We hear a lot in business literature about how it’s important to have an “elevator pitch” — a prepared speech about our business that’s so concise we could deliver it to someone on a brief elevator ride.  We’re often told to memorize our elevator pitch and practice it in the mirror, making sure we look [...]

It’s not just a line from the Alan Parsons Project — it’s the truth.
I know how you’re feeling and what your intentions are.  What’s more, everyone else does too.  Human beings are extremely empathic creatures.
I’m exaggerating a little — sometimes you can trick people into buying your facade.  But much of the time, when you [...]

I’ve read a bunch of discussions on blogs recently about how to be “authentic” in marketing your goods and services—and, in some cases, whether authentic marketing is even possible—and I have some thoughts to contribute.  I’ll offer a simple, but powerful, question to ask when you’re working on selling your stuff to guide you toward [...]

I have to admit, I cringe a little when I see personal development products offering us the ability to “make” others do what we want.  Whether it’s books about “making her attracted to you” or “getting him to commit,” CDs on “making your audience applaud” or seminars on “getting customers to close the deal,” there’s [...]

“Who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
I’ve been going to my fair share of business networking events recently, and what’s come up for me is that the conventional wisdom on networking and “selling yourself” could use a little tweaking.
Like many people, I used to go to [...]