7 reasons (excuses) for NOT writing


1. DISCIPLINE: But I can’t just sit down and write!
According to bestselling blogging book Naked Conversations, 50% of all business blogs are abandoned in the first two months. Now, while it’s easy to attribute this trend to a variety of factors, let’s face it: it boils down to a lack of discipline. Blog or no blog.

WRITE THIS WAY: get a writing accountability partner. Every Friday, send each other a copy of what you wrote that week. If someone doesn’t do it, she buys lunch.

2. TIME: But I’m so busy!
You don’t need to sit in front of your laptop and pound away for hours at a time. If you spend 15 minutes a day, every day, for six months, you’ll have accumulated the equivalent of a 250-page book. Besides, if writing is the basis of all wealth, are you telling yourself that you don’t have 15 minutes a day to become wealthier?!

WRITE THIS WAY: chunk it down. Small victories first. Let your content accumulate.

3. CONFIDENCE: But who would want to read MY stuff?
So, you think your writing is no good, huh? Well, with an attitude like that, it probably isn’t getting any better! It may sound easier said than done, but if you want to become a better writer, you just gotta write more.

WRITE THIS WAY: start an anonymous blog. Let your guard down and allow your brilliance to flow. It’s easier when nobody knows it’s you! Write something every day for a month. See how people respond. You’ll be surprised. There’s always gonna be someone who likes what you have to say!

4. PLATFORM: But I don’t have anywhere to share my writing!
It used to be difficult to find an outlet to share your writing with the world. Letters to the editor or the occasional query letter were your only hope. But now with the amazing things you can do with the Internet, everyone has a voice. Everyone has a platform.

With blogs, ezines, online articles, message boards, social networking sites and the like. It’s impossible NOT to have a platform!

WRITE THIS WAY: go to Ezine Articles, create a free account, and post one article every month. I triple dog dare you.

5. INTEREST: But I don’t like writing!
So, you don’t LIKE writing, huh? That’s cool. I’m not saying you have to like it. But no matter what business you’re in, everyone is a writer. Writing is the basis of all wealth, as my mentor Mr. Gitomer says.

WRITE THIS WAY: stop telling yourself “I’m not a writer.” You are. And you rock. Share it.

6. SELF-UNDERSTANDING: But I don’t know how to get into the groove!
You need to discover your perfect writing “territory,” aka, the environment in which your brilliance flows best. Maybe it’s on a laptop on the beach. Maybe late at night in the basement. Maybe in the mountains. Maybe on the plane coming home from a conference. Locate your territory and return to it regularly.

WRITE THIS WAY: try one new writing territory every week. See what works.

7. ORGANIZATION: But I don’t have any good ideas!
No worries. Start keeping a notepad in your pocket, car, purse, in your office and by your bed. Every time you get an idea, jot it down. Keep a running list of potential topics to address. But be sure to always have it with you – inspiration comes unannounced. And if you don’t write it down, it NEVER happened.

REMEMBR: writing is an extension of thinking. So if you’re running out of ideas things to write about, you’re probably not thinking enough!

ALSO REMEMBER: you probably DO have lots of great ideas; you’re just not capturing them. And that which goes unrecorded goes unmemorable. Just write now and organize later. It’ll come together when it’s ready.

LASTLY REMEMBER: Thomas Edison carried a 200-page notebook wherever he went, just for ideas. At the end of his life, he’d filled up more than 3,400. He also had more patents than any person in history. Coincidence?

WRITE THIS WAY: get yourself a jotter. Best 10 bucks you’ll ever spend.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your excuse for not writing?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
How did YOU come out of your creative funk?

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

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It’s All About the Sticker: 7 Ways to Enshrine Your Business

Katz’s Deli is a delicatessen on the Lower East Side of New York City. Been around since 1888.

But it’s not just any old deli.

Katz’s was the site of Meg Ryan’s famous fake-orgasm scene (“I’ll have what she’s having”) in the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally.

THE BEST PART: the table at which she and Billy Crystal sat is clearly marked with a sign that says, “Where Harry met Sally…hope you have what she had!”

LESSON LEARNED: enshrine your business.

Think about it. Go to your local Borders and grab any bestselling book. Somewhere on the front cover there will most likely be a little sticker. A starburst. An emblem. A little extra eye-catching piece of signage.

It usually says something like:

“Featured on Oprah’s book club!”
“Pulitzer prize winner!”
“Over ten million copies sold!”
“Now a major motion picture movie!”

It’s about credibility.
It’s about leveraging the media.
It’s about upping the value perception of your product.

It’s all about the sticker.

Of course, it doesn’t actually have to be a “sticker.”

Just something (anything!) that ENSHRINES your product, company, service or website.

Here’s a list of Seven Ways to Enshrine Your Business. By using these leverage techniques, you will create a more valuable, more credible perception of your brand:

1. Media appearances, i.e., “Featured on” or “As seen on”
2. Awards, i.e., “Winner of” or “Finalist for”
3. Time, i.e., “20 Years of Business!” or “Since 1878!”
4. Elite Status, i.e., “President’s Club” or “Million Dollar Society”
5. Quantity, i.e., “Over 99 billion burgers sold!” or “50 million copies in print!”
6. Endorsement, i.e., “Where Oprah buys her underwear!” or “The Official Nametag of Scott Ginsberg!”
7. Expansion, i.e., “Now a worldwide franchise!” or “Now a major motion picture!”

Whichever enshrining technique you use, one thing’s for certain…

Next time a potential customer comes to your store, website or place of business, they’re gonna see it. And just like with Meg Ryan, they’ll be thinking, “I’ll have what she’s having!”

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Have you enshrined your business yet?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Get a sticker. (Or any kind of enshrining tool) Take a picture and link to it here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

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Are you GOOD, GREAT or AWESOME?

One of the early lessons I learned about speaking (and business, in general) was from Lou Heckler.

(Man, talk about a great last name for a humorist, huh?)

Anyway, here’s what Lou told me in 2003. I’ll never forget it:

There are three kinds of speakers in the world.

First, there’s a GOOD speaker. After he’s done with his talk, audience members come up to him, shake his hand and say, “Good speech. Thanks a lot!”

Then, there’s a GREAT speaker. After he’s done with his talk, audience members come up to him, shake is hand and say, “Great speech! That story about that guy you met on the bus really hit a nerve. Thanks a lot!”

Then, there’s an AWESOME speaker. After he’s done with his talk, audience members come up to him; but instead of shaking his hand, they give him a business card and say, “I want you to do that for my company.”
Wow.

Over the years, I learned something else, too:

This isn’t about giving speeches.

This is about value.

This is about perception.

FOR EXAMPLE: a prospect comes to your website. He has a look around.

After a minute or two, he’s made his decision. And then he emails you with one of the following responses:

1. Dear You: I just stumbled across your site, and I’ve got to say – it’s really good. Thanks a lot. Sincerely, Mike.

2. Dear You: I just stumbled across your site, and I’ve got to say – it’s really great! Love those articles and video testimonials! Sincerely, Mike.

3. Dear You: I just stumbled across your site, and I want to hire you. Call me this afternoon. Sincerely, Mike.

So. Which email do YOU want?

Because ultimately, this is about excelling at doing what you do … particularly in front of people who can buy from you NOW.

Good.
Great.
Awesome.

The choice is yours.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s the difference between GOOD, GREAT and AWESOME?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Defend your word here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

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The Paradox of Inspiration

“Inspiration comes unannounced.”

Powerful words. Something I figured out about a year ago.

It means that writing, innovation (or any creative endeavor, for that matter) is a function of “plucking.”

Pay attention, listen, watch, observe (through your personal filters); then capture those inspired ideas onto paper, expand on them, and ultimately share them with the world.

Inspiration comes unannounced. Got it.

But therein lies the paradox.

See, (my hero) Dave Barry once said, “Inspiration is for amateurs.”

Which means that writing, innovation, (or any creative endeavor, for that matter) is largely a function of working your ass off.

Sit down at the same time every single day and discipline (force!) yourself to create new ideas and content, even when inspiration takes the day off.

Inspiration is for amateurs. Got it.

SO, HERE’S THE CHALLENGE: how do you handle inspiration?

Two options:

1. Put yourself on standby and harness (pluck) inspiration ONLY when it crosses your path.

2. Force yourself to create stuff ANYWAY and accept inspiration as a nice added bonus.

The choice is yours.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Do you think inspiration is for amateurs?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
How do you balance inspiration and discipline?

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

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The difference between A and THEE

When I started my company in 2003, I knew the competition was fierce.

I knew there were thousands of other authors, speakers and consultants out there.

And I knew that most of them were twice my age, had three times my knowledge and four times my experience.

Yikes.

Then I heard fellow author/speaker Larry Winget say, “You have no right to write a book on a subject unless you’ve read every other book about that subject.”

Double yikes.

Well then. Looks like I’ve got some reading to do, I thought.

So I spent the next two years doing just that.

Researching. Annotating. Learning. Pouring over hundreds (nah, probably thousands) of print and online resources to expand my expertise.

And then something cool happened.

I noticed a gap.

It appeared that all these resources on communication, networking, first impressions, connecting and the like … had left something out.

That “something” was approachability.

I loved that word.

It was musical. Emotional. Visual. A little long, but still powerful.

And then another cool thing happened.

I started reading a lot of marketing books, namely, Selling the Invisible, by Harry Beckwith.

And I learned the following four truths:

1. If you do not have a focus, soon you will not have a business.
2. Rather than sacrificing opportunities, a narrow focus often creates opportunities.
3. So: to broaden your appeal, narrow your position.
4. And therefore: go where others aren’t.

And that’s what approachability was.

A new lens. A new paradigm. A new philosophy.

A new, more narrow approach.

It was my PDA, as my marketing professor used to call it. My “Personal Differential Advantage.”

So I positioned myself NOT as a “communication speaker,” or a “relationships guru” or a “networking author,”

…but as THEE approachability expert.

Focused. Narrow. Where others weren’t.

AND THE BEST PART: there WAS no competition!

Therefore.

PDA is basically the difference between A and THEE. (In a non-holy way)

For example:

Are you A time management expert?
Or are you THEE time management expert…FOR NURSES?

Are you A small business consultant?
Or are you THEE small business consultant…FOR DRY CLEANERS?

Are you A personal trainer?
Or are you THEE personal trainer…FOR WORKING MOTHERS?

Are you A financial planner?
Or are you THEE financial planner…FOR FAITH-BASED NON-PROFITS?

Pick a lane.

Hit ‘em where they ain’t.

Be THEE, not A.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Is your focus narrow enough?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Explain why you’re THEE, not A.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

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Buy Gitomer’s Little Green Book and Get The Nametag Guy’s New Ebook

Gitomer’s back!

His new book, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way hits the stores today!

I’ve already read it, and it ROCKS.

A few excerpts I liked:

*Being a person of influence means that you have a reputation, character, credibility and stature enough that people will take your message seriously.

*Practice with passion. If you don’t love what you do, practicing will be a chore. If you love it, practicing won’t just be fun – it will be something you look forward to.

*Writing becomes persuasive when others are willing to act on, or coment on, what you’ve written.

*Allow the other person to feel a valid reason for your persistence. If they do, they will embrace you rather than avoid you.

The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way is the newest addition to Jeffrey’s best selling Little Book Series, and gives you the critical tools you need to speak, write, present, persuade, influence, and sell your point of view to others.

HERE’S THE BEST PART…

Buy the book on Amazon.com TODAY and get hundreds of dollars of free stuff from Jeffrey and 33 other top business leaders around the world… including me!

I’ve donated my latest ebook 117 Phrases That Payses.

BUY THE BOOK TODAY – APRIL 24 on Amazon.com, send your receipt to [email protected] and you win!

You will receive hundreds of dollars worth of downloadable e-books, white papers, articles, audio MP3s, video MP4s, reports, and chapters of best selling books being offered by dozens of sales, marketing, publishing, communications, public relations, and business growth leaders.

It’s that simple, and that valuable.

For more details about the offer, go here!

To buy the book now, go here!

The more you give away for free, the wealthier you will be

In 1999, Seth Godin wrote a book called Permission Marketing.

In addition to selling the book on Amazon, Seth also offered it as a downloadable ebook … for free.

The ENTIRE book. For nothing. A publishing first!

Not only did millions of people download it…

Not only did millions of people tell their friends about it…

But millions of people also BOUGHT Seth’s book too. And it would later become one of the fastest, best selling books in history.

He now has a cult following, comparable to the likes of Tom Peters and Peter Drucker. (Oh, and his speaking fee is more than some people’s annual income. Sigh.)

The more you give away for free, the wealthier you will be.

Speaking of Tom Peters, let’s talk about Tom Peters.

Notwithstanding his existing reputation as a brilliant author, speaker, thinker and consultant, he (still) gives everything away for free.

Every article. Every ebook. Every rant. Every special report. Every set of PowerPoint slides.

Everything.

He gets it.

(And you don’t need me to tell you how wealthy Tom is!)

The more you give away for free, the wealthier you will be.

Also understood by Ryan Adams, one of my favorite songwriters.

In 2007, he recorded eight new albums (yes, eight) all at once. Each of his new CD’s was available as free downloads on his website.

Media outlets worldwide gasped at his prolificacy. He made music history.

And scores of fans old and new swarmed his homepage for days at a time (not hours, but days) to download all the new tunes from their favorite rocker.

Including myself.

Make no mistake: Ryan Adams’ generosity won’t go unrewarded.

Because while many Gen X artists are cowering beneath the shadows of unstoppable American Idol atrocities, Adams is only growing bigger and better.

Because he’s not afraid to give at all away.

The more you give away for free, the wealthier you will be.

And as Tim O’Reilly says, the problem isn’t piracy, it’s obscurity.

Just do it.

Don’t be scared.

Let the world pay you back.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How much are you giving away for free?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
In what way has free led to wealth in your life?

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

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Who molded YOUR melon?

Great success comes from great thinking.

Which means you must surround yourself with great thinkers.

In person.
On the phone.
Through books
Via the Internet.

Your challenge is to expose yourself TO and constantly learn FROM as many great thinkers as possible.

The following list takes you through many of my favorite thinkers and the various paradigm-changing ideas and thinking patterns I gleaned from them.

Some are mentors. Some are friends. Some are old dead guys.

NOTE: these aren’t just quotes. Not just lessons learned.

These are thoughts and ideas that molded the way I think.
These are thoughts and ideas that changed my life and my business.

(Big thanks to all the great thinkers on this list!)
Jeffrey Gitomer
*Make ideas into a list first.
*Don’t think of yourself as an author. Or a speaker. Or a trainer. You are a THINKER. An entrepreneur. A resource.
*Writing is the basis of all wealth
*Writing becomes persuasive when others are willing to act on, or comment on, what you’ve written. Elicit more response.
*Don’t say “sorry,” say “thanks”
*It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you
*Don’t cheap out on design
*Give value first
*Platform is the most important word in your vocabulary
*In writing, architecture is everything

Nido Qubein
*Think modular
*Don’t prepare a speech, prepare yourself to speak

Dr. Phil
*Don’t lose weight; get a healthier lifestyle.
*Focus on the umbrella

Fred Gleek
*Content is king
*Imagine your ideal day
*Always get their email
*Your target market needs to see that it’s for THEM

James Redfield
*Why was this meant to happen?
*What synchronistic pattern does this represent?

Dr. David Rosenthal
*Media is nothing without leverage. Make a sticker, put the video on YouTube, anything to make it last longer than the interview itself
*What’s your PDA? Personal Differential Advantage

Marc Leblanc
*Complete three highly valuable activities, every day
Joseph Pollack
*Validate your existence on a daily basis

Dave Avrin
*Anonymity is the greatest barrier to business success
*The media doesn’t care about you
*But, the media is your customer, too
*When you do interviews, you’re not there to answer their questions

Dr. Richard Wiseman
*You create your own luck
*Chance encounters change lives
*Trust your gut
*Turn bad luck into good fortune with your response
*Opportunity is knocking all day
*My good fortune will continue
*All of my interactions today will successful

Larry Winget
*If your life sucks it’s because you suck
*Keep it simple
*Be the world’s expert on yourself
*Just be really, really good

Harry Beckwith
*Get remembered and get business
*Everyone is in marketing
*Everyone is in sales
*Narrow your focus, pick a lane
*Sell value before price

Tom Peters
*Cool encounters = cool you
*Stand up, stick you neck way out, or else be counted out
*People who get noticed get ahead
*Market yourself daily
*Make people stop, listen and say, “WOW!”
Roger von Oech
*Order comes later: puke everything out in movable bits of content so that way when it self-organizes, I can easily categorize it.
*Hang on. Let me write that down.
*What’s the exact opposite of what this person is expecting me to do?
*You know what would be cool is…
*I just got a great idea. Better go for a swim or a run to think about it.
*Regularly study, practice and enhance your creativity
*You can never be too creative

Leonardo da Vinci
*Ask myself the same question over and over again for about hours. My favorites are, “So, what have I REALLY learned from wearing a nametag every day?” and “As a result of wearing a nametag, I have become more _______.”
*Also, I like asking dumb questions
*Always be curious about things and people and life

Alan Weiss
*Don’t be afraid of being a contrarian
*Your brand is an umbrella
*Get them to come to you
*Don’t sell, enable people to buy
*If you aren’t being criticized, you aren’t doing much
*State your fee confidently and shut up

John Maxwell
*The water does not flow until the faucet turns on
*Today’s lessons become tomorrow’s books
*Separate yourself from the wrong type of people. Don’t be friends with them.
*Put yourself in a growth environment
*You will never change your life until you change something you do daily

Norman Vincent Peale
*Make daily appointments with yourself

Donald Trump
*It usually works to your advantage to be underestimated
*Be a sleeper
*Figure out exactly who you are, then go be that person every day
*What’s next?

T. Harv Ecker
*It’s OK to make lots of money
*Your ability to earn wealth has a lot to do with the impressions you have about money, especially when you were a kid

Seth Godin
*I don’t have time NOT to blog today!
*Market to people and get out of the way
*Ideas that spread win
*Make the mundane memorable
*Don’t worry about opening BIG
*Be the one
*Be the only
*Figure out what the “always” is and do the opposite
*Interaction, not interruption
*Look! There’s something cool and remarkable. Man, I need to blog that.
*Wow! Something powerful, funny, cool or interesting just happened to me. I can’t wait to use that in my next speech/book!
*Register the domain before you do anything else!
*Now Google it. See what’s already been written about it.

Al Reis
*What word do I “own” in the minds of everyone I meet?
*I wonder what I could learn from the definition and/or etymology of that word…
*Don’t market, position.

Marcel Legrand
*The Internet is forever
*You can participate in your online image, but you can’t control it

William Jenkins
*Did I validate my existence, do something cool and be myself today?
*Is there an article or a speech in what just happened to me?
*If everybody did exactly what you said, what would the world look like?
*You need your own philosophy. Your own school of thought.
*Do not despise the day of small beginnings

Og Mandino
*Don’t say “no”; say “not yet.”
*What’s next?
*“Until now” instead of “I’ve never been able to…”
*Instead of dwelling on failures, say, “Next time…”
*Don’t expect good things to happen to you, expect YOU to happen to good things.

Mark Ginsberg (my dad)
*If (x) happened last year, I can expect (y) to happen this year
*A chicken ain’t nothing but a bird. Abilities trump age, every time.
*Be unique, not different

Bob Baker
*How can I get them to come to me?
*Fans, not customers

Arthur Scharff
*Who lives in the city I’m traveling to that I can hang out with?
*When it comes to networking and relationships, concetrate on keeping it alive

Brian Tracy
*Is what I’m doing RIGHT NOW leading to a sale?
*Did you write your goals down?
*Be brilliant at the basics

Napoleon Hill
*What good could come of this?
*Is this consistent with my #1 goal?

Kurt Vonnegut
*If you want to be a great writer, be a great date for your reader

Jack Canfield
*Nobody sees the 90
*Be a class act
*Success leaves clues
*If everybody says you’re out of your mind, you just might be onto something

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What great thinkers molded YOUR melon?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your favorite paradigm-shifting quotations here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

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What’s on YOUR wall?

If you’re self-employed like me, wall motivation decorations can do you some good.

To keep yourself on point.
To keep yourself motivated.
To keep yourself accountable.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been obsessed with wall decorations. From my house growing up to my college apartments to my present office, “no white space” has always been my motto. (I learned everything from my big brother Steve.)

I even lost my deposit once because the landlord complained that when I moved out I left behind “hundreds of holes.”

Woops.

But from a self-motivational standpoint, covering your office walls with personalized, vibrant and positive decorations can actually help you become more successful. Here are a few suggestions:

Visualizations. “Act as if you already are the person you want to become and you will eventually become the person you want to become,” said my mentor.

So, think about your long-term goals and dreams. Maybe it’s to own a beach house. Or to achieve a senior-level position. Or to secure an appearance on Oprah. Or to be featured on the cover of a magazine. (This is my Vision Board pictured to the left. Thank you, The Secret.)

Whatever your goal is, you MUST actually, physically, literally, create an image of having already achieved it. Hell, sneak into the CEO’s office and take a picture of yourself sitting in her chair if you have to!

I don’t care. Just do it. I know it sounds ridiculous. But trust me. When your goal comes to fruition, people won’t be laughing – they’ll be applauding.

Quotations. These are the perfect tools (er, words) to keep you motivated.

Go see my friends at Quote Garden for some great material.

Then grab a few of those giant sticky notes and post several of your favorite one-liners around your office.

The key is to choose quotations that:

*make you think
*make you smile
*make you laugh

…every time you see them.

Choose wisely.

Questions. First, think about the most important questions you need to be asking yourself regularly.

Then make posters, dry erase boards or signs and hang them high.

Be sure they can be seen from across your office.

This example is the #1 most important question I ask daily.

Because writing is the basis of all wealth.

Here’s another one of my favorites.

Other suggestions are, “How many calls did you make today?” and “Is what you’re doing right now consistent with your #1 goal?”

Personal Mission Statement. The one (and only) thing I took away from The Seven Habits was the section about creating a personal mission statement.

Years later, I still keep my PMS posted to the left of my door. That way I see it every time I leave. I suggest you do the same.

Since you probably can’t read my writing, I’ll just tell you:

Do something cool…

Validate your existence…

And be yourself…

EVERY DAY.

Goals. Take a few of your biggest, most important goals. Post them nice and big – right in front of your face!

Make sure they’re inescapable from your eyesight so you HAVE to look at them at least three times a day.

Odds of you accomplishing your goals will triple. Promise.

And I’m sure you don’t need to hear me preach about goals, but here are a few tips:

*Make them specific
*Make them achievable
*Give them a time frame
*Share them with other people
*Cross them off when accomplished

Accomplishments. Every time an article of mine appears in a print publication, I hang a copy on my wall.

Not because I’m an egomaniac, but because surrounding myself with visual reminders of small victories builds confidence.

CHALLENGE: think back to your three best accomplishments from the past year. Find some way to represent them visually, and stick ‘em up there!

Look, guys. I know it seems like a lot of stuff to hang on your wall. But why not? It’s just empty space. You may as well cover it with something productive.

OH, AND HERE’S THE BEST PART: next time a customer or coworker comes into your office, they’re gonna stop and look around.

And they will be amazed.

Because you’ve visually PROVED to them that you’re dedicated to success.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s on YOUR wall?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your favorite motivation decorations here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

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Marketing plans are for suckers

“So, Scott, what’s your marketing plan?”

It was the first time anyone ever asked me that question.

“Um…yeah. I have no idea,” I laughed.

Maybe because I didn’t realize I needed one.

Maybe because I wasn’t big on writing out long, detailed plans.

Maybe because I just wanted to get my company started, rather then waste time planning.

Either way, I was inspired to give that question some serious thought.

Later that night on a long plane ride back from a speech in Orlando, I decided to write my entire marketing plan.

Course, I had no idea how to do that. Even with a marketing degree under my belt, I was sort of stumped! Guess it’s a lot different when it’s your own company.

Not sure where to start, I decided to mind map it. For the next two hours, I asked myself one question. Over and over:

“How do I market my business?”

I wrote down every possible channel, medium, idea, tip, technique and marketing intitiave I could think of. Everything I’d ever done (or could do) to get the word out about my business.

The result looked something like this:

When I showed this document to my girlfriend, her comment was, “It makes my eyes bleed.”

Aw, thanks sweetheart.

OK, so maybe it WAS a little complicated. Perhaps I should follow my own advice: make it easy enough that a five year old could understand it.

So I came up with a newer, simpler, less eye-bleeding version of my marketing plan.

The bare bones.
The baseline stuff.
The TRULY most important things I need to do to effectively market my business.

K. Ready? Here it is:

Scott’s Marketing Plan

1. Write for three hours every single day.
2. Be amazing on stage every time.
3. Let them come to you.

That’s it.

Sure is easier on the eyes, huh?

Best marketing decision I ever made.

CHALLENGE: re-think your marketing plan. Keep it (super) simple. Don’t complicate yourself.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your marketing plan?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Post it here for the world to see!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

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