You know his voice.
If you live in Canada or the US, you’ve definitely heard him.
On TV and radio ads, movie trailers, television network ID’s, satellite radio, and more.
I’ve known his voice since I was kid listening to him on the local radio station. He has THE voice. You know? The big Hollywood growl.
His name is Rob Wreford.
I’m not writing this because he’s dead. Thankfully, he’s not.
I’m writing this because of something that he does that is at once genius marketing and at the same time just damn nice.
From time to time, maybe once a month, the phone will ring and it’s Rob. He’s calling for a few reasons…
To see how you’re doing.
To say something nice about something he’s seen you do recently.
To ask if he can help in any way.
And finally….
To maintain profile and keep his name top of mind in case of any work you may be able to funnel his way.
Smart.
I can’t say for sure but, I’ve often felt that I may be one of a list of people that Rob calls. An old school marketing tactic to flick through the Rolodex and maintain profile.
And you know what? Fine. I don’t care about that part.
Because his interest in how I’m doing, saying something nice about something I’ve done, and offering help is genuine.
It’s just nice.
Life is marketing, it’s been said.
Taking that further, I also say…
If people don’t know about it, they don’t know about it
Whether you’re trying to be successful in business, get a job, make friends, get people to listen to your music or watch your videos, or… anything.
If people don’t know about your business, job search, desire to be friends, music, videos or whatever… they don’t know about them.
So, should you start being a shameless self-promoter?
First, back off… that’s my schtick.
Second, no.
Just be nice.
I think we all fall victim to the fallacy of merit and modesty.
The notion that if we work hard enough or get good enough, by whatever standard, then we can modestly sit and wait to be recognized for our achievements.
Poppycock.
People are too busy just trying to survive to spend the time evaluating if your silent modesty merits notice.
Every success story in history was a result of making sure those who should know about it knew about it. Whatever it was.
Even The Beatles manager bought 10,000 copies of their single “Love Me Do” just to get it in the charts to make sure people knew about it.
The Beatles.
Are you really so modest that you think you’re better than The Beatles?
Tell people what they need to know.
Don’t assume they’ll find out.
They probably won’t.
They’re too busy trying to survive.
Again, you don’t need to be in everyone’s face telling them how great you are.
Sometimes you just need to give them a call or send a message.
In a world (imagine that in Rob’s voice) where everyone is just trying to tread water…
Ask how they are.
Say something nice.
Offer help.
Just be nice.
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Being human! Thank you for your caring voice in a world that badly needs it. As Kurt Vonnegut puts it:
“Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”
It takes a great deal of tact and wisdom to find that sweet spot between diffidence and shameless self promotion. Listening when you make that call is a skill in itself. There is so much suspicion and questioning of motive that any inattention to the details of the reply puts the whole process into the land of insincerity.