Wearing a nametag didn’t make me into somebody new.

What it did was surface the kind person I already was. What it did was accelerate my growth into the person I was born to become.

And if I do a little research, it makes a lot of sense:

I’ve been creative, quirky and exceptional my whole life.
The nametag just gave me an outlet.

I’ve been a performer, an artist and a writer my whole life.
The nametag just gave me a canvas.

I’ve been a radical, a heretic and a leader my whole life.
The nametag just gave me a platform.

It’s weird. The older you get, the younger you feel. The older you get, the more you remind yourself of the person you’ve always been.

But I do think people change – when they want to. When they decide to. And when the pain of staying the same is greater than the cost to change.Still, we are all more or less the same as we were. I think if each of us traced our identities back to the beginning, we’d find shocking similarities between the people we started as and the people we became.

Michelangelo used to say that the sculpture was already inside the stone.

Maybe that’s all life is: A chance to chip away.

It’s not a nametag – it’s a chisel.

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2011-2012!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

“How long do you plan on doing this?”

That’s what people used to ask me.

As if my dream had an expiration date. As if one day I was going to snap out of my delusions, close the door on my cute little experiment and rejoin the rest of the world.

But I just kept saying forever.

Me and my nametag just kept showing up.

All day. Every day.

And after about five years, the questions stopped. People knew I was serious. People knew I was in it for the long haul. And they no longer doubted my dedication.

Dennis Miller used to say a good rule of thumb is, if you’ve made it to thirty-five and your job still requires you to wear a nametag, you’ve made a serious vocational error.

Funny what forever can change.

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2011-2012!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

When you look into a trashcan, you have a choice.

You can see trash, or you can see treasure.

It all depends on how big your thinking is.

On that fateful day in college when everyone else threw their nametags away, I looked into the trash and saw the latter.

And it changed everything. Forever.

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What do you see when you see things?

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2011-2012!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

Love isn’t something you feel – it’s something you decide.

THE QUESTION IS: Has your organization made that decision yet?

If you haven’t, people will find out.
If you haven’t, people will find someone else.

From my column on American Express Open Forum, we’re going to explore a few more ideas about how to out heart the competition:1. Contact trumps content. Loveless companies are notorious for only delivering select information. And that makes people feel out of control. For example, I recently called a local property management company to discuss leasing options. When I got their voicemail, here’s what the recording said:

“Thanks for calling, but everything you need can be found on our website.”

And I thought to myself, “Well, I need to talk to a human being right now. Got any of those on your website?” Click. Frustrated, I sought out one of their competitors. And to my delight, when I called their number, not only did a human being answer on the second ring; she even googled my name as we talked to learn more about my business. Which company would you pick?

That’s the amazing thing: Sometimes loving people is as simple as showing up and giving voice to their needs. Are you offering access to information about your company or access to individuals who work there?

2. Ask your customers early. Netflix recently increased their streaming service by sixty percent – without making any changes in the subscription model. According to an interview in The New York Times, the purpose behind the move was to make streaming films the core of its business – not physically mailed movies. Sadly, this price increase spurred tens of thousands of customer complaints, thousands of cancellations and hundreds of negative media stories.

After reading several dozen comments on the company blog, here’s what I learned from their (now former) subscribers: If Netflix loved their customers, they would have increased the quality of the streaming movie selection with the increase of the price. Or, they would have offered bundled discounts for veteran members. Also, wouldn’t have made the pricing change when the economy was the worse since the Great Depression.

And lastly, they would have realized they made a horrible pricing mistake, listened to their customers, apologized, and then returned to their original pricing model. By loving customers, you have automatically asked for their opinion on everything. Have you?

3. Make normal a possibility. Secrecy is a lonely experience. People don’t want to feel terminally unique – they want to feel like they’re not alone. That’s why it’s so important to respond to their experience in a calm, even way. You have to meet them where they are. You have to be willing to go as deep – or as shallow – as they want to go. And you have to help them merge their checkered past into something that smacks of normality.

My physician is an artist when it comes to this. He never fails to remind his patients that they’re not the only ones having an experience. I remember the first time I came in with stomach problems. “Tell me about your typical day,” he asked. So I did. And when I finished, he smiled and said, “Well, you certainly have a unique career path for someone your age. But your symptoms couldn’t be more normal. Happens every day at this clinic. In fact, if you didn’t have stomach problems, then I’d really be concerned.”

That was the love I needed to hear. Interestingly, I’ve only had to see him once in the past three years. Behold, the healing power of normality. When was the last time one of your people trusted you with a secret?

4. Intimacy can’t be forced – but it can be accelerated. I don’t have to warm up to people. I don’t have to get to know someone before we connect. And I don’t have to wait until we’ve hung out six times before I start opening up. I just jump right in. I reveal myself quickly, openly, honestly and respectfully. And most of the time, others reciprocate.

Sure, not everybody is used to that level of openness. But most people appreciate the willingness to cut the formalities and start connecting for real. As my dad likes to remind me, “When you treat people like family, it’s hard to say no.”

That’s the key to exhibiting loving intimacy: It’s not about pretending you’re everyone’s best friend. It’s about finding the common point of interest that makes people feel like you’ve been friends for years. Do you treat customer intimacy as a feeling or a business model?

REMEMBER: It’s not a secret that love is what everybody secretly wants.

Love looks good on everybody.

It’s the style that never goes out of style.

Make the decision.

Out heart the competition.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2011-2012!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

It’s hard to be inconsistent and win.

Especially now.

Customers know more, see more, remember more and repeat more – than ever before.

Everything matters.
Everybody’s watching.
Everything’s a performance.

Privacy is so last century.

And when you lack consistency, when your onstage performance doesn’t align with your backstage reality, people see through you like bottle of water.

Which doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. You are human, after all.

BUT THE REALITY IS: Consistency is far better than rare moments of greatness.

From my column on American Express Open Forum, here’s what it costs when you don’t have it:1. Inconsistency implies unreliability. When I became president of my local association, I made a bad decision selecting a second in command. Greg had developed a reputation for undependability. And his inconsistent behavior made the board look stupid on several occasions.

But I refused to believe that’s who he really was. So I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Three times. But he continued to verify my suspicions. Eventually, enough was enough. I fired him from the board. Which was especially painful considering it was a volunteer position.

People shouldn’t have to use their flake filter on you. Ground your consistency in commitment or be left behind. When people show you who they are, will you believe them?

2. Inconsistency costs trust. Many of my clients are bloggers. They’re big thinkers, great writers and smart businesspeople. The problem is, not all of them post daily. And when I bust their chops, they all use the same excuses: I don’t have the time. I can’t think of anything to write about. Nobody cares what I have to say. My industry has too much regulation. I don’t know what I’m doing.

Doesn’t matter. Credibility isn’t an entitlement – it’s a dividend. And you have to reapply for it every single day. Otherwise there’s no reason for people to believe in you. Because they’re certainly not going to waste their time playing the guessing game with your brand. They’ll simply find someone else and move on. How are you building a consistent timeline of credibility?

3. Inconsistency arouses suspicion. John Kerry may have been a war hero, but he was also a waffler. During his presidential campaign, every statement he made seemed to contradict his original position. Issues he claimed to support, he voted against ten years prior. From welfare reform to gay marriage to social security, nobody knew where he stood. No wonder he got knocked off the platform.

People shouldn’t have to wonder about your brand. If you’re truly living your values, you’ll leave no doubt in their minds who you are, what you believe why you matter. If you’re truly consistent, you’ll sustain the spirit of your brand through every touchpoint. Is the message you’re preaching the dominant reality of your life?

4. Inconsistency creates hesitation. As an author and publisher, the first lesson I learned about selling books was: The longer they take, they less they buy. If people flip through my book for more than five minutes, they are never going take it home. Complexity generates contemplation, and contemplation kills sales.

And it’s not their fault: People are tired, busy, lazy and overloaded. They don’t want to think. They don’t want to make decisions. They just want the shortcut. And that’s exactly what brands are: Shortcuts. Expectations. Predictable moments of youness. Your job is to confirm people’s hopes about the value you deliver and the values you stand for.

Otherwise there’s always an asterisk. There’s always something people can’t quite put their finger on when they’re around you. And that’s precisely why they hesitate to work with and talk positively about you. Are you taking up too much space?

5. Inconsistency causes anxiety. There’s this guy named Dalton. We’ve shared the stage a few times over the years. Good speaker. And what’s fascinating is that the first time I watched him, I later heard someone in the bathroom comment, “You know, I’ve always had a hard time taking Dalton seriously – because of his mullet.”

That’s the thing about inconsistency: People won’t listen to you if they’re too busy questioning you. The human brain has a motivational drive to reduce cognitive dissonance whenever possible. That’s why inconsistency is so dangerous: It causes frustration, which is a precursor to psychological stress. And when word and deed don’t line up, people’s heads hurt. What is affecting your ability to be taken seriously?

REMEMBER: Do something once, and that’s a treat. Do something twice, and that’s a trend. But do something every single day for a decade, and that’s a triumph.

In a world where customers know, see, remember and repeat more than ever before, everything matters.

Consistency is cheaper than apology.

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What is inconsistency costing you?

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2011-2012!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

People don’t want to learn.
People don’t want to work.
People don’t want to change.

They want to feel. They want to laugh. They want to be entertained. They want to be reminded how alive they are.

They want to watch your expression of a truthful metaphor for life. They want to see you think and feel the things they can’t express for themselves.

And they want to sit back, relax, watch you perform your special brand of magic, forget about life for a while, disappear into the experience and co-create a moment that lives in the hearts forever.People don’t want more ideas.
People don’t want more tactics.
People don’t want more information.

They want blood. They want tension. They want humanity. They want convergence. They want self-revelation. They want stories that shake them.

They want universal human emotions that disturb them. They want to find the pulse of life in what you say. They want to respond to their own experience – not just yours.

And they want to watch narrative arcs that inspire them because they see a part of themselves reflected your human mirror.

Prepare your material accordingly.

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2011-2012!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

“Love is never having to say you’re sorry.”

This phrase originated in the movie Love Story, but has since been modified, satirized, patronized and reorganized through dozens of movies, songs, television shows and other popular art forms.

I wonder if there are other things we never have to do?

In business, in life and in love, maybe there’s an entire line of thinking based on this idea.

From my column on American Express Open Forum, I’ve developed a list of eight examples:1. Generosity is never having to keep score. I recently dropped my laptop. Right on the asphalt. Completely dented the corner of the screen. But when I took it into the Apple store, they were unexpectedly generous.

First, the guy at the genius bar told me he once dropped his laptop too, but down an escalator. Second, he agreed to send my computer to the repair center that day. Third, he let me back up my data in the store before I went home.

Fourth, they returned my computer to me two days faster than they promised. And fifth, they didn’t charge me a dime. No questions asked. I was speechless. Just when I thought Apple was all style and no service, they delivered.

Just when I thought Apple was all hype and no help, they delivered. That’s the thing about generosity: It’s not corporate scoreboard. It’s not something you can choreograph. You just dance in the moment and respond to the now need. How are you giving yourself away?

2. Class is never having to apologize for transparency. 37Signals uses their company blog as a direct conversation between developers and customers. Not to shameless promote the website, but to solicit feedback on their user interface. That’s class. Not to bother people into buying from them, but to keep customers abreast on programming changes in real time. That’s class.

And not to hawk the new software programs, but to explain the motivation behind the changes to their existing ones. That’s class. They also give virtual tours of their design process, display screen shots of the revised versions of new layouts, and even host streaming question-and-answer sessions between users and the actually founder of the company. That’s class.

No wonder their users are so fanatical about the company. How much loyalty are you losing by being opaque?

3. Faith is never letting fear have the last word. Fearless is just a word for people who are afraid to be human. Personally, I’m scared all the time. Not just of clowns, spiders and reality television – but scared that my art will be rejected. Scared that my business will fail. Scared that nobody will care what I have to say. Scared that my ideas will stop coming to me. And scared that I’ll wake up once day and realize I don’t matter anymore.

The good news is, I’ve learned to be okay with that. I’ve accepted fear as a normal part of the life experience. And I’ve learned how to change my relationship to it. Now, instead of trying to ignore it – I bow to it. I make friends with it. Then, I overwhelm it with faith. Faith in myself, in my resources, in my abilities, in my support system and in humanity.

Ultimately, scaring yourself for the right reasons is the gateway to personal growth. And even though being scared means being uncomfortable, uncomfortable people are the only ones who ever change the world. Are you still trying to scrub your world clean of fear?

4. Commitment is never having to discipline yourself. At a recent art fair, I had the chance to meet one of my favorite cartoonists: Paul Palnik. I shook his hand. I thanked him for his work. And I told him never to stop making art. His response was perfect, “I have no choice – it’s who I am.”

Think Palnik has to discipline himself to draw every day? Not a chance. Because he committed. With both feet. And that’s exactly what happens when you decide to play for keeps: Commitment deletes distraction. No matter how slammed you are, there’s always time for the non-negotiables. No matter how overextended you become, you still create space to execute what matters.

The hard part is the prework. Taking the time to sit down and actually map out what matters. But it’s worth it. Because you can slog through anything if you know why it’s important to you. What if you made a list of a hundred reasons why you do what you do and kept it in your wallet?

5. Freedom is never having to bury your desire. I once worked for a client who blocked Internet use at their office. Completely. From everybody. And the saddest part was, they were a sales organization. And their two hundred employees – most of whom were under the age of thirty – had no online access.

Which I certainly understand from the perspective of productivity and security. Nobody wants their employees wasting time when they should be making sales. But these people are cold calling all day. Without online access, they can’t google their customers. Without online access, they can’t conduct research on their competitors.

Without online access, they can’t leverage social media as a listening platform. And without online access, they can’t take advantage of all the available tools to nurture their relationships with existing customers.

If you want your people engage at work, don’t let the feeling of formality keep them from communicating freely. Is your office a prison or a playground?

6. Confidence is never having to say you’re cool. If you have to tell people you are, you probably aren’t. And if you have to tell people you aren’t, you probably are. That’s what I don’t understand about social media: People are so insecure about their own value that they need to embed a graphic that points to the button that asks strangers to like them.

Yet another pointless online pissing contest I refuse to participate in. I’m sorry, but popularity is not a substitute for truth. If you have to interrupt me with an email that asks me to like you, we’re done. On the other hand, if you’re awesome, people will know it. Being amazing never goes out of style.

The Beatles never had a fan page. The Beatles never had to tell people to “like” them. They just worked tirelessly to rock people’s faces off, and they changed the world forever. Are you spending money trying to make people like you, or investing emotional labor trying to make the world better?

7. Love is never asking people edit themselves. Several years ago, I conducted a workshop with the identity company, Brains on Fire. Since then, I have yet to come across another company who more epitomizes love. As their founder Robbin Phillips suggests, “Be famous for the people who love you and for the way you love them.”

In my experience, the best way to love people is to let them express themselves. Without restriction. Without resorting to code. And without having to look over their shoulder. After all, nothing disengages people quicker than interfering with the expression of their individuality.

Leave people liberated. Let them live their brand and stay loyal to themselves. Create a safe place where individual creativity can shine. Petition people to inject their personality into everything they do. What kind of love will you become famous for?

8. Creativity is never having to grow up. Instead, it’s about growing younger. It’s about “escaping adulthood,” according to artists Kim and Jason Kotecki. Here’s how: First, dare to be dumb. Master the art of not knowing. And try getting lost once in a while. It’s good for the soul. And if you don’t know where you’re going – nobody can stop you.

Secondly, reengage your playful spirit. It’s attractive, it’s relaxing and it’s more enjoyable to be around. Besides, there’s nothing that can’t be taken lighter. Even the serious issues. Third, build a reservoir of positivity. Say yes to life. Especially when it would be easier, cheaper and more convenient to say no. That’s where creativity lives.

And lastly, build enthusiasm into small moments. Your energy is your greatest asset. Speak with passion or risk being unheard. Just make sure your energy is supported with truthfulness. Otherwise you just passionately incompetent. How creative do people remember you as?

REMEMBER: The characters were right.

There are some things you never have to do.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your care quotient?

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For the list called, “5 Creative Ways to Approach the Sale,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2011-2012!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!