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Scott Adams says, “People are idiots.” Scott Ginsberg says, “People are fascinating.” (Although some of them are idiots too.) But today I observed an intriguing example of human behavior at Starbucks. I sat in a corner chair with my Grande Carmel Apple Cider – the perfect drink on a bitterly cold day in St. Louis – and while I journaled and listened to some tunes on my Ipod, I…

Some people are just GREAT conversationalists. Period. They can talk to anybody, anytime, anywhere about any topic. And maybe it’s because they’re funny, interesting, outgoing, brilliant, up with the news, ask great questions, listen attentively and the like. But effective, engaging conversation also stems from preparation. Last week I attended a seminar hosted by my friend Dale Furtwengler. One of his key points was called “Get An Eclectic Education.”…

Great word: ubiquitous. It means “existing or being everywhere at the same time, constantly encountered or widespread.” Some synonyms include: everywhere, pervasive, far-reaching, copious, continual, everyday, familiar, persistent and recurring. Why do I bring this up? Well, first of all, it’s a fun word to say. In fact, try it right now. Really quick – say it out loud: ubiquitous. Just do it. Don’t worry about the guy sitting…

“Gee, you guys are tough to get a hold of…” “I finally tracked you down!” “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for weeks.” This is not good. When your answer the phone and hear one of these comments, it means that your caller, potential customer, raving fan or transient website visitor who would just LOVE to talk to you, who FINALLY got a hold of you…

After watching yesterday’s Superbowl and its entertaining commercials (way to go Big Ben!) it’s fascinating to think about companies who spend millions of dollars creating a catchy, memorable new name for their hot new item…and compare it with businesses whose brand success comes from, ironically, having no name at all. I remember studying this topic in one of my marketing classes at Miami of Ohio. Actually, I think Roethlisberger’s…

Sean Murphy, aka “The T-Shirt Guy” and Customer Relationship Development Director at CustomInk.com GETS it. We became friends a few weeks ago during The Dana Carvey Incident. Go to his site. And you, just like me, will be instantly magnetized to this bar on the right side of the page. When I first saw it I thought to myself, that’s the most brilliant thing I’ve ever seen. It’s honest….

She wore a long, black cape and a colorful hat. Stunning. Beautiful. Sexy. And on the back of her garb read the word Viva! I smiled and she smiled back. Then she gracefully danced away. Two seconds later, I saw another one. Then another! Then another! And out of nowhere, four identical women banded together in formation and walked down the main street of downtown Puerto Vallarta like a…

Thanks to the good people at NBC who continue to push back my Today Show appearance; I’ve been experiencing some minor stomach issues. And by “minor” I mean “chronic pain everyday for three months.” So this week I went into Barnes Jewish Hospital for a minor procedure. First, a nurse prepped me with an IV and connected me to various beeping boxes. When she saw my tattoo under my…

You just never know. When you answer a phone call from an unknown number…When you engage in a conversation with a guest at your office…When you greet a potential customer who walks into your store…When you make small talk with a stranger you’ve just been introduced to…When you respond to a random email from a friend of a friend of a friend… You just never know. And because of…

So far this week, there’s been a lot of buzz about WOMMA’s Basic Training Conference; which makes sense since they’re the Word of Mouth Marketing Association! But while I attended (and spoke at) the event, my mind kept returning to an idea that I knew I wanted to come back and address: names. Of course, each person attending the event wore a nametag. Some people wore two. (And I…