2010 – What’s In? What’s Out?

by drmani on November 16, 2009

It’s been two years since I last gazed into my crystal ball, went out on a limb, and made predictions about the coming year.

But that doesn’t mean I’m ready now to try it again! No. I won’t. Though I will share some thoughts/insights on what I believe will be ‘in’ and ‘out’ in the coming year, 2010.

Email Is OUT, Social Media Is IN

Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ve been saying it since 2007. But now, it’s final.

And I’m acting on it. In 2010, my blog (this one) will be where I ‘hang out’. You can still get on my email list for some special stuff – but primarily I will mention updates to the “Information Marketing Made Easy” blog on it.

For the rest, Twitter, Sokule and Facebook will see more of me – and (I bet) YOU too.

Hype Is OUT, Value Is IN

You can fool some people all the time; all people some time; but you cannot fool all the people all the time! And that’s why hype in selling is firmly on its way out.

Value creation won’t go out of fashion. Ever. And when hype flees, value will fill the vacuum.

Don’t believe me? Go on. Keep shouting louder. See who listens!

Faking Is OUT, Integrity Is IN

‘Fake It Till You Make It’ might have sounded good advice at some time in the past. Today, it well may get you in jail!

Flogs and forged earnings, always on the wrong side of the ethical line, are now frankly illegal – and Big Brother (with initials that spell F.T.C.) is watching.

Beware. Be smart. Be honest. (Or be gone!)

Groveling Is OUT, Authority Is IN

Losing sales? Dropping profits? Plummeting response? Blame the recession, if you must – but don’t GROVEL!

Feel like slashing prices? Or giving away the barn as a bonus? Stop. That doesn’t work either.

Then what will/does? Authority does. Yours. But first, you must earn it. And then, folks will listen. And follow. Even buy from you. Because they trust you.

‘Guru’dom Is OUT, Genuine Concern Is IN

Aspiring to be a guru with all the perks of celebrity status is a poor ambition to pursue in 2010. Far better to seek to serve – knowing that (temporarily) being the leader of your tribe is a privilege, not your right or entitlement.

Keep on posturing and preening, if you like. But know that your audience is watching – and isn’t happy. Soon, you may not have any left.

Show that you care. And are human. They’ll love you more, warts and all.

Bluff & BS Is OUT, Authenticity Is IN

Social Media just turned the Web more transparent. Folks can see you, no matter where you try to hide. And see through you, to what’s real.

So keep it real. Don’t pretend you’ve got it all together when you really don’t. Congruence was never more of a competitive edge than now.

Or if you don’t/won’t/can’t do it, heed this… Stay AWAY from social media! (And isn’t that a ‘fate worse than death’ in 2010 and beyond?!)

What do you see lurking around the corner in 2010 ? Please share in a comment.

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You Cannot Coast!

by drmani on November 11, 2009

I started building my online business in 1996.

By 2003, I had built up serious momentum.

  • High search engine rankings.
  • Big, responsive list.
  • Many infoproducts.
  • Good sales.

And then, I started coasting along.  Maintaining my sites,
but not growing them as aggressively as I once did.

Nothing changed – apparently.  But it did.  It just did so
slowly that I hadn’t noticed!

  • By 2006, a few search engine rankings were gone.
  • By 2007, my list was growing slower – and getting smaller.
  • By 2008, my infoproduct portfolio had dwindled.
  • By 2009, coupled with the recession, this was losing sales.

Now, I’m NOT coasting.

Since earlier this year, I’m working a plan.  Actively. And
very aggressively.

I have a SEO plan.  It is getting many inlinks and adding
content to my network of sites rapidly.

I have a list building plan – though NOT solely email!  Yes,
that’s a shift determined by the marketplace changes.

I have an infoproduct creation plan – by end 2010, I will have
added FIFTY new ebooks and guides to my portfolio.

I have a sales plan – and it will kick in when other parts of
the puzzle are in place.

The BIG lesson is this…

You Cannot Coast!

If you aren’t growing, your business is dying.  Slowly, maybe.
But still dying.

Give it the breath of life.

Keep it GROWING.

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Why I Liked “This Is It”

Every Michael Jackson fan should watch “This Is It”. No question about it. You WILL love it!
Others who don’t really love Michael’s music may not be wildly excited about watching the King of Pop rehearse for what would most certainly have been a musical extravanganza to blow our minds.
Anyway, “This Is It” mattered [...]

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Funny Friends

I have many friends. REAL friends. Some of them have been my friends for 35 years!
A few of us meet often, regularly. Others get together every few weeks or months. And some I meet only every few years or so.
Whenever we do, it’s as if there hadn’t been any gap. [...]

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Barbers, Movies & Minds

Today, I had a haircut and watched a movie.
Nothing spectacular – yet it was special. Here’s how.
Ready to step out, I asked my wife and daughter (rhetorically!):
“Which barber should I visit? The usual one? Or someone new?”
The two young ladies in my life glanced quickly at each other, smiled, and then one [...]

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Being IN the Long Tail of Non-Profits

Chris Anderson’s “Long Tail”, as a concept, exists in the world of non-profits too. And I’m right IN it!
This morning, I was reading Beth Kanter’s post on how to leverage non-profits on Twitter, and saw that Twitter (the social media network with several million users) was now featuring a list of “suggested users” – [...]

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Transparency, Authenticity, & Trust

Today, I posted my 10,000th tweet on Twitter. And of these thousands, one has been very widely re-tweeted… it says:

“Transparency is the new risk – Authenticity is the new currency – Trust is the new reward.”
Maybe because it encapsulates the essence of social media networking. Or maybe because it sounds nice and snappy. [...]

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What Do You Want?

Do you really KNOW what you want to do (or become) in your life?
If you said “No”, or “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure”, then my next question to you is:
“Do you WANT to know?”
If you said “Yes”, or “That would be nice”, or “I think so”, then my next question to you is:
“How [...]

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Hit Pause

This evening, I was stuck in my car – in the rain.
It was a sudden, heavy downpour. My wife was buying groceries. I sat in the street, gazing in silent awe at the force of Nature.
At the rivulets of rainwater trickling down the windshield. At the huge trees swaying dangerously, buffetted by [...]

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Why I Won’t Write GREAT Fiction!

“I believe there are two ways of writing novels. One is mine, making a sort of musical comedy without music and ignoring real life altogether; the other is going right deep down into life and not caring a damn.” – P. G. Wodehouse
When I was a teenager, I read a fascinating novel. It [...]

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