I found this the right time when I was looking into ideas for today’s post. By this, I mean a video of GaryVee interviewing Seth Godin on Youtube. Before I give you the link to the video, a small introduction to how I discovered GaryVee.
I came across GaryVee a few months ago.
He was everywhere on my facebook feed ads and so I saw one of his videos on Youtube.
Within the first 5 minutes of seeing him, deep in my gut, I could feel the cringe-at-first-sight. I couldn’t stand him. I despised everything about the style of the videos, his body language, his mannerisms etc. To me, he is simply a man-child. Even if he makes billions that opinion won’t change.
I even have a work-in-progress new homepage where I included his name. I haven’t published the page yet. (screenshot below)
But…
While I avoid him like a rattlesnake, I don’t hate him. I don’t think his success is wrong or bad. I don’t hate his followers/fans.
You might be thinking why or how? Perhaps I am bullshitting to appear diplomatic and nice.
I really respect him for having the courage to be (the obnoxious) himself, building a massive audience and all those products. I respect him for putting himself out there and taking a strong stance on what he believes. I might not (and definitely will not) agree with his beliefs and perceptions.
That is okay.
Will I work with clients who are ardent followers of him or his belief? NO.
I stay away from the hustling culture. I think people who want to look at life just as a struggle/competition need some Vipassana Meditation or therapy.
For instance, when a client uses the word ‘winner’ on the initial call, I know it wouldn’t work out. I know I am being judgemental and I often try not to be. But hey I have been doing this long enough to start seeing patterns and… the pattern is the pattern. Btw have you watched Maniac on Netflix yet, its psychological genius?
What’s the point here
It is easy to be diplomatic and politically correct and have no personality. But only when you add some personality to your service/brand/website/business the *magic* happens. It makes a stronger connection than just some consumer-producer relationship. It creates fans (and haters alike). Think Steve Jobs and his global “against the status quo” appeal. Bill Burr might think he is an exaggeration, but he was in line with Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Teresa and all those kind of people for the tech world.
And it is hard when you start out. Perhaps you don’t care about any of this and just want your sales to go up. Perhaps this exact thinking is what is preventing that.
Action Step
- Write down 20 adjectives about your business/service/brand. Eg. Happy, Useful, Scientific, Luxurious, Balanced, Enthusiastic, Friendly.
- Cut down the list to just 5 of words which you absolutely value and cannot lose.
This is the starting point for your brand attributes. You can start focusing extremely on these words and ignore every other word/values. You design should reflect this, your words, tone in emails and marketing material. And it will attract people who exactly value these. (and your future employees/partners alike)
As promised here is the link to the video interview between GaryVee and Seth Godin.
Also I lookup to Seth Godin like a wise teacher.
