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Is Your Knowledge Out Of Date?

The maximum length of time
I spend writing is four months.

Why?

Because any longer than that
and my business knowledge is no longer relevant.
That’s how fast business evolves.

As Louis Ross, CTO, Ford Motor Company, said
“In your career, knowledge is like milk.
It has a shelf life stamped right on the carton.
The shelf life of a degree in engineering
is about 3 years.
If you’re not replacing
everything you know by then,
your career is going to turn sour fast.”

I think 3 years is optimistic.

Trend Fusion

When I look for new product ideas,
I tend to look in different industries,
different markets.

Why?

Because those trends are proven
(with the plus that it is easier to sell
using a point of reference).

Robyn Waters in The Trendmaster’s Guide says that
“Trends with real staying power are often
a series of smaller trends fused together.
Trends that intersect and
complement each other are more likely
to be embraced by the consumer.”

Knowing When To Listen

I talk often about the
power of asking questions
but I sometimes don’t talk about
how shutting up and listening
is as important.

Recently I went to a workshop
with a fascinating host.
Instead of letting the paid host
share her expertise with the group,
some audience members asked such long questions
that a friend was able to run out,
get a coffee
and return
before the question was done.

A waste of a learning experience.

Using Digg To Test Copy

Say you’re new to the world of writing copy.
You don’t want to spend a lot of money.
You need to test, to practice.

So what do you do?

You submit articles to Digg with different titles
and watch the results.
And if you’re a savvy blogger like Mohammad Saleem,
you not only track the results but
you post on it also,
ending up with a killer article on writing headlines.

Asking For Ideas

A friend of mine recently
parted ways with her protege.

The protege asked her opinion on a project.
My friend, taking her role seriously,
put valuable hours into her answer,
hours she didn’t have to waste.

The recommendation was not taken,
no concrete explanation given.

Fine.

Then the protege asked another question.
More hours were put into that new answer.

Again, no action taken on the recommendation,
no explanation.

The third time, my friend was asked,
she replied that the relationship wasn’t working.

If someone takes the time to give a response,
the least they’re owed is an explanation for the no.

The Sales Slump

Stephan Schiffman posted about
beating the sales slump.

His insights on the cause of a sales slump?

“Most times slumps are caused by
not prospecting awhile ago.
In other words because
you did not prospect 6 months ago,
you maybe feeling it now.”

That’s why its important to
always keep the sales funnel full.
Prospect, prospect, prospect.
Put it on the top of the to do list
and get it done.

Sir Richard Branson As Dr. Yes

When compared to a James Bond villian,
rebel billionaire and serial entrepreneur
Sir Richard Branson told Stephen Colbert
that he likes to think of himself as
Dr. Yes, not Dr. No.

Having read numerous articles on the man,
this isn’t a flippant comment.
It is his personal philosophy.

When approached about new ventures,
his first response is why not?

What is your first response?

Top Secret: The Assassination of Jesse James

The mega long titled movie
“The Assassination of Jesse James
by the Coward Robert Ford”
is being pumped as one of the year’s
“top secret” movies.

Forget for a minute that
this Brad Pitt movie was filmed years ago.

If something is called “top secret”,
it is often not good.
Good is difficult to keep quiet.
Good creates buzz.
Good goes viral.

Getting Ahead

One of my buddies is also a daily blogger.
She is constantly having to
forgo opportunities and rearrange her schedule
to get her posts done.

She thinks this sends a signal that
she puts her non-time sensitive blog first.

I disagree.

It says to me that she’s disorganized
and a last minute type of person.
Not someone I prefer to have on my team.

In contrast,
I always have a week of general type posts
“just in case.”

That way if I get a chance to meet Stephen King,
I don’t have to say no thank you.

Give yourself a buffer
so you can take advantage
of opportunities.

The Action Packed Resume

Most of us have heard that
the average resume is looked at
for 10 to 20 seconds so
how to make those seconds count?

First, use white space.
White space draws the eye
to the words that count.

What words to use?
The words on the front page
(as most employers don’t look at the second)
must clearly address
(as in use the exact words if possible)
all the requirements
in the job posting.

And when talking about experience,
start with a verb.
This illustrates that you’re a take action type of person.
Take action people get hired.