Will Think For Cold, Hard Cash
I just finished reading, for the second time, a remarkable book by New Yorker writer, Ian Frazier entitled On The Rez. This book was published awhile back, and has nothing whatever to do with SEO or SEM. It’s an unsentimental and insightful account of the author’s time spent on the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota. The tale is memorable for many reasons, but one of Frazier’s remarks that had little to do with the main storyline stood out to me as so catchy, I wanted to share them with all of you SEOs and SEMs who have come to Search Engine Guide today looking for an interesting read.
In the opening chapters of On The Rez Frazier is giving his theory of what has made colonial and modern America different from its European progenitors. He hypothesizes that the whole concept of ‘the land of the free’ would never have evolved without the American forefathers’ contact with those ultimate possessors of the idea of freedom – the Native American Peoples.
Many scholars have concluded that American revolutionaries based their confederacy on the powerful model of the longstanding Iroquois Confederacy and that Indigenous influence on early colonial society was profound. Essentially, if after years living in ye olde Europe, you met with an entire continent of happy people who had never kissed a king’s hand, never drudged in servitude and who viewed every man as autonomous, free and equal, your mind would be blown.
Frazier goes on to make what I consider to be both a humorous and near-to-the-truth assessment of freedom and commerce in the United States today:
The first time I read that quote, I laughed and then I went back and re-read it, reflecting on how such a statement applies in the world of Search Marketing.
Just one or two workforce generations ago, there were so many more rules to follow for earning bread. Business etiquette, kissing the hand of the boss, wearing polyester suits and ties, bowing to seniority, working under the assurance of long-term employment and a retirement package – so many of these things seems to be receding further and further into the background. There was an element of being nice in all of these things, but the code, rigidity and outward trappings of it all used to be a lot clearer than I think they have become.
Search is an entrepreneur’s game, and while corporatization has definitely occurred at one end of the spectrum, most of the search marketers I know are either their own bosses or work for friendly little firms of a few people. Niceness, as far as I can see, is playing a noteworthy part in our niche of the service economy. I can think of 3 major areas in which niceness ends up clothing, feeding and housing us:
First and foremost, we are nice to our clients. If we want to earn and keep their business, we are attentive, polite, respectful and friendly.
Secondly, we are nice to our peers. We refer business to colleagues, link to their work and attend conferences where everyone is nice to everyone else.
Finally, there’s the whole Social Media thing – an ultimate virtual realm built on niceness in which everyone is beaming pleasantry toward everyone else in their circle.
From these 3 activities come most SEMs’ reputations, work and money. We fit Ian Frazier’s description of the state of our current service economy, with one little added detail thrown in…
Niceness + Brains
The entrepreneurial marketers I know who are earning a good living have managed to couple their good people skills with their native or acquired technical smarts and skills. I can see their smiling avatars in my mind right now.
These are people I jump at the chance of chatting with because I really like them, or people to whom I would gladly refer my own clients for specialized services. There are exception of course – some people have made a success of their business by being the opposite of nice; by being the muckrakers, the attention grabbers, the controversial loudmouths of the industry. It’s nice to be free to present yourself authentically, but for the most part, I’ve witnessed the combo of friendliness + skills earning people long-term goodwill and financial solvency.
Another volume on my bookshelf, In The Shadow Of The Cypress by Thomas Steinbeck, makes mention of a slogan-emblazoned t-shirt the protagonist sees a colleague wearing at a California University; a t-shirt reading Will Think For Cold, Hard Cash.
I pretty much think that sums up what you and I do for a living. People pay us to think (think about their websites, their marketing, their audience and their goals) and they will stick with us if we know how to be friendly. I confess, I’m pretty happy that I live in a time when knowledge is still so highly prized, and while I don’t think it’s all that great of thing that so much of my country has given up manufacturing goods for delivering services, I feel very fortunate to be able to make my way in the world with a dose of friendly goodwill and a functioning brain.
What about you? Have you ever thought about the nuances of the way in which you earn money thanks to the Internet? I’d love to hear your take on this.
Miriam Ellis is the co-owner of Solas Web Design and CopyLocal, providing SEO-based website design, Local SEO and professional copywriting for small-to-medium North American businesses. She is the Local SEO Associate in the Q&A Forum at SEOmoz, a moderator at Cre8asite Forums and an annual participant in David Mihm’s Local Search Ranking Factors report. When she and her husband are not working on the web, they’re farming organically and working on increased sustainability or roaming about in nature having the time of their lives.
Unfortunately, those few not-so-nice SEOs have brought down the reputation of the entire industry. But you do have a point- succeeding in business requires a certain amount of tact and decorum, at the bare minimum. Reputation is everything and no one wants to work with someone known as a troublemaker or jerk!
@Miriam…
love this piece and then saw the T-shirt and tried to click on it to buy one….
didn’t work, but I would’a – honest!
simply a great slogan to live and earn by, eh!
🙂
Jim
Hi Nick,
Very true. I think, especially for those marketers who are working virtually, the way you communicate verbally is your only chance to favorably impress prospective clients. Virtual communications can’t depend on other types of signals such as body language. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Hey, Jim!
You know, I actually did a search for this slogan on a t-shirt to see if one existed, but sadly, no. I would have used it in this post if I could have found one. I agree…it’s a great and funny slogan. It’s always so nice to have you stop by, eh!
Miriam
You should check and see if that Steinbeck slogan has a copy write because these tee shirts would be a hit!
Hi John!
I agree…the shirt could be a hit. Would be nice to know whether Steinbeck actually saw this somewhere, or just created it out of his imagination. I suppose you’d have to ask him or his publisher.
Dudes, there’s plenty of places in the net where you can create a custom t-shirt. I just ordered one yesterday from VistaPrint (I needed labels and happened to see they did the t-shirts, too). And if Steinbeck really did see this on someone elses’s t-shirt then I can’t imagine there’d be any copyright issue.
Anyway, nice article Miriam – I enjoy reading your stuff. I like how you tie disparate things together in a relevent way.
Anne
I always think for hard cash.
But the article is nice. I realy enjoy to read this article.
Clint
Read by small business people, our newsletter delivers a digest of articles from the top search engine marketing experts. You will learn about:
Our newsletter is the perfect way to stay up to date with all of the latest trends, events and techniques in using search engines to grow your business and make more sales. Subscribe here. Your email address will NOT be given to third parties.
FreeFind Site Search Engine – FreeFind adds a “search this site” feature to your website, making your site easier to use. FreeFind also gives you reports showing what your visitors are searching for, enabling you to improve your site. FreeFind’s advanced site search engine and automatic site map technology can be added to your website for free.
Buy UPC Codes
Get your products listed online!
Search marketing information for small business owners.
Fetching the best small business news.
A friendly place to share small business ideas and knowledge.
Small business support through education, resources and community
The directory of the best small business sites and tools.
Copyright © 1998 – 2018 Search Engine Guide All Rights Reserved. Privacy
Research & References of Will Think For Cold, Hard Cash|A&C Accounting And Tax Services
Source
0 Comments