Phillies Win World Series!

'nuf said.

It Ain't Over 'til It's Over

Last night I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes:

"It ain't over 'til it's over."

by Yogi Berra

How many business deals have you lived through that you thought were signed, sealed, and delivered only to have the deal implode at the 11th hour?

Rather than hit my head against that same wall of pain over and over, I use Yogi's quote as a reminder to work every project, every deal all the way through the finish line. While some deals may still implode, at least it won't be because I took my eye off the ball before the last out was made.

Speaking of last out...the reminder for this post came from last night's World Series game. I am a long-suffering Phillies fan, and the fightin' Phils were looking to close out the Tampa Rays in the 5th game of the World Series. They were up 2 - 0 early on, but after 6 innings of cold, miserable driving rain, the game was finally postponed in the 6th inning, tied at 2 - 2.

As of this writing, they're looking to finish the game tonight. Weather outlook? Cold, possible showers....and snow flurries. Aarrgghh! The baseball gods are clearly pissed off about something.

Maybe I'll ask Yogi to put in a good word with the baseball gods, while I continue to root my team on: Let's Go Phillies!!

Sumo or Judo: What's Your Strategy?

Rather than take on bigger competitors head to head using a Sumo technique...

...I find it infinitely better to use distinctive competence as the leverage for a classic Judo move that flips the competition on its head.

Distinctive competence is the unique and valuable strength that sets you apart from the competition, and Judo is all about using leverage, speed, and agility to your advantage. Combining the two gives you the best shot at winning.

I use this Sumo vs. Judo analogy all the time. In my opinion, the Judo guy in blue is having far more fun than the small, scrawny [and likely frustrated] guy in the Sumo picture at the the top.

UPDATE: For Sumo enthusiasts...yes, I realize that Sumo is much more than brute force and requires leverage and speed like Judo. My business point lies within the memorable pictures above. A picture is worth a thousand words of detailed explanation. Which fight would you rather be in? :-)

Free Tribes Casebook

In support of his new book, Tribes, Seth Godin launched the accompanying FREE Tribes Casebook (I am a coauthor) which contains over 200 pages of great examples of Tribes.

My article, ROBLOX Virtual Playworld, can be found in the Tribes Casebook on pages 85 - 87.

Click here to Download the FREE TribesCasebook.pdf

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed contributing to it!

Half Full

With the current financial crisis (and its collateral damage), it is indeed trying times for many these days.

What do I do to get through tough times?
Simple. I go for MAXIMUM COMFORT by wearing my favorite "Half Full" shirt, by Life is Good.

I find that simply wearing this shirt lifts my mood and the mood of others around me.

So if life is getting you a little down...take a deep breath and think "Half Full!"

What Is Inbound Marketing? A Great Path To 0 and 100!

Interesting question being asked on the HubSpot blog:
What Does Inbound Marketing Mean To You?

"Some use the term digital marketing, some online marketing, and still others -- particularly ourselves -- inbound marketing.
What do you make of these terms?
What does inbound marketing mean to you?"

Before I answer the question, let me list 2 key questions marketers are (or should be) asking themselves:

1. How do I enable prospects and customers to find and interact with the unique value I have to offer?
2. How do I convert those interested prospects into paying customers?

Related questions from the CEO / Business Owner would be:

1. How do I reduce the costs of acquiring customers...to 0?
2. How do I increase conversion rates...to 100%?

0 and 100 represent nirvana of course.

Inbound Marketing (which leverages the power and reach of the Internet) represents a modern approach to adjusting the dials/knobs that have an impact on answering these questions.

For example, increasing your number of website visitors and increasing the rate at which those visitors take your specific call to action (buy, download, etc.)... drives your costs towards 0...and conversion rates towards 100%.

So, with that said, my answer to "What Is Inbound Marketing?" is:

A Great Path To 0 and 100!

Meme(me)

From John:
1. Take a picture of yourself right now.
2. Don’t change your clothes, don’t fix your hair…just take a picture.
3. Post that picture with NO editing.
4. Post these instructions with your picture.