Why adopt a New Media Strategy?

This evening I was preparing for an upcoming presentation and started brainstorming to get my head in the right place. I wanted to get down my basic, fundamental, beliefs about why a small business owner should embrace New Media marketing.

Here is my quick list.

It’s a place to get started when you are looking to answer the big question of “why”. The list should generate some insights or further questions as you read it. I recommend you read through the list once, to get it over with, then a second time to see how each point resonates with you and your goals.

Examine your own feelings and be honest. Are you excited, scared, worried or do you feel nothing? These emotions should also give you some insight.

Reflection is the greatest tool we have for improvement. Use it often!

…and now the list!

1. Social Media builds brand equity. It’s drives participation in communities and groups by it’s very nature and provides a clean medium for sharing value.
2. If you believe in your product and are passionate about what you do, you can build a community no matter how small your niche
3. You make money  by being involved and caring. It is that simple.
4. It takes time to make money, you need passion and patience. If you do actually adopt a strategy, you’ll need to work it for at least a year before you start to see the full return on your investment.
5. Be a Hustler! Work harder, longer and more passionately than the next person in the room. Most still don’t realize that it is not luck, but hard work, that creates success.
6. People ask how many tools they need to use…….use as many as you can sanely handle. Be everywhere a potential customer may be. Make a few mistakes along the way and continue to find the ones that yield the most contact.
7. You must be authentic to win a community of fans. Once you have a solid base of fans who believe in your value, put a plan in place for monetizing.As your building your community you should be looking for the core structure of that plan
8. Where do your customers live on the web? Breathe, play and work there. Look for the new locations and the tried & true.
9. Adopt video!!! If nothing else, start recording 1 minute of advice a day. It’s easy, cheap and conveys emotion to those who are watching.
10. Don’t try and please everyone. Please a core group who will use your product. Be yourself.
11. Work when others aren’t. The most successful entrepreneurs work at night. Just two hours each night is an extra 10 per week…and they generally are uninterrupted.

What do you think? I am right, wrong, idiotic or crazy? What skills or strategies have worked for you?

Happy Hustlin!

Reputation, it’s all you got.

Warren Buffet said ”It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”

It is important keep in mind that every word you say and every commitment you make is chance for you to continue building or ruin that reputation. All of your actions, every minute of every day, determine the solidity of your reputation. Every word, every minute, every day.

Not enough people take care of their reputation. They believe that others will forgive and forget. They believe that others will understand that they “didn’t mean it that way” and will move on. The stark truth is that while many will publicly forgive, they also privately hold on.

Mostly this is unconscious since that is the way we are wired. Socially we have been taught that it is divine to forgive. Biologically we are wired to remember. Over time we build profiles of those around us. We begin to see patterns of behavior that supersede the forgiveness. These patterns ultimately determine the reputation we assign to those we are surrounded by and determine the level of trust we assign to that person.

Over time you develop a reputation that shows your true self, not the self you think you are. If you miss too many appointments or consistently show up late, what does that say about you? If you consistently over deliver and go out of your way to help others, what does that say about you?

Are you consciously paying attention to these behaviors and your patterns in life? If not, why?

At the end of the day, your reputation really is the foundation of your success in life, business, relationships and achievement.

With that said, I challenge you to take 5 minutes right now and determine your reputation. Ask yourself the following questions.

1. What can my friends and business associates count on me for?

2. Where have I under delivered to these same people in the last year?

3. What am I doing today to change that behavior?

If you are honest with yourself, you can learn a few things from these simple questions. Whether online in technological communities or in your day to day interactions, you must be aware of your reputation. With a good and solid one, you will not build trust with your community, you will also build your business. Without trust, you cannot achieve sustained success

Choose your actions carefully and commit with even greater care.

Happy Hustlin!

Thought and Thanksgiving

“When we exist without thought or thanksgiving we are not men, but beasts.”M.F.K. Fisher (1908–1992) -

It is our ability to reflect on our success, our failure and that which we are thankful for which often determines our ability to truly enjoy life.

It is even greater when we can verbalize those reflections to our friends and family. When you verbalize a thought and engage in the act of sharing, you are not only making a commitment to you yourself, you are showing humility and openness. You are inviting others to be a part of your  success.

Be thankful for those who have helped you along the way and be sure to let them know what they have done and the impact it has made. Share your thanks with authenticity and humility. Today is the day of reflection.

Lastly, take a few minutes and thank yourself. Make a list of your accomplishments over the last year. What are you most proud of? These moments should be acknowledged and celebrated by you.

I wish the best the Thanksgiving Holiday and am thankful for the support you have given me.

All the best,

Filling the Pipeline

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”~Robert Louis Stevenson

This is the driving factor behind the new economy. It is no longer about simply harvesting. We must stay focused on laying the groundwork for future success and re-positioning our businesses around long term strategies.

Content Marketing forces us as business owners to plant seeds within our networks and community. By sharing content, versus advertising, we are sowing the seeds of trust. We are building a platform by which we can introduce ourselves and our products by giving people information that benefits their lives. We are focusing on doing right by those who support us and helping those who don’t yet know we exist by sharing information that is valuable to them.

Take minute and think about that…..

If you are a homeowner with a running toilet you have two options. Call a plumber or try and fix it yourself. One is expensive and the other is free (also potentially messy). In times like these, more people are likely to try and fix it themselves because they need money, which of course means the plumber is not called to the job goes wrong.

But what if the homeowner had access to “How To” information on YouTube or a Blog that could walk through a series of basic repairs a homeowner might face. Like a running toilet. What if they were easy to follow, entertaining and effective. Would that homeowner then turn tho that site as a resource? Would the homeowner then share that site with friends? Would that homeowner then share his story of grand success conquering their bathroom? Would that Homeowner then feel better about themselves?

I think they would.

More importantly though, the homeowner has built trust with the Plumber and his company. He is more likely to call them when they have a larger project and because the homeowner is empowered they are more likely to share the site/resources with their friends resulting in more exposure.

Now, Let’s take it a step further as well. This Plumber should also be using his New Media channels to discuss his specialties and passions. He could be educating his community about the benefits of Green Plumbing and Tankless Water Heaters, both items that a specialist would need to be called to install.

What happens over time, is the Plumber cements himself as a trusted resource and expert in his community and this results in more business. More of the business that is worth his while and yields the greatest revenue.

In the new economy, this is how you fill your sales pipeline.

Happy Hustling!

Grow when it’s slow.

Maybe it’s the economy, maybe you’ve rested on your laurels, maybe you’ve just been too busy… but when your business begins to slow it’s time to bring back the basics and work on growing your business from the roots.

Grow your current customers. Call them, write them and take them out for coffee. Discover what can you do to grow that base of business by 1, 5 or 10 percent.

Grow your network. Join new associations, attend events, go where your customers and your customers customers are hanging out and just meet people. Go for the soft sell and figure out how you can be a resource to them. People buy more from people who help them.

Grow your Education. Learn something new about technology or your business. Take the time to get educated on how things are changing and growing. Then evealuate what would work best for you. It’s pays to always look towards re-invention. This way you can take what has been working and ditch the old and useless for a chance at something new. Don’t be afraid to take risks.

Happy Hustlin!

What to do when you’ve lost your way

“Never follow someone else’s path… unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path then by all means you should follow that.”
Ellen DeGeneres (1958 – )
American comedian and actor

All great entrepreneurs and BizDev Mavericks have a strong vision and generally are very adept at blazing trails towards new styles, skills and general ways of doing things. Occasionally, even the best of us get a little lost or need some help getting kickstarted.

It’s a general flaw of the A-type that we do not like to ask for help. Major flaw I should say. There is nothing wrong with reaching out to someone who knows more than you do or looking for help from those who have been down a similar road in the past. Their ideas are often the greatest catalyst towards forward movement.

I will be so bold as to also share that every person needs a coach of some sort. Someone who can provide an objective opinion or be there to help you think an idea through.

No one wins alone, there is always a team for support and a compass to lead you in the general direction. What you do with those resources is up to you.

What stops you?

“Life is a challenge, meet it.” - Mother Teresa

God loves an old lady who can set anyone straight in a sentence. Clear, simple, elegant and packed with truth. This statement grabbed me by my guts and forced to face more than a few situations. The bottom line of life in general is that it is not easy. The sooner we get over that, the sooner we can begin to live.

It does beg the question, What are you refusing to face?

I am sure that there are goals you want to achieve and I am equally sure there are obstacles in the way. Again, it’s how we view those obstacles that will determine our level of success. When I take individuals through experiential activities like firewalking, board breaking, walking on broken glass and bending re-bar with your throat I ask people to take a physical challenge and look for the psychological or mental challenge that they can relate the experience to. There really isn’t a huge difference between the two. That is what makes that experiential intiatives so strong. If you can face your fear and achieve under those circumstances, what else can you do?

Life is one long string of challenges that began with our first breath. Through our first steps, into our mastery of language, mathmatics, and social relationships to name a few, we have all learned by facing the unknown. There is no magic pill or secret information. There is only “do” or “do not”. Take a step forward and you will learn. It’s guaranteed.

So….what will you do now?

Mavericks, Entrepreneurs and Risk Takers

Repeat after me.

I am a perpetual entrepreneur and a maverick in my own mind.

Good! now, here’s what that means….

You are constantly and consistently looking for the new idea. It excites you. Drives you crazy in fact. You realize that society has built people like you and me who are hungry for the next idea, thought and form of entertainment. You want to connect with them and that is great!

Here’s the trick….connect in a way that gets their attention. Do it in a way that stands out.

Which is exactly why I have supported and used social media since day 1. I signed on to use LinkedIn shortly after it hit the scene and spent a lot of time trying to get others involved. I still do because it’s a new medium that people are interested in or curious about. It may one day fade. And if it does, there will no doubt be another form that takes it’s place and I’ll use that to contact new prospects. Don’t be afraid of the new, and don’t try to justify it’s potential short term impact by your beliefs on it’s long term viability.

I’m also a fan of the tried and true. Writing a card, a personal letter or a call to an old friend shows class and attention to the most valuable commodity we have. Time! It takes time to do those things. It takes intentional thought.

We can’t copy and paste onto a hand written notecard and the reader of said card knows that. Again though, you are embracing a medium for contact that stands out. Someone told me (and we all knowhow accurate information is that begins this way…just sayin) that over 80% of business communication these days takes place via email. 80%!!!!!

This means that the other 20% is split between all of the other mediums out there. And we all know that email, even the coolest newsletters, is not a high touch form of communication. I delete probably 50-60% of the newsletters I willing signed up for, so I can hardly expect a prospect of mine to open any email that I send.

Unless we have a relationship.

And that is third key  I’d like to rant on. Relationships, networks, tribes….whatever you want to call them, are the basis of any great success. Every time I have conceived a plan for business, be it an internal strategy or a full fledged start up, I have started with the thought of community. How do I reach them? Where do they shop? What they use as their buying decisions? Who do I know within that or industry or a feeder industry? It is is your ability to tap a community that will make you successful. Take the time to build and nurture the relationships that most benefit you and your goal.

You will always be a better developer of business (and life for that matter) when you spend time on others.

Being an entrepreneur is often mis-understood. We are seen as Mavericks, rule breakers and disruptions to the status quo. OK…maybe we’re not mis-understood…but we are all those things because we are idea people.

We find new ways of communicating and solutions to problems. We don’t see a brick wall, we see the crack that will bring the wall down and the pot of gold on the other side. We work harder than others and see risk as fun. Most importantly we are not afraid to live life. It is the living of life and lack of perceived fear that brings about great realizations, profound success and joy.

So if like me you see yourself as a Maverick of sorts then go forth and re-invent something. Make a great thing happen and be awesome in the process.

Lately I have taken to adapting a quote from a TV character by the name of Barney Stinson.  There are many variations in creation and essentially today it says…

“When I hit a brick wall, I stop being frustrated and be awesome instead. True story.” Barney Stinson

Dude! just be awesome!

Entrepreneurs thrive under pressure

 

“The greater the tension, the greater is the potential.”
Carl Jung (1875–1961)

I know immediately that many will disagree with the title of this post. Too many people these days are looking to be entrepreneurs who only work a 4 hour work week. The reality is that even if that is where you end up….it’s not where you start.

To be a successful entrepreneur and really develop your business, idea, product or strategy….you will work 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.

If you are lucky or extremely gifted, you may figure out how to do this from a beach in Maui. Good for you. For the rest of us, we’re tied to something. Maybe it’s family or maybe your product is linked to a location. No matter, you’ll be working hard to get what you want. and that is the key. WORKING HARD!

Without hard work you cannot and will not be prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that will be presented. The very opportunities that will make you successful.

A very wise person once said that good luck is the crossroads of preparation and opportunity. I have been blessed enough to cross those two roads on a number of occasions and my family and friends still marvel at my “good luck” no matter how many times I share this insight. You have to work hard to be prepared and then you have to work harder to take advantage of that opportunity once it is presented.

Great entrepreneurs and business development mavericks thrive in environments that make others sick. They look for opportunities that have a risk factor because they know that it the the risky environment that provides the greatest rewards. You have to be able to push your comfort zone and put yourself out there.

If you want to ensure success, then burn the bridge behind you so that escape is not an option. Put yourself in an environment which causes pressure. The pressure to be successful. Challenge that fear and work towards your destiny.

It is pressure that forms diamonds, great leaders, heros and you. Embrace it.

Some words on being AWESOME!

“When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.”– Barney Stinson

There is so much truth in this statement! Life is about choices and we have the choice at any point in time to change how we are viewing a set of circumstances.

Think about that for a second……..you can change how you are feeling about a situation by changing how you are perceiving it. This is one of my major beliefs in life and also the greatest challenged when I share it.

If you can change how you are feeling by simply choosing to look at a situation differently, then your life takes a radical turn. It means that you have to take a greater responsibility for your path, your successes, your failures and your regrets. It means that you could have done things differently and that ultimately you are where you are today because of you. No one else.

How will you let information shape your future? That is the real question. What will you do with responsibility?

You are as successful as you want to be. If you want to be a beach bum and cruise through life enjoying each moment, then GREAT! Own that choice and make the most of it.

If you want to be the next Donald Trump, GREAT! Own that choice and make the most of it. The important factor is that you choose. And when things don’t go your way, choose to take a different step.

The choice is yours. Choose to be Awesome…