Is this an intentional action or an incidental consequence?

When faced with any task, endeavor or project, two questions need to be asked:

1. What needs to be done intentionally?
2. What do I hope will happen incidentally?

First, let’s explore the word “intentional.”

It comes from the Latin intendere, which means, “To direct one’s attention.”

So, it’s the action you take first, along with the attitude you maintain while taking it.

And, in many cases, that which you intend to do is simple, process-oriented and free from agendas.

For example, let’s say you’re going to exhibit at a trade show.

Your intentions might be to have fun, be uniquely visible, develop and maintain mutually valuable relationships, deliver value and listen to the needs of your attendees.

IN SHORT: Journey, not destination; conversations, not sales pitches.

Now, on the other hand, the word “incidental,” comes from the Latin incidentem, which means, “To occur casually in connection with something else.”

So, it’s the consequence of the intentional stuff.

And, in many cases, that which incidentally occurs is organic, serendipitous and reciprocal.

So, let’s go back to the tradeshow exhibit again.

Considering your intentions from the first example, your incidentals might be obtaining new clients, earning money and building your business.

See the difference?

OK, good. Now, here comes the tricky part…

Because your biggest challenge is going to be discerning between intentionals and incidentals.

BUT HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS: This can be accomplished by asking one simple question:

Is this an intentional action or an incidental consequence?

MY SUGGESTION: Write this question on a sticky note and post it where you can see it every day. This will train your mind to distinguish between intentions and incidentals.

– – –

Now, to further your understanding on the distinction between these two words, let’s take a look at four examples:

1. Don’t (try) to make sales.
Instead, INTENTIONALLY … deliver value first, position yourself as a resource and a trusted advisor, communicate your uniqueness quickly and ask well-timed, creative and thought-provoking questions.

Then, INCIDENTALLY, you will make sales.

2. Don’t (try) to be a leader.
Instead, INTENTIONALLY … be an empathetic, active listener; be inspiring, be passionate, be approachable, be consistent with your character and add value to yourself and to others every single day.

Then, INCIDENTALLY, people will follow you.

3. Don’t (try) to get lots of hits on your website.
Instead, INTENTIONALLY … focus your efforts on creating a web presence through octopus (not earthworm) marketing; blog every single day, make your website easy to find, share and talk about; and build remarkability and word-of-mouth-worthiness into every element of your business.

Then, INCIDENTALLY, the website hits will come pouring in.

4. Don’t try to get the media to approach you.
Instead, INTENTIONALLY … validate your expertise through the publishing of written, audio and video content; post pictures of you doing what you do; take small interviews first, create a media room on your website; and establish a unique, opinionated position, philosophy or approach to doing business.

Then, INCIDENTALLY, the media will come to you.

Ultimately, the distinction between intentional and incidental is best summarized by something I (admittedly) learned from an episode of Dr. Phil.

His advice to the panel of overweight guests was, “Don’t dwell on the idea of shedding pounds, but rather, focus on living a healthier lifestyle.”

He encouraged (er, yelled at) them to modify their eating, drinking, exercising and sleeping habits.

That was the intentional part.

And as a result, he said, they would experience increased energy, higher self-esteem, a more positive self-image and, eventually, a loss of weight.

That was the incidental part.

So, whether you’re trying to increase sales, drive web traffic, lead a group of employees – or even shed those unwanted pounds – here’s the secret:

Fohttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifcus on the umbrella.

Ask yourself, “Is this an intentional action or an incidental consequence?”

Because, as my mentor, Arthur Scharff says, “Seeking destroys the journey.”

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What question do you ask yourself before undertaking any endeavor?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best one here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

…only 18 more days until NametagTV.com goes ON AIR!

If you don’t quote yourself, nobody else will

So, you’re pretty smart.

And you’ve said some pretty smart things.

But you didn’t write them down, did you?

Which means you don’t (regularly) quote yourself, do you?

BIG mistake.

LESSON LEARNED: If want other people to quote YOU, you need to quote yourself first.

Because if you don’t quote yourself, nobody else will.

Don’t worry. It doesn’t make you an egomaniac.

It just means that, as a creative professional, as a thought leader, you’re taking ownership of (and protecting) your intellectual property.

Here are a few steps you can take to start quoting yourself today!

1. Pay attention. Sometimes you might say something smart and think, “Damn, that was pretty good!” Or a friend of yours might ask, “Hey, can I quote you on that?” When things like this happen, you MUST recognize them as cues to your brilliance. Because you ARE brilliant.

2. Write it down. The next step is to capture your thoughts. Remember, if you don’t write it down, it never happened! So, the moment you say something brilliant, grab your jotter, a piece of paper, a napkin or your laptop and WRITE IT DOWN. This is the most important step.

3. Verify it. Before you go taking credit for your (supposedly) original thought, be sure to validate it. Start by asking yourself three questions:

a. Is this thought (really) mine?
b. Has this thought passed through the test of my personal experience?
c. How can I discover whether or not this is my own thinking?

If yes, the next step is to google the full, exact phrase in quotations. You need to make sure someone hasn’t already said it, wrote it, claimed it or wrote a book with the title of it. This will help you avoid plagiarism and maintain your originality.

(NOTE: yes, I know, there’s nothing new under the sun. Whatever brilliant thought you’ve had, somebody has probably said it – or something like it – before. But that doesn’t mean they wrote it down. And if it doesn’t exist on google, it doesn’t exist! REMEMBER: Writers keepers, losers weepers.)

4. Store it. Keep a file on your computer or a folder on your desk called, “Smart Things I’ve Said” or “My Quotations” or “Dave’s One-Liners.” Update it regularly with your new quotations.

5. Share it. Now comes the fun part – physically quoting yourself! Here are a few suggestions:

*Create a special report, ebook, whitepaper blog post or video cliff notes that includes all of your quotations. Give it away for free to EVERYBODY. Especially customers, prospects and colleagues.

*Print a few thousand “philosophy cards” that include your ten best quotes. Hand them out to EVERYBODY. For more information on how to create a philosophy card, check this out.

*In your writings, don’t hesitate to quote yourself. Use ownership phrases like, “Like I always say,” “My philosophy is,” and “I like to tell my readers/audience members.”

*In your blog posts, create customized, trademarked images of your quotations that credit your name and URL. This will make it VERY easy for other to quote you. P.S., Take a look at the top of this blog post to see what I mean 😉

6. Monitor and Protect. Finally, get Google Alerts on your best, most frequently used quotations. Find out who’s talking about you, quoting you, and, possibly, who’s stealing your material. Consider buying URL’s, registering trademarks and taking other legal actions to officially protect and copyright your intellectual property. (IF someone DOES steal your material, relax and read this.)

– – –

Now, I know that initially, it might feel odd quoting yourself.

But let’s face it: Ben Franklin, William James, Shakespeare, Emerson and Mark Twain have been quoted enough. The world needs some fresh material.

It’s time for YOU to become the next great thinker.

So, just remember:

If you quote yourself, other people will quote you.

If other people quote you, your perception as an expert and a thought leader will grow.

If your perception as an expert and thought leader grows, you will become more attractive, more approachable and more desirable.

And THAT will galvanize more customers, more opportunities and more business.

REMEMBER: ideas are your major source of income.

If you don’t quote yourself, nobody else will.

And you can quote me on that.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What do you “always say”?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best personal quotation here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

…only 19 more days until NametagTV.com goes ON AIR!

22 Ways to Make Negative Thinking Work for You

Inasmuch as positive thinking is a healthy, creative and productive approach to life, there IS something to be said about being the (occasional) Negative Nelly.

Wow. That was REALLY cheesy. Negative Nelly. I sound like Ned Flanders.

Whatever. Flanders rules.

Anyway, Negative Thinking – despite its bad rap – CAN have positive attributes.

When used and timed correctly.

Because…

Posing occasional questions underscored with doubt and skepticism is a healthy way to maintain objectivity and curiosity.

And that’s what leads to breakthrough thinking.

Negative Thinking – and, more specifically, Negative Questioning – is a protective measure. It’s challenging, counterintuitive and gives you permission to explore the downside without feeling like a Negative Nelly, Debbie Downer or Suzie Suckbag.

LESSON LEARNED: human beings NEED to have occasional negative thoughts.

So, in situations where you’re evaluating, planning, discussing or offering/soliciting feedback, consider asking people (AND yourself, too) negative questions.

Let’s explore 22 of them:

ASK YOURSELF…
1. What are my three most limiting factors?
2. What is the stupidest thing I could say?
3. What is the stupidest thing I could do?
4. What are the three most common mistakes made by people my situation?
5. What’s the worst thing that could happen?
6. What’s the stupidest idea I could possibly have?
7. What type of person do I definitely NOT want to become?
8. What negative addictions do I have?
9. Who can hurt me the most?
10. In what ways am I obsolete?
11. How could this negatively affect me?

ASK OTHERS…
12. What mistakes have you learned from?
13. What’s the absolute worst idea you could possibly come up with?
14. What mistakes did you make in your first year of business?
15. What was your last “what-NOT-to-be” lesson?
16. What are the common traits among those who have failed?
17. What was your last “what-NOT-to-do” lesson?
18. How could this negatively affect you?
19. What UN-motivates you?
20. What do you fear losing?
21. What has been your biggest failure?
22. What threatens your peace?

REMEMBER: it takes a positive person to make negative thinking work.

So, when used judiciously, asking Negative Questions can lead to some pretty cool break-diddely-ake-throughs.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you positive enough to think negative?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your three best Negative Thinking Questions here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

…only 20 more days until NametagTV.com goes ON AIR!

Clarify the type of conversation you’re having

One of the primary tasks of Growing Bigger Ears is to guide the conversation into focus.

To help the speaker clarify what type of conversation she wants to have with you.

You do this for three reasons:

FIRST, clarify to … open up the space.
People need to feel free and relaxed in your presence. So, by first negotiating the space between you, you make it safe to share. This builds a foundation of comfort and approachability that endures throughout the entire encounter.

SECOND, clarify to … to set expectations.
Without an initial understanding of your conversational objectives, you’ll never know whether or not you and your partner were successful. So, think of this practice as sort of a mini-goal for creating a harmonious climate.

THIRD, clarify to … establish boundaries.
Listening is a process of suspending your own agenda in the service of the speaker. So, when you know what your respective roles are – and what areas are off limits – you prevent yourself AND the speaker from wasting emotional energy.

OK! Now that you understand the value of clarifying, let’s explore five questions you can pose to help the speaker guide the conversation into focus:

1. What needs to happen during this conversation for you to feel that it was successful?
2. What type of conversation do you want this to become?
3. Do you want me to suggest ideas or just listen?
4. Is this a dialogue or a discussion?
5. How would you like me to listen to you?

CAUTION: be sure to pause for at least three seconds after every question AND answer. Let the pearl sink.

REMEMBER: when you clarify the conversation by asking future-focused, positive questions, you not only open up the space, set expectations and establish boundaries; but you also demonstrate your willingness to move forward together.

And that’s what approachability is all about.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
When you’re The Listener, what questions do you ask yourself?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best two questions here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

…only 21 more days until NametagTV.com goes ON AIR!

Build a Permission Asset, Part 3

NOTE: be sure to read part 1 and part 2 of this post series before continuing!

– – –

Welcome back!

Today is our final post in the series about Building a Permission Asset.

Just to recap: we’ve already learned about what a permission asset is, how to asset your current status and tools for building it.

Now we’re going to talk about the two most difficult challenges: PATIENCE and PROTECTION.

Yes. Building a permission asset takes time. LOTS of it.

See, notwithstanding our instant-gratification culture, your permission asset isn’t something you just “get.”

You can’t download off iTunes. Or find it on Craig’s List. Or buy it from some random college kid in your neighborhood.

It takes time. Work. Maintenance.

And most of all, patience. Because some people won’t want to give you permission asset right away. And some people won’t want to give permission EVER.

With that in mind, let’s wrap things up with several patience and precautionary measures to protect your permission asset during the long haul:

1. Privacy. While giving their email address to you is technically “free,” customers are still concerned about getting spammed. So, make certain people understand your intentions at the onset. Let them know you will NOT be sharing their information. Respect always wins.

REMEMBER: Attention is the most powerful form of currency.

2. Get it early. Whether it’s in marketing (or a one-on-one conversation) you can never get permission too early. The biggest regret you will EVER have in marketing is, “Damn it! I should have been collecting people’s emails sooner!” It’s not too late – you can start TODAY.

REMEMBER: Broadcast your uniqueness, make the mundane memorable, turn strangers into friends, friends into FANS and fans into word of mouth. Now!

3. Think long term. Look upstream. Consider the lifetime value of ONE fan. Think about how many friends they could potentially tell. Most importantly, think about how valuable your relationship with them could potentially grow.

REMEMBER: There are no one-night stands with your permission asset.

4. Consistency. Whether your permission asset is supported by an ezine, podcast or blog, you MUST deliver value. So, remind your fans WHY they follow you. Also, ask for their input, ideas, feedback and comments. Maintain a continuous dialogue with them. Because:

The more involved they are, the more ownership they take.
The more ownership they take, the more people they tell.
And the more people they tell, the bigger your permission asset (and, ultimately, your following) grows.

REMEMBER: Consistency is far better than rare moments of greatness.

5. Gratitude. Because your permission asset is so valuable, and because a following is NOTHING without followers, make sure you regularly thank your fans how much you value their loyalty (aka, permission). Offer them specials and discounts. Go out of your way connect with them via email, phone, or if possible, in person!

REMEMBER: Practice proactive gratitude. That which you appreciate appreciates.

6. Leverage. Once your permission asset hits a critical mass (1,000, 5,000, 10,000, for example) you will earn more opportunities to leverage it. The bigger your permission asset is, the more you can ask people for.

REMEMBER: Some people on your list may buy at a later time, simply because you stayed in front of them. Leverage your increasing momentum.

7. Respect. A few years ago, I emailed the aforementioned permission guru, Seth Godin. I asked him what he thought the most important word in marketing was. His answer was, “Respect.”

So, when it comes to your permission asset, never, ever, ever, ever, E-V-E-R disrespect or violate the trust of your fans. If they want off your list, respect their choice and gracefully remove them. Don’t take it personally.

REMEMBER: R-E-S-P-E-C-T!!!

8. Value. Your content – be it text, audio or video – needs to be relevant, interesting, focused, smart, concise and remarkable. Most importantly, it needs to be delivered in a unique way. You need a voice. A lens. A thing. A philosophy.

I think author and blogger extraordinarine Guy Kawasaki said it best, “It’s impossible to build community about mundane writing.”

REMEMBER: YOU. ARE. A. WRITER.

9. Patience. Don’t expect to get 500 subscribers in your first week. Have patience. Boost your list one fan at a time. The good news is, once you get past a certain number, you’ll begin to grow exponentially.

But, the (sort of) bad new is, building your permission asset never ends. You’re in it for the long haul. Better be passionate!

REMEMBER: There ain’t no finish line.

– – –

NOTE: Even with all the tips, suggestions and ideas you’ve read in these past three posts, there’s still one additional challenge to recognize: What if, no matter how hard you try, some people just WON’T give you permission?

Unfortunately, that IS going to happen. No matter what business you’re in, no matter what type of permission asset you’re building, some people just won’t give it up.

AND MY THOUGHT IS: Respect that. All you can do is your absolute best to deliver value and be yourself.

If someone is hesitant to give you permission, persistently (but not annoyingly) remind them about the security, privacy and respect of doing so. Educate them about the value of giving you permission. Don’t sell too much or too often and don’t annoy or bother them.

If that doesn’t work, back off. Don’t take it personally. Perhaps YOU are not the right person to convince them. Perhaps, over time, they will be convinced or evangelized by an existing member of your permission asset.

“You still haven’t subscribed to Janet’s weekly ezine? Man, you’re missing out! Last week’s article saved me thousands of dollars!” says one of your raving fans.

If that (still) doesn’t work, maybe it’s time to let that person go and move on.

There are plenty of other fish in the Permission Sea.

– – –

So, as we come to the end of our three-day discussion, I wanted to share one final example.

This is my favorite illustration (no pun intended) of the power of building a permission asset.

Scott Adams.

You know, the creator of Dilbert!

He runs the most successful, most widely read and highest syndicated comic strip in the world.

o His comic strips are read by millions of people every day.
o He gets 200-300 comments PER POST on his daily blog. (Holy Technorati Batman!)
o He’s published dozens of bestselling books.
o His line of Dilbert merchandise makes millions every year.
o His scores of fans rearrange their schedules just to come out to his book signings and events.
o His speaking fee is $50,000.
o He is the CEO of Scott Adams Food, Inc., maker of the Dilberito & Protein Chef.
o He won the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award and Newspaper
Comic Strip Award.
o He received the NCTE George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Language.
o He’s been in the rankings of the “50 Most Influential Management Thinkers” placing 31st in 2001, 27th in 2003 and 12th in 2005.

But here’s the best part.

Scott Adams was the first syndicated cartoonist who published his email address on all his cartoons.

Initially, he did it in the hopes that people would email jokes to him.

Which they did.

Eventually, he started asking these people who emailed him if they wanted to occasionally hear from him via his an ezine.

Which they did.

WHICH MEANT: they gave Scott Adams permission.

WHICH MEANS: he built (and continues to build) his permission asset.

WHICH PROVES: he who has the biggest list (and, the best relationship with that list) wins.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How many people art anticipating YOUR marketing?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Seriously, you need to read Seth’s book.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

…only 21 more days until NametagTV.com goes ON AIR!

Build a Permission Asset, Part 2

NOTE: be sure to read part 1 of this post before scrolling down!

– – –

OK guys, let’s continue our discussion on building a permission asset.

Today we’re going to explore a list of 18 questions to help you assess the status of your current permission asset.

(Don’t worry, you don’t have to answer them all right away!)

But, some are yes/no, some are VERY penetrating, and some of these questions are going to make you grin, shake your head say, “Damn it!”

But that’s good. That means there’s (still) room to make your permission asset even stronger!

Here we go:

1. Are you being selfish with your knowledge?

2. Do you get the email of every customer?

3. Do you have customers or fans?

4. How do you provide a value message to your customers every week?

5. How are you building a following?

6. How are you measuring your permission asset?

7. How are you staying in front of your fans?

8. How do you collect email addresses from the people who come to your website?

9. How do you get permission from people to market to them?

10. How many people are anticipating your marketing?

11. How many ezine subscribers do you have?

12. How many RSS subscribers do you have?

13. How quickly do you get permission from strangers?

14. If you were your customer, what would you LOVE to have from you next?

15. Is your marketing interrupting or interacting?

16. Is your marketing making music or noise?

17. When was the last time you sent out a newsletter or ezine?

18. Whom are you recruiting?

– – –

So, how’d you do?

Any of those questions impossible to answer?

Good. Because the next action is to start building (or continue building) your permission asset.

Here are (what I believe to be) the five most common, easiest and cheapest ways to do so:

1. Ezine. Make it consistent. Make it short. Make it valuable. Make it clean. And don’t sell too much. Don’t send it out too often or to too sparsely. Most importantly, be sure your “unsubscribe” button is easy to find. (Mine goes out to 10,000 people every other Tuesday. It has videos, articles and blog posts about approachability. If you would like to subscribe, go to my website!)

2. Blog. Post every day. Write passionately. Take a side. Discover your authentic writing voice. Have a Call to Action or response mechanism at the end of every post. Don’t quit after two months. Use lots of lists. Use short sentences. Use one-line paragraphs. And of course, have fun!

3. RSS Feed. For your products. For your articles. For your tour schedule. For your upcoming events. For your blog posts. For your podcasts. For your videos. For your new ideas. For ANYTHING the people in your permission asset might value.

4. Videos. Post short, fun, cool, remarkable and slightly silly videos on YouTube. Get people to watch, subscribe to and tell their friends about you them. Think viral. Here’s a good example.

5. Social Networking. Use MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, Squidoo and the like. Be an octopus, not an earthworm. Post pictures, videos, blogs, comments, stories and experiences. Connect with other like-minded professionals. Consider starting your own group, cause or club within your social networking platform. Or, if you’re ambitious, start your own platform.

OK! We’ve covered a lot of ground on building a permission asset so far.

Hope you’re still with me.

Because in our final segment of this post series, we’re going to talk about PATIENCE with and PROTECTION for your permission asset.

See ya then!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How many people are anticipating your marketing?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
If you haven’t read Seth’s book on permission marketing yet, DO IT TODAY.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

…only 22 more days until NametagTV.com goes ON AIR!

Build a Permission Asset, Part 1

How many people are anticipating your marketing?

Odds are, not many.

And why should they?

Most of your customers have been screwed over, sold on, marketed to, argued against, targeted, annoyed, persuaded, dishonored, pitched, pressured, bothered, interrupted, threatened and manipulated by too many companies too many times.

And they’re tired of it.

So, this means four things for your company:

1. Customers are in charge, not you.
They don’t have to listen to you if they don’t want to.

2. Customers are working extra hard to avoid and ignore your marketing.
Just think about the last time you skipped the commercials on Tivo. Then multiply that times 300 million. That’s the posture of the masses.

3. Customers are not afraid to (quickly) pick someone else.
Especially since there are infinite numbers of other options instantly available.

4. Customers are controlling how much attention they (choose) to give to you.
Because they live in a hyperspeed, ADD, instant gratification culture, and they’ve got better stuff to do.

SO, IN SHORT: Customers are calling the shots.

Not you.
Not the media.
Not your company.
Not your marketing machine.

The customers.

For that reason, you need to ask yourself ONE vital question:

How are you building a permission asset?

Bestselling marketing author Seth Godin, in his book Permission Marketing, explains it like this:

“A permission asset is the privilege (not the right) to deliver anticipated, personal and relevant ideas to the people who CHOOSE to get them.”

Wow. So, people are actually proclaiming, “Yes, I hereby allow you to market to me whenever you want.”

Glory hallelujah!!! (And all the angels sang. Amen.)

Permission. It’s the marketing word of the millennium.

IT MEANS…

o You’re building a following.
o You’re the bulls-eye, not the arrow.
o You’ve become the selected, not the selector.
o You’re working in the name accumulation business.
o You’ve earned the right to market to your customers.
o You’re worth more next week or next month than you are now.
o You’re finding products for your customers, instead of customers for your products.
o You’re accumulating, delivering value TO and maintaining respect FOR a group people who admire and support you and your ideas.

That’s permission.

So, now that you have a better understanding of the culture in which your customers live – AND what permission looks like – the next step is to assess your current permission status.

We’ll tackle that tomorrow with a list of 18 questions; then finish up this post series on Friday with one final list and example.

See ya then!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How many people are anticipating your marketing?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Go to www.gitomer.com and subscribe to Jeffrey’s ezine. Watch and learn.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

…only 23 more days until NametagTV.com goes ON AIR!

15 ways to become (intentionally) dumber

It’s OK to be dumb once in a while.

After all, the word dumb means, “Unable to speak or ignorant.”

So, it doesn’t mean you’re stupid.

It just means you’re willing to admit that you don’t know everything.

LESSON LEARNED: Smart people dare to be dumb.

It’s more human.
It’s more relatable.
It’s more approachable.

Now, that doesn’t mean you need to be dumb ALL the time!

Just enough to keep yourself accountable, and to keep other people comfortable.

Here are 15 Phrases That Payses to help you sound dumber TODAY:

1. Here’s a dumb question…
2. I don’t know what that means.
3. I need to write that down so I can look it up later!
4. I never knew that!
5. I never thought of it that way!
6. I don’t know. (My favorite!)
7. Is that bad?
8. Is that good?
9. Wait, I don’t understand…
11. What does that word mean?
12. Tell me what you mean by…
13. Help me understand…
14. Tell me that again, I didn’t follow.
15. I’ve never heard that before…

THE SECRET IS: being approachable is about NOT being a know-it-all.

It’s about being constantly curious.
It’s about being an asker, not a teller.
It’s about being open to lifelong learning.
It’s about being confident enough to be humble.

Not to mention, when you’re willing to become (intentionally) dumber, that gives other people permission to do the same.

And clients LOVE to have someone they can feel dumb in front of.

SO, I DARE YOU: be dumber today.

My, that’s a lovely accent you’ve got … New Jersey?

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you willing to be dumb?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best example of how being dumb paid off!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Coaching, schmoaching.

No systems. No formulas. Just someone who (actually) listens, asks KILLER questions and facilitates creative breakthroughs.

Rent Scott’s Brain today!


Why 2008 is going to be the best year EVER

2008 is here!

Hope you had a great holiday season and you’re ready to rock.

It’s gonna be a GREAT year, too. Lots of cool stuff coming up I wanted to let everyone know about…

FIRST…
NametagTV.com, my new Online Television Network, is going on the air in the next several weeks! Stay tuned!

SECOND…
My next book (or books, I should say) is a series called The Approachability Trilogy, consisting of:

1. The Approachable Frontline: 17 Daily Practices for Delivering Unforgettable Service
2. The Approachable Salesperson: 22 Daily Practices for Enabling Customers to Buy
3. The Approachable Manager: 27 Daily Practices for Getting Employees to Come to You

THIRD…
I’ll be kicking off the St. Louis Business Expo in March. The event is open to the public, and, if you register early, you will receive a copy of The Approachable Salesperson during our exclusive networking breakfast!

* * * *

…and that’s just the first half of 2008.

I still have a few surprises up my sleeve for later in the year 😉

So, after two weeks off work, it’s great to be back. I hope you (too) are well rested and well prepared for the best year EVER!

Lastly, for those of you who didn’t catch all those ridiculously long lists from December, here’s a quick recap:

101 Lessons Learned from 2007
101 Ways to Create a Powerful Web Presence
123 Questions Every Marketer Must Ask
69 Mini Philosophies on Just about Everything
95 Things I Learned from Seth Godin’s “Meatball Sundae”
154 (more) Pieces of Contrarian Wisdom
49 Ways to Become an Idea Powerhouse153 Super Smart Quotations that Made My Jaw Drop
157 Pieces of Contrarian Wisdom
111 Self-Assessment Questions to Make 2008 the Best Year Ever

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your #1 goal for 2008?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share it here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Ever heard of a Business Midwife?

No systems. No formulas. Just someone who listens, asks KILLER questions and facilitates creative breakthroughs.

Rent Scott’s Brain today!


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