Who Knows You?
I don’t know if it’s true for you, but people always seem to come up to me and say “Hi!” Some believe rightly, or wrongly that they know me, while other recognize me from “somewhere.”  It’s excruciating as I search my memory banks trying to put the face or name in context.  I tend to respond to the greeting with feigned recognition and an innocuous: “Hey!  What’s new and exciting in your life?” hoping that in the ensuing moments, a comment or reference on their part will provide the clue necessary to make the connection.

How Do You Arrive?
I called a potential vendor yesterday and was taken aback by what I heard on the other end of the phone.  In fact, for a moment, I forgot who I was calling, or why. In an instant, a slew of emotions poured over me. What began as surprise and amusement, quickly turned to utter disbelief and annoyance. Could this really be happening?  I hung up the phone pondering whether to call back, or just move on to another potential supplier.

Reach out and “Re-Touch” Someone
It’s a reality that every business faces: there will be good months – and there will be not-so-good months. Basic economics dictate that the key to profitability and survival in business is to ensure that the good months outnumber the bad ones. For small businesses this fact is even more crucial as you, (we) tend to lack the substantial financial reserves that multi-gazillion dollar companies have access to.

That Was Unexpected
The opening sentence of A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, is among the most familiar of all literary passages: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…" And these words ring so true when it comes to effective brand marketing as well. On one hand, we live in an amazing age where the promotional options, vehicles and venues are more vast and creative than in any time in human history. But on the other, the competition for the eyes, ears, thoughts, time, attention and wallets of business prospects is almost overwhelming.

Tag You're It!
There is much that has been written about the importance of crafting the right company name, the perfect product moniker, or inspiring, professional title. But equally important, and often short-changed, is a creative, memorable and impactful tagline. While your company name, your logo and service mark is the public face of who you are, the tagline should tell people what you do and why you are different than the competition. Like peanut butter and jelly, both can be darned good on their own, but put ‘em together – magic! 

Your Name Sucks!
Like death and taxes, if you are in business, someone will inevitably utter an expletive connected to your name, or the name of your company.  It’s a given. It could come from a dissatisfied client or even an unfriendly competitor. And depending on where they say it, and to whom, it could be very, very dangerous for your business. 

Get Over Yourself
“You are brilliant,” I said to myself as I completed the first draft of the brochure for a new program I am launching. In fact, a client (and good friend) gave me the idea and I ran with it. I had the one-sheet brochure laid-out, the text was expertly crafted and the design was top-notch. I was ready to send it out to business prospects and could just envision the money rolling in.

What's Your Signature Shtick?
Pop quiz time. Grab a Number 2 pencil and match the person to the buzz word, tag line or signature activity: (1) Held a violin during his comedy routine. (2) In Search of Excellence (3) County singer with price tag hanging from her hat (4) Undersea documentary film maker (5) Heiress Party-girl (6) “I don’t get no respect.” (7) Shock Jock (8) Tele-vangelist with heavy makeup and fake eyelashes (9) Flamboyant concert pianist (10) First to walk on the moon.

Is Your Brand Promotable?
The ultimate goal of any brand-driven marketing campaign is to influence people to “buy” what you’re selling. And at the core of any successful promotional effort is something that is either desired or needed. Quite simply, a marketing effort requires something of value to market. A product or service must have unique and attractive qualities to be reasonably promotable and be targeted to those who would likely want it or need it.

Shout It From the Mountain Top
Opinions. It is said that opinions are like…um, pick a body part. Everyone has one. And more than ever before, we have seemingly endless avenues to share our opinions with anyone willing to listen.

Why Reactive Rules
How many times have you heard the adage: “It’s better to be proactive than reactive.” So often in fact, that the popular admonition has become the de facto rule. Who would dispute it? But the truth is that when it comes to generating positive press, the opposite is more often the case. To be successful in pitching the news media, reactive rules.

Black and White and Read All Over
Here a quick question for you: What’s the difference between someone who is very smart and someone who is a recognized expert in their field? It could be an advanced educational degree. It might even be a measure of achieved fame or public accolades for a significant feat or discovery. The reality is that for many, often the missing link between credibility and obscurity is simply having written and published a book.

Get Your Book Booked
Recently, I have a received quite a few inquiries from clients and readers about how I have achieved such great success in generating media coverage for my new book: The Gift in Every Day – Little Lessons on Living Big Life. To date I have done 38 radio and television interviews across North America and have another TV appearance slated for tomorrow morning.

Impact, Legacy and Reading in the Bathroom
Friends, I am going to ask for your indulgence for a few minutes as I depart from my usual newsletter content. I have been blessed by so much in my life. I live in the greatest country on earth. I married the woman of my dreams and we have three amazing kids.

The Fine Line
While watching TV the other night, my 12 year-old daughter Sierra, turned to me and asked a simple, but profound question: "Dad," she said. "How do you become famous?" Not recognizing the genesis of her question, my inclination was to dismiss her inquiry with a simple response along the lines of: "Just get as many other people as possible to know who you are."

Is Your Voice Viral
What do your kids′ germs, the worst music video ever and Bill Gates purported graduation speech have in common? They′ve all spread like a virus. The newest buzz words on the net are "going viral″ and it′s a condition that you should aspire to. Not simply identifying a new trend, going viral means that an online item, a video clip, an essay or some other nugget of wisdom or entertainment is so captivating, that millions of people have seen fit to pass it on to others.

See & Be Seen
During the recent National Speakers Association Meeting/Workshop in Washington D.C., I was zipping around the conference, as usual, on my Segway scooter when I passed a woman who said, “Hey, I remember you!” “That’s the point!” I said with a smile as I zoomed past.

What's In a Name?
Million-dollar product – ten-cent name? Too many companies today, both large and small, are making the mistake of putting all their time and talent into their product or service and very little into the name. It’s very difficult to build a brand around the National General Corporation, Paradigm Industries, Dynamic Trucking, or the Preferred Dairy Company. All generic, non-descript and boring.

An Inch Wide and a Mile Deep
What are you good at? Let me rephrase the question: What are you so darned good at that nobody does it better? So many of my speaker clients come to me with a laundry list of subjects that they speak, write, or consult about. I ask what their expertise is in and they show me the long list.

Are You Newsworthy?
Not surprisingly, one of the most common requests I hear from my speaker clients is: “Can you get me on Oprah?” Well, since the Oprah show accepts very few unsolicited pitches from the outside world, no one can promise and deliver that holy grail.

Who Do the Voodoo That You Do So Well
How many people or businesses are in your category? If the answer is “quite a few,” then you'd better be darned good at what you do to be competing in a category that so many others are fighting to dominate.

Lasting Impressions
My family sold our house recently and moved away from some dear friends. Last night we stopped by our old neighbor’s house to say goodbye. Deb Murphy is a dear friend and saying goodbye was very difficult. Deb is someone hard to leave and much too hard to forget.

Your Brand is Everything
When it comes to building a successful business, your brand is everything – literally. It is everything you do and everything you don’t do. It is the smell of your lobby and the color of your menu. It is the friendliness of your staff and their response problems. It is the quality of your widgets and the cleanliness of your bathrooms.

Is Your Business On-Demand?
In his books and presentations, Generation Why expert Eric Chester speaks of how impatient this young, emerging workforce tends to be. As a father of three, I certainly know this to be true. But I think that most of us exhibit these tendencies as well as we too are a victim of the new abundance and conveniences that life provides in the 21st century.

Might See TV
I got a call from a client the other day who was very excited that she had gotten herself booked for an interview on Channel 8. “Channel 8?” I asked. “You mean the community access station?” Indeed it was true. What may surprise my faithful readers is that I said, “Great!”

Your Expertise is Boring!
I see your lips moving, but all I hear is “Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” I know it’s not what you want to hear, but quite simply, if you are a speaker, author, consultant or other "expert" I see being interviewed by the news media, your expertise just isn’t very interesting. Information is a dime-a-dozen and yours is no different.