tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47733866269356655922024-02-08T12:35:00.920-08:00ResonateAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-4519052148772970152013-04-15T13:14:00.000-07:002013-04-15T13:18:54.969-07:00Come Climb A Tree With Me | by @kabaim<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RAYMHs71LM0/UWw6OQx3wfI/AAAAAAAABZU/fh9c-g4QQHk/s1600/Tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RAYMHs71LM0/UWw6OQx3wfI/AAAAAAAABZU/fh9c-g4QQHk/s320/Tree.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">1,000+ year old coastal redwood</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why it is more and more difficult to make friends, true meaningful connections, as we get older and older?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday, my 7-year-old daughter taught me a significant lesson in how friendships are made.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were at the local Farmer's Market, and I ran into someone I hadn't seen in years, and his two children. His oldest daughter is 8. I encouraged my daughter to speak to her, but she acted shy and a little embarrassed - didn't know what to say.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the dad and I got into conversation, his daughter ran off to a nearby tree, followed by my daughter. They climbed all the way up, like scary high - about 20-30 feet up. There, they hung out for a while, just sitting up there. About ten minutes later, they came back down, and had become inseparable chatterboxes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>It doesn't start with talking, it starts with shared experience. </b><i>[<a href="http://clicktotweet.com/A0V4i" target="_blank">tweet this</a>]</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Talking is intellectual, abstract. Shared experience starts with shared intention. And shared intention starts with resonating on the same frequency with someone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not only is talking (sometimes) intellectual and abstract, it can (sometimes) be used to push people away. And I'm not even talking about the words. Even if the words are nice, it provides a buffer between humans. If you don't believe it, look into someone's eyes in silence for any length of time, and you'll see what true intimacy is, and how words can push this away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am so reminded of </span><a href="http://www.christophermccandless.info/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Christopher McCandless</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">' realization, after spending months in the wilderness by himself: "Happiness only real when shared." How true.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, how about climbing a tree with me?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-76957812397292797602013-04-10T19:17:00.000-07:002013-04-11T10:04:23.876-07:00Why Sequence is Critical | by @kabaim<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="315" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ln0m7rW-6r0/UWXPu4Fns0I/AAAAAAAABZE/d_Ikav1X9tc/s320/The+monk+of+Union+Square.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Monk and me (he's of the Thai Buddhist tradition)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ln0m7rW-6r0/UWXPu4Fns0I/AAAAAAAABZE/d_Ikav1X9tc/s1600/The+monk+of+Union+Square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I ran into my friend <a href="http://blog.kabaim.com/2013/03/how-to-sell-like-buddhist-monk-by-kabaim.html"><span style="color: blue;">the monk</span></a> again yesterday, talking to someone else. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy to have spotted him, I stood from afar, and just watched for a few seconds, as he interacted with a tall twenty-something wearing a hoodie (maybe the next Zuck?).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The short moment that I caught a glimpse of was like the final piece of the puzzle falling into place for me - it was a true A-HA!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before I get into that, though, I'm reminded of a bit of wisdom and experience from the world of nonprofit fundraising that my wife Kelly shared with me over a decade ago. Kelly worked in development for 2 top-tier universities as a major gift officer. 'Major Gifts' at these institutions are 6, 7, even 8 figure gifts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kelly shared with me that once you've cultivated a relationship with a potential Major Gift donor, you don't just ask for a "gift" because almost certainly, the donor will say "Sure", pull out a checkbook, and write you a check for $100K.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing wrong with a $100K gift, but the thing is, these are donors who have the capacity, to give much much more. The #1 rule of nonprofit fundraising is <i>ask for a specific amount</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back to our monk. I'm watching the young man take out his wallet, and before he has the opportunity to pull out a dollar or two, the monk places his notepad and pen between the young man and his wallet, prompting him to fill out the form. The young man lowers his wallet, and starts filling out the form.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I finally got it - that in this whole process, taking one element out of sequence can make a monumental diference. The donor or buyer must first have built up significant perceived value before transacting at a much higher dollar level.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is what sales and marketing is all about - building up perceived value. And marketing and sales must follow a <a href="http://blog.kabaim.com/2013/03/how-to-sell-like-buddhist-monk-by-kabaim.html">carefully crafted sequence and rhythm</a> in order to have their fullest impact. And the amount a buyer is willing to pay is very closely tied to how good a job you have done building up perceived value through this sequence and some careful positioning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is what makes the difference between spending $2,000+ on a MacBook at an Apple Store, and spending only half of that for a technically equivalent or even superior laptop at Best Buy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We know the rest of the story - the young man ends up giving the monk $10 or $20, instead of $1 or $2. And we have another satisfied customer, basking in a moment of peace, wondering what just happened, but somehow very happy and settled.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">---------------------------------</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">For a little more context for this post, please see <a href="http://blog.kabaim.com/2013/03/how-to-sell-like-buddhist-monk-by-kabaim.html">How To Sell Like A Buddhist Monk</a></span><br />
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-4731658183366489832013-03-20T17:58:00.001-07:002013-04-10T20:06:23.699-07:00How To Sell Like A Buddhist Monk | by @kabaim<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lVTyCyaN2W8/UUpNt7tInnI/AAAAAAAABS8/XFOEOxyxTDE/s1600/Little+Buddha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="How I learned how to sell from a Buddhist monk" border="0" height="318" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lVTyCyaN2W8/UUpNt7tInnI/AAAAAAAABS8/XFOEOxyxTDE/s320/Little+Buddha.jpg" title="Tiny Buddha" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yesterday, I learned the fine art of compassionate selling from a Buddhist monk.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
Right on Union Square.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
In about 30 seconds.</span><br />
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Imagine this: you're walking to work on a busy weekday morning, in the heart of the busiest part of town. You decide to look up, instead of down. It's going to be a good day, you think to yourself, so you put on a smile, and you mean it. Your eyes dart around, looking for other smiles to connect with. No such luck - everyone is looking down, too preoccupied with what the day ahead has in store for them, or absorbed in an parallel musical universe powered by their iPhones and world-canceling earphones.</span><br />
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Then, about 30 yards ahead, your eyes lock with the other solitary smiling eyes, heading your way. In the form of a Buddhist monk in full garb. He's acknowledging your smile, he's acknowledging YOU. He walks straight at you, and his demeanor and attire disarm you. He is trustworthy, and he knows you.</span><br />
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As he approaches you, he hands you a golden card. Of course, you take it. On it, it says, "Work Smoothly, Lifetime Peace". A little cheesy, you think, but it has a quality feel to it. As you look up, his right hand comes up to shake yours, and you reciprocate, and shake his hand. A warm, sincere handshake.</span><br />
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</span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6LSDUAuLPwk/UUpWmypFfoI/AAAAAAAABTE/-4Exq8vkKWc/s1600/Work+Smoothly,+Lifetime+Peace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="Work Smoothly, Lifetime Peace" border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6LSDUAuLPwk/UUpWmypFfoI/AAAAAAAABTE/-4Exq8vkKWc/s320/Work+Smoothly,+Lifetime+Peace.jpg" title="Buddhist peace amulet" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In his accented English, he says something that sounds like, "would you consider a donation?"</span><br />
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You're thinking, sure, why not, I have a few bucks to spare. As you motion for your wallet, he gets out a spiral notepad and opens it up. On it is a simple form, and you see other people's names on it. He hands you a pen and the pad, and gestures for you to fill it out.</span><br />
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The first column has the heading Name, so you write down your first name, like the others before you have. The second column says Location - there's just enough room to squeeze in the two letter code for your state.</span><br />
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The third columns asks: 'What do you want?' You pause, not quite sure what to write, and the friendly monk tells you to just write 'Peace', like the others before you did. Wow - I want peace, you think. Yes, you really want peace.</span><br />
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The last column has the amount donated. You look at what others before you gave - whoa, $20, $50, $10,... you don't write anything in the column, and tell the monk you need to check how much you have. You hand him the pen and pad, as you get out your wallet. You look and realize you only have three singles and one $20 bill, which you pull out of the wallet, while pondering what you're going to do...</span><br />
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You mumble something like "I've got a $20..." at which point the monk says "Twenty is good", and takes the $20 bill, writes $20 on the amount line in the notebook, and pulls out a wooden bead bracelet which he places on your left wrist, lingering to hold your left hand for a moment, in gratitude. He does this all in one continuous sequence, in the blinking of an eye.</span><br />
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He bows with a "thank you", turns, and continues on his way.</span><br />
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This all took 30 seconds. You stand there, wondering if you've just been 'had' or if that is the best $20 you've ever spent.</span><br />
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Then you realize the monk is your Zen Master, and that he just taught you the fine art of compassionate selling.</span><br />
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It's going to be a great day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">------------------------</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So here's the monk's hot selling tips, in 12 steps (and sequence is critical!):</span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Target your audience. In this case, people willing to make eye contact.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Be approachable. Be likeable. Smile.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Be credible. A monk's garb will do it in this case.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Offer something of perceived value. How about a golden card?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ask, at a low commitment level. As monk did: "Would you consider a donation?"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Spend time building up perceived value. Filling out a form will do.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Give people what they want and heighten perceived value, by promising "peace."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Social proof. Show how others just like you (fellow SF residents) are making substantial gifts.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Make the real ask, commensurate to the giver's ability and perceived willingness. "Twenty is good!"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To seal the deal, thank them with a gift, something of value (bracelet in this case).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank them in words. "Thank you." Be sincere.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When you've completed the deal, leave. Fast. As quickly as you came.</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Addendum: I've been getting feedback from a variety of folks that point 12 really rubs them the wrong way, and now reading it again, I can see how this can be taken badly. The real point is "do not linger", not so much "take the money and run." Once a transaction is closed, making small talk is really not a good idea, so graciously thanking someone and allowing them to move on and appreciate their purchase (rather than hanging out with a sales person that just won't stop) is an appreciated move - just make sure the customer understands how they can reach you if they have any issues or questions (the monk left me his calling card - I know where to find him).</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-76356766146360754252013-03-11T13:45:00.002-07:002013-03-11T16:14:16.881-07:00Content and information is dying... | by @kellylordkim<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The following is a guest post by <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/100785575357401506118" target="_blank">+Kelly Kim</a> </i></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dIxFjcJ2xKQ/UT5CC8mPKRI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/odniGHzTwlg/s1600/Overcapacity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dIxFjcJ2xKQ/UT5CC8mPKRI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/odniGHzTwlg/s320/Overcapacity.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We need to provide our audience with transformative experiences.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No one needs more information, unless they are doing something very specific -- and they are searching on those terms, i.e. <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+purl+stitch&aq=f&oq=how+to+purl+stitch">how to purl stitch</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When people are browsing (which they are always doing on Twitter or Facebook, via their streams), they are looking for something to capture their attention and hold it. They want to be transformed -- or if they don't know THEY want to be transformed (which they do) they at least want to have transformative experiences. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These would include inspirational experiences, entertaining experiences, experiences which create insight or real shifts. We want to be moved. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though all these are technically considered "content," the word content sounds so static. Content is not meant to be static, as it has become. It is meant to be fluid.*</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Content marketing</b> at its best is giving people transformative experiences, for free, then asking them to pay for more of the same -- just at at deeper level or longer term.</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">* Actually this is <a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/01/coca-cola-content-marketing-20-20/">what Coke said</a> in its epic manifesto on how they consider content -- fluid stories is what they said</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/100785575357401506118" target="_blank">+Kelly Kim</a> is co-founder of <a href="http://www.twylah.com/">Twylah - a personal branding platform</a> which provides you the easiest way to build your brand online. She also tweets as <a href="https://twitter.com/twylah">@twylah</a> and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_2068730993"></span>@kellylordkim<span id="goog_2068730994"></span></a> on Twitter.</span></i></div>
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-48290512621906361822013-03-07T14:05:00.001-08:002013-03-11T10:08:25.867-07:00Just fake it | by @kabaim<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-znw9edLG3co/UTkMbh6CfuI/AAAAAAAAAWw/31D9y6xoYOI/s1600/Good+morning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-znw9edLG3co/UTkMbh6CfuI/AAAAAAAAAWw/31D9y6xoYOI/s320/Good+morning.jpg" width="318" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday, I woke up at 3am with a giant pit in my stomach. I couldn't sleep anymore, and my mind went directly to overwhelm and disaster-creation mode, reflecting what my gut was feeling, and started racing into a vicious downward loop. When I finally got out of bed at 5am, I was feeling full-blown <a href="http://blog.kabaim.com/2013/02/entrepreneurs-morning-sickness-by-kabaim.html">entrepreneur's morning sickness</a>, and could not shake it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not again! WTF, I just came back from an amazing weekend in NYC, made some amazing friendships with an incredible group of entrepreneurs. Why was this happening to me? Again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So with the little resolve I had left, while on the way in to the office, I decided to do something about it. Something simple, something easy, just something.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I put on a big smile. Until it hurt. Literally.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It wasn't easy - it was so incongruous with how I was feeling inside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing happened at first, although I did notice some people looking at me strangely ('why the shit-eating grin?'). I also noticed that there were very few other people smiling. Actually, most people in the streets had a scowl or worried look on their face. So I'm not the only one, I thought... I also connected with a few other smilers - wow, there are people out there who just smile!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By mid-morning, the smile thing started to take hold. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I noticed a lightening of the weight on my shoulders, a softening of the pit in my gut, an easing of my heart. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My mind started clearing up, I jotted down the things I needed to get done for the day, and started cranking away. I felt energized. And good things started happening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't know how much there is to this, but I know this feels solidly true to me: the mind follows the body. So sometimes, it might just be okay to lie to yourself a little bit - I mean, tell your body to lie to you. Yeah, just fake it, and see how it feels. Good things might just happen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Update: so it turns out there is science behind the smiling thing => <a href="http://www.world-science.net/othernews/120731_smile.htm">check out this article</a>. Thanks <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/110502214304029332033" target="_blank">+Elizabeth Hunter</a> for sharing.</i></span><br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-62143605152577525912013-02-06T12:33:00.000-08:002013-02-06T13:54:47.416-08:00Entrepreneur's Morning Sickness | by @kabaim<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KE4fnJkdXoY/URK71UlzIoI/AAAAAAAAAV0/9Azq4Bn67hM/s1600/Not+happy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KE4fnJkdXoY/URK71UlzIoI/AAAAAAAAAV0/9Azq4Bn67hM/s320/Not+happy.jpg" title="Entrepreneur's Morning Sickness - this is how it feels" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, I woke up feeling great. Admittedly, it was still around 5am, pretty much the time I've been waking up 'naturally' for the past few years, but something was different.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did not have that churning feeling in my stomach, like someone had just kicked me in the gut. My mind was not going haywire with all the possible disaster scenarios of how my startup was going to fail, how I was going to become an embarrassment to all my friends and investors, how I was going to lose everything and become homeless, and the list goes on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're reading this and nodding, or feeling queazy because you truly understand, then you know what <b>Entrepreneur's Morning Sickness</b> feels like. It is the price we pay (and the daily reality we deal with) when we dare step out and go for it, and attempt to create something that will change the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But today was different. Somehow, my heart and gut conspired to tell my mind that I just needed to focus on what is going to happen now, today. I woke up to the realization that tomorrow, or 6 months from now, I will have the opportunity to address whatever comes my way that day. No need to worry about it now - it's no use. It's energy and mental bandwidth wasted, trying to solve a problem that doesn't even exist.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope this serves. Frankly, I'm tired of getting kicked in the gut by my imagination.</span><br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-78822316621650981372013-01-31T11:23:00.002-08:002013-01-31T11:23:51.955-08:00On Twitter, Everyone is a Personal Brand | by @kabaim<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XjmaaO3LdII/UQrDbGKJA6I/AAAAAAAAAKs/eXW2QUY8Xf0/s1600/Failing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XjmaaO3LdII/UQrDbGKJA6I/AAAAAAAAAKs/eXW2QUY8Xf0/s320/Failing.jpg" title="You are a Personal Brand" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you on Twitter? I mean, do you actually tweet?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you know that with every tweet you post, you are emitting a brand signal - you are shaping the perception of those who follow you. The perception they have of YOU.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now here's the big question: Do you have any idea what that brand is? Yes, what brand are YOU?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some interesting news: you are a personal brand! Whether you want it or not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, you're actually tweeting from a company account? So you're a brand, not a personal brand, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, here's an interesting take on this idea: on Twitter, everyone is a personal brand. Yes, even companies and big brands. There is no difference between a personal and business account on Twitter - we're all the same. No special treatment for anyone (unless, of course you pay for it through promoted tweets & follows).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, what is YOUR brand? Is it something you can be proud of? Does it reflect the real you, or the YOU you want to be?</span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-75045420558446111232013-01-30T09:35:00.001-08:002013-01-30T09:56:02.594-08:00Need a pep talk today?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We all need a little kick in the pants at times. Watch this short video - if nothing else, you'll be entertained.</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/l-gQLqv9f4o?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>"What will you create that will make the world awesome?"</i></span></div>
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-16872796124642427602013-01-29T10:47:00.000-08:002013-01-29T16:05:44.254-08:00Finding your passion is not an intellectual pursuit | by @kabaim<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--OuGk_q58xo/UQgYbFQde0I/AAAAAAAAAJ0/kQKVwS-84DA/s1600/Start+doing+the+things+you+love.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--OuGk_q58xo/UQgYbFQde0I/AAAAAAAAAJ0/kQKVwS-84DA/s320/Start+doing+the+things+you+love.JPG" title="Start doing the things you love" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It just came to me yesterday, as I was doing my morning run to Dolores Park before most of the city is awake: when you lead with your head (mind), you are limiting yourself to all the beliefs you have built up over the years, and many of those are severely limiting beliefs.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But if you allow yourself to feel into your heart and into your gut, and you can align those two 'feelings' (I mean this in a literal, felt sense), then the mind can follow, and enable you to break beyond the bounds of your limiting beliefs. The mind then can manifest your deepest feelings in the world through spoken or written word, and through acts and actions with your hands.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I finally realized that in order to fully express myself authentically in the world, I need to relinquish my 'intelligence' from the head, and entrust it to my body - to my heart and gut (to my feeling self). Only then will I truly be able to speak from my truth, and to create new possibilities from this expression.</span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-84400544887647114372013-01-23T13:50:00.002-08:002013-02-16T04:19:42.217-08:00YOU are a startup | by @kabaim<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FeRAuz6nLSo/UQAzHkXwVWI/AAAAAAAAAJk/0IvNne2Jmog/s1600/Holding+hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FeRAuz6nLSo/UQAzHkXwVWI/AAAAAAAAAJk/0IvNne2Jmog/s1600/Holding+hands.jpg" title="The beauty of giving and receiving" /></a></div>
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Do you have an idea that will change the world for the better?</div>
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Have you ever wanted to make a living doing what you're passionate about?</div>
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To have your passion become your main occupation?</div>
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Have you struggled to make this happen?</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We understand what it's like being in the trenches - we are a <span class="il">startup</span>. But being a Silicon Valley <span class="il">startup</span> is not as glorious as <span class="il">you</span> think - we toil and sweat and worry just as much as anyone starting a business does. We lay our lives and our personal fortunes on the line, we eat and sleep what we preach, and often times, we fall down and eat dirt. We know <span class="il">you</span> because <b>we are <span class="il">you</span></b>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">But why do we do it? Because we believe that <a href="http://www.twylah.com/brandtracker?ref=kabaimblog" target="_blank">we have something to offer to the world</a>, something beautiful, something great, that will improve people's lives, that will inspire others, that will, in its own way, change the world for the better.... because we believe that the world would be worse off without what we're building/creating.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We believe that <span class="il">you</span> too, have something that is not only worthwhile, but magnificent, to share with the world, and that if <span class="il">you</span> can align this passion with a livelihood, <span class="il">you</span> will be the best that <span class="il">you</span> can be, <span class="il">you</span> will achieve the human potential <span class="il">you</span> were always meant to achieve. We believe in <span class="il">you</span>, and what <span class="il">you</span> are trying to achieve.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Too many people live their entire lives never understanding their purpose, never finding their passion, and earning a living doing something they don't really enjoy, something that puts them in a box, and contains them there. We know that your are bigger than the box, that <span class="il">you</span> can think outside the box, and that <span class="il">you</span> can create amazing things if <span class="il">you</span> have the right attitude, resources, systems, tools and support. We are here to help <span class="il">you</span> because we believe in <span class="il">you</span>, because <b>we are <span class="il">you</span></b>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">So go ahead and <b>unleash your inner entrepreneur!</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">What's holding you back?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">And do let me know how I can help YOU. </span>You can reach me at <a href="https://twitter.com/kabaim" target="_blank">@kabaim</a>.</div>
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<i>PS: the picture in this post if of my son Jett holding his <a href="http://tweets.twylah.com/" target="_blank">mother</a>'s hand. Such a wonderful expression of giving and receiving, helping and accepting. </i></div>
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<i style="background-color: white;">PPS: What we're working on right now:</i></div>
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<i style="background-color: white;">We are building <a href="http://www.twylah.com/ref=kabaimblog" target="_blank">a platform</a> that will help bring focus to what <span class="il">you</span> are and what <span class="il">you</span> want to be, to help <span class="il">you</span> get started and progress toward finding that deepest passion and gift within yourself, and sharing it with the world - and in doing so, turn your words into a beacon that attracts your ideal audience, and connects <span class="il">you</span> with those who can really benefit from what <span class="il">you</span> have to offer to the world</i></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-28378217704130314502013-01-07T11:18:00.000-08:002013-01-07T17:33:26.825-08:00Content is NOT King | by @kabaim<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2734/4152919570_3acdefc13e_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Content Marketing - content is not king" border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2734/4152919570_3acdefc13e_n.jpg" title="Content is NOT king - #contentmarketing" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/4152919570/">epsos.de</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Content is not king.</span></div>
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The <b>value</b> your content delivers is king.</div>
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Content is just a vehicle to deliver value. We need to start thinking of content in terms of the insight, inspiration, entertainment,.etc. it delivers to your audience. This is key.</div>
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In the world of Twitter, tweets are just breadcrumbs - if the thought or insight is short enough, it may be self-contained in a tweet, but most of the time, the tweet is just a teaser, or a piece of information scent for the viewer to get to the real value.</div>
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If you take a step back from there, though, what is the purpose of sharing insights, etc? It is to be seen, to be known by an audience, and finally, to get the audience to <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/01/the-attentionaction-paradox.html" target="_blank">take action</a> to your benefit. Otherwise, why create and share content?</div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-46201601164245015302012-12-03T11:00:00.000-08:002012-12-03T14:32:00.720-08:00Why is storytelling so effective for learning & persuasion?<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stories teach. Stories sell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So why does storytelling work? What makes it work?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">S</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">oon after my last post, <a href="http://tweets.twylah.com/" target="_blank">Kelly</a> and I got on a hangout to dive into the subject some more. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Storytelling is both auditory and visual, as you are creating images </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">in your mind to mirror the interpretation of the story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">This allows the right and left brain to work in concert and transcends </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">the normal activity of the brain. So the story goes beyond the brain </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">and into heart and gut – there are feelings, perceptions and emotions </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">go along with it. So it is a whole brain, whole body activity.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Learning then becomes more holistic and better retained.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Potentially also if one’s left brain is the only part of the brain </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">activated as you tell your brand story, more challenges will come up </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">as a result of hearing that story. After all, the left brain is </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">responsible for analytical and critical thinking.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Additionally, when you tell a story, you don’t give all the details, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">you leave some blanks for the listener to fill in. This is </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">participatory learning on the part of the listener – as they transpose </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">themselves into the world you’re creating through your story. As a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">brand, how incredible would it be to transpose your prospects and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">clients into the world you’ve created with your brand and your </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">business.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Next time you hear someone telling a story, try to focus of how it impacts you - what happens as you hear the story, what images and feelings do you experience?</span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-46195804244917101132012-11-30T11:57:00.000-08:002012-11-30T12:13:10.593-08:00Storytelling: the past and future of how we connect<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/3616904854/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2484/3616904854_a217065db9.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/3616904854/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: Kodomut on Flickr</span></a></td></tr>
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My friend <a href="https://twitter.com/leowid" target="_blank">Leo</a> and I had a great discussion around the power of storytelling several weeks ago, which inspired his amazing blog post about <a href="http://blog.bufferapp.com/science-of-storytelling-why-telling-a-story-is-the-most-powerful-way-to-activate-our-brains" target="_blank">how storytelling impacts the brain</a>.</div>
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We are at the beginning of a shift and transition in the way consumers interact with brands and companies, a shift that is largely being empowered by the democratization of media (everyone is a publisher now, and everyone has a voice), and made necessary by the sheer volume of information that we all need to deal with on a daily basis.</div>
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Brands that have been using storytelling effectively have been able to build a much deeper and more emotional connection with their customers and fans. For an amazing example, just watch the first 30 seconds of this video of Jon Ive presenting the iPhone 5:</div>
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I'm just glad that my kids are in a <a href="http://www.sfwaldorf.org/grade-school/gs" target="_blank">school</a> that understands the power of storytelling as a pedagogical framework for deep, whole-brain (whole being) learning.<br />
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Have you seen great examples of storytelling in action lately? Please share in the comments section below.<br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4773386626935665592.post-14498163420728860312012-08-08T16:09:00.000-07:002012-08-09T10:48:41.344-07:00The dark underbelly of Silicon Valley recruiting (and there is a silver lining)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has become beyond difficult to find talented software engineers, and that's why the recruiting industry has rallied around this sector. Companies like Facebook, Zynga, and Google are making it even more difficult by driving up not only salaries, but also tightening the market. Recruiting firms are capitalizing on this and raising their fees as well - it seems as though 20-30% commission is now the norm, up from around 15-20% just 18 months ago.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This is all well and good if and when recruiters do their jobs well.</span></div>
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But what do recruiting firms do, anyways? How do they source their candidates? If you examine a cross-section of recruiting firm websites, you will see them claim that they source "passive candidates" from "target companies".</div>
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In my book, that means recruiting firms work hard by cold calling employed engineers, and trying to convince them to consider new opportunities. They're also actively screening these candidates by interviewing them, assessing their skill-level, validating their experience, and gaining a deep understanding of what the candidates want to do. They should 'sell' your company and the opportunity to candidates. When a candidate finally makes it to you, not only should they be knowledgeable about your company, but they should also be excited about the position. Is that worth 25% of an engineer's yearly salary? Quite possibly - it's a lot of work!</div>
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The Growing Problem</h3>
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But a disturbing trend has been brewing over the past 12 months - the industry has developed a dark underbelly of resume-trafficking. Here's how it often works:</div>
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<li>A recruiter sets up alerts on the resume boards to identify new candidates as they post their resumes</li>
<li>As soon as they get the resumes, they paste the body of the resume into their own letterhead</li>
<li>They forward the resumes directly to clients, asking them if they're interested. I get several of these a day from a slew of recruiters</li>
<li>If a client is interested, they then reach out to the candidate, telling them there's a company really interested in speaking with them. This is often the first contact the recruiter has with the candidate. During this call, they may ask a few general questions - 'what kind of company do you want to work for, are you okay commuting, etc</li>
<li>They then set up the interview with the client</li>
<li>After the interview, they loop back with the client to get their feedback - they take notes. Effectively, they are using their clients to do the actual screening process for them.</li>
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Now is that worth 25% of an engineer's yearly salary? Not in the least bit.</div>
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It gets worse. A large percentage of engineers who post their resume on job boards are recent graduates or very junior engineers. These people have absolutely no idea that the second a recruiter contacts them, the hiring firms have to pay a 25% markup on their salary. I was recently forwarded resumes from two Computer Science majors from Berkeley who had just graduated, and placed their resume on Dice.com. One of them, when he came in for the interview, was completely disinterested, and didn't know a thing about our company. I felt like reaching out to Berkeley's placement office to let them know that there are predators out there dealing in human trafficking of their recent graduates, and making a fortune off of it. I would much rather see Berkeley get the money for placing their grads.<br />
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I for one refuse to play this game. Would I pay a fee for a very qualified and screened candidate? Absolutely. But I will not support the dark underbelly of this industry by paying their exorbitant fees for the minimal value they provide when re-selling junior candidates. These practices are giving the whole recruiting industry a bad name.</div>
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The Silver Lining</h3>
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So what's a startup to do? Leading the way is a new model for recruitment put forward by the same great people who brought you <a href="http://angel.co/" target="_blank">AngelList</a>. They recently launched <a href="http://angel.co/talent" target="_blank"><b>AngelList Talent</b></a>, which matches screened engineers with screened startups. No recruiters allowed here - they are very strict about it. Not even your company's internal recruiter - you must be one of the founders of a startup to get access to these candidates.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px;">Brought to you by the folks who created AngelList</span></td></tr>
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We have received a higher flow of quality candidates from AngelList Talent than from any recruiter - and this includes engineers who are currently employed and 'just browsing'. It's a simple process - but you need to have bona fide startup listed and vetted on <a href="http://angel.co/" target="_blank">AngelList</a> to participate. And you need to be totally transparent on salary & equity range you are willing to offer. The service presents suggested candidates to you, and you can demonstrate interest with a simple click. If the candidate is interested on their end, the service arranges an intro. We recently hired a fantastic developer through AngelList - he is self-taught, and he absolutely kicks butt. It took us less than 3 weeks from posting to hiring.</div>
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If you're an engineer, I would think very hard before taking that recruiter intro. If you're even slightly interested in looking at new opportunities in exciting startups, go to <a href="https://angel.co/talent" target="_blank"><b>angel.co/talent</b></a> and create a profile. Then, while there, browse all the exciting startups that are looking for someone just like you, and cut out the middle man. Who knows, some of that 25% your new employer saves might come back to you in the form of a higher salary...</div>
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So will <b><u>you</u></b> join me in saying "NO" to resume-trafficking (under the guise of 'recruiting')?</div>
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Oh, and by the way, we're still hiring! See: <a href="http://www.twylah.com/jobs" target="_blank">www.twylah.com/jobs</a></div>
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