5 Ways to Help Prospects Pursue You Like a Pomeranian in Heat

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - posted by hellomynameisscott at 8:19 AM

You can only darken people’s doorsteps so many times.

Eventually, the goal is to position yourself so THEY pursue YOU.

THEY meaning prospects ready to buy from you.
THEY meaning followers prepared to be inspired by you.
THEY meaning the media excited about interviewing you.
THEY meaning key players interesting in partnering with you.
THEY meaning customers stoked about doing business with you.

Because – as much as you’d like to – you can’t MAKE people pursue you.

You can, however, transform yourself into a more pursuable person.

Here’s a list of strategies for doing so: (Read part one of this series!)

1. Acknowledge your own value. If you don’t value you – they won’t value you. Period. The first sale is selling yourself to yourself. Fortunately, all it takes belief, discipline, commitment and confidence. People pursue people like that. What’s your system for strengthening your self-belief?

2. Aggressively invest in building remarkable moments. Ideally, moments that MOVE customers from “satisfied” to “loyal” to, eventually, “insistent.” The secret for doing so can be summarized in seven words: Create an opportunity for a service event. Whether it’s in-person, on the phone or online, the key word is “event.”

That’s what approachability is all about: An interaction that otherwise wouldn’t have existed … that’s memorable for the right reasons. The cool part is, the more of these remarkable events you create, the more pursued you become. It’s a simple probability equation.

And if you do it right, over time, other companies will want to steal your service philosophy. Because remarkability generates gasps. Gasps get repeated. And repeated gasps garner repeat business. What do you do SO well that people come back to see you do it again?

3. Be a better self-advertisement. The articulation of your fabulousness. The living brochure of your awesomeness. The walking translation of your value. THAT’S what advertising should be. Interestingly, the word “advertise” derives from the Latin advertere, which means, “to turn toward.” Interesting.

That means: No eye-gauging billboards. No tree-killing table tents. And no blood-boiling commercials. Just helping people to turn toward you. Arresting their attention, grabbing the world by the lapel and whispering aggressively into its ear, “Psst! Yeah, you. Check THIS out…”

Not in an interruptive way, of course. Just enough passion to be noticeable and listenable, but without being questionable and checkoffable. People pursue people like that. Are you a public pitchman for the product of YOU?

4. Pursuit is a function of growth. The more you grow, the bigger you become; and the bigger you become, the broader your pursuit range. So, by virtue of growth, you’re mathematically appealing to a more diverse population of prospects.

That in mind, here’s my personal philosophy on the subject: Refuse to let any day pass without personal growth. Doesn’t matter how infinitesimal it is – there’s no such thing as insignificant growth. And it’s not about competing with anyone.

It’s about evolving beyond the previous version of yourself into something more beautiful, more valuable and yes, more pursuable. How will you create the best possible circumstance in which your growth will be supported, enhanced and fulfilled?

5. Make follow-up easy. The word “pursue” comes from the Latin prosequi, which means, “to follow up.” VERY interesting. That’s why it’s crucial to remember that being pursued is useless if you’re not returning the favor. You need to get back with people quickly.

Because while the “Good, Fast and Cheap” mindset used to be enough, NOW you’re dealing with a customer expectation of “Perfect, Now and Free.” Are you returning calls faster than your competitors?

Remember: As much as you’d like to – you can’t MAKE people pursue you. You can, however, transform yourself into a more pursuable person.

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Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
scott@hellomynameisscott.com

Never the same speech twice.
Always about approachability.

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

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6 Secrets of Highly Pursuable Professionals

Monday, November 23, 2009 - posted by hellomynameisscott at 8:40 AM

Who’s in hot pursuit of you?

Professionally, that is. I don’t want this to turn into another episode of Cops.

Anyway, if the answer is, “Not enough people,” consider these six strategies for becoming a more pursuable professional:

1. Be beautiful to listen to. Consider the last five vendors you’ve hired. Or the last five colleagues you’ve partnered with. Hell, even consider the last five people you’ve dated. Question: How many of those individuals were a pain in the ass just to LISTEN to?

Every interaction you have with somebody either adds to or subtracts from the positive perception of your brand. What’s more, the pursuit of a potential person – business or personal – is either exacerbated or enhanced by the way you feel when interacting with that person.

Remember: When you’re music to people’s ears, you’re a magnet to people’s wallets. Would YOU be compelled to listen to you?

2. Learn from the daters. “Pursue” is a common term used in the dating world. So, I’ve collected a myriad of journal, blog and message board quotations from various single people. As you explore this list, consider the implications of each “non-pursuable” to your own business:

a. I didn’t pursue because I assumed he was out of my reach. Are you perceived as being out of your customer’s league?
b. I didn’t pursue because I assumed he didn’t like me. What false assumptions are your customers making about you?
c. I didn’t pursue because I didn’t feel confident enough to go after him. How are you increasing customer self-confidence?
d. I didn’t pursue because I was scared of the potential of failure. How could you remove the threat of rejection for your customers?
e. I didn’t pursue because I was resolute in the belief that I wasn’t better than anyone else. How might you increase your customer’s self-esteem?
f. I didn’t pursue because I saw him kissing some random girl in a bar. Are you overly engaged with your current customers to take on anybody new?
g. I didn’t pursue because I was worried he was going to tell his mom. Are your customers concerned about confidentiality?

Remember: Business and dating is EXACTLY the same thing. You still have customers. You still need to look attractive in their eyes. You still have to keep them satisfied and coming back for more. And still need to make yourself more pursuable to future prospects. Whom are YOU dating?

3. Become the physical embodiment of your expertise. It’s one thing to know something; it’s another thing to BE that something. And if you want to be pursued in greater numbers, your expertise must become crystallized through the sieve of experience – PLUS – intelligent reflection upon that experience.

That’s certainly the type of person I’d pursue. Someone who doesn’t know (x), but who IS (x). See the difference? Embodiment secures trust. Embodiment reinforces character. And embodiment promotes pursuit. Are you acquiring knowledge or do you possess REAL wisdom?

4. Figure out what’s missing for people. If you build it – and they DON’T come – it’s because they don’t want it. Or because they don’t know you built it. Or because you didn’t solve their problem. Or because you’re passionate yet irrelevant – cool but inconsequential.

Here’s the secret: People who get pursued are the ones who UNDO what the customer has done to himself. But they’re not jerks about it. They just strategically position themselves based around what they were designed to cure. And as a result, prospects are hot on their trails. What problem are you the answer to?

5. Learn from the lawyers. In the legal world, “pursuable” is also a term traditionally designated to cases and complaints that have a positive chance of succeeding. And the best lawyers are the ones who pinpoint pursuability immediately, so as not to waste anybody’s time.

Interestingly, when I researched the term “non-pursuable,” I found a collection of cases from a variety of industries. Each of them predicted non-pursuability in some fashion. So, as you read each of these, consider the applications to your own career:

a. The case was non-pursuable because they passed the statute of limitations. Has the clock run out on your brand’s market relevance?
b. The case was non-pursuable because the charge wasn’t significant enough. Do you matter?
c. The case was non-pursuable because they didn’t meet the case criteria. What is your credibility strengthening process?
d. The case was non-pursuable because the complainant didn’t provide further information. Are you leaving people hanging?
e. The case was non-pursuable because the proposal effort was unwarranted in light of the likelihood of rejection. Are you known for saying no reflexively?
a. The case was non-pursuable because the accused was incarcerated. Have you actually left the house today, or are you still in your jammies?
b. The case was non-pursuable because they were unable to contact the company. How many different ways can customers reach out to you?
c. The case was non-pursuable because insufficient evidence was collected. If you were charged with the crime of delivering value, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
d. The case was non-pursuable because they lacked substantiation. Are you proving value?
e. The case was non-pursuable because the assailant was never identified. Do you have a good working model of your brand identity?

Remember: Lawyers know what they’re doing. Most of the time. OK, some of the time. Alright, fine, lawyers are evil and they should burn in the fiery pits of hell for all of eternity. But the point is, they ask better questions than anyone. Listen to them. They’re the masters at determining pursuability. Have you had lunch with your attorney lately?

6. Let your customers help you sell them things. People train you how to treat them. Customers tell you how to sell them. All YOU have to do is listen. Now, I’m not talking about any of that manipulative NLP mirroring/matching/pacing crap. I’m talking about leveraging the natural rhythms of your customers.

Pinpointing their passions, preferences and personalities – then using those patterns to stop selling and start enabling to buy. Because all buyers know what they want. ALL of them. You just need to listen. After all, what YOU sell isn’t the same thing as what THEY buy. Know the difference. How are you giving customers permission to make your business better?

REMEMBER: As much as you’d like to – you can’t MAKE people pursue you. You can, however, transform yourself into a more pursuable person.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS...
For the list called, "12 Ways to Out Service the Competition," send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
scott@hellomynameisscott.com

Never the same speech twice.
Always about approachability.

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

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7 Ways to Revolutionize Your Own Life

Thursday, November 19, 2009 - posted by hellomynameisscott at 4:05 AM

1. Look first at what you’re not facing.. “When our lives are not working, there is always at least one thing we’re not facing,” wrote Gay Hendricks in Conscious Living, “and looking away from what you need to face burns more energy than actually facing it.”

Ultimately, evading responsibility means claiming victimhood. A healthier perspective is to step back from your current problem, turn toward what needs to be faced and ask:

• What have I done to cause this to happen?
• How have I arranged it so I’m having this experience?
• And what is it about me (or in me) that has invited or attracted this into my life?

Now, this process DOES require that you open up to genuine wonder with an attitude of curiosity, not conviction. But that’s exactly why it works: Because questions are medicine. And when you learn to stop being right and start being honest, your world changes forever.

Take responsibility for the pain you’ve created in yourself. Face it, befriend it, and then find out where you can learn from it. As my yoga teacher reminds us, “The only way out is through.” Are you willing to ride a wave of painful truth to reach a larger version of yourself?

2. Don’t consume all your energy trying to change the unchangeable. First, honestly assess what contains the capacity to be changed. Next, embrace those things as they are. Then, consciously choose to mount an influence campaign. Finally, be patient. Stick it out. Do the best you can.

And if nothing changes after a while, maybe you were wrong. Maybe it’s an unchangeable entity. And that’s OK. As long as you deliberately step away from your misguided efforts in the light of awareness, you’ll be fine. Remember: Any number multiplied by zero is still zero – no matter how big that number is. What are you wasting your time trying to change?

3. Screw the masses. Don’t allow the world to superimpose its prefabricated definition of who you should be. Life’s too short to live other people’s ideas about who you are. Instead, find yourself at the deepest possible level. Listen to the ground of being and decide in the solitude of your own consciousness who and what you already are.

Find the places you are operating from a limited view of yourself. If you truly want to liberate unsuspected energies, let your heart ask the questions and your life will provide the answers. You will show the world what you can be at your best. Are you opening yourself to discovering who you are?

4. Pinpoint (and eventually eliminate) the elements of your anti-risk repertoire. For example: Stop making a list of – and justifications FOR – all the reasons why you should avoid taking the plunge. Stop rationalizing your way out of risk. Stop talking yourself out of things that you know you need to do. And stop the mindless meandering to avoid risk. Learn to move forward despite shakiness. What limiting assumptions drive your behavior?

5. Be unwaveringly vigilant of the company you keep. Respectfully and resiliently silence the negative voices that attempt to infiltrate your positive reality. Don’t get sucked into the vortex of petty mindsets. Become a public spokesperson for your values by personally amputating anyone who doesn’t believe in or support you. Life’s also too short to hang around people who don’t challenge and inspire you. Are you still wasting time on relationships you’ve outgrown?

6. Create a mental picture of the life you want to live. Remind yourself of your awesomeness, return to your unique flavor and return to the roots of your being. . Soar past the ghost of who you were and give yourself permission to step into the future and become the best and highest version of yourself instead. Are you being held back the by the same thing that held you back last year?

7. Become a great chooser. Life presents us with the same choices, over and over again. And it will continue to do so until you make the right one. Just remember: Moments of choice reveal our personalities. “You are what you eat”? More like, “You are what you choose.” What would it look like to be “at full choice” in your life?

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How promotable are you?

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For the list called, "26 Ways to become the Most Approachable Employee at Your Organization," send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
scott@hellomynameisscott.com

Never the same speech twice.
Always about approachability.

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

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8 Secrets to Carry Your Brand Further into the Marketplace

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 - posted by hellomynameisscott at 7:21 AM

1. Attention without conversion is narcissism. Attention for the sake of attention feeds your ego. Attention for the sake of conversion – that is, building a following through your permission asset so your movement (not product) can make people’s lives better – feeds your wallet. The choice is yours.

Remember: It’s not about the number of eyeballs that see you – it’s how much clearer those eyeballs can see because OF you. How good are you at attracting, converting and multiplying attention?

2. Mattering is the best marketing. Mattering means people’s lives are significantly better because they know you. Mattering means the energy in the room rises to a more beautiful level when you walk in it. Mattering means what you do solves a pervasive, expensive and urgent problem for people.

And, mattering means complete strangers email you out of the blue – not to tell you how great you are – but to tell you how their world has improved because you’re a part of it. That’s what matters. And the best part is: People and companies who MATTER and don’t have to SPLATTER their advertisements all around town. Do you?

3. Platform is the great galvanizer. In the book-writing world, publishers don’t care about an author’s product – only his platform. His brand. His following. His fans. His marketing machine. His way of reaching the world. You could have the greatest manuscript in the history of modern literature, but without a platform, you may as well be winking in the dark.

So, even if you’re not a writer, think about the takeaways from that trend: How strong is YOUR platform? How many followers do YOU have? And how leveragable is YOUR brand? If you want to galvanize profitable opportunities for your career, platform is the answer. How strong is yours?

4. Positioning is the great budgeter. In the classic marketing book, Positioning, Al Reis reminds us, “Positioning isn’t what you do to the product – it’s what you do in the mind of the prospect.” The cool part is, positioning (when done right) saves you heaps of time, money and energy.

Advertising? Ha! A thing of the past. Direct mail? Pshht! What a waste. Positioning pre-empts all of that by creating a force of attraction as a function of value-forward deliverables that brings people to YOU. Remember: Every time somebody hears OF you is one less time you have to spend money making people hear FROM you. What are you known for knowing, and by whom?

5. Reputation is the great revenue creator. The word reputation comes from the Latin reputare, which means, “to repeatedly reflect upon.” Interesting. Makes you wonder how people feel when they repeatedly reflect upon YOU. This reminds me of the famous quotation by Bob Marley: “That’s the great thing about music – when it hits you, you feel no pain.”

What about you? What do customers feel when your brand hits them? It all depends on your reputation. And if you have one based on a foundation of uncracked character, it WILL become your #1 revenue creator. How much money is your reputation worth?

6. Serendipity is the best strategy. It’s not an accident. It’s not luck. It’s working your ass off. It’s putting yourself in the way of success. It’s making the world say yes to you by engaging your Yes Muscle and becoming a more yessable person. It’s increasing the probability of success by making yourself more successable. It’s creating an ongoing, market-wide hunger for you.

It’s victory through unwavering vigilance to your vision. It’s being at the right place at the right time by being in a lot of place. It’s learning to positively leverage everything that happens to you by killing two stones with one bird whenever possible. It’s finding out where the rock created the ripple – then going back and throwing more rocks.

It’s recognizing that opportunity is already knocking, all day, everyday, then making the choice to sprint down the stairs in your pajamas and answer the door every time. And it’s ensuring your luck by affirming to yourself every day that lucky things are already happening to you. Are you doing the correct things in the success process?

7. Service is the great differentiator. In a commoditized world of infinite choices where everyone makes quality products, service is all you have left. The question is: How are you BRANDING your service? My suggestion is to physically write out your Unique Service Philosophy. Your Approach to Business. Your Way of Treating Customers.

Then, post it on your website, print it on your literature and make every employee memorize it and live it. Now, if you’re having trouble getting this exercise started, try asking yourself this question:

“If everybody did exactly what I said, what would the world look like?”

That’s the crucial question for uncovering your Service Philosophy. And it’s the key to differentiating yourself among the eight million other people out there that do exactly what you do. Why do customers come back to YOU?

8. Soliciting without permission is trespassing. If business were a conversation, most people’s marketing would be the equivalent of punching customers in the face. Literally. That’s not just annoying, that’s violating. And I’m sure your customers would be happy to switch to a provider that treated them more respectfully.

Remember: Marketing without respectfulness is malpractice. Is your marketing is an interruptive, paper-wasting assault on your customers?

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How will you carry your brand further into the marketplace?

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
scott@hellomynameisscott.com

Who's telling their friends about YOU?

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10 Ways to Create an Aura that Makes You More Desirable without Wearing Pheromone Cologne

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 - posted by hellomynameisscott at 2:31 AM

1. Attitude is the best asset. Especially in a down economy. My challenge to you is to approach recessions as opportunities to renew resourcefulness. By blaming the economy you evade responsibility and continue to NOT taking action. Instead, believe that greatness is near.

Believe that behind every problem there’s a question trying to ask itself. And next time someone asks you, “Do these pants make my RUT look big?” just reply with, “No, but your attitude does.” How will you exponentially increase the net value of your attitudinal asset?

2. Awareness is the great advancer. Achieving mastery in ANYTHING begins with the prerequisite plunge into awareness. And I bet you’ve been there before, too. You know, it’s that crucial moment when you jolt awake out of your sleepwalking and exclaim, “Holy crap! I can’t believe I never thought of that until just now...”

That’s awareness. Business, personal, spiritual, whatever. And the cool part is, once you arrive at that space, the architecture of your spirit is never the same again. The bell of awareness has been rung, the waves have been sent, and the vibrations will echo in your heart forever.

Now, that doesn’t mean you won’t experience an occasional relapse. But complete regression back into your old, oblivious self is near impossible. Awareness simply advances you too far. As the old PSA’s from Saturday morning GI JOE cartoons used to remind me, “Now you know – and knowing is half the battle.” What’s hidden from you that, if you were able to see, would set you free?

3. Contribution is the great commission. Remember when you used to go camping as a kid? What was the first rule your counselors taught you? Leave the campsite better than the way you found it. That’s contribution. And the same rule applies when you’re all grows up and all grows up. Except this time, the campsite is the world. And what you leave behind depends on how you answer the following questions:

a. What were you designed to cure?
b. What are you the World Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of?
c. What would disappoint the world if people heard you had stopped doing it?

Anyone can contribute. Clarify yours – and then find a creative way to serve through it. What have you been commissioned to contribute?

4. Complying without questioning is self-mutilation. Indoctrination causes numbness. Don’t give mass consciousness permission to think for you. Evolve out of that. Engage a different part of yourself. Invite whatever forces you to grow, rise from the ashes and surrender to the next phase of your own evolution. You’re a bigger instrument now. Are you living other people’s ideas about who you are?

5. Detection of inertia determines emancipation. Newton’s First Law of Motion defines inertia as “preserving in its present state,” or “an object in motion stays in motion.” Your challenge is to figure out what areas of your life are suffering from inertia, and what you can do to alter their trajectory. In order to do so, you have to run an Inertia Index. Spend a few minutes entertaining the following questions:

d. Where do you need to plant the seeds of movement?
e. How could you start your workday practicing your job?
f. How will you quantify the milestones of your progress?
g. How can you keep your momentum going without burning out or getting bored?
h. If you were to begin fully living your life, what is the first change you would make?
i. What one step could you take now to start moving forward to your ideal future?
j. What if, overnight, a miracle occurred, and you woke up tomorrow morning and the problem was solved – what would be the first thing you would notice?

Remember: Riding a bike downhill doesn’t mean you have strong legs. The sooner you learn where you need to peddle, the sooner you’ll be free to get where you need to go. How will inertia emancipate you?

6. Deficiency of self-esteem underprices value. Here’s one of the most powerful self-esteem building exercises you will ever practice. Put on your best suit. Go into the bathroom. Then stare at yourself in the mirror and quote your fee, over and over again, without flinching, for twenty minutes.

First you’ll feel silly. Then dumb. Then curious. Then confidant. Then excited. And then, ready to go sell something. And from that moment on, whenever fee-quoting time comes, you won’t skip a beat. Because you’re practiced it a thousand times. How much money are you losing because you don’t love yourself enough?

7. Displacement is the best sobriety. If you’re currently intoxicated – not from a substance, but from a situation – get out of town immediately. Even if it’s as simple as driving twenty minutes into the next county. Leave now. Dislocation creates clarification. I don’t know how and I don’t know why, but it does. So go. Call the office and tell them you’re not coming in today. I’m giving you the day off. Where could you go that would sober you up?

8. Experience without reflection is emptiness. As my mentor taught me, “We learn not from our experiences, but from intelligent reflection upon those experiences.” So, don’t just reflect on the experience – write down your reflections. Because if you don’t write it down, it never happened. What’s more, if you don’t capture it, you can’t recreate it. And if you don’t know where the rock created the ripple, you won’t know where to throw future rocks. What did you write today?

9. Happiness is the best dividend. Happiness isn’t your goal. Contribution is. Validation is. The interesting part is, when you focus your energy on accomplishing those two things first, happiness becomes an inevitable consequence. Not intentional, but incidental. And it tastes that much sweeter as a result. What will make you happy that has nothing to do with ego or image or status?

10. Inexperience is the great limit-squasher. When you don’t know the rules, you won’t know when you’ve broken them. That’s when you end up soaring past everyone else. Because their creativity is confined by self-imposed limitations disguised as “rules.”

You, on the other hand, embraced your inexperience and took the plunge clear-eyed and confidently. And you learned that ignorance isn’t just bliss – it’s bank. If you dreamed in terms of your unrealized potential and not your limitations, how would that change the dream?

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How will you create an aura that makes you more desirable?

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
scott@hellomynameisscott.com

If they can't come UP to you; how will they ever get BEHIND you?

Buy Scott's new book and learn daily practices for becoming a more approachable manager!

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