Successful Blog

How to Deliver Yourself to Your Dream Everyday … in Small Amounts

by

What Are You Doing

When I was young my dad used to say, “If you’re going to be a teacher, own the school.”

I’d explain that’s not how schools work — that schools provide a place to do what I want. I’d tell him about what I’d teach and how what kids would learn would change the world.

He said I had my dreams in the clouds.

1237681_moon-and-clouds

My dad proposed.

  • In our own ways we can make any place our own by filling them with ideas that turn into action.
  • It’s the action not the ideas that make the difference, the difference that wouldn’t happen without us alone.
  • People who do things build their future by delivering value that would be missed if they weren’t there..

Whether we work in the most obscure company, or work for ourselves at contract jobs. People notice value added contributions. People look for folks who offer them unique value.

Value added is an irresistible contribution and it brings surprising opportunities as a reward.

Don’t wait for your dream to deliver … deliver yourself to your dream everyday … in small amounts.
It’s easy to get where you’re dreaming by always showing up with your dream work. Every little value will bring you closer to that dream you’re after.

How do you add a little of yourself to what you deliver today?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Buy the ebook. Learn the art of online conversation.

I’m a proud affiliate of

Twitter, Are You Listening?

by

Listening Well Involves Knowing What Was Said

I ended an interview today with this idea.

As everyone now can add to the conversation. People overvalue the power of talking. They think putting words out makes it easier to be heard, seen and found.

Yet as the signal rises, I find folks passing on things that they couldn’t have had time to read, answering questions that they’ve misread. Other folks are taking a listening posture, but they they’re just looking for what to say or pass on next.

I’ve started to think of that as Twitter FAIL … pretending to listen to Twitter friends.

Some folks have unfriended everyone and started over. Maybe they found it easier to block out most of it.

421497_portrait_ellen_03

Lots of folks don’t worry at all as long as they feel heard.

Still I think the stronger power lies in listening … with both heart and head. When we listen we learn.

Are you listening? How can I tell?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Buy the ebook. Learn the art of online conversation.

I’m a proud affiliate of

Thanks to Week 215 SOBs

by

muddy teal strip A

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

muddy teal strip A

5erg-2009
the-business-execution-blog
the-business-of-creativity
joel-on-software
unbounce

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her to me. Thie award carries a “Liz said so” guarantee, is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and is backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

deep purple strip

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame– A-Z Directory . Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

SOB Business Cafe 12-04-09

by

SB Cafe

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking — articles, books, podcasts, and videos about business online written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the titles to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Abundance Highway
Like many people whose parent came out of the Great Depression, I was bought up very abundantly, but with a sense of caution,

“we can’t afford that” ” Money doesn’t grow on trees”

and other such limiting beliefs

Catskill Cottage Seed
That being said, the most interesting social media plays I’ve been involved in had noting to do with pre-existing relationships. They were spontaneous and unpredictable.

chrisg
Are you afraid of what people will think of you?

I bet you have skills, knowledge, experience or time that you could share with others, that you could offer to people to help them, but something is holding you back.

The Fluent Self
Me: It’s like I don’t want to put it out in the world yet. I love it. It’s beautiful. And there is something there that is just… not ready.

CK’s Blog
… it’s imperative that those of us who have been working and participating in social media for years take a BIG step back and remember that this space is still brand new to most B2B companies… and change takes time (and comes with objections aplenty). That’s just the nature of change.

siliconANGLE
We spent a lot of time talking about the FTC blogger guidelines when they were proposed and approved over the last several months. The new rules, in case you missed the news, went into effect a few days ago, with more or less a whimper.

Related ala carte selections include A SPECIAL OFFER!

Get to be a Super Genius!!
I’ve been invited as a guest to be part of Word of Mouth Supergenius Seminar on December 16th!! 12 How-To Classes, 12 Case Studies, 6 Authors Word of Mouth Supergenius!

Here’s the important thing: IT’S NOT ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA.

Social media is an incredible tool. But social media is not word of mouth marketing. It’s a tool we can use for the online portion of word of mouth. But it’s not even the main tool there. I would argue that more recommendations go by plain old-fashioned email than all the social networks combined. …

The point of word of mouth isn’t ecommerce; it isn’t to count clicks and CPAs.

The point of word of mouth is to be a brand worth talking about. To be a company that people are proud to tell their friends about. It’s to replace paid marketing with personal connections. To replace cash with love. To be fantastic.

And that’s what this conference is all about: A revival of TRUE WOM. A home for the simple idea that HAPPY CUSTOMERS ARE YOUR BEST ADVERTISERS.

True WOM is a movement.

It’s a movement that makes things better. It teaches companies to treat people better. It shows us that customer happiness is what it’s all about – for all these warm and fuzzy reasons… and because companies that are nice to people make more money.

You can attend too for a discount price of only $144 — that’s almost 1/2 price!! — if you use the code VIPSUCCESSFULBLOG. The discount goes all to you. I just get the pleasure of passing it on. Check it out here!

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like. No tips required. Comments appreciated.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

I’m a proud affiliate of

Finding Irresistible Skills at SES Chicago

by

Search Engine Strategies — December 7-11, 2009

Before people find us irresistible, they have to find us. Some do that by Word of Mouth and Referral. Some do that via our social media efforts. But still a most powerful influence is our search engine presence.

search-engine-strategies-2009

Understanding the Tools that Run the Engines Is Key to a Professional Online Presence

Next week at the 11th Midwest Search Engine Strategies Expo will be will be packed with 70+ sessions covering PPC management, keyword research, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media, local, mobile, link building, duplicate content, video optimization and usability, while offering high-level strategy, keynotes, an exhibit floor, networking events and more.

Whether you’re a beginner, got some skill, or a seasoned veteran being up-to-date in current conditions and the latest strategies and techniques is the only way to offer the strongest value to your own business or those you serve.

Take a look at who will be there. Follow these folks on Twitter and come meet them in person. Check the agenda to see how much they’re offering. Registration offers a variety of ways that you can participate. I hope I’ll be seeing you learning with me.

Irresistible also means constantly learning how things work.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Then get ready to join us at SOBCon2010

It's Easier to Plan an Irresistible Event When …

by

relationships button

At a meeting this fall, we brainstormed ideas for events that might bring more people into a client’s store. The conversation was exciting the way ideation can be. No holds barred. We were having fun imagining the themes and content that would be the most irresistible offer.

Wait, wait, wait.

We were planning an event and we hadn’t even thought about who we wanted to come.

It’s hard to be irresistible when the audience — the customers for our products — have no faces or names. How can we be irresistible for people we don’t even know?

Have you done that before? I know that I have.

What’s more fun is to find out who’s looking for an event, a meal, a learning experience, get to know them and to make every bit of the event exactly what would rocks their world.

It’s easier to be irresistible, we need to know who we’re being irresistible for. Then we can

  • chose and build every nuance to be exactly what they love.
  • leave out the things that distract, irritate, or disrupt their enjoyment of what they came to share.
  • and build in a special surprise that will be make the experience unforgettable — something that lets them know you know them really well.

If we make a great meal and invite people, some folks will come and eat and be satisfied. But when we find out who we want to serve and put every thought, every detail toward making the experience one that perfectly suits them, they tell each other and often bring their friends.

Promotion changes from “why this is better” to “You belong here. We listened. We made this for you.”

1052611_speaker

That’s the formula for an irresistible event. And with that attention to that group you’ve chosen, you can bet they’ll remember and be talking about when you’ll be offering something like your event again.

Businesses thrive like that. People know when you care about them.

How do you find the people you want to invite to shape your irresistible business?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Buy the ebook. Learn the art of online conversation.

I’m a proud affiliate of