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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So I am one of the lucky bloggers who received an advanced copy of Tony Hseih’s book Delivering Happiness. I talked a bit about it and even gave away a copy here.

No doubt you’ve seen all of the amazing reviews out there. If you haven’t just take a peek at the book’s Amazon page. The glowing kudos are well deserved. It is truly an amazing book with a TON of practical application (that I plan to use my very self!).

And instead of adding my own run down of the incredible content you will find in it, I’ve decided to take a slightly different tack. I know I know. Now there’s a surprise.

What I learned from the book and from my tour of Zappos HQ last fall is that Delivering Happiness is an Inside/Outside Job. And Tony lives it every day.

Inside:

First, even before the idea of Zappos entered his head, Tony understood that he had to be happy on the inside with whatever he created in the world. Having is turn a profit came second. He had to “deliver happiness” to himself before he could deliver it to others.

Second, he had to “deliver happiness” to his team before they could deliver it to anyone else. Even amid a difficult season of layoffs, Tony rose to the challenge of transparent giving and sharing that carried everyone through to the other side.

Third, his team had to “deliver happiness” to each other before they could deliver it to customers. The internal support, community and joie de vivre that exists inside Zappo’s is unlike anything I have ever seen. It makes me want to quit what I do and answer customer service phone call for them. Seriously.

Bonus: Reading the chapter on Zappo’s Culture Book should be mandatory reading for all CEO’s. #justsayin

Outside:

First, his front line call center team is totally focused on creating an extraordinary customer service experience. Did you know that there is no time limit on how long a rep can stay on the phone with a customer? This completely bucks the norm of running a stopwatch on customer service calls. And reps are encouraged to write handwritten notes to people they talk to. Sometimes they even send flowers. Think that approach “delivers happiness” to the person spending the money?

Second, his vendor relations team treats prospective vendors like top clients. Zappos pays to ship in product they are considering and takes the time to set up an attractive display for the vendor’s presentation. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know of any other company who forms vendor relationships like that.

Third “If you just focus on making sure that your product or service continually WOWs people, eventually the press will find out about it..” Beats the heck out of traditional PR strategy, don’t you think?

Of course there is much much more to creating a Delivering Happiness kind of culture – but these are among my favorites.

If you want to begin your Inside/Outside job of Delivering Happiness, I highly recommend getting your mitts on the book, get a notebook and a pen so you can jot down notes and start taking happy action without delay.

Here’s where you can get yours: http://www.deliveringhappinessbook.com

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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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ok- to continue our discussion about sales pages…….

I’ve been doing a TON of research on sales pages. Good ones, bad ones, elements that work, verbiage that sucks, etc.  And if I’ve learned anything, it is this:

Though we complain about sales pages, we do want someone to help us make a buying decision. And it isn’t so much the length of the sales page that makes or breaks that deal. It is what the page contains.

- Is it warm?
- Is it full of the same old bs?
- Does it respect and even love – the reader to an infinite degree?
- Does it have personality?
- Does it further the relationship (assuming there is a relationship in place?)
- Is it just a cookie cutter of lots of other sales pages?
- Is the information presented in a way that works for a variety of intake styles?
- Does it convert? (Because it can be an awesome looking/reading page but if it isn’t making sales, all it is is interesting reading.)

These are just some of the questions that have come up in the many discussions I’ve been having about sales pages.

I’ve also come across some that defy the odds and it get oh-so-right. For your learning pleasure, I will share them:

Well, the first one, I can’t show you because he took it down after his amazing 24 hours. BUT, I can show you Jonathan Field’s breakdown of Chris Guillebeau’s Empire Builder’s Kit Sales Page. You will learn a LOT: http://www.jonathanfields.com/blog/empire-building-kit-behind-the-launch/

ElizabethPW’s sales page for Build Your Tribe: http://elizabethpottsweinstein.com/buildyourtribe/

Catherine Caine’s Awesome Fear Wrangling course: http://www.beawesomeonline.com/awesome-courses/awesome-fear-wrangling

Pace and Kyeli Smith’s World-Changing Writing: http://worldchangingwriting.com/

Charlie Gilkey’s and Jonathan Meade’s Dojo Guide: http://thedojoguide.com/

None of these are sales pages for I am working on – a live event. Sadly most of these a still lame-o. But after the Ustream Tribe meeting last night (mark your calendar for Tuesday’s at 8:30 pm EST), I have some ideas. But chances are, it will LOOK like a sales page (I’m done trying to figure out how do something amazing and clever).

Will you like it? Will it speak to you? Will it convert?

That remains to be seen…..

Now, in your comments I would love to hear about what you think makes a sales page work and if you have examples, that would be great too.

Here’s to being awesome!

(P.S. My newest 30 Day Series will start on July 1. Sign up for 30 Days to Irresistible Presence here: http://bit.ly/irresistiblepresence

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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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an essay by The Young Turk

If I were a snail I would be a pond snail. I would swim fairly slow. I would be very useless.  My shell would be made out of calcium. I would play. We would play with another snail. We would play.  I would leave a trail of slime. I would love being a snail.

I would have one foot.

I would have fun.

Also I would play snail ball.

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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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