Today I flew to Houston on Southwest, one of my favorite airline brands. I was escaping the invasion of pirates in Tampa Bay. I live in a high rise and on Saturday my balcony will have a direct view of over 500,000 mostly drunk revellers.  I enjoy this celebration called Gasparilla about every other year. This year I was passing and headed to H town for a big city fix.

As I boarded the plane, I was auditing all the brand touch points as I just got hired to speak to an international airline in February. I noticed a lot more that I usually do – from the ticket pocket, to the checkin line signage, to the gate tunnel walls, carpets, uniforms and the seat magazine and laminated promo card on the changing Rapid Rewards program. All on-brand, same SW story, all 500% consistent. Good job Southwest.

As I enter the plane, I scope out my seating opportunities should I, in fact, decide I want to chat with my seat mate. I’m always very strategic with this due diligence.  No crying babies, no people preparing and eating their dinner next to me and no live animals, especially birds.

What I do look for are business people and if there are none, which is rare, then I default to a George Clooney look a-like.

Why the effort? Because I have met many new clients, new friends and even once an investor on an airplane. I don’t always work the row, sometimes I do just pass out, think, read or work.

But just to make sure I’m ready if an opportunity sits next me, I always:

• Have a several business cards
• Dress professional when I fly
• Practice good phone and technology etiquette
• Avoid garlic and other strong foods before the flight (they may keep away vampires, a client too)
• And listen more than I talk

If it’s appropriate , I get a card and keep my word if I promise a follow up.

More from Houston later. My battery is low and my cables are sitting on my desk in Tampa. Can you say Apple Store on Saturday?

For more in the sky lessons, view: JetBlue gives you four inches, but…

Most of us are familiar with the 4 elements of a successful marketing mix.

1) product

2) place

3) price

4) promotion

I do agree that these 4 are essential. But without with this last one,  you are merely a marketing wish.

Although it does not begin with a “P” it begins with a “C” for crucial and it is called “critical mass” – a must have in many business models. Sometimes in the beginning, it’s even more powerful than revenues.

5) Critical mass is defined as the cross over number of energy cells, beings, guests or humans compared to it’s physical space.

• A restaurant earns this mark when the parking lot is full and the dining rooms are jam-packed.
• An online property gets this status of a worthy place when there is social evidence of visitors, followers, tweets, FB like this and comments.
• A mail order business proves it’s popular by sharing testimonials and back orders on hot items.
• A seminar feels more powerful when the room is tight with chattering participants.
• A retail store bustles and creates a demand attitude when there are lines out the door, traffic and activity inside.
• A trade show exhibits true networking when it is wall to wall with booths and bodies.

Sometimes this transpires naturally. Sometimes one must use a little Hollywood technique to convince the masses that this is the place to be.

It is mental. It is physiological. It is really important.

Also, check out: 12 questions to ask yourself while planning your 2011 marketing strategies

My good friend Jim Blasingale, fellow entrepreneur and host of The Small Business Advocate Radio show,  invited me back to his show this morning, Monday, at 7:00 AM Eastern time.

If you missed it, click below to listen to the two-part interview discussing:
1) Reinvention of you or your business for the new year
2) How small business branding is changing

Also check out Jim’s site. On the air since 1997 and the Internet since 1998, it’s packed with insight and multi-media content from some of the top business experts from around the country. Jim’s show is the world’s only weekday radio program dedicated to small businesses.

What will you do in this new decade to be more honest and authentic? Rebrand your business? Listen to the 1st half of the discussion.

Click below to hear the 2nd half of the discussion on the impact of business branding in the 21st century.

I sometimes twitch my eyes, baseballs and golf balls scare me, my spelling totally sucks and that I once lead a company down a toilet and lost a ton of money.

I recently opened a big speech with 5 pieces of self-deprecating information.

Crazy?
Nope. Self-deprecation and being honest about your list of imperfections can actually help build trust and credibility. It does not matter if you speak on stage, like me or not. You can use this strategy in a new biz presentations, recruiting a business partners and or team member.

Here’s how it worked.
1) It showed my audience that I’m willing to break rules and I’m not perfect. Prior to my flaw dump, the sponsor read my bio which is filled with great milestones. As I entered the stage, I threw out the question, “What’s up with all these speaker intros, as preachers of truth and messengers of real world best practices, and then all you here is half their story?”

2) This common ground served as a trust builder. Many in the group had some of the same flaws as I did. We connected.

3) This off the wall content added instant humor, which is often the key to message transfer with an audience, especially at 7:30 AM.

4) I flipped the most dramatic flaw (the business in the toilet one) into PROOF that, bouncing back is reachable, no matter how low your situation is and because of that unfortunate experience, I am 330% smarter. The audience knew my program content and knowledge was not academic BS, but true, authentic battlefield insight.

I was amazed at how many people came up to me afterwards and thanked my for my honesty and courage.

So what so wrong with you? And how can you make it work for you too?

This week I was working in the Bahamas, The Atlantis, Cove Resort to be exact. I am so fortunate to do what I love, get compensated and be in place where the word paradise associated with a destination is an extreme understatement.

The experience was one of my best ever. The accommodations were incredible, service divine and even the beach cats were over the top gracious and welcoming. This beach cat parked next to me as  I was chilling in the sand, sipping on a nice glass of wine, while writing this blog. Didn’t beg for anything, just hung out with me.

I addressed SITEglobal (Society of international travel executives). This conference was their foundation event where they mix fundraising, (which this even raised over $80,000 for research) education and power networking. SITE enables organizations to achieve optimum performance through inspirational experiences and productivity incentives.

My roll was the keynote speaker, as their event theme was “A Brand New Day”.

The incentive travel industry has been hit hard these past few years not only by the recession but, from the negative perceptions of high-profile industry bailouts and economic woes. And to make matters even rougher, the media reports about the increase in crime from pirates to drug cartels to terrorism have had a grueling impact on corporate incentive travel sector.

As I told them, no business is ever immune to these uncontrollable circumstances. However, when things get tough, the tough Brand-up! And that was my message.

The audience was a balance of independent destination companies, visitor and convention bureaus to multi-national travel and destination service brands. All faced challenges ranging from more demanding price-conscious buyers, learning and leveraging new technologies and social media, to how to best stand out in a competitive environment of many excellent choices.

Highlights from my program included:

• Branding is the art and science of being an offering of choice.
• This is accomplished by accumulating positive impression in the minds of your market.
• Anything (product, person, company, service, team, destination etc.) that competes is an opportunity to brand.
• As soon as you start doing business you have a brand.
• Marketing is the process. The brand is the end result.
• Strategic moves and smart tactical actions can make your brand more desirable.
• No risk. No brand.
• Requirements for successful brand.

-New mindset about selling, loyalty, social media and control
-Metaphors (in story, names and processes) are huge opportunities to differentiate
-Frequency in messaging (all touch points) is as important as the message

For a copy of the SITE BRAND-UP!! download here.

To listen to the song BRAND-UP! or share click below.

Have a question? Post it here or go to Oddpodz Linkedin group and post it there.

I want to personally thank Neal Shiller from International Speakers Bureau for bringing me this opportunity, Carol Girouard of  Pinnacle meetings, events and incentives who was the education chair and all of the wonderful sponsors and members of SITE.

Over heard -
At the Sea bar in the Atlantis, Cove Resort
“Traveling with my family, I’ll have two shots of Patron”

At one of the evening dinners
“Bahamas hospitality is so genuine, every one smiles, they connect and look into your eyes and sincerely are grateful that you selected their beautiful island for your business or pleasure”

After my presentation
“My brand is a nightmare and your talk was a wake up call to changing that, thanks!”

That all depends on whether you’ve given much thought to and taken action on  your personal brand.

I interviewed my buddy and fellow personal branding expert, Dan Schawbel, for his insight on the this powerful business subject. Dan believes a strong personal can attract both business and career opportunities like no other magnetic force. Click the image below to watch the interview.

Read on for Dan’s added thoughts on the topic of personal branding.

The Importance of Personal Branding: How to Stand Out in Today’s Opportunity Market
Stay relevant or stay unnoticed. You need to be relevant to be desirable in the marketplace, and you should prepare yourself for the careers of the 21st century. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 60% of all new jobs in the 21st century will require skills that only 20% of current employees possess. You need a sense for what skills are important in your chosen industry, and which ones might be significant in the future.

Find your niche– you have to specialize. Being a generalist will help you adapt to new jobs because the market changes all the time, but specializing will make you more desirable to hiring managers. In fact, 71% of hiring managers are looking to fill “specialized positions” while 61% of job seekers considered themselves to have “broad skill sets”. Companies are looking to hire experts in their fields to solve real business problems. Become an expert in an in-demand field and you will have leverage over the recruitment process, make more money, and securing a stable position. Once you’ve chosen your field of specialization, you can become an expert by getting a second or advanced degree. Schools like DeVry University and its Keller Graduate School of Management offer specialized bachelor’s and master’s degree programs focused on high-growth career fields. You should do some research online to find flexible and affordable opportunities to dial in your personal brand niche.

The competition is relentless. The economy has created a tough job market for most individuals, especially inexperienced college graduates. There are currently 2 million unemployed college graduates, and companies are hiring 22% fewer graduates. Our country is becoming more educated with about 40% of Americans having college degrees. Having a college degree is extremely important for building a foundation for future success—a general bachelor’s degree is a great entry point, but having advanced or second degrees is a way to make yourself stand out and advance your personal brand.

Interpersonal skills are becoming more valuable. A brand requires a personality if it’s going to be distinctive. Your personal brand needs to be personable and attract positive attention. Organizations are starting to place a higher value on interpersonal skills (communication, teamwork, organization) and cultural fit, instead of technical skills and experience. A new survey by Right Management shows that 31% of companies feel that organizational culture and motivation fit is important, while only 12% are for technical skills, and 11% are for relevant experience.

Perception (how we present ourselves) is king. It’s the little things that count, whether you’re in an interview, or interacting with people online. A CareerBuilder survey states that 67% of hiring managers say that failure to make eye contact would make them less likely to hire a job candidate and 38% said lack of smile. People will judge you on small things that make a big difference.

For more on Dan and  a copy of his new personal branding magazine visit his website too. http://danschawbel.com/

Dan is the author of the #1 international bestselling career book, Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future (Kaplan Publishing). Me 2.0 made the New York Times summer reading list for job seekers, was one of three social networking books recommended by Shape Magazine, was the #1 career book of 2009 by The New York Post, is a #1 bestseller in Japan, and is also being translated into Chinese, Korean, and French. Recently, Dan was named to the prestigious Inc Magazine 30 Under 30 list.

When I was a rookie headhunter in Tokyo I often made the mistake of limiting my questions to a candidate’s interest in changing jobs. What I failed to realize, however, was that these candidates, even if they weren’t interested in my opportunities, were invaluable storehouses of information, information that could help me find a candidate who was interested in changing their job. Eventually, I shifted my focus from determining a candidate’s interest, to downloading as much potentially valuable information from them as I could.  When I realized how valuable the information was, “downloading people” became my number one priority.

When meeting a candidate, I’d usually spend the first ten minutes asking questions like:

• How many people are in your department? What are their names? (Find more potential candidates)
• Is everybody happy at work? (Is this company a good target? Are people willing to move?)
• I know you that aren’t interested in changing companies right now, but if you were interested in the future what kind of job will be ideal for you? (Make a note, and call the candidate if such a job pops up)
• I’m looking to know more people in your industry. Do you know anyone who is well connected and would be willing to meet with me for a cup of coffee? (Almost everybody knows a well connected person. A ten minute meeting with someone like that can be pure gold).

I could think of plenty more questions off the top of my head, but you get the idea.
Another example of how asking lots of questions helped me was the last time I went on the job hunt. I sent a job inquiry email to a web startup company that I guessed had little funding and probably wouldn’t hire anyone for a long time. I didn’t want to prejudge, so I asked if they had any open positions just to be sure.

It was a small company, so the president got back to me right away. He told me that there weren’t any positions and that they didn’t plan to hire in the near future. I thanked him for his time and asked if he knew anyone I could talk to who might be hiring, and he let me know of a networking event where startup entrepreneurs often met. That networking event turned out to be a very good place to find new job leads.

If I only asked if the company was hiring, I probably would have had a very short conversation. Instead, I asked as many questions as I could, and ended up with valuable information. I’m sure I could have found out about the networking event through Google, but it probably would have taken me a lot more time, and I wouldn’t have known if that event was worth going to or not.

It’s important not to get into the trap of focusing on narrow objectives. Doing so will blind you to all the great opportunities that you hadn’t thought of. Download as much as you can from everyone you meet and sort it all out later. When it comes to downloading people, it doesn’t matter if the person you talk to is a CEO or the intern who waters the office plants. Everyone has valuable information. All you have to do, is ask.

Kenji Crosland is a web entrepreneur who does SEO/Blog Outreach work for Teachstreet.com, a website that provides course listings on many subjects, including small business skills classes.  In his free time he blogs about entrepreneurship  and career development at Unready and Willing.

There should be a new song, “Who let the moochers out” because they are everywhere. They are friends which are the worst kind, because they manipulate you, because they are your friend. And then there are  strangers you meet networking and they are super, friendly, nice folks too.  I ran into three this week. They want your time and expertise, but don’t want to pay for it. And HELLO!!!, this is what you do for a living.

They are no different than another crook you learn about in the media, except they are stealing from you.

Many service providers face this ugly group often. Some of us fold, because we feel guilty about sticking to “we are in business to make a fair profit in exchange for value we deliver”,  or sometimes we feel sympathetic, because these moochers cry “I’m poor (that’s not your fault) and others convince themselves that this giving of time and talent will translate into new business (sometimes it does, 80% of the time it doesn’t), and others like me, will just say NO! and stop the time sucking, energy and value wasting drill and get back to business.

Here are the clues friends and other nice people don’t value your stuff enough to pay
They want to meet for lunch. In the invitation chat or call they don’t offer giving you anything back like: leads for your business or even indicate they may buy your services in the near future. But they do stay focused on what they hope to get from the lunch, your expertise at no cost to them.

You tell them you are happy to meet for a small consulting fee and they back off, even when your fee is less than a round of golf or a few bottles of wine. If a company or professional can’t shell out a couple hundred bucks, this is big red flag.

You tell them about a low cost investment, an ebook or service that you offer that is in line with their goals and they don’t buy one. If a company or professional can’t shell out 10 or 20 bucks, this is big red flag.

Please don’t get me wrong, giving is good, generosity is golden, but not knowing the difference between a moocher/time and talent crook and a flat out homeless business person, is a crime.

If you truly believe a friend or contact is interested in buying from you (they have the money, they are a decision maker and they value you) then it may be worth giving a bit, before you ink the deal, but when you put out some fairly low cost investments and they don’t move on it, it usually means they don’t value you.

It’s also important to note that there is a big difference in someone who has no money and someone who does not want to part with their money. After nearly 28 years in business, I learned to spot the tire kickers from the buyers.

If you do a great job in communicating your expertise and knowledge and they don’t buy in to a small fee or product, you are asking for trouble.

You and I both know expertise and experience are not free to acquire.

Here’s a great clinching question.
When a friend or stranger wants a couple hours of your time, before your shell it out and do the pre research on their issue and tap into your brain which you invested thousands to be so smart. . .

Ask the moocher if they’d give you $500 of their product before you begin your free session or maybe ask them to contribute 2% of their weekly pay to this project or your favorite charity.

If that does not  help you say NO!  Just think about the five other things you could be working on that will earn you revenues while that time/talent crook steals from you.

Thinking about starting a consulting practice so you can earn what you are worth?

Tired of giving free speeches? Get paid to speak.

“Do not panic. This is not the revolution. But you should pay attention and find your Place on Facebook. Your business or place may not be in Facebook Places, and that means someone else can define you in this giant network of mobile users.

Facebook’s making a play for geo-location dominance. It’s not revolutionary because others are already here. But Facebook has a large and growing audience, and that means more people will start using this and you need to think about how that affects your social profile as a business, an event or a movement.

If you depend heavily on social outreach, then get to know Facebook Places, “Facebook blog: Who, What, When, and Now…Where”.

As you may know, when social networks integrate geo-location, we get social navigation. Games and check-ins through apps by Gowalla and Foursquare allow mobile and smart device users to announce their location with quips or to search for friends, deals at restaurants and collect cute stamps in their profile.

Whether this is a business or a feature is debatable.

What is not debatable is that Facebook just launched a geo-location enhancement that immediately has an audience of 100 million users, according to Facebook on Feb. 10, “Facebook Mobile: 100 Million and Growing,” .

Find whether your place is on Facebook Places.

If it’s there, check the accuracy and completeness of the listing.

If it’s not there, make an entry immediately. Any user can create an entry on Facebook Places, and it starts with adding a name and a description of the Place. So if you’re business is a restaurant, imagine someone adding your Place but getting the name wrong or not giving your menu a good review.

In all likelihood, you’ve been paying close attention to how your location appears in the current geo-location social apps. If you fit this category, then Place is just one more check on your social marketing list.

If you are just waking up to this, then go directly to Facebook Places. Check your Places profile. Make it accurate. Take care of your profile in the other apps later. You can no longer ignore social navigation. This is not the revolution, but this is your time to join mobile marketing.”

And 3 take-ways that are priceless.

Nine years ago I met a fellow speaker, author and business authority on loyalty. I was attending my first National Speakers Association annual conference in Dallas, Texas. I was new to the speakers industry.  I did not know a soul and sat next to Jill Griffin at general session luncheon. Who would of ever imagined that nine years later, she would be one of the most important and influential people in my life.

Lucky me? Serendipitous? Or strategic?

I’m sticking with the latter two. I’m not a believer in luck. People put themselves in situations. They make judgments about where to be, who to sit next to and who to talk to. These choices determine one’s outcome.  And if you don’t buy this, you should revisit the word strategic. Strategic should be part of 95% of all your actions. Strategic is not a capitalist, greed-driven, manipulative move word, it’s about decisions with intent and focus. And it’s not just for business, it’s a life word.

That day in Dallas I was on a mission. And it was not to try a new kind of rubber chicken at a conference hotel. I was there to learn about the speaking business and meet people who could add to my life and help me reach my goals. If that sounds too hard-core, type A, or driven to you, I bet you have a room mate, a trust fund or bad credit.  I didn’t and still don’t have any of those. And I had just plopped down 600 bucks for the conference, plus another $1000 for travel and that was 9 years ago when I was a very green, very cash poor, newbie speaker.

3 take-aways, nine years later.

1) Trade association conferences - Some truly suck and some will change your life.
It’s a numbers game and doing your homework is part of the drill and the cost. Every business owner and entrepreneur should invest in at least one. 2 to 3 day conference per year, that’s out of town and an environment of learning. Don’t go to get away from your stress, or your spouse, go to get some important stuff accomplished and be strategic.

2) Networking - It’s a necessary business skill and if you can’t do it, get someone who can.
Networking is not about being an obnoxious, pushy  sales person. It’s about being a nice person, so other people want to learn more about you. It’s about being a good listener and being clear on what value you bring to others, and then its about connecting the dots—filtering, qualifying, following up, giving, helping and reaping some fruit.

3) Cheap jalapeños - Aren’t all jalapeños cheap?
Turns out part of why Jill and I have such a close bond is that we are both speakers, writers, consultants and Texas girls. Jill lives in Austin, one of my favorite places and I consider myself a forever Texan. I lived in Houston for 20 years and when I kick the bucket I hope to be buried in a Channel suit, wearing pearls and my black Ostrich cowboy boots. Cheap jalapeños is my metaphor for the bonus I got nine years ago. I had no idea my petite, new buddy would be so full of spunk, intense knowledge and be such an important ingredient in my life.  Everyone should be so fortunate to meet someone like Jill. When I met Jill, she was a more experienced speaker, had already presented to global audiences and had a few best selling books under her belt. Nine years ago, shortly after we met, she took me under her wing, supported me through good and bad times, and guided me to write my first book and find a publisher. Throughout the  years, Jill has been my number 1 sounding board, giving me honest advice on all kinds of things. We’ve gone to comedy school together, supported the fashion industry on all levels and both love Mexican food.

Everyone entrepreneur needs confidants and mentors, but when you find a trusted peer and someone who understands your world, works in your industry and you build a close friendship too, that is priceless.

Jill and I are spending the next few days together to mastermind, collaborate and connect more dots as we both take our careers to the next level this year. We’ll keep you posted.