Category Archives: Business

Want to be an entrepreneur?

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Have an inclintation to be an entrepreneur?

Read this post by Tim Ferriss, called Why Grow? and other wisdom from 37Signals.  Here are some of my favorite parts:

>> 37Signals is focused on getting sh*t done instead of chasing the Silicon Valley venture capital death spiral. Financing has it’s place, but it’s a means to an end and shouldn’t be confused with an end.

I’ve played around in the funding space for almost four years, thinking about getting funded, talking to people who have gotten funding, asking advice, talking to investors, etc.  I have recently been going to any Funding Universe Crowdpitch I can, which is really enjoyable, but I’m still leery of looking for outside investors, so I really appreciated that line 🙂

>> More than 3,000,000 people worldwide use 37Signals products

WOW.  3M.  That is amazing.

>> Have you ever noticed that while small businesses wish they were bigger, big businesses dream about being more agile and flexible?

Talking about the perfect size of a company… everyone is looking for that greener grass. Huge used to be the goal, but look at all the huge companies and all the problems they have?

>> The easiest, most straightforward way to create a great product or service is to make something you want to use.

I love that entire section… examples of companies that started because founders had their own itch to scratch, came up with a solution, and have done very well.

Very nice, inspiring post. I’ll have to check out the book.

Getting Product Testimonials

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I have a buddy who is looking at developing a very cool new business offering and wanted to see if JibberJobber, as a CRM,  was good enough to be a part of the offering.  After spending hours on the system this is what he wrote to me:

Even though I have played with JibberJobber for quite a while, I never really dug deep into how I could use it to grow my biz. I just used it as a place to store contacts – but now that I have a focus of how I should be using it, I have to say that you have done an incredible job with it.  I just played with the quick add from Twitter function which is way cool.

What a super compliment.

And a great testimonial.

This just came from him after he’s spent hours on MY product.  He’s known me for years, he’s known about JibberJober for years, and he’s even had an account for a while.

But he was playing around with it, not serious, not understanding how it could meet his needs (not really understanding his “needs,” until recently).

It made me wonder: how many of the people we know, who know us, really know what we do and what we offer, and have an appreciation for our services?

I bet it’s less than 5% or 10%.

How to get that number higher?  Well, maybe it is in your communication. Maybe it is just a matter of time, and waiting until the sun (your product), the moon (their needs), and the stars (their understanding of your offering) align.

When it does align take the sweet opportunity to ask, like I did: can I use that as a testimonial?

Yes, they’ll say, and they are happy to help you because you’ve made them happy by providing them a terrific solution.

I love these types of testimonials.

How to NOT Pitch a Blogger

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Check out the intro in this email I got:

blogger_pitch

Are you serious?  The first sentence says he’s been following my blog.  Dude, my name is all over all my blogs.  It’s not that hard to figure out.

And am I a blogger OR an expert?  I’m still trying to figure that one out…

You have to get a little more personal to pitch me… my name is (well, you’ll have to figure that out for yourself).

Choosing a Social Media Consultant, in reponse to Kyle Lacy

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I found Kyle Lacy on Twitter recently and really like what I saw.  There are a number of his blog posts that are great.

In light of yesterday’s announcement I wanted to share his 25 tips on choosing a social media consultant, and MY thoughts on each of them:

1. They need to use the tools they are teaching.
It is extremely important that the teacher is using the tools. Before you decide to use a social media consultant… investigate! Make sure they are using tools like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN, and Plaxo. If they do not use the tools on a regular basis, they are just riding a wave.
2. They communicate with their audience.
The last person you will want to hire is someone who throws content out on the bed and doesn’t allow for two way communication. The best way to test this? Go to their Twitter account and make sure they are actually sending “RT” and replies to people. 2-way communication is key.
3. Do they call themselves a Social Media Expert? Ask about the 10,000 hours rule.
The person that calls themselves a “social media expert” is the last person you want to hire. Read Shikow’’s post about 10,000 hours to become an expert.
4. Ask them their definition of social media.
If they give you a list of tools. Fail them.
5. They will run your Twitter account for you.
It is impossible to ghost a Twitter account. YOU either use it or you don’t. Ghostwriting for a blog is a different story and NOT for this post.
6. Their blog is less than six months old with no comments. (thanks Beth)
7. Ask them about social bookmarking. Do they know what it is? Do they use it?
8. Have they taught a class before on social media? Even a webinar?
It is important that your consultant or educator has experience in teaching or presenting on social media. The last thing you want to do is spend money for something that is going to be a DRAG. You want to know that you are not wasting your money.
9. Are they a Just-add-water expert?
10. They actually have a personality and GET people.
It is important that your social media consultant have a personality. What do I mean by personality? They are not stuck in an office all day pecking away at Twitter and have no sense of humor. ALSO, they are not overly bubbly and excited about everything under the sun. Sanity is key.
11. They blog more than once a week.
It is important that the investigation goes deeper into the blogging world. Your social media consultant should be learning on a daily basis and expounding upon what they are learning by blogging. This does not have to be catered specifically to a BLOG (WordPress or blogger). You can always check Twitter on how they are communicating and learning.
12. They are linking and being linked.
Complete a Google link search and make sure your social media consultant actually has people and blogs linking back to their site. It is extremely important
13. Ask their opinion on viral marketing.
It is extremely important that your social media consultant and educator understand the concepts behind word-or-mouth marketing and viral marketing. Social media marketing is a relationship driven model. The evangelists and lovers of your product or service need to have the means to shout to the world… WE LOVE YOU!
14. Check out their website.
The first step to any Internet or social media strategy is the website. Do they have a communication driven website or is it a web 1.0 brochure driven site? Are they interacting with people? Are they talking about social media? Are they talking to YOU and not about their services.
15. What do other people think about them?
Mentors are one of the greatest asset to any small business owner. Who would they choose? Maybe they think social media is a waste of time. You need to take that into account. Maybe they were burned in the past? It is extremely important to get another perspective when entering into a relationship with any type of consultant or marketing professional.
16. They advise you to start a Facebook page as the first step.
It isn’t about starting in one spot. If you are new to the world of social media it may be smart to start USING Facebook other than trying to manage all 5 but the last thing you need to do is just start a Facebook fan page. SM strategy should be surrounding an integrated marketing approach. Period.
17. The instant success test.
It takes time and knowledge to be successful at using social media as a small business strategy. If they promise instant results.. You should probably find another consultant.
18. What do they think about traditional marketing and advertising?
Ask them. If they come back to you and say that the traditional approach to marketing is dead. They are just riding the wave of no return. They will never understand the concepts of combining traditional and new media into an overall strategy. You will slowly drown them.
19. Ask them about Radian6.
Radian6 is one of the better brand monitoring companies out there. If they have no idea about Radian6. FAIL.
20. How long have they been using Twitter?
I have come across plenty of consultant who have been using Twitter for a matter of months. It is important for the consultant to know more than YOU… the client. Check up on their usage of the different tools on the web.
21. They believe in actually listening to your problems instead of convincing you about the world of social media.
22. If they are still using an @aol.com, @aim.com, @comcast.net, or @att.net email. Fail them.
23. Listen for new approaches to strategy.
Everyone is offering to be a “social” consultant. Do they talk and think differently than anyone else you have listened to? If they do… You have a gem on your hands. Creative thinkers are the best social media consultants.
24. Are they a used car salesman? Do they seem genuine?
For the sake of argument I am going to list this. Do not work with someone you do not trust. Period.
25.Do they have any success stories?
Ask them about their history in using social media. The space is extremely new but there are people who are succeeding in using the tool. If they do not have case studies. Ask. If they cannot present you with a valuable case study… find someone else.
There are plenty more but this is just the beginning. Add to the list if you would like!

1. They need to use the tools they are teaching.

I totally agree – they have to eat their own dog food.  I’ve seen social media experts who have made a lot of money (stay with me) selling products and coaching on how to use social media… but they haven’t ever sold any non-social-media stuff.  They have jumped on the bandwagon at the right time, made TONS of money, but haven’t really done it themselves.

2. They communicate with their audience.

True.  I’ve been not-as-great as this as I’ve wanted to… at the same time, I hate seeing a blog post where every other comment is from the blog author saying “thanks!”

3. Do they call themselves a Social Media Expert? Ask about the 10,000 hours rule.

I’ll typically let others call me an expert (in anything) rather than me saying I am one.  Same with guru, etc.  Let others give you the title.

With regard to the 10,000 rule, considering someone has spent the last 4 years immersed in social media (at 40 hours a week), they still wouldn’t have hit 10,000 hours… I doubt that some people who we all admire have 10k hours, but I get the point… a newbie vs. a veteran… 🙂

4. Ask them their definition of social media.

Kyle says: “If they give you a list of tools. Fail them.”  Oh my gosh. I can’t agree more.  I work with very busy people… they don’t want a list of 25 places to go, or tools to use, or accounts to have.  Give me a break – social media is not a list of the hundreds of places – think more about strategy and tactics.

5. They will run your Twitter account for you.

Kyle says: “It is impossible to ghost a Twitter account.” I agree.  Twitter has to have a genuine person, with a personality, behind it.  There are techniques to take the pressure off of constant updates, or posting daily, or whatever, but I would not suggest ghost tweeting if you are marketing your own stuff.

6. Their blog is less than six months old with no comments.

Considering blogging has been around for a long time I mostly agree… however, there will be many new blogs starting now, or that have started a few months ago, that are quite credible.  One way to get around this is to develop the persona of  “I’m a newbie learning – won’t you learn along with me?  Let’s go!” … I’ve seen that work quite well.

With regard to no comments, I mostly agree there, also… although getting comments on blogs has gotten increasingly difficult because some people might comment on Twitter or Facebook or other places and that might now show up on the blog post… more on that here.

7. Ask them about social bookmarking. Do they know what it is? Do they use it?

I don’t use it.  Oops.  Or not oops.   I think it depends on your product/service and audience… for me it hasn’t hit my radar much, considering I have limited bandwidth.

8. Have they taught a class before on social media? Even a webinar?

I can see this point… I’m guessing that a “coach” in social media will have done multiple presentations.

9. Are they a Just-add-water expert?

Not sure what that means but I’m guessing it refers to all the people who have read a book or article and say they are an expert.  LOTS of those.

10. They actually have a personality and GET people.

Yep, agreed. Kyle says to not go to the extreme – either no personality or TOO MUCH.  Yeah, totally.

11. They blog more than once a week.

Totally.  I say your blog is the anchor of your social marketing strategy for a reason, you BETTER blog more than once a week!

12. They are linking and being linked.

Yeah, being known is good.  Although there are “experts” out there who are known but still don’t have real world experience… selling their own stuff….

13. Ask their opinion on viral marketing.

I don’t get what Kyle writes in his original post on this, but my thoughts go to “viral videos.”  You don’t make a viral video, you  make a video that goes viral.  You don’t send a viral message, you send a message that goes viral.

Regarding “viral marketing” in general, this is one of the most amazing aspects of the internet.

14. Check out their website.

yeah… if they don’t have a website, that might be a problem :p

15. What do other people think about them?

I think it might be hard to really figure this out – online I see a lot of ego stroking… people are pretty quick to say nice stuff and endorse… unless you are young and immature… but there are places to see this, like LinkedIn Recommendations, etc.

16. They advise you to start a Facebook page as the first step.

I would never suggest that – FB is so very misunderstood and even though they are beyond huge, they are not the first place I’d recommend for most businesses.

17. The instant success test.

Kyle says “If they promise instant results.. You should probably find another consultant.” Agreed – if you are looking for instant you might want to go back to your day job.  Let’s think about long-term… networking and relationships is LONG TERM.

Instantly results can lead to instant failure.

18. What do they think about traditional marketing and advertising?

He makes good points here.  I have strong opinions about this… 🙂

19. Ask them about Radian6.

Kyle says “If they have no idea about Radian6. FAIL.”  I totally disagree.  I have heard of Radian6 but couldn’t tell you what they do (well, I know now).  At the small business, entrepreneur level where you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on their types of services they are irrelevant – not knowing who they are is not a fail, it just means that they have impressed Kyle and he thinks they have awesome services (which they probably do).

20. How long have they been using Twitter?

Mostly important, but I’ve seen some social marketing practioners who have been using other tools well but have small followings on Twitter.  Twitter is not the be-all, end-all.  Powerful, important, etc. but not critical for all businesses.

I think this point suffers from the “when all you have is a hammer, all of your problems look like a nail” syndrome.

21. They believe in actually listening to your problems instead of convincing you about the world of social media.

Agree – because sometimes your important solutions might not even be social marketing.

22. If they are still using an @aol.com, @aim.com, @comcast.net, or @att.net email. Fail them.

LOL.  I have to agree with this… I know plenty of successful business people who use those email systems, but if you are in the social space, as an expert or consultant, that would be a red flag for me.

Notice he didn’t put gmail on the list?  I’m sure that is intentional.

23. Listen for new approaches to strategy.

Creative doesn’t always mean better or good… too many times I see these “new approaches” tried by early adopters … who always seem to be jumping from one thing to another… I like principle-based stuff and prefer not to jump all over the place, on all the networks.

24. Are they a used car salesman? Do they seem genuine?

Kyle says: “Do not work with someone you do not trust. Period.” Yep, trust your gut.  And if their sales page wears out your mouse scroll wheel.. um… 🙁

25.Do they have any success stories?

Success stories OF THEIR OWN.  That could be an increase of sales, a media gig (getting on TV or print), etc.

Thanks Kyle, for giving me stuff to think about and the opportunity to comment on stuff that’s also been bugging me a for a while!

Announcement: Monthly Social Marketing Training

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It’s been a long time coming, and today’s the right day to announce this.  Today I’m announcing my 12 month social marketing training program for entrepreneurs and marketers. This is not geared towards job seekers, although job seekers can sign up.

I’ve done a lot of social training.  I’ve written two books and have spoken probably 300 times in the last 2.5 years.  I’ve done my own webinars, I’ve been on the road from California to Washington D.C, and even to Istanbul.  I’ve done teleseminars, webinars, and articles.  I’ve been the expert for social marketing training systems that other people have put together.

And I never get to share all the stuff I want to share.  Not anymore.  Now I get to share it all.

I know there are a lot of social marketing programs out there. I don’t consider any of them competition – not because I’m better than them, but because this is not my core business.

Instead, this is stuff I’m sharing based on WHAT I’VE DONE in my own business, with my own revenue streams.  From moving product (books, DVDs) to getting subscriptions (on JibberJobber.com) to building a brand as a SME and thought leader, I’ve lived it.  Each of those things have produced $ for me, and it is really the only reason why I have my own sustainable business.

I have lived it every day for almost four years – not just talking about it, but DOING IT.  And now I’m ready to share.  Here are the details of the program:

What it is

The focus of this program is to help you, the entrepreneur or marketing manager or CEO or founder, or speaker, or author, better utilize current online marketing tools to help you build your business.  The emphasis will be on strategy+tactic=growth.  You will understand the tools and different strategies, and you will know what tasks, techniques or tactics to employ.

Each month (see schedule below) you will have at least four hours of instruction and/or discussion, as follows:

Week 1: You will get a video to watch that will help you understand the month’s topic, including strategies and tactics, around that topic.  You will have things to DO.

Week 2: One hour webinar/call where we talk about the things you were supposed to DO, how you did them, what results you got, any questions you have, any suggestions, etc.  This will be an open, collaborative meeting.

Week 3: same as week 2 – the emphasis is on DOING things as well as answering any questions, following up on exceptions, etc.

Week 4: Open webinar – we can discuss anything you want from this month’s topic, or any month.  I left this open so if you have a question about something we aren’t talking about for 9 months, you don’t have to wait.

Each of the 4 weeks will be recorded and available for review (unless we have technology glitches) at your leisure – you don’t have to be on the calls but I suggest you are.

There will be a private Yahoo/Google Group where we can discuss things at any time – ask me questions, ask your peers questions, share wins and victories, etc.

This model of training (video and discussion and accountability) with the email forum to top it off.

In addition, each person will get a premium JibberJobber account, as relationship management is key, and we’ll use JibberJobber as a baseline CRM tool.

Tentative Schedule

  • February: LinkedIn Marketing
  • March: Blog Marketing
  • April: Twitter Marketing
  • May: Facebook Marketing
  • June: video marketing sites (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
  • July: Newsletters Marketing
  • August: CRM / JibberJobber
  • September: Website and SEO, shopping carts, etc.
  • October: speaking and Webinars
  • November: Products: books, DVDs, recorded webinars, etc.
  • December: Article Marketing
  • January 2011: Press Releases (includes $249 Killer Online Press Releases DVD if you have paid for at least 3 other months)

Price

One Person: $99/month, paid monthly.  No long-term obligation.

Discount if you buy 6 months (one month free) or 12 months (three months free) upfront.

Discounts for companies with multiple attendees – email for details.

To sign up simply go to the JibberJobber payment page and make any of the following payments:

One month, one time: $99 (make sure to put a comment that this is JUST for January)

Monthly subscription: $99 (make sure you say it’s for a subscription, and to bill you monthly (monthly draw will be on the first of each month))

Six month, one time: $495

Twelve months, one time: $891

I regularly charge $250/hour for consulting, so to get 4 hours * 12 months for $891 is a steal of a deal.

Refund Policy

If you are not satisfied with the course we will refund your money as follows:

Monthly payments: anytime during the month, if you are unsatisfied, cancel and ask for a refund for that month.

Six/Twelve month payments: We’ll refund the month you are not happy with and then cancel the rest of the plan.

Do You Use Blogs As Marketing Tools

I started my business with lots of money… no wait, no money.  No money.  Lots of time, but no money.

No one wanted to talk to me, because I was a nobody and people were waiting to see if I was a flash-in-the-pan entrepreneur.

So, with no money, and nobody wanting to talk to me, and lots of time, I wrote.

And I wrote, and I wrote.

I wrote blog posts and articles, and I wrote lots and lots of comments on other blogs.

This became what I now call part of my Blog Marketing Strategy.

If you want to get your name and brand out there, and find evangelists and customers, and get traditional press and new media buzz, you NEED to incorporate blogs into your marketing strategy.

I put together a video recording, about 2 hours, of what I did as part of my blog marketing strategy.  You can get it for $50.  It is one of my favorite recordings, because I LIVED this stuff.

And it worked for me.  And it can work for you.

Here’s what Kathy Bitschenauer, Certified Career Management Coach, had to say about it:

GREAT webinar, loved the way you presented it, and gained a ton of new information and explanations of things that I had not understood, such as what’s the value of Technorati, or the ways to use Google Alerts to your advantage. This is one I’ll review over and over. And I learned how important it really is to get going on creating a blog and writing in it.

Tools.  Your own blog. Other blogs.

Strategy and Tactics.

This webinar is AWESOME (yeah, I’m biased).

If you want it you can order it here.  Or learn more here.

(update: 12/28/09 – had to turn off comments as something with blogs and marketing gets a TON of spam comments.)

Startups and Entrepreneurs

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I came across Dharmesh Shah’s post that lays out 12 typical traits of entrepreneurs, based on a survey from the Kauffman foundation.  The results are not very intuitive, and the first one was not accurate for ME.  Go check out the 12 points – here’s how I scored against them:

1. NO. I was much younger – I think I was 32 when I started JibberJobber and my journey as an entrepreneur.

2. YES. I have a BA in CIS and an MBA.

3. YES. I’d fit in with the 99% that wasn’t extremely rich or poor.

4. YES. I can’t think of other siblings that had started a serious business.

5. YES. I’ll join the majority of entrepreneurs who were married (still am married :p).

6. YES. I’ll join the majority who have kids (I had 3.5 kids at the time – we now have 5 kids).

7. NO. I haven’t been a serial entrepreneur… I don’t count the times I’ve done tiny entreprenuerial stuff.  This is my first real, serious venture.

8. YES. Building wealth (and securing my financial future) was at the top of my list when starting.

9. NO. I have to say that not finding traditional employment was “an important factor” in starting my business. I’d say it was more of “reading the tea leaves” and looking long-term – traditional employment means constant job changes, and not as much control over your career as you think.  I was interested in something else.

10. YES/NO. My mom didn’t finish college (but could have a PhD if she wanted), but my dad has a JD.  I’d say his education is higher than mine.

11. YES. I don’t consider my family to be very entrepreneurial since my dad and father-in-law were both longtime government employees.  However, my maternal grandpa ran his own camera store for years and retired because of it.

12. YES. I think my total time at my previous company was 6 years, with other employment before that.

How did you do?

How to Create an Online Press Release, and what next?

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Janet Thaeler wrote a book in my series titled I Need a Killer Press Release — Now What??? When people have seen it their response has been “I’ve needed something like that!”

Yes, it is that cool.

Guess what – even cooler, she is wrapping up a press release DVD that shows you how to do a lot of stuff – from navigating various websites where you submit press releases (what a pain) to finding keywords to make your press release strong (this is a BIG deal), Janet’s DVD is like a personal training session.

It’s going to be awesome.  Right now it’s in the editing stage – all of the chapters have been recorded – I hope to have it shipping in December (my team is producing the DVD).

You can get a significant discount by pre-ordering the DVD (for a limited time) by clicking the image below:

The list price of the DVD is $249… if you pre-order this week you get it for $186.  Pricey, but if you wanted consulting from Janet (or someone of her caliber) you’d pay more and have to take furious notes … this DVD is something you can watch again and again and again 🙂

Blog Etiquette – How To Write About Someone Else

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My mind is in online etiquette (netiquette) as I’m finishing up my netiquette book.

This morning in my Google Alerts I found out about a post someone wrote that referenced my book.  I have had the post up in a tab for a few hours trying to figure out how to handle it.  I was going to put a link to the post and a screenshot but I really don’t care to “out” this person… since it might be embarrasing to him.

I do, however, want to voice the issue, and share some blog etiquette 101, as I know a few people follow my blogging stuff.

There are specifically two things that this person did wrong.  In fact, as I think about what he did, the words “gross negligence” comes to mind.

Why?  Because he might have tried to write the post to get on my radar (not to be presumptious, but some people do that kind of thing (including ME))… but the reality is once he got there I was, as an ego-driven blogger, OFFENDED.

Okay, maybe all caps is too big.  But still, fixing these two things could have left him with a strong post and had me think highly of him.  Here are the two things:

  1. Link back to my *stuff* I say stuff loosely because he could have linked to my professional speakers site, or my LinkedIn book site, or my LinkedIn DVD site, or JibberJobber, or even the Amazon page for my LinkedIn book.  I have plenty of stuff for him to link to but not once did he link out.  He appears to be a new blogger (although a seasoned business person), so I’ll take this as a common mistake.
  2. Not include so much of the content from my book. His post takes the main points of an entry in my LinkedIn book’s appendix and lays it all out there.  This can be good (all publicity is good, right?) or bad (he didn’t ask permission to put all of that stuff there… I wonder if Seth Godin would like me to include one full page of his book text without permission?).  If nothing else, asking for permission would be all I needed… or linking to my book site would be good, but all I see here is my ideas on his blog with little attribution (he attributes me and the book, but no links).  It seems like that is just too much info to put in the blog post.

For point #2 I would suggest (if he were a blogging client) that he puts 2 or 3 or 4 points, and then says “to read the rest of Jason’s ideas, check out his book on Amazon or on his book blog.”

I try and do that all the time – quote a little bit of stuff from someone but point the readers to the original post (or source) for more.

Lesson to anyone using blogs as a business or marketing tool: respect others.  Stroke egos of bloggers.  Do that and you can create an army of evangelists for your stuff.

Affordable Outplacement

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It’s official – a new branch or division of JibberJobber offering an alternative to “traditional outplacement.”  You can see the Affordable Outplacement website here, and you can see my announcement on JibberJobber here.

What I wanted to share on this blog, since many entrepreneurs read it, is the SEO goodness we just got – I don’t know how long this will stay at the top (competition could easily snatch the #1 spot), but check this out:

affordable_outplacement_google