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2009 > September > 17 > Know your stuff.

Know your stuff.

Be 'appropriately' positive.

Among marketers of whom I usually speak well is 'nametag guy' Scott Ginsberg—his stuff is sensibly founded, structured & presented.

Inevitable then is the odd duffer [slang: inferior] among otherwise good stuff.

I have one other small gripe with the guy… in providing 'a free online learning resource', why make me have to register and log-in for access?

[The answer, of course, is so's you can capture my email address and hook me into a series of auto-responder messages. That's bad form, old boy—beneath you. Whatever.]

Back to the issue of 'the odd duffer'. One example of a mail-out which contains exactly that is 'Corny doesn't mean ineffective.', in which he speaks of 'positive attitude stuff' [his phrase, not mine].

Ginsberg suggests:

• If someone says 'No!' the next word out of your mouth should be 'Next!'
• Next time someone challenges your attitude by saying 'Don't you ever worry that…' say 'no!', no matter what.
• Next time someone tells you that something you created sucks, smile and say 'I respect your opinion of my work.'

In an otherwise good piece, these points are dumb, just dumb. Sure, we need to ensure we'll not be needlessly discouraged—but that advice is misleadingly wrong and hence likely to hinder rather than help.

• In the first case you missed a potentially valuable learning opportunity—and possibly a sale.
• In the second, you've just kidded yourself.
• And in the third, again, you've missed a potentially valuable learning opportunity.

The value of Ginsberg's stuff is undoubted—and my point here is one of don't just accept all you read simply because it comes from an expert.

Filed by g on September 17 2009

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REPORT > 2009 > September > 17 > Know your stuff.