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January 3, 2007

Enough About Me, Let’s Talk About What You Think

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 11:33 am

That Couldn’t Be Us Or Could It?

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I share a joke with a friend in California. It’s like a script. It goes like this.

I call him up. He answers.

I say, “Hi, Eddie, how am I?”

He replies, “Oh, you’re fine. What do you think of me?”

I tell him he’s wonderful.

Then he says, “Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think about my sweater?”

That’s when we laugh to think that we’re not like the people who actually do that.

This morning at Poynter Online something made me realize how it is to do what Eddie I joke about.

Butch Ward gave five New Year’s Resolutions. It’s number 2 that brought this thought home to me. His second resolution was talk to your readers. My thought was I do that. He offered fine advice on ways to engage in dynamic conversation. Then Mr. Ward made a suggestion for this New Year’s conversation . . .

Don’t ask him what he wants you to put in his newspaper or on his news broadcast. Instead, ask what he does. What she thinks. Then you decide how your newsroom can be more relevant to their world.

That’s when I realized it.

Those standard, customer-survey questions sound like “What do you think of my sweater? What do you think of ME?”

Sure, we need to ask how we’re doing, but those can’t be the only questions, or we’ll never know our readers.

Authentic values aren’t revealed by survey questions.

Relationships and understanding come from listening to what folks want to talk about — dreams, desires, unexpressed needs and wishes — what they find marvelous, annoying, heartwarming, concerning, breathtaking. At least, that’s my experience.

But hey, enough about me. Let’s talk about what you think.

What do find worth spending thoughts and words on?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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17 Comments to “Enough About Me, Let’s Talk About What You Think”

  1. January 3rd, 2007 at 1:03 pm
    Marti said

    Oh you stinker! (Just kidding - lol)

    But you are making me feel guilty! I just asked people to help me out with a blog meme, which seems to go very much against the grain of what you’re saying.

    (Wallowing in guilt now - lol)

  2. January 3rd, 2007 at 1:16 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hey Marti!
    No need for guilt here. Notice I said it shouldn’t be the ONLY kind of questions that we ask. :)

  3. January 3rd, 2007 at 3:04 pm
    Carolyn Manning said

    Liz, I never noticed before that you have no trackback URL. Well, heck. We’ll just have to hope the ping works.

  4. January 3rd, 2007 at 3:06 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Carolyn,
    Click the title to get to the permalink/ trackback they’re the same here. :)

    It’s okay either way. I’ll come over and look. :)

  5. January 3rd, 2007 at 7:33 pm
    Renée said

    Why am I feeling a little deja vu here…

    “Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think about ME?”…Paris Hilton replied to all talk show hosts!

    Okay, jokes aside. This is what I have been telling my ISP, beautician, car mechanic, … heck even the butcher guy who’s been trying to bribe me with pork so I could go out with him. Duh! I hardly eat red meat.

    Without customers, there is no business. So it is best for those customer services people to open their ears wider and shut their mouth.

    If they catch me on a bad day, I will rebuke “What’s in for me?” This is enough to shut them up for a while!

  6. January 3rd, 2007 at 7:42 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Renée!
    I’m so smiling! I feel the same way that you. If I’m in a bad mood, I say to a customer service person, “You must really hate your job, because you have absolutely no power to serve your customers. That would make me feel just awful coming to work every day!” :)

  7. January 3rd, 2007 at 8:00 pm
    Renée said

    Hey Liz,

    I’m so smiling too! I wonder what it would be like if those customer service people meet both of us at the same time!

    Double dosage?

  8. January 3rd, 2007 at 8:04 pm
    ME Strauss said

    That would be so fun!!!

  9. January 4th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
    Francie said

    This is a great topic! With a background in marketing, I understand the concept, but getting others to do the same isn’t always easy. Too many businesses still like to brag about who they are, what they do better than the other guy. Me, me, me - well not you, Liz - but you know what I mean :)

    I think it takes pretty constant awareness to tilt messages just enough so that they’re about you, but still include me.

  10. January 4th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Francie!
    I love marketing — marketing that’s customer friendly. :)

    I know about the companies you’re thinking of — the bank that cares that it’s 50 years old when I only care if it’s open on Saturday. . . .

    It takes thought to be on the side of the customer. That’s work. :)

  11. January 23rd, 2007 at 7:34 am
    Liz Strauss at Successful Blog - Words We Search with, Words We Sell with said

    […] Related Enough About Me, Let’s Talk About What You Think Do You Know the Difference Between Quality and Cost? Blog Promotion: How to Write for People and Search Engine Spiders […]

  12. March 6th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
    Choosing for Our Readers: A 5 Point Pop Quiz - Liz Strauss at Successful Blog - Thinking, writing, business ideas . . . You’re only a stranger once. said

    […] Related Two Important Ideas in a Brand Identity and Why We Have to Live Our Brand Enough About Me, Let’s Talk About What You Think […]

  13. April 13th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
    Adam Kayce : Monk At Work said

    Hi Liz,

    Just wanted to say thanks for the re-frame — I don’t think I’ve heard that said in quite that way before.

    It’s a great reminder, no matter how entrenched in looking out for our own a__ we become, to always remember: It’s About Them.

    Thanks again!

  14. April 13th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
    ME Strauss said

    hey Adam,
    Thanks for reminding me about this post and about my friend Eddie! :)

  15. April 14th, 2007 at 10:27 am
    Adam Kayce : Monk At Work said

    Ah, you’re welcome. Don’t you just love how people can pore through your archives, and re-start conversations, no matter how long ago they got started?

    How fun. :)

  16. April 14th, 2007 at 11:03 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Adam,
    Yeah, I do, I was just talking to a friend on the phone about how you did that with this one! Thank You! :)

  17. April 23rd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
    How Well Do You Know Your Customers? said

    […] From Liz Strauss at Successful Blog, Enough About Me, Let’s Talk About What You Think […]

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