Posted on July 29th, 2010 by Keith Ferrazzi
RMAer Veronica Volk is looking to get back into the job market after a two-year sabbatical. While she is a seasoned real estate 
and structured finance professional, she told me she was worried she’d be at a disadvantage because of her time off.
So many people get caught up with the positioning of how to explain a gap in their resume. There’s no need to be apologetic! Speak with great zeal about your time away. Talk about what you did – people love stories. Tell them about that trip you finally got to take, that project you finally got around to completing, whatever it may be. What did you learn about life and you? Most people WISH they’d had some time off to pursue other things.
And then, of course, let them know you’re ready to dive back into work! After time away, you’ve had time to get your batteries totally charged and are ready to devote as much passion and energy to work as you did to your time off.
How have you made the most of a sabbatical or transition between jobs?
Posted on July 27th, 2010 by Keith Ferrazzi
Learn the secret of the 118-second pitch in today’s tip from my buddy, expert marketer and celebrity CMO Jeffrey Hayzlett. It’s 
from his new book, The Mirror Test: Is your Business Really Breathing?, all about how to best position your company to grow. It’s already on at least three bestseller lists and I highly recommend you check it out. – Keith Ferrazzi
***
Adapted from The Mirror Test by Jeffrey Hayzlett
I had him. I knew it. I had been ready with my pitch and when I got him on the phone, I sold him big time. But as soon as I heard he was hooked, I stopped. I didn’t try to close the sale then and there. Instead, I tried to better position myself to take advantage of his interest and asked him for a bit of time a few days later.
“Well...”
“Let me ask you, are you an early morning person or an afternoon person?”
“Morning.”
“Great, so are you a coffee or tea man or do you like juice or water?”
“Coffee.”
“Milk or cream? Light or dark?”
“Milk, light.”
“Bagels, donuts, muffins, or cottage cheese?”
“Bagels.”
“Great. So I’ll see you Tuesday morning at 7:15. I’ll bring bagels and coffee and give you a fifteen-minute presentation of my product as you eat your breakfast.”
Once again, my “118” had succeeded. Now, I could close the sale the way I like: in person.
The 118 is my version of what some people still call “the elevator pitch”-an out-of-date name for the worthy idea that you need to sell what your company offers (and you) in the span of an elevator ride. Problem is that time used to mean up to three to five minutes. Now, it’s mere seconds. Technology has not only made things (including elevators) move faster but also has increased the need for speed and immediate relevance in pitching. You have seconds before I tune you out and maybe two minutes after that to completely sell me with your initial pitch.
The 118 comes from the 118 seconds you actually have to pitch: 8 seconds to hook me and up to 110 seconds to drive it home -- less than two minutes with only seconds to spare. The first eight seconds is the length of time the average human can concentrate on something and not lose some focus. It is also the length of time of one of the toughest rides in the world: a qualified ride in professional bull riding. In these first 8 seconds, you must be compelling, strong, and focused to be successful. You must hold on as one of the meanest, toughest animals in the world tries to throw you off - just like any good prospect will. Make it those 8 seconds, and I’ll give you 110 more to drive your message home with no bull. But if you have not sold me at the end of the 118, I will start to tune out. At that point, we are moving forward to a sale or not.
I speak at hundreds of meetings, conferences, and events worldwide every year, and I am constantly amazed by the inability of entrepreneurs, business owners, their managers, or their sales and marketing representatives to deliver a great, relevant 118.
The 118, like the elevator pitch before it, sells much more than a business’s products or services and unique selling proposition (USP). It is an essential piece in building your brand. It conveys who you are, the assurance your business offers, and the promises you will deliver on. Think you have a brand? Brand is the biggest business buzzword, but what does it mean? To me a brand is just a promise made and kept to a customer. Your 118 helps define what promises your brand will build or make. It connects every promise you make to those around you. Too many businesses don’t focus on these promises and eventually they not only fail to build a brand, they just fail.
The 118 connects directly to the foundation of every business’s growth. I’m not saying a bad one means certain failure, but I have rarely seen a good one deployed in the right way fail to help a business grow. How could it not? It conveys to anyone what he or she will get from your business.
This is usually where people start to nod their heads as if to say, “I know.” But I am not looking for an “Amen.” I’m looking for action. This is proof of life, people, and no time to nod in agreement or say, “I know I should do that” or “I’ll get back to that after I keep reading.” Even when business owners can answer the “Why?” questions (and thus know why they are doing what they are doing), the typical stammering and yammering when I ask for their pitches indicates to me a huge inability to convey what they are doing to their team and customers.
So, put the book down and write down your 118. Even if you have a good one, do it. I’ll wait…. Need help? I asked a few top performers about the best and worst pitches they received. Here is what a few had to say:
“I was riding up the Gherkin elevator with Will Harris, the marketing director at Nokia. I asked, ‘What if you could get dozens of user-generated videos for less than $1,000 each with www.mofilm.com?" He signed up before we reached the top floor and then Nokia went on to win the Cannes UGC competition with one of those videos.” - Jeffrey Merrihue, CEO, Accenture Marketing Sciences (London)
“This [insert idea here] gives us competitive advantage (the only factor that leads to profitable growth), and trades on the four things we covet: our core essence (what we know how to do and what our consumers consider our credentials/leverage), speed (because speed kills), surprise (because surprise disorients even smart competitors), and concentration (the only way smaller guys break through enemy lines with ‘fewer resources’).” - Russ Klein, President, Global Marketing, Strategy, and Innovation, Burger King Corporation
“The worst elevator pitch is one I hear frequently. It goes like this: Prospect: ‘What is it that you do?’ Salesperson: ‘I represent XYZ Company.’ Stop! What does that do to help build the relationship we all need in sales? Describe not whom you represent but what you do to help people solve the problems they have. Why not answer with, ‘I help people solve the problems of living too long, becoming disabled, or dying too soon.’” - Robert D. Lowrey, Managing Partner, Northwestern Mutual
“The Best: We make print clickable. The Worst: We do anything and everything a company needs us to do as cheaply as possible.” - Andy and Julie Plata, Co-CEOs, OutputLinks, Inc., Graphic Communications World
Share your 118.
Posted on April 27th, 2010 by Keith Ferrazzi
You know you’re doing a great job. I know you’re doing a great job. But what are you doing to make sure everyone else knows you're doing a great job.
Tony Hsieh’s Zappos is an Inc 500 alum
Sometimes we get stuck thinking, “I’m working hard, being productive, everything else should fall into place.”
Whether you’re an employee at a large corporation, or the owner of a business, you need to market yourself. You need to find positive brags – ways to tell the world “I’m freaking AMAZING” without them thinking you’re a self-congratulatory jerk.
Here’s five suggestions – not all of them will apply to everyone, but I bet one applies to you.
1. Compete for a booster shot of credibility and prestige by applying for a spot on Inc. magazine’s Inc. 500|5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America (for privately held companies with more than $2 million in revenue). The deadline is FRIDAY, April 30.
2. Find a wing man: Got a friend at work? Make an explicit agreement to shill for each other. Of course you’ll be honest, never inflated, in the praise you convey. But the idea is that you both make a conscious effort to find organic moments to speak positively about the other in front of influencers.
3. Start a Facebook page for your small business or firm. Yes, really! You’d be surprised how willing your friends will be to become fans – it’s an easy way to support you. Just make sure not to abuse the privilege by pushing out info constantly. Use it to communicate big wins, not incremental updates.
4. Here’s another one for people who are employees: Create an internal monthly email update of all the great work you’re doing. Make it interesting by blending it with other company news, news of local events, or links to interesting articles about your industry. Send it to everyone, or to the subset that you think matters, or even just to your boss as a weekly “status update.”
5. Have you ever hit a home run with a client, but felt like you waited too long to ask for a testimonial? Write them and ask! There’s no statute of limitations on this one folks. If they can’t remember the details, just bring them up to speed and offer to write it for them!
How do you toot your own horn?
Posted on November 10th, 2009 by Keith Ferrazzi
Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit. - e. e. cummings
Free cups of coffee for voters. (Starbucks.) Free overnight shipping for randomly selected customers. (Zappos.) Free hotel stays (Microtel Inns & Suites).
These are all ways businesses have “surprised and delighted” customers by going well beyond the call of duty with a creative, novel act of generosity that says, “You are having an experience.”
Create a moment that knocks a customer out of their routine, and you instantly build a stronger relationship. You’re also almost guaranteeing that they’re going to pass that story on: “Guess what happened to me today?” Boom! Word of mouth.
“Surprise and delight” isn't a new idea, but I wanted to remind people that creative gifts aren't just a strategy for corporations. I got to thinking about it this week when a friend shared with me the story of a meeting he'd just had with a potential vendor; afterwards, she not only paid for his parking but gave the attendant a kind message to pass on to him as well.
Point is, you don’t have to have a multimillion dollar company to go above and beyond with creative gifts or acts of kindness that tell clients – or even employees, colleagues, friends, or loved ones – that you’re paying attention. In fact, the best way to surprise and delight is to do exactly that: PAY ATTENTION. Seek out small details that you can surprise people with later.
That said, here’s a few of my own techniques that I’ve used to jog people from the “business as usual” frame of mind that gets in the way of making true connections. [Click 'more' to read them!] Read more →
Posted on October 19th, 2009 by Keith Ferrazzi
"Genuine confidence is what launches you out of bed in the morning, and through your day with a spring in your step." – Jim Collins
People constantly ask me, “What do I have to offer?” I especially hear this from young people who are looking to approach more senior players. But among both young and old, there are so many people who’ve yet to discover their unique selling proposition (USP) – that “secret sauce” that can open doors to new contacts. We all have one, sometimes many. It’s up to each of us to identify and develop it.
Your USP might be an expertise, a hobby, or even an interest or passion for a particular cause. Here’s one suggestion to build your reputation around that USP: Start a club or organization.
All clubs are based on common interests. Members are united by a similar job, philosophy, hobby, neighborhood, or simply because they are the same race, religion, or generation. They are bound by a common proposition that is unique to them. They have, in other words, a reason to hang out together.
You can take your own distinctive UPS and then take the extra step that most people don’t. Start an organization. And invite those you want to meet to join you. Gaining members will be easy. Like most clubs, it starts with your group of friends, who then select their own friends. Over time, those people will bring in even more new and intriguing people.
And you will be their leader.
Posted on October 8th, 2009 by Keith Ferrazzi
Welcome to Day 2 of our Relationship Action Plan Challenge, designed to give you just a small taste of the system I teach at the Relationship Masters Academy, which is currently enrolling for the March 4 class.
Today's Challenge: How Can I Help?
For you to get to know the people who can make you successful, they've got to want to get to know you. And to make that happen, you’ve got to USE YOUR CURRENCY -- your unique capacity to help somebody else fulfill their mission or vision of themselves in some way. Defining that currency is the second step in creating a solid Relationship Action Plan.
If you, like many people, don’t instantly know what your currency is and want help finding it, the best way to get started is to dig deep and find out what they need to be more successful. But you also need to take a good look at yourself to ask: How can I help? What do I have to offer?
Take a crack at these questions to get yourself started:
1. What things do you say about yourself and your interests that excite or intrigue people you meet?
2. When did you help make someone else a success at something?
3. Of the times you were able to give, which worked the best and which felt the best?
4. How can you purposely incorporate those currencies into your sales and networking plans?
Bonus challenge: Keep in mind that currency encompasses the small stuff, too. So today, find time to do at least one of these three:
1. Give a colleague a genuine compliment.
2. Friend someone you've lost contact with on LinkedIn or Facebook.
3. Thank someone publicly.
Tell me how it goes!
For more info about the Relationship Masters Academy, visit the FG site.
Posted on October 1st, 2009 by Keith Ferrazzi
When a dog bites a man that is not news, but when a man bites a dog that is news. - Charles Anderson Dana
You must manage your own media. Yes, a PR firm can help you generate those contacts, but early in your career you won’t need them and you probably won’t be able to afford them.
Who better than you to tell your story with credibility and passion? Start making calls to the reporters who cover your industry. Have lunch with them. Create and send press releases. Remember, media folks need you as much as you need them. They may not need your exact story at the exact time you want, but with a little stick-to-itiveness, they’ll come around.
Here are 10 tips to help you break a big story – yours!
1. Know the Media Landscape
Nothing infuriates reporters and editors more, I’m told, than to get a pitch from someone who clearly has no idea what their publication is about or who their audience is. So spend time reading their articles, figuring out what they cover, and what kinds of stories their publications like to run. Read more →
Posted on September 28th, 2009 by Keith Ferrazzi
As a follow up to last week’s post on making yourself indispensible to employers, here are some great tips from Frances Cole Jones, whose book The Wow Factor is all about finding ways to surprise and delight clients, colleagues, and customers at every turn.
3 Ways to Create Career-Catapulting Competitive Edge
By Frances Cole Jones
If you’ve been laid off - or want to ensure you won’t be;
If you just graduated and can’t land your first job;
If you want to position yourself for promotion;
You need The Wow Factor - that special something that sets you apart from the crowd.
To get you started, here's one new habit, one piece of vital information, and one thing you can do today to wow tomorrow.
One Habit to Practice: Actively Create Camaraderie
While it may seem a bit pedantic, it’s often helpful to think through three potential topics for small talk prior to your arrival at a meeting, a lunch, or a job interview. In my experience it’s best to choose from a fairly broad range of possibilities: say, local sports, current movies, and—depending on the crowd—nearby restaurants or attractions that you have researched. What this does is smooth over transitional moments such as waiting for the last meeting participant to arrive, for the waiter to bring your menus, or for the elevator when you’re ready to leave—all of which can be awkward if silent, or potentially deal-breaking if the topic you choose at random lands badly with your listeners.
One Piece of Information to Know: The Art of Interrupting
Most of us have a few tactics for what to do when we’re interrupted. We’re less confident, however, when it comes to interrupting others—though this can be necessary if you’re running a meeting that’s gone off track, or are overseeing a team that’s gotten into a wrangle. Given this, here are a few pointers:
The difficulty begins when many of us interject, “May I interrupt you?” The trouble with this particular choice is that it doesn’t carry the necessary heft to stop the person in their tracks. Consequently, I’d ask you to begin by saying, “I’m going to interrupt you.” – a choice which ensures your control of the remainder of the conversation.
After that, you might go on to say, “This sounds like an important idea, but I don’t know that everyone here needs to be in on the discussion—can you and I set another time to discuss it?” Or, “I don’t know that that level of detail is quite required here, but maybe you can follow up with Jane tomorrow?” (Throughout, your physicality and tone are going to matter a lot: my request is that you sound both firm and encouraging.)
One Action Step to Take: Bypass Bureaucracy
We all know the frustration of listening to a pre-recorded voice telling us to “Press or say one for sales; press or say two for technical support…” Similarly, we’ve all had the experience of being told, “No, I’m afraid he’s not available this week. May I take another message?”
Here how to bypass this bureaucracy: If you are dealing with an automated system, regardless of the situation, the best choice to make if you want to speak to a human being is to press the button that mentions sales as I guarantee they will have staffed the section that’s in charge of taking your money. Once you have a person on the phone, introduce yourself and ask him or her their name. Then explain the situation you’re trying to resolve and ask how they would suggest you move forward. When they say you need to call another number, request both that they perform the transfer and that they stay on the line until there is an actual third person on the phone.
If you are trying to resolve a situation via the web, and have sent emails to their suggested customer service mailbox to no avail, check around on the site for the contact information for their public relations or press office. At this point, I don’t recommend sending them an email, as that’s too easy to ignore, but giving them a call. Again, I guarantee this is one area of the company that will be staffed with living, breathing people, as maintaining their public image is likely a priority. Once you have someone on the phone, the same procedures apply: introduce yourself, get his or her name, explain your situation and ask how best to proceed.
So whether you’re starting out, starting over – or starting to think you’re ready for a bigger piece of the pie-- I guarantee implementing these three tools will help ensure your wow factor.
Media manager and trainer Frances Cole Jones is the author of The Wow Factor - check her out!
Posted on August 26th, 2009 by Keith Ferrazzi
Last week’s “Three Steps to Kick Social Anxiety” broke traffic records here. No doubt about it: Meeting new people puts us out of our comfort zone! You guys had a lot to say about public speaking. In fact, there were so many good tips in the comments, many from professional coaches, that I’ve used them to create this new post. (Most of the responses are edited down, rather than verbatim.) Thanks all for the great input!
1. Practice, practice and practice. Most nerves develop when we think we won’t come across as credible to our audience. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will be with your program, the less nervous you will be. Janet Boulter
2. Home field advantage: Examine your current affiliations and see if there is a group that you are very comfortable in and start speaking there first. Josh Phanco
3. Control for quality: Focus more on content and less on delivery. Chad Brue
4. Do your wee ones a favor: Parents can help their kids grow up with comfort in public speaking by looking for and creating opportunities. Church, scouting, various clubs, drama, debate all can give these opportunities. Or you can create them in your own family and in gatherings with friends and relatives, where children are given experiences to contribute, to share a thought, give a little speech, act in a skit, etc. (An opportunity for practice for you as well!) Jeff Lindsay
5. Put your audience first. It's not about you, it's about them - so quit your worrying and focus on how your speech is going to improve their lives, even just a little. (NOTE: The community spoke! I originally included a reader's recommendation of the beta blocker Propranolol in this list, but have removed it after taking to heart the concern of many KF.com readers.)
6. Ipod to the rescue: Listen to a few kick ass songs to get you into your groove. If your body isn’t moving and you’re not singing… then find better songs. Matt
7. Remember the Force: See yourself as connected to everyone and everything. Martial Arts teaches students that all is one. That means when you address that “scary sea of faces” you should see them as exactly the same as you, because guess what – they are! David Portney
8. Mental buddy-up: Imagine yourself some time in the future, hugging the people in the crowd, as though they were long lost family. Or imagine them after the talk, approaching you and telling you how positively the message affected them.
9. Share the love: Just before walking to the podium, look into the eyes of as many people in the room as you can. Project every ounce of your being into the thought that they are going to love your message. (And make sure your content delivers on that promise!)
10. Use a positive mantra. Rather than thinking negative thoughts like “don’t screw up” or “what if I forget what I want to say?”repeat a positive mantra as a means of boosting confidence and focusing on the audience. Find a mantra that is personally meaningful and believable. It could be a song title (Aretha Franklin’s “RESPECT” comes to mind), a line from a poem or anything that makes you feel powerful and confident. And it has to be strong enough to drown out the negative, “Joy-Sucker” voice in your head that undermines their confidence and makes you less able to convey their knowledge and experience to the audience. My personal mantra is “You go, girl!” (accompanied by a mental fist in the air). Gilda Bonanno
Take a minute to develop your personal pre-speech mantra - and share it here!
Photo courtesy the Experient e4 Blog.
Posted on July 21st, 2009 by Keith Ferrazzi
Who else has been following the Murphy-Goode Winery contest? Today they’re announcing the winner of their six-month “Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent” dream job. The campaign is a terrific example of how social media marketing can generate tremendous buzz, brand loyalty, and publicity – and even some controversy. Were you a fan of the campaign - or the wine?
Wrinkles aside, I like the campaign so much I’m considering something similar for my next hire.
Social media consultants and firms, send proposals to my managing editor, sgrace-at-ferrazzigreenlight-dot-com: How can we adapt Murphy-Goode’s contest to find a new community manager/brand ambassador for Keith Ferrazzi and the power of Relationships?
