Danny Brown

podcaster - author - creator

Latest posts from Danny Brown

Enjoy the latest posts from Danny Brown, and feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments after the post.

I’m a Twitter Snob? Maybe

StopI received an email today that said I’m a “Twitter snob”. The reasoning behind it was that my follow-to-follower ratio was skewed – I had more followers than people I follow.

Therefore, I wasn’t using Twitter correctly; instead of following everyone back that followed me (which I should be doing, according to the email), I was obviously a snob that only followed the “elite” and I should “re-evaluate my Twitter use”.

The email ended by saying I shouldn’t advise on social media because I’m breaking a cardinal sin – which is, connect with everyone or don’t connect at all.

Okay….

So, I sat down and thought about it. Am I a Twitter snob? Should I follow everyone who follows me? Maybe. Maybe not. If snobbery is down to reciprocal numbers then, yes, I am a Twitter snob. But (and excuse my cussing), to me numbers on Twitter mean f**k all.

You can have 100,000 followers. But are they all live? Are they all human? Or are they a mix of humans, live accounts, dead accounts, spammers and bots? If they’re not all actual people that are active and engaging, then they don’t count. Unless you’re after false numbers, of course, to make you feel more important than you are. And there’s plenty of that going around…

So, fair enough. I have a skewed ratio. Which makes me a snob. But here’s the thing.

I’d rather be a snob with a skewed and (mostly) accurate ratio, than someone pretending to be something they’re not. Which, after all, is the real snobbery. No?

Creative Commons License photo credit: teotwawki

Reinventing the Wheel

James Dyson looked at the vacuum cleaner and gave people a different way to do things – no bags. Simple.

EasyJet looked at international flights and gave people a different way to fly – no thrills affordability. Simple.

Sony looked at video games and gave people a different way to view gamers – cool mass appeal chic. Simple.

We don’t always have to build something brand new. We don’t always have to spend millions on research when the audience is already there. We don’t always have to create from scratch.

Sometimes just reinventing the wheel is more than enough.

  • Note: This post originally appeared on my Posterous account. I’m still experimenting there and may remain using it, or move all posts here. In the meantime, I’ll be sharing the odd one here with you.

Do You Want Fries With That?

There’s a fine line between offering pre-project consultancy advice and actually moving into billable hours. Some clients get this; some don’t. Some clients keep moving the goal posts; some are grateful for your advice and experience and will pay for it.

If you’re wondering how to define this line and where it’s safe to instill a cut-off point, take a look at this video and see how much of yourself and your clients you recognize. If you’re nodding your head too much at the client/customer point of view, it may be time to re-evaluate just how you define your business relationship.

Advice and helping set the stage is fine; but it doesn’t pay the bills. You were approached for a reason; don’t be afraid to stand up for that reason and set your stall out from the start. After all, if you’re being paid for your success, surely your client’s enjoying that success with you, no?

Do Not Disturb

Your voicemail is permanently on (or your secretary is diverting calls). Your office is a no-go area except to the limited few. Your cell phone has dedicated ringtones so only three people get through (and they’re all “Yes” people).

You’re permanently in meetings that you’ve arranged that don’t need to happen – the earth won’t fall away if you miss one of them. Simply put, you’re so busy that your life is one big “Do Not Disturb” sign.

Your competitors, on the other hand, like to be disturbed. They like new ideas from the many. They like phone calls; emails; faxes. They like meetings that only happen when… well, when something happens or needs to.

In short, your competitors are busy being disturbed by customers. Isn’t it about time you unlocked some doors?

  • Note: This post originally appeared on my Posterous account. I?m still experimenting there and may remain using it, or move all posts here. In the meantime, I?ll be sharing the odd one here with you.

Bridge Builders

You don’t have to be a superstar. You don’t have to be the top dog. You don’t always have to be the number one.

It helps. It can offer kudos and creedence to your name. But superstars fade. Top dogs become old. Number ones can fall by the wayside and soon drop out the Top 10 altogether.

Stop solely concentrating on the numbers and positions. Instead, think about being a bridge builder.

We’re in a people business. Yes, people work from numbers but they really believe in the connection. You’re the bridge to that connection. The decisions you’re making today are being viewed by others, and they will come to you for their needs. Or the needs of their clients.

They may want you to help build the numbers for their company, but it still all happened because of your bridge.

Build the bridge right and the numbers will follow.