What a Scam Artist Knows...

I've heard that business is booming for scam artists and con men as the recession has many looking to make a quick score. In many cases these are sales pitches designed to separate you from your money as quickly as possible. If you're ever approached with an offer that sounds too good to be true, see if it fits this pattern:

• Does it require you to act very quickly?  It's an offer that could vanish in a short amount of time.
• Does it involve some sort of new or secret knowledge that could change the world?  And yet it has received no media coverage.
• Are the people who sing the praises of the deal somewhat unknown or anonymous?  But they sounds like folks just like you and me.

Clearly these scam artists have tapped into the human psyche. We are attracted to the idea of a special deal that can change our lives. We can imagine ourselves acting decisively to improve our future.  And maybe we can even see ourselves sharing our secret with others who we decide should enjoy the fruits of our good fortune.

While we associate these underhanded methods with unsavory characters, they are often used to a lesser degree by some very successful sales professionals.  The key is making sure the product or service that you are hawking is reputable. When it comes to an irresistible offer, what's the difference between an honest or dishonest one?  The ability to sell it to your mother and expect to still be invited to Sunday dinner.

The Best Advice You Forgot....

At some point, asking for advice has become seen as a sign of weakness. How many times have we needed directions, instructions on a process, or physical assistance but have stayed silent?

The funny thing is that unless you're asking for money, most people will usually give you assistance without a second thought. For a funny story about the consequences of not asking for help, while driving, take a look at this video clip.


(If you can't see the clip, click here: )

This was a fun example of improper communication and I still laugh, thinking about how that turn signal received so little use. I mean, it must still be, "factory fresh."

Not also asking people for help also denies them the chance to play the role of a hero. Everyone likes to be the hero every once in a while as it's cool to know that our skills and expertise are in demand.

At a time when workplace stress is growing, are you asking for help when you need it? In other words, are you refusing to address a problem? Is that a smart decision in this economy?

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!

Attention is a Hot Commodity in Communication

In the past, getting time with someone has been seen as a path to success. You want five minutes with the boss or a prospective customer. You'd have the person's full attention and hopefully achieve your objective.

In today's world, you have a lot of factors competing for your target's attention. Sure, you may have a five minute meeting with the boss but is he or she looking at their email, answering cell phone calls, or typing on their Blackberry? Multi-tasking can become an addiction and you need to keep in mind that you may only have a slice of someone's focus. This can be especially bad when you're having a phone conversation. And how many companies have lost money because of a misunderstanding, especially those that can be traced back to poor communication?

When making your pitch, you need to make it shorter and more powerful to hold your prospect's attention. State what you want and why it is important. Do this right away. Ask questions to keep the other person engaged in the conversation. And above all, do not just talk and talk and talk. The more you speak, the easier it is for your subject to have their attention wander. If you have a history of getting to the point, then it's more likely that you'll be heard.

Communication: The Power of Silence

Portfolio.com media blogger Jeff Bercovici recently attended a closed door panel which featured several TV News personalities, including Katie Couric. Couric's interview with then Vice-Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, has often been called a major moment in the campaign in that it changed people's perception of the Republican.

During the session (I would include the link to Bercovici's blog post but it has been removed as the session was supposed to have had no media coverage.) Couric revealed that before the interview, she asked former senator Sam Nunn and Council on Foreign Relations president Richard Haas for advice. Among their suggestions was to let the governor speak at length without interrupting her.

This is a very good interview technique that plays upon our need to please people. When you answer a question and the interviewer doesn't say anything, you feel like you need to talk some more. It seems like the polite thing to do. But it can lead to you putting your foot in your mouth. Sure enough, in several cases, the more Palin tried to answer a question, the more she seemed to weaken herself.

What do you do if you're the interviewee and don't want to make a verbal goof? Don't say anything after you've made your remarks. Two people not talking doesn't make for dazzling news. Wait and you'll force the questioner to say something.

If you like this kind of verbal judo, you'll enjoy my free report on 7 Communication Mistakes that are Costing You Money.

Why Cold Calls Fail

Imagine working in an industry where a high level of failure was a daily expectation. In baseball if you connect on one third of the pitches, you're a star. But success in the phone sales business is much lower. For many call centers, the name of the game is making as many calls as possible in order to get that elusive hit. But is there a better way to do business? In this video report, I'll go over some of the mistakes and missed opportunities callers are making. These are also some good customer service principles to keep in mind as you move from survival to success.

What's With the 'Tude, Microsoft?

Recently Microsoft unveiled a website to promote it's new Photosynth photography system (www.photosynth.net). It's billed as way to view photos in 3-D environment. As a fan of photography I clicked to the site to find out more. While there I learned that right now it's only available for Windows based computers. I have an iMac so I couldn't view any of the images. That’s fine but I was a bit surprised by the message I got when I tried to take a look:

“Unfortunately, we’re not cool enough to run on your OS (operating system) yet. We really wish we had a version of Photosynth that worked cross platform, but for now it only runs on Windows.”

Is it me or is this a rather strange way to state the application is only available for the PC? The attitude is a bit of a turnoff. I was a PC user for eight years and this kind of statement reminds me why I made the switch.

Microsoft recently announced that it will use Jerry Seinfeld in a series of commercials with Bill Gates. Let's hope they don't inspire comparisons to the film, "Grumpy Old Men."

Communication Lessons from NYC

You can learn a lot about culture and communications by studying a city. During a recent trip to New York City, I took some time to observe and absorb the famous Times Square. While there you are distracted by countless marketing messages. At times, you can't absorb it all and I'd find myself not noticing a lot of details or stores that I couldn't see due to sensory overload.

Like many tourists, I took countless photos and I got used to seeing people taking snapshots. It seemed like everyone had a camera and I'm probably making a cameo appearance in many pictures.

The signs that caught my attention the most tended to be big, bold, and memorable. I felt sorry for some of the street vendors as they have to compete with such imposing messages. At the same time, I was grateful for the police who keep the area from becoming a pick pocket zone.

I've put together a video report about some communications principles I noticed in Times Square and you can access the clip below: