Take the Tom Peters challenge. Consider how you would answer his provocative questions about branding applicable to both companies and individuals:
Who are you?
Why are you here?
How are you unique?
How can you make a dramatic difference?
Who cares? Do you? ....
Why are you here?
How are you unique?
How can you make a dramatic difference?
Who cares? Do you? ....
Peters [above] points out that you don't always need power to implement your ideas.
His advice to the junior person or putatively powerless: "Don't screw around. Start now. Find an excuse. Any excuse. Do something. Do anything. Get going. Posthaste."
More Peters principles:
Design rules products and services, too: "Design is the No. 1 determinant of whether a product-service-experience stands out - or does not."
Experience is everything. You don't merely buy a product or service from a company, you have an ongoing experience with it.
Get passionate. If you can't get excited about what you're doing, don't expect anyone else to care, either.
Brands are not just for companies, but also for individuals. Think of, and market yourself, as a brand of one. .....
One way that companies, whether they are giants or one-person operations, can distinguish themselves, he says, is by becoming a professional service firm, or PSF. In this model, you break out of cost center/overhead hell by focusing on providing service solutions other companies will pay for.
by Bruce Rosenstein, USA TODAY, Nov 18 2003]
Re-imagine! : Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age -
by Tom Peters
 .. .. I'm a small vineyard. And I'm not willing to sacrifice the way I make wine to get into Safeway. ....Tori Amos | |
| As a creative person myself, I understand what it's like to live a creative life. I write these books for us so that we can learn from each other and share ideas about how to get ahead and finally find the freedom to do what we really love -- create.Lee Silber by Lee Silber
I love it. I love it! [self-promotion]. I do embrace it. When I was a kid, I wanted every day to be show-and-tell day.
I was also the "wake-up fairy in kindergarten.That's what I am doing today. I feel like I still have my magic wand and that I'm showing and telling. ... It thrills me to meet people and go out and speak.
Today, as you are reading these pages, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of truly brilliant ideas being generated in the minds of timid people.
They will never see the light of day because the artists are unable to sell them -- they are too nervous, too intimidated, or simply lack the skills to communicate their ideas with clarity and enthusiasm.
Chuck Green, graphic artist and author
"There's a huge myth among writers that someone will save them from having to [pitch]... But once they take responsibility and see that it's a critical part of their job, they can have fun with it...
You're turning someone else on to what turns you on. You have a passion for something and you're there to find out if anyone wants to play with you.
The most important question to ask yourself is where in your own experience does this story come from? ...
Why do you love this project? Why you care is why they will care."
Heidi Wall [Flash Forward Institute] // from Writers Guild / WGA article: Pitching Coaches
"Talent is the last thing you need. The idea is everything, and it can be developed into a
*articles:
Artist Blogs: Why Every Artist Needs a Blog - by Kristin Royce
As an artist, the key to selling more artwork is maximizing its exposure. The internet is an increasingly popular tool for promoting original art, and if done properly, can be quite profitable. One of the most effective (and free!) online marketing tools for artists is the blog. Artist blogs provide an easy way to display your art, discuss your creative process, post exhibition announcements and more. Best of all, blogs require no working knowledge of HTML and the search engines love their dynamic content.
Being Unique is a Good Thing... Isn't It? - by C.J. Hayden
New entrepreneurs frequently hear the advice to "be unique" in their marketing. The basic idea is a valuable one - to get attention in a crowded marketplace, you must stand out in some way. Distinguishing your product or service from the competition can make your marketing more effective. But how different should you be?
How Do You Market Yourself When You're Not an Extrovert? - by C.J. Hayden
It seems that the vast majority of marketing advice is aimed at extroverts. "Go to networking mixers and meet new people," the authorities say. "Make cold calls." "Speak in front of groups." If you are an introvert, these experts might as well be telling you to fly to the moon. What if you don't enjoy large gatherings, hate to call strangers on the phone, dislike being the center of attention, and loathe small talk? Can you still do well at marketing?
Inspiring my career as a self-supporting artist - by Suzanne Falter-Barns"My dad, John Falter.. taught me how one can have a highly successful, profitable, and glorious career as a self-supporting artist..."
Those "Crazy" Business Ideas Often Turn Out to Be the Best - by Valerie Young
As the great actor Katherine Hepburn once said, "Life is to be lived. If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting." Some of the most interesting means of support begin as a crazy idea. The key is to keep coming up with them, then when you find one you love, recognize that the only sane response is to go for it.
To Attract Attention, You have to Show Off - C.J. Hayden, MCC
Recently, a client of mine complained, "I'm really good at what I do. I shouldn't have to market myself." In fact, he is quite good at his profession, but the problem is that not enough prospective clients know about him. Like many professionals, he is reluctant to talk about his accomplishments. "It feels like bragging," he says. "Doesn't it make me seem unprofessional?"
If thoughts like these often cross your mind, ask yourself this -- who are the biggest names in your profession? In your line of work, who might be considered unquestioned experts, those with maximum credibility? Now, how did you get to know about those people's work?
Did you read an article or book they had written, hear them interviewed, learn about them on the web? Or perhaps you were told about them by others who had heard them speak or read their words.
> also see articles list / index
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