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Let’s (not) get right down to business
Why do people always insist on “getting right down to business?” What’s the hurry? You got somewhere else to be? HERE’S AN IDEA: try connecting first! See, sometimes if you get right down to business, you run the risk of: 1. Making someone feel uncomfortable 2. Creating an unnecessary sense of urgency 3. NOT establishing trust Think of it this way… You’re on a first date. You sit down…
What’s your currency?
Not the yen. Not the dollar. Not the deutschemark. Today we’re talking about the metaphorical form of currency. Consider two facts: 1. Currency is the transmitting of something, especially money from person to person. 2. Currency is just another word for “return.” THEREFORE: You need to know ahead of time, prior to engaging in any new project, marketing effort or activity, “What’s my currency?” In other words, “Why the…
The longer they take, the less they buy
PICTURE THIS: you walk into Borders on a Sunday afternoon. You head over to the business section to pick up the latest book on leadership. Flipping through, you see nothing remarkable … yet. So you keep flipping. And flipping. And flipping. Frustratingly hoping to come across a poignant sentence, a cool graph or an astonishing picture to use in tomorrow’s staff meeting. But to no avail. About seven minutes…
Why are you being so nice to me?
PICTURE THIS: You meet someone at a networking event. He’s friendly, approachable, asks great questions; even introduces you to a few his colleagues. After the event you exchange business cards. A few days later he follows up with a quick email, thanking you for coming. He also offers an open-ended invitation to a future lunch to brainstorm and get to know each other better. Wow! Still, in the back…
8 phrases customers (don’t) want to hear you say
Your customers are tired. Tired of terrible service. Tired of getting the run around. Tired of waiting in lines all morning. Most importantly, they’re tired of hearing excuses. THE GOOD NEWS: there IS a way to offer more approachable service! Here is a list of eight phrases (er, excuses) your customers don’t want to hear; AND, several alternative phrases that payses you can use instead. 1. “I’m sorry.” Sorry…
Taking the shameless out of self-promotion
(To watch a video of The Giant Nametag, click here!) Self-promotion gets a bad wrap. In fact, it’s almost impossible to talk about the topic of self-promotion without mentioning the word “shameless.” Which, according to my thesaurus, is another word for “audacious, brash, dirty, immoral, improper, presumptuous and rude.” Yikes! No wonder people are so hesitant when it comes to tooting their own horns … they’re afraid! Afraid of…
Ask; don’t tell.
Sales calls. Employee meetings. Interviews with candidates. Phone calls with the media. Do you want to appear more approachable these type of situations? Cool! Then, just remember three important words: Ask; don’t tell. Here’s why: People don’t like to be told what to do. People will remember something if they say it. People will believe something if they say it. People will learn something if they say it. It…
Become an expert at learning from your experiences
“We learn not from our experiences, but from intelligent reflection upon those experiences.” My mentor, William Jenkins, taught me that when I was 17. I never forgot it. AND THE BEST PART IS: over a decade later, his philosophy still holds true. See, I make a living writing and speaking about my experiences of wearing a nametag every day. A nametag! And I don’t have a master’s degree. I…
24 reasons why content is KING
“Hey Scott, how do you get 35,000 hits a day on your website?” I’m often asked. Google Adwords? Sponsored links? Pay per click? Search engine optimization? Maybe. Still, I think the BEST answer is one powerful word: content. Because content is KING. And it comes in many forms: o Articles o Blog posts o Pictures o Videos o Testimonials o Profiles o Lists o Downloadable ebooks o PowerPoint slides…
17 ways to become a thought leader
The origin of the term “thought leader” goes back a few years. Joel Kurtzman, editor-in-chief of Strategy & Business magazine, first coined the expression in 1994. According to Wikipedia, the term was used to designate interview subjects for that magazine who had contributed new thoughts to business. Since that time, the term has spread from business to other disciplines and has come to mean “someone who enlivens old processes…
