Seth’s Blog
You rock
This is deceptive.
You don’t rock all the time. No one does. No one is a rock star, superstar, world-changing artist all the time. In fact, it’s a self-defeating goal. You can’t do it.
No, but you might rock five minutes a day.
Five minutes to write a blog post that changes everything, or five minutes to deliver an act of generosity that changes someone. Five minutes to invent a great new feature, or five minutes to teach a groundbreaking skill in a way that no one ever thought of before. Five minutes to tell the truth (or hear the truth).
Five minutes a day you might do exceptional work, remarkable work, work that matters. Five minutes a day you might defeat the lizard brain long enough to stand up and make a difference.
And five minutes of rocking would be enough, because it would be five minutes more than just about anyone else.
Seth is right (as usual)…but there’s another step that I want to include. Let’s get practical shall we? Where are you storing up your 5 minutes of “Rockin’ it”? I have a weekly podcast at www.BusinessTechWeekly.com and this blog and I am starting two new podcasts this month. So my moments where I rock are being recorded and spread. So if you do rock (and you likely do) then make sure to capture it in writing, on camera or on a mic. Then spread the wisdom/wealth.
You rock…so record it.
Start acting like someone cares
You want to throw a party and have lots of people show up.
You want to have a successful blog but you want people to read it.
So here's the trick (and it really is a mental trick). You have to write a blog post like someone is reading it…even if no one is. Anyone who knows how to use Google and can "cut and paste" can add analytics to their site to see exactly how many people are visiting. Here's my advice…add analytics and then ignore them. They're too discouraging and in the end it's not the point. CNN.com has a lot more visits than your web site and they always will. So what? If your goal is to spread your ideas then start spreading them one post at a time. You'll know when your ideas are spreading, trust me. How do I get traffic?
Somebody cares about what you're saying. If no one seems to care then talk about something else or change how you're delivering your message. But, somebody cares. Let's go back to the party comparison. If you don't come to my party guess what…I'm not coming to yours. So if you want me to come to your blog then come to mine and let me know how to get back to yours. If you want readers then spread the love. Spend time at other blogs and then go back to yours regularly and write like someone is reading it. You better have a frosty beverage for me
The other reason you need to write like someone is reading is that one day, when you do start to get visitors you'll need something for them to read. Blogs archive your entries so they'll have a treasure trove of info that you've written if you post before they show up. Not regularly posting to your blog or creating content of any kind (podcast, ebooks etc.) and inviting me to visit your site is like inviting me to a party without having any good beer to drink or any food to snack on. When I get there…I expect something from you. It's bad news if you expect those people to come back if they didn't find anything the first time they showed up…they're not likely to return. Action points:
- Install analytics on your site
– Ignore the analytics for a long time
– Comment on other sites every day (you can start with this blog). Commenting on the bigg blogs can get you traffic…not from the big names but from other people who leave comments (happened to me this week).
– Write a post a week (minimum). But please write something.
So you’re not different (story #1)
I was in the market for a Macbook Pro and because I know that Apple has a very tight rein on the prices for their products the decision as to who I was going to buy the computer from was going to come down to something other than price. I looked on-line and knew I could get one through Apple.com but I would rather spend my money locally, even if it was going to be a chain store. So I went to Best Buy to see their fancy display of all things Apple. A very helpful guy came out and showed me how the Magic Mouse works since I asked about it. But then came trouble.
Q. "I can buy this computer at a lot of places. Why should I buy it here?"A. "We have an amazing Geek Squad warranty program. If it breaks we'll fix or replace it. If you drop it in a lake or bring the computer in with a shovel that's not covered, but usually we'll cover most issues." That Geek Squad insurance is supposed to replace the Apple Care program. Problem is, the Geek Squad insurance is $399.99. Apple Care is $249. Here's an example of why the Geek Squad insurance stinks – Geek Squad insurance FAIL . The issue wasn't the cost of the policy as much as it was that this guy's answer as to why I should buy it there was "in case it breaks, we'll fix it. Unless you drop it in a lake or carry it into the store with a shovel."
Andy's sarcastic brain: So what if I drop it in a pond? How much water can I dip my computer in? And about the shovel…if I bring it in a wheel barrow will I get coverage?
Lessons to apply to your business:
1. If you have a warranty make it clear so you or your staff can explain it well to the customer.
2. If you have a warranty then cover what people buy from you. Angry people talk more than happy people.
3. If you can't communicate why I should buy something from you then I'm not likely to buy from you…ever.
4. It's not always about price and when you know it's not about price (Best Buy, Apple.com and my local Apple store = same price) then you should have something that separates you from the competition. So I bought the computer at my local Apple licensed store and I'm glad I did. Those guys love Apple and if I need help I can go to them anytime I need to. I think they're working on a t-shirt or Apple jacket for me too. Yeah, I'm a total fanboy. The big question: So what makes YOUR business different, better, unique, appealing…you get the idea. Got an answer? Care to share it?
Divorce, home schooling and blog posts
Today I was confronted with the knowledge of a dear friend who filed for divorce because their spouse declared that they had a mistress (and no remorse). This friend is trying to succeed. They're trying to be a great parent, to raise a wonderful child so they could become a wonderful adult. They're trying to run a business because they believe in their product and are good at what they do. Still, the reasons for failure come knocking. There are a mission reasons you could succeed but will you?
Question: Are you looking at reasons for failure right now or reasons for success? Today I was confronted with a friend who is taking on the awesome responsibility of home schooling their child. Their child is rebelling against it because well, it's a child. I don't care if it's Harvard or your kitchen table, some kids just don't like school. My friend is fighting the battle to do what they're called to do and do it with excellence and they're running into resistance doing it. There are a mission reasons you could succeed but will you? Question: If you're being challenged in an area right now is that a good thing?
Today I was confronted with the fact that I have not been communicating consistently via my different communication channels I have set up (Facebook, Twitter, several blogs, an eNewsletter etc.). I have failed to be what I tell others to be…consistent. I am going to find success and so will my friends who are enduring their rocky journeys right now. They know that there are more reasons for them to fail then succeed in their relationships but they aren't the type of people that focus on the reasons why people don't succeed. They focus on reasons FOR success and emulate them. Question: What do you need to admit that you've been failing in? Mine is communication. I've been making a lot of changes in my business structure recently and I'm very excited about them. I'm ignoring the reasons that failure may come. I'm choosing success. Did you know you could choose? Question: What's it gonna be? Choose.
Now taking requests for tutorials
Everyone seems to want to have things "perfect" before they let people sit down at their dinner table, ride in their car or visit their web page. Well, I'm different. I'm in the process of building a new site called www.TraubTutorials.com. If you go there now you'll notice it's pretty bland…like it's not finished. Because it's not.
Instead of waiting for perfect I'm going to tell you go there now and request a tutorial by hitting the BIG RED BUTTON on the side bar. You can request any sort of tutorial you want and chances are I can make it for you…for free. How will you make money doing things for free Andy? Well, I've got that figured out in my head and on paper so for now just ask me for free help and I'll give it to you. No one who is alive is perfect so I'm not afraid to show you what it looks like to build a page. It'll be sweet when I'm done but now it looks pretty naked. I'm not afraid to show you that so welcome to the real web, where things take time to grow, develop, become effective, become profitable and get noticed. All great things take time so thanks for taking the time to visit the site (www.TraubTutorials.com) and letting me know what I can help you with.All 7 Classes and a bonus!!
