Sometimes we encounter challenges we just can’t do anything about. When that happens, it’s often humorous to take note of what we do. We’re “do-ing” creatures, even in the face of obstacles better addressed by not-doing. Michelle Chmielewski caught my “do-ing” on video; Oliver Blanchard, @thebrandbuilder on Twitter, dubbed it his Tech Tip #349. [read more…]
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Want to sell more? Think you know your stuff? Let’s just raise the bar a little. This “street vendor”in Manhattan, Greg, caught my attention and taught me a thing or two.
The sales territory was simply brutal. Way too many things fought for his prospects’ attention. They were in Manhattan! A block or two from Times Square, surrounded by HUGE (like sky-scrapper sized) billboards, motion graphics, flashing lights, glaring music, taxi horns, and probably a few pick-pockets, too. [read more…]
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Summer is no time to abandon a job search. In this guest post, Career Coach Ford R. Myers offers the following 10 tips to keep your search on track during the heat of the summer.
Every year as summer approaches, most job seekers and career changers make the mistake of halting all their efforts. They believe there is no point in pursuing new opportunities during the summer and that nobody is making hiring decisions until early fall. [read more…]
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FedEx played a significant role in bringing Chris Brogan to Memphis recently. Ryan Furby, Manager of Digital and Social Media Strategies for FedEx, took a moment to share with me his perspective on social media.
When I asked him, “What is something that has surprised you about social media,” he said, “How quickly you can turn a negative experience into a positive one as long as you’re PRESENT and PROACTIVE.”
The #broganmemphis event was organized and made possible by Amy Howell of Howell Marketing. A group of friends took advantage of the opportunity to travel to meet each other face-to-face there. We started organizing ourselves with the hashtag #face2face10, but quickly adopted Amy’s #broganmemphis. You’ll be hearing more about this group. You can read our blog posts on The Social CMO.
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There are NO tips, NO habits, NO secrets, NO steps to success in this clip. HOWEVER, if you’ll pay close attention to it, and to the subject, Chris Brogan, you will see a way under-utilized key to success anyway. Chris doesn’t talk about ROI, making money, building connections, or creating compelling content. All his does is share a simple story about his experience of becoming a Duck Master at the famous Memphis Peabody. [read more…]
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Caught up with popular tweeter and Denver-based intellectual property attorney Kendall Thiessen at the Starbucks inside the Denver REI. He’s a remarkable friend, brilliant attorney, and has a profound imagination about the future of how things-can-be. I didn’t have my big camera gear handy, so I whipped out the ever-handy Kodak Zi8 (given to me by Kodak) and shot this video. [read more…]
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Want to accumulate influence? Here’s the really, really cool thing about it: all you have to do is really pay a lot of attention to others. Boom. There you go. That’s it. When that attention comes from a heart overflowing with a genuine interest and care for others, you’re well on your way to becoming a media maven. To give you a solid role model to watch/study, here’s an interview with the Boston Media Maven, CC Chapman. [read more…]
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Thank you to Bob Burg and Thom Scott for inviting me to be on the program at this year’s Extreme Business Makeovers where I would share the platform with Zig Ziglar. Zig is my role model in so many ways. When you read my blog posts, you’ll see Zig’s fingerprints all over my philosophy.
Thank you Zig. You are an inspiration and I am grateful for the time you spent with me.
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Okay, yes, Chris Brogan is a living legend amongst bloggers. AdAge not only lists him as a Power 150 blogger, they keep him in the top 5. Yes, Chris is also an accomplished author and extremely well-paid professional speaker, too. So, when this legend goes to a conference, what does he expect? Just before the launch of Like Minds 2010 in England, I asked him. Here’s what he said…
Chris let me shoot this video not too long after we first met. Afterwards, I was able to spend three full days with him (including 2 hours sitting on the floor of Bovey Castle listening to him and watching him teach me and Olivier Blanchard everything about blogging; but that’s for another post). Conclusion? Chris meant exactly what he said and it shows: he thrives off listening to other people and hearing their stories about what they’ve tried and what they want to achieve.
Chris Brogan does a great job making other people feel important. He could have just jotted his name. Instead he created something of value.
Here’s another really cool thing. A large group of Twitter friends in the US purposed to meet together IRL (in the real world) before the year was out. Memphis marketing maven Amy Howell was in on the conversation, arranged to have Chris Brogan speak for an event in Memphis, and then invited our group to have dinner with Chris the night before. Next week, I’ll be driving over to Memphis to meet up with a group of Twitter-to-real-life friends, where I’ll see another Twitter-to-real-life and fellow international speaker real friend, Chris Brogan once again. Thank you Amy!
This is the age of opportunity.
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Just a quick note to show you who did the tweetin’ at Extreme Business Makeovers 2010 in Orlando, Florida. I have a theory that active tweeting during a conference significantly expands the reach of the conference AND paves the way for increased attendance at the next one. I also have a theory that suggests waiting a full year to have the next event is too long. Thus, I’m wholeheartedly behind the effort to organize an XBM cruise for early September 2010. All on board?
Want to connect with these friendly, influential tweeters? Kevin Lyons built a solid #XBM tweeters list. You can also use Twitter search to find #XBM tweeters. Or, use Blast Follow to follow everyone all at once.
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Step into your best life, by design, with Dr. Mollie Marti. She’s a performance psychologist warmly passionate about helping you see, craft, and realize your own best life.
Dr. Marti took a break from the Extreme Business Makeover conference in Orlando to share with me her current project and to talk about what it takes to design a “best life.”
What are some hurdles to designing your best life? Dr. Marti says the “continuous influence of information” has lead to fragmentation and diffusion of focus. One must focus energy, time, and effort on few things. Thinking through and establishing boundaries can help.
She agrees that mindset—what you choose to allow into your mind and what you choose to dwell upon—plays a significant role in your life design. Attending events such as the Extreme Business Makeovers where you hear solid content, but more importantly, where you connect with people who care, will help clear the clutter from your mind and give you the support you need to take action.
To stay connected with Dr. Marti’s content and community, check out her new project Best Life Design.
Dr. Mollie Marti: Web | Twitter
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If you pay close attention, many best selling authors (Bob Burg, Tony Robbins, Tom Asacker, Seth Godin, Chris Brogan and others), keep saying something like, “Be generous…be helpful…” No doubt they would credit Zig Ziglar as an influential source for the philosophy. [read more…]
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Author of See You at the Top, Secrets of Closing the Sale, How to Raise Positive Kids in a Negative World, Courtship After Marriage and more—Zig Ziglar—LIVES character. Though I’m thrilled beyond measure to be a speaker on the same program with Zig, I was even more blessed to stand back and simply watch him.
Watch Zig and you’ll discover the secret of persuasion (not really a secret though), or the secret to success in general: Zig cares about people. No one’s a stranger to Zig. Watching him care for others reminded me of an essay by Francis Schaeffer: There are No Little People. To Schaeffer, to Ziglar, to anyone who’s truly successful, there are no little people.
Watch and see for yourself…
More Zig Ziglar clips to come. As you listen to Zig as he has simple conversations with people, you’ll notice the profound influence Zig has had on my own outlook. He’s worth studying and following.
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New York City is the city that never sleeps, never stops, and is filled with people. In a place where 15,000 to 20,000 people can be in a single building at a single moment in time, how in the world could you possible distinguish yourself as a small business owner?
When I was there last week, I walked everywhere I could. Eventually, I got tired of walking. So, after a quite fruitful visit to B&H Photo, I hailed a pedicab, better known as a rickshaw. My driver was the prototypical New Yorker. Rugged, intense. Watching him pedal me and my gear (NOT an easy task!) through crowded streets, I respectfully said, “Man, what a way to make a living.”
He said, “Naw man. I love it. This is the best way to BE New York.”
As he dropped me off at my hotel, I whipped out my video camera and started interviewing him. His response serves as a decent model for all entrepreneurs and business builders. Without any hesitation, he took advantage of the camera, instantly launching into a captivating presentation defining who he was and the significance of experiencing New York City from one’s own personal “chariot.”
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This is an incredible age of opportunity. We have the power and tools to make and connect with friends around the world who can truly make stuff happen. It would take a long time to catalog all the good stuff flowing my way just THIS month (London, Paris, New York, Orlando, etc.)…one highlight was a day spent in a private session with Seth Godin on his home turf in Manhattan.
About 60 of us gathered to listen. Imagine our wonder and awe when we realized SETH was there to listen, too! Officially, no video cameras were allowed. Unofficially, he allowed me to video tape him, with the proviso that I not publish it. Later during our time together, I questioned him on his “don’t share” policy, but that’s a long post for another time. (To get you primed for THAT post, please check out 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Search for “abundance mentality” and ponder the implications of Covey’s registered trademark of the phrase.)
Even though I can’t share the video with you, I CAN share this audio file of the event. I have Seth’s explicit permission to host and share the MP3 file. I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy it.
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