It’s crowded out there, and it’s only getting worse: Join us at to this event, join this group, like this thing, donate here, friend this person — you might know them. Egads! (Yea I wrote, “Egads!”)
The more people jump into and become versed on Facebook and twitter, the worse the epidemic will get, and the more invisible everyone will become, creating a phenomenon only a little more appealing than static.
So, how are you feeling about your growing numbers of requests? How are you coping?
Would love to hear about what you’re doing or not doing. Heck, maybe it’s not even affecting you at all. Would love to know if that’s the case too.
Guests are limited to 10, so please RSVP as soon as possible if you’d like to attend.
WHERE: The Conversation Factory
WHEN: Friday, June 18, 2010; 12pm – 1pm
COST: $10 (includes pizza & beverage); Students: $5 PARKING:
Please park at the BrackenChase parking lot adjacent to our building off Eliza Rd.
You’re invited to hang out with us at The Conversation Friday on Thursday, May 20, between 5 and 8pm.
If you’re in the neighborhood and want to finish your Thursday here, come on over anytime after 3pm. Use our Wi-Fi, use our conference room, make some calls, play some pinball, whatever. We’ll be here.
Our friends from the Liquor Loft/ Proof, Byron Burroughs and Angela Harding, will be here between 5 and 6pm to kick things off with a tasting of two unique beverages: the cocoa-infused Alchemia Czekoladowa Vodka from Poland, and the coppery blond beer, Bons Vœux, brewed by the La Brasserie Dupont. If you haven’t been to the Liquor Loft, they’re right on Tennessee Street next to the Starbucks.
At 6pm we’ll tap the Stella Artois barrel, uncork the wines, and hang till 8pm. If there’s anything specific you’d like to drink, bring it with you. We’ve got a thirsty fridge.
Hope you can make it over for a little while — or even a few minutes.
Date: Thursday, May 20, 2010
Time: 5-8pm (Doors open at 3pm)
Address/ Map link: 3033 Powell Road
Parking: Please park at the BrackenChase lot adjacent to the Conversation Factory just off Eliza Rd. If you haven’t been here, please see photos below.
Big and special thanks, as always, go to David Hanselman, owner of BrackenChase Home Builders, who’s been a driving, supportive force behind The Conversation Factory, Conversation Fridays, and transplant.
This Conversation Friday, we’ll cover the many facets of one incident that evolved over two weeks.
It’s got it all: ugly marketing tactics, tweets, blog posts, a big social media name, and ultimately, a diffused story that never got to critical volume — and rightly so. Most importantly, you’ll see how a social media superstar responds to negativity dished out by a disillusioned fan.
It will be an interesting discussion to say the least, and I’m sure you’ll have plenty to say during our session.
Want in?
Guests are limited to 10, so please RSVP as soon as possible if you’d like to attend.
WHERE: The Conversation Factory
WHEN: Friday, April 16, 2010; 12pm – 1pm
COST: $10 (includes pizza & beverage); Students: $5
PARKING: Please park at the BrackenChase parking lot here.
A few months ago, Chris Brogan wrote Stop humping my leg, a post about a salesperson at a conference who persisted in trying to get Chris to sit through a demo.
Funny enough, last week, I got a call on my cell phone from the 781 area code (Boston area). I didn’t recognize the number so I let it go to voice mail. Turns out it was “Bobby” calling on behalf of Chris Brogan, offering 50% off the registration fee for New Marketing Experience in San Francisco.
It was April 1, so I was expecting a punch line. There was none.
I tweeted about it, but who would believe it? Seems like a lame April Fools attempt. Really lame, actually.
Yesterday, however — just 5 days after the first call — I got a second call from Bobby. This time he upped the ante by offering FREE registration to the event. I tweeted again. One person DMd me: “You’re kidding about telemarketing calls from Chris Brogan, right?”
So what’s the difference between a Chris Brogan’s “Bobby” and the conference leg-humper?
Chris was at a conference. I was in sitting in my living room.
If I’m attending a conference, I expect to be sold; but when I’m sitting in my living room, I expect to be left alone. Doesn’t matter what time it is, or that I actually gave you my number as part of the registration process at a previous event (seriously, Chris was the last person I thought I’d have to worry about phoning me). Additionally:
The phone calls were totally unnecessary. Chris is ubiquitous. I know this event is happening. I get Chris’ emails. I read his blog. I follow him on twitter. Why not just send me an email offer or a tweet? That’s where our relationship was. If anyone from Chris Brogan is calling on my cell phone, I expect it to be Chris.
Bobby, the telemarketer, quite literally blew through the script. Impersonal to say the least, and far off the warm, approachable Brogan brand people have come to know, love, and respect.
The follow-up email read, “I appreciate you taking my call.” I didn’t.
It also read, “I’m glad that you are interested….” We didn’t talk, and therefore, I didn’t express any interest.
Quite honestly, I’m disillusioned by the whole thing. I hope Chris hasn’t joined the ranks of mortgage companies and financial portfolio review companies and survey companies who intrude on your life, wherever you are. Who knows? Perhaps we’ll see ads in the yellow pages, an infomercial, New Marketing Labs Snuggies.
I hope not, or I think — as he suggested regarding the salesperson at the conference — he’ll risk screwing himself.
Thoughts? Musings? Leave ‘em here. (No calls , please.)
Thank you for your time today, I appreciate you taking my call.
I’m glad that you are interested in attending the New Marketing Experience program on April 13th. The ground rules are simple: we are gathering our industry friends and experts, you bring your One Big Idea,™ and we’ll work together, all in one room and one day, to turn it into a plan.
As I mentioned on the phone we’d really like to have you there, so we are offing you 50% off with Source Code: TMBOB. For only $99 you’ll have a full day with the experts and your peers and an ebook of everyone’s One Big Idea. Simply click the registration link below and your registration information from last years program and your discount will be automatically generated.
I just wanted to let you know that as a past attendee we are now offering you a complimentary registration for the New Marketing Experience in San Francisco on April 13th courtesy of New Marketing Labs.
We’d really like to have you there, so we are offing you a FREE registration with Source Code: TMF45. For FREE you’ll have a full day with the experts and your peers and an ebook of everyone’s One Big Idea. Simply click the registration link below to take advantage of this special offer.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve received numerous pings on Facebook suggesting that I become a fan of this or that candidate. I always click “ignore,” and a few days later, some will ping me again with another invitation (multiple invites from candidates and businesses alike, however, are a whole other discussion that merits its own hour).
Those of you who know me won’t find it surprising that I haven’t fanned any candidate. It’s not that I don’t agree with anyone’s view, it’s that I’d like to keep my business apolitical — not an easy task in Florida’s capital city.
The Conversation Question: Why publicly align yourself with any political candidate if your business has nothing to do with politics? It seems to me the affiliation could really hurt business (and yes, I understand there’s an upside such to alignments)?
Do you fan candidates on Facebook? Why or why not? Are you outspoken on twitter? Do you merely observe? Or do you land somewhere in the middle? Do you know if it affects your business either way? Have you decided to patronize a business or avoid one because of their public political views? (I certainly have, but my decisions had to do more with the tone and intensity with which they offered their views, not solely because their view was different than mine.)
As we head into election season and those invitations when fanning requests and event invitations start barreling in, it would be a great to discuss it all.
Guests are limited to 10, so please let me know as soon as possible if you’d like to attend.
WHERE: The Conversation Factory
WHEN: Friday, April 2, 2010; 12pm – 1pm
COST: $10 (includes pizza & beverage); Students: $5
PARKING: Please park at the BrackenChase parking lot here.
Search on Google and you’ll note a big change in the results page about 1/3 of the way down: a scrolling list of results that appear just minutes and seconds after they’re posted online — and that includes results from Twitter (just note the post from “deckard256″ in the image above).
What does it mean to you a business owner? A company? A marketing department? There’s no longer any delay whatsoever between a customer’s experience and what the world will learn about that experience should it be posted anywhere online.
Of course, these scrolling results won’t be available if there isn’t a lot of online chatter about that term. But the more opinions, insights, emotions people share over time about their everyday lives, the more your chances of appearing there, or on Bing, or on Yahoo! or anywhere else online for that matter — immediately.
Technology’s leaps and bounds are prodding and nudging for companies to do what’s been prescribed for years: Be there. Be vigilant. Be responsive. (The thing is, now you’ll have to add quicker than ever to the mix, too.)
We just have to realize that some customers will never be good customers.
They take advantage of our generosity because hey, times are tough, and we’re supposed to bend over backwards for the sale because then, if we do, they’ll tell people how much we did and wasn’t that sooooo nice of us? And besides, don’t we always talk about how social media is about generosity? About giving of yourself to the community? And about how generosity itself is a business model?
Yes, we will go out of our way for you. Yes, we hope you like what we do for you so much that you’ll tell people about what we can do for them. And yes, it is about generosity.
But it should work both ways. Aren’t our customers part of that community too?
So when we’re generous with you, we expect a little generosity in return. At the very least a little fairness.
On November 5, I published this post about The Red Elephant’s Manager, Jeff Hanson, going out of his way to please a long-time customer (me).
The next day, at 11:30am, just moments before our Conversation Friday guests began arriving, Brandon (pictured at right) showed up at The Conversation Factory. He held out a brown bag, and said he was from Uptown Cafe. He said Fred Tedio had seen my post from the day before and wanted me to see how his Chicken Salad Wrap compared.
I laughed. Not only did Fred send the wrap, he posted a photo of the sandwich on my Facebook wall with the note:
Mike – Please enjoy our Uptown Cafe Chutney Chicken Salad Wrap. We’ve been making it from scratch for over 15 years and have many customers say it’s the best in town. You be the judge.
It was a good wrap, but I’m not here to judge food, I’m here to report on how Fred used social media to make something happen. He saw an opportunity on his Facebook news feed and took it.
What Fred did became part of our Conversation Friday discussion.
Three of us at the session tried the wrap, and agreed it was tasty, but it wasn’t as important as the gesture itself (there’s certainly a lesson in that statement alone). I explained how I met Fred at the Tallahassee Chamber’s Annual Conference in August; how he prepared and delivered the sandwiches at our first Conversation Friday; and how I’ve become a fan of his smoked salmon with apricot glaze. I’m almost 100% sure that Fred Tedio and Uptown Cafe gained three new fans on Friday (and one blog post today). Although the wrap was very good, the gesture was infinitely more powerful.
All from seeing a post on Facebook, and responding in a timely and appropriate fashion.
Whether you want to explore social media tools or discuss how you can more effectively market your business in today’s quickly evolving marketplace, The Conversation Factory can be your learning center. From facebook, twitter, and other social media applications to establishing a trustworthy online presence and managing your time, we’ll tailor one or a series of Custom Conversation sessions that can get you moving in the right direction with clarity and focus. Fast.
1-on-1 Conversation:*
$70 per hour
2-on-1 Conversation (bring a friend, save a few bucks):
$50 per person per hour
3-on-1 Conversation (bring two friends, save a few more):
$40 per person per hour
Book your Custom Conversation by simply emailing me or calling 850.459.8192.
If you’d like to learn more about the kinds of ideas and guidance we can offer, consider attending one of our fun, electric Conversation Friday sessions held every Friday (unless otherwise noted) from 12-1pm at The Conversation Factory, just off Capital Circle and Mahan. More about those sessions here.
*Previous guests of Conversation Fridays will receive 1-on-1 sessions for $60 per hour. Discounts available for non-profit organizations.
Conversation Fridays at the conversation factory weren’t meant to be networking sessions in the traditional sense. We certainly don’t exist for the purpose of pitching business to each other. But what’s happening is exactly what I hoped would happen: guests are beginning to earn trust and business by sharing their perspectives and ideas. After all, sharing ideas IS pitching business, but doing it like this is so much more powerful, genuine, and human than traditional sales approaches.
By the time each session ends, everyone knows who you are, what you do, and what makes you unique in your space. Of course, this last part depends greatly on your participation during our one-hour session.
If you’re interested in attending, email me or just post a message on the conversation factory’s wall on facebook. We encourage reservations because we limit our sessions to 9 people so that everyone can participate, though we certainly don’t frown on you if you’re a serial listener.
You can bring your business cards and your ideas, just leave the sales pitch at the door. A one-hour conversation beats 10 second elevator speech any day of the week — especially Fridays.
It’s crowded out there, and it’s only getting worse: Join us at to this event, join this group, like this thing, donate here, friend this person — you might know them. Egads! (Yea I wrote, “Egads!”)
You’re invited to hang out with us at The Conversation Friday on Thursday, May 20, between 5 and 8pm.
Our friends from the 
This Conversation Friday, we’ll cover the many facets of one incident that evolved over two weeks.
A few months ago, Chris Brogan wrote 
On November 5, I published 
