Strengths and Weaknesses
April 20, 2009
photo credit: Nessa Land
One of the first things they teach you about marketing is that you must know your own strengths and weaknesses in addition to those of your nearest competitor. For most of us, picking out the strengths and weaknesses of another is a piece of cake, but examining ourselves is a whole different story. Taking a peek under the hood of our own engine is a scary thought, perhaps even impossible for some.
One of our life-mottoes here at Blue Duck is that relationships matter. In fact, we believe life is all about relationships, everything else is just fluff or icing on the cake. That doesn’t make us relationship experts, or even mean that we get it right all the time. It just means that we expend considerable energy on improving and maintaining personal and professional relationships.
For those who don’t already know, I’m in the process of getting my Master’s Degree in Psychology in my spare time. In my studies, we took a look at Carl Jung and his theory on personality development, and I wanted to share that experience with you.
In my former life as an RN, I was responsible for providing a monthly inservice for employees, and I often chose to present an overview of differing personality types. When reading about Jung’s theories, I was instantly intrigued by the similarities and differences in Jung’s views when compared to what I had taught. So, I took the Carl Jung and Isabel Myers-Briggs typology test to see how I would score according to Jung’s categories. I was shocked to see such an accurate depiction of my complex personality. (Less than one percent of the population has the same personality type as I do.)
Empathy
All too often, we tend to view the world strictly through the rose colored glasses of our own thoughts and experiences and fail to infuse our relational interactions with a modest amount of empathy. We are often incapable of seeing things from another’s point of view.
In order to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, you must 1) get to know that person beyond the veneer of social fronts, 2) understand the motivating forces directing that person’s behavior, and 3) often take into consideration the major life events that helped shape that person’s view of the world.
Empathy is a powerful tool, in both personal and professional relationships. It can help you analyze your own strengths and weaknesses (as well as those of your competition) and strengthen the quality of your relationships. Empathy can help diffuse a confrontational situation, provide a connection to a new acquaintance, and produce insight into the behaviors of those around you. It is a crucial component of healthy relationships.
One tool that can help you increase your level of empathy is personality typing, like the one provided by Jung. You can take your own personality test for free here: Carl Jung and Isabel Myers-Briggs typology.
Understanding your own personality is often the first step in personal growth and professional achievement. It’s one of those little nuggets of truth in life that should be taught universally, at least in my opinion. If you would like to learn more about personality types, a popular view is the Four Temperaments. And for those of you familiar with Jung’s theories, I am not supporting all of his views. As with many of the major personality theorists that shape our modern view of psychology, he produced some insightful elements and some wonky ones. If you would like to read more about Jung’s personality theory relevant to the MBTI scoring, PeopleMaps has a decent post about the subject.
If you are interested, I scored as an INTP. My personality is that of a Rational Architect. If you’d like to comment on your own MBTI results, feel free to drop me an email or start a discussion below. You may be shocked at what your test results reveal. 
Road Map to More
April 6, 2009
photo credit: Dr Stephen Dann
Have you ever opened your eyes in the morning and realized you want more? (I’m not talking about wanting a Dr. Pepper or a ham and cheese omelet for breakfast here.) I do. I woke up this morning with a burning desire for getting more out of life. I want more from my business, more from my education, more from my relationships, and more from my spiritual life. I am no longer content with the ho-hum existence I’ve been living. I WANT MORE.
Now, I have no desire to acquire hordes of possessions, climb to the top of some corporate ladder, or become a rock star at 35. I think this is more of a spiritual nudging that I’m not living up to my full potential. I am capable of more; I was created for better things. YOU were created for better things, too.
So, where is all this borderline motivational drivel leading to, you ask? In my quest to plan out a course for achieving more, I found a wonderful little nugget of truth and wisdom, tucked away in a far corner of the Internet, and I’d like to share it with you.
You see, I have a small problem; I am not an entrepreneur by nature. Confidence and drive and persuasion do not come naturally to me. But I am an innovative thinker.
I’m looking for a new road map today. I’m planning a route for better personal and professional relationships, a deeper spiritual life, a robust education, and a solid, innovative, fulfilling online business. I’m doing a life make-over, an early mid-life crisis, reinventing the wheel- whatever it takes, and I found an excellent starting line today thanks to Sitepoint.com and WhitneyHess.com.
If you are looking for a starting point for your online business, or even if your focus has gotten a little hazy, this presentation titled Evangelizing Yourself will help set you back on track. Watch it more than once and take notes, because Ms. Whitney is about to provide your road map for success with a side serving of motivation and confidence.
Do It the Wrong Way
November 20, 2008
Sometimes, creating the wrong environment is exactly what you want.
If you read yesterday’s post about creating environments, this is a continuation of that concept. I’d like to take a look at presenting the wrong environment.
The Wrong Way
The best example I can find of this concept is ArticleAnnouncer.com. This program comes highly recommended by one of my best SEO clients, and I wanted to check out their website. When I got there, the word “WHOA” flew out of my mouth like a curse word. The header reads “Urgent, time-sensitive message” and the glaring red, over-inflated font screams “CHEAP INFOMERCIAL”. This is not at all what I expected to find when searching for a quality product priced nearly 4 times as much as its nearest competitor.
Now, the content reads like a typical, high-pressure, sales copy letter. “HURRY, HURRY, HURRY! Only three spots left. You must buy now because you can’t live without this product! The price goes up in five, four, 3 minutes!” And those types of ads have their place. (At least that’s what marketing experts say.)
For me, these pushy in-your-face ads are insulting. They assume that I buy things from late-night infomercials. They assume I can be convinced to part with my hard earned cash in exchange for their brand of trash. They assume I am naive and gullible. (My four year old wants to buy everything from every commercial and infomercial. I think I’m a harder sell than that, and I think most consumers are as well.)
Why Use It?
So why use this tactic? Because it works in some cases. For those consumers who are not immediately put off by the flashy-trashy sales pitch, it creates an air of mysterious value, the urgency of impulsive buying, perhaps the promise of untold wealth, popularity, or happiness. Deep down, people want to believe these sales pitches. It works on a select target audience.
Most of us, however, are smart enough to see through the smoke and mirrors. But can your target audience?
The Competition
In comparison, let’s take a look at a different product that promises the same benefits. Article Announcer’s semi-competitor, ArticleMarketer.com, does a nice job of presenting the opposite environment. Their header reads, “Massive Backlinks and Search Term Domination. Article Marketer.” They present the benefits to the consumer up-front, and tie in their product name for better imprinting. The website is clean, easy to navigate, and has a wonderful graphic of a door opening that reads, “Come Inside to See How Easy This Is.”
Think about which product you would buy. The one that comes highly recommended, has a huge price tag, and an obnoxious website, or a similar product with a smaller price tag (but an added monthly subscription), a quality website, but fewer consumer praises?
Which would your customers buy?
The Lobby or the Lounge
November 19, 2008
“Right this way, please. You may wait in the lounge. May I get something refreshing for you while you wait?”
“I am so glad you came! Come in, put your feet up by the fire and have some coffee. I can’t wait to hear what you’ve been up to!”
“The lobby’s that way. We’ll call you when it’s your turn. There’s a vending machine down the hall.”
All three of these interactions occur everyday in businesses all around the world. They could even describe the same situation, such as waiting for car repairs, interviewing for a job, or buying your first home. However, there are distinct differences between these environments.
They each create a distinct expectation.
Setting the Stage
Creating the right environment is crucial for any business. Consumers seek out goods and services that meet a particular need. Often, that need is purely emotional. They want to feel good about themselves, they want to purchase a product without feeling guilty, they want to feel important, popular, loved, or beautiful.
Figuring It Out
What motivates consumers to buy? What impression do your customers receive when they first visit your website or office? What are your customers looking for? If you don’t know these answers, you are hurting your business.
Creating the Right Environment
Why should you bother with creating an ideal environment for your customers?
- If your customers receive what they are looking for emotionally, they are more likely to return, and will recommend your business to others.
- You can charge more for the same products or services because of the implied value created by the right environment. Don’t believe me? Go read about Lance and his dentist.
- Creating the right environment can significantly increase your ROI.
- Customers are more at ease in the perfect environment, placing them in an optimal position for buying.
Do customers pay more for the right environment? You bet they do. Ask any Web designer.
The Lobby or the Lounge
Do your customers want to spend time in a lobby or a lounge? Does your website present this optimal environment? Who is your target audience, anyway?
If you don’t know, ask. Men With Pens offers Drive by Shooting Sundays, where they provide a professional evaluation of your website, complete with recommended changes, for a small fee.
Read up on marketing and sales. “But I’m not a salesperson! I hate sales.” Well, if you are in business to make money, you are a salesperson. Even if you are writing your first novel, you are peddling your words to an agent or potential readers, even as you put those first words on paper.
Go read Graham Strong‘s post on the Art of Perception. He has some great tips and insight into what helps create that optimal environment.
Be smart about crafting your business. Your competitors are.
Undercover Marketing for New Bloggers
November 10, 2008
Since this morning’s post was a glorious promo for Men with Pens, I feel I somehow cheated y’all. Unfortunately, my brain has been sucked dry today by a summary of each of the 39 books of the Old Testament.
In compensation, I’m leaving you with a link to Michael Martine’s guest post about How to Pitch Bloggers and Actually Get Through (without bugging them). Although it’s actually written for PR people, I think most of the article applies to fellow bloggers as well.
Read the post, put on your favorite Perry the Platypus hat, and go undercover.
Riding the Twitter Tide
November 6, 2008
Well, I did it. I finally caved and joined Twitter. It happened late Tuesday night and I somehow felt dirty afterward- like I’d sold out. That’s most likely an unmerited reaction, after all, it’s not like Twitter will eat me. Will it?
My Reservations
What’s my biggest reservation about Twitter? I’m afraid it will kill my productivity. Email eats enough time, now I’ll be tempted to check Twhirl every 2 minutes, too. I estimate that Twitter will eat at minimum an hour each day. That scares me.
Despite being referred to as a “blogging butterfly”, I tend to buck the usual social norms. I like to think for myself. I don’t define myself by popularity status or the ability to conform to the latest fads. I like swimming upstream. I value unconventionality. Great achievements in life come from those who are not afraid to be different and dive deep. That’s how I want to live.
The Allure of Twitter
So, why did I do it, you ask? I love people. Not just people who think and act like I do – all kinds of people. I like to be spurred to bigger and better things. I need to learn from others, both professionally and personally. I revel in finding a new blog of interest. It’s like getting an unexpected present when your birthday is months away. Twitter has the potential to provide what I need.
I also acknowledge that Twitter is here to stay. Sure, in 10 maybe 15 years it may be replaced with something new, but it’s growing by leaps and bounds and people whose opinions I respect are singing its praises. I know enough to listen up when the E F Huttons of Blogopolis speak.
Twitter Away
I have as of yet to tweet anything other than a thank you to direct messages. I’m still lurking, trying to get a feel for the Twitter tide. I’ve done some reading on Twitter, and I’ll be doing much more before the week’s end. Darren Rowse has some terrific Twitter wisdom, and I’m sure I’ll be stumbling upon more in the next few days.
I came across this Twitter T-shirt in my blog travels this week. It just shows how big Tweeting is. So, if you’re a Twitter addict, kill two birds with one stone and get your own personalized Reactee.
If you have any tips you’d like to share, I’d love to hear ‘em. If you’re already on Twitter, look me up.
