The ugly one
“How do i wanna present myself? Do i wanna try to be like everyone else or do I want to try to make myself look as ugly as possible so that I can stand out and be stick out like a sore thumb amongst all these other people?” Oliver Tree That’s how Oliver Tree was created. His interview with Steve-O (yeah, the guy from Jackass) is filled with gems: How he sees everything someone does as art. How taking (calculated) risks can propel you to what you want. How not to take yourself too serious. His…
The client is always right. And wrong.
Friend-of-the-list and long time reader, as well as a great illustrator, Rad Co, wrote back on 6 misbeliefs.(Shared with permission, slightly edited for clarity) “I hate how “The client is always right. Which means you do what they tell you.” feels right but is 1,000x wrong and I agree completely.” Here’s the thing The client is always right. And always wrong. They’re right in what they want to achieve. They have a desired state in mind. They want not only a solution, but a way to thrive. In…
Changing why into how, what and when. And why.
Asking Why turns things personal AND complex. It requires that the one asked justifies and explains a thing, behavior, event. If it’s too close to them (eg. the owner and their decisions re: their “ugly” website), it becomes a judgment on what THEY decided. They get defensive. Reframing Why. Do think (to start) with why, just reframe it into How, What, When. Why do you work like this? → Explain to me. Justify, TO ME, YOUR decision. Get defensive. Another ways: What made you take this approach…
Pri[n]ce charming
Friend-of-the-list and AI and Analytics Specialist, Genevieve Hayes, came back with this question re: charm pricing. “I had never heard the term “charm pricing” before, so had to Google it. That’s an interesting one.There is psychological evidence to suggest that charm pricing does work. However, if no one wants your product or service to begin with, it doesn’t matter how “charming” the price is, they’re still not going to buy it. I would love to know your thinking around why you see this as…
Don’t write daily
That is, if you have no interest in: Gaining clarity on your thoughts Finding deeper insights from your customers Thinking in new ways of the one thing you excel at Figuring out different ways to serve your market Stepping into your fears and make something out of it Leading (with your thinking, instead of with bullshit) Standing out in your market Taking a stand for something Delighting your customers Building your authority to be the go-to person for your right-fit customers. Don’t write…
6 misbeliefs
Here are 6 misbeliefs on approaching your market. The client is always right. Which means you do what they tell you. Branding is strategic, marketing, tactical. Which means —simply nonsense. Your business needs to have a purpose. Even if you fake it. We bring solutions to our customers. Unlike everyone else who brings only problems. .Always use charm prices. Because that’s the best way to sell. Give discounts to close more deals. Because a full price might be too much. Have you fell for any…
The right mix
Ron Baker, host of The Soul of Enterprise and author of Implementing Value Pricing and Time’s Up sustains that you (paraphrasing him): “need to look at clients like an investment portfolio. Some might have more risk, and be more profitable; some more conservative, and safer”. In that way you can start finding balance in how you play and how you reach prospects and the ones you want to work with—which just made me think of poker and how, if you always play risky, your odds to lose are…
Delighting cold calling
Have you ever gotten a cold call and felt fantastic about having that conversation? Weird, isn’t it? Today i just got one like that from Strategic Coach. Even when I knew I was going to say no, there was no pressure on the other side. No shame. No sneaky tactics to pull Noes into Yeses. Even better, no trying to frame me to say yes to get into a buy. It went like this: – Hey Rod. I’m X from Strategic Coach and thought I’d call you to go through some things smoother than over an email. I…
Consequences to failure
Safety (or risk) Regret Creativity Learning Trying feel more like a consequence of failure, than the opposite to failure. As friend-of-the-list Genevieve Hayes says [brackets mine]: “If you succeed at the first thing you do (aka don’t fail), then why ever try anything different?” The only way to know you’re failing is when you set a goal to achieve. How you take the outcome of that process —whether you fail or not— is what builds you up. How you grow. Because all of those words at the start…
Not to win or Not to succeed?
Failure: to not achieve a determined outcome. Merriam-Webster defines it like this: “• (the) omission of occurrence or performance • a falling short • lack of success”. However, failure could also represent another view(s): To not win To not succeed A win → takes that others (or yourself) lose. It’s a thing that has an end. The rules are fixed: to win, you need to have these requirements. Success → takes that winning is part of it. Just as losing. It’s more nuanced. It doesn’t have clear…
