Two of my most favourite experts in ONE SPOT!

From Andy’s blog:

"Conventional wisdom tells us that success is all
about perseverance. Never giving up. Sticking to it when the “going
gets rough.” After all, quitters never win and winners never quit.
Right?

Nothing could be further from the truth. Find out
why New York Times Bestselling author, Seth Godin, recommends that you
quit. And, quit right now. On Thursday, June 21st at 2pm ET,
you will learn why quitting may be the best thing you can do for the
growth of your business, your relationships, your career and your
happiness. This the strategy that Jack Welch, Olympic athletes, Apple
Computer and other greats use to become the “best in the world.”

Join us for this live call with Seth and Andy on Thursday, June 21st at 2pm Eastern Time.  On the call, you will discover:

• Why quitting may the best thing you can do for your business (and your life)
• How to become the “best in the world” at what you do
• When to quit a project, relationship or idea and when to stick it out
• Why the best in the world quit all the time – and why you should too!

Register now for this call."

A forum discussion with Dawud Miracle of Healthy Web Design got me thinking.

Dawud postulated the notion that Blogging is for everyone and is a phenomenal tool for building relationships.

I’d agree that Blogging is a superb tool for building relationships.

But, I’m not certain Blogging is for everyone.

I work almost exclusively with creative professionals: writers, designers, photographers, and such. And, here’s what I’ve noticed.

A few, rare, professionals are both great designers and superb writers. But, many excellent designers can’t write a word or string a passable sentence together. Nor, do they want to!

Yes, you can teach people to be good writers, competent copy writers.

But, I’m thinking that great writers, powerful Bloggers, are born!

Yep! Born to write.

For some reason some of us are drawn, nay compelled, to put our thoughts into words. To Bleed our thoughts and feelings onto the page! Just as others are compelled to paint, sculpt, and compose music!

So, I’m saying that it those of us who are drawn to the written word that make natural Bloggers. And, I believe that for us audience building is easier.

For the others Blogging will always be a chore. And, therefore will not resonate as firmly with an audience. YES! These folks can create a Blog following… but I don’t think it will ever be as natural, as easy, as right as it is for the rest of us!

Wadda ya think?

Long time ezine reader and Business Coach, Sandra Schrift, passed on this  excellent article . . .

How to Create Sizzling Speech and Book Titles

Do
you know the name of the book that was written in 1937 and outsold
every book except the Bible? It was “How to Win Friends and Influence
People.” This is a great title that is timeless because it focuses on
two benefits that most of us want all the time: winning friends and
influencing people.

Another
example: “What’s Holding you Back?” Thirty days to Having the Courage
and Confidence to Do What You Want, Meet Whom You Want, and Go Where
You Want by Sam Horn. The benefits are: having courage and confidence
to meet and go where you want.

Five ways to design your speech and/or best-selling book titles.

1.Use alliteration  [the same letter starts successive words]
*Monday Morning Mindfulness  (the name of my ezine)
*Living Your Life
*Sense and Sensibility

2.Ask a question
*Are You Getting the Love You Want?
*Does Everything Get Better After Fifty?
*Have You Hugged Your Kids Today?

3.Write a Rhyme
*Niche and Get Rich
*The Cat in the Hat
*Be Funny and Make Money”

4.Use words such as “How,” “Secret,” “Power,”
*How to Become a Highly Paid Professional Speaker”
*How to Write a Novel in 100 days or Less
*The World’s Best Known Marketing Secret
*The Power of Now

5.The Rule of Three
*Monday Morning Mindfulness
*No Honor, No Guts, No Glory
*Shake, Rattle and Roll

“Tell
me a Story”…After you craft your sizzling speech title, you then need
to tell stories to your audience so that you grab and hold their
attention. As an engaging speaker, you will want to relate your story
to your content. Your own personal stories will make your content very
vivid and interesting.

Screenwriter,
Robert McKee says, “Stories are the creative conversion of life itself
into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience.They are the
currency of human contact.” Most of us delineate our thoughts visually,
so use very descriptive words to help the audience see what they hear
from you.

Use
coaching stories that relate to the needs and interests of your
audience. For example, if you are trying to enroll small business
clients, tell exciting stories about how your satisfied clients
benefited from your coaching sessions.

It’s
okay to be funny. If you think funny thoughts, you will live and relive
your story as you tell your story. It is best to be in the “now.” Your
words need to create an image in the audience’s mind so that they will
remember your story.

When
telling your stories, be dramatic, maintain eye contact, use theatrical
gestures , vary your tone and above all…Be a Model of Excellence!

Copyright © 2006  Sandra Schrift.  All rights reserved.

Seth is spot on…

My favourite: Half my advertising works, I just don’t know which half.
Actually, it’s closer to 1% of your advertising that works, at the
most. Your billboard reaches 100,000 people and if you’re lucky, it
gets you a hundred customers…

One of my former clients was a Top 10 Advertising agency. Working with them I learned about what works and doesn’t…. and I became very aware of bill board advertising.

Most is crap!