books

Hello, My Name is Awesome Book Summary

June 14, 2021 by Chris Wilson Leave a Comment

I’ve taken part in a few brand naming exercises over the last couple of years. Most of these were for products but the need for a good name was the same. While it’s easy to spot a good name in the wild, coming up with one is another matter.

For years I had just assume that it was a matter of luck, thinking and waiting, but the action plan in the book Hello, my name is awesome makes this process more straight forward, even if it does still require a lot of time, energy and thought to come up with a good name.

This books summary has my main takeaways and will provide you with a guideline that you can implement as well.

Table of Contents

How to create brand names that stick Actions steps to come up with a brand name

There are really four steps to generate a brand or product name.

Generate 12 words that describe or are related to your brand.
Follow a nine step brainstorming (or expansion) of these words
Synthesize your research into name ideas
Use the SMILE and SCRATCH criteria to review the possible names you have

Why this process works

This process is based on the same mindset as that in “A Technique for Producing Ideas” by James Webb Young.

You immerse yourself in a topic till you gain mind fog, you distract your mind from the task and let your subconscious chew on it, you wait for eureka and then refine the idea from there.

The process in Hello, My Name Is Awesome just helps you drown yourself in the topic of a product name.

The additional aspect I recommend from “A Technique for Producing Ideas” is to engage in an emotionally stimulating distraction when you feel overwhelmed by a topic.

The list of 12

To start, you need a list of 12 words that describe or are related to the brand. Look for a diverse list and avoid just stating synonyms; that will come later.

The brainstorming process

The brainstorming process is about turning that list of 12 into a list of 1200!

You want to dive into a wide variety of different stimuli to find alternative ways of saying a word or how others have used the name in the past.

The nine steps are

Using a thesaurus for synonyms
Using image search to see visual associations
Using a Glossary to find related industry words
Using Dictionaries to see idioms and expressions
Using Clichesite.com to find Cliche’s related to the term
Using Google suggestions and related searches
Using movie titles
Using book titles
Using song titles

Book titles are particularly useful as they aren’t subject to copyright and so can be reused.

Once you have completed this process for every word, you will have a long list of ideas and inspiration to draw upon. You may be starting to feel mental and topical fatigue. That’s a good sign that you have fill your brain with the topic.

Synthesis

The key part of synthesizing an idea is subconscious, but you should still start by consciously trying combinations of words and name ideas. You may find THE idea this way, but even if you do, let your subconscious have a go at crunching all the information you’ve filled it with and see if it can generate a better idea.

Deliberately give your brain a break when you can’t think any more, but keep a note book with you. This break could be a shower, a long walk, a good film or a trip to an art gallery. relaxing and emotionally stimulating tasks work best.

Once you’ve got a few idea down, it’s time to evaluate.

The review process: Smile and scratch

You’re review process has two steps.

Smile – finding good names.
Scratch – eliminating bad ones.

SMILE: 5 Qualities of sticky names

Suggestive – It doesn’t describe, it evokes.
Meaningful – Something that will resonate with potential customers
Imagery – Something which is visually evocative
Legs – An idea which can be extended
Emotional – Something which moves people, reminds them of memories and associations.

SCRATCH: Ideas to remove

Spelling – don’t use clever spellings, it confuses people
Copycat – don’t follow other companies, be original
Restrictive – It doesn’t allow for future growth
Annoying – Something that is forced or just doesn’t work.
Tame – Don’t go for a safe, boring and forgettable name
Curse of Knowledge – Don’t use a name that only makes sense to you and your inner group
Hard to pronounce – Make sure people can tell others what your name is

Finding the domain

Once you’ve gone through all this process, then you should look at domain names and usernames on social media platforms. This might seem like it’s too later and it might but the copycat step should help eliminate some problems by this point. If you find there’s another company with the same domain (and there’s a good chance of that now), you can either use a more unique TLD or add a verb to the start of your website domain, like getflywheel.com which offers domain hosting.

Grab a copy of Hello, My Name Is Awesome

If you’d like to read the whole, short book, grab a copy bellow.

Grab a copy of Hello, My Name is Awesome

Or you can check out other book summaries here.

Marketing Made Simple Book Summary

April 18, 2021 by Chris Wilson Leave a Comment

I was part of a marketing community where someone shared a confusing picture. Their diagram, representing their marketing funnel, was definitely not Marketing Made Simple. It sought to provide effective follow up to every action across every communication channel.

I suspect that marketing campaign would probably be more effective than the one I will share from Donald Miller’s book, Marketing Made Simple. However, the marketing made simple book summary and marketing plan below is one that any business could implement AND it wouldn’t make a prospect feel herded down a path their don’t want to follow.

Table of Contents

Sketchnote summary of Marketing Made Simple

The No.1 problem with most marketing

Most companies have messages like “Save time, save money”. The problem is, that could apply to ANYTHING.

At my old job we literally used this as a test of a marketing message. Could we say it about some other computer software? If so, it was a bad message.

The appeal of the “Save time, save money” message is from it appeal to our basic instincts – Time and money are limited and we need them to survive.

While it is good to show how your product or service helps a person to survive, a message of “Save time, save money” blends in.
When any company could say the same message, a customer can choose any company.

You need to have a memorable message.

Instead of a forgettable message, you need a clear message that sticks. It needs to be something that you everyone in your company can remember and say.
Once you’ve got it, you use it everywhere and across your marketing to make sure it sticks.

Three stages in a customer journey

It’s obvious that not everyone is ready to buy from you when they first meet your company. Instead there are three stages in their journey (excluding when they don’t know you). (This is a simplified version of the classic “Stages of awareness“)

Curiosity

When you first meet someone, there’s a lot you don’t know and a lot of questions that you’ll have. You want to learn the basics about them, get to know them a bit and find out more.

Many prospects don’t go beyond this stage, they get confused or are distracted by the next curiosity. Have a clear, effective message helps.

Enlightenment

When a prospect has a moment of realization and discovery, they enter the enlightenment stage. This is where they know about you and have seen something valuable. They get how you are different and can help them with their issues.

Commitment

The final stage is when they agree to buy. To get to this point, they need to have passed through the previous two stages and be invited to go further.

How the three stages related to marketing

Curiosity – Explain who you are

Once someone has encountered you, via ads or a social post, you need to explain who you are and what you do. You do this by inviting the prospect into a story where you position your company as the guide.

This can happen in many places, but the main place is your website homepage.

Enlightenment – give value / reveal insights

The customer reaches enlightenment either by you explaining an insight or providing some value. This could be an understanding as to why they need your product or service, or how your product or service is unique and superior.

This can happen through articles, podcast episodes and emails, but an easy way is with a lead generating PDF.

Commitment – ask to buy

To get a customer to agree to buy, we must ask them. This can happen on your website, in a social post and other places but the most effective is as part of an email marketing sequence.

Execution – the key differentiator between successful and unsuccessful marketing

The problem with many marketing plans isn’t the plans, but a failure to execute the plans. It is better to have a plan which you can execute rather than a brilliant plan which can’t be realized.

The plan outlined in Marketing Made Simple may not be the most conclusive but when correctly implemented, it will be more effective than 90% of other companies marketing strategies.

The Five-step Marketing plan to make sales

A simple five step marketing plan is all you need. It should include …

a one liner
wireframe a website
a lead generating pdf
a nurturing email email campaign
A sales email campaign

A one liner

This is the short summary or elevator pitch for your business. It should be the answer to the question “what do you do?”
The simple formula is

State the problem
Define the solution
Share the results.
This may be a paragraph long at first, but later you can condense it.

A website that converts

Most websites make the mistake of telling the company story or just DUMPING information on the customer.

Typical website mistakes

using insider language
Long headlines
It tells the company story not the customers
And they have a confusing and unappealing offer.

A ingredients of a good website

marketing made simple outline for a website that converts

Instead, you want a website that will

pique your prospects curiosity,
give them a reason to go further in your marketing funnel (your lead generator)
and provide an easy way for them to buy your product or service.

A converting website should include

A header section – with your one-liner
The stakes – what happens if you don’t buy
The value proposition – what they will get
the guide – the evidence that you can deliver
The plan – what the customer needs to do
An explanatory paragraph – great for SEO
(optional) a video – helps build connection
Price choices – An option for every budget
the junk draw – for all the important legal stuff

A lead generating PDF

Okay, you don’t need to have a lead generating PDF, but you do need to have a lead generator, and a PDF is a low-budget, easy to produce option.
This PDF should be

worth about $10-20
relevant to your customers and your products – you want to “qualify” customers.
Short – so your customer can gain value FAST.
You can, and should, experiment with different lead generating PDFs to see what resonates the most with your customers. You can also repackage PDFs in a different format (video guide/series etc) to attract different customer types.

Alternative lead gens to a PDF

People don’t sign up “to get the next newsletter”, that’s why we offered something of value in exchange their email address. But you don’t have to stick with a PDF, and one of these alternatives can stand out more.

A short video series
A drip email campaign
A physical product or free sample
an in-person event where you collect email address
a short challenge

Whatever option you choose, make sure you give something valuable and the customer discovers your unique benefit by the end.

A nurturing email campaign that build relationships

Most customers aren’t ready to buy straight away. They…

May need to know you are the right company for them
Might not NEED your product or service right now
May need to wait till they have the cash
A nurturing sequence helps customers build stronger connections with your brand so they like, know, trust you and reminds them about your offerings for when they are ready to buy.

This sequence should include

valuable tips and insights
customer success stories
website Articles
videos
podcast episodes and interviews

It’s a good idea to email at least once a week so you stay top of mind.
If you publish a blog, podcast or videos, you can include those which will also increase the visibility of that material.

Good emails…

Are short
Solve a problem
Are helpful
Provide value
Include a CTA (even in nurture emails)
Include a post script – repeat the main message & summarize your content

What can you include in a nurturing email campaign?

A sales email campaign that brings in cash

In addition to your nurturing emails, you need sales emails.

Which comes first the nurturing or the sales?

Don advises starting with a sales campaign after someone downloads your lead gen. This makes sense for the customers who are ready now and looking to solve their problems soon. You don’t want to keep them waiting for your offer. (In truth, this is a small nurturing campaign).
Once a prospect has completed the sales campaign, even if they have bought, you should add them to your nurture campaign.

What goes in a Sales email campaign?

Don lays out a simple six part sales email campaign

Deliver your lead gen – GIVE the client what you said you would.
State the problem and the solution – This email shows you understand their issues and how you are uniquely placed to solve it.
Send a customer testimonial – This is your chance to share how a customer overcame the same problem. It helps the reader imagine themselves in the clients shoes as well as adds credibility.
Overcome an objection – the best way to do this is with another case study or testimonial but one that addresses a fear. “We were worried that…(objection to buying) but in the end…”
Paradigm shift. – This is another objection overcomer but in this case its about reframing the whole issue. A common one is price. “That’s a lot of money for X!” “It is a lot of money for X, but this is so much more than X, it’s…”
Sales email – Just sell. Don’t make a pitch, just ask the customer to buy.

The best marketing plan is the one you can implement

There are definitely more complex and fine tuned marketing plans out there. You may even be able to successfully implement one and reap the benefits. BUT, many companies miss crucial steps and end up with an incompletely plan that is more flash than substance.

The plan above is both achievable and agile so you can adjust when you notice aspects not working or need to bring a new product to market.

Get a copy of Marketing Made Simple

If you want to read the original book (instead of this marketing made simple book summary) a copy for yourself.

Buy Marketing Made Simple

You might also want to check out my book summary of Social Media Success for Every Brand which is a complement to this book.

How I read 3x more books this year

December 2, 2020 by Chris Wilson Leave a Comment

Growing up, I struggled with reading. As someone diagnosed with Dyslexia, that is hardly surprising. Last year I set my self a modest goal to read more books.

My target was a book every month for 2019. I did it, so I decided to set a more ambitious reading goal. Read two books every month for 2020. Well, currently I have read 36 books this year and will probably read a few more before the year-end. Here’s how I tripled the number of books I read in 2020.

Table of Contents

Sketchnote of how to read more

Principles for reading more

Every action I took conformed to one of a few principles. While you may choose different actions, I suspect the principles will help inform your actions.

Want to read more books
Momentum is key
Create an encouraging reading environment
Cheat (you’ll see)

Start with Why

The first step was to start with the reason why. There are so many goals that are born out of ideas of what we ought to do and not whether we want to. This can lead to feelings of guilt and failure rather than motivation.

My motivation started two years ago when I revisited my intention to read more timeless books and fewer temporary articles and social media posts. Last year I started a reading habit, but I was inconsistent. I knew that I could read more by making it a regular part of my week.

That small success gave me a taste of the benefits of a consistent reading habit:

Learning about important entrepreneurial insights
Discovering fascinating new developments in different fields
Stretching my imagination by entering a new fictional world
Learning lessons from the lives of those who have gone before us.
Knowing interesting ideas to share in conversations
Having a break from a screen
Gaining ideas to blog about

All these benefits provided the inspiration and motivation I needed to read more.

Set yourself a goal

The first practical step I took was to set a goal. I knew I wanted to read more than last year. I also knew my rate of reading thanks to tracking my reading in goodreads.

When I really applied myself, I could read a short book in a week (with some other reading on the side). I decided to aim for two books a month. This gave me a bit of leeway if I came across a heavier book or if life got in the way. In the end I have managed three books a month.

Form a book collective

I have never formally joined a book club, but they certainly help many readers. Instead, I have taken part in reading groups and found an informal association of like minded readers.

Some examples include the roam research book club and finding fellow readers on MicroBlog and the ness labs community.

These book groups help find recommendations for good books and can help identify parts you might miss when reading.

You can also share what you’ve read which helps practice summarizing and recontextualising information: both practices which help to understand and remember key information.

Creating a positive reading environment

Create a positive reading environment to read more books

One of the core ideas from Atomic habits is to focus on creating a habitat that encourages a certain activity (and prevents distractions). This is more effective than seeking to increasing or exercise your willpower.

Here are some practical points on how I created a positive reading environment.

1. Always have something to read

There are two aspects to this idea:

Keep a collection of books that you can start reading as soon as you finish one book.
Keep a book with you at all times.

These two aspects means you always have an option to read. So you never find yourself in the situation of wanting to read, but not having anything. I save books that sound interesting to a list in my task manager and knowledge management system — Obsidian.

I also frequently buy books for kindle even while I’m still reading a book, so I have a library ready for later. Admittedly, sometimes I don’t ever read these books as they don’t seem interesting later, but It still helps create the right reading environment

2. Set times to read

Initially, my reading time was at least one evening a week and during commutes. The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns ended that habit and caused a blip in my reading routine.

I adapted. I soon found the time after I gave my daughter a bath was the perfect time to get in a chapter or two. Plus, reading in the evening felt an even better way to relax after a day of non-stop screens.

3. Read good books

This feels stupid to say as it’s so obvious but it’s easier to read good books than bad books. That doesn’t mean you should only read light and easy books, while avoiding intellectually challenging material. Instead, pick books you want to read, not feel obliged to read.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try some books that are outside your comfort zone. You may find that you enjoy them! Just don’t try to keep up with the latest “must reads” out of social pressure. You should read books that you want to.

Also, you can always…

4. Quit bad books

Some books just aren’t for you. That’s okay. If you find yourself somewhere into a book and decided that it isn’t for you. Quit. It’s okay.

The faster you quit your bad book, the sooner you can start reading another good one. You can even come back to the book later if you wish.

5. Use external motivators

Intrinsic motivation (motivation for the process of an action) trump extrinsic motivation (motivation for the product or reward). While most of the points here have address intrinsic motivation (as it’s more powerful), it’s also okay to use some external motivators too.

Early, I mentioned that I set a goal. I put my target number of books in Goodreads, so I could track my progress. Every finished book was another step on the way. I also used Streaks to encourage myself to read something every day. These little motivators can help get into a state where intrinsic motivation takes over.

At the same time, you need to be careful with external motivators, they can supplant and kill your intrinsic motivation.

A nudge is good, but make sure you revisit your why.

6. Avoid distractions

It’s easy to disappear down the internet rabbit hole of Wikipedia articles, twitter threads, non-stop news and YouTube autoplays. These forms of content can be interesting, relevant and even edifying. But they are more likely distrations. They are a form of pushed content that often gets in the way of what you actually want to read. It’s good to set up some barriers against these distractions like:

limiting access to social media on your phone
reducing notifications
setting timers for certain activities.

The following points are controversial and may not work for you. They do, however, work for me.

Read different genres

You might have a favorite style or type of book, but variety is the spice of life. Sometimes reading books of the same genre can get tiresome. By switching from fiction to non-fiction or from thriller to biography, you can have a fresh change and boost your motivation.

This can work well with using different book formats.

Use different formats of books

Read different formats and genres of books

I read both e-books and paper books (as well as listen to audiobooks). This is partially out of necessity (I can’t always get a paper book in Poland) but also for variety. Ebooks, whether on kindle or a phone/tablet and app, are great for travel as they don’t take up so much space. Paper books are great at home. And audiobooks are great when your hands are occupied.

I also find certain types of books are better suited to different formats.

Fiction works well in paper (the experience) and audiobook (for long car journeys)
Non-fiction business works well in e-book (highlighting) and audio (2x speed!)
Books where you want to jump around are better in paper

You may find that you prefer paper books for highlighting (and writing notes in the side). That’s fine. It’s important to work out what type of books works best for you in which format. Some of my preference is determined by using the service Scribd (a kind o Netflix for books) which has e-books and audiobooks.

Have multiple books on the go at once

Some people prefer to read one book at a time, so they can focus on it and get through each book quicker. I, however, prefer to read several books at once.

By using different formats, I can have multiple books on the go at once with clear distinctions for when to read each one. This also helps provide some variety when you don’t feel like reading a certain book today. You can switch to a different book. Some possible options include…

Have a paper fiction book on the go if you tend to read non-fiction on a Kindle
Have an audiobook as an alternative to your paper book
Read a biography as a break from the theoretical book.
Have a book on a topic “for fun” as a break for the book “for work”

It’s really up to you, and you should experiment and find the right book combinations for you.

Cheat 1 – use faster playback with audiobooks

Most audiobook players can have faster playback speeds. I resisted this idea for a long time. 2x speed felt against the spirit of audiobooks. I also worried about not taking notes at key moments.

That was a misplaced fear.

Pausing is easy enough to do and it’s possible to rewind a few second (or re-listen). This also helps practice the “read, recite, review” process that helps remember information better.

You can try speeding up to just 1.1 or 1.2x and then slowly increase from there.

I sometime feel a bit anxious when I listen at 2x but 1.5x is always comfortable for me now. In fact, 1x feels strangely slow.

Cheat 2 – Finishing what I started last year

One trick I’ve employed to boost my numbers in this final month is returning to some books I quit this year and last year. These range from 25-75% finished, but they’ve helped me rack up my numbers in these final two months.

I didn’t force myself to read these books, they were all books I wanted to read. For one reason or another — another book came along or a section felt less relevant/interesting — but I wanted to return to them.

This helped grease the figures but I still read more than previous years.

My goals and ideas for next year

I’ve set my sight on 45 books for next year. Not quite one a week, but getting closer. I’m planning on using all the same tactics as before and some new ones including.

Getting a kindle or similar ereader

While using a tablet it great and has some advantages. A dedicate ereading device is less distracting. I’ve heard many other writers like Ali Abdaal recommend getting a kindle to read more.

Writing more books summaries

While I have created some book summaries this year, I want to make more. Doing so can provide some extra external motivation. There is a risk that this will prove to be a distraction, so we’ll see how this experiment goes.

What’s your advice how to read more books in a year?

I’ll admit that what worked for me, might not work for you and there may be some ideas or practices that I am missing. I’d love to know how you have been able to increase the number of books you read in a year. Leave a comment with your advice.

5 Great Sketchnoting Books for Education

September 3, 2017 by Chris Wilson 4 Comments

One of the things I’ve found really helpful to introduce sketchnoting and visual noting taking into my own teaching, is to look at different fantastic books around using visuals for learning and effective communication. After all, communicating and aiding learning are vital tasks that we do as teachers everyday. These great sketchnoting books can help stimulate your thinking and provide you with new ideas for how you can implement visual effectively in your teaching.

Sketchnote Handbook by Mike Rohde

The first book on Sketchnoting is from Mike Rohde, the man who invented (or came up with the term) sketchnoting. In this book, Mike introduces the concept of sketchnoting, why you should Sketchnote, different elements in sketchnotes and he covers some basic techniques that will aid your sketchnoting.

Check out the sketchnote handbook

Sketchnote Workbook by Mike Rohde

Personally I feel this book is even better than the handbook as it covers practical assignments to start experimenting with sketchnoting in different areas of your life. This will help you discover different tools and design ideas to use in your sketchnotes as well as see examples of sketchnotes and get you practicing your chops as well!

Check out the Sketchnote Workbook

Visual Notetaking for Teachers

This book is targeted towards general education teachers in America. It includes a lot about how the brain works and how using doodling can help. The writer mentions about teaching English in a “second language context” (people living in a country where English is spoken) and towards the end of the book there are some practical ideas of how to implement sketching in your classrooms.

It’s a good book but it’s not a definitive guide for how to implement these ideas in your own context

Check out Visual notetaking for teachers here

Sketchnotes for Educators

This books is by Sylvia Duckworth whom has become quite famous for her sketchnotes around education principles. If you’ve seen someone share a sketchnote about education online, it’s probably one of hers. In this book, there is a collection of her 100 most popular sketchnotes that you can use, share and adapt as well as links to online versions.

get it here

The Doodle Revolution

This books isn’t strictly about sketchnoting but it is about using visuals and drawing to aid in thinking. This is certainly targeted more towards adults and business settings, but there is some useful information on how using visuals can be an aid in “non visual tasks”

Get it here

What Other Great Sketchnoting Books do you Know?

This isn’t a definitive list, there are many more books on sketchnoting, visual notetaking, and graphical facilitating, mostly looking at things from a business perspective, but these are a great starting point.

Do you know of any other great sketchnoting books?

P.s. Check out this list of great analogue sketchnoting tools