I’ve been back a few days now from Comic-Con 2010 in San Diego. And everybody’s asking, “What was the highlight for you?”

Was it the absolute geekout of Marvel Pictures’ onstage presentation of the Avengers cast?

Was it Harrison Ford’s first-ever appearance at the con?

Was it the screening of shocking footage from Dexter’s upcoming fifth season?

No, nah, nope…

For me, the high spot happened at a tiny booth lost among some 5,000 others in the main exhibit hall.

Malcolm McDowell signed autographs.

Malcolm freakin’ McDowell!

Alex from A Clockwork Orange, fer kryssakes!

Real horrorshow!

I’m talkin’ about the guy who portrayed Harry Flashman in Royal Flash, H.G. Wells in Time After Time, and Caligula in one of the worst movies ever.

You know, the dood who played the contemptible Linderman on Heroes.

McDowell is one of the very few cult icons I always hoped I’d meet someday.

So last Saturday for, oh, about 27 seconds, I finally stood before the great actor.

And I was so starstruck, I stammered, hemmed, hawed, and blathered inanities.

But McDowell gave me a malenky smile and said, “You’re very kind.”

How cool is that?

I’d felt like an idiot, but he made it OK.

It made me think of all the times I could’ve offered someone a compliment – but didn’t.

When did you last make a friend or family member — or a customer — feel better with a flattering remark?

It’s not so hard to do. And it sure pays off in building personal, and professional, relationships.

Anyway, if I ever see Malcolm McDowell again, I swear I won’t choke on my yarbles. I’ll say something real zammechat.

P.S. Don’t forget. There are LOTS of tips about building great business relationships in my book Fire-Up Your Cash Flow Over a Donut and Coffee, which is available as a free download.

Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series may be aimed at the “young adult” fiction market, but no kidding, it’s first-rate sci-fi.

And — surprise! — I’ve found a few business pointers in it.

If you get a chance, you ought to take a look.

The four novels — Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras — foresee a day when an enforced operation at age 16 removes all physical differences and makes everybody “pretty.” Those “New Pretties” spend all their time partying, while younger “Uglies” pout enviously and play tricks on their elders.

Meanwhile, hidden communities of rebels who refuse the mandatory operations are busy recruiting members and dodging government enforcers, or “Specials.”

So what business lessons do these works of fiction offer?

Let’s see…

Beautiful packaging can’t conceal a genuinely bad or inferior product.

Beneath their striking good looks, the Pretties are shallow and somewhat insipid. And people, even Pretties themselves, generally know it.

Likewise, you won’t fool customers when you wrap second-rate merchandise in fancy clothes.

But you might piss ‘em off.

Don’t offer bad or inferior products.

Given a choice between similar products or services, customers will choose the one with the most unique selling proposition.

Even after turning Pretty, series protagonist Tally stands out distinctively from the crowd, because she fights the conformity forced upon her. She builds a tribe of fans by being authentically “Tally.”

Have you distinguished yourself as one of a kind among your competitors? Be sure you do.
 
When you separate yourself from the crowd, expect negativity and even hostility from your peers.

Tally’s greatest challenges come not from the authoritarian system but from her so-called friends. Her pretty friends resent her individuality, and her rebel comrades question her sincerity and loyalty.

I’ve talked about this before, but when you step outside the box and launch your own business ventures, most of your family and friends will try to discourage you.

They’ll ask why you wanna “rock the boat.”

They’ll offer lists of reasons why you won’t succeed.

You can count on that.

Ignore ’em.

But don’t ignore Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies novels if you’re a fan of good science fiction. Heck, you might like ’em even if you’re not a sci-fi geek.

Hey, I’m geekin’ out!

Fanboy Steve and I are here at Comic-Con in San Diego for our fourth consecutive year.

We’re shoulder to shoulder with 125,000 comic book, sci-fi, movie, and anime misfits. Many are dressed like Captain America and Green Lantern and Cthulhu and even (big sigh) Supergirl.

(Supergirl, by the way, doesn’t care if you take her picture but otherwise won’t give ya the time of day.)

There are hundreds of events. There are ongoing film festivals. There’s an enormous pavilion set aside for nothing but getting celebrity autographs.

But the really big deal at Comic-Con is the Exhibit Hall — 460,000 square feet of people promoting, giving away, and selling craploads of stuff.

You can go home with your trunk filled with free swag — posters, t-shirts, graphic novels — most of which you’ll probably unload at yard sales next spring.

A lot of that exhibit space, of course, is taken up by Warners, Marvel Comics, Fox, Dark Horse, all the biggies. But surprisingly, most of it’s used by little guys like us, trying to make money doing something we love.

There are comic book illustrators here with their portfolios. There are independent publishers. There are sellers of toys, gadgets, and old comic books. There’s a small booth I never miss visiting that’s dedicated to nothing but doodads associated with the stories of H. P. Lovecraft.

When I was a kid, Dad wondered why I’d waste time reading and collecting superhero comics. Mom begged me to clear out my tottering stacks of Tarzan and Doc Savage paperbacks.

But at Comic-Con, you’ll find thousands of folks who never really “grew up.” Instead, they found ways to build businesses out of their childhood passions.

It’s inspiring, really.

Ignore the naysayers. Charge at your dreams — http://www.wallyconger.com/rhinotactics.html — and you can find ways to earn a living from them.

Gotta run. Steve just spotted Bruce Campbell.

Heard about the problems that 1.7 million early buyers of the iPhone 4 are having?

Seems “the best smart phone in the world” (as Apple CEO Steve Jobs calls it) is a tad glitchy.

Its reception sucks. It dials randomly. It hangs up suddenly. It mutes like a mutha.

Doesn’t bother me, though.

I don’t have an iPhone yet.

You see, I seldom wait in front of the line for anything.

My cell phone looks like a walkie-talkie General Patton woulda used in WW2 fer kryssakes.

And if I hadn’t been swept up grudgingly in the march of progress, I’d be here at Starbucks with a vintage Smith-Corona portable typewriter on my lap.

Here’s the deal. In the marketplace, I live by the “burden of proof” maxim. I need plenty of evidence before I commit to most things.

And as I’ve mentioned before — http://www.wallyconger.com/fearlessfreelancing.html –  so do a whole lot of your prospects and even current customers.

Maybe you should use testimonials in your sales letters.

Or provide more “content” and build more credibility in your niche.

Or develop tighter, more trusting relationships with your audience.

It always pays financially to provide proof.

And it always pays to offer it again and again.

After years building a reputation for reliability, Apple had fans standing in long lines for its iPhone 4. Now a disappointing product has Steve Jobs returning to the “burden of proof” principle to win back customer confidence.

There’s a lesson in Apple’s momentary fall from grace. Don’t miss it.

Remember that Dave Matthews song “Ants Marching”?

Sure you do.

When all the little ants are marching
Red and black antennas waving

I can’t get it outta my mind since I read about this…

Researchers in Texas propose controlling vicious fire ant populations with South African phorid flies.

The flies “dive-bomb” the ants and lay eggs on ’em. But here’s the really gross part.

Maggots hatch inside the ants and eat their brains until the ants show “zombie-like behavior” and stray from their mounds.

Then in a week or two, the fire ants’ heads all fall off.

Ugh!

Just imagine — tens of thousands of zombified fire ants, scurrying aimlessly until their craniums plop!

Ever felt like that?

I sure have.

For the longest time, whenever I’d wanna create a new business or product, I’d take forever getting started — if I ever got started at all. In fact, I’d do almost anything but get started. Why? Fear, anxiety, lack of confidence — coulda been any one or all of ’em.

Heck, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’d waste a lot of time running around like, well, like a headless fire ant!

But I don’t do that anymore.

As internet coach Chris Farrell and I discussed in a recent audio report – http://www.wallyconger.com/takeyourfirststep  – you can only release the anxiety that comes from not starting a project by…starting!

So today, just another little nudge from me.

Get started on whatever you’ve got waiting. And be sure to keep your head while you do.

Today’s my friend Scott Alexander’s birthday.

Scott’s the author of the popular Rhinoceros Success books. And you might recall my high-energy interview with him.

So how does a rhino celebrate his birthday?

Well, Scott took his camper van and charged into the 116-degree Arizona desert last week with his boys. And, not surprisingly, he returned with an inspirational story. But I’ll let Scott tell it.

“We found the most beautiful desert landscape I have ever seen,” he says. “It had everything I love — boulders, cactus, agaves, yuccas, lots of lizards, snakes and miles of dirt paths to explore.

“At one point in our exploration, we came to a sandy river wash in the VW van. Hmmm…that sand looks kinda deep, I thought, as I came to the edge of the wash. Slowly and cautiously, I started to drive across. “Slowly and cautiously” was my mistake. The back wheels started spinning and the van sunk into the sand.

“Yikes! No phone cell reception to call AAA. We tried digging it out, but that only made it deeper. As we started to gather sticks to put under the wheels, I found a board out in the sandy river. This is why I believe in God. Miracles happen! We broke the board into four strips and set them under the wheels as we made our way to the other side.

“On the way back, instead of approaching with caution, I got into 2nd gear and sped across the sand, making it with no problem.

“Sometimes, proceeding with caution is not the right way to approach something — like a goal, a dream or life. Rhinos charge full speed ahead and things move out of the way. I must admit that I am embarrassed about my initial hesitation on crossing the sand. I was acting like a cow. But I learned my lesson and I got a blog post out of it.

“If you are trying to get somewhere, if you want to accomplish something, if you want to make a change, go full speed ahead! Be a charging, snorting rhinoceros! Well, the snorting is optional, but I recommend it.”

Shame on me. It’s Scott’s birthday, and I’ve let him do all the heavy lifting today.

Hell, the least I can do is offer a couple of celebratory rhino jokes. Here’s one…

What should you do if a rhino charges you?

Pay him!

One more and I’m outta here.

What do you do to a rhino with three balls?

Walk him and pitch to the elephant!

Sorry. I’ll catch ya later.

While I was sunk into a sofa drinking martinis last month at the swanky Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, my old pal Bob Howells was clambering over 7,000 feet of glacier to summit Hvannadalshnúkur, the highest peak in Iceland.

OK, so Bob and I have different ideas about vacationing.

For one thing, I’ve got an aversion to freezing my manparts off.

For another, I just won’t climb something I can’t pronounce.

Anywho, you’ll wanna hear a phone conversation we had last Thursday, which you can access for free right here…

Bob & Wally’s Excellent Freelancing Adventures

You might recall that Bob’s a successful freelance travel writer of some 30 years. I’ve freelanced for half that time. And between talking about our recent trips, we packed a lotta good stuff into 40 minutes:

– How you can monetize just about anything you do as a freelancer.

– The power of anticipating the best but preparing for the worst.

– Perfectionism vs. flying by the seat of your pants.

– How to run a multi-component business from your smart-phone.

– Why somebody in their right mind would freakin’ scramble up an icy-assed mountain.

And that’s just the, uh, tip of the iceberg.

Go ahead. Give it a listen. It don’t cost nuttin’. And maybe you’ll even add Hvannadalshnúkur to your “to do” list.

Got a note from Andrew yesterday.

“Recent circumstances,” he wrote, “have prompted me to work on firing up my business and learn to market myself. I’ve always had a sense that doing so isn’t complicated, if not especially easy to do. It’s especially not easy for me as I’m an extreme introvert.”

I’m a natural introvert, too.

Surprised?

During my servitude to the corporate 9-to-5, you could count the conversations I’d initiate in a year on one hand.

But that hadda change when I went freelance.

So I ignored my mom’s prudent advice and (shudder) started talking to strangers.

I talked to fellow geeks in line opening day to see Spider-Man 2. I talked to husbands killing time at Nordstrom while our wives shopped. I talked to other espresso enthusiasts at Starbucks.

When my niece Lizzy was seven, she told me, “I make friends wherever I go.” I try to follow Lizzy’s example.

I smile (but not too broadly; that’s weird). I nod. Maybe I even say hello.

Sometimes I offer news: “I hear Venom’s gonna be in the next movie.”

Sometimes I attempt a “witty” remark: “Didn’t I see you at Bergdorf Goodman last Saturday?”

Sometimes I reveal something personal: “Twelve shots is usually my limit.”

And more often than not, conversation follows. Sure, people occasionally give me the cold shoulder, but I don’t worry about them.

So here’s the bottom line…

Talking to strangers ain’t easy if you haven’t done it before.

But trust me, it gets easier.

And you’ll find it pays off big time — in valuable contacts and opportunities.

P.S. You’ll find more detailed instructions on making business contacts when you check in at http://www.wallyconger.com/fearlessfreelancing.html.

It really started innocently.

We were with friends at our local coffeehouse and Diane asked, “Did you see that funny light over the dunes last night?”

And faster than you can say “Beam me up, Scotty,” a fella with a bad comb-over materialized at our table clutching fuzzy photos of flying saucers and alien autopsies.

Breathlessly, he rattled on about “Majestic 12” and “Hanger 18.” He said he’d worked 30 years at the U.N. as some kinda interstellar liaison. He told us he writes a UFO newsletter.

So we did what you’d expect.

We refused to make eye contact with him, and he eventually went away.

Here’s what’s ironic, though.

Since fifth grade, I’ve devoured books by ufologists like Jacques Vallee, George Adamski, and Frank Edwards. I’ll chat for hours about the famous Barney and Betty Hill “abduction.” And I still catch my breath during the closing scene of Close Encounters.

I was a perfect audience for this guy.

But he “blew the sale.”

First, he made himself a pest, not a welcomed guest. If he’d approached with a polite question, we might’ve invited him to join our conversation. But he didn’t.

Second, he was too anxious. He made us uncomfortable.

Finally, his “sales pitch” was a mess. Was he interested in Diane’s UFO sighting? Was he promoting his newsletter? We couldn’t tell, because he swamped us with info.

I’ve stressed this before, and I’ll stress it again…

Know your audience.

Know what you’re selling.

Then act accordingly (and appropriately).

And remember that often a simple phaser serves you better than a high-velocity photon torpedo.

Like me, you’ve probably heard Cole Porter’s classic tune “Begin the Beguine” … well, a whole lotta times.
 
In old movies, in airport lounges, in jazz clubs.
 
I remember my parents playing it on the hi-fi when I was a kid.
 
The song’s been performed by everybody from the Andrews Sisters, to Mario Lanza, to Sheryl Crow.
 
Anyway, a few minutes ago I heard “Begin the Beguine” on the satellite
music service here at Starbucks.
 
And after all these years, I finally wondered, what the hell is a “beguine”?
 
I checked it out. It’s a ballroom dance similar to the rumba.
 
So I’m all set if the topic comes up in a future round of Trivial Pursuit.
 
I’ve always liked learning for the sake of learning.
 
But I treat business learning differently.
 
It’s vital, but I try not to get too bogged down in it.
 
In the past year, for example, I’ve learned a few basics about building and maintaining a website.
 
But I have NOT taken time to master the finer details of webpage design, HTML code, or CSS.
 
I’ve learned fundamentals about recording audio, converting it to MP3, and uploading it to my site.
 
But as for the subtle distinctions between this or that microphone, how to use a mixing board, or the tricks of audio editing and dubbing, forget it.
 
In other words, I make a point to always learn “just enough.”
 
Just enough to get my business rolling.
 
Just enough to keep it rolling for now.
 
And I’ll learn all the other stuff if, when, or as I need it.
 
If I’d worried about learning everything there was to know before I created my business, I’d never have gotten started. I’d still be lying on the sofa reading.
 
Don’t get me wrong. Continuing education and business learning are important.
 
But as Chris Farrell and I once discussed — http://www.wallyconger.com/takeyourfirststep — sometimes you can get
so knee-deep in learnin’ that you never get started.
 
So get going!
 
P.S. Thanks to Charlie Gilkey and Johnny B. Truant, whose latest audio
“jam session” inspired this post.