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    • Posts Tagged ‘business trust’

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    What Are You So Afraid Of?

    Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
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    Here’s what it is for me:

    I’m usually afraid to show my true optimism.  I worry about enthusiasm mistakenly interpreted as being naive.  I think people will point and laugh and call me Ned Flanders.

    The reality is: so what?  So what if they do? It doesn’t matter.

    Here’s why.  Holding back feels to me like hedging your bets.  Like trying to play both sides and please everyone.  That can show up in a ton of places.  This blog.  My work for clients.  Home.

    (Another reason is I can be a really gifted smart-ass.  I don’t know where I picked that up, but if there were awards, I’d at least be at the ceremony, maybe even nominated.)

    So I’m at least a little comfortable hiding it.  But that shouldn’t be the case.  It should be more like, “Say it once, say it loud:  I’m nice and I’m proud!”

    Fear inhibits extraordinary work.

    Whatever it is that you’re worried about, think about this:  what would it take for you to set it aside?  What could you accomplish if you did?

    For marketers, I believe the sky’s the limit.  You’re creative, you’re smart, and no one works harder.  You’ve got an opportunity, with the tools that are available now, to do something dynamic.

    Your work can make a difference, if you want it to.

    So what are you so afraid of?

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    Posted in Digital Marketing | No Comments »

    Who Gets To Say “I Don’t Get It” ?

    Friday, March 5th, 2010
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    If your customer doesn’t get it, you have three options:

    1. You can try to make them understand, and explain why they should be interested in you.

    2. You can reshape your product to fit them.

    3. You can write the customer off.

    Number one can be done with a lot of work ahead of time.  With a good content strategy and a clear idea of your vision, you’re heading off most of the problems at the gate.

    Number two usually has the worst results.  The customer is rarely satisfied if your product is changed, even at their request, and here’s why:  You do it the way you do it for a reason.  Because it’s the best.  You’ve found the product that will deliver exactly what you propose to offer.  When you change that around to fit everyone’s needs, an essential element of your business breaks down.  It’s what made you you.

    Number three should be done a lot more to avoid number two.

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    Posted in Digital Marketing | 1 Comment »

    How To Treat Your Fans

    Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
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    I’m not a huge sports guy.

    I like to catch games every once in a while.  I know enough trivia to hold my own.  But I don’t follow things day to day.New Orleans, LA by kla4067

    It was easier to be a fan in the 60′s.  If I had been alive then, I’m pretty sure I’d have a team that I’d follow, and be one of those guys: “Well, our right tackle is out with a hangnail that’s hung around since last season, but I think he’ll end up playing through it in the post-season.”

    Now the players move around, the money’s big, and it’s hard to look away from the business side of things.  I’m not turning this into a post about free agency or anything else.  I’m just saying that’s the landscape.

    Still, there are fans.  Huge fans.  To me, it seems they get neglected in bad ways and in a lot of places.

    So when you see something like Lombardi-gras, it really changes the focus.  Yes, New Orleans deserved to have a big win.  A big something for the city that needed it.

    But if you know the story, you know that this had built up long before the playoffs got started.  There was an investment by the team to reconnect with the fans, to make this about more than a trophy.   This championship was about the fans, start to finish.

    If you watch that video in the link above, you can see how excited the players are to be there.  They’re sharing their moment.  It was all about this time, from the start of the season.  The team was the engine, but the fans were the spark.

    What about your fans?  When you do great work, is about the work, or is it about the people who set you up to do it?

    Your co-workers.  Your clients.  Your social network.  Your local businesses.  Your sources of inspiration.  Those are the people that deserve to get your light shined on them.  They’re your fans.

    What are you doing for them?

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    Posted in Partnership | No Comments »

    Guiding The Conversation

    Monday, February 1st, 2010
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    It’s important to listen.

    We all know that.  But it’s equally important to ignore.Leuk satellite station by christianmeichtry

    The critics who don’t offer input.  The people who fear change.  The people who are going to laugh at you and roll their eyes at your work.

    How do you ignore the people that will ridicule your idea?  Here are some suggestions:

    -Don’t be afraid to fail.  Whatever new challenge you’re taking on- social media, new products, a different creative outlet are all going to present challenges.  Some of them, you will not overcome.  And you shouldn’t: that’s how you learn.

    -Remember that no one cares.  It’s hard to keep that in mind when you’re thinking about the success of your business.  You’ve built that amazing piece of work, you know it’s amazing, and no one cares (that’s why we do marketing strategies, BTW).  But what about that other piece of work that you’re not so sure about, the one that’s way out of your comfort zone, the one you’re really going out on a limb for?  No one cares about that either.

    -Surround yourself with encouragement.  If there’s a din of positivity, helpful feedback, and honest critique, you can’t hear the people who want to shout down everything you do.

    If you’re ignoring correctly, you’re also guiding yourself and those around you toward conversation that can actually help.

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    Posted in Digital Marketing, Uncategorized | No Comments »

    Are You A Twitter Ninja, A Guru, Or A Jedi?

    Thursday, December 31st, 2009
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    These references are done.  Played out.  Finished.

    It’s a new decade, so let’s put them away forever.  Please.lego ninja by jonathanb

    If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you probably don’t need to read any further.  But just in case, here’s the deal:  Guru, et. al. were terms used throughout the 00′s to lend a little tech savvy speak to your bio in an informal (zany?) way.  These idioms were little one word cues that branded their designees as in-the-know.  Geek marketer code.

    (Guru is a little older. Still, though… ugh.)

    Okay, I’m going to give you the fact that I am a self admitted word geek.  I’m hypersensitive to language.  When people start using words that are fashionable, I’m the first to ignore them.  To each their own.

    But these words are too egregious to be ignored anymore.  I’m calling for an immediate boycott. This is a cease and disist order from saying anyone is a “blogging ninja”, a “WordPress jedi” or (gasp) a “social media guru”.

    It’s over.

    But far be it from me to be a critic without proposing a solution.  For the 10s, here are the words that will be quirky designations for expert:

    General, Wrangler, and Matador.

    Go ahead.  Try them out.  That guy who gave the keynote on Twitter is a General.  Four Stars.

    See?  It works great.

    Jill is a total wrangler when it comes to Facebook.

    I guess what I’m trying to point out is that, no matter what catchphrase people are using, information and the folks that wield it are either useful or not.  They either help or they don’t.  They either use their powers for good, or… hey, now I’m doing it!

    You get the point.  It’s probably best to just let your actions do the talking, rather than calling yourself something or other that, let’s face it, 10 years from now will sound like a catchphrase from a bad sitcom.

    But if you’re dead set on trying, I hope you’ll use the ones I put out there.  If you start using them now, your vocabulary will be way ahead of the pack when the rest of the Twitter-verse comes around.

    You’ll be a language matador.

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    Posted in Digital Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

    The Burden of Trust

    Thursday, November 5th, 2009
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    Do your customers trust you?

    The Burden of Trust

    If they’re spending so much as a penny with you, they do.

    Trust is one of the fundamental building blocks of the process which moves us from prospect to customer; Without trust, we don’t buy. Simple as that.

    There are always a series of steps in the buying cycle, and every company has a slightly different cycle.  The cycle contains attention, interest, desire etc.  Each step represents a “micro-conversion” which must take place to reach the ultimate goal – “the sale”.

    Trust is one of the hardest micro-conversions to check off the list. People, now more than ever, are increasingly distrustful of brands. This is substantiated by a variety of sources, include PEW Research which tells us that 7 people in 10 say they consult online reviews when purchasing.  I would go as far as to say that the “consulting” they’re doing is a large portion of the decision-making process of simply whether or not to trust a brand.

    People gain trust in brands in a variety of ways.  Were you helpful, honest, sincere… nice? And beyond even how to gain that trust, what to do with it once you’ve earned it?

    Earning trust is just a portion of the proverbial battle. Truth is, the real work begins after trust is earned.  That’s where the real responsibility is.

    It’s your responsibility, once you’ve earned trust, to keep your customers’ best interest at the core of everything you do within the relationship.  The old saying, “the customer is always right” is fundamentally flawed; you are often the customer… and you’re also sometimes wrong.  But when it’s your business, it’s still your duty as the trust-bearer to ensure those customers are right.

    Make them smarter. Make them understand. Teach them. Lead them in the right direction.  After all, they’re TRUSTING YOU to do that very thing.  Trust, once obtained, is the basis of all of your business relationships. Now that you’ve earned it, it’s your burden to prove the decision to give it was wise.

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    Posted in Digital Marketing, Marketing, Partnership | 2 Comments »

    Here’s Why You Do Business In Small Towns

    Saturday, October 10th, 2009
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    I had jury duty today.  You can insert whatever groans you want to here, but I won’t do it for you.  I thought it was fascinating.FayettevilleCourthouse

    Sure, I had a lot of other stuff to do.  And it was inconvenient.  But, so what?  I’m not much for convenience, which is part of the reason why I live where I live.

    My town has less than 1,000 people.  More people travel down our river than our roads. Most business owners around here don’t get the first thing about digital marketing.

    But I don’t care.  Here’s why:  Walking around town today, I saw no less than 15 people that I know.  I had lunch with 3 people at 3 different tables in the same restaurant.

    That’s cool.  To me, anyway.  Where I grew up, there wasn’t much of that.  And I’m not sure why.  It could just be the sheer numbers of people in metro areas, but most people go to the same places at least somewhat regularly.  So that can’t be it entirely.

    I think it’s space.  There’s more space here in the little towns.  So when people’s space comes into contact with each other, it means more.  It’s more of an event, less of a disturbance.

    It’s true in business.  If there’s one thing out there that there’s plenty of, it’s space.  Bandwidth. You’ve got to be something really big to cover it all.

    Which is why I like doing business in small towns; all I have to be is myself.

    Blog idea:  A series of posts about doing smart business in small towns.  Lake Wobegon meets Signal Vs. Noise.

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    I’m Ignoring You…

    Thursday, October 8th, 2009
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    …if your website looks neglected.fink

    …if anything takes a long time.

    …if your graphic design isn’t good.

    …if you can’t show me numbers.

    …if I have to wade through your copy.

    …if I can’t find what I need.

    …if your tone feels fake.

    …if you try to push me to buy.

    …if you don’t make it all very easy.

    …if you try to talk over my head.

    …if you spam me, ever.

    …if it’s hard to find the info I’m looking for.

    …if you block your own message with pop-ups.

    …if I don’t get the feeling I can trust you.

    …if you’re boring.

    …if you don’t listen to me.

    …if I find someone who does it better.

    …if you aren’t helping.

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    Posted in Marketing | 2 Comments »

    Your Money or Your Life?

    Friday, September 25th, 2009
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    Here’s the #1 question I used to get when I worked on the front lines of the tourism industry as a whitewater raft guide on some of America’s wildest rivers:  What’s your real job?knot tied

    My reply:  This is as real as it gets, buddy.

    I was right.  Having 8 people in a raft depending on you for survival (and a good time) is a very real, very serious responsibility.  But now I compare it to being responsible for other people’s businesses, their livelihoods (also directly related to my livelihood).  That’s nothing to sneeze at, either.

    This weekend, I’m going to a wedding.  These are old friends, people I love, and I can assure you that a great time will be had by all.

    Of course, anyone that owns their own business will tell you that there aren’t enough hours in a day.  Entrepreneurs are some of the hardest working people you’ll ever meet.  And it so happens that a lot of that work falls on, you guessed it, Saturday and Sunday.

    This weekend, when my friends get hitched, I’m sure that I’ll be checking in to see what’s going on around Matterhorn, and I’ll try to find some room to get a little work done.  That’s the usual M.O. for time away, a necessary part of who we all are in the year almost 2010.

    But maybe I won’t.  We tell one another to unplug every once in a while, and give in to life.  But how often do we actually do it?   Are you still giving it your all if you do?

    Yes, you are.

    (But I’ll still be squeezing a little work in :-)

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    How To Succeed In A Small Town

    Monday, August 17th, 2009
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    I live in a town of less than 2000 people.  That’s by choice- we’re surrounded by mountains, rivers, and good friends.  I’m lucky.

    An interesting thought occurred to me about my position:  Are the rules different for succeeding in a small town versus a big one?  I don’t think so, but the opportunities definitely are.

    Those opportunities can lead to quite a bit of business.  Here’s a couple of rules that I’ve found it’s good to stick by.

    Get Involved

    Small towns offer a lot of opportunities to be involved in your community and get to know people.  Steering committees and civic groups are good places to dig in. It’s a cool way to get to know people and do something constructive, while building relationships that foster good business.

    Be Early

    You can’t ever miss a deadline in a small town.  If you have a project that’s on a time line, create mileposts that let you be early.  If the piece takes two weeks, set the deadline with your client at three.

    The opportunity to do business in a small town depends massively on reputation management:  If you read about a seller on Amazon who delivers early, think how much better it sounds coming from someone sitting across from you in the coffee shop.

    Never Say Anything Bad About Anybody.  Ever.

    No matter how much they deserve it.  It’s one thing to rant about a Fortune 500 company on Twitter.  It’s something else entirely to talk about a person that everyone in your town knows by at most a couple degrees of separation.  It doesn’t matter what that other someone is doing, only how you react to it.

    And if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.  Small towns are just too small to create any friction that could effect your ability to do business with your neighbors.

    It’s Personal

    These are the same principals of doing good business anywhere in the world, I’m sure.  But in a small town, the opportunities are different- projects are more personal, contact is more immediate, and word spreads fast.  In New York, people don;t know who you are.  But in your town, it’s different.

    What’s your experience?

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    Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

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