InspireME Friday: What Does A Kid From Queens Know From Domain Kings and Sangria?

Mitch Weiner Talks Domains / Soap Boxes and Social Media
and other famous Tuareans  over a birthday Sangria toast
With Domain King Rick Schwartz and
Alina Russo-Schwartz— May 16, 2010

“The earlier you harness and control your own human nature is the day you will CHOOSE to work or not. To be productive or not. To try to reach higher and higher goals and achievements or not. Learning that excellent is just 2nd place to perfect. And while perfection can never truly be achieved, it still has to remain the goal.”

Good Morning Folks,

Today I want to share a story before the story. It’s long but I promise to teach you something you never knew before.

One of my lifetime friends, business colleagues and current FSO marketing contributor was meeting me where he lives in Florida, and said “I have a crazy idea, why don’t I get you together with the second of the two greatest sales people I know over dinner and see what happens? My crazy idea friend is very similar to us in the sales skills way but he is doing some breakthrough stuff on the Internet and I think you’ll find him fascinating. Plus we are all Taureans and I can do three Birthday celebrations in one.” 

I wasn’t biting. I mean it was 2010 we had a website what else did I need to know about the Internet? But my friend, also top sales pro in his own right threw in a sweetener “Since you are new to Florida I thought I’d take you to our Sevilla and we can have Sangria.” Sangria? Sevilla? Two of my favorite words from New York. Deal done.

At dinner I learned a thing or two about domain names and social media that I am just starting to appreciate for obvious reasons.

Rick Schwartz is a profit who is 100% right about the 20-year evolution plan for domains catching on the web. Said Schwartz at our dinner, "GREAT BUSINESSES START with a great brand identity. Your domain name is the way your customers find and remember you. From a Fortune 500 company to a growing local business, the benefit is clear: The generic domain name which best describes an industry distinguishes its owner as a leader.” When you think that there are 100s of Mitch Weiners in the world, and I am MitchWeiner.com and the only Mitch Weiner that can be so, Rick will be heartened to know that I got that piece of advice right.

“We are witnessing the greatest shift in advertising dollars and investment in the history of the universe, Schwartz told me as the waiter poured a second pitcher. "The money is flying towards the Internet. Media is tripping over themselves trying to make things go viral. Be relevant. Be social. Talk to their viewers on their level. Some are good at it, some look like fools."

Rick was an earlier adapter and pioneer of social media and chatboards. He secured iReport.com long before the citizen journalist movement – and then watched as CNN banked on this precious brand – BEFORE ensuring the domain was available, leading to$750,000 in Schwartz’s pocket. More pointedly, though, CNN validated Schwartz’s belief that the Internet is the global soapbox (potentially for 30.5 billion people today), and that Madison Avenue continues to watch as the ship sails farther to sea.

Said Schwartz, "Today you hear the term social media referring to a collection of constantly updating communication vehicles that create a dialog among people who are talking about topics of shared interest."

“They’re not only chatting,” “They’re also collaborating, organizing, making decisions and managing various efforts.”

This is where the web is gong- this is where advertisers are going. Redirecting billions into what they call “Word of Mouth” marketing.

Schwartz wanted me to know, that “the Internet is the most powerful communication tool ever invented by man. At this site, possibly millions of past customers can share their experiences directly with each other and for the first time have the power to eliminate ALL outside forces. The day of feeling powerless is over. Corporate powers can no longer muzzle unsatisfied customers."

This is the place to tell the whole world of YOUR experience and not have it filtered by the folks you are complaining about.

This site is a meeting place for customers to share their experiences. Unsafe conditions? Inadequate precautions? Customers in peril? Service not rendered?

If this site is used right it can be a lot more powerful than traditional methods.

And now although I really didn’t know what the heck he was talking about that evening (not just because of the great Sangria), here I am on my own soap box under my own MitchWeiner.com domain and ironically it’s a message from Domain King Schwatz’s own blog worthy of your weekend dose of inspiration today. Here is it is:

==> Do you have Faith in Yourself? By Rick Schwartz 

I have more faith in people then they have in themselves and that truly makes me sad.

See, I believe that each of us has a gift and unlocking that gift is the key to everything else in life. But for whatever reason folks either don't think about it or afraid to follow their dreams and make it a reality.

In face of all the historical evidence of those challenged by much more, they are paralyzed by fear. Bound in chains by their mind. Afraid of failure like it was worse than death. Some make the leap, but oh so few. Once you figure it out, the rest is just a matter of time. It's easier the second time because you know the path. That path less traveled.

You have to develop a thick skin to let rejection roll off of you. To know that one door slamming in your face will result in 2 doors opening if you don't let it defeat you right there. Every baby falls down but imagine what the world would look like if they feared getting up?

That's why there are waitresses and waiters at Denny's making $50/day and working their asses off and those at the high-end restaurants with busboy and runners and hosts and others to support you and make $500/night for 33% of the work.  IT WAS A CHOICE FOR EACH! And likely the guy at $500 at Chez Max was working at Denny's at one time and learned how to CLIMB the ladder and the way up one opportunity at a time. And he was GOOD on every step of the ladder and that was the passport to climbing it to begin with. The ladder starts at the bottom and anyone that laughs at the guy at McDonald's or Denny's could not last a day doing what he or she does.

The earlier you harness and control your own human nature is the day you will CHOOSE to work or not. To be productive or not. To try to reach higher and higher goals and achievements or not. Learning that excellent is just 2nd place to perfect. And while perfection can never truly be achieved, it still has to remain the goal. And there are PERFECT answers to questions. There are PERFECT decisions for any decision to be made. It fits perfectly and it is the right thing to do. And even if it does not work out perfectly, excellence as a runner-up and anything above good and very good and you are in EXCELLENT company!

And even if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, you can still choose to do the right thing. That my friends is the birth of Karma. And if you have faith in yourself, you will find it easy to always do the right thing. And that has the power to propel us as a person to bigger and greater things if we choose.

Look, we are people and we are flawed. But when we have a chance to rise to the occasion, the challenge, the obstacle, then we have a duty to rise and do what has to be done. And that is the TRUE difference between earning $50/day and $500 or $5000 etc. and everything in between.

Rick, so glad we met. See you soon my friend and thanks for sharing such an inspirational theme to send our folks off to their weekends on a high note.

Have a Happy, Healthy, Safe and Refreshing Weekend,

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

*Visit Rick's Blog at RicksBlog.com

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"Remember…. if you think you can't then you are right.
If you think you can...you are also right." 
~~Rick Schwartz
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