Approachable Managers: Lay a Foundation of Affirmation

Because acknowledgment is a universal human need, listening is (initially) about AFFIRMATION.

Making people feel valued, validated and important.

See, human beings shape their self-image based on how they are responded to by others.

For example:

o If someone grew up hearing messages like, “I don’t wanna hear it right now!” and “Stop asking so many questions!”

…it’s likely that she would develop a reticence when approaching people in the future.

o On other hand, if comments like, “Tell me more!” and “That’s a great question!” were ingrained into someone’s mind…

…his future level of approachability would be dramatically different.

For that reason, your (potential) influence as the listener is powerful.

So, you MUST take the opportunity to lay a foundation of affirmation. That way your employees will authentically open up to you.

AND REMEMBER: Even if you don’t care FOR, approve OF or agree WITH someone’s ideas, when they approach YOU in need of a bended ear, you job is to let them know thahttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gift you heard them.

Here’s a quick list of 8 Phrases That Payses to help affirm your speaker:

1. You’re raising an important issue.
2. Great question!
3. I’m really glad you brought that up.
4. When you said (x), that triggered the following thought for me…
5. I’m SO glad you asked that question.
6. Interesting point.
7. That is one option we will need to look at.
8. I was hoping you’d ask that question!

(If you need more, you could always consult your friendly affirmation ball.)

Verbiage like this is positive, approachable and affirming. And the best part is, it advances the conversation into a mutually shared space in which people feel safe to open up to you.

And THAT enables you to learn what’s going on with your employees, uncover problems and suggest solutions.

SO REMEMBER: Growing bigger ears is (first) about laying a foundation of affirmation.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How do you affirm your employees and team members?

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

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

Want your employees to open up to you?
Tune in to The Entrepreneur Channel on NametagTV.com!

Watch video lessons on growing bigger ears!

What does your email say about YOU?

Email addresses are VERY telling.

About your personality.
About your creativity and uniqueness.
About your professionalism (or lack thereof).

What’s more, email addresses elicit certain emotions when people first see them.

Let’s look at a few examples.

NOTE: None of these emails are actually real (to my knowledge). I just made them up. However, if any of them ARE real, I don’t mean to offend anybody. My apologies to Kayla.

1. [email protected]

POTENTIAL SILENT DIALOGUES:

o “He’ll never write me back!”
o “Great. Does this email even go to a real person?”
o “Well, so much for getting my problem answered quickly!”

2. [email protected]

POTENTIAL SILENT DIALOGUES:

o “Who still uses AOL?”
o “Who the heeck is Kayla?”
o “I bet SHE works from home…”

3. [email protected]

POTENTIAL SILENT DIALOGUES:

o “Wait, are two people going to read this email I’m about to send?”
o “Why can’t Steve and Mary get separate email addresses?”
o “Will the privacy of my letter be violated?”

4. [email protected]

POTENTIAL SILENT DIALOGUES:

o “Do I really want to do business with someone who has an email like this?”
o “Can’t this guy get a company email, or does he just sell junk cars from his back yard?”

5. [email protected]

POTENTIAL SILENT DIALOGUES:

o “What does 783 mean?”
o “Is Dave so lazy and uncreative that he needed Hotmail to create his email address FOR him? And is that the kind of person I want to do business with?”
o “Who still uses Hotmail?”

6. m_876#[email protected]

POTENTIAL SILENT DIALOGUES:

o “Is this spam?”
o “Is this even a real email address?”
o “Whose email is this?”

7. [email protected]

POTENTIAL SILENT DIALOGUES:

o “If this lady was such a ‘killer’ artist, wouldn’t she have her own website, and not have to use SBC?”
o “Kind of an uncreative email address for a ‘super creative artist,’ huh?”
o “Wait, what was her actual name again?”

– – –

Look folks.

Email addresses don’t need to be works of art.

But at the same time, they don’t need to be boring.

So, evaluate the perception of yours. Ask yourself how professional, accurate and unique your email address REALLY is, and what the first impression is when someone sees it for the first time.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What does your email say about YOU?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Post a list right here called, “Types of Email Addresses that Really Annoy Me,” along with the PSD’s (Potential Silent Dialogues) that accompany each one.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

Do you have MARKET share or MIND share?

Tune in to The Marketing Channel on NametagTV.com for video lessons on creating unforgettable brands that magnetize more business!

Be SO good that customers can’t even tell

Walk into any Lush store around the world, and most customers will have the same response:

“These guys are SO good, their soaps don’t even look like soap!”

When was the last time YOU took a picture of SOAP?

Probably never.

But the people at Lush are just THAT good.

Tune in to The Ace of Cakes on Food Network (Staring culinary arr-teest Duff Goldman), and most viewers will share the same thought:

“That dude his SO good, his cakes don’t even look like cakes!

When was the last time YOU took a picture of a CAKE?

Unless it was a wedding, probably never.

But Charm City Cakes are just THAT good.

LESSON LEARNED: As Michael Cane said, “The art is hiding the art.”

That’s great advice.

And I think you can apply this principle to a variety of situations:

CREATE marketing that’s SO fun, SO cool and SO participative…
That your fans don’t even realize you’re marketing to them.

SELL your stuff with SUCH passion, SUCH comfort and SUCH service…
That your prospects don’t even realize you’re selling to them.

PERFORM sp effortlessly, SO naturally and SO emotionally…
That your audience doesn’t even realize you’re performing for them.

WRITE so engagingly, SO well-architected and with SO much personality…
That your readers don’t even realize they’re reading.

BUILD community that’s SO organic, SO authentic and SO inviting…
That your members don’t even realize they’re members of an organization.

NOTE: This doesn’t mean tricking, duping or manipulating people.

It just means being really, really good and doing what you do.

That’s what being That Guy is all about.

So good that people get lost in your brilliance and don’t even realize you’re doing what you do.

Never let ‘em catch you acting.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Who do YOU know that’s so good at doing what they do, people can’t even tell?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best example here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

How are YOU making the mundane memorable?

Tune in to The Frontline Channel on NametagTV.com for video lessons on creating and keeping ~~satisfied~~ insistent customers!

Being More Parodyable = Being More Profitable

Ask yourself three questions:

1. When was the last time someone parodied you?
2. When was the last time someone parodied your idea?
3. When was the last time someone parodied your company?

If your answer is, “Never,” then that should tell your something.

Kind of reminds us of the old saying, “Imitation is the highest form of flattery.”

See, if people aren’t at least TALKING about you – much less joking about you – you’re in trouble.

LESSON LEARNED: Businesses that get made fun of get more business.

Usually.

Obviously, Enron isn’t exactly a thriving corporation anymore.

Obviously, Crystal Pepsi didn’t exactly win the Soft Drink of Year.

But in many cases, people and ideas and organizations that are joked about, parodied – even made fun of – are usually the ones who are making a name for themselves.

And in my experience (as someone who gets made fun of a lot) there are five reasons why parody leads to profit:

1. It means you’re getting NOTICED. Amidst the clutter, infinite choices – and within the narrow window of time you have to get your message out – it’s an accomplishment just to get someone’s attention!

So, because nobody notices normal anymore, breaking through that initial clutter is the most important step. Just being recognized is a victory!

2. It means you’re being REMEMBERED. That’s the next step. Because usually, those who get noticed … get remembered. And those who get remembered, get business. That is, as long as there’s SOME substance to back up the shtick.

Of course, the brain (still) HAS to be appealed to emotionally! So, that’s why when it comes to memory, humor works best. That which is ridiculous and exaggerated is remembered.

3. It means you’re getting TALKED ABOUT. Oscar Wilde once remarked, “The only thing worse than being talked about is NOT being talked about.” So, even if you or your ideas are being parodied, joked about or spoofed on, think of it as a compliment AND a victory.

REMEMBER:If your clients are not actively telling their friends about you, that probably means THIS.

4. You’re being IMITATED. Seth Godin recently came out with an action figure. It’s HILARIOUS! And it’s a perfect example of being parodyable.

So, if people are imitating your idea, that should tell you a few things. Things like:

o It’s remarkable
o It’s worth copying
o It’s simple to understand
o It’s the origin, not the echo
o It’s unique, not different.

Sounds like a good idea to me!

5. It means you”re being MARKETED. Sure, it might sting a bit to see a group of 16 year-old kids parody your company in a YouTube video. But at the lowest common denominator – that’s still free publicity! If I were you, I’d send them a thank you note. Er, maybe some brownies.

– – –

Now, understandably, nobody likes being made fun of.

So, I’m not encouraging you to go out there and humiliate yourself. Nor am I suggesting that any company who gets made fun of will automatically become successful.

However, let us not forget the power of the poke.

Because in my experience, parody often leads to profit.

After all, if people aren’t at least TALKING about you, your idea and your company, you’re doing something wrong.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Who’s making fun of YOU?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best example of a successful company or idea that’s been parodied!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

…only 12 more days until NametagTV.com goes ON AIR!

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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Be clearly superior

Be clearly superior.

In other words: be the –est.

The finest.
The fastest.
The coolest.
The bestest.
The craziest.
The greatest.
The funniest.
The smartest.
The smoothest.
The friendliest.

Be the –est.

Be clearly superior.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your “-est”?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share it with us here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

Read more blogs!
Rent Scott’s Brain!
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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…

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

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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?

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Deliver __________ value.

Deliver ADDITIONAL value.
Because it exceeds customers’ expectations.

Deliver BUZZ-WORTHY value.
Because people who get talked about get business.

Deliver CONSISTENT value.
Because consistency is far better than rare moments of greatness.

Deliver DAILY value.
Because nobody wants to read a newspaper (or a website) that’s two years old.

Deliver DOWNLOADABLE value.
Because customers need to be able to take you with them.

Deliver UNEXPECTED value.
Because the most effective way to capture someone’s attention is to b-r-e-a-k her patterns.

Deliver FOCUSED value.
Because niches = riches.

Deliver LOCAL value.
Because everybody loves a homeboy.

Deliver MAXIMUM value.
Because … well, just because.

Deliver ONLINE value.
Because if you don’t exist on the Internet, you don’t exist.

Deliver PREDICTABLE value.
Because predictability creates familiarity, which creates trust.

Deliver SOLID value.
Because content is king.

Deliver SPECIFIC value.
Because credibility comes from specificity.

Deliver UNARGUABLE value.
Because customers can’t object to it.

Deliver UNFORGETTABLE value.
Because being “memorable” isn’t enough.

Deliver UNIQUE value.
Because being “different” merely means to stand out, while being “unique” means to be THE-ONLY-ONE.

Deliver UNMATCHED value.
Because the best way to eliminate the competition is to (not) have any.

Deliver WEEKLY value.
Because branding is about repeated impressions.

Deliver WORLD-CLASS value.
Because, as Seth Godin says, being average is for losers. Be exceptional or quit.

Deliver WRITTEN value.
Because writing is the basis of all wealth.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What types of value do you deliver?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Consider this post a checklist. Ask yourself how well you deliver each of these types of value.

* * * *
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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