Escaping Mediocrity

I am re-reading a book I found on my bookshelf during a recent clean out called The Experience Economy by B. Joseph Pine and James H. Gilmore  Though it was published in 1997 and much has changed since it’s writing, I believe the central thesis is incredibly valid in today’s market.

We are moving from a service-based economy to an experience-based economy.

This post isn’t a book review, so I’m not going to re-count all the nuggets of wisdom. You are smart people and can get the book yourselves.

But, I have to say that this book has me thinking – a lot. (I know I know – dangerous right?!)

To give you an idea of what I mean by an experience-based economy, just think about everyone’s favorite coffee shop, Starbucks. Up until it’s arrival on the scene, coffee was mostly an afterthought and cost somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty cents a cup.

Ah – but Starbucks decided to sell coffee a whole different way – and charge an unheard of price for the end product.  And it worked record-breakingly well.

Why? Because they don’t sell coffee. They sell the entire Starbucks experience. And we willingly que up and part with our hard earned dollar so that a barista can prepare our decaf-no-whip-skinny latte while we listen to uber-hip music and say hey to all our friends.

They sell the experience of feeling COOL. And every second of our time inside a Starbucks is orchestrated to enhance that experience. Next time you pop in for your favorite caffeinated beverage, pay attention to every detail and you’ll see what I mean.

(Another company who intentionally designs their customer experience is Zappo’s. GREAT case study to pay attention to.)

So how does all this apply to me – the humble blogger/escape artist/business coach?

I’m still working all that out but I can tell you what I am chewing on long and hard: What kind of experience am I designing for my tribe? My clients? My “guests”?

See I know we all crave great experiences – even online. It’s why we love bloggers like Chris Guillebeau, and tweeters like @SummerTomato. After spending just a few minutes of virtual time with them, we know we’ve been transported somewhere else and witnessed something pretty cool.

The success of recent “flash” launches lasting just 24 hours I believe rests largely on the story we watch unfold before our eyes. There is drama, suspense, urgency, humor, crowd-participation, climax and resolution – all rolled into the sale of a product.

Who wouldn’t want to pay attention to that?!

So I’m still working it all out in my head, but here’s the one thing I know for sure: From the get-go I have to be clear and intentional about the experience I am designing for you. Not in a fake, manipulative kind of way, but in a “how can I make it amazing for you?” kind of way.

Stay tuned for more on all that.

What do you think about this whole idea of experience? Because without you, I am writing a play for an empty theatre.

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Actually, that should be the extent of my post because that is about where I am today.

It’s just not going according to plan – even with all the flex I built into the plan.

This use to freak me out (and truth be told, I freaked out just a bit over the past 24 hours). I used to pass judgment on myself and create never-ending nightmare scenarios in my head about how awful it was all going to turn out.

I don’t do that any more.

I do stress myself beyond the point of reason but fortunately there are people in my life who cut that pretty short. They won’t allow me to churn in my unreasonable thinking for very long. They are bright shiny spots in my life.

So now what do I do when it doesn’t go according to plan?

Well, first I say it out loud. “This is not going according to plan. And I won’t die because of it.”

Then I tell people who need to know that the plan needs modifying. Like I need to say to you, my tribe, that registration for my live event won’t open on Thursday because there are some key details that I am waiting for.

Then I let myself off the hook. Cuz, like I said, I won’t die and, as best I can tell, neither will anyone else.

And that’s where I am today.

Where are you?

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Lucky us! Shama Hyder, business whiz extraordinaire and author of The Zen of Social Media Marketing, shares her secret to standing up and standing out in the most mediocre world of business.

It’s AWESOME!

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Apparently I have an intimate relationship with “Everybody”. I can read their minds. I scurry to please them. I hover over the publish button, worrying about how they will respond to whatever I am posting. I fear them.

“What will Everybody think?”

“What will Everybody say?”

“What if Everybody hates me?”

“What would make Everybody love me?”

“What if Nobody (just another word for Everybody) likes it or me?”

Yeah – I’m twisted like that.

Pretty powerful group, this “everybody” who resides in my head. If I allow them, they will control my every move.

Fortunately, I had a pretty amazing teacher who gave me some insights around Everybody. Her name is Martha Beck. (I was lucky enough to be personally trained by her a life coach – AMAZING experience. But I digress.) And I would like to share a few of her thoughts on managing Everybody.

So, let’s use my Burn The Ships post as an example. Writing and hovering over the Publish button brought out every fear I had about Everybody. What would they think? Would they still respect me in the morning? Would they laugh at me? All that mess.

So here are the questions Martha taught me to ask:

- Can you name five specific people who would agree with Everybody?

- If yes, do you even like these people?

- If yes, will the people who love really care about the opinion of these people?

- If yes, are these people actually people you want in your space anyway?

-If yes, are there an equal number of specific people who would disagree with everybody?

- In the end, and if there really are 5 people – and I usually struggle to come up with who they are – do I care about what they think enough to let them control me?

Now, I will confess that the fear does not magically and completely leave me once I run through answering all these questions. BUT, it does shrink the size of my fear – and of Everybody – considerably.

What about you? How do you deal with Everybody?

P.S. Don’t forget – the first Ustream Tribal Meeting is tonight (Tuesday) at 10p EST. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/escaping-mediocrity.

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So, to continue our conversation about making money, where and how do we start to do that?

I wish there were a magic formula I could give you. But I really don’t know any. (Btw -there are ton of people selling very expensive “formulas”. Proceed with caution on those.)

An besides, looking to others like they hold some magic key that unlocks the door to your fortunes is the fastest way to get bogged down in uncertainty and mediocrity. Sure, there are some basic strategies you need to know to build a solid business and they can be had pretty inexpensively.

But here’s the thing, reading and theorizing about business ideas and strategies will do you NO good if you don’t get out there and a) find your voice and b) build your tribe (in that order).

So many people I talk to are choking on the whole getting out there and developing a voice. For some reason, there is this idea floating around that you can get it perfectly right the first time out. And so lots of people are waiting for that perfection to arrive before attempting anything.

Guess what?

It doesn’t work that way. Some gurus may tell you it does. They are lying.

Everyone successful person I know and whom I admire used this amazingly complex strategy: they just started. They didn’t know if what they were doing was perfect. They didn’t know exactly what they were doing. They didn’t know the end game. But they started anyway.

And that is the magic key.

Get your blog up and running. Use http://www.wordpress.org. It’s free and has lots of free themes. If you want to purchase a theme that give you more oomph, I highly recommend Headway, but a paid theme is not necessary to begin.

Choose a name. Don’t get hung up on the “perfect” name. I thought I had the perfect name and then changed it seven months later. I survived.

Choose what you want to write about. The only requirement is that you are passionate about it. If, a few months down the road, you decide that you’ve chosen something that isn’t getting it, you can change it. I did that, too. And survived.

And it really really helps to know who it is you are writing for. It will help you focus your writing. Again, the first time out, I thought I had this nailed. Seven months later, I changed it. And I survived.

(As a side note – when I changed it, I wasn’t sure exactly who I was writing for. I don’t recommend this route though unless you can’t avoid it.)

So get out there! Try something! It is the ONLY way you will find your voice. And once you find it, your tribe will find you. It just works like that.

What are you going to do to get this thing off the ground?

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The topic of making money is always so charged with emotional energy. Even when I tweeted about it this morning people jumped to confirm that money is important but not really THAT important.

And I get that. I really do. So many of us have spent energy chasing the almighty dollar and come up feeling empty. Or we know people whose pursuit of the dollar leads them to using strategies and tactics that are just icky.

Great reasons to make sure we know that money takes a backseat to other things.

But here’s where I am now with money – and I thought it would be helpful to share: we all pretty much agree that money is energy, right? And that we have a relationship with money – whether we are aware of that relationship or not.

If those things are true, and I keep saying “money isn’t that important”, what does that invite into my world?

I mean let’s just say I was in a relationship with someone – be it friendship or love or whatever – and anytime anyone mentioned me they said “Oh Sarah? Yeah – she’s in my life but other stuff is WAY more important.”

Suffice it to say that I would dump their lame ass in a nano-second.

I’m not saying we need to sleep with money, or put our money relationship above all others. I’m simply saying that we need to have a warm comfortable relationship with it  – and with earning it, if we want it to hang around.

Some of us already have that – yay! But some of us are still trying to figure out how to make money while we execute our escape plan and we want to earn it in an un-mediocre way yes?

Well, I’d like to share some resources – paid and otherwise – to help with that.

First – and the most critical time-wise, is Chris Guillebeau’s Empire Builder’s Kit that is available today, May 18, ONLY. I give you an insider’s glimpse here if you want some help deciding if this is worthwhile for you. Pricing starts at $149 and you get a ton of strategic help. This is my affiliate link: http://bit.ly/empirebuilding

At the very least, download Chris’s free manifestos from his blog. They are EXCELLENT.

If you are a mom and an entrepreneur, I highly recommend MOMeo’s free Business In a Box which you can download here (it comes with some awesome bonuses, too!). Again, in the interest of full disclosure, this is also an affiliate link.

And if you want to connect the person who talks about money and the making of it in such a non-icky way, I invite you to connect with MY mentor, Andrea Lee. Her website is full of resources – free and not free – that are sure to shift your thinking about money in a very Escaping Mediocrity kind of way.

So there you are. My thoughts about making money and some resources to get us all started in making it in a way that feels true to who we are.

Would love to know your thoughts, ideas and recommended resources for The Tribe!

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Chris Guillebeau is launching his Empire Builders Kit (EBK) on Tuesday, May 18. It will only be available for 24 hours. So that you can make a really good decision about whether this is for you, I want to give you an insider’s glimpse of what it’s all about.

Here is the link (yes it is an affiliate link) to the EBK Sales Page. Remember, it won’t be live until TUESDAY, May 18. http://bit.ly/empirebuilding

Remember, if you choose to invest in an Empire Builders Kit and use the above link, email me your receipt and I will send you the downloadable audio of my interview with Chris, Jonathan Fields, Pam Slim and Reese Spykerman on Creating a GameChanging Brand. Email that to sarah (at) escaping-mediocrity (dot) com.

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[Update: The firm I talk about below and I have moved forward. The project at hand is far more important than personal differences. As always, there two sides to every coin and I feel certain that I share in the responsibility of how this thing played out. Apologies have been made an accepted - and now it is time to move on. ~S.]

Last night I go yelled at over the phone. And I mean the I-had-to-pull-the-phone-away-from-my-ear kind of yelled at.

What is particularly interesting about this is that a) I was being yelled at by the head of an outfit that my husband and I have paid to significant amount of money to help us with something pretty major and 2) I was being yelled at because I had the audacity to express frustration and my feelings about a lack of partnership.

Oh – and the person yelling told ME to calm down.

Here’s the thing about this. Aside from the fact that I truly hate being yelled at (it makes me feel like a little kid who has done something terribly wrong), I think the firm in question totally lost sight of the fact the we are clients. We get to be frustrated. And yelling about how we don’t “understand” that we are partners doesn’t make those feelings any different.

Because I do try to turn most anything into a teachable something, here is what I am taking away from this experience:

1. If someone is paying you money for something – especially if it is a significant amount of money TO THEM – they are a client. They deserve to be treated as clients.

2. Telling clients that their feelings are wrong, making them feel wrong, and generally talking down to them is never a good move.

3. Hiding behind “policies and procedures” to deflect honest customer dissatisfaction is cowardly.

4. If you have forced your client to be their own advocate and agreed to their requests, it is totally out of bounds to bottle up resentment about it and dump it on them later.

5. Being able to put yourself in the shoes of your client and really see things through their eyes is the heart of amazing customer service.

6. Though the natural knee-jerk reaction to hearing something unflattering is to be defensive, I’ve never seen that create a happy ending.

7. Accepting 0% responsibility in a heated client situation isn’t going to create a happy ending either.

8. Most client dissatisfaction can be defused by sincere interest in their pain and discomfort.

9. Though you may know more than your client about the details of a situation, don’t make them feel unintelligent.

10. Yelling at a client is always always always a bad idea.

I don’t know. Maybe I expect too much in this legalistic, CYA world we now seem to reside in. And stellar customer service is a rare exception in a world where mediocre is the accepted norm.

What say you? What are your best client relations/customer service suggestions? Oh – and here’s the test: before you suggest them for others, make sure you are willing to deliver them yourself.

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One of the fun things that happens to me every now and then is that I get to read advanced copies of books that are going to be hot Hot HOT! And lucky me just received not one but TWO copies of Delivering Happiness by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh.

I’ll just give you a peek at the table of contents so you can see that this book is ALL about Escaping Mediocrity.

Section I: Profits

1. In Search of Profits

2. You Win Some, You Lose Some

3. Diversify

Section II: Profits and Passion

4. Concentrate Your Position

5.  Platform for Growth: Brand, Culture, Pipeline

Section III: Profits, Passion and Purpose

6. Taking It to the Next Level

7. End Game

Once I finish reading it, I plan to do a full video review. But like I said, I got TWO copies – one for me and one to share and I don’t want to wait to share.

I would like to give my extra copy, along with a few more of my favorite books, to someone in The Tribe.

Sooo….with the help of Maddy Dychtwald (@GoInfluence), I’ve thought of a way to combine 1) shoes 2) getting rid of stuff and 3) doing good in the world. Here’s how it’s going to work:

1) Go through your currents shoes and the shoes of anyone who lives in your house. Find the ones that in great shape but that aren’t being worn. Put them all in a row.

2) Choose a charity who needs your shoes.

2) Snap a picture of your shoes.

3. Upload the picture to Flickr or another online photo hosting site.

4. Leave a comment below and share 1) How many pairs of shoes you gathered 2) What charity you are donating them to and 3) a link to the photo.

5) BONUS POINTS (meaning your name goes in the hat twice): for an additional photo of you making the shoe delivery.

***Amended Rule: If you have given away shoes to a charity in the past 6 weeks and can tell me about it in the comments, your name goes in the hat to win the book too. ***

Everyone who enters will get their name put in the hat and The Young Turk will draw the winner!

Deadline: Sunday, May 2, Midnight EST.

I know, I’m asking a lot. But I have an exceptional tribe who will rise to the challenge.  And remember, you will get an advanced copy of Delivering Happiness, plus copies of some of my very favorite books (I already know of three – and will be adding more).

Can’t wait to see how YOU deliver happiness!!

P.S. If you have a blog and want to apply for your own advanced copies, here is the link for that:
http://www.deliveringhappinessbook.com/contact/apply-for-an-advance-copy/

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I have entirely too much stuff.

There are lots of reasons for this state of affairs.

1) I am a child of a child of the depression so I learned not to throw anything away.

2) When my dad died, I inherited both his house packed to the brim with stuff as well as my grandmother’s house packed to the brim with stuff.

3) I like cool stuff. Especially if I think I might be able to use it/wear it someday.

But the situation has gotten out of control. I have clothes I haven’t worn in years (and am not likely to anytime in the near future. I have lamps, rugs and knick-knacks that don’t really suit my style. And I have more books than I will ever be able to read or re-read.

The weight of all of this stuff is starting to strangle me. And it keeps me from being nimble. I mean, how can I trap of mediocrity if I am trapped by stuff?

So, starting today – I am pitching out with a heavy hand.  Here are my criteria:

1) Do I love it?

2) Do I use it?

3) Do I want it?

4) Do I need it?

5) It is worth trading my lightness of foot for it?

Now in the interest is transparency, I’ve reached this place before. Sick to death of my stuff and vowing to get rid of it. But my attempts in the past have been measly really. And last night I hit on why that is.

For some reason giving stuff to the Salvation Army so that it can be re-sold just doesn’t do it for me. There are people in my city who don’t even have the cash or the wherewithall to shop there. And beside, I shop there – and I am not exactly in need. So collecting my donations have been half-hearted at best.

Then I remembered something. There is a place that people go, sometimes in the middle of the night, and arrive with nothing more than the clothes they are wearing. Women, children, even men come to this place and need the very basics immediately. The items that are weighing me down would be a godsend to them. Just the motivation I need.

What is this place, you might be wondering? My local domestic violence shelter.

And if the stuff I complain about, put off decisions about and generally feel encumbered by can give someone a boost toward freedom, I AM IN!

So, starting today, I am cleaning out with a vengeance. All it took was the right connection in my brain.

So, I have three questions for you:

1) Are you encumbered by too much stuff?

2) Are you willing to let go of any of it?

3) Is there someone who would could really USE the things that are just taking up space around you?

P.S. Martha Beck always talks about how our houses is a metaphor for our lives. GULP! I don’t want a life crammed with stuff that weighs me down!

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