• Trust Agents: Who Are They and How Do You Become One?

  By Tracy DiMarino | Posted Aug 24, 2009 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Social Media

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

  Today marks the official launch of Chris Brogan and Julien Smith’s new book, Trust Agents. For those of you who have not had a chance to read it yet, here’s a Cliff notes version of what you can expect.

  

  What is a Trust Agent?
  

  “Trust agents aren’t necessarily marketers or salespeople; they’re the digitally savvy people who use the Web to humanize businesses using transparency, honesty and genuine relationships."

  Relationships have always been essential in offline business transactions; therefore, it makes sense that their importance extends online. However, without the social cues that are available offline, people have developed new ways to determine who they should trust online. Trust agents understand how technology can influence trust and they use this understanding to their business advantage.

  According to Brogan and Smith, trust agents have six characteristics:

  Make Your Own Game

  Trust agents are constantly looking for a better way to do something. They learn the rules of their field and then they decide which rules can be ignored, changed or modified. They take chances and create their own way of doing things, differentiating themselves from their competition and establishing themselves as experts.

  One of Us

  When it comes down to it, people would rather do business with someone they like. Therefore, trust agents become a member of the community and are genuine and honest with those they encounter. They present themselves as individuals with real opinions who interact and provide value. They comment, share, participate and promote others, instead of constantly trying to sell their services or products.

  Archimedes Effect

  Due to the social aspect of the Internet and the vast amount of resources it provides, trust agents use it to improve what they are already doing. By leveraging the power of technology, trust agents can do their job better with less effort. They develop new opportunities from their existing ones and enable their online communities to help them spread the word.

  Agent Zero

  Trust agents realize that the power of their networks lies in their ability to connect people and find resources. They introduce people with similar interests, pass along business opportunities and offer support. They are the people in the center who tie groups together.

  Human Artist

  Soft skills are just as important online as they are off. Trust agents can identify people’s strengths and weaknesses and they understand which relationships are worth cultivating. They communicate in real and thoughtful ways and are helpful whenever possible. They interact on their audience’s terms and know what is and is not acceptable for communicating online.

  Build an Army

  The Web is vast, technology is always changing and people only have so much time in one day. Because of this, trust agents build groups of people with similar interests. This enables people within the groups to work together in improving themselves, sharing ideas and promoting causes. A group of people is more powerful than any one individual working by himself.

  How Do You Become a Trust Agent?
  

  “You need to be liked, and you start becoming likable by being worthy of being liked. Be kind. Be patient. Be humble, on time and generous. Be that person you would like to be friends with.”
  
  To be a trust agent, let your human side show online. Build relationships with people, share knowledge and participate. Add to the body of content already available with your own eBooks, blog posts, photos and comments. Help others when you can by sharing what you know and the resources you have. Promote others. Be active.
  
  By being present, listening and contributing, other people will learn to trust you. Once this happens, your opportunities will flourish. Just remember, everything you do online leaves a trace and those traces are there forever. Make sure they provide others with a positive impression of you.
  
  What are some ways you establish trust online? Share with me your best practices for interaction in the comments section below.

  For more information on Trust Agents, become a fan of the book on Facebook or follow Chris Brogan and Julien Smith on Twitter.

  Tracy DiMarino is an associate consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyDiMarino.
  

   Subscribe to receive the PR 20/20 blog by email or RSS feed.

• What I Learned: Pour Your Heart Into It

  By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Business, Management

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

  
  
  PR 20/20 started out in February 2004 as a vision to evolve the PR industry. That vision, which 21 months later manifested into an upstart PR and marketing firm, was fueled by remarkable books that told inspirational stories of vision, passion and innovation. “What I Learned” is a series of blog postings about the books and experiences that continue to shape our agency, and our vision. My hope is that these insights will inspire others to pursue their dreams.

  
  Some men see things as they are and say “Why?” I dream things that never were, and say “Why not?” - George Bernard Shaw

  
  Pour Your Heart Into It by Starbuck’s Chairman Howard Schultz For this installment of What I Learned, I’ve included a selection of my favorite quotes from Pour Your Heart Into It. It’s a classic story about an entrepreneur with a vision, and the passion to make it a reality:

  • “A company can grow big without losing the passion and personality that built it, but only if it’s driven not by profits but by values and people.”

  • “If it captures your imagination, it will captivate others.”

  • “Vision is what they call it when others can’t see what you see.”

  • “Naysayers never built a great enterprise.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

  • “When you see the opportunity of a lifetime, move quickly.”

  • “Don’t be threatened by people smarter than you.”

  • “Everything matters.”

  • “Strong brands create a powerful, personal connection.”
• 15 Things I Learned from the 4-Hour Workweek

  By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Business, Resources

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

  
  
  Eric Clemens, president of Acroment Technologies, and IT consultant extraordinaire, recently sent me a copy of The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris.
  
  I have to admit that I was highly skeptical of the title at first, but after devouring the book earlier this week on a trip to Vegas, I am pleased to report it has changed the way I look at success, and given me valuable insight into ways to increase the efficiency and productivity of our PR and marketing agency.
  
  Some of the concepts are a bit far-fetched for service-based businesses like PR 20/20, but there are lessons to be learned for every professional, especially entrepreneurs.
  
  Check out 15 of my favorite excerpts, and then grab a copy for yourself. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised:

  1. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” - Mark Twain
  
  
  2. “I can’t give you a surefire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time.” - Herbert Bayard Swope, American editor & journalist; first recipient of the Pulitzer Prize
  
  
  3. “Having an unusually larger goal is an adrenaline infusion that provides the endurance to overcome the inevitable trials and tribulations that go along with any goal.”
  
  
  4. “It is easy to get lost in minutiae, and the key to not feeling rushed is remembering that lack of time is actually lack of priorities.”
  
  
  5. “The end product of a shorter deadline is almost inevitably of equal or higher quality due to greater focus.”
  
  
  6. “Don’t ever arrive at the office or in front of your computer without a clear list of priorities.”
  
  
  7. “If you prioritize properly, there is no need to multitask. . . . Divided attention will result in more frequent interruptions, lapses in concentration, poorer net results and less gratification.”
  
  
  8. “Stop asking for opinions and start proposing solutions.”
  
  
  9. “An interruption is anything that prevents the start-to-finish completion of a critical task, and there are three principal offenders: time wasters (those things that can be ignored with little or no consequence), time consumers (repetitive tasks or requests that need to be completed but often interrupt high-level work) and empowerment failures (instances where someone needs approval to make something small happened).”
  
  
  10. “There is a psychological switching of gears that can require up to 45 minutes to resume a major task that has been interrupted.”
  
  
  11. “For the employee, the goal is to have full access to necessary information and as much independent decision-making ability as possible. For the entrepreneur, the goal is to grant as much information and independent decision-making ability to employees or contractors as possible.”
  
  
  12. “If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake.” - Frank Wilczek, 2004 Nobel Prize winner in physics
  
  
  13. “Life is too short to waste, but it is also too long to be a pessimist or nihilist.”
  
  
  14. “Surround yourself with smiling, positive people. . .”
  
  
  15. [This one is my personal favorite] “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking that you have something to lose.” - Steve Jobs, Stanford University Commencement, 2005
  
  

  

Connect with PR 20/20

• Our Team
• Facebook
• Twitter