Make a Power Introduction

When you meet someone for the first time, it's very common to be asked the question, "What do you do?" I've noticed that it tends to produce dull answers. Some will say something that's immediately forgettable, like, "I do sales stuff."

That's not very good self-promotion. Would a baker say, "I make food." No, he or she would respond with something like, "I make the most amazing chocolate chip cookies that melt in your mouth and make you reach for the nearest glass of milk."

I've learned from branding experts that it's best to describe yourself in terms of what you can do for others. For example, "I help companies boost their profits through time management." That's much more powerful than saying, "I'm a consultant." The goal is to give people a taste of what you do and then be quiet. I'm suggesting silence because what you really want is to give the other person a chance to ask you a question that allows you to talk more about your expertise. If you talk non-stop, the other person will tune you out.

Avoid just saying a title as most are easily forgettable and don't really tell what you may do. I know some people with fantastic jobs but dull titles. Plus a title doesn't communicate passion for your work.

If you're on the other side of this conversation, ask the person a question about his or her work. It's a great way to build rapport with someone new.

Singing the Swine Flu Blues

I've been following the various reports of a swine flu outbreak. The information about the situation either suggests that it's a sign of the end of the world or maybe you should just wash your hands a little more.

Part of the problem appears to be a disagreement among various governments and health agencies about the outbreak. It sounds like the Obama administration wants people not to worry, while reacting as if the flu is going to become a big problem. Part of this may be a chance to evaluate our country's response to a pandemic but it does seem to be a bit of a mixed message.

Images play a big role in our perception of this situation. No matter how reassuring a message we receive from an expert, the sight of people walking around with surgical masks covering their faces, strikes a cord of fear inside.

Other than having watched a few episodes of House and ER, my medical knowledge is limited. I hope the swine flu does not claim many lives. But I fear that the panic related to the news of a potential pandemic may be worse than the flu itself.

Excerpt from: 5 Reasons Why Your Social Marketing Strategy Fails

You were excited about tools like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. But your efforts have only produced online cobwebs and tumbleweed. Now you're frustrated and ready to swear off social networking for good. Don't let that happen because social media is tool that can boost brand awareness, bring in new supporters, and rally followers. Did you treat social media like a New Year's Resolution? You were excited about it at first but then your enthusiasm started to fade when you didn't see instant results. An effective online strategy requires a lot of planning, patience, and persistence. Here are some common mistakes you need to avoid:

People Don't Know About You: You've signed up for social media sites and expect people to magically appear and become your followers. "If you build it, they will come," only works in Iowa cornfields. From business cards to brochures to email signatures, you need to list all of the sites where you have a presence. Every opportunity you have, you need to let people know that they can find out more about your organization by visiting your Facebook, MySpace, or YouTube pages. Social media does not reward the shy.

Not Enough Or Any Updates: You've successful directed people to your pages but there's no reason for people to ever come back. The problem is that you don't provide a steady stream of updates. This happens a lot for organizations that rely on traditional marketing tools quarterly newsletters. But online, you can't update your supporters and fans every three months. That's the kiss of death. Instead you need to provide regular updates. Make a commitment to a schedule of updates and then stick to it. This can be news from your organization, pictures, or comments on national news stories. These updates don't need to be very long but they should tell people something they didn't know about your organization. You're goal is to be the most interesting person at a party, who always has a good story and never outstays his or her welcome.

You Ignore Daily Opportunities: If you do anything of interest, you need to capture the moment with a digital camera or video recorder. Within a few hours, you need to post your photos or videos and tell people to log on to see them. Don't let pictures become leftovers that no one wants to eat. Serve them up while they're still fresh in their minds.

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Newspapers and Communication

As a former journalist, it's with sadness that I've followed the erosion of the newspaper industry. Perhaps I feel like those who watched the horse and buggy industry vanish as a result of the invention of the automobile. (There's a great blog about the daily struggles of newspapers and it's called, Newspaper Deathwatch.)

Here are a few disturbing trends I've noticed in newspapers recently:

There's simply less news being covered. This is to be expected with staff cuts but it doesn't position newspapers as a valuable community resource to have fewer stories. Instead, I see a lot of syndicated stories. In some cases, it makes sense to carry a story from another community (like news from Washington DC). But does the use of too many syndicated stories promote your local paper as being a local paper or merely a distributor of national information? That's something the Internet does very well.

I see too many press releases that are reproduced word for word. This is lazy journalism. I was taught that you should always call the creator of the press release to ask at least a question or two. Then you should rewrite the release to put it in your own words. Right now, no facts are being checked. The release is simply being accepted as news. What value does a paper have if all it does is reproduce a document that's featured on a company's website?

A lot of papers have redesigned their layouts but weakened their voice. They feature the kind of big headlines and pictures we used to see only after a war or a disaster. While the bold graphics may catch the eye, why do I feel that their creation is more about hiding the fact that there's less news by making the featured stories cover more inches on the page.

Right now newspapers are trying to reinvent themselves while at the same time dramatically cutting costs. I'm doubtful that this is the right mix for an industry that needs to be embraced by local communities in order to survive..

The Lessons of Dreams

At a recent writing class, I was told to come up with either the first or the last line of a short story. Here are a few I created:

With the taste of cheap wine and cheddar cheese still in her mouth, Susan realized that the party had no escape hatch.

Kyle was willing to surrender the much coveted right side of the bed to the woman of his dreams.

Never again would Fido destroy another couch cushion, Rebecca thought, as she marched the dog into the Korean restaurant.

I found this to be a fun exercise. But here's the catch: I was in the class in a dream. I've never been in this kind of class in real life. While asleep our brains can come up with some wonderful idea. The challenge is making sure that you capture them as soon as you wake up. Otherwise, they'll likely be forgotten during the day.

That's why I always try to have a pen and paper close to my bed, so if I think of something interesting while asleep, I can write it down ASAP. Some people do the same thing with tape recorders. The trick is to make sure that you can later interpret what you wrote down or said as you may not be entirely conscious when you make the note!

Overwhelmed By Change? Watch an Old Movie.

Movies are great things to study because they not only tell us a story but also tell us about the values, dreams, and shortcomings of the time when they were made.

Check out a film from 20 years ago. Pay attention to the music, the fashion, and the pacing. Sometimes, you'll laugh as I do when I see people doing things like talking on enormous cell phones. You may also interpret the film differently because you're watching it at a different point in you life. Suddenly, you may have new insight into a character's motivations.

The goal is to realize that not that long ago, things were much different. But since we experience life in a day to day fashion, we don't notice these changes and shifts in our lives. People are actually quite flexible in how they can change and deal with new challenges. To paraphrase the popular ad: "We've come a long way, baby."

The global economic slowdown has produced a ton of unexpected changes and and challenges. Remember that you are not new to living with the unknown. You've probably experienced more of it than you think.

Religious Branding?

I've been a part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program this tax season. I've helped out some people, learned a lot about taxes, and noticed something interesting when it comes to "religious branding."

When a client is itemizing their deductions, I'll check to see if he or she made any charitable contributions. I'll find out that the client did give to their place of worship. They know the amount they gave. As I'm entering in the information, I'll ask for the name of the place of worship.

"Uh, let me think about it. I'm not sure," is usually the response I get. I'm sure that the client did make the gift but it's funny that they can't remember the name right away. Often after a minute or two, it comes back to them.

Perhaps this is a case of people knowing what a place does but not knowing what it is named. For religious institutions, this may not be a problem but for a business, it's bad news.

Passover Trivia and History at the White House

I was very interested to hear that in Washington DC, the Obamas will host the first ever Passover Seder at the White House. It's a nice gesture and I hope it encourages everyone to learn a little more about this holiday, which celebrates events from more than 3,000 years ago.

While attending a Seder tonight I picked up an interesting piece of Passover trivia. The original group of Jews who moved to Egypt was only made up of about 75 people. For many years, relations were very good between them and the Egyptians. About 400 years later, things had changed for the worse and the Jewish population found itself enslaved. Those events resulted in Moses leading the Jewish people out of Egypt. Do you know how large that group had grown to be? Historians now estimate it to have been about 2,000,000 people.

Imagine such a large population having to immediately leave their homes and everything that was familiar and go into the desert for an unknown future. Keep this in mind then next time you feel nervous about some kind of change in your life.

Free Throws and Business Woes

I've been enjoying the NCAA basketball tournament. I'm always fascinated how players react in pressure situations, especially those at the end of the game. Imagine having to make a free throw in a tie game with thousands of people screaming at you.

The way to do it is through a routine. Coaches have players practice their free throw shooting endlessly and have the players follow the same shooting routine. It can be as simple as bouncing the ball three times, pulling the ball up, and then releasing it toward the basket. The idea is to make the shot second nature. It's the same shot whether it's in a high school gym or in front of a TV audience of millions. The goal is to have the routine neutralize any outside distractions.

How many of us have similar routines or processes in place for tense or busy times in our businesses? Are you prepared to handle an unexpected rush of customers? Will your team lose focus or continue to deliver a high quality of service. Pressure has a way of either bringing out the best or worst in people. Through careful practice and preparation, you an separate your organization by keeping your cool when the pressure it on. Swish!