A customer’s first response runs deep and lasts long. One way I keep myself close to customers is to monitor my first response to new information whenever I can — you know, that initial response that occurs without thinking. I’ve made habit of looking for such responses as I move through my life.
Information has no positive or negative value until I respond to it.
This morning I encountered information that you might use in the same way. Ready? [Read more…]
Where I grew up, some kids would go out cowtipping in the summer. They would drive out to 1-Mile Road or 2-Mile Road to find a farm where cows were sleeping, sneak up on a cow, and push it over. Then they’d run back to their cars laughing.
I didn’t do it. I’d like to say that was because I am a humane soul. I am a humane soul. That’s true, but that’s not the reason I didn’t do it. I didn’t do it, because I make a habit of not disturbing sleeping beings, especially those that are larger than I am. The risk is more than I care to take on.
This morning when I went to check my links at Technorati, I saw one from Easton Ellsworth at KnowMoreMedia called It’s A Great Day For Blogtipping. Needless to say I was a bit concerned.
I stood up to look at my computer to make certain it was upright. Then I viewed my homepage to be sure that it wasn’t sideways. Whew! What a relief to see it looked fine. Those two things out of the way, I could then click the link without fear to find out what Easton had in store for me.
Blogtipping Easton Ellsworth Style is a great example of showing readers that you value them.
He’s right. It is a great for blogtipping. Will you tip a blog today?
–ME Strauss
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The first step in getting to know anyone is conversation. Sometimes though, conversation doesn’t come so naturally. It’s no fun to find yourself in a situation with nothing to say for whatever reason. I keep myself armed with a question or two that I can pull out on those occasions.
A great “getting-to-know-someone” question has three critical traits.
The question I use most often when I want to spark conversation is this one.
So, what do you do when you’re not doing this?
I’ve had fabulous conversations with CEOs, cab drivers, hair dressers, and once with another person stuck in a elevator. I’ve always parted those conversations feeling like I’ve made a friend.
Got any conversation starters that you use?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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You have your act totally together. You know how to answer every question. You can explain how to capitalize on your strengths and how you make your weaknesses irrelevant. You can explain your biggest challenge and how you handled it with finesse and outstanding interpersonal skills. Your resume is a personal branding brochure and an inviting picture of who you are. You can see yourself as a leader and explain what your best traits are in simple, clear sound bytes. Your personal branding BIG IDEA shines through your eyes, your words, and everything you do. You are cool.
That doesn’t change the fact that job [and client] hunting is stressful. Even if you didn’t put your pants on backwards. [Read more…]
On Apri 16, boston.com, the blog of the Boston Globe, ran a story called Blogs ‘essential to a good career’. It’s a paid subscription to the old paper’s archives so I’m going to summarize the argument — use it when you need to explain blogging as more than an online diary.
The main points of the blog post are that
But then, if you’re a blogger, you already knew that. In fact, you probably don’t need this list at all.
Here is the link to PAY FOR What’s Obvious.
Just kidding, Boston Globe. I’m the nice one. Really I am. I was also careful to have the article in the other room while I wrote this summary down.
[Hat tip to Kaps for helping me source link the article]
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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Yesterday I wrote a few words about the Path of Favors–how they multiply and come back in lovely, unexpected ways. I was lucky in that through a path of favors a problem I’d been thinking about had been mentioned in passing. That lighted a doorway where I was able to walk through and enlist some help to move toward solving it.
I did. I asked folks who were reading yesterday to take the driver’s seat. I threw out the keys to my blog. After a minute or so getting used to the steering, we had quite a dialogue. It was fast and furious and filled with ideas that every blogger should know. It’s still being added to.
Whoa! Am I learning a lot. It’s thrilling to hear what people really think.
Here or there it doesn’t matter where you write if you have comments. What matters is that your ideas are important to me. If you don’t want to drive my blog now, that’s okay. Do read what’s there from those who did. There’s great advice all through those comments. This blog got better just by having them.
Thanks to everyone who did, or will, take the keys and drive my blog.
Brand you and me is made of two.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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