You’ve become my valued clients via google searches (if you haven’t been referred). I ask you, “Why me?” You say, “I did a Google search and resonated with you and your website.” I reply, “Thank you so much!”
Within the last 6 months …
You answer the “Why me” question this way, “I found you and Speak For Yourself® on ChatGPT.” I reply, “Thank you so much!”
How does ChatGPT (or other AI search engines) go about recommending you and your business? What’s going on and what has changed?
According to Adrien Lefler, CEO of My Social Practice, “Google relies on key words you use on your website. ChatGPT combs the entire internet to find every aspect of your business and does so with wicked speed.”
“You made my day!”
I had the great opportunity to hear Adrien a few days ago when he spoke to the Academy of Private Dental Practice (APDP) at their annual meeting.
Adrien shared several sources of how AI gets its information to establish your authority. I’ll share the best strategy he says you must do.
Hint: You’re reading it right now.
He said, “You write original content. You can’t cheat and you cannot use ChatGPT to write for you. It knows.” He continued, “You post your content on your website. And you need to do this on a weekly basis.” He sighed and said, “No one does this.”
After his session I dashed over to him and said, “You’ve made my day! For the past 15 years I have written a blog article every flippen week! I send it to clients and it goes on my website.” He smiled and we both got excited when I said, “And I’ve gotten some wonderful business within the last 6 months from various professionals and organizations who’ve … yep …. found me on ChatGPT. Adrien, you are right and I’m your social proof!”
Relevance to you
When you ask, “What does your business, Speak For Yourself®, do?” I respond, “I work with leaders who want to get heard above the noise, either by consulting with you 1:1 or via workshops and speeches.”
Well, that noise just got louder.
To get heard above the noise start or continue to publish your content.
Whether you’re a small or huge business, do this strategy to help AI find you as an established authority.
As we climb into the second quarter of the 21st century …
Here are some wild communication changes over the past quarter century that have had – and will continue to have – a huge impact on your professional & personal lives.
1️⃣ Fading Face-to-Face Chats: Remember when we used to talk in person without a smartphone glued to our brains/hands/table? Now, we wave “hello” through screens instead of shaking hands— except, of course, for all those Zoom meetings where we somehow still forget to unmute.
2️⃣ Texting Takeover: If you had told me in the ‘90s that people would prefer texting over talking, I would have laughed. Yet, here we are. Texting has become the universal language, blasted with abbreviations, GIFs, and a sprinkle of confusion.
3️⃣ Social Media Explosion: Social media went from a novel way to share pet pictures to a sprawling universe where opinions fly faster than light. Each platform has its own etiquette, and one wrong tweet or post can ignite a wildfire. Sharing dinner pics can connect us, airing grievances on public forums can create permanent discord.
4️⃣ Rise of Virtual Reality: Virtual reality has gone wild— where else could you attend a meeting while sipping coffee in your pajamas (well at least the bottom half of your attire)? This shift offers interaction unlike any other while also minimizing the need for business travel, conferences and association meetings.
5️⃣ Computers on Your Wrist: Our attention span now rivals that of a gnat. It’s hard to focus on anything for more than 17 seconds. All you have to do is look at your Apple Watch (while pretending to be at your online meeting) to scroll texts (see above), emails, weather, social media (see above) and your calendar.
Texting is integral to the way you now communicate due to its speed, convenience and ability to create a permanent record.
So, how can you get more efficient with texting?
The other day I texted a fellow boutique business owner. She’s busy. I’m busy. I had three different time-sensitive questions to ask. I numbered the questions… #1, #2 and #3.
Because she’s smart, she answered each question using the same numbering and same order.
I responded … and you know how … same numbering system.
Done! Questions answered! In less than 10 minutes.
Your Texting Trick for more productivity
Organize your texts by numbering your questions, or answers, or observations.
Heed this one tip because an organized text can save you time and money.
Number away.
PS: What other time-saving texting tips do you use?
➜ Thank you to @AnnZimmermanGallant for being this blog’s muse. You also do great texts! 😎
You’re wasting crucial digital real estate with weak email openers.
Don’t state the obvious. Especially in your first sentence.
You’re thinking, “That IS obvious. Why would I start an email with info my audience already knows? I don’t do this.”
But, you do.
Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company, the president of a small business, or writing your annual holiday letter to friends/family/clients … you’re starting your emails with this: “As the year draws to a close, we reflect on the challenges…”
Can’t argue with that sentiment, but is this Non-Newsflash the way you want to gain your audiences’ attention? Hint: you’re NOT!
Our finger is itching to smash the Delete Key before we even read your second non-helpful line, “To be honest, this hasn’t been the year we had planned.”*
Your #1 clue:
✅ Lead with your need.
❌ Do NOT state the obvious. (And please stop saying “to be honest”! Is everything else you write/say dishonest?!)
Your BONUS CLUE:
✅ Start your emails with the word “You” or “Your” and make your info about your reader. Ex: read the first line of this blog!
❌ “I wanted to follow up with you about…” 😬😬😬
You can do better!
*Source: we won’t reveal it! This sentence is verbatim from a city-wide newsletter we received.
“Increasingly powerful systems seek to ensure that our attention is never truly ours… We are witnessing the dark side of our new technological lives … Vast quantities of high-pressure media content are pumped into our faces.”
You know this because you too are distracted by emails, breaking news and discounts.
This guest opinion NYT essay goes on to share, “You are lucky these days to get 47 seconds of focused attention on a discrete task.”
How do you get heard above the noise when you only have 47 seconds?
Be unique from the get go. Do not begin a meeting, presentation or even a Linked In post with generic pleasantries. Start with a startling statement, a story, a quote, or a solution to a problem targeted to your listeners.
Tell good stories – in a speech, at your holiday party table, or in the hallways at your next conference.
Schedule carefully. Place your presentation mid-morning if possible. Caffeine has been injected and your digital life is under control.
Insert breaks – if you’re talking for more than 90 minutes.
Mix it up. If you’re giving a presentation of any length keep your content moving and include your audience in nonthreatening ways.
Be organized. Tangents will kill you.
Use humor. Carefully. I’m not a fan of jokes because you might alienate others. Use self-deprecating humor. One time my computer blew up. Another time someone stole it. Painful then, funny now … and lessons abound. (Always bring a backup and put your info/ppt in the cloud.)
Bribe often! I always throw snickers into the group to bring home the point that we need to snicker/chuckle more. Take your work seriously, take yourself a little less seriously.
Catching a small piece of chocolate – perfect attention crisis antidote!
Think of a 500-piece puzzle. Heck, think of a 50-piece puzzle. Either way you begin by dumping out all of those pieces on a table and finding the four corners. You build from there.
Same principle applies to the way you communicate. Whether you are delivering a company business update, or you’re on a panel about how Wall Street evaluates your organization, or you’re writing an email – you begin by developing your “four corners”.
You need to construct these four “corners” to get heard above the noise ➜
🎤 CORNER #1 — Your Audience: Who are you talking to and what do they need/want to know? How can you meet and exceed their expectations?
🎤 CORNER #2 — Your Statement of Purpose: What’s your overarching theme? If this is a book, what’s the title? If this is an email, what’s your concise subject header?
🎤 CORNER #3 — Your Return on Investment: What’s the ROI for your listeners … at your quarterly town hall, in a zoom meeting, on the golf course, or by email? Will you save them time or money? Will you increase their competitive advantage? Will you make them happier or stop their headaches? Sharing your ROI creates buy in.
🎤 CORNER #4 — Your Call To Action: After listening to you or reading your digital info what do you want them to do, think or feel? What are your “next steps”? Without a “call to action” you have wasted everyone’s time, including yours.
Your next steps: When you communicate formally, informally or electronically, develop your Statement of Purpose, ROI, and Call to Action while knowing exactly who your audience is and what they want.
Up to 6 months ago …
I had the great opportunity to hear Adrien a few days ago when he spoke to the Academy of Private Dental Practice (APDP) at their annual meeting.
You’re wasting crucial digital real estate with weak email openers.
I planned to write this blog an hour ago. But Cyber Monday got in the way. I’m distracted by a great deal!
Use 
Think of a 500-piece puzzle. Heck, think of a 50-piece puzzle. Either way you begin by dumping out all of those pieces on a table and finding the four corners. You build from there.
