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I don’t know why I put it off so long. Facebook rocks! (Actually, I think I like it better than my MySpace page.) *Please feel free to poke me here. *I’ve started (yet another) blog on Facebook called QREATIVITY. I’ll be posting a thought provoking question every day. *OOH! And I started a Facebook Group called Make a Name for Yourself. If you make a living producing, writing, speaking,…

Have you ever bought a book, read it, then threw it on your shelf and never thought about it again? Yeah. Me too. It’s OK. Everyone’s done it before. SO, HERE’S THE CHALLENGE: how do you read a book … effectively? ANSWER: by using three different pairs of eyes. First, your Superficial Eyes. They don’t require much. All you have to do is, um, read the book! You don’t…

(I’m in Leysin, Switzerland for the next two weeks working with YPO, and I thought this post was appropriate…) In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron explains, “When people meet you, they often want to check out your creative passport to make sure your skills have been stamped in all the right places.” Have you ever met someone like that? Someone obsessed with approval? Someone who felt they needed to…

On May 7th, 2003, I received an email that changed my life. “Scotty, I love the nametag idea! I actually wear a nametag all the time too – it’s part of my sales training outfit. Anyway, I hear you want to become a speaker. Give me a call. I think I can help. Sincerely, Jeffrey Gitomer.” Of course, I had no idea who Jeffrey Gitomer was. So I checked…

I’ve been playing guitar since I was 12. Can’t read music. Don’t know theory. Never took a single lesson. “You only need to know three chords: G, C and D,” my dad said. “The rest you’ll figure out on your own.” So I did. I learned by practicing every day. I learned by writing my own songs. I learned by going to lots of concerts. I learned by listening…

PICTURE THIS: you just secured an interview on the local news station. Or in your town’s daily paper. Or on CNN. Or in a trade publication. Or on the local morning radio show. Congratulations! Now all you have to do is remember ONE word. L-E-V-E-R-A-G-E!! Without leverage, your interview never really happened. Without leverage, you may as well be winking in the dark. Without leverage, you limit the potential…

Harry Beckwith, bestselling author of Selling the Invisible, said it best: “People hear FROM bad companies, they hear ABOUT good companies.” LESSON LEARNED: about, not from. See, when customers hear FROM you, it’s usually via: Cold calls. Direct mail. Advertising. Email spam. Fancy-schmancy, four color brochures. Which usually means: 1. No value has been given. 2. No credibility has been established. 3. They feel like you’re “selling” to them….

1. About, not from. 2. And, not or. 3. Ask, don’t tell. 4. Attract, don’t look. 5. Authenticity, not charisma. 6. Beliefs, not facts. 7. Boundaries, not walls. 8. Boutiques, not mega-marts. 9. Business, not hobby. 10. Cherish, don’t squander. 11. Childlike, not childish. 12. Convinced, not conceited. 13. Curiosity, not curriculum. 14. Curiosity, not judgment. 15. Dialogue, not debate. 16. Discipline, not luck. 17. Discretion, not snobbery. 18….

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…

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…