Made me laugh, and made me think, too!

I have to share this quote which struck me as SO funny and SO insightful. We "know" things based on our experience. And yet, our experience is not universal. The best way to make it more universal is to share it. Think about it! How many times have you swallowed your opinion when you ought to have shared it?

NY Times: The internet takes some time off, 2023-Sep-1, by Madison Malone Kircher

There is a pet theory I’ve long held about the internet. I will disclose upfront that it has absolutely zero scientific merit. The only peer review it has received is me telling my actual peers about it. You are now all my friends.

 

Better Storytelling with 3 Reveals, from Ann Handley

I'm still on the road to become a good storyteller, and Ann Handley recently offered a great tip. (A-ha: better way to connect with the reader.)

Total Annarchy newsletter: Yes, You Did See Me on MasterChef, 2023-Jun-4 by Ann Handley

Every story should reveal three truths. I call this the 3 Reveals (because I'm not great at titles).

THE 3 REVEALS

1. Reveal the writer to the reader: Help the reader understand the writer.
2. Reveal the reader to the reader: Help the reader see themselves.
3. Reveal an idea: Help deliver an a-ha moment.

Any story is a kind of partnership between the writer and the reader.

When one of the truths isn't present—a story falls flat. Feels inauthentic. Is boring.

 

A balance between all 3 Reveals is key. Over-indexing on one can easily throw the whole experience out of whack, like a wobbly wheel on a shopping cart that keeps listing too much to the right. You fight it—and the whole thing becomes annoying.

Building Trust in Marketing Messages

Michael Katz just published a great newsletter issue about building trust with your audience. It's fun to read, and I won't give away the message here!

Blue Penguin Development: Trust-Based Marketing, 2023-Mar-16 by Michael Katz

Trust is Not a Given

Since that day [first-time paragliding], I’ve given a lot of thought to trust (and life insurance). More specifically, what allowed me, with all my fears, to move ahead?

I think it came down to three things, all of which also relate to how prospective clients decide to commit (or not) and work with professional service providers like us…

#1. Professionalism....

Our Favorite Peacenik on the Ukraine War

Nonzero Newsletter: The Ukraine Archives 2023-Feb-23 by Robert Wright:

I’m proud of the things this newsletter has published about the Ukraine war—not because I think they’re all great, but because collectively they represent a clear alternative to the perspective offered in mainstream media, where both reporting and commentary have tended to succumb to the conformist pressures that emanate from wars.  

So I thought I’d mark this dark anniversary by listing some of these NZN posts—both written pieces and podcasts—along with a brief summary and/or reflection for each. I’m confining the list of written pieces to the first six months of the war, but a few of the podcasts are more recent than that.

Almost all of these posts are “unlocked”—available to the entire reading public, not just paid subscribers.

Learn about yourself and your 4000 Weeks

Leader, software engineer, and designer Lee Byron has created an interactive tribute to Oliver Burkeman's book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.

Lee's creation is lovely and thought-provoking. If you visit, you are asked to share your age so the number of days you've been alive can be counted. However, you don't have to put your real birthday into the form to enjoy the story.

Lee Byron:

A tribute to the book by Oliver Burkeman, an exploration of time management in the face of human finitude, and addressing the anxiety of “getting everything done.”

See it here.

How to plan a great pitch to a potential partner

Are you facing a crucial business proposal? Here's a way to make sure you have the issues covered.
Sales Hacker: The JUICY formula for a B2B business partnership pitch by Belinda Aramide, 2202-11-7

Tired of Rejection? Make Sure Your Offer is JUICY

Continue reading at https://www.saleshacker.com/juicy-offers/ | Sales Hacker

1. Justify their investment of time, money, and/or foregone revenue for even exploring the partnership.
   
   1. Recognize their operational costs of working with you... displacing a cash customer? supervision? recruitment?
   2. What will the first (pitch) meeting accomplish?
      1. Will you show them how they can profit or grow?
      2. Will you show them how you'll help with unexpected hurdles and expenses?
2. Show Unique advantage of doing this proposal with us instead of anything/anyone else.
   1. Ask ourselves: with whom are we competing?
   2. How can we uniquely help with the needs of their members and partners? Do we reduce the time and money they would have to invest in training? Can we demonstrate that? Can we help them innovate their own business? Can we make them confident it would help?
   3. What is unique about us?
   4. What makes us different?
   5. Are they hearing promises they've heard before?
3. Be Irresistible
   
   1. How can we help them 'seize the day'?
   2. Identify with them
      
      1. What's pressuring them? Profitability or growth?
      2. How will we make a difference sooner rather than later... to avoid getting a 'we'd love to have you ONE DAY ' answer.
      3. How can we avoid adding to their costs? (Get them to tell US.)
      4. "Is there anything we could help you fix RIGHT NOW?"
4. Consequential
   1. Being important: "We can make a BIG difference in your creativity & effectiveness NOW."
   2. Success stories from people who have worked with us?
   3. We need to communicate what a BIG impact we can make.
5. YES, that's an easy offer to accept!
   1. Make the offer easy to accept by offering alternatives. "We could do it Xway or Yway."
   2. Don't let saying NO be easier. See THEIR challenges, i.e.
      
      1. "Jeez we have to juggle our schedule"
      2. We have to convince the finance guy to forego potential revenue... it's just not worth it."
      3. Try and find out what their 'utilization rate' is. What are we up against?

 

Improve Your Learning Agility with "after-action reviews"

Sometimes we make a decision and things go well... other times, not so well. This is a good reminder to take a breather and figure out what you've learned.

Center for Creative Leadership: Tips for Improving Your Learning Agility, 2020-Dec-2

Learning occurs when you take the time to reflect, to shift your thinking beyond merely what happened to ask why things happened the way they did. Reflection helps to surface the intuitive and lock it in for future reference. So step back from the busyness and figure out what you’re learning from a project, from an interaction, from a new experience. Talk about what’s currently working well and what isn’t — or debrief what’s already happened. Conduct after-action reviews where you, and relevant others, reflect by asking questions: What happened? Why did it happen that way? What should we stop/start/continue doing in order to ensure success in the future? What changes in knowledge, skill level, attitudes, behavior, or values resulted from the experience?