Ok, I Do Actually Believe There Is Such a Thing As A Stupid Question...
despite the oft quipped "There is no such thing as a stupid question."
But when it comes to writing, marketing, product creation and more, sometimes the willingness to ask what may on the surface seem like a stupid question may be brilliant.
Yes, questions that clearly demonstrate you're not listening or are disrespectful or make it blatantly obvious you've not done your homework are stupid.
Making it safe for others to finally find out better what really is and isn't known, and sort out what's important to move forward can make a huge difference. It takes courage though, as it can sometimes seem too fine a line between risking others thinking you haven't done your homework or coming across disrespectfully by asking what may seem like too simple questions. The fear of looking stupid is a bit like the old story of the emperor's new clothes, when it took a child to point out what no adults would; the naked truth can be far more embarrassing than looking stupid.
I still vividly remember how stupid I felt repeatedly asking for details in a meeting where the speaker got very frustrated with me when I insisted on sorting out what we did and didn't know. Looking around for support, I sought someone, anyone else looking like they were interested, or, even irritated. All I saw were poker faces. Feeling foolish, I did still manage to leave the meeting with the clarity I needed to do my job. For days, weeks and months later, colleagues from meeting thanked me for probing, told me how much they appreciated it. Surprised, I asked why no one else stepped forward and was unable to get any kind of response from anyone. Ultimately I decided it was as simple as my willingness to risk looking stupid. As part of my job included supporting the speaker, despite her frustration with me in the moment, my questioning if anything improved rather than damaged my working relationship with her (and now many years and jobs later, we're still in contact).
Questioning accepted norms could open up totally new horizons.
It takes a disguised kid, Tom Hanks as Josh in the ’88 movie “Big” to be brave (or naïve) enough to totally break open a new line of thinking for toy product design.He does it by innocently admitting “I don’t get it!”He both becomes a hero, and makes an enemy at the same time.
One of my favorite questions to ask when someone is trying in vain to sell a hammer and believes the entire world is a nail… “What happens if I do nothing?”Often the greatest barrier of all to overcome is inertia, that whatever is happening today is good enough.Dig deep to honestly assess from their perspective what will prompt change.What fears, or uncertainties, pain or pleasure is powerful enough to motivate change?At what cost or price is it worth it?What other alternatives do they have?What makes yours better?How will the find that out and what will it take for them to believe it?
All of these questions need to include the phrase “for them”.Not sure of that answer?Then ask “them”.
These may seem like basic questions, and yet they often go unasked, or get filtered out by asking those who will give us the answer we want to hear, or interpreted the way we want to hear it, because we can’t handle the truth.
Too bad, it’s far less expensive to kill a bad idea that to stick stubbornly with it.A finance department once told me I saved my company 1-2 million dollars by having the courage to stop a product I was tasked with introducing. Tough and scary to do, as then what was I going to work on? Still, it was the right thing to do.
What opportunities are you missing, or unnecessarily foolish risks are you taking by not asking questions?
As Albert Einstein said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” That from someone we tend not to consider dumb.
Still, as she says in her blog here... not so fast.
More than anything it's a good reminder to think strategically. Questions to ask....
Who are you trying to reach?
Blogs are down with teens and slightly older, but up with "more mature audiences"
For adults 30 and up, blogs are growing.
Facebook is growing with all age groups, as is video.
Twitter is widely used but not necessarily widely relied upon
What medium best matches your purpose?(blogs? social media -- Twitter? Facebook? or?)
Can you get the action you want in less than 140 characters, and is your target connecting with you Twitter?
Can you get your message across in a snappy headline, ideally with a short call to action and ideally a compelling photo or video?
Do you need more words to close the deal than Facebook allows?
Are you trying to get an order not just an "ahhh!" or "aha" or "ha!ha!" or RSVP?
To process orders, or for a when more details are needed to realistically expect action, Facebook won't cut it when it comes to closing the loop.
Is your reach broad, or sexy/useful appealing enough to go viral?
Of course, this is a bigger issue than the medium, it's about reach, frequency to the right prospects and the effectiveness of your offer.
Like most good media strategies, the idea is to combine mediums -- Facebook, Twitter and blogs / websites. If your goal is to move a prospective new client to order on line, or pick up the phone to ask for an estimate or schedule an appointment, you're usually going to need a lot more than one hit with 140 characters, or even 500.
Use Twitter and Facebook as your tease... to your blog and website.
Heck, even Blondie's Dagwood expected his boss Dithers to add Twitter to his e-mail, text, voicemail, letter and face-to-face firing.
That was my “Aha!” moment on the lack of privacy in public spaces.
The 12-year-old was a girl who happened to be sitting next to me on a plane.I was working for Hewlett-Packard and trying to get some work done on my laptop; in this case, as it usually was, it was a not yet released product.She started asking questions.I responded with some to shift the conversation, and closed my laptop.
When you work for a top Fortune company, you learn to live with feeling like you’re wearing a big, visible target 24/7. Sure, I was careful in what I said in trade shows, on press tours, to business partners.From that moment on, I became that much more hyper-aware of it.Years before I’d learned a lesson the hard way about not even subtly mentioning in an emailed trip report an un-named co-worker’s lack of follow-though.My days of getting radically different judging scores on the same speech in tournaments only when I chose a controversial topic, were also clear indicators that my stance would likely be judged more than the quality of my communication.
In that way I’m at a bit of an advantage in the digital age… recognizing that what can be seen or heard is something one has to feel comfortable announcing to a current or prospective employer or customer.They may well be more concerned about how my personal beliefs and actions reflect on them and their company, than on my ability to do the job well.In fact I’ve broken off business relationships by others who struck me as so cavalier I simply chose to take my business elsewhere.
The reality is … those with the power, dictate the rules, ex check out
We can ignore it to our detriment, choose to be private about those communications that might hurt us publically, or try to change it.For the moment, my vote is to choose carefully what gets shared with whom, where, all the more so if it’s digital, as those footprints can go viral and last a long, long time.
"Hey, do you have a few minutes, maybe half an hour to check out something and edit it? You know, check for spelling errors and stuff.... Of course I gotta have it finished in the next day or so."
In reality, most of the folks who ask me this, their stuff would be fine untouched. Sure, anyone can catch a few things... spacing, spelling, word choice, a spare correctly spelled oops word or two. Honestly, some folks get their knickers in a twist about that, though will they really lose a serious sale as a result? Guessing not.
What's often needed is something more... honing the purpose. Ask quite simply...
Who am I trying to reach?
What do I want to have happen as a result of their reading?
Is it too much in one fell swoop? (can they read it in single screen and still get something useful out of it?)
We often try to leap tall buildings in a single bound. And since most us don't have those superpowers, it just doesn't quite work.
A less ambitious and often more effective approach is to scale back. In covering less ground, we create the space to embrace our objectives more completely. Convert one long 3-part blog that leaves out the juicy parts, into three shorter, more complete posts.
Doing that one post really well also queues up the other two parts for later, with room for a teaser inviting satisfied readers return.
Next time you find yourself in a rush, trying to quickly hack something down to size and see if it still makes sense... reconsider. Begin with the end in mind. Simply. Focus. And save some goodies for the next round.
In the last few weeks several small business professional folks asked, "Can you write my blog for me?"
When I asked what they were looking to have happen as a result of their blog, they expected a bunch of followers and a vibrant dialog.
My response "Oh, you mean like on a good LinkedIn Group?"; theirs ... "What's LinkedIn?"
While LinkedIn started as a professional network for recruiters and job seekers (note: see what makes a good LinkedIn profile), it's become a powerful and very targeted tool for connecting and knowledge sharing. It's definitely opened some doors for me! To get you started, here's 7 ways to use LinkedIn....
E-introductions LinkedIn makes it easy to professionally match-make peers. Send their LinkedIn profiles to each other with a brief explanation of how you know each person and why you believe they'll benefit in connecting. The LinkedIn profiles do the rest. In the land of good karma, this is likely to come back to you, and if it doesn't it's just the right thing to do.
Finding an "in"
Let's say you're bidding a piece of business or applying for a job. LinkedIn makes it easy to explore the adage "It's who you know." Type in the company you're looking into and there's a reasonable likelihood someone you know directly or just a degree of separation or two away, knows someone there. Suddenly, you're much more likely to have insider information.
Collaborating
Type in your professional area and there's a reasonable chance you'll find several groups full professionals who are interested in learning from each other. For example, I've learned a lot from a number of lively LinkedIn on-line discussions amongst divorce professional groups, joined a mastermind group scattered across the country where we're supporting each other's progress and have discovered a number of other great resources which my clients find valuable.
Problem-Solving
There's an expert section that's perfect for seeking advice. It's simple. You ask a question on LinkedIn, such as, "What web software should I use for my next website?" Or, "What steps do I need to take to fire my employee without getting sued?" Experts will answer. Free. Maybe you get what you need, maybe you realize you need more help and they might be just the ones to go to for it.
Establishing Credibility
You might want to consider positioning yourself as the expert on LinkedIn that solves others problems in your field. It's a good way to give them a test-drive of your expertise. Maybe they'll hire you, or maybe someone else will based on your answer. It is a good idea to know a little bit about LinkedIn etiquette in this area first, and not just blatantly self-promote.
Research Linked-in one-question polls can be quite useful. For example I asked a multiple choice "why would you use...?" question. The answers convinced me to change the benefit approach in my website based on what what most important according to my respondents.
In my book, LinkedIn is so much more navigable in niche areas than blogs. If you're a newbie to blogs, try LinkedIn first as a warm-up. You might not need more than that. And if you do blog, LinkedIn can reinforce your presence by offering more ways to be found, for followers to find out more about you, and to post your blogs on your LinkedIn profile.
Which to Write? Too Many Social Networking Options & More!
Social networking... blogs. Facebook. Twitter. Enewsletters. YouTube....
Pick up the phone.
Be consistent (newsletters)
Press the flesh (aka -- networking -- in person, face-to-face)
Mind your 'p's & 'q's. (aka -- snail mail thank yous)
Arg!
If someone know the answer on how to get all these done, let me know. It's sure a lot easier for to do for my clients than for myself.
The general buzz I hear & can figure out
Know your target and objective before you start
Keep in mind where you're reconnecting versus making new relationships
Reconnecting: Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn (www.Hellotxt.com helps make this a bit more efficient), newsletters (iContact, for me), the telephone (tracked via VanillaSoft) and personal letters (I love my SendOutCards for this!). If only these programs would talk to each other and link to GoogleCalendar.
New relationships require broader dispersion, which may take riding someone else's coat tails until you have enough of your own following, guest blogging, answers on visible forums like LinkedIn's Q&A
It takes a smart strategy on which you're targeting, courage and good follow-up to make worthwhile connections. See who's leading and see if you can give them a good enough reason to tag along.
Consider where to spend your time based on
who reaches your target best
how much time you have (and forgive yourself if you can't regularly do it all)
what kind of return you're getting for your effort
My solution? Give me 24 hours a week that no one else has. That way I can get all my stuff done, with no one else adding to my in box or distracting me;).
Cheers, to all of us less that perfect people simply giving it our best.
In Trouble Over "Astroturf" Marketing? Fake Reviews Become Risky Business
"Astroturf" marketing is the practice of seeding the internet with supposed grass-roots testimonials, reviews, and comments that are more about certain kinds of compost than the real deal. The web's ano
Despite a whole lotta testimonial hooey out there, a recent poll* revealed 84% of Americans say online customer evaluations influence their purchases.
As a result, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is getting more serious about putting a stop to it. The FTC plans a vote this summer to update its 29-year-old guidelines on endorsements, making it clear they plan to ban phony online reviews. As is, since 1980 the FTC requires consumer endorsements must be honest opinions from actual customers or clearly marked otherwise.
What's a web-savvy business to do? Sure it's awkward to ask your customers for reviews, and they may not be glowing or articulate. Yet only tooting your own horn lacks credibility and the "just the facts" approach often falls flat.
Consider treating testimonials much like a cross between a good public relations campaign and market research... planned, genuine, interesting, well-timed and perhaps even administered, (collected and edited, but not written for pay!) by a third party. Hiring a credible expert to develop a questionnaire and query your customers is a great way to not only collect truthful testimonials, but to honestly get a better sense of what you're doing right, and where there are unmet needs to consider addressing. The end result is a mix of business intelligence and articulate reviews that are real. They will not only potentially win you customers, and keep you out of trouble, they will help run your business better.
*from Opinion Research Corp, released in April 2009 and based on a phone survey of of 1,004 adults
Daily, we see on average we see 288 ad "brands", counting TV, radio, print and internet. Spending an hour or two shopping could well add a couple of thousand more.*
Every word lessens, rather than increases your ability to get your message through to prospects and customers. Like the Gary Larson cartoon** of what we say to dogs ("Okay Ginger! I've had it! You stay out of the garbage. Understand Ginger? You stay out of the garbage, or else!") and what they hear ("Blah blah Ginger, blah blah blah..."), it's critical to come up with the right words that hold meaning for your prospects, and the search engines.
Are you too close to your business to know the right words to move your prospect closer to becoming a customer?
