STEPS TO WRITING YOUR BOOK!

1. Establish the WORKING TITLE.
In one sentence, write down what your book will be about. Set that aside and allow your brain to stew on your main title and a subtitle. Whenever you have a thought about the title, write it down on that document. Make sure this is clear: you need to know were begin, where to end and WHAT TO LEAVE OUT.

2. Brainstorm CHAPTER TITLES.
In 30 - 60 minutes write down every possible chapter title and subject heading that pops into your mind that has anything at all to do with your book. Try to come up with 60 to 90 possible chapter titles.

3. Choose the BEST TWELVE chapter titles that most directly connect to your working title.
 As you pick out your top twelve, you will notice many from your original list will make excellent sub-chapters under your top twelve. Some will need to be scrapped all together, because they don't really support your working title.

4. Make TWELVE NEW FOLDERS, one for each chapter.
 Label each folder with the name of each chapter.

5. Create THREE SUB-TITLES for each chapter and make a separate folder for each sub-title.
 Make sure each sub-title is somewhat detailed so you will remember what you were going to write about.

6. Take a smaller piece of paper or NOTE CARD write every chapter title and abbreviated sub-titles.
 Go to your local office supply store or wherever and laminate the note card. Keep the card with you at all times while you are writing your book. Read over your chapter titles several times a day. If you do this, you will train your brain to be on the look-out for great book material 24/7. (If I were you, I would laminate a dozen copies and give them to close friends and family members. Allow their brains to be on the watch as well.)


7. For the next several weeks or months BE READY for articles, news stories and illustrations to come your way.
 The reticular activator in your brain will notice material for your book you would not have even seen if you weren't ready for it. As you come across the book material, place it in the appropriate file.

8. BEFORE you start collecting information write the introduction and conclusion to your book.
Great writers know were to BEGIN, where to END and what to LEAVE OUT.
9. You will eventually reach a point you feel you have enough material. Before you begin putting it all together in one big manuscript, decide WHO YOUR AUDIENCE IS.
 And by audience, I mean one person. Make a brief description of the one person you are writing this giant letter to. The more detailed you make the description of this person, the easier it will be for your to write. As you write, picture that person sitting across from you and communicate to them in their language about what would matter to them.

10. The only thing you will need from this point is TIME. You should have all of material you will need.


If you need help, send me a note: randyallsbury@gmail.com

More Reasons You Should Write Your Book!

Beyond adding your unique perspective to the world of publishing, there are countless other reasons why you should write a book:

• It forces you to think in a much deeper context. If a book is nothing more than a bunch of articles or Blog posts, it's not really a book... it's a compilation. The true act of sitting down, structuring and framing a complete book is a much deeper thought process.
• It will give your business more clarity. That deep context from the last point leads into clarity. All of the research, writing and mind exploring usually gives you a perspective on your industry that your peers have never spent the time trying to explore and define.
• It establishes you as a credible authority. Clients and potential clients still feel that the act of writing a book and getting it formally published is an act of credibility. I, too, believe that people who have published works have more credibility in the marketplace.
• It's a great business card. It's a great thank you card.
• It doesn't have to be physical. Even self-publishing an ebook can be enough, just be sure to get a good editor or someone to help you find the right flow and structure.
• It gets you exposure in places you may have never had access to. I can't tell you how many times a week I get an email from someone who picked up my book and read it because they discovered it in an airport bookstore or at a shop in the mall. These are places where my Blog and the marketing materials of Twist Image can never reach.
• Strategic by-products happen all of the time. Someone sees the book and thinks to call me about something else and this turns into a business opportunity that would have never happened had it not been for the book being present in people's lives.
• Crap is crap. None of this matters if you publish something poorly. I'm assuming it's not just your perspective, but a well-written and well-thought-out personal perspective.

          ---From Mitch Joel

It's In You. Let It Out. Write Your Book!

Have you always wanted to write a book? Have you always considered yourself an expert in a specific area of your profession? These are two ingredients you need to stand out and become THE expert people trust.

Write your book to establish yourself as the expert.

Teach freely to gain the trust and respect of people.

In a recent Seth Godin blog post, he asked “How do they know you're not a flake?” In his post he pointed out what goes through the mind of people before they open your letter, click your link, return your call…

 

Here they are:

• Do I know this person?
• Did someone I trust send them over?
• Where does she work? (Ideo? the FDA? The New York Times?)
• Has she won an award? Is she famous?
• Are there typos and is the design sloppy?
• Are they pestering me?
• Do I already follow this person online?
• Does music play when I visit the website?
• Will my boss be pleased when I bring this project up?
• Who else is pointing to/referencing/working with this person?
• Is it too good to be true?

 

What if this person knows you wrote a book about the topic you are contacting them about?

 

Get it done. Narrow your focus and write your book.

 

The next time you speak to a group, you can be the person selling books at the back of the room.

 

If you don’t have time, click HERE. We help people like you. If you have questions about how we get your book from your mind onto paper, click HERE.

“10 Things to Avoid When Writing Ads”

This post is a complement to another called "Ad Speak is Invisible".

I have always been a believe that “Facts Tell and Stories Sell”. I believe people make almost decisions emotionally. You can make a pretty good argument about two doctors making a life or death decision over the “facts” presented to them in a diagnosis. At the end of the day, they/you are forced to trust “facts”. You have to have faith in the facts, making it an emotional decision.

My job is to sell stuff for people using media. To do it well, I have to tell stories. I decided to become a better story teller, by studying the best in the country. I bought the book STORY, by Robert McKee. He is the number one go to guy regarding movie screenplays in the country. I found a YouTube video of Mr. McKee called 10 Problems To Avoid With Dialogue In Screenplays. Wow, these are pretty much the same things I try to avoid when writing commercials that don’t sound like commercials!

I am calling this “10 Things to Avoid When Writing Ads”

1. Repetitiousness

a. Make sure you don’t say the same thing over and over and over using the same words.

2. Trightness

a. Dialog filled with clichés

3. Character Neutral Language

a. Using “all-purpose” lines that anyone could say in the same situation. Almost a cliché, but more of a “Duhhh, that is obvious!”

4. Ostentation

a. The writer using “flowery” with very artistic words to show their artsyness.

5. Arid Speech

a. Dry, “Ivy-League” and Pretentious wording, trying to sound like an intellectual.

6. Over-Statement

a. “Brawny” words with puny motivation. Often profanity is used when there is no substance.

7. Talking Wallpaper

a. The humdrum chit-chat of “Hi, how are you? I am fine. The weather is fine.” Writers add this stuff to sound natural, but no one really speaks this way.

8. Forced Exposition

a. One character telling another character what they both already know, in order for the reader or audience to learn important facts of the story.

9. Malformation

a. Scenes that are badly shaped. The audience or reader becomes distracted when their brain is screaming: “This is not a plausible situation.”

10. Writing Dialog “On the Nose”

a. Writing or saying exactly what the character is thinking and feeling without any sub-text. This is treating the audience or reader like they are stupid and insulting their intelligence with too many words.

If you fancy yourself a story-teller, a preacher, teacher or public speaker, you might consider avoiding these as well.

My Principles in Advertising

"Methods are many, principles are few. Methods always change, principles never do!"

1. People don't hate advertising, they hate stupid commercials that don't involve them.

2. If a commercial sounds or looks like a commercial, it's a bad commercial.

3. Speak to individuals, in the language of individuals, about what matters to individuals.

4. Always do long-term campaigns with a series of ads that are like chapters of a book. The book is your story and that of the reader or listener.

5. Rely on consistent, frequent INTRUSIVE media. TV, radio and billboards are INTRUSIVE. The other side of that coin is PASSIVE media. PASSIVE media requires action on the part of the consumer. INTRUSIVE media only requires them to be present to hear or easily read.

6. YES YOU CAN AFFORD TV, RADIO OR BILLBOARDS!!! You just can't afford to reach your entire city. One client built her law firm with two billboards that cost $250.00 a month each. She has gone from renting a little office for $500.00 a month to owning her own law office building over the past few years. (She had a message that mattered!)

7. You have to be competent, friendly and real for people to like you. "All things being equal, people want to do business with people they like. All things not being equal, people still want to do business with people they like!"

8. Raise your value, don't lower your price. What is value? It is the difference between the anticipated cost of the consumer and the actual cost when they get the bill. If you have a junky-cheap looking place of business, people will assume your prices are low. If you have a very nice, high-end place of business, people will assume your prices are high. VALUE IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ANTICIPATED COST AND THE ACTUAL COST. (If your actual cost is lower.)

9. Expensive rent is cheap advertising. Generally, it costs more to be where people are. Generally, it costs less to be in a warehouse district on the edge of town.

10. Know the Marketing Boat. Make sure your business boat doesn't have holes in it! See illustration by clicking here.

11. Be where people are and have a big sign that says what you do! You would be amazed how many business owners have a great location and a sign that says "Johnson Enterprises" out front. What the heck is "Johnson Enterprises"?

12. "We judge others by their actions. We judge ourselves by our intentions." You are inside your bottle and can't read your own label. Ask someone outside of your bottle to help you see yourself as your customers actually see you.

Number 12 is the best thing I can give my clients. The ability to see you like the world sees you. Many times what is most obvious to the rest of the world is resting quietly in the blind spot of the business owner.

It takes courage to face the truth. It takes humility to allow someone else to point out your blind spots.

ADVERTISING STRATEGERY FOR BUSINESS OWNERS WHO HAVE THEIR NAME ON THE SIGN...

Are you really good at your business or practice, but have no idea when it comes to advertising? Do you have a parade of newspaper, internet, phone book and media reps demanding to speak with you about the amazing audience you can reach if you "sign up today"?

What's good for the goose could KILL the gander!

What's good for big business in America is not necessarily so for small business America. Most small businesses advertising in America follow the lead of Nike, Coca-Cola and the biggest furniture store in their hometown. They set aside some advertising money and then they divide it up between yellow pages, a website, the local newspaper, some seasonal radio ads and a three week TV campaign right before Christmas, not to mention the big sign at the right field fence at the high school baseball field.

You can't beat Goliath using his weapons. Little David went to the brook and picked up five stones. He focused all of his energy and resources in one direction with one stone. David didn't get a bag of rocks and throw them in all directions hoping one would land in the right place. He had a specific message aimed at a specific target. I believe David would have directed the next four stones at the exact same spot on the giants forehead.

The weapon of big business is a huge advertising budget. They can afford to dominate every media outlet in your city. They don't have to have a strategy or compelling ads. The only thing they need for "gray-matter-real-estate" in the head over every person is a bunch of money. When you don't have a lot of money, you must have a better message and arrow shaped strategy.

Put all of your eggs in the SAME basket! Do not diversify your ad budget. Find an audience you can afford to reach every week, 52 weeks a year. Build a relationship with the people of this audience. Allow them to get to know you and get to like you. (People do business with people they like.) Allow them to learn your story, your strengths, your weaknesses and your business or practice. If your are a dentist, you can't predict when they will have a tooth ache, but you can be the one they think of first and feel best about, when they have one.

"Methods are many. Principles are few. Methods always change. Principles never do." Right next to the standard method of advertising are what you might think are brand new ones. FaceBook, Twitter, E-mail marketing... Yes, it is a new method. The good news is that people and principles don't change. We still want to do business with people we like, we still hate unsolicited sales call and we hate junk male. (Unless we are in the market actively looking, that very second for whatever is being pitched our direction.) The best thing to do with internet tools is to develop a tribe of people who would like to follow you by consistently giving them what they are looking for and giving them a community to belong to. IS THAT A NEW METHOD? No, we used to do it "in person" with real people in a real community. The solution is to apply principles that work in real life to cyber-life. Are you ready for the principle? "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!" Be full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, fairness, gentleness, openness and be understanding. Do you like it when people contact you through FaceBook about something they are selling or a new "business opportunity"?

Just a thought...

The Marketing Boat

I know this looks cheezy, but it has proven to be a great way for me to help my clients understand the aspects of of the Marketing Bridge. The Marketing Bridge is a series of steps between you and your potential customer. Some things need to be built up and some need to be torn down in order for people to become your customer.

One day in a dialog with a client, I said your business is like a boat that you can row by yourself or your can strap the engine of advertising to it and make sales happen faster. In fact that is what advertising does. It speeds up what is going to happen anyway. If you are good at what you do, you will go up faster. If you are bad at what you do, you will go down faster. That evening I went home a ended up with the illustration below...

Dentist Office Marketing Seminar

Certain businesses are looked at as a necessary evil in life.
Dentistry is one of them…

Because people are already “walking on eggshells” when they arrive…
• More sensitive to messes
• More sensitive to teasing or jokes
• More sensitive to your inter-office talk
• More sensitive to inter-office gossip
• More sensitive to comments about the Doctor
• If the lab is open for people to see things. There are tools you see every day and are used to seeing. Your guests are not.

People who are “control freaks” tend to be more anxious and more sensitive to all of the above

New technology
• Use email/texting communication systems.
• Churches, Businesses and other Organizations are now able to grow bigger, due to people feeling a part of “the tribe” through consistent communication.
• More opportunities to build relationship…

Business Runs on Relationships and Relationships Take Time...
• The more time people spend with you, the more money they will spend with you.
• They spend time with your through…
– Consistent Advertising
– Reading emails/texts
– Waiting in the lobby
– In “The Chair”
– Paying their bill
– Any more opportunities to build relationship?


Real displays of "Other Parts" of the Doctors Life and Story...
• One dentist client has the biggest Indian Arrow Head collection in the USA. We display a few for people to see his other interests.
• Allow people to discover other parts of the Docs personality and life.
• Learning of another dimension to of Dr. Cox life makes him more of a real person.
• We have relationships with real people.
• This goes toward trust, not hanging out together…


Slip Google reviews into conversation…

• Encourage your top patients to visit Google, Yelp.com or any local online review and talk about their experience with Dr. Cox’s Office.
• Google knows where reviews are coming from, don’t try to write them yourself.
• Don’t sweat negative reviews, just post a response of how you fixed the situation.

Advertising…
• The secret to the effectiveness of ads is...
---Being consistent with the same audience.
---Speaking directly to people's felt needs.
---Being specific and offering specific solutions.
---Write general situations with specific details.
---"FACTS TELL, BUT STORIES SELL!"

Beginning again...

Over the next few weeks I want to talk to you about non-traditional game plans to marketing and advertising.

I will start with this and every week address each point.

Belief Marketing Disciplines:

1. Customer Intimate. “We know more about our clients than anyone else.” “We help our clients achieve their dreams.”
2. We establish authority by teaching.
3. We don’t believe in pursuit/sales, because barriers are erected.
4. We want to be about persuasion through teaching.
5. With teaching there is much less resistance.
6. Anxious to close is anxious to screw up!
7. To arrive at the best possible message we must be as ignorant as the average customer.
8. Key to writing: How to end. Where to begin. What to leave out.
9. If you do not measure it, recognize it and reward it, you can’t grow it!
10. Align your brand and all of your actions with your core values.

Bite-Sized Steps to Writing Your Book

Writing your non-fiction book...

1. Who is your audience? Who would be the perfect reader and the perfect individual? Think of one real person. (You will write a better, more compelling book if you write it to one specific person, instead of a vague generality. Pretend they are across the desk from you and you are speaking to them.)

2. Write a short 2-3 sentence paragraph that is your thesis statement, or the main point you are going to drive home with every chapter, story and illustration.

3. Write a short paragraph about how the book will begin. (Do you need to introduce yourself?)

4. Write a short paragraph about how the book will end. (Will you have a call to action?)

5. Be aware of what you can leave out as you move forward. (Great writers know where to begin, where to end and what to leave out.)

6. Have a brainstorming session by yourself or with your inner circle of people. Brainstorm 100 - 150 possible chapter titles.

7. Choose the top 12 chapter titles that make the most chronological sense, speak the best to your individual audience and are all directly connected to your main thesis.

8. Create 3 sub-chapter titles under each chapter title. You will find most of them in your 100+ chapter title list.

9. Write 2-3 sub-sub-chapter titles for each sub chapter.

10. You now have an in-depth outline for your book.

11. Write "Introduction" and each of 12 chapter titles on a note card. Laminate if you can. Keep note card with you at all times and read over it several times a day.

12. Create a file folder for "introduction" and each chapter. As you do life… stories, illustrations, articles and facts will come to you. File these in the relevant folders as the come.

13. Fill folders over weeks or months.

14. Write each chapter, sub-chapter and sub-sub-chapter using material from your folders.

15. When finished, have it edited by a pro.

16. Cover design by a pro.

17. Publish it yourself, pay to have it published or maybe you are answering a question people are asking and the book will be published and sold for you.

18. You have a book.

Learned from J. Keith Miller, Ray Bard and Dr. Jim Talley

2010 Social Media Sucess Summit - Top Ten Takeaways

by Kelsey Humphreys on Jun 01, 2010

On March 12th, Insight Creative Group had its first Social Media Bootcamp, presented by yours truly. After discussing the necessary questions for a successful social media plan with our fearless leaders, I educated our team about the importance of social media. We talked about sites, tactics, and tools that were relevant to our company goals. Since that time, we’ve seen a 152% increase in our Facebook fanbase, an over 200% increase in fan engagement, we’ve more than doubled our twitter followers, and we’ve got a nice following started on this brand new blog you’re reading. This proves that when you get your team educated and involved in ditigal communications, it definitely makes a difference.

So, I taught my little bootcamp and was feeling pretty fly, but then I was able to attend the 2010 Social Media Success Summit, and, well, sister got schooled. 18 sessions later, I feel like it’s time for bootcamp numero dos. I also feel so prepared and pumped up for our upcoming digital media plans with our advertising clients!

There’s no way I could sum the summit up in one post, I couldn’t even fit one session into one post, but I will leave you with my Top Ten Takeaways from the summit regarding your overall media plan:

1. No matter what business you’re in, you’re now in the Content Business. Across all platforms, you need to provide relevant content!

2. Don’t be afraid to repost links & retweet – CNN runs their stories multiple times, so should you, people probably won’t catch it the first time.

3. Post different content on different networks or your Facebook users won’t want to follow you on Twitter and vice versa because they will have seen it all, and remember to post varying types of media; links, photos, videos – text-only posts get boring fast in today’s media stream.

4. Make your media plan human, with a face or multiple faces of the company, if you are an owner/principal, consider using your personal social profiles for business as well, accepting all requests and then using friend lists and privacy settings to control who sees what.

5. Choose one goal for your media plan: Awareness? Sales? Loyalty? and measure your success against that ONE goal!

6. Pick a home base for your operation, your blog, your YouTube Channel, etc and direct all other social outposts back there.

7. The tools are always changing – in ‘99, Yahoo had 97 percent of all search share – be aware and involved or you’ll fall behind fast!

8. Make a Welcome tab on your Facebook page (you can see ours on the Insight Facebook Page) and use a video or images to prompt viewers to click the Like button.

9. Don’t forget about YouTube, it’s still the #2 search engine and people consume online video more than any other online media. Optimize your videos so they can be found! Youtube has its own algorithm – not the same as google!

10. Don’t forget about LinkedIn either– which is probably the number one tool in terms of growing business & leads – plus it is an untapped market where the average household income is $109,000! Create LinkedIn groups, a great tool where you can send messages to group members and link the group back to your website and your profile.

This doesn’t even get into all of the tools they showed us, social media contests, and even more. With all of this new knowledge under my belt, I feel ready to grab my ice pick and get after that Iceberg!

Ad Speak is Invisible

For a while I have been telling you, "If it sounds like a commercial, it's not a good commercial."

Why? Because we live in an over-communicated world.
People ignore, and are tired of "Ad Speak".

George Carlin has a bit called "Advertising Lullaby". It is the best list of Ad-Speak ever created.

GEORGE CARLIN AD SPEAK

Quality, value, style, service, selection, convenience
Economy, savings, performance, experience, hospitality
Low rates, friendly service, name brands, easy terms
Affordable prices, money-back guarantee.

Free installation, free admission, free appraisal, free alterations,
Free delivery, free estimates, free home trial, and free parking.

No cash?No problem!No kidding!No fuss, no muss,
No risk, no obligation, no red tape, no down payment,
No entry fee, no hidden charges, no purchase necessary,
No one will call on you, no payments or interest till September.

Limited time only, though, so act now, order today, send no money,
Offer good while supplies last, two to a customer, each item sold separately,
Batteries not included, mileage may vary, all sales are final,
Allow six weeks for delivery, some items not available,
Some assembly required, some restrictions may apply.

So come on in for a free demonstration and a free consultation
with our friendly, professional staff. Our experienced and
knowledgeable sales representatives

will help you make a
selection that's just right for you and just right for your budget.

And say, don't forget to pick up your free gift: a classic deluxe
custom designer luxury prestige high-quality premium select
gourmet pocket pencil sharpener.Yours for the asking,
no purchase necessary.It's our way of saying thank you.

And if you act now, we'll include an extra added free complimentary
bonus gift at no cost to you: a classic deluxe custom designer
luxury prestige high-quality premium select gourmet combination
key ring, magnifying glass, and garden hose, in a genuine
imitation leather-style carrying case with authentic vinyl trim.
Yours for the asking, no purchase necessary.

It's our way of
saying thank you.

The more ad-speak you cram in your commercials, the more invisible they become. They are nothing but cliche's. Cliche's are over-used phrases no one believes.

Methods are many, principles are few...

Methods are many, principles are few, methods always change, principles never do.

(These are my thoughts and notes after hearing a lecture of Roy.)

1. No one ever changes their mind! People simply make new decisions after receiving new information.

2. Selling is simply a transfer of confidence. You cannot transfer, what you do not have.

3. How deep is your confidence in what you offer? The only reason anyone ever says no to an
offer, is “Lack of Confidence”. They are not confident...
• that today is the right day
• that yours is the right solution
• that you are asking the right price
• that you are the person to trust
• and it's going to work.

4. When they have confidence that today is the right day, you are offering the right solution, you
are the person to trust, and the know it's going to work, THEY SAY YES. Every time.

5. Keep this in mind as we move froward talking about advertising, marketing and persuasion.

6. True selling is not about closing techniques or new ways of over coming the objection.

7. There can be legitimate reasons to not purchase today, or purchase from you, or to accept the
solution you are offering. ARE YOU PREPARED TO ACCEPT THAT?

8. If you sell when you shouldn't have, you may win the debate and even win the sale, but you
could or will lose the customer and the customers that customer can bring you. Even more
important, you could lose something even more important. SELF-CONFIDENCE.

9. WHEN YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT TODAY IS THE RIGHT DAY, THIS IS THE
RIGHT PRICE, AND NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY... AND YOU ARE ABLE TO TRANSFER YOUR CONFIDENCE TO THE OTHER PERSON, YOU WILL SEE THEIR MONEY HAPPILY DELIVERED into your pocket.

10. Transferring confidence is about knowing your are telling the truth! If you really believe what you are doing is best for your customer, there is a sixth sense in humans and they feel and know the truth, there is a certain ring of the truth. Nothing is quite as believable as the truth. NEVER COMPROMISE THAT FOR A BOWL OF Porridge (A Short-Term Sale).

11. It's about being willing to give up short-term approval for long-term respect.

The best marketing and advertising solutions are about transferring confidence from you to them over time.

Taking people through the FIVE LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION takes time, focus and discipline.
1. Un-Awareness
2. Awareness
3. Comprehension
4. Conviction
5. Action

Do you have THE TIME, THE FOCUS AND THE DISCIPLINE?

Randy Allsbury
Belief Marketing
Allsbury.com

I Must Now Apologize…

“Words are electric; they should be chosen for the emotional voltage they carry. Weak and predictable words cause grand ideas to appear so dull that they fade into the darkness of oblivion. But powerful words in unusual combinations brightly illuminate the mind.

Yes, words are electric. If a sentence does not shock a little, it carries no emotional voltage. When the hearer is not jolted, you can be sure he is not moved. Remember the words of Napoleon: ‘Small plans do not inflame the hearts of men.’

Words start wars and end them, create love and choke it, bring us to laughter and to joy and tears. Words cause men and women willingly to risk their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Our world, as we know it, revolves on the power of words.” ---Roy H. Williams

This past week I read one of Roy’s memos. Toward the end of the page, four words flew of the screen and hit me upside the head like a steroid enhanced major leaguer crushing a fastball. Here they are…

“Unsolicited advice is abuse.”

I am in the advice business.

I like to make a difference in the lives and businesses of people more than anything else. On many occasions over the years, I have un-knowingly abused many, many people. The entire time I thought I was being helpful. A handful of times people have taken my intrusive advice. If you are one, I apologize.

Unsolicited advice is abuse, because it is almost always a criticism of past events and actions. The words “Constructive Criticism” were coined by an abusive advisor. (My opinion.)

Some of the worst offenders I have ever met are well-meaning church people. I like this Francis of Assisi quote: “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”

“When you focus on walking the walk, people will ask you to talk about your walk.” (---Me)

We may have to start a new 12 step program called Unsolicited Advice Anonymous.

How are you measuring progress?

Bad advertising strategies come from bad assumptions. If you look for it, you will see patterns in advertising. Patterns of one industry or business copying another. The assumption is “If that ad campaign worked for them, it will work for us”. That’s like a bald man saying, “Since his hair looks good on him, it will look good on me.” Have you ever seen a man with the “wrong” hair piece? Some would say some hair is better than no hair. I don’t agree. Not, because I am a bald guy, but because we can tell it’s fake and this generation does not appreciate FAKE, they appreciate AUTHENTICITY. We would rather know you are not perfect and real, than you being a POSER.

Another type of assumption:

“Violent crime in America declined each year from 1993 to 2004. Then just about the time the iPod became popular in 2005, violent crime began trending upward.

CONCLUSION: iPods cause violent crime. Or at least that was the conclusion of a 2007 report published by The Urban Institute, a research organization based in Washington. (I swear I’m not making this up.)

Bad advertising strategies stem from just such logic: “Since one event precedes another, the first event must be the cause of the second.” This fallacy of logic is so common it has a Latin name: Post hoc, ergo, propter hoc, "after this, therefore, because of this," referring to the mistaken belief that temporal succession implies a causal relation.

Most business owners look around, observe their circumstances and then try to make sense of it all. Their thoughts and plans are guided by what they see. But any scientist will tell you correlation and causation are not the same thing.

Don’t tell me what you see. Tell me what you want to see. “What are you trying to make happen? And how will you measure progress?” When I ask these questions, most business owners stammer, stutter and hedge, then change the subject by asking a question of their own.

I usually ignore that question and ask, “How am I supposed to help you make something happen when you can’t tell me what it is?”

Sigh.

“When you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”
- Cheshire Cat, Alice in Wonderland

How many of your actions are actually reactions triggered by circumstances? (Please know that I am as guilty of this as the rest of you.) Are we allowing the merely urgent to set aside the truly important?

Do you know what you’re trying to make happen? Can you tell me exactly how you plan to measure progress? The shortest distance from Point A to Point B is always a straight line. The best marketing strategies begin by drawing a straight line from Where We Are Today to Where We’d Like To Be Tomorrow.

You can’t navigate a ship by studying the wind and waves. Fix your gaze on your goal, a non-negotiable, fixed position that can never change. Let that be your lighthouse, your reference point, your North Star.

No stack of dollars can be your lighthouse. Dollars are merely a byproduct. Money fails as a compass because it can be found in every direction. Guiding directives and unifying principles are never merely financial.

Where do you want to be tomorrow?

Now point to your North Star so that I can see it, too.”

---Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads

Soooo….

If dollars are a mere byproduct of you reaching your goals, what are your goals?

The Business of Relationships PART 3 of 3

My wife gets the monthly newsletter from Robin Sharma. I am going to share this with you over the next three days.

Robin Sharma… helping people in organizations lead without a title.

The Business of Relationships 9 things to have winning relationships art work.

7. Get Naked in Your Conversations

Make your conversations count. Speak with candor. Brave the real issue. Say only that which is helpful: don't use your words to criticize or divide. Anybody can do that. Be radically honest, define reality. Trust is born out of the truth. Sloganeering and masking the truth breeds mistrust and disrespect. Go to the difficult truths and people will go the mile with you.

8. Get Famous for Reliability

Next time a teammate or department is unexpectedly riding the wild rapids, be the person out in the water risking the rapids with them. Become known for acts of reliability.

Every single person needs to take ownership of the organization's results. Everyone needs to take responsibility for what does or does not get accomplished in a day. Anyone can reach success if they consistently do the right things. Reliability, no matter what, is the right thing. Reliability translates into ownership and taking ownership is a way to present yourself as a leader.

9. Turn Everyone Into a Cover Story

Commit to noticing everyone. The young new associate in the elevator on Monday morning, the CFO's assistant, the receptionist, the customers, the interns... Remember everyone's contributions, what's important to her, what he does well, and what makes everyone smile. Everyone is worthy of being the next cover story and leaders show it.

The Business of Relationships PART 2 of 3

My wife gets the monthly newsletter from Robin Sharma. I am going to share this with you over the next three days.

Robin Sharma… helping people in organizations lead without a title.

The Business of Relationships 9 things to have winning relationships art work.

4. Be the Most Positive Person in the Room

Today there is perpetual buzz about the state of the economy, the shock of once-admired organizations collapsing before our eyes and the alarming daily rate of bankruptcy. Yes this is current reality however, focusing relentlessly on negativity is subscribing to failure.

Powerful leaders neutralize the infectious cycle of negativity; they deploy hope where it's seemingly forsaken. Enlisting yourself as the most positive person in the room breaks the binds of negativity. Change the music and people will either stop dancing or start dancing a new step. Either way, it will set a precedence - "negativity is what everybody else is doing - we are the organization that refuses its limitations." Utilize the power of positivity to step up and make today better than yesterday.

5. Go Bigger than Your Paycheck

Just when we thought Apple couldn't wow us anymore they showcased innovation with the iPad, the tablet computer. Amazing. You might not love the design but you have to love how Apple delivers surprise above and beyond. Have the audacity to go bigger than your role. If a colleague is struggling to meet a deadline or lagging in productivity, don't be the first to point out the deficiency, be the first to roll up your sleeves and do whatever it takes to help out. Knock the status quo "it's not my job" to its knees and do more than you are paid for.

6. Be the Perfect Investment

When it comes to your relationships, be a dream investment: low cost with exceptional high return. Prove to be a no gossip, no games, no regrets, no maintenance investment of other people's time and focus. Manage yourself with others at the highest level possible - a.k.a with grace.

The Business of Relationships

My wife gets the monthly newsletter from Robin Sharma. I am going to share this with you over the next three days.

Robin Sharma… helping people in organizations lead without a title.

The Business of Relationships 9 things to have winning relationships art work.

Hi Sherri,

Included in the Top 10 Best Companies to Work For (Fortune Magazine), not surprising we see Google, Edward Jones and Dreamworks. When employees were asked why they love (yes love) working for the top contenders, they didn't mention the pay, the expense accounts or advancing to the top title in the Googleplex. They spoke first of the kindness of relationships. These passionate workers described their work culture as an extension of home, or like being with family. They spoke enthusiastically of their colleagues as being fun and supportive. Managers of the Best Companies are characterized as genuinely caring; every single employee truly matters. Work for these fortunate employees is like a favorite gathering place - a place to play at their top level with like minded talent.

These testimonials reveal that business is nothing more than a human venture built on high caliber relationships. Without deep relationships, leadership doesn't work. The old model of leadership - which puts profit above people - is dead.

9 Things You Must Absolutely Do To Having Winning Relationships At Work:

1. Act Like a Human

Organizations run by a closed group of executives hovering above in the "C - suite" are falling. Leading Without A Title, where everyone is a key player is the new way to win in business. This fresh method of leading means that leaders not only master the essential skills but also understand how to act human. You can't treat human beings like capital - you will lose your greatest talent.

Acting human engages people - human engagement facilitates others towards their brilliance. A refreshing burst of humanity at the office outlasts and outshines the paycheck, the office with the view, or driving the company car. As the lights go out on the stage of old-school leadership, acting human is your game-changing solution.

2. Be One of the Few Who Perfect the Endangered Craft

It's an amazing time to be alive. Revolutionary technological innovation to enhance our lives, freedom of choice to create the life you love, and the daily opportunity to choose from an endless list of beautiful rewards. Yet an insatiable hunger still lingers inside each one of us - the hunger to be heard. I'm talking about the transformative experience that happens when someone truly listens and totally gets where you are at. I'm talking about listening at the level you feel like the listener is hanging onto each one of your words like they are the most important words in the world.

The new leadership is all about relationships with people. And you can't relate without listening. It's impossible. Yet engaged listening is a craft rarely mastered by leaders. You can have the most competent leader in the world, but if he doesn't listen his leadership potential will go unrealized.

Feeding the hunger to be heard brings out the best in people. People will trust you, respect you and shatter their limitations for you when you give them the gift of listening.

3. Be Scarce

We tend to value that which is scarce. We put a premium on objects and experiences we believe will run out: a Limited edition Gucci Ronson sneaker, a two week showing of Michael Jackson's This Is It. Reserve wine. We are impacted and motivated most by that which we don't come across everyday or that which comes in a limited supply. If you are seeking to create long term loyalty in your business relationships, ask yourself what is noticeably scarce? Is it generosity? Authenticity? Encouragement? Spot the scarcity and rock it.

Are you only doing what's expected?

What's expected vs. what's amazing

SETH GODIN:

“I visited a favorite restaurant last week, a place that, alas, I hadn't been to in months. The waiter remembered that I don't like cilantro. Unasked, she brought it up. Incredible. This was uncalled for, unnecessary and totally delightful.”

“Dolores, a clerk with kidney problems at a 7 Eleven, broke all sorts of coffee sales records because she remembered the name of every customer who came in every morning. Unexpected and amazing.”

VS.

“Hotels used to get a lot of mileage out of remembering what you liked, but it was merely a database trick, not emotional labor on the part of the staff.”

“Today, if you go to an important meeting and the other people haven't bothered to Google you and your company, it's practically an offense. We're about to spend an hour together and you couldn't be bothered to look me up? It's expected, no longer amazing.”

You can raise the bar or you can wait for others to raise it, but it's getting raised regardless.

How can you raise the “What’s Amazing” bar with your customers?

Daily Consistency is Better than Occasional Brilliance!

Twenty years ago I started listening to John Maxwell leadership tapes. I got a new one every month in the mail for bucks. It came on a cassette tape with a printed outline. In one of his lessons, he talked about taking baby steps toward personal growth. Maxwell said only 10% of people who are over 25 years old will read a book. Less than that will make an effort to continue growing intellectually and spiritually. The main point he was making, is if you continue to make even baby steps in your growth, you will quickly pass most people around you.

I went to work for Steve Laswell, the sales manager at News Radio 1000 KTOK in Oklahoma City back in 2000. I would sometimes get discouraged and his advice was good. He’d say, “Just make sure you are moving the needle in the right direction every day. Do the right thing, for the right reasons, expecting the right result, and it will come.”

Today is a reminder that greatness in your world is a process of doing the daily drudgery with consistency and excellence.

Oseola McCarty was born March 7, 1908. She lived her entire life in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. For the first 87 years, she never married and never learned to drive. She walked nearly a mile pushing a shopping cart to get groceries she rode with friends every week to Friendship Baptist Church. She was a washer woman. She washed other people’s dirty clothes to earn a living. She did walk one other place, to the bank. When she was young, she opened a savings account and began making daily deposits of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.

When she was 87 years old (in 1995), she stopped by her bank and a bank manager wanted to talk with her. She sat at his desk, and he said, “Oseola, do you have any idea how much money your daily deposits have added up to over the years?” He went on to tell her she has accumulated one quarter of a million dollars. He asked her what she wanted to do with her money. Oseola had no idea and wasn’t sure where to start. The young banker placed 10 dimes on his desk. He told her they represent her money and asked her how she would like it divided up. As a committed Christian woman, she pointed to the first dime and said she wants it to go to her church. She then pointed at three other dimes and said she wanted to leave them to her nephews and nieces. Then she said, “With the rest of the money, I would like to set up a scholarship fund at the local university for deserving black students who are not afraid to dream big.

One week later, the University of Southern Mississippi received a check from her for $150,000 to set up such a trust.

In 1998, she was awarded an honorary degree from USM, the first such degree awarded by the university. She received scores of awards and other honors recognizing her unselfish spirit, and President Bill Clinton presented her with a Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second highest civilian award, during a special White House Ceremony. She also won the United Nations' coveted Avicenna Medal for educational commitment. In June 1996, Harvard University awarded McCarty an honorary doctorate.

I tell you this today, because it is likely you are not noticing the daily deposits you are making in your work and in other people. The daily words you deposit in the ears of people you encounter most, like your spouse, your children, your employees and whoever else you are influencing!