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SOB Business Cafe 06-30-2006

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SB Cafe

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking–articles on the business of blogging written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the title shots to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Benjamin Yoskovitz guest hosts at Steve Remington’s blog to ask us if we’re sure we know what our blogs are about.

What's Your Blog About Again?

Mike Sigers lets us in on secrets we need to know about selling.

Fraser talks about and offers video on the influence of effective communication.

Marianne Ricmond returns from WOMMA with a message that is as old as the fifties wbout how we should see our customers.

Message from WOMMA: Open, Honest Communication

Easton lets us know why Business Blogwire is so popular. (All of this time I thought it was Yoda.)

Best of Business Blogwire

Related ala carte selections include

I was listening to Christine Kane while I was typing this and drinking coffee from a beautiful golden coffee mug from Tom Vander Well. Thanks, Tom!

Tom reminds us that upselling can be a way of helping out.

Upselling Doesn't Have to Be Hard Selling

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

Have a great weekend!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Don’t Pay Attention — Are You Curious?

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Pay Attention!

Pay attention.

How many times have you heard those two words?

What did they really mean?

To me they meant sit up straight; fold your hands; and be quiet. Look and listen?

I used to think life was all about paying attention. I don’t think that anymore.

Paying attention is passive. I don’t wait for things to come to me.

Are You Curious?

The world moves faster than waiting allows. If you want to know things, you have to do more than pay attention. Observing only provides half of the story. You have to get out there and find out things. That means you have to be active–get curious. Ask questions. Get interested in everything. Don’t leave an idea uncovered.

Pick a block of time today. Question everything you do. Use curious questions like these to build your business.

  • Do I always do this task this way?
  • Is this a habit or do I have a reason?
  • Is there another way to do it?
  • Do other people do it the same way? Get curious. Don’t just take your own word for it. Check it out.

We have this way of fooling ourselves into believing that everyone thinks as we do.

After you’ve gotten curious about how you do things, check out whether other people do things the same way as you. That’s the whole point, you see.

Curiosity As Influence

I need curiosity to know my customers, my readers. I’m lucky. I’m weird enough that people have made it clear that I’m not focus group material in any way — but my curiosity is influence. It changes how I think and how people see my business. Curiosity connects. It forges links. My curious questions establish my interests and seal my one-of-a-kind value.

Still, you’re one of a kind too. Things you do in your own way or in a way that’s different from many of your customers, deep curious questions you ask establish that. Sharing your curiosity adds value to a business.

As a customer, I value a brand that’s curious about what I like. It makes me curious about the people behind the brand. I want to get to know them and once that happens, I want to do business with them too.

How might you use curiosity to promote your brand?

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