Tag: get them to come to you

Things I Don’t Understand, Pt. 2


PICTURE THIS: you get an email from someone you’ve never met.

Let’s say his name is Matt.

He’s read your blog.
He introduces himself.
He tells you what he does for a living.
Then he asks you to check out his website (if you have time).

Perfectly fine, right?

Nothing wrong with reaching out to someone new!

But.

THEN, let’s say Matt asks, “Could you please blog about my website?”

How would that make you feel?

– – –

Now, if it were me, I’d feel curious.

Curious why someone would have to ASK another person to spread word of mouth about his idea.

AFTER ALL: if an idea was sticky, cool, remarkable and word-of-mouth-worthy, people wouldn’t NEED to be asked to spread the word, right?

KNOW THIS: people are going to tell their friends about your stuff because they connect with it, because there’s an easy story to share and because it’s remarkable.

Not because you asked them to.

In fact, asking might even work against you.

Asking might cause someone to think you’re DES-PER-ATE.

That maybe your idea isn’t worth spreading.

“Well now that he ASKED me to spread the word about his idea, I’m not going to!” someone thinks.

Now, I fully believe that the answer to every question you DON’T ask is no.

Nothing wrong with asking for referrals.

However.

People don’t want to be told what to talk about. They want to decide on their own.

That’s what makes word of mouth the #1 marketing medium on the planet.

Because it’s proactive.
Because it’s authentic.
Because it’s unsolicited.

And yet, businesspeople continue to say things like:

*Please forward this email!
*Could you check out my site and blog it?
*We love referrals!
*Please give this extra copy to someone who might be interested in my services!
*Send this to 10 of your friends!
*Can you pass this on to everyone on your mailing list?

Stop. Please.

Put your tongue back into your mouth. You’re getting slobber all over me.

DON’T: focus on asking people to spread the word for you.

DO: concentrate on making your ideas, products and services self-evident. Build remarkability into them ahead of time.

That way, you won’t HAVE to ask.

People will just do it.

– – –

P.S. If you could link this article and post it on your blog, I’d really appreciate it.

Pretty please with sugar on top?

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Do you think WOM need to be solicited?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Think about the last five products or services you told your friends about. Did the company ASK you to do that? Or did you just do it because they rocked?

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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13 reasons to give stuff away for free

1. Because the more you give away for free, the wealthier you will be. Read more about this theory here.

2. Because stuff that you create doesn’t do you any good sitting in a folder on your computer.

3. Because you can let the world be your editor. By sharing your ideas (for free) with lots of people, you will get unexpected, unsolicited feedback on how to improve it.

4. Because the more stuff you have out there for free, the more fans you will create.

5. Because the Internet was founded upon the idea of free. And some things (like information, articles, videos, content,) are so readily available, that if you DON’T have at least SOME stuff for free, people are going to find them elsewhere.

6. Because if you dropped a piano and a plum off of the Empire State Building, which one would hurt more if it hit you? Exactly. The piano. Because More Mass = More Power.

7. Because who’s more of an expert: someone who wrote 12 articles or someone who write 1,200 articles?

8. Because, “The act of giving away our knowledge makes it again fresh in our mind,” says my hero, Julia Cameron.

9. Because it boosts your Google juice.

10. Because it increases the odds of someone NEW reading your stuff, thus earning their loyalty.

11. Because it increases the odds of someone OLD reading your stuff, thus reinforcing their loyalty.

12. Because it delivers multiple forms of value.

13. Because it increases website revisitability.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Why do you give stuff away for free?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best reasons here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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Be the bulls-eye, not the arrow

We live in a My Culture.

Here’s why.

Because of the exponential growth of Internet, humans now have instant access to infinite amounts of information.

This creates a hyperspeed, infinite-choice society where people are BOMBARDED by thousands of marketing messages on a daily basis.

Which makes customers’ patience dwindle.

Which reduces attention span to about six seconds.

Which ultimately means: customers are going to get WHAT they want, WHEN and HOW they want it.

And there’s nothing you can do about it.

My Culture.

For example, let’s go back to about a decade ago when it all started.

Before Tivo.
Before Google.
Before YouTube.

Remember when Windows 95 came out?

It was SO cool! Especially that little folder called “My Documents.”

Wow! customers thought. MY Documents? All for me! This is great!

And thus began a worldwide trend of false ownership.

MY AOL.
MY music.
MY favorites.
MY homepage.
MY documents.

My, my, my, my, my!

Me, me, me, me, me!

Hence: My Culture.

And there’s not necessarily anything BAD about it.

It’s just a complete reversal from previous generations.

And businesspeople need to recognize this.

See, in the past, the mass media, big companies and worldwide organizations dictated WHAT, WHEN and HOW we got information.

Take TV, for example:

Thursday night? Time for Friends!
Saturday morning? Let’s watch college football!
Sunday evening? Turn on the Simpsons!

That’s how it used to be.

But now, things are reversed.

Now, customers are calling the shots.

*Going out of town on Sunday? No problem! You can just Tivo The Simpsons and watch it (commercial free) on Tuesday afternoon.

*Ran to the bathroom during Peyton Manning’s game-wining Hail Mary pass at the buzzer? No worries! Just pause live TV, go back two minutes and watch it again.

*Missed Gray’s Anatomy last week? Fear not! Hop on to YouTube or www.graysanatomy.com and watch the highlights!

My Culture.

SO, HERE’S THE BIG CHALLENGE: how do you reach customers who already know what they want?

HERE’S THE BIG ANSWER: reverse your marketing.

Stop operating on an old school model.

Don’t sell. ENABLE … customers to buy.
Don’t look. ATTRACT … customers to you.
Don’t push. PULL … customers towards you.

Essentially:

Don’t be the arrow. Be the bull’s-eye.

Let them target YOU.

That’s Reverse Target Marketing: sticking yourself out there and enabling the ideal market target YOU.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Be a big, beautiful, juicy target.
2. Let the market define itself for you.

Then, once you deliver value and stick yourself out there in a unique, yet specific way, three things will happen.

FIRST, WHEN YOU’RE THE TARGET: customers come out of nowhere.

Unexpected markets you never would have thought of start saying things like, “Your product is SO perfect for someone like me because…”

And you just sit there, smiling, taking mental notes!

Because they just did your market research for you.

SECOND, WHEN YOU’RE THE TARGET: you don’t have to waste your money.

Advertising, direct mail, brochures and all that other tree killing, money burning crap? Things of the past!

Now, you can focus your efforts on what’s most important: serving, respecting and retaining those customers that identified themselves FOR you.

THIRD, WHEN YOU’RE THE TARGET: customers are self-qualified.

Which reduces the cost of sales.
Which reduces your level of effort.
Which reduces your average sales cycle.

Which makes you a lot of money WITHOUT annoying, interrupting and disrespecting the people you serve.

THE BOTTOM LINE: when you match a My Culture with Reverse Target Marketing, you win. The customers win.

Because ultimately, in a My Culture, the customer is going to find her target eventually.

So, it only makes sense that you make your target as big possible, right?

Don’t aim; be aimed at.

Don’t be the arrow; be the bull’s-eye.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How are you reversing your marketing?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best Bulls-eye Basics here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

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13 signs that your idea probably isn’t that good

1. Your idea probably isn’t that good … If everybody loves it.

2. Your idea probably isn’t that good … If nobody wants to steal it.
3. Your idea probably isn’t that good … If you can easily duplicate it.

4. Your idea probably isn’t that good … If you don’t have them at hello.

5. Your idea probably isn’t that good … If you can’t explain it to a five year old.

6. Your idea probably isn’t that good … If it’s just an ECHO of someone else’s idea.

7. Your idea probably isn’t that good … If people can’t easily and quickly repeat it.

8. Your idea probably isn’t that good … If you can’t explain it in eight words or less.

9. Your idea probably isn’t that good … If you continuously get shot down at “Why?”

10. Your idea probably isn’t that good … If you have to try excessively hard to convince people.

11. Your idea probably isn’t that good … If you can’t convince a bank to lend you money.

12. Your idea probably isn’t that good … If you can’t write it down on the back of a business card.

13. Your idea probably isn’t that good … If you have to spend three weeks constantly explaining to someone why your idea is so cool, and they STILL don’t “get” it.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What are the telltale signs of an idea that isn’t that good?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Complete this sentence, “If _________________, then your idea probably isn’t that good.”

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

Read more blogs!
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Make a name for yourself here…

How to (not) exist

If you can’t define your product … it doesn’t exist.
Because a confused mind never buys.

If you don’t have a unique product … it doesn’t exist.
Because a choice-saturated mind never buys.

If it doesn’t exist on the Internet … it doesn’t exist.
Not just a web-SITE; a web-PRESENCE. Octopus, not earthworm.

If you can’t Google it … it doesn’t exist.
What happens when someone googles your name?

If people aren’t talking about your product … it doesn’t exist.
It’s simple: get noticed = get remembered = get business. Who’s blogging about you?

If you’re not marketing your company DAILY … it doesn’t exist.
People who “do a little marketing here and there” will “get new customers … here and there.”

If you can’t describe your product eight words or less … it doesn’t exist.
Customers crave simplicity. Could you explain your idea to a kindergartner?

If you don’t write it down … it doesn’t exist.
Because if you don’t write it down, it never happened. That’s why writing is the basis of all wealth.

If people aren’t retelling your story … it doesn’t exist.
The only true reason your business will grow is if your existing customers are telling your potential customers about you. Word of mouth is the most honest, most sincere and most authentic form of marketing.

If you can’t be reached … you don’t exist.
Even without Google, people still need to be able to contact you. So, if your phone numbers, addresses and emails are out of date, disconnected or no longer in service, you’ve got a problem. Because if they can’t get you, they’ll just pick the next guy on the list.

REMEMBER: anonymity is your greatest barrier to business success.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What causes someone (or something) to NOT exist?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Complete this sentence: If ____________, then you don’t exist.

* * * *
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!
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Make a name for yourself here…

Are you an octopus or an earthworm?

The major problem with your website is that it’s an earthworm.

It only reaches out in one direction.

You need to be more like an octopus.

Reaching out in multiple directions.

I believe this is the single biggest online mistake made by businesspeople today.

They have a web-SITE … when what they really need a web-PRESENCE.

Consider these three C-trends:

COMPETITION. The web is no longer the property of the elite, the tech-savvy or the big companies. Any ten year-old kid with a modest knowledge of how the Internet works can set up a website in less than a half-hour! This means that the barriers to entry are almost non-existent.

WATCH THIS: if you aren’t building your web presence, odds are your competitors ARE.

CHOICES. Customers have more choices than every before. This means they are going to seek out the best. And in their minds, the “best” probably means “the first hit on Google.” So, without a powerful web presence, you’re going to end up on page 11 of a search that never got finished. The customer just picked the first company on the list and called it a day.

WATCH THIS: if you ain’t first, you’re last! (Thanks, Ricky Bobby)

COMMUNICATION. Instant messenger, email, widgets, search engines, blog directories, social book marking software, RSS feeds, widgets, blog comments … these are just a few of the way customers are going to seek you out. See, the nature of the web allows people to obtain information according to THEIR needs and THEIR learning style. So, if there’s only ONE way to get a hold of you, Mr. Earthworm, you’ve just alienated a LOT of potential customers!

WATCH THIS: if they can’t get a hold of you, they’ll just move onto the next guy.

Considering these three trends, there’s no doubt about it: you need a web presence.

If you want to make your company more e-approachable, remember these three Tentacle Tips:

TENTACLE TIP #1: Publish
The most effective tool for expanding your web presence is to through writing. Whether it’s via blogs, articles or messages boards, your unique voice needs to be out there, delivering value regularly. More importantly, everything you write needs a built-in response mechanism that filters readers back to your baseline.

REMEMBER: writing is the basis of all wealth. So, while you don’t have to like it, you still have to do it!

TENTACLE TIP #2: Experiment
The list of social networking sites, blog platforms and other online communities is growing exponentially. Some are great, some suck. So, be open to trying new ways to expand your web presence on a regular basis.

REMEMBER: watch your industry leaders closely. Emulate (don’t imitate) their octopus-like behavior and stick with what works for you.

TENTACLE TIP #3: Internetworking
Once you’ve spread your tentacles out to various sources, you need to interconnect them. To do this, establish your own online neighborhood. Create a landing page that cross-promotes each of your websites. You could even create a toolbar, set of icons or “network menu” at the top of each of your sites. This keeps the customer aware of your multiple sites, plus demonstrates diversification of value.

REMEMBER: you can’t expect customers to connect the dots. Grab them by the shirt collar, pull ‘em in close and show ‘em what you’ve got!

Look, it’s 2007, Holmes.

Just having a website is no longer enough.

Considering these trends in competition, choices and communication of the web, the bottom line is,

You need to be everywhere.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you an octopus or an earthworm?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Make a list of ten (potential) tentacles for your business. Try them all for six months. Keep the ones that work!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

Read more blogs!
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Make a name for yourself here…

Approachable Service: When Google Doesn’t Matter

My kitchen sink clogged up the other day.

No problem, I thought. I’ll just call a local plumber to help me out.

Hopped onto Google.

Typed in St. Louis Plumbers.

And I was presented with several excellent options.

The first hit was a plumbing company located a few miles from my house.

Naturally, I called them first.

And nobody picked up.

So I tried the next hit on Google. Also close to my house.

And nobody picked up.

Then I scrolled over to the sponsored links. I clicked on a promising looking website description, got their phone number, called, got a voicemail, pressed extension #2 for “Bruce…”

And nobody picked up.

“Damn it! This is ridiculous!” I exclaimed.

“Screw it –- I’m calling Roto-Rooter.”

I took a wild guess and typed in www.roto-rooter.com.

Bingo!

I called their customer service hotline. An agent picked up the call on the second ring.

Woo hoo!

“I’m sorry to hear about your kitchen, sir. We’ll take care of you!” she promised.

Heck yeah!

After I gave her some basic information, she replied, “We can have someone at your home within the hour.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely sir! Let me check our schedule…”

Sure enough, the plumber was over right away. He took care of my clog, told me how to prevent it in the future and even gave me a free sample of Drano.

LESSON LEARNED: it doesn’t matter how great your service is if nobody can get a hold of you to find out how great it is.

Because any number multiplied by zero is still zero.

Sure, quality is vital, but accessibility comes first. Without it, you may as well be winking in the dark.

Because if you’re not A-vailable, customers are going to find A-nother company to hire.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
If nobody’s there to answer your customer’s phone calls, does your Google ranking even matter?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best “when Google doesn’t matter story” here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

Read more blogs!
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Make a name for yourself here…

Always have something to give

PICTURE THIS: you plop down next to a friendly guy on the plane.

After a brief greeting, he asks about your work.

“I’m an author,” you say.

“Cool! What kind of books?” he asks.

So you tell him. And he becomes very excited. Obviously, he’s a perfect reader for you.

“Wow, that sounds great,” he replies. “My entire office needs to read your book! You wouldn’t happen to have an extra copy in your bag, would you?”

“Oh, uh … no. Sorry,” you say. “But I’m sure your local Borders has it in stock.”

“Oh.”

Yeah. “Oh” is right.

LESSON LEARNED: being in the right place at the right time does you no good…

Until you deliver VALUE.

That’s one of the keys to sticking yourself out there: always having something to give.

As an author, I don’t go anywhere without at least one of my books.

Because you never know whom you might meet.
You never know who might ask for one.
And you never know what business opportunities might arise by one.

Of course, this isn’t just about authors.

This is about ANY entrepreneur, artist, solo practitioner, consultant, writer, speaker, performer or musician … who wants to make a name for himself.

Always have something to give.

See, people need visuals. They need proof that you’re the real deal.

Unfortunately, first impressions don’t take very long. That’s why having something to give the perfect shortcut.

I remember a few years ago, I was chatting with a guy while waiting in line at Kinko’s. Turns out he was an up-and-coming DJ.

When I asked him if he had any of his music handy, he said, “Sure, follow me…”

We walked over to his car, he popped the trunk, and this guy had five boxes of CD’s ready to go!

“Here ya go! I always keep a few copies handy, just in case,” he laughed.

Think that guy is going to be successful?

Absolutely!

Because he’s always ready to pitch on a moment’s notice.

Because he always has something to give.

See, Strategic Serendipity is about preparation.

And if you want to make a name for yourself, consider all the potential things YOU could be ready to give!

1. Philosophy cards
2. Tip sheets
3. Demo Videos
4. Copies of your CDs
5. Copies of your books

…all of these items deliver value, support your brand and enable a conversation to go from mundane to memorable.

So whether it’s in person, on the plane or even waiting in line at Kinko’s, remember this:

Being in the right place at the right time does you no good…

Until you deliver VALUE.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Do you always have something to give?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Make a list of 10 potential freebies you could give away at a moment’s notice. Try one a week.

* * * *
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!
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Make a name for yourself here…

Even when you say no, you’re still marketing

PICTURE THIS: you get an email out the blue from a prospect.

But not just ANY prospect … the perfect customer.

Exactly the type of client you want to work with.

The good news is; they want to hire you!
The bad news is; you’re booked solid.

Looks like you’re going to have to turn down their business.

What do you do?

Well, first of all, saying no isn’t really BAD news. After all, it means…

You’re in demand.
You’re staying busy.
You’re attracting the right type of clients.

That’s a great place for any company to be!

BUT HERE’S THE CHALLENGE: how do you say no to new business … while STILL marketing?

Take a lesson from Progressive Insurance.

In 1994, Progressive became the first auto insurance company to provide its rates alongside the rates of other companies.

That way, consumers could easily compare and decide … even if they didn’t use Progressive!

I remember when their commercials first came out. EVERYBODY was talking about them.

“So, Progressive will give you the insurance rates of their competitors? That’s so cool!”

Cool, indeed.

Not what you’d expect from an insurance company, right?

Exactly. Which is precisely why that sentence became their widely recognized tagline.

Also, I snooped around online and found this great excerpt from their annual report:

“Fast. Fair. Better. That’s what you can expect from Progressive. Everything we do recognizes the needs of busy consumers who are cost-conscious, increasingly savvy about insurance and ready for easy, new ways to quote, buy and manage their policies, including claims service that respects their time and reduces the trauma and inconvenience of loss.”

Wow.

Progressive LOVES and RESPECTS their customers SO MUCH, they’ll do whatever it takes to make them happy.

Even if it means forfeiting new business!

See, Progressive found a way to say no to its potential customers … while STILL maintaining (and reinforcing) brand integrity.

That’s the way the game of marketing should be played.

So, if you find yourself in a situation where you just HAVE to turn new business away, remember this:

Don’t just say no and then hang up!

“Well, we’re sorry sir. Can’t help ya out today. But, we wish you good luck fishing that dead raccoon out of your chimney. Bye!”

If you were that customer, how would YOU feel?

INSTEAD, TRY THIS: create a policy, procedure or protocol for saying no. Have options or a decision tree on-hand. Find a way to STILL serve the customer, even if he’s not your customer. Position yourself as a resource, and they’ll come back next time!

THEN, TRY THIS: consider your network of colleagues to whom you’d gladly refer client overflow. Whoever you think would be a good fit, send them a heads-up email or phone call first. Then offer their name to your prospect. Finally, follow up about a week later to see if it worked out. It’s good karma.

ULTIMATELY, REMEMBER THIS: when you forfeit new business to vouch for a colleague’s credibility, your credibility will increase as well. Clients will respect your discretion, honesty and generosity. And those characteristics will stay in their mind for the next time they (or someone else) needs you.

Because, as I learned from Seth Godin, even when you say no, you’re still marketing.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Do you build marketing in your no’s?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share an example of how saying NO at one point … enabled a customer say YES at a future point.

* * * *
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…

What finish line?

My mastermind group used to meet in a conference room at an ad agency.

The first time we held our session there, I couldn’t help but notice the powerful slogan painted across the office wall:

“What finish line?”

Wow. What a concept, I thought.

Imagine a company with no finish line.

Meaning, they’ve never arrived.
Meaning, they’re always getting better.
Meaning, they’re never resting on their laurels.

No finish line. Cool!

That was a few years ago. But it wasn’t until recently that I started thinking about that same idea again.

So I did some googling. And the following five quotations popped up:

1. In The Artist’s Way, author Julia Cameron says, “Art is never finished. It simply stops in interesting places.”

2. Leonardo da Vicni is well known for saying, “Art is never finished, only abandoned.”

3. Harry S. Truman in his 1953 State of the Union Address said, “The Nation’s business is never finished. New dreams must replace our old dreams; new horizons must open up; new challenges arise to test us–to test our spirit and our resolve.”

4. John Maxwell once wrote, “If you think you’ve arrived, you’re in trouble.”

5. Philosopher Baltazar Gracian wrote, “Display minimal self-satisfaction.”

That’s the way business is supposed to be.

Neverending. Always improving. No finish line.

Kaizen, as the Japanese like to say.

So, I guess it’s safe to say:

You’re never finished learning.
You’re never finished growing.
You’re never finished thinking.
You’re never finished asking questions.
You’re never finished becoming a better writer.
You’re never finished e-x-p-a-n-d-i-n-g your creativity.

And so on.

There is no finish line.

Just when you get there, “there” should disappear.

Because eventually, people, customers, fans and prospects are going to start wondering, “What have you done for me lately?”

And if you’ve been skating by on one measly past success from decades ago, resting on your laurels…

Not getting better
Not expanding or improving your expertise
Not enhancing the value you deliver

…then your customers are going to assume that you’ve already CROSSED the finish line.

And they’re gonna hire someone else.

Someone who isn’t so complacent as to think he’s arrived.

So, tighten up your Nikes.

Grab a Powerbar.

And take a quick swig of Gatorade.

Because there ain’t no finish line.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
When was the last time you created new value?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Post the question, “What finish line?” on several sticky notes. Post them everywhere.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

Are you the luckiest person you know?

Watch Scott’s interview on 20/20!

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