Tag Archives: George Kao

Sharisax Is Out There

Turning Your “Passive” Passion Into “Active” Income: Towards a More Collaborative Future

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Want to make money online sharing your passion?

Is this you?

“I absolutely love animals, children, cooking, gardening, investing, ______[fill-in your own]_________. But how can I make money doing it?”

George Kao recently conducted a Teleclass outlining the principles he follows to make a living by helping others do just that- put their passions to work for them.

Interestingly enough, George told us that one year ago he was an unknown in the field of Social Media thought leadership. Now, however, he has 692 fans on his Facebook Community Page — and many clients who are building successful online businesses.

@georgekao: I’m a Big Fan!

My Take-Aways from his February 2010 Teleclass:

“Making a Great Living Teaching Your Passion and Expertise”

1. “Work should be a passionate expression of ourselves”

I’m reminded of Margaret Mead’s famous discovery reported in Coming of Age in Samoa that for the indigenous people there “Work was Play and Play was Work.” Every islander was excited to get up in the morning to “get to it.”

2. “I want to make a living — not a killing”

Many internet marketing gurus train their clients using language like “getting that sale” and  “making a killing.” George wants his competition to thrive along with him. Money is important, but a distant second to Love. If you come from that place, you are bound to be more authentic — and more successful. We do deserve to be paid well for being helpful.

3. “There are three facets to business success online: Social Media, Teleclasses, and Partnerships”


Building profiles and communities on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter will help spread news about you and develop relationships. When people find you on these networks, make certain they know what to do next.

Teleclasses will demonstrate your expertise and gain you clients. Recorded telecasts can be turned into e-products for sale or gifts for new subscribers. Live teleclasses provide for more participation and less procrastination.

Partnerships will help you learn as you are growing your business.

4, “Position your business around personal or business drivers“

People want four basic things: (a) money, (b) relationships, (c) health, and (d) children. Each of those broad categories includes subsets, e.g. money:insurance, etc.; relationships: romance, etc.; health: fitness, nutrition, etc.; children: family, etc.

Organizations, on the other hand, want two things: more business and more efficiency.  A third driver — for more progressive firms — is to provide Joy in the working environment.

If you can position your expertise/passion around any of these areas, you can build a business.

5. “When planning, think about The Client Onion”

Building a client base can follow five steps that were described as layers of an onion.

  • First is the outer layer — the public, where you might offer free services to a broad base of people.
  • Second are your subscribers who have recognized your value to them.
  • Some of these fans will become customers who buy your standalone products, e.g. ebooks, whitepapers, programmed learning modules, etc.
  • Fourth are those who will decide to participate as group clients
  • Finally, your best clients will take advantage of 1-to-1 coaching services.

What’s your Passion? What’s keeping you from putting that passion to work for you?

Need a bit more coaching? Contact George and start by listening to one of his free teleclasses.

PREVIOUS STORY FEATURING GEORGE KAO: “Get Paid, Get Laid, and Don’t Die — What People Want”

DISCLAIMER: I’ve only known about and followed George for a few months, and I’m a great fan, but not yet a client. I say “not yet” because I just may take that step myself.

Sharisax Is Out There

Three “F’s” to Achieve Your 2010 Goals

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Since I subscribe to the philosophy of “Intention,” my 2010 Predictions Article will be geared to Setting Some Goals and Making Them Happen. Here are three ways to do just that:

  • Follow a Role Model, who’s also a Friend

  • Find a Buddy — or Seven

  • Figure out Answers to the list of Questions below

1) My friend Sandy is a great role model

2009 Accomplishments:
Lost 39 pounds between Feb 25 and Dec 25. Have maintained within 3 pounds of goal weight for the last 21 days straight.

Decided to try Zumba and loved it!

Decided to try Yoga and loved it!

Provided excellent office support to boss.

2010 Goals:

Increase my arm strength.

Keep my weight under the decade mark.

Let my nails grow enough and be healthy enough that I can treat myself to a manicure.

And continue providing the kind of administrative support that makes going to work fun and productive for the entire staff.

[You go Girl!]

2) Collaborate with Network Connections – both online and off

  • Last night was just one of many examples: I went to a holiday party and met three fellow [gal-fellow] Baby Boomers whom I will be meeting with in the next few weeks to see how we can use our own personal strengths to help one another.

  • That particular holiday party was the result of my membership in one of the three networking groups I have joined this year. No list about Succeeding in Anything is complete without continuous Networking. Here’s a previous article with suggestions on getting the  most out of networking.

3) Here are questions we need to be asking ourselves:

A – What do I want to finish?

B – What do I want to change?

C – What do I want to refine?

D – What do I want to maintain?

E – What do I want to stop doing?

F – What do I want to go back to?

G – What can I throw away?

H – What have I learned in 2009 that will empower me in 2010?

I – What do I NEED to do?

What are your answers? What will 2010 look like for you? What’s your intention?

Because I know the power of conversation, I’m suggesting that readers add their responses to any of the questions above. I’ll be doing just that. And, then, we can all collaborate on each other’s success in 2010 and beyond.

[FURTHER READING: Here are website entrepreneur James Hartje’s answers to the nine questions]

Sharisax Is Out There

“Get Laid, Get Paid, and don’t Die” — What People Want

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I debated about using that title — and even asked my Facebook Friends for advice on the riskiness of a “risqué” headline. So we’ll see what happens:

Will I get more traffic?

Will I hear any backlash?

What will I learn from using a “racier” title than I might have?

What will YOU learn from the notes I took at George Kao’s latest free social media webinar?

trump tower

Blueprint for starting your own online business

Is it possible to know with any certainty

— BEFORE you start anything

— if it will work?

George Kao asked this question as he began his December 16 webinar featuring Internet Entrepreneur Clay Collins, who has started a business called Project Mojave to share his “vision for a world where every person can be their own boss and secure a healthy income while offering their greatest gift to the world.”

My Take-Aways

Most marketers do not fully understand how to get the most from market research.

STEP ONE: Your first research should be to carefully describe your Idea Client:

  • Develop a “Customer Avatar” – a picture of that ideal client.
  • When you plan your marketing message, aim it at One Specific Person. The key is talking to one person; you will sound more authentic, and others will want to engage with you as well.

How do you put together this Buyer Profile [as David Meerman Scott has called it]?

  • If you know where your demographic is, then go where they hang out. [i.e. Fish where the fish are.]
  • Then ask them questions:
  1. What is your biggest fear?
  2. If you could ask anyone a question, WHAT would the question be and WHOM would you ask?
  3. What product would you buy from me if I was the only one who could make it?
  4. How much would you pay for it?

“At the end of the day, people buy on emotion: they ‘Justify‘ as they buy what they want”

said Clay Collins, who suggested you then double the sum that they said they’d pay.

STEP TWO: Design your business around Problems, Needs, or Questions

  • If you can Answer a Question, you begin a relationship
  • If you can Fulfill a Need, you definitely get someone’s interest
  • If you Solve a Problem, you’ve got yourself a customer.

If you want to know where to find those problems, look to these areas:

  1. Relationships and sex
  2. Health
  3. Careers, jobs, making money

Clay:

“It’s all about Getting Laid, Getting Paid, and Not Dying.”

STEP THREE: Know the customer’s “Primary Driver”

  • Most people are driven by one thing.
  • Find out what it is: Ask them what they want and why. Then ask them the same question again . . . and again.
  • Then Speak [i.e., your message] to their actual, real experience in a way that they can visualize the result.

Howard Blum photo - click for website*** So here are those original questions:

Will I get more traffic?

Will I hear any backlash?

What will I learn from using a “racier” title than I might have?

. . . AND THE MOST IMPORTANT . . .

What did YOU learn from the notes I took at George Kao’s latest free social media webinar?

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Do we need an Emily Post for social media etiquette?

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linkedin-facebook-twitter

“To be or not to be . . .”

“To DO, or NOT to do . . .”

I got a “dressing down” the other day when I asked a question on various social media platforms.

This was my message:

“ARE PRESS RELEASES DEAD?  I would like to publish an article on my blog,”

I received many relevant opinions and this surprising response:

“Don’t use my wall to promote your blog.”

Had I missed a rule?

Honestly, I was quite taken aback. What on earth had I done that was WRONG?

So I looked to the ‘wisdom of the crowd” and asked a few of my social media friends — many of whom had received and responded to my question: “What rules had I violated?”

Most said that they hadn’t been offended in any way, but one suggested that some people can get very “persnickety” about their Facebook profile — and that if I really wanted the Scoop on “Doing the Right Thing,” I should ask Etiquette Expert George Kao, a social media coach whose webinar I had attended and written about a month ago: The Circle of Reciprocity begins with Free.

George-Kao-

“People are forgiving of your social media mistakes — if you don’t keep repeating them. Someone will usually let you know if you’ve done anything wrong.” — George Kao

George suggested to me that people should not be afraid of making mistakes. “The social web is so new, that the rules for etiquette may not be obvious,” he said. If in doubt, take action, he suggested.

“Focus on adding value to people’s lives and business.”

If you want to do the Right Thing online, then think of the Golden Rule: “Do Not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you.” AND “Do onto others as you would have them do onto you.”

Here are some of George’s suggestions:

  1. Give others the experience you would want.
  2. Be aware of actions that would be intrusive [like over promotion].
  3. Build “Social Capital” [i.e. authentic relationships] before you spend it.
  4. Duplicate the types of online actions that you like AND don’t do the ones you don’t like.
  5. Be “Open Hearted.” We tend to be open-hearted with those who are open-hearted with us.

Facebook Walls: What to post and what not to post

Many people seem to be confused about Facebook Walls, George agreed. “Think of the Wall as someone’s Front Porch or a public office space,” he said. “Your Wall is where you post messages for all visitors. Your updates go on your wall,” he explained.

When someone clicks through to another person’s Facebook profile and writes on that person’s wall, it should be about that person — like a birthday greeting or an endorsement. The only people who see that Wall message, however, will be the Facebook friend and any mutual friends, according to George.

When you comment on one of your friend’s updates, it’s visible by all the person’s Facebook friends as well, so be aware of that.

“Everyone has a responsibility to manage his or her own Wall. If someone writes something you don’t like, you can remove it — and you ought to.”

George’s final caution: “When you are communicating and updating on Facebook, make certain that you don’t post anything you wouldn’t want the world to see.”

Do you have any online pet peeves that you’d like to share — or resources for rules? We’d love to know them and help spread the word.

Sharisax Is Out There

Circle of Reciprocity begins with FREE: My take-aways from this morning’s no-cost webinar with George Kao

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Yosemite May 2008 009

Raise your hand if you’ve signed up for a free webinar lately?

If you haven’t, then you’re not really using the Web broadly enough to learn new tips & tricks that can enhance your own knowledge base AND your ability to deliver value to others.

All that being said: How many of us SIGN UP for the Webinars and then either [1]  forget about them or [2] wait for the archive version that will likely be filed away . . . and forgotten?

YUP, Guilty as charged . . .

But not this morning.I listened and participated in one that was so good, it needed its own blog post: I wanted to share the information and, at the same time, review the lessons for myself.

My good friend Ann had forwarded me an email last week from George Kao, who offers free webinars [and subsequent coaching programs] — to discuss social media AND how to deliver information-packed webinars that will help build business success. George’s WebinarMethod.com caught my interest as I build my own coach/consultant business model — and the fact that his email said it WOULD NOT BE ARCHIVED was the impetus I needed to skip my yoga class this morning . . . because I wouldn’t be able to catch it later.

Can I say, once again, how valuable the entire experience was . . .

  1. The initial approach, i.e., the fact that this would NOT be archived, worked to get me focused on getting the most from this one-hour experience.
  2. The discussion of FREE: what to “give away” and what to hold back. George suggests:

    • giving away too much for free inundates people . . . and will keep them from buying/hiring you.
    • “catchy content” in a free event should require engagement that will inspire them to action, i.e., buying more from you,
  3. When people buy from you, “You Change the World”: this becomes an “investment” rather than mere entertainment
  4. On the “Hierarchy of Engagement for Content” — In-person speaking engagements ranked highest for emotional engagement and the least likely to allow for procrastination. Here is the rest of the list from Highest Engagement to Lowest:
    • Video webinars
    • Webinars with telephone and visuals
    • Teleseminars with conference call
    • Instant messaging and/or chat room
    • Dedicated Video [DVD]
    • Dedicated Audio [CD]
    • Email [including newsletters/ezines]
    • Mass email via social media [groups]
    • Linkable text [PDF w/links; online articles, blogs]
    • Social sites [e.g. Yahoo answers, forums]
    • Offline text [book, magazine]

Thinking about the hierarchy list above . . . and social media lessons . . .

The beauty of what “we” are all doing online is ENGAGING with one another and supporting one another on our respective quests to improve our lives and our society.

I’d genuinely like to go on and on . . . but so many times “Less is More” as my students have heard me say so many times. Besides, George gives these free webinars all the time, so there’ll be a lot more you can discover for yourselves. And, of course, I do need to say, “NO, no one paid me anything for this endorsement.” It was just that well done.

By way of sparking conversation, I’m going to try to get the other participants [whom I met on “Savor Chat”] to add their take-aways as well, and, yes, George, I hope you see this and add your TWO CENTS as well.