Continuing on with yesterday’s theme of conflicting perspectives, I want to talk about selling. Specifically, let’s talk about selling via email. Hey! You sell stuff over email sometimes! You’re right, italicized font. And that’s a distinction I want to draw — I want to speak …
de-risking yourself as a reputational risk
Over the last year or two, I’ve become aware of the fact that I generally don’t have much difficulty getting in touch with someone I want to talk to. I’ve written about access being easier than you think and how I got onto one of my …
someone else’s time
I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it — our most scarce and precious resource is our time. That’s true for me, you, everyone. So the most effective way to garner some of someone else’s time is to truly show respect for it. …
collisions
Back in 2014, I had the opportunity to attend my first Global Summit as an organizer of Startup Weekend. This was before the organization was purchased by Techstars, and there were hundreds (if not thousands) of volunteer organizers in over a hundred cities globally. Once …
the human change curve
You’re probably familiar with the year 1969 as the year the United States landed on the moon and the cause of a catchy, but all-in-all pretty average, song by Bryan Adams. But it was also the year that psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote On Death and Dying. …
two-way stop
Along a route I often take to get back to my apartment, there is a two-way stop just before approaching the on-ramp to the highway. Headed in my direction, traffic does not stop heading through the intersection, but the intersecting street has a sign on …
leaving the loop open
We hate the unknown. Where there is unknown, we are wired to try and fill the void with a narrative. This explains why ancient civilizations have such rich storytelling and so little science. I would guess that thousands of years ago, a farmer with a …
The Works Package
Just because I haven’t had enough fun with cars in the past couple of weeks, I went to get an oil change yesterday. I’ve mostly gone to the same place since owning my Ford – a local dealership. They have a rewards program and it’s …
permission marketing in networking
As you are probably already aware, I’m a big Seth Godin fan. Seth Godin thinks differently about marketing than most marketing gurus – and I love it. Recently I watched a video where he described permission marketing. Every time you engage with someone, you are …
Bon Iver made me feel like a jerk
I have no idea when I first head the song “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver, but it was almost certainly my introduction to his music. It’s a classic! The falsetto, the feels it hits you with… With that voice, I basically imagined he looked just …