Do It! Marketing Blog: Marketing for Smart People™

These rules were originally tweeted by Emma Coates, Pixar’s Story Artist.

Look them over and see how many of them apply to YOUR story - specifically, your marketing story that you're trying to articulate (first, for yourself and then for your prospects, clients, and customers!)

Number 9 on the list - "When you’re stuck, make a list of what wouldn’t happen next" – is a great one. So is number 12 - "Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself."

Use the COMMENTS section below to share your favorites and how they impact YOUR thinking about YOUR marketing, sales, and business development success.

1. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
2. You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.
3. Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
4. Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
5. Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
6. What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
7. Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
8. Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
9. When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
10. Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
11. Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
12. Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
13. Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
14. Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
15. If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
16. What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
17. No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
18. You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
19. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
20. Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
21. You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
22. What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

For a very long time, you couldn’t sit through any marketing seminar or sales training without some moron blathering on about the radio station WIIFM - “What’s In It For Me?” as if this was cutting edge information that you had never heard before.

Well, we’re changing the station, folks… because the only radio station your prospects care about today is WNOR:

• Wants

• Needs

• Outcomes

• Results

Let’s dig into each one of these individually so that YOU can begin broadcasting your marketing and sales messages on this channel to get more leads, attract better prospects, and close bigger sales.

Wants. Wants are desires. These are aspirational, positive things that your prospect is attracted to. Examples include more time, more money, more hair, more sex, more happiness, more cupcakes… you get the idea. In order to enter the conversation already happening in your prospect’s mind, it is vitally important that you speak prospect language about prospect wants. NOT industry jargon. NOT marketing-speak. Plain English. Put another way: this is where your prospects want to go.

Needs. Needs are problems and challenges that your prospect is looking to solve. Needs are generally articulated as pains, hassles, heartaches, headaches, and gaps. When there is a need, it is calling out for something. A fix, a missing puzzle piece, or a solution. Put another way, these are your prospects’ obstacles and roadblocks that need to be removed in order for them to achieve their wants.

Outcomes. Outcomes live on the other side of your prospect buying your product or service. Once they buy, use, install, or consume what you’re selling, their condition improves. Outcome statements are phrased in terms of boosting the positive (teamwork, innovation, productivity, profitability, etc) and reducing the negative (complaints, defects, returns, injuries, wasted time, wasted money, inefficiencies, etc.)

Results. Results are the emotional benefits of achieving the outcomes. Another way to put this is that results are the “ultimate destination” or payoff that stems from the outcomes. The pivotal phrases you can use to frame results are: “so that you feel...” - “so you restore...” “so you regain...” - “so you can relax about…”

Here’s a complete example from my work with small business owners and independent professionals who want to grow their business.

Use this as a "fill-in-the-blank" model - Remove MY language and plug in YOUR language that corresponds to YOUR specific product/service/value in ways that YOUR prospects will recognize, respect, and resonate with.

Wants:

Perhaps we’re a good fit to work together if you want to:

• Get laser-focused on getting more clients in less time and with less struggle
• Raise your fees and start working with more profitable clients
• Build a perpetual marketing plan that fits your particular strengths, personality and preferences
• Make small shifts in your positioning and promotion that will open the floodgates to more revenues  

Needs:

As a small business owner, independent professional, or entrepreneur do you…

• Get stuck when trying to figure out how to attract more clients and generate more revenue…
• Feel overwhelmed by the vast number of marketing options you could be doing to grow your business…
• Regret being burned by so-called marketing "gurus" that promised a quick fix…
• Suffer disappointment when investing in marketing solutions that seem to work for "everyone else..."
• Fear that your business is sliding back to where you were 2-3 years ago rather than leaping ahead…
• Find increased resistance today from clients and prospects about pricing…
• Have more prospects saying "No" to you and lose sales that you used to close easily
• Feel like you're banging your head against a wall - which gives you a giant marketing headache...

Outcomes:

Here are just some of your skills and abilities that will improve as a result of this program:

• Experience Marketing Detox: Stop poisoning your business with short-term "flavor of the month" initiatives and commit to a plan that works and lasts
• Discover why results DON'T come from "quick fix" schemes or outdated "best practices"
• STOP losing deals on price and confidently step into "Premium Positioning" while also raising your closing ratio and boosting your referrals
• Analyze the types of marketing activities that fit your unique personality, strengths, and preferences
• Build (or rebuild) a detailed marketing "blueprint" with hand-selected marketing activities and tasks that you'll actually enjoy doing
• Increase perceived value so you're considered a partner - not a "peddler"
• Tailor a questioning plan and set specific goals for every phase of your marketing and sales process
• Gain powerful insights into your prospect's problems, obstacles, and challenges -- and create "indisputable points of proof" that you can solve them
• Anticipate buyer behavior to prevent fence-sitting and endless stalling
• Implement a Perpetual Marketing Plan that brings results daily
• Use "inbound marketing" strategies to attract clients and customers to your expertise, regardless of price and regardless of your competitive environment
• Do what needs to be done (finally!) to create a permanent foundation for your entrepreneurial success

Results:

Results you can expect after this program:

• You'll consistently attract a much higher caliber of client
• You'll clearly articulate your premium pricing - and never cave on price again
• You'll feel focused on what matters most and make significant progress daily
• You'll be positioned as an expert
• You'll feel extremely confident
• You'll concisely convey exactly how your business helps your clients
• You'll trust yourself more than ever
• You'll have a razor sharp profile of the ideal clients you want to serve - and you'll know exactly where to find them
• You'll do ONLY marketing tasks that you find easy, effortless, and enjoyable
• You'll feel inspired, supported, and motivated to take action
• You'll know how to leverage your time and intellectual property

Your turn - how can you use the above WNOR model to restructure your marketing messages, web copy, sales letters, or other collateral so that they resonate 100% with your best prospects, customers and clients?

Please use the comments area below to share your advice, insights, and recommendations on using WNOR messaging in YOUR marketing and sales process.

1. Be more courageous.
2. Stop prospecting blind.
3. Tune your radar.
4. Listen more deeply.
5. Action creates traction.
6. Try new things.
7. Hang in there. 
8. Get better daily.
9. Begin with enthusiasm. 
10. Finish with flair.
11. Celebrate small wins.
12. Eliminate wasted steps.
13. Aim higher sooner.
14. Never stop learning.
15. Give, give, give. 
16. Plant seeds relentlessly.
17. Stop wasting time.
18. Hound dogs bark.
19. Alpha dogs buy. 
20. Value + Time = Trust.
21. Do your homework.
22. Bring home bacon.
23. Seek higher ground.
24. Stop the crazy.
25. Start the money.
26. Give awesome gifts.
27. Keep it real.
28. Start fresh today.
29. Be the hero. 
30. Write that letter. 
31. Prove your case. 
32. Trust the process.
33. Seize the day.
34. Solve prospect problems.
35. Make others shine.
36. Ask better questions.
37. Think WAY bigger.
38. Focus your energies.
39. Now beats later.
40. Let's play nice. 
41. Zig don't zag.
42. Never sell alone. 
43. Stay the course.
44. Don't get distracted.
45. Always ask "Why?"
46. Amp it up!
47. How doesn't matter.
48. Invite and engage.
49. You're already there. 
50. Enjoy the ride.
51. Fascinate to dominate.
52. Write it down. 
53. Keep on truckin'!
54. Love your clients.
55. Ask for help.
56. Never give up.
57. Make prospects friends.
58. Sharpen your edge.
59. Bang it out.
60. Serve to sell.
61. Speak your mind.
62. Expand your circles.
63. Love your numbers.
64. Consider crazy alternatives.
65. Not so fast. 
66. Go for no. 
67. Blow 'em away.
68. Make miracles happen.
69. Stretch your possibilities.
70. Kill your ego.
71. It's about them.
72. Speak their language.
73. Earn their respect.
74. Don't shy away.
75. Give more generously.
76. Don't be scared.
77. Buy this book.
78. Freshen it up. 
79. Redirect dumb questions.
80. Anticipate common roadblocks.
81. Full color proposals.
82. Pictures trump words.
83. Thank your heroes.
84. Respond, don't react.
85. Invest in yourself.
86. Seek the truth.
87. Avoid the obvious. 
88. Birds gotta fly. 
89. Fish gotta swim.
90. Relationships are perishable. 
91. Make that call. 
92. Track your progress. 
93. Decisions drive momentum.
94. Take notes everywhere.
95. Look further ahead.
96. Stop playing small.
97. Sell the dream.
98. Deliver the goods. 
99. Never shortchange yourself.
100. You're so ready.
101. DO IT. Now!

Grab your FREE copy of the Do It! Marketing Manifesto

And then leave a comment below with your questions, thoughts, and advice on the ideas above.

Are you a DO IT freak? Welcome to the club!! Please use the social media buttons at the top of this post to share it with your network. YOU are a rock star!

There's a nice group of folks coming together for the next "Simple Marketing Success" 10-week group coaching program that begins October 8. 

In fact, you have about 24 hours to catch Early Bird pricing that expires tomorrow (9/21). 

I'm talking with a lot of entrepreneurs, small business owners, and independent professionals about the program.

Some are a great fit for the program and will benefit hugely. 

Some are not. I will almost always catch these people during the application process and weed them out.

This is one such story... 

This entrepreneur emailed me the following question: 

Hi David,

I hope you are having a great weekend!  After some debate, here's the verdict: I want to take the course, I believe, you see, I'd make a great student - but money is an issue for the household if you know what I mean.

So here's a question: Would you feel comfortable giving us a 100% satisfaction guarantee? If at the end of 10 weeks I have not been able to get a solid booking(s) to at least cover the cost of the program, then you'd give us a full refund. But if I have been able to get a solid booking(s) at the end of the 10-week period, then we call it a major success and both parties are happy, including my wife. Can we do that?

I won't bore you with pointing out the half-dozen red flags with this prospect. You can probably see them all for yourself. 

This post is about guaranteeing YOUR consulting, coaching, or training outcomes. 

My policy - I don't do it.

And neither should YOU. 

Here's what I replied to this fellow:

Pat,

If you're looking for some kind of guarantee, the problem is that I can only guarantee MY program.

I can't guarantee YOUR results. 

Here's what I guarantee:

• I'll lead 10 weekly calls
• You'll get 10 weekly assignments
• You'll get digital audio downloads of 10 calls
• You'll get word-for-word transcripts of 10 calls
• You'll get 280+ pages of tested small business marketing strategies, tools, templates, and ideas
• The ideas and tactics you'll get have been proven with over 300 entrepreneurs, small business owners and independent professionals
• I'll be available for UNLIMITED email support and respond to you within 1 business day, usually much sooner
• You'll get TWO 30-minute private 1-on-1 calls with me which you can use for any purpose
• You'll get full access to the online Group/Forum website for asking questions, seeking feedback, and posting responses and assignments

• I can't guarantee you'll be on the calls
• I can't guarantee you'll listen to the recordings
• I can't guarantee you'll do your weekly assignments
• I can't guarantee you'll read the transcripts
• I can't guarantee you'll read the book
• I can't guarantee you'll implement a single strategy or tactic
• I can't guarantee you'll email me when you need help or guidance
• I can't guarantee you'll set up your 2 private coaching calls
• I can't guarantee you'll follow my advice
• I can't guarantee you'll participate in the online forum
• I can't guarantee you'll work hard (or at all) to make this program WORK for you

And I'm not in the business of "convincing" people with feel-good guarantees.

I don't work with hundreds of people at a clip. I work with a very small, very dedicated group of entrepreneurs, business owners and independent professionals who are committed to their own success and want to accelerate its timetable and expand its scope.  

If that's you, then terrific. Let's do this thing.

If not, no hard feelings.

What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on using guarantees in YOUR coaching, consulting, training or professional services business. And if you use a written guarantee, feel free to post the link and a quick plug for your services, too!

I see broke people...

Here's a reimagined scene from one of my favorite movies, The Sixth Sense...

As a business owner, entrepreneur, or service professional, see if any of this sounds familiar to YOU - and if so, please share your experiences and advice in the COMMENTS area below...

COLE

I want to tell you my secret now.

Malcolm blinks very slowly

MALCOLM

Okay.

Cole takes an eternal pause. A silent tension engulfs them both

COLE

...I see people.

Malcolm just gazes quietly.

COLE

I see broke people...

MALCOLM

In your dreams?

Cole shakes his head, "No."

MALCOLM

When you're awake?

Cole nods, "Yes."

MALCOLM

Broke people, like beggars?

COLE

No, walking around, like business owners... They can't see each other. Some of them don't know they're broke.

MALCOLM

They don't know they're broke?

Malcolm becomes completely motionless. Works to hide his shock. He and Cole stare at each other a long time.

COLE

They tell me stories... how they used to land big clients without doing any marketing... how they wasted a fortune on a fancy PR firm... how they went into credit card debt to pay for a get-rich-quick internet marketing seminar...

Malcolm's words are extra-controlled. Revealing nothing.

MALCOLM

How often do you see them?

COLE

All the time. They're everywhere.

You won't tell anyone my secret, right?

MALCOLM

...No.

COLE

Will you stay here till I fall asleep?

Malcolm nods, "Yes." Cole pulls the covers up to his chin and turns to the window in the room. Malcolm is very still and stares at Cole.

MALCOLM'S EYES -- slowly turn and survey the room. They find nothing. Malcolm returns to watching Cole.

COLE'S EYES LOOK AROUND THE ROOM WARILY... WE MOVE IN ON THEM -- TILL HIS EYES FILL THE FRAME.

And then we see what he's staring at. Through Cole's hospital room window we look across onto a run-down housing project.

Rows of small offices are visible. In the windows are broke business owners... SOME OLD, SOME YOUNG... SOME ARE DRESSED IN MODERN NEW CLOTHES... SOME WASH THEIR NEW CARS...

p.s. If you want to STOP seeing broke people and build your marketing, sales, and business development muscles, we still have a few open seats for the Simple Marketing Success 10-Week Virtual Bootcamp experience that starts October 8, 2013. Let me know you're interested (email or call me 610.716.5984) and I'll forward you the application materials and program guidelines right away.

Watch this short video and see if you are making these same sales mistakes... 

[Click the "Enlarge" icon in the lower right corner to watch full screen]

Scary, right?

Needy, desperate, pushy, salesperson-centered tactics are so obvious and easy to spot when OTHER people (especially spammers) do them to us.

But how easy is it (and probably imperceptible to you) to fall into the same mode with YOUR own prospects, clients, customers, and buyers?

Stop chasing. 

Stop hounding. 

Stop bugging.

Stop "following up."

Start engaging.

Start inviting.

Start offering. 

Start adding genuine value.  

That's how professionals win! 

p.s. If you want to grow your marketing, sales, and business development muscles, we still have a few open seats for the Simple Marketing Success 10-Week Virtual Bootcamp experience that starts October 8, 2013. Let me know you're interested (email or call me 610.716.5984) and I'll forward you the application materials and program guidelines right away.

Build the Tribe Before the Tent

Have you ever wrestled with these problems?

• I want more leads from my website
• I need more subscribers to my newsletter
• I can’t seem to generate any comments on my blog
• I’m not getting any traction in my LinkedIn Group
• It’s a huge struggle to fill my public workshops or events
• I built an e-learning or video course but sales are disappointing
• My Facebook business page is a ghost town
• I wrote a great book and nobody’s buying it

I’ll stop there so you don’t get too depressed, OK?

We’ve all been there. And we all know that “Build it and they will come” is the last great false hope of the entrepreneurial class.

But in that statement also lies the answer.

Think about: “Build it and they will come”

Who’s “they”?

No, really - ask yourself this question.

Maybe even write down your answer on a piece of paper.

WHO. IS. “THEY”?

Most executives and entrepreneurs I work with who want to do a better job of marketing themselves and sell more products and services will come up with these answers:

THEY is:

• My customers
• My clients
• My buyers
• My prospects

OK, let’s take this one step further - who are your customers, clients, buyers, and prospects?

Here are some clues:

1. They’re not strangers
2. They’re not going to buy “sight unseen”
3. They’re not going to buy on first contact

So what does THAT mean?

1. They know you and your value proposition
2. With them, you’ve built up visibility and credibility
3. They buy (usually) based on a relationship, not on a single transactional impulse

Frankly, we all WISH buyers would buy ALL our products and services on a “transactional impulse” but that almost never happens, unless you’re running late night infomercials for knives - or insomnia cures. That one phone call - that one sales page on your website - that one email - that one postcard is almost NEVER going to make the sale.

Whatever product, service, or program you’re selling - the bottom line is simple:

You have to build the tribe before the tent.

Rather than this sequence:

1. Invest time, money, effort, and energy (lots) to create a new product/ service/ program
2. Offer it for sale
3. Crickets. (Silence.) More crickets 

What if you created this sequence:

1. Be as helpful as you can to as many people as you can as frequently as you can
2. Build a loyal, fast-growing tribe of followers, fans, subscribers, and friends
3. Offer value and invite engagement
4. The next time you create something to sell, they’re lined up, credit card in hand, eager to buy the moment it’s released for sale

Who does this?

Rock stars. Artists. Gurus.

How?

They built the tribe before the tent.

• Your website = your tent
• Your keynote speeches and seminars = your tent
• Your professional services offerings = your tent
• Your newsletter = your tent
• Your coaching and consulting programs = your tent
• Your blog = your tent
• Your LinkedIn Group = your tent
• Your workshops, conferences or events = your tent
• Your e-learning or video courses = your tent
• Your Facebook business page = your tent
• Your book = your tent

At the beginning, who and what are inside these tents? Obviously - it’s you. And a small fire. Just enough to keep you warm.

Now imagine yourself running around between these ELEVEN different tents, frantically tending those eleven fires, scrounging around finding enough wood to keep each fire alive.

• How much room is there in each of these eleven small tents?
• How available are you to welcome visitors into any one of those tents?
• How much of a success (or failure) would you feel like if you occasionally got between 2-3 visitors in each tent to sit down and tell you their story or enjoy a toasted marshmallow with you?
• How much time could you spend with THEM before running out to one of the nine or ten empty tents and leave them to entertain themselves?
• How long do you think they'll stay in that empty tent without you to serve as host and with the fire slowly sputtering out in your absence?

Hmmmmm... interesting questions, right?

Now imagine things the other way...

You have a thriving tribe...

• You offer them value
• You invite their engagement
• They start to follow you around
• First 5 people - then 10 - then 25
• And pretty soon 50, 100, 200 or more...

At some point, these folks will want to sit down - they’ll get hungry - they’ll get cold.

So you build something for them - a tent - and they welcome the opportunity to sit down with you around a blazing fire. They’ve each brought a log. One has a lighter. Another brings out some hot dogs. Someone else brought baked beans. Others start to break out the marshmallows, graham crackers and Hershey bars - S’mores for everyone!

There’s ONE tent. It’s not YOUR tent. It becomes OUR tent. You’re the leader. The provider. The sherpa. The guide. They gladly follow you for two reasons:

1. The experience you provide when they follow you (value, resources, stories, ideas, guidance)
2. The community you’ve built around them (the tribe, the relationships, the company of like-minded friends)

This is a much larger conversation -- and it’s tied to a very exciting project that we’re working on with some of the coolest small business experts on the planet. Can’t say any more than that for now. But stay tuned and you’re sure to hear more about it soon.

But the question YOU need to ask for the moment is…

How can YOU build the tribe before the tent?

Because sitting around in a small empty tent, exhausted, cold and alone… well, that just isn’t a lot of fun, is it?

What do YOU think? What are some examples of “building the tribe before the tent” that you’ve experienced? Are there some people YOU admire whose business fits into this model? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your thoughts and experiences…  

I’ve quit.

Yup - done, finished, over.

“Quit what?” you ask?

I’ve quit blogging.

OK, that’s not quite true...

But I’ve quit blogging daily.

It was an experiment.

And it worked.

And it didn’t.

Here’s the deal - for most of last year, this website averaged between 5,000-6,000 visits per month. Not great, but not terrible either.

At the beginning of this year, I committed to an experiment - namely blogging every weekday.

Yup, 5 posts a week. Week in and week out. I stuck to the schedule and didn’t miss a day in 26 weeks. 6 full months.

The result?

It worked great.

Almost immediately (OK, it took 8 weeks, but that’s close enough) my web traffic went from an average of 5,000-6,000 visits up to an average of 10,000-11,000 visits. One month, we even generated 15,000 visits - triple the old number. I'll explain that "we" later in this post...

My opt-in rate doubled (for everything - my free ebook, blog subscriptions, my free teleseminars.)

My SEO went up - I moved from page 2 and page 3 of Google results for certain keywords to page 1.

The second result?

I found out what really worked to drive more traffic, more leads, and more business.

And it wasn’t the blog...

It was three things:

1. My new book. Specifically, the marketing plan for my book, which turned out to also become the marketing plan for the website and the marketing plan for my speaking and mentoring programs. Woo hoo - who'd a thunk it?

Lesson: If you “lean in” and commit to the marketing for ONE flagship product, service, or program like I did with my book - you will start to generate momentum that carries over into everything else that you are doing.

2. Email marketing. Plain and simple, the more marketing emails I sent, the more web visits I got. Accident? No, of course not. Most of my emails contained links back to the website for the latest blog posts, the occasional teleseminar invitation or a new program announcement.

Lesson: The more email you send that contains high-value content, advice, insights, and recommendations (aka email that’s too good to delete), the more stickiness you’ll generate for your fans and followers. 

3. FLOP - Namely, “Featuring and Leveraging Other People.” I wrote about this concept in detail here and it has also been a tremendous driver of new traffic and new friendships, new clients, and new projects. Inbound FLOP is me shining the spotlight on others. And outbound FLOP is me participating in other people’s book launches, surveys, guest blogging, and so on.

Lesson: It’s not all about YOU. It IS all about how YOU can serve and promote other experts in your field who have a complementary skill set, message, or service offering. Welcome to the new collaborative economy. They win when you win. And you win when they win.

Sooooo... I’m still blogging.

But I’ve scaled down to once or twice a week.

And I’ve scaled UP the other activities listed above.

Because that’s what generates results.

What have YOU changed up in the last 3-6 months to STOP doing what doesn't matter and start DOING more of what matters most? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your specific changes and how they've freed up more time or made you more money... 

Are you a DO IT freak? Welcome to the club!! Please use the social media buttons at the top of this post to share it with your network. YOU are a rock star!

1. Top 5 Blog Tune-Ups in 5 Minutes Each
2. 10 Blogging Lessons from Your Dog
3. 13 Quick Tips for Blogging for Business 
4. It's OK Not to Blog
5. Blogging 101: 3 Reasons Your Blog Isn't Better
6. Blogging 101: 7 Ways to Write Less and Say More
7. Blogging 101: 7 Ways to Capture Ideas Like a Ninja
8. Marketing Coach: 41 Fresh Blog Post Ideas
9. Gesture Writing - NYTimes.com

What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on these ideas and join the conversation... 

As you may know, a wonderful team of small business experts and I are organizing the inaugural America Talks Business Conference coming up on July 25. (Conference info is here and you can still register with early bird savings here.)

One of our media partners is Entrepreneur Magazine. When I shared this news with my friend Dan Janal of PRLeads and PressReleaseSender.com, his first comment was, "Looks good. Congrats on getting Entrepreneur magazine. You are one well-connected guy!" 

I sent Dan back a note that said, "Not well-connected. Just fearless in asking."

And he closed out our email conversation with this brilliant observation: "Same thing, I guess!"

YES!!!

It is the same thing indeed.

So here are some questions for YOU: 

1. Who do YOU need to be well-connected to?

2. Who do you need to fearlessly ask for help?

3. What's stopping you from asking? 

4. What's the worst that could happen? 

5. What's the best that could happen? 

6. How much do you care about #4? 

7. How much do you want #5?

8. Is it time for YOU to do some fearless asking? 

p.s. The June 17 deadline is coming up for Entrepreneur Magazine's Entrepreneur of 2013 competition. You can't win if you don't enter. They are accepting applications for Entrepreneur of 2013, Emerging Entrepreneur of 2013 and College Entrepreneur of 2013. See if you qualify to join the ranks of other inspiring entrepreneurs: http://www.entrepreneur.com/e2013