In a conformist world, we often have our “faults” pointed out to us repeated by the well meaning (or otherwise!).

“You are too opinionated.”
“You are too accommodating.”

The advice is usually something inactionable and frustratingly soul-destroying like:
“Stop being so opinionated.”
“Stop being so nice.”

The more empowering approach is to creatively leverage the strengths of these “faults”. While at the same time acknowledging and limiting any potential risk from the weaknesses.

Too opinionated? …

You may not be communicating as clearly via email as you think!

“In a recent study of 30 undergraduate students, researchers from the University of Chicago and New York University said the tone of an email message was only correctly interpreted 50 per cent of the time.”

Read the full article - Flame emails missing the mark - by Louisa Hearn in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Why is it that all rental car companies sock you with seemingly gratuitous, unexpected, undeclared, hidden-in-fineprint, and fear-ridden charges when you arrive to pickup your car?

When you have specifically, pointedly, unambiguously confirmed repeatedly, when making the booking, that the amount going onto your credit card then and there, is definitely, absolutely, and totally the entire cost of rental.

Imagine a car rental company that does not operate under a …

Just noticed several companies running cross-brand ads at the moment:
KFC ads show they use real fresh chickens from Ingham and Steggles.
Dove’s Refresh Your Body ads mentions Boost Juice as part of a complementary promotion campaign.

Here’s another take on this approach: instead of striking up a deal with another business to partner on an ad, how about simply just saying wonderful things about a business you admire? This then …

Search engine optimisation has become yet another short term, knee jerk, symptomatic fix for me-too businesses that have no unique proposition for customers. And it lands them into trouble also.

BMW Germany has just had it’s site blacklisted by Google.

“What BMW stands accused of doing is setting up so-called doorway pages that trick search bots like Goolge’s into boosting the [ranking of the site] … This trick is called …

I just had another spam phone call from a certain large telco. Apparently I have magically qualified for another of their specials.

From a customer conversion point of view, these were the challenges presented to me:

To determine how much I will save with the offer, I need to dig out my phone bills. I was having dinner.
The spammer started rattling off all these convoluted combinations of rates, plans, and …

Here’s an interesting example of innovative thought:
www.scannerphotography.com (click on one of the Mirror# links)

Combination of existing concepts = new concept with interesting unexpected bonuses; a new photography technique.

Keep a fly diary. Seriously.

Every morning, when you are getting ready to go to work, take 15 seconds to pause and assess your tummy. Therein be butterflies? Or blowflies?

Butterflies are what you get when you are doing something exciting, scary, new, and GOOD. You are probably doing something you love, or trying something new that you are seriously interested in or passionate about. Experimenting. Innovating.

Blowflies are what makes …

From the entry foyer of the Eden Project in the UK:

If we could shrink the earth to a rainbow village of 100 people, approximately:
57 would be Asian
21 would be European
6 would be North American
8 would be South American
8 would be African

15 including 10 women would be illiterate
20 of the richest people would consume 90% of the wealth
20 of the poorest people would consume just …

On the chalkboard of a cafe in Perth: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Eleanor Roosevelt

2006 is still young. What is your dream for your business this year?