QR codes are trendy right now. They started out as a hip, underground things. Kids put QR codes on band stickers then slapped them on mailboxes as a way to announce raves, secret shows and other clandestine things. (Ok, they started at the post office, but that story is not sexy) Now they are everywhere. [...]
More Please: Catch Up with Ketchup! →The holiday season is about to begin and with it comes stress. To add to the holiday stress, this is the busy season in some industries. All that busyness is a recipe for tension, battles and all-around ugliness. I want to share some tips on diffusing those battles, whether we’re talking about irritable customers, unhappy [...]
More Please: Have a battle-free holiday season →
I was sitting on the train checking out a stranger’s tattoos. He caught me looking intently at the one on his forearm. He said “Jack Sparrow” by way ofexplanation. I looked away blushing because a) I got caught staring, and b) it was kinda lame. My new friend Jack Sparrow got off at the next [...]
More Please: Captain Jack Sparrow on Branding →
Step 1. ASK. Seems obvious right? It’s the most overlooked step. A lot of people try 1 of 2 strategies: 1) make a huge ruckus and hope to be noticed or 2) sitting quietly in a corner looking sad and pathetic in hopes that someone will notice and take pity. Neither strategy is particularly effective. [...]
More Please: How to Get Internet Celebrities and Captains of Industry to Help You →I noticed a trend lately of small-business people new to outsourcing having trouble with their service provider relationships. Here are 5 tips to help you smooth out your relationships. You get what you pay for. In the pricing series I talked about the difference between a 19.95 website and a 10k website. Bottom line: you [...]
More Please: How to work with a service provider →
I read somewhere that 85% of women wear the wrong bra size. I’m statistically average, so I suspected I fit in this ill-fitting category. With that, I trotted off to the lingerie emporium that specializes in personal fittings. I got a bra, but I also got an intriguing look at ideal clients. If you ‘ve never [...]
More Please: Find your Ideal Client at your Local Bra Emporium →
I’m writing to you live from sunny Florida. The sun, the pool and the sangria might have made me more sensitive than usual. While going through my RSS feeds I noticed a trend in the blogosphere at the moment. Bloggers are getting rant-y and yelling at their readers. I would like you to quit it. That’s not customerlove-y. Once upon [...]
More Please: Stop Yelling at Me →
The next time you consider attending an offline networking event, keep these tips in mind: Go where people you want to meet are gathering. Seems obvious, but I’ve been to events for small businesses and met reps from vast corporations. Try meetup.com for groups in your area. You can also ask online forums or groups [...]
More Please: 7 Tips for Offline Networking →There’s 2 schools of thought on the debate between online friends and friends in real life. One suggests that online friendships are legit. The other says it’s not a real relationship until you meet face to face. Personally I think that’s horseshit. Once upon a time, back when IRC ruled chat and BBSs still existed [...]
More Please: IRL vs online: what’s real? →
Video is all the rage right now. There’s a handful of video blogs I like. I’m not opposed to video, I’m just not that into it, particularly for the Parlance blog. For one, I hate the sound of my voice when it’s recorded. Not a unique hang up, but there it is. For those of [...]
More Please: 3.5 Reasons I Didn’t Watch Your Video →
