If you walk into your local bookstore and pick up any random title on interpersonal communication, the majority of the books will simply remind you to “always be approachable.”

Wow, you think, thanks for the advice.

But when you walk into a room full of strangers, attend a national conference or start a new job, that advice doesn’t help maximize your approachability.

In the book The Power of Approachability, my goal was to help the reader change his or her paradigm of communication and think of every interaction – big or small, online or off – in terms of approachability.

Now, as the research continues, I’ve created a new model. It’s called The Approachability Indicator™. For the past five years, I’ve examined thousands of case studies, scientific journals, books, interviews, surveys, assessments and articles on what the world thinks approachability means. And although the research showed that various disciplines and people viewed the word differently, there were several fascinating commonalities among all the sources.

Because the word “approachability” derives from the Latin verb apropiare – which means “to come nearer to” – it is a two way street. Fig. 1 represents both inbound and outbound channels. Outbound, or proactive approachability, is stepping onto someone else’s front porch. It’s about being bold. It’s about breaking the silence. And it’s about taking initiative. Inbound, or reactive approachability, is welcoming others onto your front porch. It’s about openness. It’s about availability. And it’s about making yourself accessible to others.

As you see from Fig. 1, all types of approachability fall into one of seven categories:

1) Social Capital: willingness to develop new relationships
2) What You Say: dynamics of conversation
3) What You Don’t Say: non-verbal communication
4) Keeping It Real: authentic and attractive personality
5) Drop Me A Line: easily reached
6) Physical Availability: openness of personal space
7) Personal Availability: openness of mind and heart

This model also revolves around five benefits of maximum approachability. These factors answer the question “Why is approachability so important?”

1) Opportunity
2) Confidence
3) Permission
4) Comfort
5) Trust

To read about these factors AND a comprehensive list of 62 ways to MAXIMIZE your approachability from the aforementioned model, click here.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Which president was the most approachable? Why?

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That guy with the nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

Last Wednesday’s post asked a challenging question:

“What’s the most important word in marketing?”

The response from the blogosphere was overwhelming! Ideas poured in from authors, consultants, marketing experts and small business owners from around the world. Selected words ranged from the emotionally charged to the pragmatic; from the right brain to the left brain and from the customer focused to the company focus.

It generated so much buzz that WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) even posted a link to the original post, along with a similar question of its own.

AND NOW…for your reading pleasure, I have compiled the data from this popular survey into a comprehensive article called What’s The Most Important Word In Marketing?

So read it, enjoy it, and email it to anyone who works in marketing.

They need to hear this.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s the most challenging question you could ask yourself or your company?

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That guy with the nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

The Sunday edition of the Boston Herald ran a hilarious column by Mike Pingree called Please officer, I was only kidding, honest. It cites several police incidents that were, well…stupid.

This one was my favorite:

“A man broke into a school facility in Albuquerque, N.M., and stole some computer equipment, but he left behind the nametag he wore at the restaurant where he worked. The name was ‘Sam.’ The cops went to the restaurant and arrested a 19-year-old guy named Sam.” (Oringinal article from the Albuqurque Tribune here.)

Damn it! So much for becoming a bank robber.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Have you ever been wearing a nametag…and wished you weren’t?

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That guy with the nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com