by susanryoung on September 3, 2010
Yesterday in Part One of my interview with Nametag Scott, he shared insights on creating a “reservoir full of ideas that never run dry.” Today in Part Two, Scott says when trying to drum up new ideas, products and services, the “build it and they’ll come” model doesn’t work.
“It’s easy to get caught up in this idea of ‘if you build it they will come’.” That’s a lie. I would substitute, ‘if you write it they will come.” Everything I’ve done in my business is because I have written something. Every dollar I have made is because I wrote something and someone read it, and they found me. So my philosophy is if you write it they will come. Now obviously you have to write it well and it has to be written in a way that evokes a response. There are certain things that increase probability. The secret is you can’t make people come to you, can’t make customers buy, and you can’t make people talk about you. If you want to spread the word, build remarkability into your product from the beginning.”
Scott and I also talked about how to attract new business. He says this is not about selling.
“Ultimately selling isn’t selling; it’s solving. It’s positioning yourself as the answer and solving pervasive, expensive, urgent, and relevant problems for your customer. The secret is to position yourself as the problem-solver. You look the customer in the eye and ask, ’Is it of value to solve this problem for you?’ and they say ‘well yes of course I’d love to solve my problem’ …and you respond ‘well great, I’m the answer…sign here.’’
Thank you Scott for reminding us that being a problem-solver and not a salesman will pay longterm dividends.
(Photo Credit: churl)
by susanryoung on September 2, 2010
“Nametag Scott” (a.k.a. Scott Ginsburg) is not only an interesting guy to speak with; he’s an innovative businessman who has the courage to allow his creative and entrepreneurial instincts to thrive.
If you’re not familiar with him, Scott’s been wearing a nametag since he was in college, some 10 years ago. He says he walked out of a campus event, left his nametag on his shirt and people were suddenly quite friendly. They told him he was ”approachable.” And with that, Scott built an enterprise. He’s written 12 books, and is a professional speaker, consultant, and award-winning blogger. He also created NametagTV.com.
I recently interviewed Scott for my “Winning Ways” series on successful leaders. I’m happy to share his insights on creativity and the myth of writer’s block. Here’s Part 1 of our conversation:
The Endless Reservoir
“Writers block doesn’t exist. It’s a lie. There’s no such thing as writer’s block because writing is an extension of thinking, so you don’t have writer’s block you have thinker’s block. If you want to become a better writer, you need to become a better thinker. People ask me all the time how I come up with so many ideas and so much content. They complain they can’t find anything to write about. Are you kidding me?! Do you live on this planet?! It’s easy to get ideas. Creativity is nothing but active listening. That’s it. ….every morning I don’t decide what I’m going to write. I just listen for what wants to be written. That’s the challenge for anyone in any form of art. Just listen to what wants to be written. It’s everywhere; pay attention. There’s an endless reservoir of stuff to write about. No, I’ve never had writer’s block and I never will. It’s not because I’m an amazing writer. I make observations, I listen, I write everything down. I’ll always have a full reservoir.”
Not Everyone’s a Writer
“People have this misconception that writing is with your hand. Not at all. Remember that writing is an extension of thinking. You can talk on a video camera and then have it transcribed. Here’s another idea for non-writers. You can find someone who is great on riffing with you who has a somewhat comparable brain style. Sit down with them, turn on the Flipcam, give them a list of questions to ask you, and have them provoke you. That’s because you always say better stuff when you’re just chatting. Then have it transcribed. There are so many different ways of getting your thoughts on paper. It’s not about writing. It’s about thinking. Consider yourself as a thinker, find out how you can get what’s within your brain onto paper. There’s a million ways to do it that satisfies every learning style.”
Part Two: Finding Awesome Content- more insights and ideas from Nametag Scott.
By the way, if you want to refine your communication skills and learn more about blogging, Social Media, PR, and sales, sign up for my 21-day free video series, “Speaking of Communication.”
(Photo Credit: Ethan Hein)
