People think my parents are crazy.

Which, if you think about it, kind of makes sense.

Because when someone hears my story, one of the first questions asked of my parents is:

“Wait, you let your kid wear a nametag everyday? Are you INSANE?”

And usually, my parents just laugh. They get this question all the time. Hell, it’s been nine years.

But the cool part is the way they respond to it.

Actually, I remember I first time I told my parents about my crazy idea.

November 23rd, 2000. Thanksgiving dinner table.

“Mom, Dad … I want to wear a nametag everyday for the rest of my life!”

Once they reattached their jaws, believe it or not, the first word out of their mouths was, “Cool!”

Well, at least that was the first word they said out LOUD. I imagine the silent dialogue sounded a little more like, “What drugs is our son taking?”

So I guess it’s not surprising that people think my parents are crazy.

Of course, that’s not accurate.

Although I might be insane, my parents aren’t. Actually, they’re like, the most levelheaded, down to earth, smartest parents anyone could ever ask for.

Why?

Because they trust me.

They always have.

Since DAY ONE of wearing a nametag – in fact, since day one of turning 18 – they’ve always attended to me with this attitude of, “Scott, you’re an adult now. We’ve done everything we possibly could to instill in you a foundation of love and respect and character. And because we trust ourselves, we now believe that you will trust yourself. And so, if you really want to wear a nametag everyday, well, I guess there’s nothing we can do to stop you.”

Of course, that was usually punctuated with, “But you’re not REALLY gonna do this all the time, are you?”

“Yeah, I really am,” I’d shrug.

And they’d just smile.

So, Mom and Dad, today I wish you a Happy 35th Anniversary.

Thanks for staying married.
Thanks for trusting your own resources.
Thanks for never getting lazy with each other.

And thanks for remaining sane so that I could continue to be insane.

I love you!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How do you show your kids that you trust them?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

If they can’t come UP to you; how will they ever get BEHIND you?

Buy Scott’s new book and learn daily practices for becoming a more approachable manager!

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In my humble opinion, I want four (types of) things to happen:

1. SEARCH RESULTS. First and foremost. The instant barometer of your brand. Because if you don’t exist on Google, you don’t exist. And ideally, you’d like people to see as many of the following hits at the highest possible ranking:

o Content demonstrating your unique expertise. Blog posts. Articles. Newsletters. Whitepapers. Ebooks. Tweets. All of which fall underneath the umbrella of your philosophy. Your unique approach. Your theory of the universe. What did you write today?

o Interviews supporting your Thought Leadership Platform. Podcasts. Television. Radio. Print. Blog interviews. All of which validate your authority by virtue of third party media reaching out to YOU. And these interviews are either about you, quoting you, or exploring your expertise. When was the last time you were interviewed?

o Videos portraying your interesting personality. You speaking on stage. You in action. You behind the scenes. You doing what you do. You being you. All of which show people (instead of “tell” people) why you’re awesome. And these things help your customers get to know YOU. How much money are you losing by (not) leveraging online video?

o Testimonials confirming your perceived trustworthiness. Links to your content. Re-tweets about your awesomeness. Blogs about your products. Word of mouth about your service. All of which reinforce for potential clients, “Somebody has trusted this person before me.” Who’s talking about you?

o Pictures showing you in action. Ideally, doing what you do. Acting on your passion. Working with clients. Being YOU. Pictures consistent with your brand. NOT pictures of you hanging out at bars getting schnockered with your former sorority sisters. Do you want to become known for what you’re about to do?

o Profiles or bios. On Google. On Social Media sites. On your own sites. On sites where you contribute content. They give people a snapshot of you. Just few bits of personal information, but presented in a way that makes the mundane memorable. How boring is your profile?

2. SILENT DIALOGUES. This comes second. This is the stuff people think when they see your name. And ideally, you’d like people to say to themselves:

o “Wow, this guy is everywhere!” Because branding is about increasing activity level. And if you want to be in the right place at the right time, then you need to be in a lot of places. How many places are YOU in?

o “Man, she sure publishes a lot of content.” Because writing is the basis of all wealth. And the more you give away for free, the wealthier you will be. Is everything you know written down somewhere?

o “Looks like everyone’s talking about them…” Because the only thing worse than being talked about is NOT being talked about. And if people aren’t actively telling their friends about you and your company that means you’re probably: Selling a stale brand, perceived as a commodity, not word of mouth worthy, boring, unremarkable and normal and (not) making the mundane memorable. Who’s talking about you?

o “I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this woman before!” Because (clearly), you’re SUCH a big deal and SO ubiquitous that people assume everyone has already heard of you. And it’s their fault for being in the dark. And now they have to make up for lost time. Ideally, by giving you lots of money. Who’s heard of YOU?

o “I think I’m in love!” Because the secret to getting people to fall in love with you is to help them fall in love with themselves first. The secret is to become S.O.F.A.T., i.e., a person people can STUMBLE upon, become OBSESSED over, FALL in love with, become ADDICTED to and TELL their friends about. That’s all that marketing is: Transferring love. Who’s in love with you?

o “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of this guy before…” Because it’s not about marketshare; it’s about MIND share. And the shelf space you hold in people’s minds is the most important real estate in the world. Are you the universally presumed perpetrator?

o “Whoa! That’s a lot of hits for just one person…” Because your web presence is SO vast and diverse, people assume you either paid for SEO (ha!) or hired a crack team of specialists and programmers to build it for you (double ha!) Of course, neither of those are true because, with the right strategy and a WHOLE lot of content, you might not need them. Why aren’t you blogging yet?

3. IMMEDIATE ACTION. That’s what you want to happen next. People impelled to click and explore you and your business further. And ideally, you’d like people to:

o Read, watch or listen to something you’ve published. And realize how smart and creative you are. Are you a Smokin’ Hot Piece of Brain Candy?

o Invite a coworker over to their desk. So they can ogle over your awesomeness. Do you pass The Cubicle Test?

o Email, call, text or tell someone about her findings. Not just because you’re worth making a remark about, but also because it’s EASY to remark about you. Do you pass Tell a Friend test?

o Become a part of your permission asset. By subscribing/following your blog, tweets, videos, ezines, RSS feed and the like. How many people are anticipating YOUR marketing?

o Revisitability. Another one of those words I just made up. And it’s absolutely essential. It’s about that addiction. It’s about that “I can’t get enough of this guy” attitude. It’s about people who come back to your blog or website or Twitter page just to see what you’ve been up to. Who revisits you every day?

4. CONTACT. Here’s the final step. After people have googled you, reacted and taken initial action, this is the crucial component. It’s when you compound attraction with outreach. Because ideally, you’d like people to email, call or reach out to you in SOME way so they can:

o Thank you. Because something you’ve done, written or posted has helped them obtain more money, sex or happiness. (Oh, come on. We both know those are the ONLY three desires that drive buying behavior.) What are you the answer to?

o Tell you they’re one of your new fans. Because customers are overrated. Clients are worthless. And prospects are for amateurs. You need FANS. People that are insistent upon you, your products and your service. Because the more fans you have, the less selling you do. How many do you have?

o And finally, BUY something. Because they see value in your products or services. And they’re ready to give you their money. Hooray! Q.E.D! What is the reason someone is willing to give you money?

So, that’s my theory. That’s what I want to happen when someone googles MY name.

What about you? I’d love to hear your answers…

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What do you want to happen when someone googles your name?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “29 Pieces of Simple, Easy Advice That Will Change Your Business Forever,” send an email to me, and I’ll send you the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.
Always about approachability.

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

I get that question a lot.

And if I had enough time to give my (full) answer to everybody who asked, here’s how it would go:

How long did it take you to launch your business?

That depends on what you mean by the word ‘launch.’

If, by “launch” you mean, “Come up with your idea,” it took about three seconds.

If, by “launch” you mean, “Realize that your idea was a good one,” it took about twelve hours.

If, by “launch,” you mean, “Officially start your company,” it took about a week.

If, by “launch,” you mean, “Put up a website,” it took a few months.

If, by “launch,” you mean, “Create a product to sell,” it took about a year.

If, by “launch,” you mean, “Get to a point where people actually know who the heck you are,” it took about a year and a half.

If, by “launch,” you mean, “Make money,” it took about two years.

If, by “launch,” you mean, “Make a PROFIT,” it took about two and a half years.

If, by “launch,” you mean, “Grow to a point where customers actually seek YOU out,” it took about three years.

If, by “launch,” you mean, “Figure out what the hell you’re doing,” well, I’m still working on that one.

What about you?

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How long did it take you to launch your business?

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
For the list called, “65 Things I Wish Someone Would’ve Told Me When I First Started My Company,” send an email to me, and I’ll send you the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.
Always about approachability.

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!