Reading Time: < 1 min It’s great to be authentic. Sharing your struggles and strategies can be a huge benefit to many people. However, if you lay back and just be solely “authentic”, that’s a lazy approach to life. We all know someone that “just tells it like is” that no one wants to be around, because they’re often just […]
Trust
Unexpected ads are the problem
Reading Time: < 1 min Advertising isn’t a problem. Most people recognize that services are often paid for via advertising, and that’s often preferred over having to pay out of our own pockets. However, unexpected advertising is a bigger problem. If I’m watching TV, listening to the radio (or a podcast), or browsing a website, I know ads are likely […]
I trust purple people more
Reading Time: < 1 min I was listening to a podcast from Gary Vaynerchuk a few weeks ago when he made a point that he tends to trust “purple people” more. In this case, “purple” refers to people that aren’t 100% red or blue when it comes to politics. I totally agree. I’ve said before that I gain the most […]
But that doesn’t scale, does it?
Reading Time: 2 min Automation can be a great thing. In a way, it’s the reason you’re reading this right now instead of me having to come over to your house to tell you in person. There are databases, algorithms, feeds, and various other things that help get this post out there. That said, I’ve been clear over the […]
Deceit is a poor marketing tactic
Reading Time: < 1 min A while back I shared how you shouldn’t try to hustle those that you wish to serve. Taking shortcuts to try to reach people is rarely a good idea. For example, the below came in the mail from a local HVAC company, with the indications of a check (such as “pay to the order of”) […]
Assume good intentions
Reading Time: 2 min As digital communication continues to expand into different formats, it can be increasingly difficult to determine the intentions of the person you’re talking to. Of the various common ways that we might communicate, I think intention becomes more difficult to discern as you work down this list: In person Video call Phone call Email Text […]
The cycle of simple
Reading Time: < 1 min I’ve noticed a pattern in a few areas of business that goes roughly like this: Simple –> Complex –> Simple Websites The first place I’ve noticed this is with website design. When someone is just starting out, they build very simple sites. As their skills improve, they load websites up with more bells & whistles […]
Lead with empathy
Reading Time: < 1 min Shari Levitin has a theory that the two main things a leader needs are competency and empathy, and empathy needs to come first. If you lead with empathy to build a relationship, then your competency can come into play to help close the deal. If you’re lacking either one, you’re out. Ultimately, she says that […]
Screenshots versus links
Reading Time: 2 min I’m seeing it more and more on social media, particularly on Facebook — someone will share an article, but rather than sharing a link to it they’ll just share a screenshot of the title and the first few sentences of the article. The problems This causes a few problems, with the main one being a […]
Leave it better than you found it
Reading Time: 2 min There are two main ways you can approach the internet: You can be patient and giving, contribute to the discourse, and leave it better than you found it. Work to squeeze every bit of value out of it and not worry about what’s left when you’re done. Individuals likely have some granular levels between those, […]