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I’ve been reading Joe Meyers’ new book, Organic Community. And here’s what I’ve learned: You have (some) control over the environment. Some. But you have little or no control over the people IN the environment. SO, HERE’S THE SECRET: let things organically and naturally occur. Don’t sell. Create and manage an environment in which customers are enabled to buy. Don’t network. Create and manage an environment in which strangers…

Morning guys! I’m in Raleigh, NC this week, working with a group of Child Nutrition Administrators. Great people. So, several of them have been asking me: “Hey Scott, why do you choose to wear the simple, hand-written nametags? Why not get something more customized and permanent?” I get this question a lot. And while there are many answers I could offer, here’s the one that matters MOST to you:…

Michael Caine once said: “Never let ‘em catch you acting. The art is HIDING the art.” Great advice. And you can apply this principle to a variety of situations: Create marketing that’s SO fun, SO cool and SO participative… That your market doesn’t even realize you’re marketing to them. Sell your stuff with SUCH passion, SUCH comfort and SUCH service… That your prospects don’t even realize you’re selling to…

You know what’s ironic? The fact that ideas are your major source of income; and yet, you’re (still) not writing everything down! Here are the possible reasons (er, excuses) why not: 1. YOU DON’T WRITE STUFF DOWN… Because you think you will remember it. This is 100% self-delusion. First of all, the human brain simply can’t store that much information. That’s why phone numbers are only seven digits. Secondly,…

1. Other creative people keep you accountable. 2. Other creative people have contagious energy. 3. Other creative people will let you bounce ideas off of them. 4. Other creative people are (probably) the closest things you’ll ever have to coworkers. 5. Other creative people are the only ones who (really) understand what you’re going through. 6. Other creative people think in unique ways; and by learning how they think,…

I speak at a lot of conferences. Naturally, I often find myself seated at meals with strangers. And naturally, I often find myself face to face … with delicious pieces of cake. See, at most conferences, the banquet staff is instructed to place the dessert on the table before the meal starts. I’m not sure why they do this. Probably just to tempt people. Anyway, I’ve always had kind…

In the month of October alone, my clients include: inner-city librarians, municipal landfill owners, funeral directors, paper shredding companies, school lunch ladies and recruiters. God I love my job! Anyway, this made me realize something: objectivity is equity. And this is GREAT news for you if you’re a consultant, speaker, facilitator or other form of independent contractor. See, my clients tell me that employees are tired of listening to…

I was strolling down the Reno strip this week when I noticed an interesting pattern. Lots of buffets. Every hotel had one. Every street corner had one. AND HERE’S WHAT STRUCK ME: they were all voted #1. Seriously. It seemed like every restaurant I passed had a sign that read, “Voted Best Buffet!” And it made me wonder: 1. Voted Best Buffet … BY WHOM? A sample of 1000…

Pursue the Passion is a group of three recent college grads who embarked on cross country roadtrips to interview passionate professionals about their career paths. I’ve been following their story for about a year now. Their tour recently took them through St. Louis. I had a chance to meet Brett Farmiloe, James Whiting, Noah Pollock and Zach Hubbell in person. We had a blast talking about passion, commitment, and…

Boundaries are saviors. I know this because I didn’t used to have any. See, that’s what happens when you wear a nametag 24-7: you open yourself to anyone, anytime, anyplace. And if you don’t set boundaries for yourself, people will set them for you. Now, in my 2,539 days of nametagging, I’ve experienced my share of boundary violations: I’ve had stalkers. I’ve had time wasters. I’ve had bloodsuckers. I’ve…