Month: September 2007

How to (not) exist

If you can’t define your product … it doesn’t exist.
Because a confused mind never buys.

If you don’t have a unique product … it doesn’t exist.
Because a choice-saturated mind never buys.

If it doesn’t exist on the Internet … it doesn’t exist.
Not just a web-SITE; a web-PRESENCE. Octopus, not earthworm.

If you can’t Google it … it doesn’t exist.
What happens when someone googles your name?

If people aren’t talking about your product … it doesn’t exist.
It’s simple: get noticed = get remembered = get business. Who’s blogging about you?

If you’re not marketing your company DAILY … it doesn’t exist.
People who “do a little marketing here and there” will “get new customers … here and there.”

If you can’t describe your product eight words or less … it doesn’t exist.
Customers crave simplicity. Could you explain your idea to a kindergartner?

If you don’t write it down … it doesn’t exist.
Because if you don’t write it down, it never happened. That’s why writing is the basis of all wealth.

If people aren’t retelling your story … it doesn’t exist.
The only true reason your business will grow is if your existing customers are telling your potential customers about you. Word of mouth is the most honest, most sincere and most authentic form of marketing.

If you can’t be reached … you don’t exist.
Even without Google, people still need to be able to contact you. So, if your phone numbers, addresses and emails are out of date, disconnected or no longer in service, you’ve got a problem. Because if they can’t get you, they’ll just pick the next guy on the list.

REMEMBER: anonymity is your greatest barrier to business success.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What causes someone (or something) to NOT exist?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Complete this sentence: If ____________, then you don’t exist.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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Insist on being yourself

I was once forbidden from entering into a dance club because I was wearing my nametag.

Another time I got kicked out of a fancy restaurant for wearing my nametag.

And a few years ago, I dated a girl who was so uncomfortable with my nametag that she stopped going out with me.

I know. Ridiculous.

But hey, that’s cool. Those are the types of people and places I wouldn’t want to associate with anyway.

LESSON LEARNED: insist on being yourself.

In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield says, “When we see people begin to live their authentic lives, it drives us crazy because we know we’re not living our own.”

Also, Nietzsche once said, “Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

Nice.

So, whether you’re:

At work…
At school…
At home…

Don’t shrink from opportunities to say things like:

“That’s how I roll.”
“That’s my policy.”
“That’s just who I am.”
“That’s what I believe.
“That’s just how I dress.”
“That’s the way I do business.”

And next time someone becomes upset or frustrated or uncomfortable around you when you DO insist on being yourself, remember two things:

1. That probably says more about them than it does about you.
2. They’re just jealous.

Insist on being yourself.

And if some one (or some place) can’t handle it, just walk away.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Have you ever had to check your personality at the door?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Write “Insist on being yourself” on a sticky note and post it EVERYWHERE.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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Be willing to suck in the beginning

I’ve been writing books since I was 21.

But, I didn’t find my true author’s voice until I was about 25.

It comes with the territory. Whether you’re a rock star, a artist or a business owner, you’ve got to “get the shanks out.”

LESSON LEARNED: be willing to suck in the beginning.

Dare to do it badly.
Seek progress, not perfection.
Spend some time paying (or playing) your dues.
Invest some sweat in creating work that isn’t very good.

Because when you do, here’s what happens:

After a while, say a few years or so, you start to get good. You begin to discover your voice, your groove, your unique style, your “thing,” your sound, your approach.

And eventually, once all the shanks have been disposed of, you start to ROCK every time.

Not that you don’t mess up. Or make some junk here and there. Or create something that isn’t amazing. (Even U2 writes a weak song every once in a while.)

The point is:

Because you paid the price, you developed patience.

Because you developed patience, you got the shanks out.

And because you got the shanks out, you made room for the good stuff.

REMEMBER: your most valuable ideas, projects, notes and words are just DYING to come to the surface.

But sometimes, you might need to dig through a few layers of junk to find them.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you willing to suck in the beginning?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Go through a stack of old creative work and find something that was TERRIBLE. Post it on your bulletin board as a reminder.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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Make your mind your friend

1. Hang with it. Keep daily appointments with yourself. Clear it. Set aside time to just think. Encourage your mind to get better by doing creativity exercises.

2. Feed it. Read more books; watch less TV. Go for more walks. Exercise rhythmically for 30 minutes a day to flood it with endorphins and expand its idea-generating prowess. Have regular conversations with super-smart, creative people.

3. Listen to it. Figure out what it’s trying to tell you. Write every single day. Do Morning Pages. Listen to your intuition. When you get a bad feeling, act upon it.

4. Understand it. Learn how you learn. Learn how you think. Take several personality, learning style and action style assessments. Clarify your philosophies and policies.

5. Relax it. Meditate daily. Oxygen = Wonderful. Flood it with positive affirmations. Do breathing exercises. Take breaks every 50 minutes.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How do you make your mind your friend?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best techniques here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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2,500 days and counting…

Today is day 2,500!

Man, that’s almost seven years.

Wow, what a ride it’s been so far! Can’t wait to see what the next 2,500 days brings!

Anyway, I’ve been saving this post for just the right occasion…

* * * *

Last night I asked my friend Maria, “What was the major contributor to your success?”

She told me that when she married a man from a different culture, a different religion and a different way of life, the hardest part was dealing with his in-laws.

“I emigrated from Mexico at the age of 28,” she explained. “And even though the language barrier was an obvious challenge, my in-laws were worse!”

Because they didn’t believe in her.

“You’ll never get a job here…”
“You won’t become successful…”
“You’ll only be able to make minimum wage…”

“So, that was exactly why I worked so hard,” Maria said. “To show to them. To prove them wrong. Because they didn’t believe in me.”

Wow.

You know, it’s interesting. If someone were to ask me what the major contributor to my success was, I would say, “Because EVERYBODY believed in me.”

I guess that’s the way belief works. Whether it’s for your or against you, it’s still the most powerful motivator in the universe.

To quote John Mayer, “Belief is a beautiful armor, but makes for the heaviest sword.”

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Who believed in you first?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Call them right now and thank them.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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Corny doesn’t mean ineffective

Yes, all that positive attitude stuff is TOTALLY corny.

But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.

I say:

Believe in whatever makes you more focused.
Believe in whatever makes you more motivated.
Believe in whatever makes you more productive.

Because if you have a negative attitude, all the nametags in the world won’t make you more approachable.

Which means:

It’s about your thinking.
It’s about your questions.
It’s about your responses.

So, here’s a quick list of what to say (and what NOT to say) so you can attract more people, more business, more ideas and more opportunities into your life:

1. If someone says “No!” the next word out of your mouth should be “Next!”

2. Don’t say, “Ouch!” say, “Ah-ha!”

3. Enjoy, don’t compare.

4. Don’t say, “What’s going to happen to me?” say, “What can I do?”

5. Don’t say, “What if I can’t?” say, “How can I?”

6. Next time someone challenges your attitude by saying, “Don’t you ever worry that…” say “No!” no matter what.

7. Whenever something happens to you (good OR bad) ask yourself, “Now what else does this make possible?”

8. Also ask yourself, “What do I have to become to get all that I want?”

9. Next time someone tells you that something you created SUCKS, smile and say, “I respect your opinion of my work.”

Sure, stuff like this is corny.

But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Does corny mean ineffective?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Make a list of three corny techniques that work for you.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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Approachable Service: As long as I’m here

Companies who GET talked about GET business.

That’s why you need to differentiate with remarkable service.

See, in a market with infinite choices, the only thing that stands out in customers’ minds … is something cool.

Something unexpected.

Something worth talking about.

Because (unfortunately) … nobody notices normal.

SO, HERE’S THE KEY: seek to create insistent – not just satisfied or loyal – customers for life.

One suggestion is to add value to an otherwise mundane and commoditized service you already provide.

I suggest trying the “As long as I’m here…” technique.

PICTURE THIS: you own a tech support business.

One day, a new customer calls with a virus problem.

Naturally, you send your on-site technician to her office.

He fixes the glitch, the customer gladly signs the bill and everybody is satisfied.

Satisfied. Not loyal. Not insistent. Satisfied.

Until.

Right before your technician leaves the customer’s office, he says, “Hey, as long as I’m here, I’d be happy to clean all the monitors and keyboards in your office … no extra charge! It’ll only take a few minutes.”

“Really? Wow, that would be great!” the customer says. “Our hardware could use a good cleaning!”

And all of the sudden, an otherwise mundane task like tech support transforms into a value-added experience that customers start talking about.

Think about it. When was the last time you came home from work and said:

“Honey, get the kids! You won’t believe what happened at work today! The tech support guy came by the office fixed that virus problem we were having!”

Your family would think you were nuts.

Now, on the other hand, if the technician fixed the problem, then REALLY DID clean all the monitors and keyboards in your office, you probably WOULD tell people about it.

Because nobody does stuff like that.

AND THAT’S THE SECRET: because when it comes to approachable service…

The stuff nobody does … is the stuff your customer LOVES.

And even at the lowest common denominator, the “As long as I’m here” technique should be implemented solely because nobody else does it! That’s reason enough.

Try a new one every week! See how customers respond.

Odds are, your front line will discover that when you build value-added remarkability into the service experience, three things happen:

1. You get noticed.
2. You get remembered.
3. And eventually, you start to get more business.

But only when you stick yourself out there.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are making the mundane memorable?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Make a list of five mundane, on-site customer services your company provides. Then, spend some time with your team brainstorming different ways your technicians could finish the sentence, “As long as I’m here…”

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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Are you an octopus or an earthworm?

The major problem with your website is that it’s an earthworm.

It only reaches out in one direction.

You need to be more like an octopus.

Reaching out in multiple directions.

I believe this is the single biggest online mistake made by businesspeople today.

They have a web-SITE … when what they really need a web-PRESENCE.

Consider these three C-trends:

COMPETITION. The web is no longer the property of the elite, the tech-savvy or the big companies. Any ten year-old kid with a modest knowledge of how the Internet works can set up a website in less than a half-hour! This means that the barriers to entry are almost non-existent.

WATCH THIS: if you aren’t building your web presence, odds are your competitors ARE.

CHOICES. Customers have more choices than every before. This means they are going to seek out the best. And in their minds, the “best” probably means “the first hit on Google.” So, without a powerful web presence, you’re going to end up on page 11 of a search that never got finished. The customer just picked the first company on the list and called it a day.

WATCH THIS: if you ain’t first, you’re last! (Thanks, Ricky Bobby)

COMMUNICATION. Instant messenger, email, widgets, search engines, blog directories, social book marking software, RSS feeds, widgets, blog comments … these are just a few of the way customers are going to seek you out. See, the nature of the web allows people to obtain information according to THEIR needs and THEIR learning style. So, if there’s only ONE way to get a hold of you, Mr. Earthworm, you’ve just alienated a LOT of potential customers!

WATCH THIS: if they can’t get a hold of you, they’ll just move onto the next guy.

Considering these three trends, there’s no doubt about it: you need a web presence.

If you want to make your company more e-approachable, remember these three Tentacle Tips:

TENTACLE TIP #1: Publish
The most effective tool for expanding your web presence is to through writing. Whether it’s via blogs, articles or messages boards, your unique voice needs to be out there, delivering value regularly. More importantly, everything you write needs a built-in response mechanism that filters readers back to your baseline.

REMEMBER: writing is the basis of all wealth. So, while you don’t have to like it, you still have to do it!

TENTACLE TIP #2: Experiment
The list of social networking sites, blog platforms and other online communities is growing exponentially. Some are great, some suck. So, be open to trying new ways to expand your web presence on a regular basis.

REMEMBER: watch your industry leaders closely. Emulate (don’t imitate) their octopus-like behavior and stick with what works for you.

TENTACLE TIP #3: Internetworking
Once you’ve spread your tentacles out to various sources, you need to interconnect them. To do this, establish your own online neighborhood. Create a landing page that cross-promotes each of your websites. You could even create a toolbar, set of icons or “network menu” at the top of each of your sites. This keeps the customer aware of your multiple sites, plus demonstrates diversification of value.

REMEMBER: you can’t expect customers to connect the dots. Grab them by the shirt collar, pull ‘em in close and show ‘em what you’ve got!

Look, it’s 2007, Holmes.

Just having a website is no longer enough.

Considering these trends in competition, choices and communication of the web, the bottom line is,

You need to be everywhere.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you an octopus or an earthworm?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Make a list of ten (potential) tentacles for your business. Try them all for six months. Keep the ones that work!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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Approachable Service: When Google Doesn’t Matter

My kitchen sink clogged up the other day.

No problem, I thought. I’ll just call a local plumber to help me out.

Hopped onto Google.

Typed in St. Louis Plumbers.

And I was presented with several excellent options.

The first hit was a plumbing company located a few miles from my house.

Naturally, I called them first.

And nobody picked up.

So I tried the next hit on Google. Also close to my house.

And nobody picked up.

Then I scrolled over to the sponsored links. I clicked on a promising looking website description, got their phone number, called, got a voicemail, pressed extension #2 for “Bruce…”

And nobody picked up.

“Damn it! This is ridiculous!” I exclaimed.

“Screw it –- I’m calling Roto-Rooter.”

I took a wild guess and typed in www.roto-rooter.com.

Bingo!

I called their customer service hotline. An agent picked up the call on the second ring.

Woo hoo!

“I’m sorry to hear about your kitchen, sir. We’ll take care of you!” she promised.

Heck yeah!

After I gave her some basic information, she replied, “We can have someone at your home within the hour.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely sir! Let me check our schedule…”

Sure enough, the plumber was over right away. He took care of my clog, told me how to prevent it in the future and even gave me a free sample of Drano.

LESSON LEARNED: it doesn’t matter how great your service is if nobody can get a hold of you to find out how great it is.

Because any number multiplied by zero is still zero.

Sure, quality is vital, but accessibility comes first. Without it, you may as well be winking in the dark.

Because if you’re not A-vailable, customers are going to find A-nother company to hire.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
If nobody’s there to answer your customer’s phone calls, does your Google ranking even matter?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best “when Google doesn’t matter story” here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

Read more blogs!
Rent Scott’s Brain!
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Make a name for yourself here…

What are you doing TODAY to increase your freedom TOMORROW?

Let’s talk about freedom.

BUSINESS freedom.

That’s what entrepreneurs want more of, right?

Right.

JUST REMEMBER: business freedom is something that needs to be EARNED.

Here’s a list of eight ways to do it:

Freedom comes from FOCUS.
If you’ve carved out a niche, a narrow slice of the market, you will earn the freedom to charge a premium and be selective about your client base.

THE KEY TO FOCUS: become THEE, not A.

Freedom comes from WRITING.
The best way to learn something is to write it. So, if you’re constantly writing down your ideas and thoughts, you will earn the freedom to speak both extemporaneously AND intelligently about them.

THE KEY TO WRITING: writing is the basis of all wealth.

Freedom comes from READING.
How many books did you read last year? If you’re constantly exposing yourself to great books, you will earn the freedom to carry on an engaging conversation with almost anyone.

THE KEY TO READING: learn how to read a book.

Freedom comes from REPUTATION.
Your reputation sells you when you’re not around. By carefully creating, improving and reinforcing it, you will earn the freedom to work less.

THE KEY TO REPUTATION: consistency.

Freedom comes from EXPERTISE.
What do you know more about than anyone else in the world? When you can answer this question, you will earn the freedom to work alongside ZERO competition.

THE KEY TO EXPERTISE: become a thought leader.

Freedom comes from POSITIONING.
When you position yourself in a unique way, you will earn the freedom to (not) have to sell so much; and instead, get business to come to YOU. You will shorten your average sales cycle and customers will self-qualify.

THE KEY TO POSITIONING: be That Guy.

Freedom comes from SELF-EVALUATION.
When you know exactly who you are and what your uniqueness is, you will earn the freedom to insist upon being yourself.

THE KEY TO SELF-EVALUATION: your philosophies and policies.

Freedom comes from HARD WORK.
Paying your dues means working hard, smart and long. For a while. And eventually, you will earn the freedom to (not) have to work so hard, or at all.

THE KEY TO HARD WORK: um, hard work.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What are you doing TODAY to increase your freedom TOMORROW?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best technique here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

Read more blogs!
Rent Scott’s Brain!
Download articles and ebooks!
Watch training videos on NametagTV!

Make a name for yourself here…

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