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Adding value is essential to growing bigger ears. But be careful. Because it’s (really) easy to add TOO MUCH value to a conversation. FOR EXAMPLE: imagine your colleague, Karen, is enthusiastically telling you about her great new idea. She’s excited, optimistic and really “getting into” her explanation. So, a few seconds into the conversation, you can’t help but interrupt with suggestions to make it better. “You know that’s a…

Who are your mentors? Notice I said mentor(s), not mentor. That’s because there are three types: casual, formal and indirect. The word mentor first appeared in Homer’s Odyssey as character who served as a wide advisor. My first “wise advisor” (other than my Dad) came in the form of a high school English teacher named William Jenkins. It started with the occasional after-class discussion. Mid-semester, it blossomed into a…

Call it optimism. Call it glass half-full. Call it a positive attitude. Because at the lowest common denominator, there’s always ONE thing you can get out of everything. This represents a sort of “takeaway attitude” you need to have about business, about life, about everything. I call it Lowest Common Denominator Thinking. For example, let’s say you just spent the last three hours reading the latest best-selling marketing book….

1. “If you build it, they will come.” ORIGINATOR: Kevin Costner, Field of Dreams. WHY IT’S INCOMPLETE: because just building it is not enough. You’ve got to get people talking about it. A BETTER VERSION: “If you build it consistently, remarkably and with unique value … they MIGHT come.” REMEMBER: doing business without marketing is like winking in the dark. 2. “Positive thinking begets success.” ORIGINATORS: The Bible, Normal…

Be clearly superior. In other words: be the –est. The finest. The fastest. The coolest. The bestest. The craziest. The greatest. The funniest. The smartest. The smoothest. The friendliest. Be the –est. Be clearly superior. LET ME ASK YA THIS… What’s your “-est”? LET ME SUGGEST THIS… Share it with us here! * * * * Scott Ginsberg That Guy with the Nametag Are you a friend of The…

I hate to say it, but you’re really no big deal. Sure, you’re the one who PHYSICALLY writes, paints or creates the art. But it’s not all you. ARTISTS MUST RECOGNIZE: creativity is the product of a million unseen helping hands. Call it The Muse. Call it God. Call it Intuition. But whatever these Powers are, they’re stronger and smarter than you. So you must respect them. Because they…

You’re not an expert. You’re not a consultant. You’re not a commodity. You’re not a salesperson. You are a trusted adviser. (At least, that should be your goal.) And people need to feel like they couldn’t go into the marketplace without your opinion. Now, by “people” I’m referring to customers, prospects, clients, colleagues, friends, competitors and especially the media. Whenever they have a problem within YOUR domain, they need…

1. A customer is someone who has a need. 2. A customer is someone whom you deliver value to. 3. A customer is someone who uses what you produce. 4. A customer is someone who has a problem you can fix. 5. A customer is someone who benefits from what you do. 6. A customer is anyone with whom your business engages. 7. A customer is someone who buys…

1. Lists are easy to read. 2. Lists are easy to write. 3. Lists are fun to write. 4. Lists are easier to memorize. 5. Lists are efficient ways to transfer value. 6. Lists force you to clarify your thoughts. 7. Lists beget shorter sentences, which get read FIRST. 8. Lists allow us to easily put information which belongs together in one place. 9. Lists give people who don’t…

(Read part one of this series here!) Vincent Van Gough took ONE art class during his entire life. The rest was self-taught. Pretty shocking, huh? Similarly, many notable innovators have agreed that lessons weren’t critical to the successful execution of their ideas. Take Edison, for example. He went to school for only three months. His teacher thought he couldn’t learn because he had a mental problem! From that day…