Day 47 - Hot Videos You Can Create On Your Own (Part 2)

In Part 1, I introduced you to the great online tool, Animoto. A few of you even tried it out and sent me a link to the cool little videos you put together. GREAT job for taking action!


Now I'm going to take it a step further and share with you how you can use this powerful online tool to produce videos that have a truly professional look and feel.


Here's an example of one that I produced on Friday ...





As you can see, even though I used Animoto to do the actual production work on this video, it doesn't have a "me too" feel that a lot of these types of videos have. Here's the process:


1) Planning - No matter what technology you're using, putting together a video without planning is like picking up a Stratavarius violin without music and expecting to play a great concerto.


You need to determine, in advance, the Message you're trying to convey, the Sequence of your thoughts and images and the Call to Action you are going to leave your viewers with.


2) Content Gathering - Now that you know what and how you're communicating, it's time to get your content ready. And, this is where 95% of everyone who produces videos using Animoto or similar types of online programs fall flat ... because they use only the stock content available on those sites versus finding sources with fresh content.


I start with finding the soundtrack because the length of the song determines how many  images and slides I will be able to use in my presentation. I've found Pond5 to be an EXCELLENT source for royalty free music, images and even video clips. I paid $19.95 for the music clip that I used in the Extreme Business Makeovers video ad above. I believe the unique and energetic feel that it provided were well worth the investment.


After I select the music, I decide how I'm going to present the words in the presentation. For most, I will use the built in text input of Animoto. For others, however - like the slides in the Extreme Business Makeovers presentation that include pictures of the speakers - I create Powerpoint or Keynote slides and convert them to jpeg images to upload.


Finally, I source and select images. Hint here - incorporating an actual video clip somewhere in the presentation can really kick up the look of the video and make it feel less like an automated slide show.


I use Pond5 to find video clips. Rather than pay, per image, for actual photos, however, I use ClipArt.com which has thousands upon thousands of clip art images and photos that you can use - royalty free - for a weekly, monthly or annual fee. Their search function makes it easy for me to find the images I am looking for.


3) Production - If you've done your job right on the first two steps, this one will be a breeze. THIS is where Animoto will save you hours over using standard video editing software. You simply upload the music, images, text slides and video clips. Then, type in any additional text and select which, if any, slides you want to highlight (meaning pause on longer).  Finally, select from 3 speeds for your clips to be displayed and click to render the video. 


Remember, if you aren't happy with how Animoto rendered your video, you can always click to remix it and it will create another version with different transitions - automatically!


I still use my iMovie or Final Edit for any videos I produce where I'm mixing in several pieces at once - like text, video and voiceovers, but for music and image driven videos for inspiration or advertising, Animoto literally saves me hours upon hours of final production time (and frankly does such a great job at analyzing the music and selecting the appropriate slide tempo and transitions, that it's better than I could likely do on my own).


Note: While the FREE Animoto service is great. I upgraded mine to the PRO status in order to have the ability to produce videos longer than one minute, create them in High Definition AND have them without Animoto's logo on them.


Free or Pro, the important thing is to give it a try ... put together a few videos that inspire or help others understand what you're all about. And remember, when communicating in person or in video, people will often forget what you say, but they seldom forget how you make them feel! 

Day 36 - The Hidden Benefits of Branding

Have you ever struggled with making a decision about a business direction or opportunity for your company? It can seem like there's no end to the options and there's not always a clear right or wrong answer.

Often, the calls I get from my newest clients revolve around helping them sort out the possibilities and make the best decision they can. I'll lead them through a simple decision tree process to come to a solution that they think AND feel is right for them.

While having a good system for making decisions is helpful, I tell them that they'll never have to make 90% of those tough decisions if they have a well-developed corporate brand! Huh? What's that Thom? What does a brand have to do with business decisions.

Well, if by "brand" you are simply thinking about a mark or logo, then not too much. But, if you understand the full scope of what a brand can and should be, then it has everything to do with your direction as a company. While there are many different definitions and understandings of what a brand is, here is how I break it down...

A Brand is the overall perception of your product or service in the marketplace. It is not merely the ideal communication of a logo or tagline externally. A mature brand actually encompasses feedback from the marketplace about the reality of their experience with your product or service.

There can be many facets to a well-developed brand. But, there are 3 primary ingredients:

1) The Look - The logo, packaging, vehicle, decor, ambience, uniforms or any other ingredient used to make an initial impression upon or connection with your target audience.

2) The Promise - What exactly your company promises to deliver to your clients. The most powerful ones focus on avoiding/alleviating a pain or delivering a pleasure.

3) The Experience - The style and competence of delivery and feeling that clients experience in doing business with you.

If you have thoroughly thought these through and decided what your intention is in all three of these areas, then you'll have a much better chance of consistently delivering on the expectations that you build in the marketplace.

As an added benefit, most of those nagging questions you have concerning new directions or opportunities won't even have to be made. Viewed through the prism of your "look," "promise" and "experience" you will find many options are legitimately "good," but not the BEST for you or your clients long-term. And, as you know ... in business, what you DON'T do is often as important as what you do!

About This Chart: For those who haven't been following, I created this daily chart for the purpose of communicating and tracking some of my more important goals - publicly. You can read about it in THIS EARLIER POST.

Living Out Loud - A Social Media Experiment

Have you ever been struck by an idea and not known whether it was inspiration or insanity?

Having the impulsive personality I do, I must say that most of my greatest accomplishments and life changes have occurred when I've started to act on certain ideas without stopping to evaluate how do-able (or even smart) they might be. From creating the Extreme Business Makeovers Experience to proposing marriage to my wife with my very first words to her, my life has been forever enriched when I got out of analysis and into action. (NOTE: Some actions - like proposing marriage to a girl you've never spoken with - should carry a warning label which reads: KIDS, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME. Fortunately, God has often shown me favor for my faith regardless of my lack of sense - as He did in my impulsive proposal to my wonderful wife Jody ;-)

So, this morning I had the idea to do something BIG to really challenge and inspire others ... something that will bring my authenticity and transparency online to a whole new level.

While I was journaling, I was thinking - I'm really a happy guy overall ... very blessed and grateful ... and, in most people's view, successful. At the same time, as I journal, I'm always writing things that I'm working on and goals that I have in order to increase my level of integrity. I know myself so I know firsthand how much more I can be doing. Most of these areas tend to be cases of "the cobbler's children having no shoes." Often, I'm helping others create balance, massive income gains and passive profit centers, while I'm running around like crazy trading my consulting time for dollars and neglecting important things like health, relationships and my own message development and product creation.

In order to make a dramatic and intense shift towards improving those weak areas and achieve my goals, I had the idea of reviving this abandoned blog of mine and use it as a tool to post my goals and give a daily update on progress and lessons learned along the way. When I told Jody, her initial response was, "It sure is gutsy." But, I figure it will:

- force me to treat myself like a client and take my own counsel
- be the ultimate accountability tool
- create a massive amount of energy and action
- inspire others to 'play full out' - at least THAT's the theory anyway

Hence, my little social experiment begins today. I'll start by posting my short-term goals. Then, starting tomorrow, I'll be posting here daily and will include an update chart to let you know how each goal is coming along.

Since my annual Extreme Business Makeovers Experience is April, 23, 2010, I thought I'd use that as my first goal deadline date and create a fresh set of goals after that! Here are the things I'm committed to accomplishing (in addition to my regular work) in the next 79 days:

1) Shed at least 50 pounds
2) Start and complete 1 book
3) Create and launch 1 informational product of my own
4) Launch 3 websites and post over 100 times
5) Help Go-Givers Sell More achieve bestseller status
6) Bring Jody on at least 10 dates
7) Call my Mom at least 10 times
8) Have at least 5 Scott Family Fun Nights

Nothing too ambitious eh? ;-) Just a few of the things that I've put in the "back seat" for too long! I'm excited about embarking on this journey and even having you along for the ride. Buckle up ... it MAY get bumpy ;-)

What do you think? Am I crazy or inspired? ;-)

A Winning Game Plan For A Rough Economy

Between higher gas prices, a media that has conducted a rather lengthy campaign to convince us "the sky is falling" and a natural correction in the markets due to government agencies and large finance companies artificially bolstering the housing sector for several years, mass consumer fears appear to have taken hold. The result, of course, is that even those who have been minimally impacted are pinching their pennies and not spending anything they don't feel they have to. Since over 70% of our economy is based on U.S. consumer spending, if the overall public mood remains negative, it is possible this will devolve into a more long-lasting slump.

Note: If you prefer to listen to this article, you may click here:

That, of course, is the GENERAL economic outlook. However, that does not have to be your PERSONAL economic outlook. The facts are irrefutable; in times of economic shift, there are massive opportunities that accompany adversities. In fact, while millions get fearful and sell off their stock market holdings at a loss, the calm and focused few make money by shorting the market or picking up deals that will soon rebound. In my neighborhood, someone recently picked up a home that had been sold 2 years ago for $1.2 million dollars - for a greatly discounted $475,000. They are now renting it back to the original owners for a monthly profit! And, in the general business arena, while some are losing customers, others are making tremendous market share and revenue gains!

"Are You Playing To Win? Or, Are You Playing To Not Lose?

So, what makes the difference between those who gain and those who lose? I would suggest that it is the quality of their questions and expectations. In short, are you playing to win? Or, are you playing to not lose? We see it in professional athletics all the time. Oftentimes in a championship game we will see an underdog up against a team who has proven themselves to be superior throughout the balance of the season. They are dominant, scary and clearly have the momentum on their side. In other words, like today's economic outlook, the challenge is very real.

If the underdog looks at their situation with any intellectual honesty, they will conclude that, barring their rising above their current comparative limitations, they will lose. However, not all underdogs respond the same way. Some will play with a mindset and game plan that is set on not losing. They strive and toil and fall all over themselves to try to keep the superior team from trouncing them. They inevitably lose and often, they lose by blowout margins. Other underdogs, however, play to win. They may intellectually recognize that the other team has some very dominant forces and on an average day, would be headed toward victory. So, they decide that it is not going to be an average day. They decide to "leave it all on the field" and play to win. The result - either a spectacular victory or at worst, a highly respectable loss where they held the dominant team to a fraction of their usual margin of victory.

As you can tell, I'm not one who embraces the general population's negative views and attitudes about market conditions. But for now, let's dispense with our positive vernacular and take a cold, hard look at what have become facts. The negativism in the economy has become the opposing team. It is big, It is scary and It is winning. And, whether or not you are playing on the front lines that have already been negatively impacted, or whether you are in the backfield, it is going to change your circumstances.

Separate Yourself From The Millions Who Will Lose In This Economy

So, the question is, "What is YOUR Winning Game Plan?" Do you have a strategy and tactical plan to grow during this time? Or, are you like the masses - cowering and fearful and attempting to hunker down till the storm passes? There is no status quo in business. Short of a salaried job, the numbers on your monthly income statements are not stagnant. They are going up or going down. And, just like a Karate student who is attempting to break a board, if your focus is on the board, you will fail. Your focus instead needs to be beyond the board! So, ask yourself ... What opportunities does this economy present me with that I didn't have before? How can I use this opportunity to grow and win? How can I help those around me come out winners as well? By asking yourself these questions, you will separate yourself from the millions who will lose in this economy. You will have responsibility versus being a victim of circumstance. And, whether you win or lose, you will be FAR better off than you would have been.

Kudos to Sprint

It's not often that I compliment big companies on their advertising, but I have to give Kudos to Sprint. In my opinion, their new campaign for its Instinct phone is nothing short of brilliant. First check it out and then I'll let you know why I believe it will be successful.

Pretty funny huh? It manages to successfully deliver on the AIDA formula:

1) It grabs ATTENTION whether viewed online or on TV.

2) For those with iPhone envy, it develops INTEREST by showing the screen of the phone with similar touch type controls.

3) By using an "edgy" style and fun, hip tie-in to the internet and social media, it creates DESIRE in those looking for an iPhone alternative other than the Blackberry.

4) AND, will wonders never cease? An actual call to ACTION in a mass media television commercial? Be still my heart!

Seriously, I'm an iPhone guy so they have no chance at my business. However, there are tons of people out there who are on a Sprint contract that want an iPhone-like solution. There are also a ton of people who won't get an iPhone even if they secretly want to - just because they don't identify with the brand. This approach and message will resonate with both these groups and increase overall awareness of and acceptance of this phone in the market - so people who buy the Instinct will gain the social status of having one of the latest and greatest phones.

And, of course, their integration of offline and online advertising with new media and social networking is an unbelievably powerful combination. The only thing that would make it better in my mind is to set up a video station with Flip recorders at every Sprint store so that someone who buys an Instinct can immediately record their own "blatant product placement" or testimonial commercials and upload to YouTube on the spot.

That's it for now.

Be Blessed,

Thom

Could I be replaced by a machine?

So my parents are all moved into their new apartment at an assisted living facility in Hendersonville, NC. Jody and the kids and I came up to spend some time with them and my siblings, brother-in-law and nieces.

Beyond all the emotional challenges that this move has presented to my folks, there are also some very practical challenges of moving from a large, 2 story home into a more manageable 3 bedroom apartment ... the biggest of which is storage.

My brother David and I decided to take advantage of my being there by installing some shelving in their closets to help them maximize the space. So, off we went to the local Lowes to pick up supplies where we experienced what my business partner, Bob Burg, and I have termed "Anti-Wow' customer service.

First, though we were passed by MANY Lowes employees as we combed the aisles in search of the shelving units, not a single one even acknowledged our presence, let alone asked us if we were finding everything we needed.

Then, when we did find the particular set of modular shelving units that we were seeking, they were out of stock on the shelves we could reach (certainly not their fault), but fortunately, there were more boxes of them available on the top shelf of the  warehouse-like aisle. Immediately, I attempted to flag down an employee who could help us locate the person who could retrieve the product we needed only to be literally waived off as if I were attempting to hail a cab in front of Carnegie Hall after a show. This rather odd customer service technique was displayed by not just one, but two employees who, by all indications, were on duty and fully capable of speech (though perhaps not rational thought).

Okay, so I'm certainly not going to let a little customer service glitch foil my efforts to help my parents out. Next step ... I'm off to the Customer Service desk where, after over a minute of waiting with no one else in line, the customer service representative was nice enough to break off her conversation with a fellow employee about the concoctions they drank at their 4th of July party, so I could ask her to please send someone to our aisle to retrieve the boxes from the top shelf. She immediately hopped on the PA system to send the message. So, I returned to the aisle to wait ... and wait .... and wait ... for OVER 20 minutes - with still no sign of anyone who was going to help us and with employees passing us by right and left.

If I were there alone, I would have driven to the Home Depot 2 blocks away after only about 10 minutes of waiting. However, I did have my older brother there so we were able to take advantage of the time and catch up on the happenings in each others' lives (though both of us would probably have preferred the conversation over a glass of wine back home or a Cider and darts at a local watering hole.)

But alas, here we are still waiting and wondering if anyone even heard the announcement that the customer service representative had made. Back again I went to the customer service counter as I asked her once again to help me. Put out, our once-friendly representative reminded me that she had already honored my request once before. But, since I was still without the product I was so desperately attempting to purchase, she reluctantly agreed to issue the dictum one more time.

9 minutes and 22 seconds later (I'm now very conscious of the time), an employee comes to retrieve the boxes from the top shelf (which took him 37 seconds total).

Ahhhh, now it's off to the checkout where we are faced with the decision of going to a checkout line with a real live cashier and only one person in line before us, or go to the self-checkout station where there are 2 people at each of the 4 machines. You guessed it - we went for the machine. It was quicker and in my imagination (based on my experience there that day) probably friendlier as well. 

My point? Well, it comes down to the value-added benefit of service. Those employees at that particular Lowes store added virtually nothing to the sales experience and when they did actually perform their job, it was with great reluctance and poor attitude. Rather than be driven to deliver such a high level of customer service that they could not possibly be replaced by a machine, they seemed almost hell-bent on hastening the process of their demise.

After experiencing the let down of their real customer service that day, I opted to checkout with a machine. And, you'd better believe that if I heard of a store that had mechanically rotating shelves so that I could move the top shelf down myself, I'd be bringing my business there... bing, bang, boom - I'm empowered and former employees are looking for work (and likely blaming the big "heartless corporations" for putting profits above people).

However, don't take this as a rant against certain parts of the retail sector. Frankly, there are some companies as a whole and individual employees that are so good at delivering service which does in fact add value, that I wouldn't consider going to their competitor - even for a lower price.

So the question we all need to pose ourselves is this ... Are there any areas of our customer service where we are resting on our laurels ... that we take advantage of the competitive benefits of our primary service or our products and are falling short on cultivating relationships where people LIKE doing business with us?

If you sell nutritional supplements, could the customer just as easily buy them through the company directly and not miss a thing with you removed from the equation? If you're a CPA, could a hot new computer program with super new fuzzy logic (like a "Quicken on steroids") make you look replace-able? For me, if someone developed a fuzzy logic marketing plan builder that reveals hidden assets and provides a plan to maximize them, is there anything I bring to the table above and beyond the pure and simple intellectual output that would compel someone to do business with me? Could I be replaced by a machine?

Food for thought .... 

All the Best,

Thom

Learning Entrepreneurship from a Billionaire!

How Many BILLIONAIRE Entrepreneurs Have You Been Able to Meet AND Learn From IN-PERSON?

(Note: Click above for Audio - The sound is clearer after first 40 seconds)

Bill Bartmann, who Inc. Magazine describes as "The Billionaire Nobody Knows," is one of the incredible experts who will be teaching us at Extreme Business Makeovers 2008!

Bill didn't take one million or even one hundred thousand and make his Billions. In fact, he and his wife Kathy borrowed $13,000 and grew it into a company that produced over $1 Billion in annual revenues. He's going to share with each of us how to navigate the waters of entrepreneurship to maximize our individual strengths and become the most successful entrepreneurs or intrapreneurs that we can be!

Describing himself as the "poster boy for failure," Bill is very down-to-earth and teaches in a way that we can all relate and apply.

Check out the brief, 10 minute preview call I conducted with Bill. (The sound quality leaves much to be desired, but you can certainly hear Bill's heart and experience loud and clear).

After that, GET REGISTERED for Extreme Business Makeovers 2008 by visiting http://www.ExtremeBusinessMakeovers.com and click to reserve your seat. Something Special: for my readers only, if you enter the word SUCCESS in the Coupon Code box at the Check Out, it will automatically deduct $100 from the advanced ticket price!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly at thom@burg.com.

I look forward to seeing you in Orlando!

All the Best,

Thom

It was MY idea

The victories won by a master of war gain him neither reputation for wisdom nor merit for courage. How subtle and insubstantial, that the expert leaves no trace. How divinely mysterious, that he is inaudible. Thus, he is master of his enemy's fate. -- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

It's almost comical how many times I've been in a meeting where I sold an idea or solution in such a way that I almost left no fingerprint on it. In fact, in most of the situations that I'm referring to, the owner, CEO or biggest VIP in the room believed THEY came up with the idea.

I gotta say, as much as I enjoy the outcome of actually getting what I was wanting, there's something in me at those times that just wants to jump up on the conference table and shout ... "DIDN'T YOU PEOPLE JUST HEAR ME LEAD HIM TO SAY THAT?"

However, I'm reminded of the quote above from The Art of War by Sun Tzu. And, although business isn't war, anytime you are presenting a concept or solution that involves change, there is great potential for conflict and therefore many of the same principles apply. Basically, Sun Tzu is saying that we can be masterful and be more effective if we don't worry about being recognized for it.

It's amazing how well this works in numerous scenarios - selling products/services ... gaining support for your new initiatives with staff, partners or vendors ... leading volunteers in a ministry or non-profit organization ... EVEN helping your teens to make wise choices and feel it was their idea!

So, despite my ego crying out to be recognized for my "brilliance," I'll keep choosing to swallow my pride and walk away getting everything I was looking to accomplish. But, between you and me - It was my idea ;-)

Going with the Flow

Well, Mother's Day turned out to be very nice - though not exactly what was expected. Here we showed up at the restaurant where we had reservations for over a month ... and they were CLOSED!!!! In addition, we were greeted by a police officer who told us that they would not be opening again anytime soon. (Of course, I "googled" it all right away on the ole iPhone, but apparently, there's no news about it and we still don't know what happened ... but, I bet there's a pretty long list of disgruntled ex-patrons out there now.)

Obviously at noon on Mother's Day Sunday, we weren't going to have any luck getting into another A list restaurant. Argghhh! Fortunately, I had been to a restaurant almost across the street with my two oldest boys one day, so I knew that the food was solid and that they didn't take reservations. Off we went to the new choice and made it in just in time to beat the later church crowd ("Thanks" Discovery Church for an earlier church time ;-)  ) We wound up having a nice time, the food was solid and the kids, especially, thoroughly enjoyed it. AND, since we saved a ton of money on what we would have spent as a family at the original restaurant choice, I told Jody that we could go out to one of her very favorite Japanese steakhouses - Mikado at the Marriott World Center - for a date night. So, she wound up getting her Mother's Day with no dishes and good and plentiful food AND another relaxing, higher-end date to boot! ;-)

If you're like me... these types of things happen all the time in business as well. Whether it's a marketing promotion or plans for a public program that we're putting on, it seems like there is often a fair amount of difference between what was planned and how those plans play out in reality. 

There are definitely some times when initial feedback you get seems negative and you just have to stay the course and fight on through to get to the goal you have established.

Other times ... perhaps too many times ... I find myself fixated on the MEANS and not the END. So, instead of adjusting the sail to capture the wind as it is really blowing, I figuratively shake my fist in the air and curse the wind for not blowing the way I want it to blow. In those times, I fall short of where I want to be, versus surpassing what even I had in mind.

Anyone else ever have experiences like that?

Be Blessed,

Thom

Too Much Truth in Advertising?

Okay, so you know by now that we've got this event coming up June 19-21 in Orlando. I've been so fixated on making sure the event will be incredibly dynamic and life-changing, that I've been my own worst marketer and am off schedule by almost 3 weeks ... YIKES! (I know, I know... the plumber with leaky pipes)

But, at least I CAN say that the event itself is going to be AWESOME! I've got 14 truly amazing experts including Billionaire entrepreneur, Bill Bartmann. And, best of all -- beyond having great information and giving me their solid pledge that they will be sharing solid, immediately applicable content, they ALSO all have the right heart. These ladies and gentlemen truly want to help others learn from their successes and  challenges to break through to new levels of success.

My goal is that we don't just help our participants improve profits, but that we also help them envision and begin building a real legacy! To me, that's the really important stuff - the things we build, the people we touch and the example we leave. Those things last whether or not anyone 2 generations from now even remembers our names. That is truly leaving your thumbprint on the world!

Sorry for the rambling ... Can you tell I'm excited about this?

In any case, while I still consider myself a marketer, I've really taken my marketing hat off for this event. I'm not even going to be one of the expert speakers at my own event. And, the letter I wrote for the web site is probably the most frank, non-salesy thing I've ever written in business. 

It is my deep desire to present the unvarnished truth about this event and not come off like some "hucksters" that hype seminars which wind up being "pitchfests."  Of course, that leaves me feeling a little nervous. I KNOW what to expect when I write a standard sales letter for a client. Though I would NEVER lie in a sales letter or ad copy, I most definitely use techniques (just like sales professionals often do) to guide the audience and take action.

I have no clue whether a completely honest and open discussion about Extreme Business Makeovers and what people can realistically expect is going to be effective in making sure there is a full audience there to benefit from it. My secret fear (I guess not so secret NOW) is that I removed so much of the sizzle that people who visit the site won't see just how incredible the steak itself is. I gotta say ... I DO feel good about it though.  I know that people who show up are going to get EXACTLY what they expect and possibly more, instead of wondering whether or not we overhyped and attracted people who have get rich quick (and without effort) mentality.

I'd definitely like to know what you think! If you visit http://www.ExtremeBusinessMakeovers.com you can read my letter and all about the event and see what I'm talking about concerning the unvarnished truth.

Oh.. and since you've taken the time to read my posting, I'll even give you a little gift if you want to come to Extreme Business Makeovers yourself. If you put in the coupon code SUCCESS in the Coupon Code box on the Checkout page, you'll get $100 off the ticket price - EVEN off the Advanced ticket price.

Okay that's it ... sorry for the long posting again. I think I'm getting the hang of this whole sharing from the heart thing, but still working on keeping it brief! ;-)

All the Best,

Thom

Great meeting the other day ...

Hey, I'm actually getting out of my comfort zone and trying some new things this year. I figured since my business partner, Bob is the maven of networking and referrals, I should actually try to cultivate relationships with the many people I already meet online and in person every day.

Well, a few weeks ago, I met Jimmy Vee at a Charlie Jones (LOVE that man) event here at my church here in Orlando. Wonders never cease - I actually made it a point to follow-up by contacting him and Tuesday, I met with him and his business partner, Travis Miller (another cool cat) at PF Changs.

Okay... first, the food was AWESOME (not  to fixate on food, but PFs is really good and I'm not treating myself too much lately as I've resolved to shed 100lbs this year). More importantly, the company was PHENOMENAL. 

Before our meeting, I had discovered that they were marketers right here in my neck of the woods. I never know what to make of info like that unless I know what type of marketing philosophies and practices are employed. It turns out that these guys are marketing pros (the real kind based on solid, proven and measurable direct marketing principles not general advertising garbage). On top of that, they are actually passionate, honest and mission-driven guys. Wow... 3 honest marketers in the same city ... let alone at the same table at a restaurant ... that's like alternate universe kinda stuff ;-)

At the end of our meal, they gave me their new book, Gravitational Marketing which was just published by Wiley. Tonight, I've got to read a galley copy (not out yet) of David Bach's Go Green, Live Rich. But, I'll crank through Gravitational Marketing this weekend (there's a lot of meat there to get through) and let you know how it is on Monday. (sidebar - Don't go out and buy Gravitational Marketing yet ... though I have a feeling it's fantastic ... Jimmy and Travis are putting together a special campaign for March 19th, so "keep your powder dry" till then.)

Meanwhile... I hope you like my new free flow dialogue. It feels really awkward to someone who's more used to writing articles. But, my wife tells me she prefers the peek into my rather warped mind more than my prose and "faux heady" thoughts. I'll let you be the judge.

Blessings to ya!

Heralding The Age of Authenticity

Okay... starting AFTER this post, expect less lengthy articles like this and much more commentary and questions concerning the things we all deal with every day as entrepreneurs, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, children, etc... I've got a renewed vision to see this blog be more spontaneous and a dialogue versus monologues from me. That having been said, here's an article that explains the origins of this renewed vision ...

_________________________________________
Heralding The Age of Authenticity
by Thom Scott

Recently, I was blessed with the opportunity to be part of the phenomenal Strategic Profits "Live" Conference. My hats off to Rich Schefren and his team who did a fantastic job of designing and hosting the event, as well as assembling a top-shelf team of experts including my original marketing mentor, Jay Abraham (www.abraham.com), as well as my new friend and Web 2.0 master, Gary Vaynerchuk (www.winelibrary.com).

During the entire 7 days of intense training, whether the topic was leadership, product launches, direct mail or personal branding, one theme rang supreme ... "Growing Beyond Me-Too."

Of course, this was tremendous validation of my "Marketing From The Heart" System which actually leads my clients through the process of becoming authentic and attractive. It was also validation of The Law of Authenticity as expressed by my business partner, Bob Burg and his co-author, John David Mann in their national bestseller, The Go-Giver.

As with any true principle, The Law of Authenticity has ALWAYS been effective. However, the fact that it is included in The Go-Giver as well as my "Marketing From The Heart" System and that every speaker at this conference addressed it is, I believe, indicative of an emerging trend in business. I'll call it, "The Age of Authenticity."

The more I have studied this theory of mine, the more I see past examples of "packaged" and somewhat inauthentic messages that were made possible by one-way media. Even the first generation of businesses on the web utilized static, brochure-like web pages that enabled small, start-up companies to appear as big and impressive as established mid-to-large size concerns. In fact, many rushed to establish a presence on the web in order to take advantage of that “benefit.”

However, 2 changes have occurred that I believe are putting an end to the "Age of Packaging" and ushering in "The Age of Authenticity." The first is that we have become collectively sick and tired of over-hyped advertising. We're weary of people who are different before and after the sale. In short, we're weary of inauthenticity. From politics to television to the business arena, we have begun to see that reality (or at least messages closer to reality) sell better than their overly-packaged counterparts.

Why did this shift in thinking occur? Well, as my dad used to say, "nothing kills a bad product faster than good advertising." Not that all of the products or services were bad ... but by and large they simply didn't deliver on the "magic bullet" messages that were used to sell them. And, even though these hype-filled approaches can still be very effective in the short-term, they inevitably leave clients feeling somewhat ambivalent.

(Parenthetically, many also have a product or service that truly is good and unique and they seek to add value, BUT mimicking others’ approaches, they haven't stood out from the competition. These true value-providers have become increasingly frustrated by their lack of market penetration. In their search to find a tactic that will work, they have stumbled upon a rare and powerful force in communications - the truth!)

The second big change that ushers in this new age of authenticity is the introduction of web 2.0 which facilitates and has popularized two-way communications on the internet. Ask any reality tv contestant... with the camera rolling 24/7, the real you is bound to show up at some point. The same is true on the web ... blogs, video podcasts and other popular mediums eventually betray their authors’ true selves if they are in any way inauthentic. Also, because of the wealth of available information and cool services like Google maps, it's no longer possible to "fake it till you make it," as anyone can quickly pull up an aerial view of my house, among other things, to verify whether or not I really have that Ferrari parked in front of my golf course mansion.

Okay, so we have this new "Age of Authenticity" thing happening. So what? What does it mean to us and how do we put the power of the Law of Authenticity to work for us? Glad you asked - since you may know that I am big on application! Well, believe it or not, so many of us have been conditioned, at a very early age, to become or act like something we're not in order to gain approval, that it often makes being truly authentic more difficult than wearing a "mask." Real authenticity takes the courage to willingly experience the polarization of relationships with those that love you and rejection from those who do not.

While the path to authenticity is often a progressive and evolving journey, one that takes my clients several weeks to navigate, I would advise that if you feel that this is something you need, you can begin your journey to true authenticity with the following questions:

Does the image that I portray to others really express who I am or the essence of my company? Do I like the people I am attracting as clients? Would I hang out with them if I didn't do business with them? Do I try to cover up my past mistakes and setbacks, or do I share these with others to reveal my inner motivations and help them grow through my experiences? Do I attempt to show great proficiency at every facet of my business or personal life, or do I clearly express my giftedness and challenges and seek to find others who can compensate for my weaknesses? How can I embrace the positive side of my quirks and allow others to see them? How can I live my life in such a way that when I am gone, I have left my thumbprint on the world and the lives of those in my sphere of influence? You get the idea.

While I tend to address topics like this through the lens of business, authenticity is obviously a message that reaches into every facet of our lives. It is vital to both our personal happiness and our success and something that I need to grapple with every morning as I face the man in the mirror.

A Marketing Tactic To Be Aware Of

As I promised yesterday, now I'm going to tell you about the new secret weapon I'm using for getting videos onto the 30 top video sites on the web - in all of about 10 minutes!

It's called Traffic Geyser and it's simple, but really cool. In short, it eliminates having to manually go to each video site on the net, remember my passcodes, manually input submission forms and then upload my video to each (which, depending on the size of the video and internet connection speed, can be anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour per site). Now, I can upload my new video once onto the Traffic Geyser system, complete a single submission form and hit "send." The system takes it from there and submits it to all the sites automatically.

In order to prepare the first time, I did have to get registered with each of the sites and input the username and password for each on the Traffic Geyser system. Once that was done, however, it now takes me just about 15-20 minutes to submit to all 30! That's a cool thing. There are even some tools on the system that I don't use, but that are still pretty neat... like for those that aren't video savvy, Traffic Geyser has a built in video creator that enables you to take an audio and upload some graphics to create a video file that can be posted.

So, what do video postings do for business? Well, lets just say that typically, I would not have submitted to THAT many video sites - probably just sticking with the big 5. And, I certainly wouldn't have taken the time to submit all at once. So, imagine my surprise when I use Traffic Geyser the very first time and wind up crashing our server because of the flood of traffic that it caused! Now, crashing a server is NOT a good thing. But, lesson learned ... it IS good to know how to create that kind of traffic. Also, the search engine ranking on the sites I've used it for is rising pretty quickly due to the additional backlinks that it's generating.

Now, as with ALL tactics, this WILL come to an end - or at least change significantly. As more and more people start to post their advertising videos on these sites, it will become like the old ezine article submitters, when ezine publishers had to eventually make it a more controlled and personalized submission process to avoid the spam that was resulting. At the point when video websites like Google Video and all the others start to block submissions from services like Traffic Geyser, either the service itself will evolve or there will be something completely new out there.

Yet another reason to not get so wrapped up in tactics. They change too rapidly and their effectiveness comes and goes with their popularization. Instead, if you want to be the best and most successful entrepreneur you can be, focus on the overall skills and principles you need - the ones I mentioned in my post here on Tuesday of this week. THEN, hire and partner with the tacticians you need who will keep up to date on the latest, greatest tools. That's the difference between working on your business and in your business! That's why we created The Success Mechanics Extreme Business Makeovers Seminar and we're bringing in the experts like Fran Tarkenton, Bob Proctor and Stephanie Frank - to teach you how to get to that point where your business is totally working for you... instead of you working for it!

All The Best,
Thom

The new Extreme Business Makeovers online commercial was just finished!

Check this out! It's a cool new online commercial that I just had made. And, YES, that's really Fran Tarkenton speaking. He's a featured speaker in an upcoming event that Bob Burg and I are hosting and he was gracious enough to help us out with a voiceover for the commercial.

I'd never let a "down and dirty" piece like this air on national television, but it's a perfect format to generate some heat on the web.

My new friend, Arik, at CommercialMaker.com put this together for me. As soon as he had it finished - without even time for the "pixels to dry" so to speak - I had it uploaded to 27 different online video sites (like Google Video, YouTube, etc...). That type of thing used to take me a few hours just to submit to 5 of them. I'll let you know how I did that tomorrow.

Anyway, as excited as I am about the video, I'm even MORE excited about the Extreme Business Makeovers program itself. It's in my backyard of Orlando on February 23 and 24 and we've got a great lineup of speakers - each targeting one of the 10 key entrepreneurial skill areas that I talked about yesterday. In addition to Fran Tarkenton, we've got Bob Proctor of "The Secret," Stephanie Frank, Christopher Guerriero, Bob Burg, Drew Miles, John Di Lemme, Bo Short, Cameron Johnson (a 21 year old multi-millionaire who started with $50) and our Emcee, Al Walker. It's going to be 2 days JAM-PACKED with incredible information to help entrepreneurs transform their businesses.

Anyway... enjoy the video and check out the web site www.thesuccessmechanics.com.

All The Best,
Thom

Bring Your Business To The Next Level This Year

Whether your business is already successful, or perhaps you’re struggling a little – working too hard for your business, instead of having your business work hard for you, a new year is a great time to plan and make changes that will bring you to new levels of success.

Of course, there are a lot of people ready to tell you how to get your business past its present plateau. Your biggest challenge is trying to figure out which of the thousands of books, ebooks, seminars, and web sites you should be paying attention to.

In this present business culture of emotional selling, as well as short-term thinking, much of the information you seek will leave you with either fluffy motivational hype that makes you feel good but accomplishes little else, or gives you simple 1-2-3 tactics that may or may not work for your present situation, but do little to really help you tackle most future projects or challenges.

The bottom line is you walk away with a short-term solution at best. That's why my advice is to avoid the temptation of seeking tactics to solve just your immediately perceived needs and instead, focus on real entrepreneurial skill development. These are time-proven, principle-based skills that will help you attain a greater level of success now as well as in the future.

It doesn't matter if you're the owner of a small business, a “serial entrepreneur” with numerous businesses to your credit, or even a young person who wants to start off with a huge advantage over your peers. These highly-effective skills - which help you to decide what you want, create a plan to attain it, then overcome every conceivable obstacle along the way - are just about all you need to earn a mountain of money and gain true freedom that real entrepreneurship delivers.

In researching over 250 business owners, professors and notable experts on the subject, I compiled a list 27 distinct areas of business skills that were mentioned as important for maximum entrepreneurial success. However, there are 10 particular business and life skills that were noted by the vast majority of those I studied. These are the skill areas that, when developed by themselves, all produce solid gains in performance. However, when they are developed – even slightly – in combination with each other, the synergistic effect produces tremendous increases in success.

1. Vision and Perseverance – Much has been written about Vision, yet some of what has been said is so overly complicated and daunting that very few have actually taken the time to write out what the vision for their business really is.

For maximum business success, you simply have to hold in your mind a clear picture of what you want your business to become. This type of vision keeps the potter from making an ashtray when she was working on an urn. Likewise, it will ensure that you grow your business into one that gives you deep satisfaction and financial rewards, instead of one that taxes your time and energy. Having a clear vision will also help you to develop your will and responses to overcome any challenge and come back from any setback - stronger than ever.

2. Wealth Mindset and Attraction – Unfortunately, many still consider mindset and attraction principles to be a sort of spiritual “hocus pocus.” However, the more we study Quantum Physics and the power of the mind, the more society is beginning to recognize this as real science with a solid set of “how-to” principles. The more you get to know the mind that your Creator endowed you with and how it has been wired to work, the more you will be able to accomplish even your most lofty goals without striving and working around the clock to make things happen.

3. Business Systems – We all know that systems are important. They are key to your building a walk away business that is a real asset, as opposed to just having a high-paying job that you’ve given yourself. Through learning more about real ways to quickly and easily create systems for your business, even the most disorganized among us can put together a step-by-step system to transform our businesses from a “job” into a real profit machine.

4. Energy and Fitness – Typically overlooked by most entrepreneurs, including myself, having superior levels of energy and fitness can be an invaluable business asset. Not only will having peak energy levels enable you to stay healthier and accomplish more, but it also adds to your personal attractiveness and helps you to project a winning, top-notch, vibrant image.

5. Tax Reduction and Asset Protection – It has been reported that when asked what the #1 secret to his success was, Microsoft Founder, Bill Gates replied, “Having a working knowledge of the tax code.” Yet, how many of us are so focused on ways to make an extra 10% a year selling our “widgets,” when we ignorantly overpay larger amounts than that in personal income and corporate taxes. Unfortunately, with over 66,498 pages in the current US tax code, most well-meaning CPAs don’t even know about many of the completely legal and ethical methods that are designed into the laws to help businesses thrive and produce for our economy.

Learning how to properly structure your business will enable you to take home more money – even without an increase in business. It will also help you to become virtually bulletproof to today's deluge of frivolous and unmerited lawsuits.

6. Motivation – Anyone can go to a seminar or watch a show that leaves them feeling charged up and ready to tackle the world. However, this feeling often fades pretty quickly when the light of reality and normal day to day challenges hit. Learning how to tap into your personal passion and develop a method for self-motivation will infuse your business with a more consistent energy and enthusiasm and attract others to help in the process.


7. Leadership and Influence - To accomplish anything of significant size or value, you simply cannot go it alone. You'll go farther and faster if you surround yourself with great people who can help you succeed. From individuals or employees who support your efforts, to the management and legal experts who can help you make the best decisions and even those friends and colleagues who advise and motivate you -- your rise to the top requires a great team. Attracting and motivating a superior team requires developing superior leadership skills.

8. Networking and Referrals – These are, perhaps, two of the most misunderstood and misused words in business. Yet, networking and generating referrals can provide incredible gains to your business. Learning a tried-and-true system for cultivating a rich, never-ending supply of prospects and referrals can help you predictably deliver these gains, year after year, without increasing your advertising expenditures.

9. Marketing – Do you have a comprehensive strategy that consistently delivers new customers and profits again and again? If not, then this is the year you need to get beyond employing the same old mainstream advertising tactics and develop a real marketing “machine” to predictably deliver increases in sales – whenever you want them.

10. Entrepreneurship – There’s a big difference between selling your skills, talents or specialized knowledge and being a real entrepreneur – one who can consistently create profits from different ventures time after time. The truest of entrepreneurs have all learned how to recognize, evaluate and act on opportunities. When you learn these skills you will be able to build businesses to be assets that deliver passive profits or can be sold for huge gains. You’ll also have the freedom that comes with knowing you could start over and do it from scratch if you ever needed or wanted to.

Admittedly, a list of ten different entrepreneurial skill areas like this can be overwhelming to think about. There are several that I am personally working on improving right now.

Being created for growth, the learning and improvement will never end. That thought can be both empowering and exhausting at the same time. However, beginning by focusing initially on even 2 or 3 of these areas will quickly jump start the process and create the synergy to help you make huge rapid improvements in both your personal and professional life. So that when you look back on 2007, you’ll be amazed at what you managed to finally accomplished (perhaps even things that you’ve wanted to do for many years).

By concentrating first on these universally applied skills and principles versus short-sighted tactics like learning a specific type of investment strategy or a particular method of online or offline marketing, you will be equipping yourself for greater success in all your undertakings in 2007 and beyond!

Thom Scott (www.coachthom.com) is a co-Founder of The Success Mechanics. Their next Extreme Business Makeovers Seminar – featuring Fran Tarkenton - is being held in conjunction with the kickoff of EntrepreneurshipWeek USA on February 23 and 24 in Orlando, Florida. Visit http://www.thesuccessmechanics.com for complimentary audios and reports from The Success Mechanics team of experts.

Don't Blame The Medium

As a veteran marketing copywriter and consultant, I’ve heard it again and again “I’ve tried direct mail (or newspaper advertising, or television, or press releases, etc….), it just doesn’t work for my business." While the sheer numbers of times I’ve heard that phrase uttered makes me want to bounce off the nearest wall, instead, I remind myself that I, too, was once uniformed in this area of marketing. So, I switch to my role of educator and friend, in order to plant the new thoughts that I know will forever change my clients’ lives for the better.

As my good friend, Bob Burg, often says, “Begin with a faulty premise and you’re going to end up with a faulty conclusion.” He is so right!

Unfortunately, the premise that the marketing tactic (or medium) that is chosen is THE ONE determining factor in the success or failure of a promotion is about as widespread, and as faulty, as they come.

This faulty premise has largely taken hold over the last 2-3 decades, during a time when huge companies have opted for mass advertising to increase the name recognition of their “brands,” rather than compel audiences to action in order to directly increase sales. This would be like a farmer who scatters a ton of seed haphazardly over their uncultivated fields. Then, having their field workers harvest their crops. They may be pleased with the result, but because there is no accountability for results from specific fields, they have no idea which seed was wasted or which seed could have produced an even larger crop had greater care been given to the process. In other words, when you do the right thing the wrong way, you're still going to come up short.

The corrected premise that can transform your business is simply this - Advertising that produces results is, in my experience, based on 5 key criteria. These criteria are:

1) Audience
Who, specifically, are you aiming your message at?
2) Market Conditions
Are there any market conditions, positive or negative, that could influence results?
3) Message
Have you sufficiently compelled the reader to peruse your message AND given them a compelling enough reason to see you as better than others in your marketplace?
4) Media
Are you advertising in the publications that the audience reads?
5) Offer
Do you have a two-step offer that compels your audience to find out more, or form a light relationship with you, without asking for too much commitment before your audience “knows you, likes you and trusts you?”

It’s much like deep sea fishing. You have to know what you’re fishing for. Then, you can fish in the right place, at the right time, with the right bait. If you get any one of those key ingredient wrong, you’ll be spending a very long, boring day out on the water without much to show for it.

However, if you really know what you’re doing, you’ll “chum” for your fish ahead of time. By doing so, you, in essence, create your own little "stocked pond" in the middle of the ocean. So, when you cast your line with the real bait, you’ll create a feeding frenzy of “fish” just waiting to take your line and be reeled in.