Listening earns you the right to…

1. Listening earns you the right to speak.

2. Listening earns you the right to be right.

3. Listening earns you the right to clarify goals.

4. Listening earns you the right to offer advice.

5. Listening earns you the right to be respected.

6. Listening earns you the right to be listened to.

7. Listening earns you the right to voice your opinions.

8. Listening earns you the right to share in others’ lives.

9. Listening earns you the right to proceed to the next step.

10. Listening earns you the right to advance the conversation.

11. Listening earns you the right to influence the other person.

12. Listening earns you the right to let your creativity take over.

13. Listening earns you the right to create what wants to be created.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What does listening earn you the right to do?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Finish this sentence five times: listening earns you the right to…

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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How to get over yourself

Whatever kind of art you create, remember this:

That art was created by something much bigger than you.

Call it God. Call it The Muse. The Higher Powers. The Spirit. Whatever.

It’s not you.

WHICH MEANS: every artist, at some point, needs to redefine her role.

Because sure — you’re an artist. A painter, songwriter, craftsman or a writer.

But think about what you’re REALLY doing when you get into that beautiful state of artistic flow:

You’re obeying.
You’re listening.
You’re making notes.
You’re taking dictation.
You’re awaiting guidance.
You’re letting what wants to be created create itself.

It’s not you.

And once you can recognize that, you’ll not only get over yourself, you’ll GET set free.

That’s when your best work will come to the surface.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How did you get over yourself?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your experience here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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If so, perhaps I could help on a more personal, one-on-one basis.

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Manage the environment

I’ve been reading Joe Meyers’ new book, Organic Community.

And here’s what I’ve learned:

You have (some) control over the environment.

Some.

But you have little or no control over the people IN the environment.

SO, HERE’S THE SECRET: let things organically and naturally occur.

Don’t sell.
Create and manage an environment in which customers are enabled to buy.

Don’t network.
Create and manage an environment in which strangers naturally connect.

Don’t make people friendlier.
Create and manage an environment in which people are likely to become friendlier.

Don’t get people to ask questions.
Create and manage an environment where people feel comfortable, empowered and non-threatened so they are more likely to ask questions.

Don’t make art.
Create and manage an environment from which art is inspired.

Don’t become a celebrity or an expert.
Create and manage an environment that constantly augments, reinforces and enhances your celebrity/expert status.

Don’t increase the number of participants.
Create and manage an environment where healthy participation naturally emerges.

Don’t get people talking about your new idea or product.
Create and manage an environment that enables, supports and rewards authentic dialogue.

If you create the right kind of environment, the right atmosphere, the right space and the right energy, the people inside of it will (hopefully) take care of themselves.

REMEMBER: we are not free to determine the contents of experience.

Just the environment.

Thanks, Joe!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How do you manage your environment?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Read Joe’s book. Today.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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If so, perhaps I could help on a more personal, one-on-one basis.

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Point of Dissonance (POD)

Morning guys!

I’m in Raleigh, NC this week, working with a group of Child Nutrition Administrators. Great people.

So, several of them have been asking me:

“Hey Scott, why do you choose to wear the simple, hand-written nametags? Why not get something more customized and permanent?”

I get this question a lot.

And while there are many answers I could offer, here’s the one that matters MOST to you:

Vagueness stimulates curiosity.

See, curiosity is a natural motivator of human engagement.

And there’s a certain dissonance when people observe an unexpected or unexplained behavior.

Especially when it’s inconsistent with their environment.

Like seeing some guy wearing a nametag at the gym, for example.

BUT, THAT’S THE SECRET: because it’s THAT dissonance that increases the probability of an encounter.

Because people just HAVE to ask. They just GOTTA to know.

Why the heck is that guy wearing a nametag?!

So, let’s relate this to the world of marketing.

Because what we’re talking about is stimulating curiosity, breaking patterns and attracting interest.

So, here’s your challenge:

CRAFT A MESSAGE OR AN IDEA … that when people are first exposed to it, they can’t help but respond with, “Huh? Ok, so, I just HAVE to ask…”

Those words are money in the bank.

This crucial moment is called the “Point of Dissonance,” or POD.

And it can occur:

o At your trade show booth
o In your marketing materials
o On your website
o In your conversations
o On the streets
o In our outside of a store
o Even on your person!

The goal of your Point of Dissonance is to create a fulcrum point from which the conversation can advance.

Because before someone gets to the “Aha!” about what you do and who you are, they have to be captivated by the “Huh?”

See, when someone says, “Ok, so, I just HAVE to ask…” what they’ve just given you is PERMISSION.

To deliver value.
To share your ideas.
To use up a chunk of their time.

And this permission is a valuable asset because people’s time and attention are being vied for by an infinite amount of forces.

So, yes, the Point of Dissonance is about generating interest, piquing curiosity, standing out and getting attention.

But there’s more.

This is about leveraging remarkability to trigger an emotional engagement.

GREAT EXAMPLE: when my friend John Moore attends business conferences, he wears a white lab coat.

People come up to him all the time and ask, “What’s with the lab coat?” “I just HAD to come over and say hi…” “Why are you wearing that?” and “Are you a doctor?”

See, that’s the “Huh?”

And he usually answers with the something like: “John Moore with Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice.”

At which point people say, “Oh, I get it! Cool!”

See, that’s the “Ah ha!”

That’s John’s Point of Dissonance.

What’s yours?

REMEMBER: vagueness stimulates curiosity.

And people who get noticed GET business.

Stick yourself out there today.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your POD?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your Point of Dissonance here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

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If so, perhaps I could help on a more personal, one-on-one basis.

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The art is hiding the art

Michael Caine once said:

“Never let ‘em catch you acting. The art is HIDING the art.”

Great advice.

And you can apply this principle to a variety of situations:

Create marketing that’s SO fun, SO cool and SO participative…
That your market doesn’t even realize you’re marketing to them.

Sell your stuff with SUCH passion, SUCH comfort and SUCH service…
That your prospects don’t even realize you’re selling to them.

Perform SO effortlessly, SO naturally and SO emotionally…
That your audience doesn’t even realize you’re performing for them.

Write SO engagingly, SO well-architected and with SO much personality…
That your readers don’t even realize they’re reading.

Build community that’s SO organic, SO authentic and SO inviting…
That your members don’t even realize they’re members of an organization.

Of course, this isn’t about deception.

This is about just being yourself.

Delivering value in a way that detaches from outcomes. That focuses on finding flow in the process.

So, never let ‘em catch you acting.

The art is hiding the art.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you seamless?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your best suggestion for “hiding the art” here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag


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Is everything you know written down somewhere?

You know what’s ironic?

The fact that ideas are your major source of income; and yet, you’re (still) not writing everything down!

Here are the possible reasons (er, excuses) why not:

1. YOU DON’T WRITE STUFF DOWN…
Because you think you will remember it.

This is 100% self-delusion.

First of all, the human brain simply can’t store that much information. That’s why phone numbers are only seven digits.

Secondly, in our hyperspeed, A.D.D., information overload culture, people CAN’T remember things they don’t write down. There are simply too many forces competing for our attention. The answer is NO. You will NOT remember it.

Is everything you know written down somewhere?

2. YOU DON’T WRITE STUFF DOWN…
Because you don’t see the big picture.

Consider a few universal truths.

o FIRST: writing is the basis of all wealth.
o SECOND: if you don’t write it down, it never happened.
o THIRD: ideas are you major source of income.

Once you realize those principles, trust me: you WILL want to write everything down. Your bank account, your business and your life will thank you.

Is everything you know written down somewhere?

3. YOU DON’T WRITE STUFF DOWN…
Because you don’t think of yourself as a writer.

Wrong answer. Everyone is a writer. Everyone is recording, journaling, organizing and chronicling their lives. More importantly, they’re noting lessons learned while living them.

So, it doesn’t matter if your writing is any good. It only matters that you capture it. That you get it out of your head and your heart and onto the page.

Is everything you know written down somewhere?

4. YOU DON’T WRITE STUFF DOWN…
Because you don’t have access to equipment.

Seriously, if you’re not keeping a pen and paper with you at all times, you’re insane.

If you’re not constantly capturing your ideas every day, you’re insane.

That’s it.

Is everything you know written down somewhere?

5. YOU DON’T WRITE STUFF DOWN…
Because you don’t think your ideas are worthwhile.

FIRST OF: it’s not about the idea. It’s about the creative process. Your patterns of thinking. Leveraging your idea into something bigger.

SECONDLY: you’d be amazed who might find your idea worthwhile. Because of the world-flattening capacity of the Web, posting your thoughts on even the most obscure topic may garner some support.

Of course, you’ll never know until you stick yourself out there.

Is everything you know written down somewhere?

OK. Listen to me very closely. I’m 100% serious about this:

You need to go grab a bunch of sticky notes. Like, right now.

On each one, I want you to write a simple question:

IS EVERYTHING YOU KNOW WRITTEN DOWN SOMEWHERE?

Post those sticky notes all around your office.

This question WILL change you life. I guarantee it. I know this because it changed mine.

And if you stare at this question all day, you will eventually reprogram yourself to value the process of idea capturing.

REMEMBER: ideas are your major source of income. And writing is the basis of all wealth.

If you don’t write it down, it never happened.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Why do you hang out with other creative folks?

LET ME SUGGEST…
Post your thoughts here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag


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8 reasons to hang out with other creative folks

1. Other creative people keep you accountable.

2. Other creative people have contagious energy.

3. Other creative people will let you bounce ideas off of them.

4. Other creative people are (probably) the closest things you’ll ever have to coworkers.

5. Other creative people are the only ones who (really) understand what you’re going through.

6. Other creative people think in unique ways; and by learning how they think, your thinking changes to.

7. Other creative people are safe havens for sharing ideas that most people would think are completely crazy.

8. Other creative people’s work will inspire your own, even if (especially if) they work with a different medium.

(The list goes on and on!)

Also, a great resource for Creative Professionals is My Creative Biz.

Kirsten Carey has lots SOLID tools and ideas to help you make a living off your ideas.

Create away!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Why do you hang out with other creative folks?

LET ME SUGGEST…
Post your thoughts here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag


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Eat dessert first

I speak at a lot of conferences.

Naturally, I often find myself seated at meals with strangers.

And naturally, I often find myself face to face … with delicious pieces of cake.

See, at most conferences, the banquet staff is instructed to place the dessert on the table before the meal starts.

I’m not sure why they do this. Probably just to tempt people.

Anyway, I’ve always had kind of a sweet tooth. So, I usually snag my piece of cake as soon as I sit down and dig right in.

AND HERE’S THE WEIRD PART: every time I do this, the other people at the table almost always react strangely.

They look at me like I’m crazy. Or they laugh. Or they stare.

And I’m like, “What?”

“Are you eating your dessert FIRST?”

“Um, yyyyyeah … is that a problem for you?”

“No, it’s just that you don’t usually see people doing that.”

Hmm. Now why do you think that is? I wondered.

Right. Because that’s what we’ve ALWAYS been taught: dessert comes last.

And, look. Here’s the thing: I don’t choose to eat my dessert first so I can get attention.

I just REALLY love cake.

So, what fascinates me is that people don’t make comments in a reprehensible tone, but rather in an astonished tone.

Like they can’t believe someone just did this!

“Psst,” they chillingly say to the person next to them, “that guy’s eating his dessert first!”

I don’t know. I guess some people are just SO shocked when they see a mainstream pattern being broken, they can’t help but be taken aback.

Because there’s just too much dissonance.

For example, I sat down to lunch after a recent speech in Chicago.

And the dessert looked AMAZING: Chocolate Mousse with Oreo crust and peanut butter whipped cream.

Seriously, how do you NOT eat that first?

So I started eating it. And a few bites in, the guy across the table starts starring at me.

And after a few seconds, do you know what he did?

He grabbed his cake and started eating it too!

ALAS! THE ONCE INSURMOUNTABLE BARRIER OF CONFERENCE DESSERTS HAD BEEN CONQUERED.

And then, this was the best part. I swear to God, I’m not making this up:

The woman next to me grabs her cake.

She takes ONE bite, savors the deliciousness and then grabs my arm and says:

“Scott … thank you for giving me the courage to eat my dessert first.”

For real. In the most sincere tone possible, she actually said that.

So, here’s my question:

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What lessons does this story imply?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Post them here! And then go eat some dessert.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag


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The advantage of being an outsider

In the month of October alone, my clients include: inner-city librarians, municipal landfill owners, funeral directors, paper shredding companies, school lunch ladies and recruiters.

God I love my job!

Anyway, this made me realize something: objectivity is equity.

And this is GREAT news for you if you’re a consultant, speaker, facilitator or other form of independent contractor.

See, my clients tell me that employees are tired of listening to their bosses.

Same old information. Same old company. Same old industry.

BOR-ING.

They need fresh air.
They need new perspective.
They need someone from the outside.

And that’s where you come in.

SO, REMEMBER THIS: being an outsider is a position of value.

Here’s why:

1. OUTSIDERS … can be truly objective.

o Because they have little or no bias.
o Because they can recognize patterns immediately
o Because they have no stake in the company or organization.
o Because they don’t bring vested interests to an existing problem.
o Because they can explore the structure of an organization with fresh eyes.
o Because they’re not viewed as a threat, which diffuses defensiveness and increases the willingness to listen.

2. OUTSIDERS … don’t face traditional barriers.

o Because they are unaware of common creative blocks.
o Because they’re not subject internal politics of the organization.
o Because they can explore assumptions the organization that were never thought of or taken for granted

3. OUTSIDERS … can deliver independent thought.

o Because their thinking patterns are different.
o Because they’re detached from the outcomes.
o Because they’re not so close to the situation and therefore have limited agendas.
o Because their wealth of diverse background experience applies cross-industrially.

So, next time you’re trying to secure a new client, just remember: it’s OK to be an outsider.

Outsiders observe, think and speak from a position of value and equity.

REMEMBER: it’s a lot easier to break the limit when you don’t know the limit exists.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you an outsider?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Post your best story or example in which being an outsider enabled you to help your clients!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag


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Voted Best Buffet!

I was strolling down the Reno strip this week when I noticed an interesting pattern.

Lots of buffets.

Every hotel had one.
Every street corner had one.

AND HERE’S WHAT STRUCK ME: they were all voted #1.

Seriously. It seemed like every restaurant I passed had a sign that read, “Voted Best Buffet!”

And it made me wonder:

1. Voted Best Buffet … BY WHOM?
A sample of 1000 customers? Zagat? CitySearch.com? The guy who owns the place?

ASK YOURSELF: How do you measure “best”?

2. Voted Best Buffet … WHERE?
In the world? In Reno? On Main Street where there’s only two other competing buffets?

ASK YOURSELF: What’s your territory?

3. Voted Best Buffet … FOR WHAT?
“Best” could mean a lot of things: Best Buffet for the money? Best Buffet for Kids? Best Buffet for drunken college students at 3 AM?

ASK YOURSELF: Who’s your target customer?

4. Voted Best Buffet … WHEN?
This year? Last year? Back in 1987?

ASK YOURSELF: What have you done for me lately?

Think of it this way. Imagine two billboards:

1. “Come to Harrah’s! We’ve got the buffet around!”

Or…

2. “Come to Bally’s! Voted #1 Reno Buffet for Kids, Zagat 2006!”

Which one would YOU eat at?

Exactly. The second one.

And here’s why:

Specificity = Credibility
Specificity = Persuasion
Specificity = Approachability

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How vague is YOUR marketing?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Next time someone claims to be #1, ask them, “Says who?”

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag


Are you a friend of The Nametag Network?

Read more blogs!
Rent Scott’s Brain!
Download articles and ebooks!
Watch training videos on NametagTV!

Make a name for yourself here…


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