A few weeks ago I was in Tampa, Florida speaking to an association on The Generations- Here’s the lesson I learned; Younger generations are changing the rules- Take a second and watch this video blog and share your thoughts on Gen Y challenging YOUR rules!
Brands have a personality! Yes, personal brands, online brand, business brands and even association brand’s have a personality. Your brand personality reflects your stature, your values, and your behaviors and is the key to how you are perceived.
Can you share your brand personality in just one word?
A few weeks ago I presented 4 sessions to the American Bus Association Marketplace Conference in Grapevine, Texas. There were over 3000 attendees at the conference! After being with these fantastic people for 3 days here’s what we discovered about their brand personality! We got it down to just 1 word!
I bet lots of you will be attending Superbowl parties this Sunday. (I will be on a plane flying home for New Orleans after speaking to the American Rental Association… Hey, I’m not complaining- Love the work!) But I do have some advice for you all. Especially the ones of you that have had that terrible cold that lasted for 42 days back in December.
Watch out for the Double Dippers!
Dr. Sangey Gupta reports that just on double dipper can add 50 to 100 times the bacteria to an onion dip…imagine if there are two or three double dipping!
Take a look at George double-dipping!
Have a great time Sunday…I’ll be home to see Madonna at half-time and celebrate the Giants WIN!
Last week I traveled to Rockwall, Texas to speak to the Texas Association for School Nutrition. The conference theme Connecting with the 4 Generations was a perfect fit! They asked me to speak on the impact technology has on each generation and how using social media can improve business and communication in the new generations! (Don’t forget Gen Z !) As you will see, technology did not kick in in full force until 2000! It’s easy to see why many traditionalists and boomers are a little challenged with social media. It’s time for many of us to go back to school!
December is historically a “slow” month for many Speakers, Consultants, Coaches and Authors and it’s a great opportunity invest TIME in Growing your Business. Crystal and Karen have created this program customized for Speakers, Consultants and Authors and will share secrets and time-saving tips that will help you book more business, sell more books, and create a social media marketing plan positioning you for success in 2012! 93% of marketers use Social Media for Business…do you?
In this 3 hour session designed for Houston area Speakers, Authors, Coaches and Consultants. Karen and Crystal will share:
The Best Part- EVERYONE will leave with a physical social media strategy- a simple to follow action plan to guide you to success!
and lastly we will share
8:30 – Noon Houston Council – Lecture Hall
303 Jackson Hill- Houston 77008
Early bird $79.00
Limited Seating
National Speaker, Author, and Branding Expert, Karen McCullough
Social Media Consultant and Social Media Speaker,Crystal Washington
Thanksgiving is that special time of year when families are suppose to gather and give thanks for their blessing. And, while we love the idea of being with our relatives and in-laws, being around family members for any length of time can create tension. Then, when you add to the mix travel, weather, the actual cooking the meal, figuring out who can eat what, who sits where…stress mounts and sometimes our words can add tension.
When we are with family, buttons get pushed; our filters come down and we revert to old patterns and we say things that we wouldn’t ordinary say…
Don’t be that guy, gal or mother-in-law who makes things AWKWARD this Thanksgiving!
Here are a few suggestions of “What not-to-say “this Thanksgiving…and be sure and add some that come to mind
1. When are you moving out?
2. Who’s the father?
3. What’s different about you?
4. When are you going to make me a grandma?
5. When are you going to get a real job?
6. You’re wearing that!
7. Honey, What’s in this stuffing? It’s not like my mothers.
8. Glenn Beck said…
9. While watching football do NOT mention Penn State.
10. You didn’t thaw the turkey!
11. Where’s the Cool Whip?
12. I’m allergic to cats.
13. You’re having seconds?
12. How many calories are in this?
13. Can I unbutton my pants?
14. We ran out of coffee
14. Forget that poison hype – birds were meant to be stuffed!
15. Are you dating anyone yet?
16. When’s the baby due?
17. Have you been sick?
18. Hey how ‘bout that “Super Committee”
19. I’m a Vegan
20. You deep fried what?
“The best solutions are often formed as a culmination of many ideas offered by lots of people. If you’re not paying attention, think about what you might miss.” Karen McCullough
YOU: Excuse me boss, do you have a second? I have an idea that might….
THE BOSS: Sure, oh… wait- here’s an important text
YOU: No problem.
THE BOSS: Okay, back to you. What a call- it’s my wife- I need to check it out! Okay, back to you.
YOU: Well, I was thinking that….
THE BOSS: Hey somebody…that customer is trying to get someone’s attention.
YOU: Sure, I can wait.
THE BOSS: Okay, back to you.
YOU: I think I’ve lost my train of thought. Let’s talk again some other time when things aren’t so hectic.
Sound familiar?
It’s loud out there, and chances are, you – and others around you – are distracted. Your smart phone is buzzing, pinging, texting, tweeting, and ringing. The person in front of you in line at Costco has on head phones and playing air guitar; no eye contact happening here. XM music is playing in the background and the flat screens across the way are showing news from the Middle East, college football games, Finding Nemo and everyone seems to be yelling into their Bluetooth’s.
It’s just too much noise and sadly we are tuning out! Do you ever find yourself looking face to face with a friend, a colleague, and at times even a customer – they’re talking, and all you hear is, “Blah, Blah, Blah,” like the teacher in the Charlie Brown specials?
If you find that you are tuning people out, it’s time to stop. No, I didn’t say hit pause, I said stop. It’s time to learn how to LISTEN UP! Your skills as a listener can make or break your success in business and your life.
Many of us don’t consciously realize that listening is a critical component in the communications loop and that it takes skill. We think listening just happens, that it doesn’t involve practice, and that we don’t need to make an effort to effectively hear what people are saying. Talking – not listening – is important, and in many cases we are thinking not about what someone is telling us, but what we’re going to say when they finally stop talking.
Another listening issue is caused by our inflated egos. According to a recent study by the Harvard Business Review, people think that the voice mail they send is more important than the voice mail they receive. Generally, senders think that their message is more helpful and urgent than do the people who receive it. Just think of all we’re missing when we see ourselves as the only one with the good ideas.
If we are to learn from others, we need to optimize our communication skills by effectively closing the conversation loop, and to do that we need to elevate the important of listening. Let’s start by calling listening Active Listening. According to Wikipedia, Active Listening is a communication technique that requires the listener to understand, interpret, and evaluate what they hear. Active Listening can also be viewed as a gift (honoring the other person by giving our time and attention) as well as a skill to be mastered.
Here are some steps to becoming an Active Listener. (Or bring Karen in Live)
1. Stop talking. You can’t multitask speaking and listening. It’s impossible. When you are talking, you are not listening. And this also applies to that little voice talking inside your head. (I know for a fact that we women have more than one voice inside our head…. We have an entire committee chatting it up! ) So Rule #1 is to Stop the Talking!
2. Look at the person who is talking. Take time to notice their facial expression and their body language. We gather more information from non-verbal signs and tone of voice than we do from a person’s actual words. Active listening requires an understanding of what someone is saying with their gestures, eye contact, tone of voice as well as their words.
“The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.” Peter Drucker
3. Focus and eliminate distractions. Turn off the cell phone and the TV, and put down the iPad. When you interrupt someone to check your messages, you are sending a signal that you are not interested in what they have to say. Stop multitasking while pretending to listen. How many times have you been on the phone with one person and sending an e-mail to someone else?
4. Don’t make assumptions, jump to conclusions, or react before the speaker has had a chance to express herself. Don’t try to solve the problem before they have completed presenting their issue.
5. Don’t finish the other person’s sentences. Wait until the speaker is finished talking before deciding if you agree or disagree. Don’t try to solve the problem or come up with the answer while the speaker is still talking.
6. Ask good questions. Learn how to create thought-provoking conversation that relates to the speaker’s topic. Ask meaningful questions that get to the heart of the matter. A good question gets the speaker to think more deeply and can expand the conversation. Ask questions that start with how or why to really get them to elaborate. Once you get them to open up paraphrasing and summarizing what they have said will demonstrate that you are listening to them. You might even want to take notes during your interaction, this will force you to listen well and show the boss or sales prospect that you care enough to write down what they are saying.
7. Ask for feedback. The opportunity to give and receive feedback allows us to give guidance and make adjustments . Feedback helps make sure that all parties are hearing the same message and eases miscommunication.
8. Repeat what people say. Offering a comment like, “Let me be sure I understand what you’re saying. You’re saying that…?” helps prevent misunderstandings and show that you are really listening.
Practicing active listening skills will transform your interaction with others, generating solutions and ideas born of creativity and collaboration and enriching your business, social connections and life in general. By honoring others with your time and attention you will certainly energize the conversation, be more productive, reduce errors, sell more, be more innovative, come up with ideas and solutions that you’d never find on your own and have more friends and a better love life…
not bad for just listening…huh?
This summer I’ve been coaching entrepreneurs and business owners who want to use “public speaking” as a marketing tool to attract clients and customers to use their services.
Initially we focus our time on writing the speech. After the speech is crafted we design a “speaker’s marketing piece” that will get the attention of meeting planners, and event program directors.
Bingo!
They get booked to speak at a networking luncheon or even a local conference…terrific!
Things are going great- they are up in front of sixty or so people giving their presentation and they start to stray off the prepared speech and dive into making sales pitch (yuck!)
The hard truth is that no one comes to a networking luncheon or a conference to hear a speaker market to them. If your talk is really a “HIRE ME” to solve your problems, sprinkled here and there with a few tips, you are going to turn off your audience and never be asked to speak.
Here are some of my secrets that will help you get what you want! For me it’s to get booked to speak again and again, for you it might be to sell your services, your book, or your products.
Just Remember- Don’t Sell or Marker from the Platform!
1. Know your audience and make your program relevant to their needs. One speech doesn’t fit all audiences. Change it up! If you are talking to realtors find examples that reflect their challenges. Present your material as though you were one of them. That works better in these situations opposed to you telling them the 10 things they need to be doing.
2. Give-Give- Give. Give away some of your best information (I give them my slides) and stop worrying that they are going to go off and DIY or steal your talk. Here’s a little secret-very few people actually go and do what you suggest. Eventually, if you made a great impression, they will hire you to help them get where they need to be.
3. Get Good! Just because you wrote a great presentation doesn’t mean you can deliver a great presentation. Speaking is an art and practice is a huge part of the deal. Today audiences want to hear presentations where the speaker is comfortable and as ease rather than someone reading scripted materials or delivering memorized speech. Practice so that your words flow, have some animation, and remember that your energy (good or bad) is contagious.
4. Leave Time for a Q and A. Here’s where we separate the novice from the pro. How you sound in the Q and A quickly establishes your expertise- or not. Do your homework and keep on reading and doing research on your topic.
5. Make it fun and make it easy for the audience to connect with you. After I warm the audience up I say, “Here are the rules, Open your phone or laptop and Tweet about this presentation. And I hope you tweet good things about me.” (hopefully I get a laugh!) Everyone starts to buzz! Then on the screen is a slide with my Twitter handle K_McCullough and my email address karen@karenmccullough.com ! Again on my last slide I say, “Stay connected and I again give my email, Twitter handle and my Facebook and Linkedin name. It works! Some connect immediately while others drop an email when they need me.
6. Stick around. This is something that I have learned from the top pros. I get more inquiries for my speaking services after I have presented. Right after the speech there is usually a group of people that swarm wanted my card, asking questions and giving me their cards and information. I try to stay a few hours after my presentation and talk with people in the halls and hotel lobby. My goal is not to nail a booking right then and there, but to created the space for a relationship to grow.
In Closing…
Want to be a great marketer? Become a great presenter. When people discover that you really know what you are talking about you will attract business. Your are leaving your listeners with the thought that they should get your card and check our you or your business.
Today your audience is savvy…they will find you on line. It’s not that hard.
As a speaker I would love your opinions-
What annoys you about speakers?
What makes you want to learn more about a speaker and give them your business?
The worldwide economic downturn has us all worrying about our financial futures. Everyone feels the uncertainty of the times.
What can we do to help ourselves?
Everywhere you look there are articles, tweets, and sound bytes about Re-branding. Dr. Phil did and entire show called Reinvent Yourself.
The main reason for a re-brand is the need for a company or an individual to communicate a new message- Something new, something different, something that has evolved and something that has relevance.
Reinventing or rebranding is not a new concept- Target did it, Kinkos did it, and let’s not forget Madonna!
Does your current brand and expertise have an expiration date?
If so you might be thinking about Rebranding YOU!
Your personal brand is the words that others think of when your name is mentioned; it’s what you are known for. Your brand is so powerful that it influences your success and your future. Personal Branding is the place that you occupy in your decision maker’s mind relative to your competition. The big question now is, “Is your brand relevant?”
Here are some thoughts if you are thinking about Rebranding YOU!
1. What’s your NEW vision? How do you see yourself and how do you want to be perceived? A really good example of this change in perception is Angelina Jolie . She created a different image. Remember back to her days with Billy Bob Thornton? Angelia’s perception was that of a wild, adventurous character living on the edge. Today her perception with Brad and all the international children, is that of a person who is caring and loving to her children and to the world. She re-branded!
2. What is at your core? Use everything you already have and use it in a new way. Recently in my Jazzercise class we danced to a song by Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin ) and Allison Krause (Icon of bluegrass) called I’ll Be Gone... Robert, who knew? In an interview Robert said that they created something that he had never imagined, a ventured into a new territory- Plant and Krause’s harmonizing made it all happen. They both took a risk, they connected to their core talent and together they created a new sound. Their work has evolved.
3. Your Actions Speak volumes about who you are and your brand. Michael Eisner once said that your brand is a living entity- and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time. Your brand is the product of a thousand small gestures What are you doing? What are your reading? What are you learning? What steps are you taking to create a more passionate and relevant you?
4. Want a different brand? Change the Conversation. Your conversation escalates the brand. My good friend Bambi McCullough, no relation, told me that the best way to be seen differently at work or in your community is to stop complaining, stop saying what you don’t want to be remembered for and start talking about what it is you believe in. We hear you, we remember your words, and we get your tone. Want to change your brand? Then start by changing your conversation.
5. Focus on Innovation and Continued Learning. Today you have to continually read, check-out blog posts, go to forums, watch youtube, take online webinars, and discover what’s relevant. Then, try sharing your point of view as you pump out content. Content, ideas, bold concepts, and yes innovation are the brand -makers! Sure you will have to reallocate your time, and turn off the TV. I didn’t say that this was going to be easy.
6. Social Media is the big game changer that can Explode Your Brand. Gary Vaynerchuk says that If you have a passion blog about it, tweet about it, write a facebook status about it, video it, and just get it out there and Crush It! There is a powerful shift happening and the shift is all about how we get the messages out! Social media is changing the way we spread the word- your word. Twitter and facebook are the tools that you use to spread your brand.
Learn all about Social Media!
Right now is the best time to start re-branding because online communication has opened the doors to communication. The day of the gate keeper is over. Today you can Tweet to anyone! You just want to be sure that when they tweet you back and start reading your profiles, you look like you have something of value to share!
