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Would You Rather Be Martha Stewart or David Armano?

October 3, 2007 by Liz

Before You Choose . . .

Did you read David Armano’s post on corporate stumbling this week? He cites an article in GlobeandMail about how Martha Stewart made a beautiful website that no one wanted to visit. He points to simlar mistakes made by Coke and Bud, and then explains “what really motivates users.”

There are literally millions of enthusiasts out there producing quality content in highly search engine friendly formats.

Not only is much of their content easier to find on the Webâ€”it’s engaging, relevant,

and the people who produce it actually talk back to us.

David “gets” what’s “sticky,”

. . . it’s the content that will keep us engaged, and coming back for more. It’s the special sauce that can take a consumer and make them an active participant.

So will you be Martha Stewart or David Armano? The choice is yours.
How will you make yourself sticky to the customers already want to love you?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
I make business sticky. Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar. Call me.

Related:
See the Customer Think Series on the Successful Series page.

What if We Chose a Different Color?

October 3, 2007 by Liz

Don’t Decide in Anger

Awhile back I wrote about stories I would make up about the grains of the mahogany in the headboard of my childhood bed.

The wavy lines were roads to villages where people had feelings that came in colors — anger went from red to orange.

And in the villages, they couldn’t see when in my mind I’d change the universe. On joyful days, I’d see the wood in shades of purple. On quiet days, it would be blues to greens. Rarely there would be yellows. On angry, lonely days I’d see it go from red to orange.

Red to orange. How I remember that feeling.

Anger is a lonely place.

In the response, a friend, brad4d, spoke of wisdom and anger…

“Wisdom entereth not into a malicious mind” ~ Rabelais ~ means to me, anger erases wisdom.

How skewed my thinking becomes when I feel angry. I lose sight. I lose perspective. I forget other people. I lose the wisdom and love of a lifetime. I lose the person I want to be.

Most times, I’m far from anger. Those days I’m a decent human being.

I know we couldn’t do it forever — I know we couldn’t all do it simultaneously.

But . . .

What if just once a whole bunch chose a different color? What if instead of the red of anger we chose the gold of compassion? How wise might the world start to be?

We can change the world, just like that.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

______________
If you’re ready to change the world, send me your thoughts in a guest post. Feel free to take the gorgeous Change the World image up there that Sandy designed back to your blog. Or help yourself to this one.

Email me about what you’re doing or what we might do. Let’s change the world one bit at a time together. Together it can’t take forever.

The Mic Is On: We're Talking About the Future!

October 2, 2007 by Liz

It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

Here’s how it works.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.
The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

Anything about the Future. . .

Here’s a few ideas to get us started:

Trends
Technology
Social Media

And, whatever else comes up, including THE EVER POPULAR, Basil the code-writing donkey . . . and flamenco dancing (because we always get off topic, anyway.)

Oh, and bring links about the future to share!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

Open Mic 7pm Chgo Time: Let's Talk Future!

October 2, 2007 by Liz

Yes the Mic Will Be on Tonight

You know, what’s going to happen.

We can talk about future trends, technology, social media and whatever else comes up — even flamenco dancing.

Oh, and bring links about the future that you want to share!

The rules are simple — be nice.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

How to Get Customers to Sell Themselves

October 2, 2007 by Liz

SIMPLE SALES SERIES

Customers Get to Pick

It’s a rule of childhood. Every kid seems to know it. I get to pick my favorite. You don’t. Some folks, as grownups, forget that simple truth. — they make us feel like we should let them pick for us.

That’s called the hard sell.

Ever been told, ‘You HAVE TO see this new product. You WILL LOVE our new service!” ?

What’s your response, right now, reading that? Mine is “You don’t know that! In fact, now I’m predisposed to like it just a little less.”

We’re hype adverse. Put that together with these natural human responses.

No one likes to be told what to think.
No one likes to lose the right to pick their favorite.
No one likes someone else to decide what they need.

We know other folks don’t get to pick — so when they talk as if they do, we back off. If you’ve met a sales rep who brings out these responses in you, it’s no wonder if you are having mixed feelings about taking on a sales role for what you do.

How to Get Customers to Sell Themselves

The question then is: How do we communicate an offer — a product or service — that we’re thrilled about and we’ve done all of the work to know folks will like it too, if only they’ll try it out?

Here’s what to do. You can do this in text or in person. (In text, point 2 looks a lot like an FAQ.)

Offer a taste — a movie trailer. Make it a little one — spoon sized like at Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors. It might be one example of what you do, a case study, a blog post that you keep for sending to clients, a free weekly seminar, a phone call with you. Whatever you choose. Keep it concise and tightly focused on only one idea. It’s only one scene from your movie — overcome a tendency we have to give the plot away. (Often having the taste as an option makes people feel secure enough to buy without it.)
Make everything about THEM. Ask questions and listen. Hardly say anythng. Be a verifier. Repeat back what you heard, “I heard you say you’re looking for . . .” Ask questions in that way until you’ve helped them draw a complete picture of your product or service. “I also hear you want . . . and a . . . If I put that together I get a . . . with the features of . . . . Does that sound like the ideal that you wish someone would offer someday?”
Listen to see how his or her needs line them up with your offer. When you see that, you’ll have the confidence to say so. “We actually do that! Would you like me to tell you about it?” (Don’t worry if the needs and your offer don’t line up, just say so and don’t try to make things work.)
Talk to the customer/client unemotionally about what you have to offer. You’ll know that you’re going somewhere when the person you’re talking to starts selling you on why it’s a good match. That’s when it’s time to start listening again.

Letting the customer pick is the same as when we were kids. We know what we need and why. We’ll even justify for you why it works for us, in essence selling ourselves on why we should buy.

What do you need to give this a try?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you’d like Liz to work with you on these three easy steps, you’ll find her number on the
Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar. Call her now!

Related
To follow the entire series: Liz Strauss’ Inside-Out Thinking to Building a Solid Business, see the Successful Series Page.

Personal Identity: ROI of Behavior in Business and Life

October 2, 2007 by Liz

Identity and Relationships

I read this on John Henry Clippinger’s blog for his book, A Crowd of One. Clippinger was quoting David Brooks.

Even David Brooks – conservative U of Chicago grad -in a recent editorial in the New York Times – acknowledges – begrudgingly that a new narrative is in the making..

â€œThe logic of evolution explains why people vie for status, form groups, fall in love and cherish their young. It holds that most everything that exists does so for a purpose. If some trait, like emotion, can cause big problems, then it must also provide bigger benefits, because nature will not expend energy on things that donâ€™t enhance the chance of survival.

Nature doesn’t do things that don’t pay off.

People don’t either.

Yet the payoffs we go for don’t always enhance our chance of survival. Think of these people

Stevie who stays in a bad job because she thinks that no one else will hire her.

Tyrone who shuns a formal resume when going for a job he needs

Wally who tweaks the blog all day rather than trying to contact potential clients.

Gerald who is cranky and complaining and treats most people — those who work for him, those who sell to him, and his customers — as if they are stupid

Dot who says “I’m too ____ to learn how to do that” though she is brilliant.

All of these “example people” seem involved in behaviors that are keeping them stuck in less than ideal situations. Yet, in every human action we realize some return on how we invest ourselves and our time.

What payoffs do you see in these situations? How might you convince one to look for a stronger investment — one that will give them a positive return?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.