Tag: get them to come to you

Why you DON’T need a website

15 to 30 billion.

That’s the (approximate) number of websites that exist on the Internet, according to a research study published by Pandia Search World News.

This statistic leads to four crucual questions every online marketer must ask himself:

1. Why would someone come to (and stay at) my website for more than 60 seconds?
2. Why would someone give me her email address (and therefore, permission) to market to her regularly?
3. Why would someone return to my website consistently?
4. Why would someone tell her friends about my website consistently?

The good news is, all four of these questions have the same answer:

You don’t need a website –- you need a destination.

There’s a MAJOR difference between these two words.

First, let’s talk about the word “website.”

I actually looked up the word website in the dictionary for the first time today.

It’s defined as, “A set of interconnected web pages prepared and maintained as a collection of information by a person, group, or organization.”

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

(Oh, sorry. I dozed off there for a sec!)

Mainly because a “website” is B-O-R-I-N-G.

Hell, there are like 14,999,999,999 other ones out there besides yours!

See, a “website” is not going to get people to come TO, hang out AT and tell their friends ABOUT anything. It needs to be MUCH more than just information.

It needs to be interactive.
It needs to be participative.
It needs to be updated regularly.

It needs to be THEE source, THEE go-to-place, the El Dorado, The Mecca … for a certain kind of people who want a certain kind of thing.
That’s a destination.

It needs to scream, “Here’s EXACTLY what you were looking for!” and not, “Hey, look at me! I’m a cool, flashy website with a dancing Alligator!”

That’s a destination.

Most importantly, it needs to be the LAST place your customers look for whatever it is they need.

That’s a destination.

Which, by the way, is defined as “the ultimate purpose for which you are destined.”

Wow. Has a nice ring to it, doncha think?

SO, ASK YOURSELF THIS: Do your customers want “A set of interconnected web pages,” or “the ultimate purpose for which they are destined”?

I think you know the answer to that question.

* * * *

Of course, the big challenge is transforming your website INTO a destination.

The first thing you need to do is evaluate your present site. Ask yourself (and your team) these ten questions:

1. Does your site leave a perception of value or vanity in the mind of a visitor”?
2. How are you getting customers to come back to your site just to see what you’ve been up to?
3. Is content king on your site?
4. Is your site an experience?
5. What are the Potential Silent Dialogues when visitors first come to your site?
6. When someone comes to your site, how do you want him to feel?
7. When someone comes to your site, what’s the ONE THING you want him to do?
8. When was the last time you added new content to your site?
9. When was the last time you invited your visitors to participate at your site?
10. Why would anyone spend more than 60 seconds at your site?

OK, now that you’ve gauged the effectiveness of your present site, it’s time to transform it into a destination!

NOTE: this IS an ongoing process. It may take months or even years! So, consider the following ideas simply as starting points. (And be sure to click through to each of the examples to see the principle in action!)
1. Build a permission asset. Seth Godin defines this as, “The privilege (not the right) to deliver anticipated, personal and relevant ideas to the people who CHOOSE to get them.”

So, use ezines, blogs, RSS feeds, widgets, ebooks or subscriptions to build your list. Get their email!

DESTINATION #1: www.gitomer.com

2. Content is king. Whether it’s articles, blog posts, videos, pictures, audio files, transcripts, tips, recipes or PDF’s, have enough content to keep people around.

If you get emails from people who say, “I just spent the last three hours on your website!” consider that a mark of a TRUE destination.

DESTINATION #2: www.faith.com

3. Foster community. With the advent on online social networking, web users are looking for other people with like-minded interests and worldviews to share and connect with.

So, make the site about connecting other people to each other, while occasionally promoting yourself. Make it about them. Give them a platform and they’ll be all the marketing you’ll ever need.

DESTINATION #3: www.squidoo.com

4. Membership. Offer various levels of involvement. Have free trials available. Get people hooked so they come back on a regular basis.

This not only creates subscription-based passive income, but works hand in hand with your permission asset.

DESINTATION #4: www.visualthesaurus.com

5. Regular updates. “Websites” are like newspapers: nobody wants to read them if they’re two years old. So, for your “destination,” consider embedding a blog into the site, or having regular updates, quotes, questions, videos, pictures or other forms of revolving content.

Cause people to think, “I should go back to that site and see what they’re up to today!”

DESTINATION #5: www.mobuzz.tv

– – –

These self-assessment questions and destination examples should be enough to convince you of the following face: websites are meaningless and destinations are magnificent!

So, be honest with yourself. Think hard.

Do you have a website or a destination?

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What makes your site a destination?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
But Seth’s new book. Where do you think I got all these ideas? 😉

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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The problem with tolerance

Let’s talk about “tolerance.”

FIRST: “Tolerance” as a word.
It comes from the Latin word tolerare, which means, “to bear or endure.”

SECOND: “Tolerance” as an idea.
The word tolerance was first recorded in 1539, although it wasn’t until 1868 that it was used in the context of “a physiological ability to take large doses.”

THIRD: “Tolerance” as an attitude.
As our country – and our world – becomes more connected and more integrated, our society’s attitude has also become more sensitive.

Sometimes overly sensitive, too.

Too many campaigns for “Zero Tolerance.”

Too many organizations and leaders callously throwing that word around.

And the worst part is, very few people who maintain a “tolerance attitude” don’t give a second thought to the true meaning of the word.

LASTLY: “Tolerance” as a relationship status.
OK, now it’s time to put together those first three factors you just read. Let’s use two examples:

1. If you say that you “tolerate” your spouse, what you’re really saying is, “I suffer when dealing with my spouse.”

2. If you say that you “tolerate” those annoying customers who call you every day (who, by the way, pay your salary) what you’re really saying is, “I’ve grown physiologically accustomed to taking large doses of those customers who call me every day.”

Doesn’t sound very positive, does it?

After all, if YOU were the customer – or the wife, or the partner, or the friend – how would it make you feel if the other person said she had to “tolerate” dealing with you?

Probably not like a “partner” at all.

More like a pain.

So, the word, the idea and the attitude of “tolerance” can send the wrong message.

In Chip Bell’s seminal book on service, Customers as Partners, he discusses the dangers of “tolerance.”

According to Bell, “tolerance” is about sufferance and continual resignation. It’s about endurance and fortitude.

More specifically, he explains three key problems about relationships based on tolerance:

1. Tolerance-Based Relationships maintain a degree of rigidity. They have the volume turned up on every flaw and error.

2. Tolerance-Based Relationships make people suffer in silence. As if they were perpetually pained by partner imperfections. What’s more, they propagate the attitude that, “This unfortunate disruption comes with the territory,” as Mr. Bell said.

3. Tolerance-Based Relationships are exercises in long-suffering. And unfortunately, they assume superiority by one party.

So the challenge, Bell says, is to view partnerships not with “tolerance,” but rather with “elasticity.”

Great word.

Coined in France in 1651, elasticity was a scientific term first used to describe certain gases. However, it derives from the Greek word elastos, which means, “ductile, flexible.”

Sounds a lot better, doesn’t it?

Being FLEXIBLE WITH your customers, as opposed to being TOLERANT OF your customers.

Being FLEXIBLE WITH your partner, as opposed to being TOLERANT OF your partner.

LESSON LEARNED: people would rather be dealt with “flexibility” than “tolerance.”

AND HERE’S THE BEST PART: elastic, or flexible relationships…

*Expand and are accommodating.
*Grow and unfold in their acceptance.
*Absorb the negatives without attention.
*Stretch so the relationship can breathe.
*Experience little bumps in the rocky road of the partnership.

Bell was right! (Thanks for the great quotes, Chip!)

Wouldn’t it be great if all your partnerships – in business AND in life – looked like that?

REMEMBER: elasticity, not tolerance.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you “tolerating” people or “being flexible” with people?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

First: consider what you’ve just learned about the meaning, the history, the implications and the attitude of the word “tolerance.”

Second: take some time in the next few weeks to monitor and evaluate how often that word enters your mind or exits your mouth.

Third: ask yourself the following question: Whom are you tolerating? Make a list. Be honest with yourself.

Fourth: make the CHOICE to change your thinking about that word.

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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The problem with WHY

Why?

It’s THE crucial question.

It fuels creativity.
It generates answers.
It promotes discovery.

In fact, asking, “Why?” has probably enabled more businesses, more organizations and more people to explore more ideas than any other question in the universe.

That being said, I’d like to spend a few minutes talking about the potential dangers of the word WHY.

Because as routinely as that word is used, it’s valuable to understand the possible negative implications. Especially if you hold a managerial or leadership position.

1. WHY? … can be seen as criticism.
Especially if you use the wrong tone of voice or body language.

2. WHY? … can make people feel defensive.
Especially if it conveys judgment, not curiosity; accusations, not observations.

3. WHY? … can force someone to justify his actions.
Which can be tough, because people don’t always know why they do stuff. They just do. And sadly, they (sometimes) don’t give much thought to their motives.

4. WHY? … can be internalized as a personal attack.
This goes WAY back. See, during a child’s socialization process, he hears things like: “Why did you do that?” “Why didn’t you listen to me? “Why did you disobey me?” And these feelings are ingrained in their minds forever.

5. WHY? … can be easily countered with “because.”
Because I just DID! Because I just don’t understand! Because I felt like it! Because I said so! Sound familiar? Sound frustrating? See, these “because” answers, while valid, still offer very little information. Plus, they sort of leave you nowhere to go in the conversation. It’s best to avoid the possibility of “because.”

SO, THAT’S THE BIG CHALLENGE: what do you say instead of, “Why?”

I’m glad you asked.

HERE’S THE FIRST SECRET: instead of asking, “Why?” ask, “What?”

WHY … produces generalizations, rationalizations, justifications.
WHAT … uncovers information, specification and motivation.

What, not why.

HERE’S THE SECOND SECRET: use variations like “what,” “how,” “when,” “which,” “where.”

They’re more objective, less defensive and enable you to depersonalize the question.

What, not why.

HERE’S THE FINAL SECRET: consider these alternative Phrases That Payses:

DON’T ASK: “Why did you…?”
DO ASK: “What was your reason for…?”

DON’T ASK: “Why would you…?”
DO ASK: “How could you have done it differently to avoid this error?”

DON’T ASK: “Why didn’t you…?”
DO ASK: “Where could you have gone to follow the proper procedure?”

DON’T ASK: “Why couldn’t you…”
DO ASK: “What, specifically, were you confused about?”

DON’T ASK: “Why weren’t you…”
DO ASK: “What factors went into your decision to…”

What, not why.

Practice using these alternatives to the often accusatory, potential dangerous “Why?” And as a result, you’ll give people permission to feel comfortable volunteering the information you need to know!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What do you use instead of “Why”?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your Phrases That Payses here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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If so, perhaps I could help on a more personal, one-on-one basis.

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What’s YOUR resume?

The problem with your resume is that YOU wrote it.

Which means it’s kind of biased.

You may as well call it a resu-MEE.

Because that’s what it is: ME saying why ME is so great.

If you want to persuade potential employers, prospects and customers to hire you, remember this: your resume is most effective when someone OTHER than you writes it.

In fact, the word resume comes from the Latin resumere, which means, “to sum up.”

So, your resume is anything (or anyone) that sums up why you rock so hard.

For example:

Your resume is your Google ranking.
Your resume is your comments section on your blog.
Your resume is your testimonial page on your website.
Your resume is your media room on your website.
Your resume is your book review section on Amazon.com.

Your resume is what people are saying about your name.
Your resume is what people are saying AFTER your name.
Your resume is what people are saying behind your back.

Now.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with having an actual, traditional resume.

It’s still a valuable professional tool.

JUST KEEP IN MIND: it’s almost 2008.

If someone wants to hire you, she’s going to validate your credibility from multiple sources.

Not just from one piece of paper that YOU wrote.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your resume?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Next time someone says, “Send me your resume,” send them a link like THIS.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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If so, perhaps I could help on a more personal, one-on-one basis.

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Stick yourself out there!

If you build it, they (might) come.

For that reason, you MUST stick yourself out there.

In three ways:

1. STICK YOURSELF OUT THERE … IN PERSON.

YOUR GOAL: to expand your comfort zone.

In the hallways. In the elevators. In your conversations. At networking events. At conferences. During meetings.

Be willing to do something crazy.

To break people’s patterns.
To violate their expectations.
To be unexpected and unforgettable.
To walk into a room and attract (not seek) attention.

EXAMPLES: your 10-second commercial, your company name, your greetings and your goodbyes.

2. STICK YOURSELF OUT THERE … ON THE WEB.

YOUR GOAL: to expand your web presence.

With blogs. With websites. With videos. With pictures. With articles. With Social Networking.

After all, if you don’t exist on the Internet, you don’t exist.

So, make sure you’re Googleicious.
And easy to find.
And perceived as THE (not “a”) expert.

EXAMPLES: start a blog, publish an ezine, post pictures of you “doing what you do” on Flickr and get a MySpace and Facebook page.

3. STICK YOURSELF OUT THERE … TO THE WORLD.

YOUR GOAL: to expand your opportunities.

To get help. To get better. To get new customers. To get connected to the right people. To get sponsors, champions and mentors.

Fortunately, the universe is responsive and participative.
It is ready at all times to guide and mentor us.
Ask, believe, (work your ass off) and you shall receive.

EXAMPLES: share your goals with others, define your perfect customer and share that with people who can refer you, continually ask, pray and EXPECT the world will deliver your requests.

Stick yourself out there.

CAUTION: when practicing this philosophy; remember that negative outcomes ARE possible.

Beware of haters, piggybackers, bloodsuckers, time-wasters and opportunities disguised as tricks.

All those dangers arise when you stick yourself out there.

But the good news is, fortune favors the bold. So, when you stick yourself out there – in person, on the web and to the world – you will get them to come to you.

“Them” meaning the media.
“Them” meaning new customers.
“Them” meaning your employees, friends and fans.
“Them” meaning opportunities, wealth and lucky breaks.

That’s what approachability is all about.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How do you stick yourself out there?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your philosophy here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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If so, perhaps I could help on a more personal, one-on-one basis.

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If your clients are not actively telling their friends about you…

Oscar Wilde once remarked, “The only thing worse than being talked about is NOT being talked about.”

So, if your customers are not ACTIVELY telling their friends about your business…

1. That means you’re probably selling a dead brand.

2. That means you’re probably different, not unique.

3. That means you’re probably doing something wrong.

4. That means you’re probably perceived as a commodity.

5. That means you’re probably not word of mouth worthy.

6. That means you’re probably creating customers, not FANS.

7. That means you’re probably not getting much new business.

8. That means you’re probably not doing something important.

9. That means you’re probably not as great as you think you are.

10. That means you’re probably boring, unremarkable and normal.

11. That means you’re probably not making the mundane memorable.

12. That means you’re probably spending too much money on marketing.

13. That means you’re probably not expanding your overall customer base.

14. That means you’re probably poorly positioned in their minds, not in the market.

15. That means you’re probably creating customer SATISFACTION, not customer loyalty or insistence.

Look. Word of mouth is everything. And anonymity is your greatest barrier to business success.

SO REMEMBER: businesses that get talked about get more business.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Who’s telling their friends about YOU?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
If you’re clients are not actively telling their friends about you, what (else) does that mean?

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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Manage the environment

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 naturally connect.

Don’t make people friendlier.
Create and manage an environment in which people are likely to become friendlier.

Don’t get people to ask questions.
Create and manage an environment where people feel comfortable, empowered and non-threatened so they are more likely to ask questions.

Don’t make art.
Create and manage an environment from which art is inspired.

Don’t become a celebrity or an expert.
Create and manage an environment that constantly augments, reinforces and enhances your celebrity/expert status.

Don’t increase the number of participants.
Create and manage an environment where healthy participation naturally emerges.

Don’t get people talking about your new idea or product.
Create and manage an environment that enables, supports and rewards authentic dialogue.

If you create the right kind of environment, the right atmosphere, the right space and the right energy, the people inside of it will (hopefully) take care of themselves.

REMEMBER: we are not free to determine the contents of experience.

Just the environment.

Thanks, Joe!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How do you manage your environment?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Read Joe’s book. Today.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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The advantage of being an outsider

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 their bosses.

Same old information. Same old company. Same old industry.

BOR-ING.

They need fresh air.
They need new perspective.
They need someone from the outside.

And that’s where you come in.

SO, REMEMBER THIS: being an outsider is a position of value.

Here’s why:

1. OUTSIDERS … can be truly objective.

o Because they have little or no bias.
o Because they can recognize patterns immediately
o Because they have no stake in the company or organization.
o Because they don’t bring vested interests to an existing problem.
o Because they can explore the structure of an organization with fresh eyes.
o Because they’re not viewed as a threat, which diffuses defensiveness and increases the willingness to listen.

2. OUTSIDERS … don’t face traditional barriers.

o Because they are unaware of common creative blocks.
o Because they’re not subject internal politics of the organization.
o Because they can explore assumptions the organization that were never thought of or taken for granted

3. OUTSIDERS … can deliver independent thought.

o Because their thinking patterns are different.
o Because they’re detached from the outcomes.
o Because they’re not so close to the situation and therefore have limited agendas.
o Because their wealth of diverse background experience applies cross-industrially.

So, next time you’re trying to secure a new client, just remember: it’s OK to be an outsider.

Outsiders observe, think and speak from a position of value and equity.

REMEMBER: it’s a lot easier to break the limit when you don’t know the limit exists.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you an outsider?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Post your best story or example in which being an outsider enabled you to help your clients!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

Read more blogs!
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Download articles and ebooks!
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Make a name for yourself here…

Before we make our move, let’s call…

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 to be thinking, “Wait. Before we take the next step, we better call Dave…”

AND THAT’S THE SECRET: positioning yourself as a resource.

The Go-To-Guy. The answer.

I’m actually reading two great books on this topic right now: The Trusted Adviser and Clients for Life.

(FYI, I read five books a week. And I rarely recommend any of them on my blog because, frankly, few of them are worth recommending. But these two are home runs.)

Anyway, to get started becoming a trusted adviser, ask yourself these questions:

1. If everybody did exactly what you said, what would the work look like?
2. If someone paid you $5000 to sit down with you for one hour, what would you tell him?
3. If someone was going to pay you $1000 an hour, what are the questions they’ve got to ask you to get their money’s worth?
4. What are you recognized as being the best at?
5. What are you the obvious expert on?
6. What do I know that other people find valuable?
7. What ideas do you have that you’re afraid people will steal?

OK. Now that you have a blueprint for your expertise, here’s the second step…

DON’T BE SELFISH WITH YOUR KNOWLEDGE!!!

Share it with the world! Start a blog, publish a newsletter, hand out philosophy cards, offer free 15-minute consultations, give free talks in your local business community, anything to maintain top of mind awareness!

After all, positioning isn’t about MARKET share; it’s about MIND share.

Become the person people think to call before they take another step.

Become a trusted adviser.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you That Guy?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your three best tips for positioning yourself as a trusted adviser.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

Read more blogs!
Rent Scott’s Brain!
Download articles and ebooks!
Watch training videos on NametagTV!

Make a name for yourself here…

Hear The Nametag Guy on the Marketing Monday Podcast!

Just finished an interview with my new friend, Dean Jackson, from Marketing Monday.

We had great discussion about one of my favorite topics, PERMISSION.

In sales.
In marketing.
In conversation.

You can read the transcript or download the MP3!

Enjoy!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your best Marketing Monday tip?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Post it here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

Read more blogs!
Rent Scott’s Brain!
Download articles and ebooks!
Watch training videos on NametagTV!

Make a name for yourself here…

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