Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

Ron McDaniel highlighted one of the most under-used resources available to just about everyone – the Alumni Network.  

Here are Ron’s thoughts and my comments:

“When you are thinking about new ways to create a little buzz, it is easy to overlook the obvious.  Many Alumni Associations have alumni magazines and publish news about past students.  They are often interested in any kind of change or achievement.

I usually look through mine to see if anyone jumps out at me as someone I would like to contact.  It is probably as easy as going to the college website, clicking on a link to the alumni association and finding the contact page.  Many are moving to eMagazines as well, so you can look through and find some interesting people.”

Ron is exactly right. 

This is a great opportunity and what makes it even more attractive is natural human curiosity.  It is natural to want to know what your former classmates are doing.  Few people can resist the opportunity to look up an old friend (or romantic interest).  Why not use that to your advantage?

 

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

My cousin owns a company that films and produces videos for events.  Sometimes he shoots games and interviews for sports teams and sometimes he works with large corporations to film their events.  He is an expert in high-definition video, lighting, editing and commercial video production.

He has been doing this for over a decade and he is well respected in his industry.

One day we were sitting around talking about his job and he told me an interesting story.

My uncle (his father) asked him to come over because he needed to talk to him.  My cousin arrived at his father’s home to find a young couple sitting quietly on the couch waiting  for him.

My uncle proceeded to explain to my cousin that this couple were friends with him and that they were planning on getting married.  He then asked my cousin to tell them how much it would cost to photograph their wedding.

My cousin was flabbergasted.  Not only does he not take photos, he knows nothing about photography.  Clearly, my uncle had no idea what his son did for a living. 

Word of mouth is the best form of advertising.  In order to have people talk about you in a positive way, they must be able to describe what you do.

Try this test – ask 20 friends or family members to describe what you do.  If less then 15 people get the answer correct you need to teach everyone your elevator speech.

Remember:  Positive Word of Mouth is something that you need to work to achieve.  It rarely happens by accident.

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

How would you like some great recommendations on LinkedIn?

Start by giving recommendations to others.

Be honest and promote people who have done good work with/for you.

I gave out a couple of recommendations last week and I received a couple right back.

If you like the information you receive from this blog, I would love a recommendation from you!

Join LinkedIn today, give out some recommendations and I’m sure you’ll get some back.

Click on the logo below for my LinkedIn Page.

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

Word of mouth is the best form of marketing.  People talking to other people is powerful.  There is a great deal of credibility in receiving a recommendation from someone you know and trust.

Rule one of generating positive word of mouth (and referrals) is to have something to say.  You need to have an opinion.  You need to make a point.  You can’t just get up in front of a group, or give an interview to a reporter, and say the usual stuff that people always hear.  You have to say something new.  You must say something different and you must do it in a way that will make people remember it.

Here is a key point:  You don’t need to say something popular.  In fact, if you say something that runs counter to popular opinion, people will probably talk about it even more. (Note:  Being divergent from popular opinion may or may not meet your objectives – think it through).  Let me give you a few of examples:

Trump and Rosie

Both of these TV personalities (yes I know they have other “jobs” but they are currently on TV) said some childish and immature things.  Both of them behaved badly.  Yet during the couple of weeks of their “feud” ratings for both shows spiked.  Everyone wanted to hear what they were going to say next. 

Rosie Starts it:

 

Trump fires back:

 

Howard Stern

Stern just helped lead Sirius satellite Radio to its first positive financial quarter in the history of the company.  Stern is rude, crude and does crazy stuff.  People can’t tune him in fast enough. Sirius’s subscriber base has grown phenomenally since Stern came on board.

Warren Buffet

Soliciting media attention was not Buffet’s intention when he decided to give away all of his money – but it was a byproduct.  This was an amazing action.  Buffet had a press conference and he had something to say.  People are still talking about it.

The bottom line is that you can generate some positive word of mouth but you have to take some chances.  You need to have an opinion.  You need to have something to say and they will give people something to talk about.

 

 

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

According to Entrepreneur:

“Want to build buzz? Lucid Marketing’s study, “U.S. Adults: Word of Mouth Communications,” found that women were more likely than men to share a positive experience with a business or recommend an enjoyable product; full-time employees made substantially more daily contacts than those not in the workforce; and people with household earnings of more than $100,000 were more likely to make recommendations than those earning less. So buzz marketers should direct efforts to these three “chatty” groups.”

What do you think?

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

Of all the goals my clients set for themselves, the most challenging for them to attain, by and large, are those associated with demonstrating value—particularly generating buzz. It can be hard enough to talk about yourself. Getting other people to talk about you is even more daunting a prospect.

In the three-fold process of continuous career improvement, Part One (Personal Situational Analysis) comes pretty easily to most of my clients. Those of us with ambitious career goals tend to evaluate ourselves and our performance regularly. We’re accustomed to performance reviews, and we usually know how to check our progress and work toward future goals.

Part Two (Value Creation) requires a bit more effort, but most hard-working individuals are willing and able to identify problems and learn the most effective ways of solving them. Since grade school, we’ve been taught to solve problems, and it comes pretty naturally to us to continue generating value for our business partners.

Part Three (Value Demonstration), however, is the part that stumps the greatest number of people. In short, we know how to do a good job, but we don’t know how to show other people what incredible assets we are. Specifically, many people have a hard time getting other people so enthused about their work that they spread the word to others. This part of the process, however, is essential.

The effort that you have invested in creating Career Intensity is wasted if no one takes notice of the career you’ve built. Whether you’re an Entrepreneur or an Intrepreneur, you need to establish advocates—people who believe in you, who tell others about the positive aspects of your products and services, and who recommend that others give you a try. Once you’ve done this, you begin to enjoy an entirely new level of Career Intensity and success. Without this step, your advancement opportunities will be limited and you will hold yourself back from optimum levels of achievement.

The good news is that you do not have to be a major corporation with a lot of money at your disposal to generate buzz. Anyone can do it. All you have to do is activate social networks and stimulate positive word of mouth to spread your message. How do you do that?

1. Talk to repeaters. Repeaters are people who talk about things and love to share information. A repeater may run a community group, publish a popular blog, or know everyone in town. Get to know these people, and talk to them about your work. If your repeater does not offer to do so, ask him to spread the word about you. Give him a stack of business cards and brochures. Let him in on what’s appealing and exciting about your business.

2. Outline topics. To make it easier for repeaters to talk about you, present your information in a clear, easy, topical format. This is where your personal brand comes in. What is the most notable quality of your business? What essential service can you provide the community? If you’re a young, friendly, approachable tax accountant who appeals to up-and-coming business owners, pitch yourself in a concise and simple way that the repeater can pass on to anyone she might know who needs the services of an accountant. Make it easy for your network to spread the word about you.

3. Participate. Once you start to see the results of your buzz-generating efforts and receive feedback, respond. If you get new visitors to your blog or receive e-mail commentary, reply and strike up a conversation. Extend thanks to the repeaters who’ve helped send out the message. Identify repeaters among the newcomers. Within the Cycle of Continuous Improvement, remember to keep the cycle of generating buzz and demonstrating value going.

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

Buzz is a hot topic right now.  Word-of-Mouth marketing, viral marketing, social networking, blogging, podcasting, v-blogging (video blogs) – are all getting a lot of attention and I think that’s terrific. I agree with all the experts (the new ones and the ones who have been around for a while) that a concentrated focus on this marketing discipline can enhance the reputation of a product, service or an individual. 

Now comes the part of the post where the buzz maniacs get angry with me.  Why?  Because I’m going to tell my own little “Inconvenient Truth” (well actually five of them).

Here are the five key secrets about Buzz Marketing that they (the Buzz Gurus) don’t want you to know.

Buzz is never neutral.

If your product stinks or your service stinks or if you stink, the buzz will be bad.  You can hire any company you want to “seed” any population you want.  It is not going to do any good.  In this sense, buzz building is like any other form of marketing.  Here’s the rub – if you run an ad and the product is horrible, you can pull the ad. This allows you to go back to the drawing board and get the product right.  You can’t do that with buzz.  Once the genie is out of the bottle, people are going to talk.  In fact, if you stink, they’ll probably talk more.

Imagine spending $100,000 on a buzz marketing campaign for a book only to find out that people hate it – and they tell their friends it stinks! 

If an ad is bad people just ignore it.  It fades into the background.  If the toothpaste that was sent to me from buzz-central turns my teeth green, everybody is going to know.

Buzz is not lightening in a bottle. 

You can’t get rich quick using buzz to market your product.  In many cases, it is too expensive to give samples of your product to enough people to move mass quantities quickly. Why is this?  Buzz marketers are not looking for people who tell two friends about a new product or service.  They are looking for the person who tells two-hundred people.  It is pretty darn difficult to find that needle in the haystack.

So what do most buzz companies do?  They approach this issue in one of two ways:

1. They blanket as many people as possible in the hopes of hitting one of these perpetual chatter-boxes.  This can work with inexpensive products.  You may hit a vein of buzz if you send out 10,000 samples or more.
2. They have their own “panel” of talkers who hit their friends with every new product they come across.  A couple of firms have huge pools of buzzards and they segment them a number of different ways.  These firms are worth the money.  Targeted buzz will be far more effective than throwing samples around like crazy. 

Ultimately, you can’t just tell two friends and hope they tell two friends, and so on…….

Buzz is far more effective as a complementary marketing tactic.

If you hope to get people to talk about your product or service it has to come up in conversation.  If your product is a mundane household item, a consumer product or a commodity, the chance of it coming up in everyday conversation is almost nil.  This is the main reason companies resort to highly creative advertising. 

The “Wazzzzup” Guys and Budweiser sparked endless conversation at tailgate parties and in my living room.  The “This is Your Brain on Drugs” egg in the frying pan was a great topic of dorm debate for college kids. How effective would a bunch of buzz-kids going around school talking up “don’t smoke dope” have been?  After they took their second or third beating, I’m willing to bet they would have hit the pipe themselves.

The point:  With most products, buzz is a great complementary tactic.  It is difficult for it to work alone.

Buzz is not new

There is no modern day Isaac Buzznewton who got hit in the head while sitting under the buzz tree.  Companies have been propagating word-of-mouth forever. This is particularly true of professional service firms and small businesses.  Your dentist, your doctor, your hairdresser and your accountant have been living off word of mouth since they hung out their shingle.

Before you spend a huge amount of cash on a buzz campaign ask your dentist how he generates buzz.  The only difference is that he probably calls it referrals.  (And he doesn’t dress up like a bee, or call his office the honeycomb – or something like that).

Buzz Marketing might just be a good idea that has been taken to the extreme.

Let me reiterate – I like the concept of word-of-mouth marketing.  I think it has its place in your arsenal.  I help clients construct word-of-mouth campaigns.  This blog generates some word-of-mouth.  That is good. I like that.

At some point, the hype around buzz will settle down.  Eventually, we will all realize that this valuable tool is just that – another tool.  Maybe when that happens, the buzz company founders will be running the large advertising/marketing conglomerates. 

I think it is more likely that a few of them will do really well by selling their firms to one of the big guys.  Then the honeycomb (or whatever they call their office) will just be another building on Madison Avenue. 

Keep in mind that the Hula Hoop was once the hottest new toy and Milli Vanilli once had a number one single.  Both were successful.  The Hula Hoop still has its place in the toy box but Milli Vanilli was exposed as a fraud.

What will happen with Buzz?  Time will tell.

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

I have said at least once that David Maister is my idol.  His books (and now his blog) are resources that will make any professional service provider better.  You can imagine my surprise when I saw the original Trusted Advisor asking for advice on driving people to his site. 

Here we have a great author, brilliant consultant, deep thinker and respected teacher who needs help generating buzz.  Why does this fascinate me?  Because it proves that being good (in David’s case, great) at what you do is not enough.  David has written best-selling books that have helped thousands of people – yet he could be – no should be – helping millions.

The difference is awareness. Generating buzz.

David’s books are famous in consulting circles.  They are required reading for everyone who goes to work for McKinsey or Bain or Boston Consulting Group and yes even for the folks at Gallup.  The real challenge is that the people who can benefit the most from David’s work probably don’t even know who he is.  I’m referring to small business owners who depend upon client relationships to grow their business. 

Buzz – positive word of mouth – is the most effective and powerful form of advertising a business or a person will ever have.  It is one hundred times more effective than paid media placement.  It is far more powerful than any direct sales pitch.  It is better at building a brand than a team of highly-paid strategists.  The catch is that it is difficult to earn.

You see, buzz must grow organically.  Your product/service must be excellent and it must be different – but that’s still not enough.  It must stand out in the minds of everyone with whom it interacts.  It must make such an overwhelming impression that others feel compelled to talk about it – over and over and over again.

To generate buzz you have to make people say “wow” when they interact with you but again that’s not enough.  When people tell a story about you to a third party about you, that third party must say “wow”.

David Maister is on the right track.  His blog, his podcasts and his videos are all top-notch.  He provides us all with great resources each and every day.  Building Buzz takes time.  As it grows, the momentum swells. Eventually, if your really good, things take off. 

My experience has been that true buzz momentum builds slowly and then one day just explodes.  Then after the explosion comes a little plateau and you have to return to the fundamentals. 

A high-quality product delivered consistantly over the long-term is the best investment in your brand.  Keep at it David.  It is not a question of “if” but a question of “when”. 

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

How well do people remember you? If your answer is “not very well”, how can you get them to remember you better? Generating buzz and getting people excited about you really comes down to attitude and the way you present yourself. I have observed people’s behavior at business meetings and conferences and noticed that while some people make an effort to socialize, ask questions, contribute stories, and get involved, others wait for things to happen to them. They sit quietly, only venturing into conversations with people they believe have a lot in common with them. If you find yourself feeling like a wallflower whose name nobody knows, here are a few ideas that will help you extend yourself and stamp your personal brand:

1. Start talking. It doesn’t much matter what you talk about, especially at first. Even the most obvious lines will work: Have you been here before? Where are you from? How do you like this weather? These are just the starting points. From here, you can move into more compelling topics and show the person what makes you special. I have been surprised at times to discover that people remembered the smallest of details about me. We’re all looking for new people and experiences to capture our interest. You can be that person. All you have to do is get involved and make an impression

2. Ask and tell. Try to strike a good balance between asking questions and telling your own stories. A good conversation goes both ways. If the other person only talks about herself, she’s not going to get a strong sense of who you are. If all she does is listen, she won’t feel that she has shared anything—and letting someone else in on the facts of your life is what builds trust most of all. This is where the connection happens. What about her intrigues you? Delve into those topics, and find areas of overlap. Hopefully, she’ll do the same thing and you’ll have a chance to talk about what you love.

3. Name names. Ask the other person’s name, and use it during the conversation. Give your name, and make sure she gets it. Getting her name is a good idea for a few reasons: first, it shows that you’re invested and you care; second, using her name makes her feel more connected to you. Giving your name is one small way to help get her to remember you. People who are shy tend not to do this, but it’s essential.

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

Buzzoodle Ron offers us some tips on networking with influential people.  He says:

“To build a target list of influential people you would like to meet, here is what you need to do.

• Know what your goal is
• Know how each person on your list can help you achieve your goals
• Know enough about the person that you can carry on an intelligent conversation
• Read trade magazines and belong to appropriate associations to help identify people of interest.
• Ask other people you know about the people on your list (one at a time, don’t read the list to them.) You’d be surprised how many of the people you know may know someone that can help you get an introduction.
• If you work hard to meet someone, go the the meeting prepared.”

This is good advice. 

Ron closes out his post by saying:  “The fastest road to success is a road well planned”. 

I completely agree. 

Later this week we will discuss preparation for encounters that are seemingly random. 

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

What’s the buzz about your personal brand? What are you known for most of all? Who talks about you, and what do they say? Whether you’re currently a Workplace Warrior aspiring to be an Entrepreneur, a successful Intrepreneur increasing personal equity and value, or an Entrepreneur who wants to expand his business, generating buzz about yourself and your work is a critical component of Career Intensity. Simply doing a good job, even a perfect job, is rarely enough to get you noticed. Personal buzz is one of the major steps in the process of advancement. Here’s how to do it:

Create awareness. You’ve just started your own house- and pet-sitting business. Now that you’ve told your friends and family about it, tell more people. Ask them to tell their friends and family about the services you provide. Put up signs at local businesses. Place ads in the local paper. Buy a listing in the phone book. Build a Web site. Hand out business cards at every opportunity. Be prepared to give anyone a one-sentence summary of what your business is about and what makes you better than the competition. Talk about what you do with pride, confidence, and enthusiasm.

Establish a good reputation. Now that you’ve got a few clients, start building good will. Note their special needs and requests, and exceed them. Everyone loves to feel that she’s getting a great value. Keep the clients happy and provide value and they’ll recommend you with confidence. Give them a reason to brag about you at their next dinner party among all their friends and acquaintances. Ask some of your most satisfied customers to write up a short review of your work, and put their feedback on a testimonials page on your Web site. Hand out brochures detailing your services and ask satisfied customers to give them to friends who need you.

Activate social networks. Identify the “repeaters” in your life. We all know them. These are the people who are always recommending something to you—their favorite restaurant, dry cleaner, airline, vacation spot, hotel, laundry detergent, Internet service provider. Whereas most people talk about these things now and again, repeaters enjoy spreading information and, hence, do it often and freely. Talk to these people about your business, and enjoy the dividends they generate in spreading the word about you.

Word of mouth advertising is an extremely powerful form of marketing that can catapult you and your business to a level that you alone would never be able to reach. It takes no money and only a moderate time investment on your part. Following the three steps above will give you an excellent start at creating lasting buzz that will draw in customers and build your brand reputation.

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

A sure-fire way to generate personal buzz and get people talking about you, your work, and your product or service, is by being passionate about what you do. I don’t care if you’re selling a new shape of silly straw, if you are excited about it and share your enthusiasm with others, they will talk about you, the crazy guy who’s crazy about silly straws.

Excitement is infectious. People are just looking for something cool to talk about. It may as well be you.

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

What’s the last thing that happened to you that made you feel successful? Did you get a great performance review, good feedback from a client, a promotion? These kinds of achievements are seen and commended by others, but there are also the victories that no one but you, and perhaps those closest to you in your personal life, witness.

I encourage you to make this information public. You don’t have to run around the room waving a big red flag announcing it—just work it into normal conversation. When someone remarks on your especially good mood, let him know what caused it, what you did to increase your happiness. Creating a glow of positive energy around yourself attracts people to you, increases their trust and confidence in you, and fosters rewarding results. Let people know that you’re a goal-oriented person who gets things done. People are drawn to winners and want to be a part of what they’re doing.

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

Management Craft has a post about using a blog to build your career.  Here’s what Lisa Haneberg has to say:

I have long been critical of the traditional way we go about finding the best talent. You can see some of my thoughts in this post called, Resumes are So Yesterday.

Here is an interesting example of how people can be creative and use blogs to build their career.

 

Check out Sebastian’s approach on this blog:

• He shared the types of projects or jobs that would interest him.
• He offered a summary of his talents and experiences.
• Shared his career goals.
• Shared the work he is NOT interested in.

And Sebastian put himself out there - everything in the open. I think this is a great approach and a company can learn a lot about someone by reading their blog.

Recruiters should be reading bloggers with functional expertise they seek. It’s like cheating because by the time you get to the interview, you already know a lot about the person. TONS more than the average and useless resume might offer.

 

Lisa is correct.  You need to “put yourself out there”.  However if you are waiting for recruiters to search blogs for the talent you have to offer you’ll be waiting for a long time. 

 

People with Career Intensity make their own opportunities.  Blogs are just one weapon in their personal buzz creation arsenal.  They also network like crazy and they keep their contacts fresh (calling or e-mailing them to check in).  They send random notes to people they admire and they work hard at giving to others without an expectation of anything in return.

 

These are some of the best ways to generate personal buzz.  How many have you done today?

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Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

Instead of being famous for fifteen minutes, strive to be famous to fifteen people.

This is a great line and an even better concept.  Think about it:  If 14 of those people tell 2 other people about you, your constituency has tripled.  If the 15th person tells 50 people you are now famous to a plane load of people with all kinds of opportunity. 

This is the primary principal behind word of mouth marketing.  Everyone shares their experiences with others but a small percentage of people share experiences exponentially.  There is a great deal of research in the field about this topic.

Three things that come to mind:

How many opportunities will come from that network of new people?
What type of story about us are they likely to repeat?
Are you prepared to leverage your new found “fame” to advance your career?

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