation, any primary season provides a very public laboratory of communication. So many lessons can be learned from what candidates do well and not so well. The visual is huge. On Saturday night in New Hampshire, the candidates took their nice pills. By Sunday morning, the pills had worn off. Perry’s 58-second memory lapse was a death note to his candidacy. Everyone can have a senior moment, but not on the national stage.

If you put your ear to the ground…you can hear it. There is a groundswell, and it’s coming your way.

Will you be a leader in this grassroots movement or will you bring up the rear?

To be in the forefront, you must redefine how you discover, define and discuss your value with all those you encounter, both professionally and personally. First, you need to discover your value both as an individual and as an organization. Then you need to articulate this value with a clarity that compels people to think, talk and act in ways that create a “professional velocity” propelling you toward your goals.

Have you seen the popular motivational poster that reads, “LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY?” Although the message applies to leadership, the same can be said for how you see yourself in this “Communicating Your Value” movement.

Bold individuals and visionary companies look for a competitive edge. Let’s fact it; we all compete in a hyper-competitive world. We are constantly looking for an edge in price, service – or anywhere else we can proclaim to our customers – that we do it better. To gain that edge each of you can adapt the mindset to recognize the twist – the impetus – that makes this movement unique. It’s based on the idea that value is in the application of an idea, not on the idea itself.

To be included in this “Communicating Your Value” movement you must first rethink how you discuss your value. Standout value is defined as making that which is already there, known. Or, one might say making the invisible, visible.

Can you develop and discuss your value on an ongoing basis? I believe the only way to discover value is to use powerful, probing questions to uncover your story – and to create a new one.

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CBI stands for Country Brand Index. It is a global study of a country's brand strength. The most important factors-the aspects that truly differentiate a country's brand-are its associations and attributes across five key dimensions: Value System, Quality of Life, Good for Business, Heritage and Culture and Tourism. A strong country brand is more than the sum of its attributes: in total, it must make people's lives better.

Lesson Learned: If a country has its own Brand, can you really think you don't have your own Brand? For the first decade of this century Brazil had almost 10% unemployment. During this time Brazil was branded for its Carnival of Brazil not for its unemployment. A country is branded by its ability to make people's lives better. How do you make people's lives better?