Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

Terry Starbucker tagged me to answer this. As he notes, this is a very good question. And a very subjective one. What is “outstanding” anyway? Here are the first two dictionary definitions:

1. prominent; conspicuous; striking: an outstanding example of courage.
2. marked by superiority or distinction; excellent; distinguished: an outstanding student.

Well, I do strongly believe that one can’t be afraid to stand up, speak up, look foolish. That’s the only way we ever learn or make a difference. So, here’s how I work on blogging – and if I’m lucky, some people find a few of them outstanding. (It’s like photography, you take about a zillion pictures for that one great one.)

1. I read (a lot) – everything and anything. From other blogs to the back of cereal boxes to right-wing pundits’ so-called books to out-of-print classics. This gives me food for thought and blogging.

2. I write (a lot) – for every post you read, I’ve written another four or five…and have 20 to 30 drafts, most of which never make the cut. (No, no, you don’t have to write this much – I enjoy writing and it’s also beneficial to my “day job” where I write a lot for clients.)

3. I seek new experiences – rather it’s “discovering” a back road in New Mexico or a new museum – it’s all good for potential blogging insights.

However, it’s important to note that I don’t do any of these things for the sole purpose of blogging. I live first. Blogging is just one (very) cool way for me to communicate, connect, and develop my business. All that reading, learning, and experiencing also greatly enriches the communication, connection and development.

4. I do my best to be – well – me. If you like what I say, you’ll probably want to talk more (either online or live and in person.) I also strive to deliver some real-world, no-nonsense value to existing and potential clients or food for thought for my fellow consultants/marketing mavens/business developers. (My blog is also a great self-qualifier – if you don’t like my topics and tone, you’re not going to like working with me – saves both me and you a lot of time and trouble.)

5. I don’t get hung up on on grammar and sentence structure. Believe it or not, I know that “ain’t” ain’t correct. But, we’re having a conversation here, and in conversation we all use a lot of “incorrect” terms, slang, and cultural references. I do edit for spelling and at least some semblance of coherence, but my Honors English teachers have spun right out of their graves by now…all those dashes…the dot,dot,dots…sentence fragments, dangling participles, mixed metaphors….ah-yahhh…(It is a fine line between approachable, accessible conversation that’s still intelligent and – say – George Bush’s informal cringe, cringe remarks.)

There are milions of “Mary Schmidts” but only one me (and I come up #1 on Google thanks to my blogging. So, if potential clients are looking for me, I’m very very easy to find…and they’ll know what I think and how I work…heh, snuck in a “value of blogging” point there.)

Lastly – it’s funny – the posts over which I sweat blood, sure that the Nobel committee will create a category just for me…nobody even notices. When I just “throw one off” the top of my head, people love it. Go figure.

Happy Monday! I’ve got to go sweat some blood over the keyboard for clients.

Related Posts:
Gloggers Unite!
I Don’t Care If Only 50 People Read My Blog.
Blog or Web Site or Both?
I don’t have time to play on the computer.
Blog Business 101

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Tags: blogging, business development, web marketing, marketing troubleshooting, blogs