GarthBox

You’re bound to be asked basic questions.

Where do you work? What do you do? What’s it like?

What do you do for fun? What do you hope to do this year?

Where do you live? Where did you go to school?

I could go on…

What I don’t understand is how unprepared so many people are when asked these questions. They stutter. They say different things each time. They give dreadful one word answers.

There’s no making a new first impression which is why it’s smart to invest as much time crafting an elevator pitch for these questions as it is for a business you care about.

Take the basic questions and blow them away with compelling answers.

 

Stay Positive & Just Because They Ask The Basics Doesn’t Mean They Care About The Basics (They Care About More)

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The number of options you present matters.

The number can determine the reaction or response you get from the room.

When you present three options, the decision maker will work to take the good out of each and combine them. This method works when the decision maker is also a content creator (your colleague, perhaps). If it were a client or your boss, three options isn’t the way to go. Two is.

When you present two options, the decision maker has a benchmark of quality to base one off of. The mentality of choosing one over another is gratifying – the decision maker feels in control.

When you present one option, it’s the decision maker’s instinct to figure out what’s wrong with it. Presenting one option is asking for feedback (and often not the good kind).

I was explained it this way: If you’re a book cover designer and you go into a room and show one book cover design, the room is going to hack at it. They’re going to search for what they don’t like. If you go in with two book cover designs, the room is going to rank them and subsequently look for what they like more in one over the other.

Consider this the next time you present ideas.

 

Stay Positive & Maybe Present Two

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Certain people require different things to feel good about themselves.

Some need praise from their bosses to feel good. Others need to know all the information about an industry or project before they can feel good about the work they’ll do. Then, of course, there are some wackadoos like me who need to fail a few times to feel good about themselves (because it means they took a leap).

While recognizing what others desire (perhaps through personality tests and spending time with them) is valuable, what’s more important is what you need to feel good about yourself and the work you do.

What has the most influence over your self-worth?

If it’s praise from your peers, let them know how motivating their pat on your back is. If it’s more information, carve an hour each morning to share your learnings/expertise on a subject with others. If it’s experience, do one thing a day that scares you.

You decide each moment whether you’ll stand still and let self-satisfaction slip away or if you’ll build on your self-worth.

 

Stay Positive & It Feels Good To Feel Good

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is a reminder to leap.

And tomorrow, we’ll be on our own to remind ourselves and each other.

 

Stay Positive & Together

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Care is an emotion that’s tough to fake.

It’s a feeling that is easily detected.

Care is a mentality that’s stronger than fear.

It’s a sensory experience that requires no history.

One doesn’t need to be size 11, age range 25-34, make an income of $50,000 a year and have a dog for you to care about them. When you strip your marketing down, there’s either nothing or someone who cares.

You are your most powerful marketing tool.

 

Stay Positive & Care… And You’ll Win

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It doesn’t take much for us to be proud of ourselves (today).

More often than not, at the end of the day, if we put out a few fires, we feel proud of ourselves.

If we react to the urgent and get back to equilibrium, we feel proud of ourselves.

If we give a little to someone else or sit and listen to a friend, we feel proud of ourselves.

10 months from now, we won’t remember these moments of urgency, of firefighting, of caring for a hot second.

A smart question worth asking is what can I do now that I’ll look back on in 10 months and feel proud I did it.

 

Stay Positive & That’s The Line Between Making And Making A Difference

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