GarthBox

A gut check for if you’re doing your best (not just the right thing, but the best thing) is to ask yourself: Will this customer remember this moment? Better yet, will they cherish it so much that it is then in their best interest to tell a friend about it?

When I was a kid, I remember that whenever I woke up extra early, I knew I could get up and my dad would be on the couch watching a sci-fi show with dinosaurs. It was little, but I remember those moments to this day and hope to offer them to my kid.

Consider a business’s moment of remembrance. The box of the first Johnny Cupcakes shirt I ordered also contained a mint, sticker, pin, and a Goonies playing card. I’ve talked to others about that brand and that moment for years.

It doesn’t take much to create a moment of remembrance. It’s merely being there when needed and offering a little more than expected.

 

Stay Positive & What Are You Doing To Be Remembered?

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The stories that matter don’t always sound right in a newspaper.

Nor a youtube video, magazine article or infographic.

The best stories are the ones only fully understood in person. Face to face. Human to human.

The Bezos’ and Jobs’ of the world became what they are today because they told their story to the world, person by person, one after the other.

Those who think they can get their story out while remaining behind a computer or trusting that a customer will always tell the story for them? They’re not going to make it. Not big, anyway. That’s not how you make a dent in the universe.

 

Stay Positive & Meaningful Conversations Are Necessary If You Want To Succeed

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A friend once wrote to me years ago asking for my thoughts on the use of “what if” statements.

The answer I have now is much better than the one I gave back then.

It’s very simple.

If the “what if” statement makes you feel good or better or smart… then it’s okay to use it.

What if your project works?

What if people give you a standing ovation?

What if you hit a road bump in your timeline? What then?

For some (you?), it’s best to remove the “what if” statement from your vocabulary because the default setting is to consider worst case scenarios until you scare yourself to stand back.

What ifs are an easy way to voice your dreams, motivate yourself, and keep you feeling good about your next decision… if you let it.

 

Stay Positive & What If You Moved Forward No Matter What?

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It doesn’t take much for people to shrug off your story.

Here are some common traps company messaging can fall into:

• Setting high expectations and under-delivering
• Building a customer list instead of trust with customers
• Making the same commitments as competitors
• Hoping to make a splash instead of drip, drip, drip
• Trying to be all things to all people
• Confusing the brand feeling
  (you can’t be reserved and spritzy at the same time, yet many companies try)
• Being quiet is better than putting ourselves out there
• Add your own in the comments section?

 

Stay Positive & A Good Story Is A Bridge Over All These Pitfalls

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The best assignment you can ever be given is to try more  ____.

Try more intros to a story. Try more types of coffee grounds. Try more ways to show your significant other you care.

After all, the best smarts come from those with the most experiences.

 

Stay Positive & Just Try

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You will continue to struggle and suffer if you take everything anyone says personally.

True power is either in leveraging that emotion or ignoring it all together to focus on the next logical step, not emotional one.

 

Stay Positive & Respond Not React

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They’re likely not on the web.

They’re not in your office.

Nor are they back at your home.

The insights you’re missing are ones only learned in the wild, out there with the customer, with the prospects. Perhaps the lessons are even with other experts in your industry, your competitors or your partners.

One thing is for sure: The only way to get the insights you’re missing is to get out there, talk to people, ask questions, survey, probe, test, solicit feedback, give…

 

Stay Positive & What Are You Gonna Do, Just Stand There?

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