I know, I know…I’ve been a little light on blog posts for the past few weeks (as in I haven’t written any). I’ll get back in the swing soon, I promise. In the meantime, here’s something for your listening pleasure: an episode of my Blog Talk Radio program about Steven Pressfield’s new book “Do the Work” (which is brilliant, by the way…if you haven’t read it, go get your copy now!)
Neil Senturia is not your typical…well, he’s not your typical anything, at least as far as I can tell from his new book I’m There for You, Baby – The Entrepreneur’s Guide to the Galaxy, Volume 1 (WARNING: affiliate link). What I can tell you for certain, though, is that Mr. Senturia knows how to tell a story.
I haven’t had this much fun reading a book since I was a kid reading They Shoot Canoes, Don’t They? by Patrick McManus (yep, another affiliate link…sorry, but it’s just easier than logging out of Amazon). I don’t often laugh out loud when I read business books, but this one had me chuckling, snickering and, occasionally, guffawing (I may have just made that word up…sorry about that). Even better, I learned a thing or two along the way.
The book is a series of stories built around The Baby Rules, a set of entrepreneurial truisms culled from Senturia’s experiences as a real estate mogul, venture capitalist, Hollywood writer and all around deal-making addict. But don’t make the mistake of believing everything you read; Rule #109 states “Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.” Senturia’s grasp of the ridiculous, his razor-sharp wit, and his blunt-force-trauma style of truth-telling make for a great read.
One of my favorite lessons, and one that made me stop and think about my own journey, is Rule #19: “Entrepreneurs do not do it for the fame or fortune – they do it for revenge.” I’ve been thinking about that one ever since I read it; it’s been dogging my steps, haunting my sleep, and generally driving me nuts for weeks.
Yikes! Glad it wasn't something fragile!
I received this package at my mailbox the other day. It looked like it had been dropped out of a truck in the rain and run over a couple of times. Fortunately, the book contained in the package was relatively unharmed.
But you’ll be pleased to know that this isn’t a rant against the fact that the US Postal Service mangled my package; I actually used to be a mail carrier, and I know these things happen from time to time. No big deal.
What bothered me, though, was the wrapping that the package in question arrived in. It had what I can only assume is the USPS version of an apology printed on it. Here, have a look:
When I first got my preview copy of Guy Kawasaki’s “Enchantment” (yes, I got a free copy, and yes, that’s an affiliate link), I wasn’t sure what to expect. I don’t really know that much about Guy, and I haven’t read any of his other books (sorry Guy). I knew he was something of a big deal on Twitter and that he was the guy (no pun intended) behind Alltop.com, but that was about it.
In other words, I started “Enchantment” with zero expectations. I only tell you that so you’ll understand that what I’m about to say isn’t colored by my being a long-time Guy Kawasaki fanboy.
Now that we understand each other, let me just say this: whatever you’re doing, stop now for as long as it takes to jump over to Amazon and buy this book. Yes, it’s that good.
Guy has distilled the art of getting people to support your cause down to simple, manageable steps. Whether it’s a business, a charity, a product or an idea, enchantment is the art of rallying not just support but commitment from those you lead or those in the trenches with you. In Guy’s own words, “if you need to enchant people, you’re doing something meaningful. If you’re doing something meaningful, you need enchantment.”
The days are blurring together. Literally. I sometimes forget whether it’s Monday and I should be writing a proposal for a new computer network, or Saturday and I’m supposed to be recording a podcast and setting up someone’s blog, or Thursday and I should be at a networking mixer, or Tuesday and I should be on a conference call about an upcoming Intel Hybrid Cloud event.
Sometimes, I just want to stop. It would feel really good, I think, to take a week off, sit in a chair on the beach, and catch up on some reading. But then I remember: I love what I do, and I love my life. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
My friends and family (especially my family) keep telling me that I need to slow down. I love the fact that they’re concerned about me; I really do. The funny thing is that they come across like they think my life sucks. I promise you though: it doesn’t. I’m tired, I don’t really have much of a social life (unless you count the networking, which pretty much rocks if you live in Sacramento), I have two day jobs and a part-time business, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been.
In Part 1 we talked about Law #1: The Law of Value and proposed that there are five primary categories: Excellence, Consistency, Attention, Empathy and Appreciation, that you can use to increase the value you deliver to your clients and customers. (These are covered more in-depth in “Go-Givers Sell More”, Bob Burg’s and John David Mann’s second installment in the series, although that’s getting a little ahead of ourselves.) The main point is that we discovered giving doesn’t necessarily mean giving away for free.
The second Law, the Law of Compensation, states; “your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them”.
In January I had the privilege of attending Bob Burg’s Big Event 2011, with speakers such as Dr. John Maxwell, Les Brown, Carrie Wilkerson, Randy Gage, and Paul Martinelli and came away with a new appreciation for the seminar format. I’ve been to quite a few seminars, mostly motivational in nature, and I always left all fired up and ready to take on the world – for about 72 hours. Then for the following week I would have that adrenaline letdown, like you get after a minor fender-bender. You may have experienced the same thing. This time was quite different, though.
The six speakers, and all the sponsors, applied the Law of Compensation so expertly that a week later I’m still going strong. AND I’m a Personal Walking Ambassador for each of them, and a customer, for life. Why? Because I came away with so much Value that I’ll be nurturing the ideas and connections for a long, long time. I came away feeling I could put into action one idea from each of the speakers. Most importantly, I came away feeling that I can do it too.
This is the second in a series of Articles I wrote for TLT Magazine back in 2009. I still believe that making the commitment to give up the news is one of the most important decisions you can make to stay motivated and on task. Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments.
And don’t forget to snag your free copy of “Motivation 101: Five Steps To Activate Your Potential In Any Economy” while your at it.
Are you as tired as I am of all the bad news being offered up by the national media? If so, please join me in a special campaign this week. I’m officially designating it National News Free Week.
Since I’m giving away free copies of my Motivation 101 audio program to anyone who signs up for the Motivation 101 newsletter, I decided to dust off a series of articles about the topic of motivation that I wrote for TLT Magazine around the time that the program was originally released.
Here’s the first article in the series; please let me know how asking “Why?” has helped you achieve your goals in the comments. Thanks for reading!
If you’re like most selling professionals, you’ve probably got a list of written goals…somewhere. Some of you have them tacked to the wall in front of your desk, others in your day planners or PDAs; some of you have them filed away in the bottom of a drawer and would have trouble finding them if asked. Regardless of where you have your list of goals, though, you’ve already accomplished something major: you’ve engaged a powerful ally in your success by writing them down.
While I was wandering around the show floor and in the mixers and meetups at CES, I noticed an interesting trend. When I would ask people, “So, what do you do?” most would regurgitate their company name and tag line, followed immediately by the phrase “And what that means is…”
I began to wonder: if your tag line requires a follow up explanation, is it the right tag line? Wouldn’t it be better to work a little harder and devise a tag line that clearly communicates what you do, no explanation required?
I know we all like to think up these clever, cute phrases that force people to ask “Oh? What does that mean?”. Here’s the problem, though: most people don’t ask. Instead, they smile, nod politely, and go find someone else to talk to, all the while at a loss for what it is that you actually do.
If you find yourself saying “And what that means is…” after your company tag line, try simplifying. Just say what you do, no bells, no whistles, no mysteries wrapped in enigmas. You’ll probably be surprised at how refreshing the people you talk to find your transparency.
OK: let me start by saying that my decision to wait until Wednesday morning (the morning I left for CES 2011 in Las Vegas) to book my hotel room for CES was probably, in hindsight, a huge mistake.
Rooms on the Strip that would normally go for $60-$70 a night were suddenly in the $300-$400 range. Unreal. So I ended up staying at the Siena Suites in Henderson. It was a nice enough place, kind of an extended stay type of hotel with a kitchen, living room and bedroom. It was clean, quiet, and the bed was reasonably comfortable; everything I look for in a hotel.
Except for the toilet paper. I’m not sure what S & M torture shop the management bought it in, but I’d have to guess that it was one that leaned a little more heavily toward the S. Stiff and rough, while great qualities in a scotch on the rocks, are not what you want in toilet paper. At least, they’re not what I want.
A quick review of the prices on ToiletPaperWorld.com (no, I didn’t make that up…click the link if you don’t believe me) shows that prices range from about $.50 per roll on the low end to a high of about $1.25 for the premium grade stuff.
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