Pick one or two platforms (one of which you should own, like a blog or a great email newsletter). Do your best work for them.

If you create remarkable work in just one or two places, others will share your message far and wide. Mediocre work spread out over a dozen sites is mostly wasted effort.

Head over and read the whole article, and the comments. But note that I still think leaving breadcrumbs is a good idea; you just need to pick and choose wisely.

…the world will not be saved by people with programs. If the world is saved, it will be saved because the people living in it have a new vision

I couldn’t agree more. Real change happens when people really want something to change and take action on their own, not from programs created with the aim of changing people. No matter what programs are in place, people don’t change if they don’t genuinely want to.

[via Ubertor]

My old colleague is at it again (see here and here) with another video. This one is an I Want a Goat spoof for charity, which is why I’m so quick to promote it.

Warning: EXPLICIT language

If you enjoyed the video, please consider donating a goat for $20 at http://iwantagoat.com.

1. Determine your value proposition — If you aren’t bringing anything to the table in a partnership, you don’t stand much of a chance to land the partnership. And if you can’t demonstrate the value proposition you provide verbally, in text, or visually, then you stand zero chance of landing a deal. How do you figure out your value prop? Talk through your value proposition with others. I’ve been managing the Zillow API program for a couple years, yet I was just recently talking to Zillow’s VP of Sales, Greg Schwartz (raves9 on Twitter), and he helped me nail down the value proposition of the Zillow API program to potential partners (primarily agents, broker, and financial institutions) into something much clearer and succinct than the way I had been explaining it. I was getting at the same point all along, but in a roundabout way. Greg made me realize that “more qualified and profitable customers” is what brokerages, agents, financial institutions are looking for and that I needed to do a better job driving home that selling point and how the API program helps accomplish that goal.

If you seriously have nothing to give in the way of content, data, time, resources, connections, branding, etc — ie don’t have a value prop — then quit wasting everyone’s time and just spend money on advertising.

2. Build strong relationships – This is absolutely crucial to succeeding. Larger partnerships inevitably have to go through layers of bureaucracy before they come to fruition. Without your main contact vouching for you and your company, the deal probably won’t get done. Relate to them with something outside of business, get face to face, talk constantly, help them with other deals, etc. My best partners are now friends more so than just business connections and we help each other on multiple fronts. Expect your good partners to be the same type of contacts for you. Even once you win the deal, you have to keep the deal away from competitors. Inevitably, your competitors will come after your partners (they’d be stupid not to); make sure you have strong enough relationships with your main contact(s) so they are compelled to fight for you internally when those discussions happen.

3. Persistence — To get partnerships done, you need to be VERY persistent. I really wish everyone answered every single e-mail within 2 days (or at all), but the fact of the matter is they don’t. Everyone has busy schedules at their own respective companies and if you send one e-mail to someone and don’t follow up after not getting a response, then you’re missing the boat. In regards to lack of responses to e-mails, I’ve heard numerous people tell me that “If something is important enough and I don’t respond, inevitably the other person will e-mail me again or pick up the phone to get to me”; it may be frustrating, but that’s how life works. You’ve got to want it. Follow up until the partner firmly tells you no. And then follow up again using a different approach or value proposition.

A couple other tips worth mentioning:

• Find your way to the right contact first — The hardest part of business development is actually finding the right contact to talk to. The larger the organization, the harder and more important this becomes. It really is all about who you know and how good your relationships are.
• Be strategic — There are only so many hours in the day to spend on closing deals, so determining where to spend your time is important. While larger strategic partnerships take significant time and energy to complete, they are absolutely worth it in my mind. Having partnerships with recognized brands that you can talk about with other potential partners goes a long way toward closing the next deal.

If you have your own tips to succeeding in a business development role, please leave them in the comments.

[via Hofland Expeditions]

How in the heck did this girl not get red carded? Am I missing something?

I would be scared to play soccer against this girl.

Congrats to your beloved Yankees for winning the 2009 World Series over the Phillies. I’ll admit they were the better team and deserved to win. I can say our Twitter conversations and constant heckling over the past week or so made the series more fun to follow!

BUT…do I still hate the Yankees?

Yes.

Will I still hate the Yankees 10 years from now?

Yes.

To Sue, Stephen, Jim, and all the Phillies (or mainly just ANTI-YANKEES) fans that chimed in – thank you!

Lesson: if you find yourself with a few free minutes — call someone you haven’t spoken with for awhile and ask them what they’ve been up to (and update them on what you’ve been doing). Better yet, carve out a few hours every week to making these phone calls. I think you’ll be surprised with how valuable those phone calls turn out to be.

Before I write this, let me admit it’s almost 3am and I’m very drunk. It’s Halloween, I look like a zombie, and I’ve been talking about United all evening.

Relationships between NBA players and referees were generally all over the board — love, hate, and everything in-between. Some players, even very good ones, were targeted by referees and the league because they were too talented for their own good. Raja Bell, formerly of the Phoenix Suns and now a member of the Charlotte Bobcats, was one of those players. A defensive specialist throughout his career, Bell had a reputation for being a “star stopper.” His defensive skills were so razor sharp that he could shut down a superstar, or at least make him work for his points. Kobe Bryant was often frustrated by Bell’s tenacity on defense. Let’s face it, no one completely shuts down a player of Kobe’s caliber, but Bell could frustrate Kobe, take him out of his game, and interrupt his rhythm.

You would think that the NBA would love a guy who plays such great defense. Think again! Star stoppers hurt the promotion of marquee players. Fans don’t pay high prices to see players like Raja Bell — they pay to see superstars like Kobe Bryant score 40 points. Basketball purists like to see good defense, but the NBA wants the big names to score big points.

If a player of Kobe’s stature collides with the likes of Raja Bell, the call will almost always go for Kobe and against Bell. As part of our ongoing training and game preparation, NBA referees regularly receive game-action video tape from the league office. Over the years, I have reviewed many recorded hours of video involving Raja Bell. The footage I analyzed usually illustrated fouls being called against Bell, rarely for him. The message was subtle but clear — call fouls against the star stopper because he’s hurting the game.

Wow, what a joke. This is a big reason why the NBA has gone downhill since the 90’s when the game was about more than just money. Penalizing the likes of Raja Bell and Bruce Bowen for being fantastic defenders is pathetic.

Beau was also behind the Mac vs PC rap video.