Scott Ginsberg: “How To Be That Guy”

How to create a personal brand that’s so UNFORGETTABLE, it actually MAGNETIZES more business to you.
Scott Ginsberg

Different people inspire us to do different things. Sometimes intentionally and sometimes accidentally.

Or else why would we expand our inner circle, widen our network horizons and continuously seek the human connection throughout our lives. In the case of Scott Ginsberg, all my encounters – thanks to our LinkedIn connection – with him have inspired me to do three very specific things in large volumes: read, write, speak, and repeat the cycle. Over and over and over again.

I first met Scott Ginsberg in Las Vegas in October of 2010 during Blogworld. He was the goofy guy standing outside the conference room, wearing a giant smile and a more giant what-seemed-like-a-lifevest with his name printed in large letters as he greeted people into his session. I now know that this is his power vest, just in the event that his regular name tag is not noticeable enough by the general public.

Revolutionary ideas come from ridiculous questions.
Scott Ginsberg

Yes, Scott is that name tag guy, the only guy in the universe that wears a name tag 24×7, every day, all day long and even in the shower because, you see, he has his name tag tattooed on his chest. (Don’t make me pull out my photo with proof – I tactfully decided against posting it!) Anyway, as he tells you frankly, wearing a name tag is not an accomplishment – well, not in the sense that anyone else wants to follow suit, anyway – but what is an enormous accomplishment is turning it into a 6-figure enterprise.

A 6-figure enterprise that in his case stemmed from one radical thought, one ridiculous question and one crazy idea:

Radical Thought: What if I wear a name tag everyday?
Ridiculous Question: I wonder if this makes the world a friendlier place?
Crazy Idea: Can I turn this into a living?

In his Blogworld session in New York, he gave away signed copies of one of his books,“How to be that guy“. I ate it up in 2 days; it took so little effort to consume so much information that made so much sense. Try writing a book with those qualities!

As far as business books go, the fundamental mindset and values around running a business need to speak to you first before the actual information in the book can serve you well. Stubborn me would not heed that advice a few years ago; I started a book, I had to finish it. Now I am far more selective – in my books and my relationships – and I must say that Scott’s values resonated loudly with me.

Be the only one. Be your own adjective. Be ubiquitous. Be transparent.
Scott Ginsberg

Reading is the best pastime for the mind! If you like to see more book reviews, check In Print.

He is independent yet highly attached to his network. He is borderline obsessed with cultivating relationships yet a tireless hard-worker, a relentless writer and a great speaker who shares and lives his brand everywhere and everyday. He actively approaches people anywhere to start conversations. He believes in pursuing radical ideas, questioning the norm, ignoring the naysayers, and building unforgettable global brands.

Scott is intense – I like that, I am intense too. His energy and enthusiasm come through in every ounce of his writing. His writing style is casual, conversational, punchy, and easy to read. He asks disturbingly simple questions to make you revisit the fundamentals of your beliefs and thoughts around your brand and your business.

Alright, enough already about how great Scott really is. On to useful stuff such as what did I take away from “How To Be That Guy” (not an affiliate link because Amazon does not offer their program in my state, thank to our stupid state tax laws but boy do I digress!) and find so worth sharing with you.

I have it narrowed down to 8 most practical, useful, and sensible pieces of golden advice:

1. Personal branding can be powerful beyond your imagination so long as you focus on the right stuff: Build the connection, do right by the trust factor, be credible and authentic, and exude confidence. Piece of cake, right? 🙂
2. Living and breathing your brand. Be able to explain your brand to others – anywhere from CNN news reporters to 5-year olds – in simple words and quickly. Relate yourself to others. Make it an exercise every day to explain it to a new person.
3. Writing everything down. Write your ideas down. Make lists. Ask questions. Create great content. Create a lot. Write constantly and frequently to develop the writer in you. Be prolific and know that there is no such thing as writer’s block.
4. Owning a word. Be one word that relates completely to you and that reminds others of you. Scott’s is Approachability. Mine? Still thinking but open to suggestions. Yours?
5. Making them into fans. Turn your customers into raving fans and your fans into advocates. Fans crave experience. Fans love your stuff. Fans do not need to be sold. Fans are loyal. Fans bring you more fans.
6. Choosing consistency over random acts of greatness. This is Scott’s motto – I heard him talk about it both in Vegas and NY. Being consistent across the board, in all modes of communication and platform, with your peers, your fans, your readers and listeners. Same message. Same you. Same values.
7. Being easy for people to find you. Make it easy for people to contact you. Scott gives out his cell phone number. I reply to email within an hour (unless I am asleep, in which case maybe 3 hours ;)) but seriously, be super easy for people to get a hold of you and then be easy to do business with.
8. Leaving good marks everywhere. Remember that everyone counts. Every reader, every fan, every person that you meet and on whom you leave an impression. They will tell someone about you. Make it so that they say something good. It is a small world that is getting smaller now with social media and the technologies around us today.

So happy I read Scott’s book – and that I am reading again, swimming between fiction(Lord of the Rings, anyone?) and nonfiction land but reading nonetheless. Are you reading too? And are you building a unique and unforgettable personal brand day in and day out?

Consistency is better than rare moments of greatness.
Scott Ginsberg