How YOU Should You Be? – Part II, Multiple Personalities?

Back in May, I asked the question “How YOU should you be” in business.

And most of the responses I got agreed that you should just be yourself and let the chips fall where they may. I’ve also been reading some posts about this (Example), and they seem to concur: just be yourself.

But I’m not convinced it’s that simple. To me, it seems we need to develop multiple personalities – facets of ourselves, if you will – so that we can display parts of what is truly US, and yet keep other things hidden.

The best example I can give is a personal one. I have a somewhat childlike approach to life. I try very hard to retain a sense of innocent curiosity and display my interests as plainly as a child. But in business situations, this can be perceived as a lack of experience and viewed poorly. I need to click off this aspect and click on my ability to be focused on solutions (I’m a puzzle solver – which is still something gained from childhood, but can be applied to adult/business situations). This gives me the personality I need to garner the respect necessary to form partnerships.

If I let my guard down too soon and display my full, youthful demeanor too early in a relationship – before the other person has seen enough of my capabilities to understand that this part of my personality is a benefit – it can create in their minds doubt, which will sour the whole deal. And there are even some people who will NEVER be able to see it as a benefit, regardless of how well we’ve worked together in the past, because of their own interpersonal communication needs.

If we don’t create alternate displays of our personality, we run the risk of offending people, refusing to be in a relationship with them because of a personality conflict. Of course, by developing different facades, we run the risk of occasionally coming off as stiff or phony – say, for example, when you have to pull back on your personality in front of someone used to the looser you because the two of you are in front of someone who needs you to be more circumspect.

It really is a philosophical question, and I wonder what everyone thinks. Which route do you think is likely to be more beneficial – both in terms of generating viable partnerships and in terms of self-satisfaction? Please share your thoughts and stories.

2009 Pumpkin Carving Results

So, based on your feedback, I’m going ahead and posting my weird hobbies.

Today’s weird hobby is pumpkin carving. I’ll post the inspiration picture as well as the final result. Let me know what you think.

And if you have ideas for NEXT YEAR’s pumpkin(s) send ‘em my way!

These two images are the original and my carving of Light Yagami aka Kira from Death Note – which some of you may know from Adult Swim on Cartoon Network.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.

And these two are the original and my carving of Alice Human Sacrifice. For those unfamiliar, Alice Human Sacrifice is a little animation project that was created to accompany a creepy Japanese vocaloid that you can find here.

.
.
.
.

So, these are the pumpkins this year. Let me know what you’d like to see next year, please!

Is anyone interested in my weird hobbies?

I am a person who creates things.

I cook things from scratch. And when I say from scratch, I don’t mean what most people mean. For example, when I make lasagna, I start with wheat berries that we scoop out of the combine from a friends farm. We grind those into flour and make fresh noodles. Then, I take several gallons of milk and make my own fresh ricotta and mozzarella. Get the idea?

I sew. Several of my regular wardrobe pieces are self-made and my goal is to someday have the bulk be self-made.

I do unique pumpkin carvings.

Basically, if I get it into my head to create something, I just go ahead and do it.

Is anyone interested in me posting these things here? I can post tips and techniques and OMG-don’t-do-this-like-I-dids. But I don’t want to waste anyone’s time if they’re not interested.

So please comment and let me know.

Ch-ch-ch-Changes

There are so many quotes about change that I don’t know which to use here.

Image by Pardesi* via Flickr

“Change is the only constant”

“Change is inevitable – except from a vending machine.”

“Change is the essence of life.”

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by discomforts.”

“If nothing changed, there’d be no butterflies.”

At the company where I work, People To My Site, we’ve just had a change in CEO.

This change is making people a little nervous. And that’s understandable. Todd built the company from the ground up. It’s kind of strange to not have him wandering around and checking in on everyone. He’s a great guy. Very charismatic. Very driven. And most of us in the trenches responded to the news with, “What?”

When you look at it closely, though, the questioning that’s going on is on a personal nature. We like Todd, we care about him. But at the end of the day, we’re all still coming to work and doing our jobs. And this change doesn’t really affect that at all.

Our clients are still getting the same great service – possibly even better since they’ll be going to the people doing the job instead of going to Todd. (Let me tell you, going to the CEO with your concerns is typically not the best solution. CEOs are busy people who delegate in the first place. Talk with a manager on the floor if you want a solution.) Our products haven’t changed. Our mission hasn’t changed.

Our goal is still to increase our clients sales.

And our new CEO has been here for two years, working at Todd’s right hand – not just filling in his gaps, but also directing the company internally and increasing our efficiency. So, with Jennifer Ridenour steering the ship, we can feel confident that we’re on course for success.

So at the end of it all, I’m left with just one quote:

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

1st Music Post – Calling Funky Columbus Musicians

Some people reading my blog may know that before I got wrangled into the wondrous world of marketing, I was a professional singer. (Look me up on Wikipedia if you want to know more.)

And, while I do enjoy the challenge of figuring out a marketing strategy and seeing it bear fruit (in the way of SALES for my clients!), it would be unrealistic for me to deny the longing to make some sweet music.

Lately, the bulk of music that I’ve been listening to is Japanese. (I know, how absolutely BIZARRE that one who has the word “Manga” in the title of her blog would like Japanese music – could I be more predictable?) There really is a wide range of genres available in Japanese music today. From the J-death-metal stylings of Maximum The Hormone to the J-rap of Home Made Kazoku and Typhoon24, from the bubblegum Jpop of Round Table and Gumi to the sensual landscapes of Ali Project and Yoko Kanno – you can find just about anything.

What I’ve found most recently is Suga Shikao.

There isn’t much written about him – just that he started in Marketing and left to become a Japanese music STAR, and that he is heavily influenced by the funk of the 70s like Sly and the Family Stone.

So first, I’m going to share some of his stuff with y’all. Sorry that WordPress.com won’t let me Embed the stuff. These are all links.

19sai by Suga Shikao(スガ シカオ)
19sai is the first track I ever heard from this artist and is the one that sucked me in.

Koko Ni Iru Koto by Suga Shikao (スガ シカオ)
Koko Ni Iru Koto is softer, more easy listening than funk. But I’d still like to do a cover.

310 by Suga Shikao (スガ シカオ)
This song is a good example of why I’m so drawn in to his music. The funk is undeniable – until you get to the chorus, where the Jpop smothers it. It makes me want to just strip away the Jpop lacquer coating so we can get back to the basic funk! This song needs to be covered!

Himitsu (Secret) by Suga Shikao (スガ シカオ)
So does this one. In fact, I think this might be the first song I’d want to cover. Oh, the chorus kills me. It NEEDS to be redone!

Sofa by Suga Shikao (スガ シカオ)
This is a softer funk, but I still really enjoy it. Still has the Jpop coating that needs to be removed. Another good one to cover.

38分15秒 by Suga Shikao (スガ シカオ)
Okay, there’s nothing wrong at ALL with this song. In fact, Everything is right with it. I just love this song. Through the whole damned thing. This is the exception to the rule. I don’t want to cover it to fix the parts that could be better. I just want to perform this song because it seems like tons of fun!

And now for the challenge:

Columbus-area musicians who would be willing to participate in remaking these songs, CONTACT ME! This isn’t something to make money – it’s just for the love of the music. My goal is to record them, put them up on YouTube, and teach them crazy music industry people in Japan that you can just create GREAT funk without the extraneous crap. I’m planning to create them both in Japanese (yes, I can sing in ANY language, thank you) and translate them into English. Because to ME, this type of thing sounds like FUN.

Want to join me? For one song, or more? Let me know.

And if you want to hear more of the varied musical stylings of Suga Shikao, I’ve compiled a Suga Shikao playlist here.

Here’s hoping you enjoy them 1/2 as much as I do.

An SEO Seminar where you’ll actually LEARN something

Being in the marketing world, with all its latest “hot marketing trends” and technological advances, I have attended my fair share of seminars. Each one purports to teach me something new about the wonderful world of marketing.

And typically, I leave each seminar thinking, ‘What a complete waste of my time. There was nothing in that presentation that I haven’t already figured out for myself just using common sense.’

So when I see a post for a seminar with a price tag, I become even more skeptical.

But THIS, is a seminar worth every penny. I’ve been through the trial run of the presentation and am thoroughly impressed by how little I knew going in and how much more I knew coming out.

$399 gets you into the seminar – and gets you a thorough SEO audit of your site, telling you what you’re doing right and what you need to improve. So if you want to leave afterwards and do it all on your own, you’ll be armed to do it. But, if you want to hire PTMS to help with your SEO efforts, they’ll give you half of the seminar price back as credit toward their services.

And it’s taught by seo-agent.com blogger Jake Stoops. This is someone PASSIONATE about SEO.

So, sign up. Learn something. Get more traffic to your site.

Corporate Speak vs Straight Talk

photo by gurdonark, via Flickr

I just received an email promoting a webinar on effective leadership. It referenced and recommended a business book called, “Why business people speak like idiots,” and went on at great length about the difference between “corporate speak” and “straight talk.”

Here’s the example they gave for how ludicrous it is to use corporate speak and expect people to understand: “Children, I surveyed our home’s regional territory to evaluate how effectively the lawn-cutting was executed today. I think we need to re-align our expectations about yard responsibilities and re-calibrate performance. We’re going to install KPIs for better accountability.”

Honestly, in this day, in this economy, are there really still companies out there that think that anyone SHOULD talk that way?

Seriously. I’m asking.

Does anyone hear someone speak like that and think, “Wow, that person must really know what he’s talking about because I didn’t understand a word he just said”? Really? Is there anyone left who doesn’t believe that people who speak that way are charlatans trying to hide something and confuse the issue?

One of the most effective CEOs I’ve ever met made it a practice to try to stay away from any words that were more than two syllables.

It’s about communication, people. It’s ALL about communication. That means you have to be understood.

Criminy! Speak plainly.

Learning to be Social in Social Media

I’m shy.

Once all those people who’ve worked with me stop laughing, I’ll continue.

Done now?

Okay. Here’s the deal. Regardless of how opinionated I am, how direct and business-like I can be, the fact remains that I am shy. I do not seek out social encounters. I recognize that my interests are uncommon, I rarely drink, and therefore I do not have the ability to discuss topics that most people can turn to as common ground when the conversation lulls: sports, reality tv shows, beer, etc. Because of this, I tend to stick to what is comfortable: controlled encounters where topics of conversation are planned, such as business meetings.

But SOCIAL media is just that – social.

So, I’m going to take a tip from a friend and former coworker, and force myself out of my comfort zone by using her FastFriends idea and making it my own.

To do this, I’m going to try to meet at least 12 new people for one-on-one conversation by the end of August. That’s three new people a week for coffee or lunch. We can talk about social media in Columbus, marketing, business in general – or you can even challenge me further by teaching me about sports and reality tv. I promise to listen attentively and try to learn something.

Who’s in? Just DM me on Twitter. I’m @kkreft. Let me know when you’re available, what you’re up for.

While you’re not actually marketing…

The economy is tanking, has tanked, will be tanking. I’m not practicing conjugation – it’s just I’m not sure which tense to use for this statement.

Regardless, whenever the economy hits a downturn, businesses everywhere cut back on their marketing. It’s a sad fact that those in my profession have become increasingly familiar with of late. There are two more true facts that are, unfortunately, contradictory: one) that in a downturned economy marketing dollars expended have a much broader reach and ROI; two) when times are tight, it’s only second nature to batten down the metaphorical hatches and hope that when the storm has passed that you’ll still be afloat.

I’m not going to try to expound on why you should be spending right now like some others in my field. But I will make this recommendation: if you’re not going to spend funds on marketing, why not spend on improving your business overall?

The fact is, marketing can only lead the horse to water, not make him drink. (Sheesh, what’s with me and the metaphors today?) Once you’ve got the customer to your store or site, you need to deliver on what your marketing has promised. The only thing worse than bad (or no) marketing is great marketing for a product/service that fails to deliver. Because that leads to angry, disappointed, angry customers who will not only not buy from you – they’ll tell everyone else not to buy from you.

It’s absolutely essential to have the experience that is promised match that which is delivered. Anything else leaves your customers feeling Rick-rolled.

Seriously. Listen to the voice, then look at the uptight dancing dork in the video. If you’d been lured in with the voice only to find THAT was the product to be delivered, would YOU buy?

So if you’re not marketing, look internally. Figure out what you can do to clean up your act. How can you deliver your product better? How can you make what you deliver even better than your marketing promises? If you spend your time doing that, even if you’re NOT spending on marketing in this down time, you’ll still have a better chance of being on the upswing once the rebound starts.

Using Social Media for Fame or Fortune?

With social media taking up so much attention in the marketing world, some “stars” have come to the fore as those people we need to emulate. I’m talking of the Seth Godins, the Chris Brogans, the Gary Vaynerchuks of the Social Media World.

They’re well-written (or videoed, as the case may be), well-respected, and deservedly so.

But, and I’m not sure about anyone else out here, famous is not what I’m trying to be.

by Storm Crypt, via Flickr

The fact is, I work in marketing, and it’s not ABOUT me. It’s about my clients and their customers. My focus is on how to get the two to connect in a meaningful way for both.

Obviously, the most meaningful way for my clients to connect with their customers is when the customers give them more of their money. But to be a successful marketer, the customers also have to get something they need, and to feel a connection to the client. Most specifically, so that they’ll come back to give my client more money later, too – I’ll never deny that.

So these connections are my chief focus. Which is what makes my own foray into social media so strange.

Social media, by its very nature forces individuals toward some semblance of fame. Even if they’re fairly self-effacing and humble, there’s still a need to project, “Trust me, I know what I’m talking about,” with proof in the details of what we post.

There are so many voices attempting to distract all the clients and confuse the matter, finding a marketing partner is worse than trying to decide what toothpaste to buy. (And why on earth do we need 500 different toothpastes to choose from???)

Social media helps put “taste” as well as credentials into the decision process. (I’m assuming that most marketing purchasers actually do look at credentials before purchasing. Maybe I shouldn’t assume that, but I’m going to anyway.) The blogs you read allow you to get a feeling for someone’s character. If someone’s “flavor” doesn’t sit well with you, don’t buy ‘em. There are plenty more out there.

And this is where the fame comes in. With equal web space and opportunity available, the most interesting flavors should get read more, eventually anyway. Knowing this, we’re all now trying – to some extent – to get that fame. Love me! Read me! HIRE me!

But the real trick is to balance this fame with your clients’ fortunes. Because that’s the true success measurement of social media – not how many followers you have.

How’s your balance these days?