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Don’t Just Sit There!

I couldn’t believe it.

They would have spent a truck load of money for the stand. I wont mention who it was but it was a highly recognisable airline. I was at the Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo in Melbourne. It was hard to tell there was a global financial crisis going on. Some amazing stands (multi-level with suites for discussions) and some amazing marketing going on. A surprising amount of traffic was moving around also, apparently attendance was up by almost 10%. From an organisers perspective, it would have to be seen as a success.

There Was Static

So how would you take advantage of all this traffic? Well the airline in question had a reasonable size booth. Nice comfy chairs, welcoming decor, plenty of marketing collateral for people, an attractive woman in the booth and the plasma screen in the background was playing static. I thought it must be a glitch that they would fix but when I went past again 45 minutes later, it was still showing static.

The woman in the booth was not interested in much that I could see. She was still sitting in the chair waiting. I am not sure what for.

Take Responsibility

I understand that technology deserts you just when you need it. But surely there would have been a better way than just showing static. Some thoughts I had on what the company representative could have done:

  • Turn off the TV – Nothing was showing, better a blank TV than a distracting one.
  • Say “Hello” – At no time did she try and engage me in conversation
  • Ask “Do you know how to make the DVD work?” – Who knows I may be an AV wizard and she could then sell me her product
  • Stand up – It was horribly apparent that she did not care and did not want to be there, simply standing up would have changed her approachability
  • Smile – The easiest and simplest thing to do.

Again this points to a key part of a trade show. Train your people and never forget you are the face of the company. At the very least, don’t just sit there!!

Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
www.warwickmerry.com
www.GetMoreBlog.com
www.GetMoreShowSuccess.com

Image by Pablo Sanz

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It’s Tragic – but it’s real!

It is horrendous.

Within a day over three country towns have been disintegrated. Over 190 people have been killed. Animals, domestic and wild have been killed and maimed. Thousands of people have been traumatised and tormented. Places I have visited and have fond memories of no longer exist. The footage and stories of survivors and victims are like an action holocaust film.

But it’s real!

Victoria has been burnt. The fires are not out yet either. The pain is far from over. The wounds are so fresh – mental and physical. The number of people still to be accounted for is significant. It is hard to believe that it has happened less than 50km (30 miles) away.

Humans are Fragile

It has taken so little to kill so many. Mother nature is so strong and unpredictable. It will take time but there will be positives in this situation. Not just the stories of miracles, courage and strength but the lessons of determination. To me this shows how short our lives are (even though they are the longest thing we will ever do) and how important it is to continue on

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with our dreams and our goals no matter what.

Never Give Up!

At times in the past I have wondered if the effort to do what I do is worth it. Wouldn’t it be easier to just plod along and not strive as I do. This has reinforced that no one should settle. No one should live at anything less than the maximum that they can. Don’t put it off. Do it now. Don’t give up.

For those living through the horror of losing family, homes, pets, livelihoods, my thoughts are to never give up. Get help (there are so many who have come to help), get guidance (many health practitioners are donating or providing cheaply services to aid you) and keep moving.

If they can do it, why not me.

Life is tragic, but it’s real. What holds you back from being all that you can be?


Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
www.warwickmerry.com
www.getmoreblog.com
www.getmoreshowsuccess.com

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Smart Arse Answers

This is an email that was doing the rounds. I got sent it by my mum – which is funny because of the smart arse answers I have given her over the years!! From the look of the email, it’s origins are in the UK. It is still funny wherever it is from and wherever you are.

Enjoy!

SMART ARSE ANSWERS 2008

6th Place

It was mealtime during a flight on a British Airways plane:
‘Would you like dinner?’ the flight attendant asked the man seated in the front row.
‘What are my choices?’ the man asked.
‘Yes or no,’ she replied.

5th Place

A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets. As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket and he opened his trench coat and flashed her. Without blinking an eyelid she said, ‘Sir, I need to see your ticket – not your stub.’

4th Place

A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at a branch of Sainsbury’s but she couldn’t find one big enough for her family. She asked a passing assistant, ‘Do these turkeys get any bigger?’
The assistant replied, ‘I’m afraid not, they’re dead.’

3rd Place

The policeman got out of his car and approached the boy racer he stopped for speeding. ‘I’ve been waiting for you all day,’ the bobby said.
The kid replied, ‘Yes, well I got here as fast as I could.’
When the policeman finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket.

2nd Place

A lorry driver was driving along on a country road.. A sign came up that read ‘ Low Bridge Ahead.’ Before he realised it, the bridge was directly ahead and he got stuck under it. Cars are backed up for miles. Finally, a police car comes up. The policeman got out of his car and walked to the lorry’s cab and said to the driver, ‘Got stuck, eh?’
The lorry driver said, ‘No, I was delivering this bridge and ran out of petrol!’

SMART ARSE ANSWER OF THE YEAR 2008

A teacher at a polytechnic college reminded her pupils of tomorrow’s final exam. ‘Now listen to me, I won’t tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow. I might consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury, illness, or a death in your immediate family, but that’s it, no other excuses whatsoever!’
A smart-arsed guy at the back of the room raised his hand and asked, ‘What would happen if I came in tomorrow suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?’
The entire class was reduced to laughter and sniggering.
When silence was restored, the teacher smiled knowingly at the student, shook her head and sweetly said, ‘Well, I suppose you’d have to write with your other hand’..

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Keep Going!

In Australia yesterday, we had two great examples of persistence. Granted it was only sport and that is not something I am really into, but I can admire the strength of character and physical endurance it would have taken.

The Australian Open

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer went head to head for nearly 4 1/2 hours. Both players looked exhausted and both players kept playing at full capacity. So much so that Nadal looked like he had emerged from

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a swimming pool he was so drenched in sweat. At no stage did they give up.

They both made mistakes, they both let those mistakes go and focused on the next point in play. It was a marathon slog for the top two seeds in the tournament. I suspect they are both looking at how to improve on those mistakes and play better in their next round.

One Day Cricket

Australia played New Zealand in one day cricket yesterday. New Zealand’s bowlers did a great job of getting the Aussies all out for 181. As a team, that must have been a crushing blow for the Aussies. Their turn to bowl and they put a lot of pressure on. New Zealand’s run rate was low but still they kept at it. Most people would have thought that they were not going to be good enough to make it. It got down to the last over and New Zealand needed 5 runs to win. Another man out and then down to needing 1 run off the final ball.

New Zealand captain remained calm, focused and determined. Almost miraculously he was able to get the ball through a heavy field and get the four runs off the last ball for a well deserved victory.

LIFE

Life is not sport (sorry to disappoint a lot of people). Even those who play sport have a life outside it. There are always times when we are challenged and want to give up. Maybe not give up, but let things slide. Go for an easier, softer option. Sport gives us lots of lessons. For me, yesterdays lesson was Don’t Give Up!! Or as good friends of mine say, “Don’t quit before the miracle happens.”

For you, what is happening in your life that needs you to persist just that little bit longer? What do you need to do to let go of past performance, what you may have previously said or done and focus on the right here and right now? What will you do to keep applying yourself and focus on the desired out come?

Calvin Coolidge (30th President of USA) has been often quoted saying:

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

But I am more a fan of The Captain from Galaxy Quest. “Never give up. Never surrender!”

Enjoy!

Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
http://www.warwickmerry.com/
http://www.getmoreblog.com/
http://www.getmoreshowsuccess.com/

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It’s Hot!

It’s hot. Damn hot. Melbourne is going through a heat wave with multiple days over 40 C (about 105 F).

Who Cares?

Fair question. Many parts of the world have temperatures higher than this all the time (hello Middle East) but they don’t moan like we are. You know we are moaning. At the very least I am blogging about it. Twitter is rife with it. The newspapers all have the delightful headline “SCORCHER” – or something equally as witty. Tennis commentators waffle on for ages about it. Radio commentators all go on about it also.

What Can You Do?

Here in lies the key to my blog. The answer is – Nothing. The weather is the rare topic that we talk about all the time and can do nothing about. What ever you mention about it, someone has it better and someone has it worse. Tweets of “it’s hot” were countered with “at least you don’t have an ice storm like we do”. Sometimes just talking about it makes it worse. While it is hard not to talk about it, it will still be hot when your conversation has ended. All you can do is make yourself as comfortable as possible (popular ideas are to go to air conditioned cinema or the beach) and get on with life.

What Else Is Like That?

How many times in business or life does this situation occur? There is always something that you can bitch and moan about and all it gets you is more distressed, more unhappy and more focused on something you can do nothing about. It could be your family, a health affliction, someones behaviour or even the weather!

How will you deal with it? Australian author Kim Falconer deals with it using her underpants! You need to read her blog to find out the details.
I like the two killer questions:

  • What’s my part in this?
  • What can I do differently?

They will always generate an answer that lets me take responsibility for my situation and move on.

What do you do? Let me know.

Enjoy!

Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
http://www.warwickmerry.com/
http://www.getmoreblog.com/
http://www.getmoreshowsuccess.com/

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I Broke the Rules

It was my fault.

I knew the rules but didn’t meet them.

It still pissed me off!!!!!

I was flying to my band camp (Summer Song) and i was excited! I had a 7:30 flight and was flying Jetstar. For those who don’t know Jetstar is one of Australia’s low cost airlines – effectively a bus with wings. They have a policy that check in closes 30 minutes before the flight takes off and if you miss check in, you miss your flight.

I was clever I checked in from home using webcheck in. All I had to do is check my bag and I was good to go. So on Thursday morning I got up early, woke Wifey (who was my chauffeur for the day) and headed off to the airport.

Unfortunately traffic was a little tight but no worries because my baggage was in a carry on bag so if I was late i would just carry it on. I got there at 7am. Joined the queue to check bags at 7.02am and spoke to the check in person at 7.04am. He informed me that baggage was closed. “No worries”, I said. “I’ll just carry it on”. He said it was a little heavy and I had to see the service desk.

There I was waiting in line to see the service desk dude getting concerned how close it was to the flight. When the service desk dude finished with his customer I mentioned (because I was four people back in the queue) to him that I was concerned I would miss my flight. Then he said I had been taken off the flight and I would have to reschedule.

That’s when I felt like a four year old in a lolly shop with no money. Adrenalin surged, I was going to start shouting and blame Jetstar. They would be sorry and I would never fly them again. I would tweet everyone and………. it was all my fault.

I knew the rules and I didn’t stick by them. I was late to check in. Jetstar are known for their strict adherence to this policy. I had joked with a friend the week before about how she missed her flight for last year’s camp.

I didn’t add a buffer. When planning anything I always like to add a buffer for when things are not perfect. Traffic was heavier than I thought and 5 minutes delay cost me.

I was too heavy. My baggage was 3 kg too heavy for carry on. I knew there were limits and I know Jetstar is strict. Next time I will pack differently.

I didn’t blow up and blame them for all of my woes. I still have issues with their policies but I knew their policies and didn’t follow them.

The best thing I did was take responsibility for my actions. My fault and no oneelses.

So here I am at the airport, one day later, $70 poorer and rescheduling my trip.

Where do you need to take responsibility?

Picture by Ben Templesmith

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I am Feeling

For those of you who wondered and who asked, my Stand Up Comedy premiere performance went well. I am defining well as, “I got lots of applause, they cheered at the end and I enjoyed the experience.”

But an interesting thing happened – I had feelings!

As a speaker I address audiences from 5 to 5,000 and feel incredibly comfortable in doing so. In fact, the bigger the audience the better. It was really strange to be in a dingy dark room at the back of an iconic Melbourne hotel with about 120-150 people in the audience and be really nervous. After 30 seconds on stage, I was able to relax a bit and then proceeded. So even though I haven’t been nervous like that for quite awhile, it passed quickly.

What didn’t pass quickly were my other feelings!

I am a student of personal development and the new age learning. Manifesting, Law of Attraction, Power of Positive Thinking and lots of other fun hippy trippy stuff. After a humble assessment of my comedy skill I thought that there was a fair chance I may progress to the second round. When I was doing my preparation I was focused on performing well enough to get to the second round. I was fortunate to be part of a pre-heat comedy workshop and after seeing others my confidence of getting to the second round was boosted.

On the day that 31 people gave their performances of 5 minutes each, 6 of them were to progress to the next round. After the level of laughs I got and the positive feedback from honest friends, I was confident that the second round would manifest in to reality for me. As I watched more and more of the Raw Comedy entrants I could honestly say that there were about two or three that were by far better than me and others that were close. The leader of the comedy workshop had a chat with me at half time and said in his opinion I had a strong chance of getting through.

When the six entrants going through to the next round were announced, my name wasn’t one of them. Some of the people

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who did get through didn’t seem to be as funny as me or have as good a crowd response as I did. But comedy is a funny thing – not funny Ha Ha but funny strange. What appealed to the judges was different to what I did.

My friends and my own mind kicked in:
“You gave it your best shot”
“Others would not have done this”
“The judges got it wrong – we thought you were great”
“There is always next year”
“It wasn’t meant to be”

I tried to be philosophical. I looked for the positive. I sent positive vibes to the winners.

I was as pissed off as hell!

Well, maybe not that much but I was very disappointed. This was where the feelings were kicking in. I know about acceptance, moving forward, letting go of disappointment, blessing others who achieve what you want – but I still had feelings. Sometimes in the new age writings it seems like they think I am Buddha. I am not that nice!

So I felt pissed off for a couple of hours. It was great. I got in there and really wallowed in it. I felt the feelings and they passed. They no longer hold me back. I can be authentic and not pretend I am something I am not. I wasn’t unpleasant, in fact I genuinely congratulated the others but I allowed myself to feel the feelings. Some well intentioned people around me tried to shut the feelings down but I knew what was right for me.

What about you? What is right for you? How do you process your feelings? Leave a comment and let me know.

They say that the quickest way around is through. If you want to be free of the damage your feelings can cause to you and those you love (or even just your work colleagues), don’t squash the feelings down. Feel them. Process them. Have a tantrum if you need to (just make sure it is in an appropriate place). Once the feeling has gone you are free to do what you know you must.

Me…. I am now looking around for open mic nights at the many Melbourne comedy clubs. I won’t let one little set back get in my road – no matter how disappointing!

Enjoy!

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Go to the Edge!

Greetings!

If you follow me on Twitter or have seen my FaceBook page recently you will know that I am doing my first stand up comedy show on Saturday.

I don’t mind confessing that I am a little scared! I like to think I am a little funny and that I keep people amused at parties but being on stage in the spot light is a little different.

You may also know that I am a professional speaker so being in front of people is not a new experience for me. But there is a huge difference between cracking a few jokes during a one hour session and making people laugh constantly for 5 minutes.

5 minutes!! It is not long but it can seem like a life time. I had a routine written and I was pretty confident (to be honest I was a bit to confident!) and then I performed it in front of ten friends at

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a workshop we had yesterday. Ouch!! Wasn’t that good. So I have spent a lot of yesterday and today rewriting my 5 minutes of comedy.

I have thought about doing this for ages. There is no reason for me to do this other than to go to the edge and peer over. I don’t want to fail. I want to be funny! In fact, to be completely honest, I want to get to the next round. For years I have avoided this but I can’t do it any more.

What about you?

What have you always wanted to do but have been avoiding? Where is your edge?
Do you have times where you live on the edge or can you only see the edge from where you are?
“It’s somewhere over there in the distance.”

Spending time on the edge is scary, but fulfilling. My confidence and self belief are growing. My willingness to do the impossible or at least the unthinkable is growing. In fact the more time I spend on the edge, the more it moves further from me.

Come to the edge with me. Let’s see what we can do!

Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy

Photo: Flickr/Matt N Johnson

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What’s your ROI?

I was speaking to the Australasian Marketing Manager of a large IT company today. Naturally we got to talking about Trade Shows. He said that he always measures the ROI of the show and they are becoming to expensive and the cost per new client was too high. So much so that he was going to avoid Trade Shows for quite awhile.

Then he steeled himself. Surely as a supposed Trade Show guru I would try and talk him back to the Trade Show. So naturally I said, “Good on you, if the ROI doesn’t add up – don’t go!”

Of course we chatted more and I shared my thoughts on the value of Trade Shows but what was important is that he measured the value of the show to his company. So many exhibitors don’t! They go for a nebulous, immeasurable reason – or worse a measurable reason that they don’t measure, and then can’t tell if it was worthwhile going.

Trade Shows are big business. The organiser is in it to make money – they charge accordingly. You need to ask yourself is this the best place for your business to place your marketing money. For some businesses a Trade Show is the back bone of their marketing plan, for others it is an excessive waste.

What about you? Is the Trade Show worth it? If you don’t know you need to find out how to measure that. Naturally, I am always happy to help!!

Enjoy!

Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
www.warwickmerry.com
www.getmoreblog.com
www.getmoreshowsuccess.com

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Christmas is for giving!

This is our tree. Loaded with presents for our loved ones. In fact, our tree is a little depleted of presents because we had a party on the weekend and people took theirs for the big day.

As I was thinking about Christmas (one of my favourite times of the year), I considered what I have been told as a kid, that Christmas is for giving. It was only when I wrote that sentence down that I noticed the truth of it.

“Christmas is for giving” or possibly “Christmas is forgiving”.

What a cool thing!! Christmas is forgiving. What a gift to give yourself and others this year!! Forgiveness!

Who are some of the people and institutions you could give the gift of forgiveness?
Yourself – Is there anything you blame yourself for that you could now let go of?
Your family – Do you still hold any grudges for things that your family members said, did, didn’t say or didn’t do?
Your friends – Do you have any friends you need to forgive?
Institutions – Are there any companies (banks, post offices, utility supplier, ISP’s, online services etc) who have crapped you off this year that you need to forgive?

You know the best thing about forgiveness? You are the one that benefits the most. By forgiving others you get freedom from baggage that you have been carrying around all this time. You get to lighten you load and focus on being the real you, not someone driven crazy by the weird and wonderful people in your life.

Give it a try!! You may be surprised at the results and you don’t even have to use gift wrapping!!

Enjoy!

Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
www.warwickmerry.com
www.getmoreblog.com
www.getmoreshowsuccess.com

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Are Trade Shows Dead?

I read on Twitter that Trade Shows are Dead.

Gordon Haff from CNET news wrote how technology has made many Trade Shows irrelevant. You can see the article here. It’s a good article and has some solid arguments. But I disagree.

Scobleizer blogs that Social Networking has also killed, or at least wounded Trade Shows. But I disagree.

Of course I would think that. I make money consulting to Trade Shows and companies that exhibit at them. Let’s look a little further, beyond the initial cynical reaction.

I think that Trade Shows as we knew them maybe dead, but not completely dead. Trade Shows are an incredibly expensive exercise. Floor space, booth costs, staff costs, promotional items, pre-event marketing, post-event follow up and opportunity costs can total to staggering amounts. Naturally, senior executives are considering ROI numbers and asking is it worth it.

Are Trade Shows Worth It?

The answer is a definite maybe. So many companies are not smart about their Trade Shows. They hemorrhage money for little return. Their booths are way over the top in an effort to be “the best”, their give aways are ridiculously expensive and not aligned with their message, they do not qualify prospects, they have the wrong people on the stand, they don’t followup effectively but worst of all, they have no idea why they are really there at the show. Naturally the ROI numbers are not there.

Trade Shows are speed dating for your customers. Your target market is walking up to you and saying “sell your stuff to me”. Prospects go to willingly buy from you, or at least do further research on your products/services and your direct competitors. A smart operator will make a Trade Show pay off big time. It is knowing why you are there, doing the pre-event marketing to get your prospects and clients in, having the right people in the booth with the relevant training about what they are to do, qualifying your prospects (even have them tiered), creating a buzz at the booth to get people in, following up within two days and then having a post-event review to look at what can be improved next time.

A smart operator will also realise while their competition is pulling out of shows, they will have a bigger market share. If they work the

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show well, their ROI can be increased.

Social Networking and Trade Shows

Social networking and technology in general has had a significant impact on Trade Shows.

Webcasts, Teleconferences, Viral Videos and many other forms of technology now mean that messages once given at these shows, can now be delivered far more effectively. As Haff says, companies like Apple have an easy access to the market place via their stores so you can touch and feel the product without the hustle bustle of the show.

Social networking also increases the buzz. Look at Twitter. Whenever their is a show on, blow by blow descriptions of presentations, booths, exhibitors and even the people attending are posted with pictures for all to see. This then attracts those thinking “is it worth it this year.”

It’s not Dead, it’s Resting

In the words of Monty Python, the Trade Show is not dead, it’s resting. It’s format is tired. The old way doesn’t work. Once the Trade Show does a bit of navel gazing, you will find the invigorated New and Improved version!!

The technology will never replace the face to face meetings of clients, colleagues, customers, suppliers and random interactions that you have at a Trade Show. But the technology of having virtual trade shows, webcast product launches and announcements, blogging latest releases and other forms of social media to interact with “your herd” mean that there will be an integration of this technology with the traditional Trade Show.

I look forward to it.

I look forward to the continual evolution of this market place. But some things will never change. The need for planning, setting KPI’s, knowing how ROI will be measured BEFORE the show/marketing activity, having the right people in the right place at the right time, pre-event marketing, post-event followup and the role that the senior management team have in the event.

The intent is the same, but the execution will be different. Face to face, technology to technology or just watching it all happen on your PDA.

I am looking forward to it immensely.

Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
http://www.warwickmerry.com/
http://www.getmoreblog.com/
http://www.getmoreshowsuccess.com/

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Social Networking

I Twitter.

In the course of my Twittering I have come across Paul Warren from Warcom. He has had some success with social networking in its positive impact on his business – www.warcom.com. So I thought it may be interesting to hear about it.

So without further adieu – here we go!

Part 1: Social Networking with Customers
Since the infancy stages of my business journey, I have always been a strong believer in the adage that ‘there is no better form of marketing than social networking’. Over the past few years, however, the majority of my ‘social networking time’ has been concentrated towards contributing to online forums. Until recently, the likes of Facebook, and Myspace, were rather limited in their social networking scope, especially in relation to Warcom’s core business.

So where do I spent my time?

Whilst having been a long-standing member of the hugely popular forums Whirlpool and Overclockers Australia (OCAU), it is quite clear by the number of posts I have racked up, that I spend considerably more time on Whirlpool (16,000+ posts) than OCAU. Both forums have their positive and negative aspects.

Whirlpool is a bit too ‘regimented’ in my opinion, where its members must adapt to the Whirlpool style in order to fit in. While ensuring that I cross all my T’s, and dot all my I’s, I give potential customers the time they deserve, and the benefit of my industry experience. It is only when armed with intelligent answers, can my potential customers make informed decisions. Mutual respect goes a long way, but do not forget to watch out for the trolls!

On the flip side, when we look at OCAU, their member base is much more free and easy going, pretty much being themselves, and you can let your hair down and just ‘hang out with the boys’ so to speak. Whilst I do not condone over use of expletives and vulgarity, they are allowed on OCAU, and even the occasional ‘skin pic’ seems to float past the admins from time to time!
And then there’s Bigandy…. Do not get me started on this fella!

I do, however, believe that neither of these forums are overly useful (for me) in terms of ‘business networking’, only ‘customer networking’. I will explain what I mean by this towards the end of the article.

So what is my point? What is my plan? Why so much time on forums?

Simple – I am building a ‘Presence’!

From time to time, I jump into the help ticketing system and help my staff out with questions that our customers email to us. Without a doubt, almost every single time, I am told by a customer, “Hey, you’re that warcom guy! I love your posts, they were helpful to me!”

So, with comments as straight forward as that being thrown at me, I can see that my ‘presence’ in those forums, has contributed the following:

  • I am building my public online image – customers get to know me.
  • I am building my company’s public image – customers get to know who we are, understand what we stand for, and how we view them.
  • My contributions in online forums are leading to sales – $$$ is important to stay in business!
  • I am utilizing the power of NLP with would be customers! Whilst my presence might not lead to a sale immediately, customers will remember me!

Part 2: Social Networking With Business People
As I previously opined, I believe Facebook and MySpace are next to useless for Warcom pertaining to Social Networking.

Twitter on the other hand – I now believe Twitter is amazing! (it has taken a while!) I have managed to strike up some very mutually beneficial ‘business networking buddies” using Twitter. Notably, the likes of Warwick ‘Mr Get Energised’, Glenn ‘Copyman’, and our resident ‘Energiser Bunny’ Sam from thinktankmedia. If not for Twitter, our paths would have neither crossed, nor afforded us the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other.

So, taking all of the above mentioned into consideration, Social Networking is fantastic for doing the ‘meet and greet’ with customers, and keeping in their good graces, and to meet new faces.
As an example, the speed at which the Internode ‘Social Scene’ has developed is staggering, and if companies fail to jump on board now, they may as well take their bat and ball, and go home right now.

Social Networking is a very powerful tool when done right, however, just like a precision instrument, it is the skill of the engineer behind it that dictates whether it works in perfect harmony with others, or falls dead flat.

Paul Warren.

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What are you listening to?

What are you listening to right now?

Not what is on the radio, not what is on TV, not what others are saying but what is it that is in your head? What is the endless loop of self talk saying?

So many people hear “You probably won’t get that sale”, “you won’t look very good in that out fit”, “Who are you trying to kid with that idea”, “Better be scared of where the economy is heading” and a vast array of other negative things.

STOP IT!!!

Your thoughts become your words.
Your words become your actions.
Your actions become your habits.
Your habits become your beliefs and
Your beliefs set your destiny.

Choose the positive thoughts. Use words that show those thoughts. Take action to reflect your words and you will ensure your habits, beliefs and destiny are on the course to success.

So………

what are you listening to now?

Enjoy!

Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
http://www.warwickmerry.com/
http://www.getmoreblog.com/
http://www.getmoreshowsuccess.com/

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The Survival Trap

Just a quick blog for you.

A good friend of mine, and brilliant sales and marketing guru has just released a free ebook on “The Survival Trap”. It is not a “get this free and then you can buy other stuff” kind of offer, it is simply him giving to other small business owners who may be starting to panic in tight economic times.

To get the ebook, visit his website http://www.survivaltrap.com/

Check out what he has to say, I am sure you will find it worthwhile.

Enjoy!

Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
www.warwickmerry.com
www.getmoreblog.com
www.getmoreshowsuccess.com

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Don’t Get Lost Following Your Intuition

There has been a lot written over the years about following your intuition. Many people have been on some weird, wacky and wonderful journeys over time. But while a lot of writing, blogging, texting, reading and listening has been done, I still get asked time and time again “How do I follow my intuition?” What I propose is not THE answer, more it is AN answer. It works for me, give it a try because it may work for you too!

First up, what is your intuition? Some think it is your subconscious talking to you, some say it is a gut feel and others talk about laws of attraction suggesting a course of action. Here is how I see it. For those of you who know me you will know that I am a hippy in a suit. I have worked in the corporate world for 20 years and I have a strong spiritual life as well. By spiritual I don’t mean religion as they are different. In my life I have a Higher Power who I call God. You may call it fate, destiny, the angels, the universe, Buddha, Christ, the Force – I don’t care, what you call it is your decision. I believe because my life is better for it and it gives me strength.

How this relates to intuition is this, I believe that Prayer is when I talk with God and Meditation is when God talks to me. I have asked God many times to just send me an email, a text or even a Twitter message as they are clear, but God doesn’t. God prefers to communicate in a different manner, God does it via my intuition. While I meditate to listen, I also keep the channel open by following my intuition.

When I first became aware of my intuition, I found I ignored it. I even heard myself say later, “If only I had done what I thought I should.” After awhile, making mistakes gets boring!! So rather than saying “if only” when it didn’t work, I started listening. For me, my intuition is like a muscle. The more I use it, the stronger it gets. It helps me see things I would have missed, do things I would not have done and sense opportunities that would have passed me by.

So, when you are thinking “How do I follow my intuition,” start by listening. The voice or sense will be there. It may be faint, but it will be there. It is a slow but steady feeling that a certain course of action is the best one for you to take. It is not an overwhelming sense of urgency but a solid and constant force for positive results in you and your life.

My coaching/mentor clients sometimes say that they can’t hear it. That’s when you fake it ’til you make it. Ask yourself the question, if you could hear your intuition, what would it say – and then do that! Act as if and you will reap the rewards.

The best thing is that there is no wrong answer. You are the only one who can hear your intuition. Act with the best intent and you can’t go wrong!

Enjoy!

Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
www.warwickmerry.com
www.getmoreblog.com
www.getmoreshowsuccess.com

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