Words For Hire

You’re Lazy and You Look Fat in Those Pants

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, Identica, Ning, Plurk. Today we have an amazing array of social media tools that allow us to connect with others for business and pleasure. The ease of push button publishing and multiple platform connectivity has significantly altered the way we communicate. Open access and ease of use, however, still require an investment that some are not willing to make.

It’s easy but that is no excuse to be lazy. There is a pervasive lack of effort with many self-anointed marketers. Generic messages are prepared and blasted to thousands of people, and the cycle is repeated. It is a numbers game right? Social media makes it easy to reach thousands and eventually your message will connect with the right person, or so you reason.

As a sales manager, my team took great pains to get to know prospective clients before pitching. At the time, there was no Google search, Facebook or even LinkedIn. We had to invest time and effort in uncovering wants, needs and preferences. When invited to a prospect’s inner sanctum, we respected their time and invitation by discussing relevant problems and solutions. This meant an understanding of not only who we were and what we had to offer but a keen understanding of the problems and opportunities of that prospect.

Information was and still is power. The investment to gain that information paid off in actual sales. My job was based on numbers and my efforts were appropriately directed to the right people with a precise, and highly relevant message.

Today, information is much easier to uncover. There are profiles and websites that provide a huge amount of information. Yet, the majority of “business” people fail to review, let alone leverage that information. Your hit and run approach may actually result in a few sales but you have missed the bigger opportunity to create a solid, sustainable business that produces a higher ROI on your investment.

You can continue to be lazy or you could be smart. If you connect with someone on Facebook, before sending a completely irrelevant pitch via their inbox, take a moment to review their profile, and news feed. Visit their website or blog, read their wall postings. Connect with them on something real rather than immediately pushing your own agenda.

Your irrelevant hit and run messages are more than annoying; they can be downright offensive. An off-topic pitch is akin to reviewing my head shot and telling me I look fat in my pants.

My twitter stream and Facebook page is not your personal playground. I let you in and expect you to treat it just as you would if you were a guest in my home. Respect that you are a guest and that means abiding by my house rules.

Has your approach to creating connections changed for the social web? In what ways?

If you enjoyed this post, why not become a regular visitor? Get free updates via RSS or email.

140 Characters from Darkness to Light

: Image via Wikipedia

Regret clings to my soul like cobwebs in a dusty attic. It seems that all that is left of me are memories of what was as hope drains from my heart leaving me empty and lifeless. With head bowed and shoulders intent on greeting each other in sorrow, I sigh deeply and turn on the machine that taunts me as it boots up. Mindlessly I click on Twitter and my eyes capture a flicker, a quote that wraps around my chilled heart and shakes me from my coma of hopelessness.

@GrantThomson A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.- John Barrymore

I do not want to warm myself on chilly nights with fading memories of my past accomplishments playing like a scratched album with the needle stuck in the grooves. A small piece of my old fighting spirit rises to the surface and a longing to make new “bests” that are in the present and now. I fight through the fog that has enshrined me to bring my fingers to the keyboard defiantly tapping out words, ramblings that may or may not become sentences but determined nevertheless to find my way again to life. The fog holds on with a tight grip releasing vapors as I struggle to climb above it, to see the sun that I know exists above the dark clouds. A tiny spark emerges, barely enough to light the way but I focus on the pinprick of light and tap, tap, tap my way from the cave of darkness.

I tap like a madwoman, possessed by the journey, barely seeing, not thinking but suddenly with a fierce need a single minded mission to break free fro the prison of despair. I hear nothing but the tap, tap, tap slowly rising to a crescendo as I battle my way to the light. My furrowed brow is beaded with sweat from the effort of fighting against the enemy of my soul. Tap, tap, tap, shards of remembrance break through, memories of past effort. A tiny voice whispers and I strain to hear it. It does not have to be perfect, just do it.

I tap, tap, tap to drown out the ugly screams of fear as it tries in vain to beat back the flame that threatens to extinguish its presence. Then with racing heart and waning energy I see…the light. I open my eyes wide and drink in the blessed sight of the light gulping it hungrily as one who has wandered in without water in the desert for days on end.

I turn my face toward the warmth as a deep, throaty laugh passes through my parched lips. A tear slips down my cheek and slowly falls to the page, blurring the words that dragged me from the darkness that threatened to silence me forever. I am here and I am thankful.

Have you ever been gripped by discouragement? How did you work your way through?

If you enjoyed this post, why not become a regular visitor? Get free updates via RSS or email.

The World’s Not Small It’s Just Sliced Really Thin

We often remark how much smaller the world has become. Technology has facilitated our ability to seamlessly connect with people around the globe. Social media has added a new depth to this ability by allowing us to connect around common points of interests.

Yet, while the world seems small, it is vast and largely unexplored.

Only a small percentage of the world’s population travels with regularity around the globe. It is both impractical and cost prohibitive for most people, but is the not the primary reason for the limitation. We are creatures of habit. We may venture out of our comfort zones on occasion but even the adventurer follows a predictable pattern.

Online, the limitations and boundaries are removed and still we confine ourselves to one little part of the globe. The cyberworld is not small it is huge but highly segmented into tiny little pieces.

We find micro communities or tribes based on interests, activities and hobbies and we settle into a comfortable networking community. Our tiny little segment seems big because it’s populated with people from around the globe. We marvel at our ability to connect across cultures, time zones and languages as we join virtual hands to sing “We are the world.”

We venture out from our big, tiny world on occasion but we return back to the familiar with predictable regularity.

I happen to be fond of tribes as a human and marketer, but I am not blind to the downside of tribal affinity. Tribes make it easy to get caught in an echo chamber where perception is mistaken as fact. You can fall into the belief that others understand the language, and share the same beliefs as the tribe.

The tribe can dull your senses and stunt your innovation. Without realizing it your world shrinks to the size of your tribe. You see the same topics discussed, products pushed and methods used by members of the tribe and your mind concludes that this is the way of everyone. Welcome to the echo chamber.

Luckily, there is an easy fix. Go visit other cultures. You will find that a simple change of internet scenery will expose you to a whole new group of people with their own language, and tribal traditions.

You may find that the change of conversation will spark new ideas and enable you to see your business challenges and triumphs in a new way. You may even find a previously untapped market eager for what you have to offer.

Tribes are good except when they’re not. Get out and see the world, after all online it’s virtually free.

Have you ever found yourself caught in the echo chamber? How did it affect your views and decisions?

If you enjoyed this post, why not become a regular visitor? Get free updates via RSS or email.

When Change Meets Resistance

: Image by David Paul Ohmer via Flickr

Change is a funny thing. As fervently as we embrace it we seem also to have a natural resistance to it. It’s scary, yet exciting; we need the new yet often cling to the familiar. If each of us possesses this natural love/hate relationship with change, imagine how it impacts the people in our lives.

Change very often makes the people around us uncomfortable. The overweight spouse who embarks on a health overhaul, the needy sibling who begins to take charge of their life, the quiet colleague that becomes bold about contributing ideas and standing up to peers. All of these changes can provoke chaos in the surrounding environment.

While you may be embracing change as growth and forward momentum, those around you may see it as a threat to their position or relationship with you. Ultimately, it’s not your change they are really resisting but how that change will affect them. They respond by trying to defend against the “attack” to protect their own comfort zone.

Those who fear change may unintentionally sabotage your growth. That resistance can sometimes derail your good intentions.

In business, I have personally watched leaders hindered in their growth by the fans that surrounded them. New ideas and behaviors were shot down in an effort to “protect” the leader from making mistakes. The leaders remained stuck in patterns that no longer worked encouraged by loyalists who were afraid that change would leave no room for them.

So, how do you balance the complexity of change without alienating everyone around you?

Acknowledge that not everyone will grab their pom poms and cheer the new you. Change is hard! Be sensitive, but firm in your desire to grow. As I pondered these thoughts on Facebook this week I noted that there are those who may be left behind. I was struck by the very wise words of Kevin Buck which sums it up beautifully:

“As you walk with integrity and a prophetic voice, the community you attract shifts with your transformation.”

Yes, you may lose some people along the way but your transformation will attract new people who will be aligned with who you are and more importantly who you are becoming.

When the resistance is from loved ones, reassure them of their place in your life. People that love you will come around in their own time and in their own way.

The important thing is to be true to yourself and your calling. While our human nature may resist change, without it we will wither and die.

Have you ever encountered resistance to change? How did you handle it?

If you enjoyed this post, why not become a regular visitor? Get free updates via RSS or email.

Fruity Marketing Lessons

: Image via Wikipedia

A California grocer recalled several cartons of Del Monte Cantaloupe because it may be contaminated with salmonella. I read the story and realized I don’t spend much time thinking about Cantaloupe. In fact, I could not have been counted on to tell you Del Monte produced cantaloupe.

Imagine being a brand that fades into the background of consumers’ minds until it is placed front and center by negative news. I do associate Del Monte with certain fruit but now I will remember they also grow cantaloupe. In the short term, I will also remember the association with salmonella.

When it comes to food, I care about organic, environmentally safe and locally grown. There are brands I associate with my food values but all the others just become fruit in the bins.

Do your consumers care about your brand or are you just one of many choices? Are they turning over the fruit looking for your label or just choosing whatever is convenient? Would it take a problem or bad news for your brand to be visible or do they know and love you now?

I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be the Del Monte of cantaloupe.

If you enjoyed this post, why not become a regular visitor? Get free updates via RSS or email.

FTC Guidelines on Endorsements and Testimonials

: Image by Marcus Vegas via Flickr

The internet is buzzing with the pros and cons of FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, 16 CFR Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. You can read the full text by downloading the PDF .

The revised guides are effective December 1, 2009 – Merry Christmas from the U.S. Government.

While many have focused on the impact on bloggers who do product reviews, the guides cover television, hidden camera endorsements, expert endorsements and much more.

A few things that caught my eye:

“Results not typical” statements are no longer acceptable. The FTC tested the statements and found that the disclaimer was ineffective. You should report the general results not the outliers.

You can be liable for making false statements, even if you’re reading a script.

We may never see another celebrity endorser. Lesser known working actors can rejoice, because there may be a few more roles for you to play. Celebrity endorsers must disclose a paid relationship whether they are talking about a product on a talk show, on their personal blog or website or in a company sponsored ad.

Advertisers and bloggers are held responsible for misleading statements. Advertisers must train and monitor bloggers doing reviews. Note the text below that follows one of the many detailed examples (Example 5) in the guide:

“In order to limit its potential liability, the advertiser should ensure that the advertising service provides guidance and training to its bloggers concerning the need to ensure that statements they make are truthful and substantiated. The advertiser should also monitor bloggers who are being paid to promote its products and take steps necessary to halt the continued publication of deceptive representations when they are discovered.”

Experts must exercise their expertise in comparing products and offering testimonials. Many information marketers use testimonials and endorsements from “experts” in their product advertisements. This too is being held to a new standard:

“…the expert must have concluded that, with respect to those features on which he or she is expert and which are relevant and available to an ordinary consumer, the endorsed product is at least equal overall to the competitors’ products. Moreover, where the net impression created by the endorsement is that the advertised product is superior to other products with respect to any such feature or features, then the expert must in fact have found such superiority.”

The FTC uses very specific examples to point out acceptable actions and those that will be called into question. If Tiger Woods endorses a golf club, he is held to a different standard because he is a well known celebrity who is associated with golf. A spokesperson doing the same endorsement not associated with golf is held to different standards.

Before reading the guides, I believed the issue to be as simple as disclosing financial relationships. After reading them, it will impact my actions going forward in providing testimonials and endorsements.

Have you read the guidelines? If so, do you have any concerns or is this a good thing?

By the way, I was not paid to write this post!

FTC to Fine Bloggers up to $11,000 for Not Disclosing Payments (mashable.com)
FTC: Bloggers, celebrities beware! (money.cnn.com)
FTC to bloggers: Fess up or pay up (news.cnet.com)
Potential FTC Fines Raise Big Blogging Questions (webpronews.com)

If you enjoyed this post, why not become a regular visitor? Get free updates via RSS or email.

Crazy Colors, Level Doors and Life Lessons

I had a dream this weekend that Joanna Young sold me her house. It was under construction with half finished rooms and much of the roof missing. Somehow I had bought the contraption house and was happily living in it while completing construction.

: Image by unertlkm via Flickr

Joanna came to visit and I showed her around, eventually leading her to the master bedroom. The room had a huge bed, a big screen TV and a tub with a seating area in front of it. We sat on the huge bed, me cross legged and grinning and Joanna prim and proper.

“I hate this bedroom, that’s why I sold the house, ” Joanna stated as she involuntarily shuddered.

“We fixed the door, see it’s level and smooth now,” I said beaming with pride, immune to her criticism.

For a few moments we both sat looking at the neon green door that looked like glowing slime, with two windows on either side painted the same color. Still grinning I looked around the room at dark blue walls and the red seating area in front of the tub.

In the light of day I was both mortified and tickled at the realization that I must have a dormant tacky gene that haunts me in sleep. Once I got past the horror of my color scheme, I reflected on the 5 lessons of the dream.

Lesson #1: I am apparently blissfully happy as long as I have a bed, bathtub, and TV even if the color scheme would make a sane person puke. Scary but true.

: Image by ஐ★ღ§wêê†Båbίί®åєღ★ஐ via Flickr

Lesson #2: The house did not work for Joanna but I found happiness there. My face beamed with joy surrounded by all my tacky colors and half finished house. When Joanna blatantly stated her dislike, it would have been easy to lose my enthusiasm and agree with someone whose opinion I deeply respect. How often in life do we shy away from doing things a certain way because someone smarter, popular or more successful has spoken against it? We may begin to doubt our judgment or ability to make it work when someone “better” could not.

Lesson #3: The color scheme and much of the house needed work but I was able to celebrate the accomplishment of a level door. It is easy to miss what you have already accomplished when you are sitting in the middle of a half finished house. Take a moment and give yourself a pat on the back for what’s been done. That small task is one less thing on your to-do list.

Lesson #4: The colors may not make sense to someone else but they are YOUR colors. It’s tempting to stay with safe, proven color schemes. You will blend right in and no one will point and laugh but safe colors are precisely that safe. Own your tacky, putrid, neon colors,let ‘em fly! Those colors are your distinction, they are what makes you unique. I would rather be flying my quirky neon flag than trying to compete with the millions of safe colors in the crayon box.

Lesson #5: Visiting with friends always makes you happy even if you’re visiting in a room that one of you detests.

Are you proudly sporting your unique colors or playing it safe? Why or why not?

If you enjoyed this post, why not become a regular visitor? Get free updates via RSS or email.

Tick Tock It’s Friday

: Image via Wikipedia

Yesterday morning I grabbed my remote and flipped to a fitness channel wanting to fit in one more workout before rushing headlong into the day. As I read the description of the program, the original air date was listed as 10/1/09. I frowned and wondered what was wrong with the guide.

I finished my workout and hurried through the morning routine. The morning went fast yet felt slow and soon it was 1pm in the afternoon. I stepped outside to breathe in the fresh fall air and feel the sun on my face. The treetops were beginning to turn and the red and gold stood brightly against the clear sky.

I pushed away thoughts of work and simply stood breathing face tilted to the sun. Time was moving so fast, I needed this space to catch my breath and relax instead of running after it.

At the end of the day, I flipped on the TV and again saw the stupid date was wrong. I was too tired to call the cable company so I settled in to relax. An hour later, I realized that September had ended and it was not the guide that was broken but me! The date was in fact 10/1/09 and I had simply missed the passage of one month into another.

Weekend, anyone?

If you enjoyed this post, why not become a regular visitor? Get free updates via RSS or email.

Rip the Veil or Close the Blinds?

“On one hand access to more is terrific, more info, more options, more entertainment, more flexibility, fewer gatekeeping restrictions….. on the other hand, access to more is like a train wreck of distasteful and tacky come to town, hell bent on leaving it’s mark and lifting its skirt…a lost weekend of things we just really don’t need to know…but some how…watch anyway…”–Janice Cartier

The conversations around transparency have been rich with examples and thoughtful insights. As Janice Cartier, so colorfully observed, a little too much transparency can make us all blush with shame even as we continue to watch in abject horror.

For some this kind of transparency has become a brand that they have leveraged with success. There are many who put it all on full display, and continue to command attention, while others lose position when we get even a peek behind half closed blinds.

: Image via Wikipedia

It is clear that there is no universal standard for transparency. We want to pull down the curtain and see the wizard in certain areas and in others we’d rather continue to believe in magic.

In The Transparent Leader, authors Herb Baum and Tammy Kling address transparency in business. They share case studies and successes from companies that developed an “open culture.” Transparency did not equate to “telling it all” but honestly communicating at all levels about issues related to the company. The book acknowledged that business leaders must balance that openness with a certain amount of filtering.

Heather Villa shared how she filters her own open communication:

“I won’t talk about my religious beliefs, my political views, my intimate relationships, or anything else highly controversial or personal. I believe those types of discussions are meant for your immediate family (if not completely personal) and is ‘too much’ transparency.”

Heather is a business owner active in social media. She shares business and personal information but has wisely developed filters for her transparency. In her case, she realizes that too much transparency can be polarizing and may damage current and prospective relationships with customers.

From those in positions of power, we demand a higher standard of excellence. We take joy in the glimpses of transparency but if the blinds are opened too far we lose respect for their position. We like to think of them as “everyman” or “everywoman” but we don’t want them to prove it.

“We have all the tools to publish what happens at every moment in our lives, but we lack the wisdom and experience to edit all that rough draft and make something interesting.”– Jamie Grove

“…airing our dirty laundry to everyone is a little dangerous, and possibly a little over-indulgent.”–Conor

Jamie and Conor aptly point out that exercising a little editing with our transparency is wise. We really don’t have to tell it all. We can tell what is relevant, and even share a little that’s not, but exposing it all can be dangerous and alienating and as Conor noted a little over-indulgent.

Fred Schlegel offered a chilling reality: “Since there really is no way to limit what is public about our lives, we must put in place rules on how the more powerful entities use that info. Sorry to get all George Orwell on ya, but the public info is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Perhaps some believe that they will take charge of the illusion of privacy by ripping down their own veil. I know what’s behind that curtain and I’m determined to hang on to the false illusion of a little mystery for as long as I possibly can.

Does the amount of information shared change your level of respect for a person? Is the boundary the same for everyone or does it depend on other factors?

If you enjoyed this post, why not become a regular visitor? Get free updates via RSS or email.

The Trend of Transparency

: Image by frangipani photograph via Flickr

Have we pushed the boundaries so far that we have crossed the line from transparency to indecency? On December 23, 2004, President Bush signed the Video Voyeurism Prevention Act of 2004 into law. In less than a decade, we have gone from being outraged by secret videotaping to willingly sharing our own secrets in every available medium.

Between blogs, YouTube and Reality television, nothing is left to the imagination. I don’t know about you but I could live knowing a little less about everyone’s private lives. People date, marry, get pregnant, have children, divorce, fight addictions and illnesses in full view of cameras. The allure of mystery has given way to the fashion of telling it all to everyone and if you’re lucky you may profit from your effort.

“One man’s transparency is another’s humiliation.” –Gerry Adams

This need to “tell all” is not confined to entertainment but has changed how we share information at every level. News reports provide gruesome and unnecessary details about crimes exposing victims and their families to further pain. We demand accountability from the business world but hold ourselves to different standards as customers and employees as we share our perspectives, opinions and ideas without censure.

Don’t get me wrong, this blog and my other social media activities validate that I am an active contributor and participant in new media. I am not a sideline observer but one fully in the echo chamber questioning our use and participation. I applaud the ability to share information, resources, and yes, opinions but openness is not without consequence. Though our current culture seems to suggest otherwise, I still believe that we have responsibility for our words and actions.

Let’s examine it this week. What do you think, have we gone too far or not far enough?

If you enjoyed this post, why not become a regular visitor? Get free updates via RSS or email.

Words For Hire

You’re Lazy and You Look Fat in Those Pants

140 Characters from Darkness to Light

The World’s Not Small It’s Just Sliced Really Thin

When Change Meets Resistance

Fruity Marketing Lessons

FTC Guidelines on Endorsements and Testimonials

Related articles:

Crazy Colors, Level Doors and Life Lessons

Tick Tock It’s Friday

Rip the Veil or Close the Blinds?

The Trend of Transparency