Successful Blog

If I Don't Trust Me, Can I Trust You?

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I've been thinking . . .

about trust again.

Is trust confidence in me, confidence in you, or confidence in both of us?

Some say trust is entirely internal, and only confidence is observable. If I trust in myself, then I can trust in the world. I trust the person who stated that fact in Wikipedia. Or is it the person who edited the fact to read correctly?

Trust is influence. People who trust are easily persuaded. People who don’t trust don’t listen long enough to hear the argument.

Do I trust because I agree? Maybe.
Do I agree because I trust? I don’t think so.

My dad used to say, Only believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.”

Do I trust you because I know you? I think so.
Do I know you because I trust you? That seems so too.

sobcon08

If I don’t trust me, can I trust you?

It’s an interesting thought.

Liz's Signature

AdTech Chicago – What Would You Like to Know?

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ad-tech-chicago

I’m heading to AdTech Chicago today and tomorrow as a member of the blogger press. I’ll be attending sessions, exploring the expo, and engaging a few people in interviews.

What would you like to know about

  • consumer behavior
  • case studies
  • mobile mix
  • search
  • what brands are doing

Leave your questions here, and I’ll ask them while I’m there.

I make connections … for you.
— ME “Liz” Strauss
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Buy the ebook. Learn the art of online conversation.

Priorities for Entrepreneurs #3

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I recently had the opportunity to review a book for entrepreneurs that had some great advice, a list of seven priorities for the critical first year of business. The more I thought about this list, the more important that it seemed to me. So I have decided to create a series of posts elaborating on this theme. While “Young Guns“, by Robert Tuchman, is targeted to a just-out-of-college-and-wondering-what-to-do market, I believe that these priorities apply to anyone starting a new venture.

3. Get your website up and running

Your website has to say “This is who we are” to the world in a way that is compelling. A great web design doesn’t have to cost a fortune. If you don’t have the HTML skills or graphic talent in-house, look for a young and hungry web designer who’s looking for a shot, as you are.

Expect to update your website regularly and improve it constantly over time. Having a website with months-old or irrelevant content is a real deal-killer. It makes your company look stagnant, at best.

website-screencapAt the worst, it makes your company look unprofessional and incompetent. Your website is your online brochure, your 24-hour answering service, and your business resume, all rolled into one. There are also compeling reasons for your website to include a blog.When considering content for your business blog, you should consider calling one of your customers and asking them for an interview.

You can then ask some questions and post the Q & A right on your website, with a link to the customer’s site (sharing is good!). I recommend that these interview questions should be along the lines of:

  • How can our business help you succeed?
  • Why is our product/service important to you?
  • What is the impact of this decision upon your own business?
  • What happens if you don’t do something about this situation by using our product/service?
  • If you were to identify the business tactics most critical to your success, what would be number one?

When you understand your customer’s emotional connection with your product/service and how it influences their need to buy, you can position your product/service in the market for what it will do to address that emotion.

If you can help them address their “need-behind-the-need,” then a prospect becomes a probable purchaser and, ultimately, a customer. Your website is a very powerful tool for doing just that.

How Often Do You Listen to Yourself?

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2016 GeniusShared Read from Liz StraussSsshhhh!

My business roots are in product development. To make irresistible product, you have to be close to the people who buy and use what you’re making. To be close to anyone, you have to listen to what they’re saying.

Social media starts, moves, and fully connects through listening.

Listening is marketing. It connects us to customers, clients, readers, critics, innovators, and folks we meet for the first time. It takes an open mind to listen and an open heart to hear.

Who’s Worth Listening To?
Everyone.
Some of us get that. Some of us forget that.
But most of us don’t listen enough to one person in particular.

Do You Listen to Yourself?

Doctor, marketer, product person, human being know thyself.

In order to be accountable and be present in a conversation, we need to know ourselves. We can’t share our values if we don’t know what they are or why we hold them. We can’t respond naturally, if we don’t know where stand when we’re alone with ourselves. That’s the essence of character and personal brand.

So do you take time to listen to

  • what you’re thinking? Reflecting on what we hear and coming to our own thoughts, decisions, and conclusions makes a solid personal platform for filtering the noise from the signal.
  • to your hesitations? The daily tasks of navigating the world and responding to other folks’ ideas can easily take us from our personal path. Deeply knowing where you’re going IS irresistibly attractive.
  • to what you’re saying? Do you say the same phrases often? Do you argue for why your problems can’t be solved? Do you say good things about who you are or do you flinch when you talk about yourself? What is your word choice or tone of voice revealing?

When we take time to listen to ourselves, listening to other people comes easier. We’re not waiting to be heard.

No apps necessary. Just time focused in another direction … reflection.

How often do you listen to yourself?

I make connections.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
This post was updated in July 2016 by Jane Boyd & Liz Strauss. It has been listed as a suggested resource in a recent GeniusShared newsletter article by Liz entitled “Owning Your Voice”.