Which of these sentences sounds more credible?

They say Xbox 360’s are selling like hotcakes

I read an article on CNN.com this morning that said Microsoft planned to sell 3 million Xbox 360’s within 90 days of today’s launch. Here’s the link.

There’s a simple reason #2 is the obvious choice: credibility comes from specificity. And when people fail to be specific in their communication – both interpersonally and en masse – other people won’t listen. For example, think about the last time you heard someone say one of the following phrases followed by a “fact”:

THEY SAY…
Oh really? They did? Well, who’s they? The media? The bloggers? Your parents? A group of kids you overheard at Starbucks?

I HEARD…
You did? When? Where? From whom? And did you actually “hear” it on the radio from, say, Paul Harvey, or did you just read it somewhere?

SOMEONE SAID…
Really? He did? Well, can I trust him? Does he have a PhD? Is he usually right? Should I email him to confirm?

RESEARCH SHOWS…
Whose research? Did you do it? Was it from a University? Or did you just watch an interivew on CNN and quote someone else who said, “Research proves…”?

You get the point.

I’ve been publishing books, articles and blogs for the past three years now. And I have no choice but to be specific in my facts or examples, for several reasons. First of all, my editors would kill me. Secondly, my readers wouldn’t believe me. Lastly, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself as a professional if I used phrases like “they say.”

And it’s not just in print, too. As a professional speaker, one of the first and most valuable lessons I learned was “On stage, credibility comes from specificity.”

Here’s my favorite example. I have this thing about remembering dates. Seriously, it’s Rain Man-esque. And I’m not sure why, but I can remember the date of every concert I’ve attended, every speech I’ve given and every city I’ve visited.

But dates have an amazing power to help your customers (or audience members, as it were) connect with your story, fact or example. And that is what builds their confidence in your credibility as a trustworthy, authentic and approachable communicator.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What are the three most important dates in your company’s timeline?

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

I started writing HELLO, my name is Scott during my senior year of college at Miami University. And since I was a marketing major, I like to think I applied some of my knowledge…

So, as graduation drew close, I began collecting emails. LOTS of emails. And not just the addresses of my close friends with whom I wanted to stay in touch, but every classmate, casual acquaintance, radio station coworker, professor, random dude who always saw me walking to my capstone, and the like. I told them I promised to drop them a line as soon as the book was done.

Now, that was three years ago. And just last night, I stumbled upon a listserve from Miami University that actually posted my original mass email to all of my college friends, thanks to my old friend Eric Fox.

See, this is why I love Google.

But it was the first mass email I ever wrote. (And it wasn’t a very good one, I might add.) But as the 5 Year Anniversary Celebration continues, and as I think about everything that’s happened since 2002, it’s fascinating to go back and see the origin of an idea and, subsequently, how its brand evolved.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How has your brand evolved in the past three years?

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

In Al Ries’s famous book, 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, he explains that if you want to build a brand, you must “focus your branding efforts on owning a word in the prospect’s mind. A word that nobody else owns.”

I couldn’t agree more. But it wasn’t until October 20th that it all came full circle:

“Yes, Mr. Ginsberg, I’m one of the editors of Cosmopolitan Magazine. I’d like to set up an interview with you for an upcoming piece. Please call me back at the following number…”

When I returned her call, she enthusiastically replied, “Oh great! I’m so glad you got right back to me – my deadline is tomorrow!”

“So, what can I do for you?” I asked.

“Well, have you ever seen those little ‘quizzes’ that Cosmo runs every month?”

“Oh, right. My girlfriend used to take those things in college.” I replied.

“Exactly! Well, as the editor of the section, it’s my job to seek out experts to help create those quizzes. And in our upcoming issue for January 2006, we’ll be running a quiz called ‘How Approachable Are You?’”

“Reeeeeealy,” I said.

“Yes. And in my research for possible contributors, I went on Amazon to search for books about approachability. And guess what? Your book was the first and only title that came up! So, we’d like for YOU to write the quiz. After all, you are the expert. Would you be interested?”

Um, are you kidding?! Me, write a quiz for one of the most widely read publications in the world?! I thought.

“Yes. Yes I would,” I said.

Word.

(Check out the full article on word ownership.)

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What word do you own?

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

I had the opportunity to share the stage with three excellent St. Louis authors yesterday. Fellow panelists included Harry Samuels, Art Shamsky and Leslie Savan.

Once the speech was over, we moved into the bookstore for a signing. And as usual, every person that approached me asked the same question most people pose after hearing me speak:
Scott, HOW old are you again?

You know, it’s funny. After nearly 100 speeches in the past three years, I’ve never NOT been asked this question by an audience member. (By the way, I’m 25.) And it used to be intimidating because most of my audience members were at least 10-15 years my senior.

But I’ll never forget July 26th, 2005. I was watching the sunrise in the middle of the Swiss Alps at 5:00 AM, four hours prior to my annual workshop at JLU’s Youth Leadership University in Leysin, Switzerland. I was reading Positive Thinking Every Day by Norman Vincent Peale. And the passage for the day was this: “It’s not how many years you’ve been around; it’s what you’ve accomplished during those years that really matters.”

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How do you deal with age differences in your job?

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

Every once in a while I meet audience members who point out something so insanely obvious; I wonder how in the heck I missed it.

Ah, the wisdom of curbside observers.

“Yes sir,” I said as a hand shot up.

“Well, it’s not really a question, but more of a comment,” the man from the audience explained.

Everyone turned their heads towards the back of the room as the man said, “You know why I like this whole nametag idea? Because it’s like you’re giving people PERMISSION to talk to you.”

The room fell silent.

Wow. Five years I’d been wearing a nametag 24-7, and that word never occurred to me. Permission. I liked it! And in the next few days, I realized why the word PERMISSION was so essential to approachability and communication. (See the 5 Pillars of Approachability.)

Some people would rather jump off a cliff than talk to a stranger. They’re shy, introverted, scared, uncertain, don’t know what to say and have a fear of being judged by others. So, this means they will not approach you, or feel comfortable being approached by you, unless permission is granted.

The easiest way to give permission is to smile. It’s the simplest front porch known to man. According to Irving Goffman, the father of social psychology, “a smile is the number one indicator that conversation is desirable.” And it might sound incredibly obvious, but you’d be amazed how many people don’t understand the value of smiling as it pertains to giving permission.

Like my old boss, David, the Front of the House Manager at a hotel where I used to work. He was one of those ex-military types that stared people down with his eerie green eyes until they ultimately averted their gaze and allowed him to take control of the conversation. And I swear to God, he never smiled. You could crack the funniest joke in the world, and, NOTHING!

I’m not even sure if he had teeth.

Anyway, because David didn’t smile, he wasn’t giving his staff permission to talk to him. Because he wasn’t giving permission, he wasn’t approachable. And as a result, our team lacked open, effective communication. For example, I once had a problem with my hours, namely that I was working 54 of them in one week as a part time employee! But I never felt comfortable coming to David with my problem because he was just THAT unapproachable. My thought was: I’d rather suck it up and work overtime than have a conversation with this jerk.

That’s how unapproachable he was.

But that only made things worse. And as the problem remained hidden from my immediate manager, it escalated. I ended up working eight out of the next nine days in a row (remember, I was a part timer!) and ultimately became so upset that I just lost it. That ultimately resulted in my resignation from the position.

Because he never gave me permission to approach him.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How do you give people permission to talk to you?

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

I’ve been to 97 concerts in my lifetime. I know this because every ticket stub of every show I’ve ever seen since I was 12 lay under a sheet of glass on my coffee table. Some of the stubs are signed by my favorite musicians; some are tattered and torn from the pouring rain through which I stood and sung for hours. Some of the tickets aren’t even tickets! They’re napkins or flyers I stole from the venue because I just HAD to get a memento from every event.

And each day when I look at those faded pieces of cardstock, I don’t just think about some of the greatest memories of my life.

I think about being a fan.

A fan who would stop at nothing to watch his favorite bands play live – even if he’d already seen them 8 times before; even if he had to drive three hours each way; even if he had to skip school to wait in line to get tickets; and even if it meant staying out all night and failing his marketing exam the next morning.

Because that’s what fans do.

But does the term “fan” ONLY refer to a music lover, sports enthusiast or dedicated follower of a performing art? What about business?

Let’s ask Webster. It defines a fan as an “enthusiastic devotee or an ardent admirer or enthusiast.” They also have related words for fan like: addict, aficionado, buff, bug, devotee, enthusiast, fanatic, fancier, fiend, freak, lover, maniac, nut, groupie; admirer, collector, connoisseur, dilettante; authority, expert; cultist, disciple, follower, votary; backer, patron, promoter, supporter; partisan, zealot; booster, rooter and well-wisher.

Aha! Interesting. So it isn’t just painted faces and screaming audience members; it’s simply someone who “loves your stuff.” For example, maybe someone’s been to your website before. Bought your products before. Worked with your people before. Stayed at your hotel before.

Then one day they come to you and say, “You know, I just LOVE your stuff.”

If you ever hear those beautiful words come out of your customer’s mouth, congratulations – you have a fan. And fans are the most important people in your business.

Fans are better than customers because they’re devoted to you and your company. They stick with you and come back for more. And most importantly, they tell all their friends to do the same.

So the question is: how can companies create and keep their fans? Well, since the term “fan” is most often associated with music, let’s look at four great musical performers and bands – and see what they do.

FAN CLUB RULE #1: Fans crave an experience.
(See B.B. King)
FAN CLUB RULE #2: Fans will stick with you.
(See Dave Matthews Band)
FAN CLUB RULE #3: Fans will go to the ends of the earth for you.
(See The Stones)
FAN CLUB RULE #4: Fans don’t need to be sold.
(See U2)

The business world is obsessed with the word “customer.” In fact, if you type in the word “customer,” 174,906 books come up. And if you type in the word “fan,” 5,418 books come up.

My opinion? Customers, schmustomers. You need fans. Fans are people who will do your marketing for you, encourage and support everything you do, and most importantly, tell all their friends to step onto your front porch and become fans of yours too.

That reminds me: I was recently contacted by the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) to give the keynote address at their 2006 convention. Right before signing the contract, I asked my newly acquired client an important question, “Why me?”

And do you know what he said?

“I love your stuff.”

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How do you create and keep your fans?

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

Since August of 2000, Idea-A-Day has published 1,910 ideas contributed by people around the world. I just stumbled upon this site on a Google search, and I think it’s probably the coolest website I’ve ever seen. Here’s today’s idea, contributed by John Kappa:

DAY 1,910: Install an indoor switch near the exit of homes, offices and other buildings which turns off all lights and appliances. Certain devices, such as clocks and alarms, might be programmed to remain switched on.

The best part is, YOU could contribute your own idea! I already sent in my own. So go check it out!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s your idea today?

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

I’m frequently asked by audience members, readers, friends, family members and strangers alike, “Scott, how do you write your books and speeches?” (Click the image to look closer!)

It’s a method I’ve been using for about three years. Actually, I have no idea what it’s called. For the sake of this post, I’ll just call it “The Ginsberg Method.” Anyway, I’m not sure where I came up with it, but it’s a combination of about a dozen different creativity techniques I’ve picked up over the years. The meat of the process is: I scatter dozens (sometimes hundreds!) of notecards, articles, mindmaps and other pieces of content on the floor. I crank up the music, sit my butt on the carpet, stare and wait. (The multi-colored notecards are more effective than white ones because bright pinks, yellows, reds and blues stimulate the brain.)

At first it’s intimidating because everything is in complete disarry. But then I remember what I learned from Roger von Oech: “The mind is a self-organizing tool.” So, after a few minutes, the various pieces of my content to come together on their own. Usually I move around the room, stand above the cards, look at the floor from different angles and lay on my back – anything to gain new perspective. But it’s actually really cool because it always seems to work. After all, it’s worked for two books, hundreds of speeches and articles and pretty much anything else I’ve created in the past three years. What’s more, once the pieces come together, the outline of the project is set. From there, the rest is a piece of cake.

Now, this might not be the appropriate method to apply to your business projects. Your boss might think you’re crazy if he sees you working on the floor all day. But hey, this system works for me. Well, it works for my brain, I should say. So I hope you have way that works for you and your brain, too. Because there is no greater discovery than when you learn how to harness the creativity of your own mind.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s your creative system?

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

Whew! It’s the end of a long week. I just finished up at the annual Sherrard School District Health Fair. I kicked off the program by talking to the 5th and 6th graders of Matherville Intermediate School. The kids were awesome! One of them (pictured to the left) asked if I would autograph his VOTE FOR PEDRO t-shirt. I have no idea why. But I hope his mom isn’t mad at me, because I used a Sharpie.

Anyway, the students asked some great questions after the speech. I wanted to post them along with my answers:

Scott, how long did it take you to write your two books?

HELLO, my name is Scott took one year; The Power of Approachability took eight months.

Scott, what’s your favorite game on XBOX?

Tiger Woods Golf 2005

Scott, are you good at real golf?

Used to be. Now I suck.

Scott, what advice do you have for aspiring authors?

1) Write every day, 2) Read every day, and 3) Don’t be afraid to show your work to other people

Scott, how can someone who is scared of speaking in front of others get better?

Practice. Everyone needs to practice. Even the professionals. For example, I was practicing this morning at 5 AM in my hotel room at the Holiday Inn Express.

Scott, are you rich because of your books?

No. Actually, the outfit I wore during my speech was a rental.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Is there a question I can answer for you?

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

Well, I did it. After years of wussing-out, I finally did it. And it hurt like a sunavabitch! Anyone who tells you “Oh, tattoos don’t hurt,” is a liar. It was like getting 1000 shots in 45 minutes.

Anyway, special thanks to Joe @ Iron Age Studio who did a PERFECT job; my friend Andy Masters who cheered me on the whole time; and the friendly crew from the Today Show who managed to record the entire painful session on tape. Great. Can’t wait to show that one to the kids some day.

Hey, it’s cool. The pain is over. BUT, throughout the entire process, these were the words running through my head:

Dedication
Commitment
Passion
Discipline
Love
Courage

You know what? I’m SO glad I did it. There’s no turning back baby.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What are you dedicated to?

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