Thomas Clifford /// Humanizing Business Communications

If you know someone “remarkable” who can change your life for the better, you’re lucky.

That makes me lucky.

I waited three years for “A Day with Seth Godin” and yesterday, Feb. 13, was truly “remarkable.”

A full day with Seth is like having your brain go through a car wash...time to get rid of all grime and “noise” we have accumulated over the years. Time to evaluate what we have been doing over and over and look at our efforts from new and different angles.

Seth loves lists, so here is my list from the day. In no particular order. They are my “take-away’s.”

1. “Me mail.” It’s about me. I’m busy. Please make it about me or I’m outta here.

2. The “Permission/Fashion Complex.”
Be remarkable. Use permission to tell your story to your “sneezers.” They spread the word. Get permission to communicate with them again.

3. Brainstorming doesn’t work. Most people aren’t trained to do it properly. So…

4. Go to the edges. No one is there. Own it.

5. Flip the Funnel. Stop yelling and interrupting to get customers. Flip the funnel and let them shout for you.

6. Squidoo. Challenge your customers to build lenses about you or themselves. Offer a contest.

7. Why blog? To think differently. To write differently. To act differently.

8. Blogs. No traffic = not worth reading. Not worth reading = not worth talking about.

9. Technorati. Search for your name, company name, product or service. Subscribe to the “Search” RSS feed for immediate updates on who is talking about you.

10. SEO. Save it for last. Be remarkable first. Build the community. Let others spread the idea. Then, maybe, just maybe…work on SEO.

11. Chocolate or real estate? Which would you rather talk about? That’s the point.

12. The art of charging money is about making the commitment. When you pay, your focus is different. You become committed; engaged.

13. Youtube. The value is in helping others learn more about you.

14. Every one of us is in the media business. Nobody told you, but it’s true. You now have your own channel.

15. Websites: Pt. 1.
Two questions to ask yourself: 1. What do I want my visitor to do? 2. Why?

16. Websites: Pt. 2.
Turn a stranger into a friend. Turn a friend into a customer.

17. Being average. It’s overrated. Being average is the worst possible thing you can do.

18. Infinity. We are surrounded by an infinity of choices. What’s your choice? Being “the best in the world” just might work.

Reading this is the easy part. Doing it is the hard part.

Thanks for the “brain food,” Seth. And thanks for being “the best in the world.”

---Tom