My company, http://www.californiabusinessresource.com offers free business advice to budding entrepreneurs. We have lots of articles that we are constantly submitting to our site, and it causes us a lot of work. We like to use Virtual Assistants to do this work.
It didn’t take very long to notice that it would be excellent if we could have some of our V.A.s answer incoming phone calls, as well as make outbound calls to our existing clients. So we started on the search for a Virtual PBX system.
Not too long ago, it was the traditional PBX system used all around the world by businesses big or small. The traditional PBX systems or phone booth exchange systems as they were popularly called had the limitation of providing service to one location and all the employees had to be in one location to access it for attending calls, and checking voicemails. Moreover, they were costly in terms of money and effort. But this all changed with the innovation of VoIP that lead to the creation of new virtual PBX systems. These systems have changed the way businesses communicate and manage their employees. They are based on voice over internet protocol technology or VoIP that uses the internet to send and receive calls.
Some Virtual PBX systems offer all the services just like the traditional PBX systems and many more with greatly reduced cost and effort. Some don’t. You need to research your PBX before spending the time and/or money to test it. For example, most virtual PBX programs are glorified answering machines. They allow the client to call in, push a few buttons to get connected to either you or your message, but they do not allow live transfers once you have accepted the call. My business absolutely requires that my employees can transfer a call to me if they determine that I need to talk to the client.
If you get the right system, these virtual systems have redefined the way work is done. The flurry of benefits include giving a professional feel to the client with auto attendants, presenting a big picture, interaction with the callers while you are on move by diverting calls, and a virtual presence…and all that at very affordable prices! Another very important advantage of virtual PBX systems is the geographical limitlessness.
Many small businesses hire a number of freelancers or remote employees to take care of their various operations so that they can use their tiny budget in the most effective way. Virtual PBX systems allow your business to have employees all over the world and despite of geographical distance, they can be connected through this single phone system as if they are sitting in the next cubicle. Calls can be directed to any phone, may it be landline, mobile phone like iPhone or a software phone on employee’s laptop. There is no need to invest in new phones; old ones can be used making it highly affordable. The facility of conference calling allows you to be in touch with your employees irrespective of their location.
Virtual PBX systems are loaded with many features. Call transferring, call distribution, call prioritization, voice mail, find me follow me call forwarding, fax, auto attendants, all get together to make handing of virtual employees much easier and profitable for your business. Call auto attendants eliminate the need of real receptionists and handle the customers with professional messages and customized menus. Calls are redirected at the appropriate place with find me follow me call forwarding to the appropriate employee even if he or she is actually residing half way down the globe. There are many virtual PBX systems available in the market. OnSIP by junction networks, AccessDirect USA, Halloo, Axon and Grasshopper are among the most popular on the VoIP communication scene. Halloo is a personal favorite of many entrepreneurs because it provides real time transfers and works as a perfect system for call centers. Many will allow you to transfer your existing toll free numbers without any extra charge.
Virtual PBX systems provide a very cost effective way to communicate and to use virtual employees no matter where they are. The productivity enhancing features save your money and time. Virtual PBX systems with timely upgrades and good support system reduce the expenses to a great extent and allow you to concentrate more on your business.
For more information that can assist your business, please go to www.californiabusinessresource.com
Friday, November 13, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
San Diego Tech Coast Angels 2009 Quick Pitch
From Guest Blogger, John Watson:
Angel investing isn’t just about money. It is also about mentoring, strategic advice,
providing connections to customers and sources of capital. The Tech Coast Angels
(TCA) are helping to fuel the growth of the most innovative companies and
entrepreneurs in southern California. TCA’s 280+ members invest time, expertise and
capital to help companies grow and succeed. Companies benefit from working with a
group of seasoned, well-connected advisors. That’s why TCA is the largest angel
network in the U.S. and the number one source of startup funding in southern California.
TCA has five networks in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara and the Inland Empire.
An important part of the TCA outreach program to entrepreneurs, company founders
and emerging companies is the annual Quick Pitch event. Entrepreneurs are invited [at
no cost to their companies], to compete in a one hour competition with 15 or more
companies for three prizes before a panel of expert judges, in front of an audience
composed of Venture Capitalists, Bankers, Accountants, Lawyers, CEO’s other
entrepreneurs and TCA members. Prior to the Competition on October 8th each
company worked diligently with the coaches and mentors from TCA – so that they could
professionally present their companies.
From over 150 applications received [12 were Life Science, the remainder were in High-tech, CleanTech and other business sectors]; through screening and interviews a total of 17 emerging high tech (11), and six (6) life science companies were selected to compete, each company received two (2) minutes to Pitch or present their company to the five Judges and the audience of ~300 people. The Judges then had two minutes to adjudicate their individual performance in two areas:
1. Content: Is this a fundable deal; did you want to hear more etc.
2. Style: Did they capture your attention; was it persuasive and informative?
Each company was scored 1-10 by each judge for each category – supportive suggestions were allowed; of the 17 competitors the Overall winner and runner-up were Biotech and Diagnostic companies.
2009 Overall Winner: Roberta A. Gottlieb, President and CEO of Radical Therapeutix, Inc.
Best Content Winner: Mark Bowles, CEO, ecoATM – http://www.remobileinc.com
Best Style Winner: Raj Krishnan, CEO, Biological Dynamics, Inc. - http://biologicaldynamics.com
The Overall Winner (based upon the total points awarded), was immediately entered into the TCA funding process; with no pre-screening requirements. The 2008 Winner obtained their initial funding from TCA via this process. The two “runner-up” categories were immediately eligible to file an application for funding pre-screening.
John Watson is a Tech Coast Angel member. Tech Coast Angels helps fund companies in the High Tech and Bio Tech areas. For more information about Tech Coast Angels, please go to their website at http://www.techcoastangels.com
For more Business Resources go to http://www.californiabusinessresource.com and sign up for the newsletter.
Angel investing isn’t just about money. It is also about mentoring, strategic advice,
providing connections to customers and sources of capital. The Tech Coast Angels
(TCA) are helping to fuel the growth of the most innovative companies and
entrepreneurs in southern California. TCA’s 280+ members invest time, expertise and
capital to help companies grow and succeed. Companies benefit from working with a
group of seasoned, well-connected advisors. That’s why TCA is the largest angel
network in the U.S. and the number one source of startup funding in southern California.
TCA has five networks in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara and the Inland Empire.
An important part of the TCA outreach program to entrepreneurs, company founders
and emerging companies is the annual Quick Pitch event. Entrepreneurs are invited [at
no cost to their companies], to compete in a one hour competition with 15 or more
companies for three prizes before a panel of expert judges, in front of an audience
composed of Venture Capitalists, Bankers, Accountants, Lawyers, CEO’s other
entrepreneurs and TCA members. Prior to the Competition on October 8th each
company worked diligently with the coaches and mentors from TCA – so that they could
professionally present their companies.
From over 150 applications received [12 were Life Science, the remainder were in High-tech, CleanTech and other business sectors]; through screening and interviews a total of 17 emerging high tech (11), and six (6) life science companies were selected to compete, each company received two (2) minutes to Pitch or present their company to the five Judges and the audience of ~300 people. The Judges then had two minutes to adjudicate their individual performance in two areas:
1. Content: Is this a fundable deal; did you want to hear more etc.
2. Style: Did they capture your attention; was it persuasive and informative?
Each company was scored 1-10 by each judge for each category – supportive suggestions were allowed; of the 17 competitors the Overall winner and runner-up were Biotech and Diagnostic companies.
2009 Overall Winner: Roberta A. Gottlieb, President and CEO of Radical Therapeutix, Inc.
Best Content Winner: Mark Bowles, CEO, ecoATM – http://www.remobileinc.com
Best Style Winner: Raj Krishnan, CEO, Biological Dynamics, Inc. - http://biologicaldynamics.com
The Overall Winner (based upon the total points awarded), was immediately entered into the TCA funding process; with no pre-screening requirements. The 2008 Winner obtained their initial funding from TCA via this process. The two “runner-up” categories were immediately eligible to file an application for funding pre-screening.
John Watson is a Tech Coast Angel member. Tech Coast Angels helps fund companies in the High Tech and Bio Tech areas. For more information about Tech Coast Angels, please go to their website at http://www.techcoastangels.com
For more Business Resources go to http://www.californiabusinessresource.com and sign up for the newsletter.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Winning Federal Contracts: A guide for women Entreprenuers
The SBA just launched a new online course for women to help them navigate through the contracting process.
You can access the course here: http://www.sba.gov/fedcontractingtraining/
Now women who own small businesses will be able to use the new online training course to learn how to find and win federal contracting opportunities.
The program is part of an ongoing government-wide initiative to promote opportunities for women-owned businesses in the area of government contracting.
The tuturial walks her through the the contracting process, and is free of charge. She does have to complete a short questionnaire before logging onto the tutorial.
"The SBA is committed to ensuring that women-owned businesses receive at least 5 percent of federal contracts and believes better training opportunities are central to meeting this government-wide goal." reads the press release, dated October 14th, 2009.
The course is designed to help women business owners learn about the federal procurement process and to prepare them to compete for contracting opportunities. The tutorial uses audio and script to provide information about contract rules, how to sell to the government and where to find contracts.
If you haven't taken a look at this it's worth the read.
What do you think?
You can access the course here: http://www.sba.gov/fedcontractingtraining/
Now women who own small businesses will be able to use the new online training course to learn how to find and win federal contracting opportunities.
The program is part of an ongoing government-wide initiative to promote opportunities for women-owned businesses in the area of government contracting.
The tuturial walks her through the the contracting process, and is free of charge. She does have to complete a short questionnaire before logging onto the tutorial.
"The SBA is committed to ensuring that women-owned businesses receive at least 5 percent of federal contracts and believes better training opportunities are central to meeting this government-wide goal." reads the press release, dated October 14th, 2009.
The course is designed to help women business owners learn about the federal procurement process and to prepare them to compete for contracting opportunities. The tutorial uses audio and script to provide information about contract rules, how to sell to the government and where to find contracts.
If you haven't taken a look at this it's worth the read.
What do you think?
Friday, October 2, 2009
Tradeshows--Making the best use of your time
I read a blog post written by Andrew Brown regarding Trade Shows. I thought that he did have some good things to say and I'll summarize them here:
1) Set clear goals for your participation. I agree with Andrew about this point. Many businesses go to trade shows and they have no idea what their ROI is on the show. Personally, when I've gone to trade shows in the past, it has been to meet new clients or to obtain new information if it's in my own industry. If you go to meet new clients, be sure to follow up with each lead within a week of returning home. If you don't do this, then the money you spent was wasted. If you go to obtain new ideas, then be sure to bring your notebook with you and jot things down before you forget. Many times trade shows are so big that you will forget much of what you've seen.
2) Do your research. This is especially true if you are going to a trade show to meet new clients. Be sure that your demographic is actually there. For example, if you target business owners, you wouldn't want to go to a show where only HR directors attend.
3) Bring a customer. What a great idea! I've actually never brought a customer along to a trade show because I think that most of my customers would find the trade shows for my industry boring. However, the next trade show I go to to attract customers, if I have a customer who would like to target the same audience, I may bring him/her along.
4) Take copious notes. Andrew states: "If you do decide to attend a trade show or seminar, then we suggest you become a sponge. Have your notebook handy at all times – this is your classroom. How are exhibitors and competitors describing and promoting their products? If you’re in a seminar, make sure that you’re recording down the key points of the session. Take time during the breaks to network with other participants and even the instructor – find out what has made them succeed, what is keeping them up at night and write it down. It’s an educational haven." I agree.
5) Use it as a research experiment. Andrew recommends that you attend the trade show you are looking at exhibiting at before paying the money for your booth. I can't agree more. I've done this in the past, and it has saved me money when I realized that the show I was planning on sponsoring didn't fit my needs for one reason or another.
Andrew had some very good points, and you can follow him at http://www.small-business-guru.com
What do you think?
1) Set clear goals for your participation. I agree with Andrew about this point. Many businesses go to trade shows and they have no idea what their ROI is on the show. Personally, when I've gone to trade shows in the past, it has been to meet new clients or to obtain new information if it's in my own industry. If you go to meet new clients, be sure to follow up with each lead within a week of returning home. If you don't do this, then the money you spent was wasted. If you go to obtain new ideas, then be sure to bring your notebook with you and jot things down before you forget. Many times trade shows are so big that you will forget much of what you've seen.
2) Do your research. This is especially true if you are going to a trade show to meet new clients. Be sure that your demographic is actually there. For example, if you target business owners, you wouldn't want to go to a show where only HR directors attend.
3) Bring a customer. What a great idea! I've actually never brought a customer along to a trade show because I think that most of my customers would find the trade shows for my industry boring. However, the next trade show I go to to attract customers, if I have a customer who would like to target the same audience, I may bring him/her along.
4) Take copious notes. Andrew states: "If you do decide to attend a trade show or seminar, then we suggest you become a sponge. Have your notebook handy at all times – this is your classroom. How are exhibitors and competitors describing and promoting their products? If you’re in a seminar, make sure that you’re recording down the key points of the session. Take time during the breaks to network with other participants and even the instructor – find out what has made them succeed, what is keeping them up at night and write it down. It’s an educational haven." I agree.
5) Use it as a research experiment. Andrew recommends that you attend the trade show you are looking at exhibiting at before paying the money for your booth. I can't agree more. I've done this in the past, and it has saved me money when I realized that the show I was planning on sponsoring didn't fit my needs for one reason or another.
Andrew had some very good points, and you can follow him at http://www.small-business-guru.com
What do you think?
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Non Profits- How to get the word out
I read a Blog post put out by David Oats, who runs a Pay on Performance PR firm.
To read the article, click here: http://payonperformance.ning.com/profiles/blogs/memo-to-nonprofits-pr-is
Basically what he advises is:
1. Become a Speaker
2. Use Social Media
3. Use a Pay on Performance PR Firm, never a retainer firm
Of course all of these are great advise to regular businesses. When you become a speaker for local groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, SCORE, and trade organizations, you build credibility for yourself and your firm. Many groups are in great need of speakers, and if you can get yourself connected with one or two, your speaking engagements will grow.
One OBVIOUS caveat though: I was at a presentation a few weeks ago where the speaker was not well prepared and was wearing very casual clothes. Need I go on? Your goal when doing presentations is to promote your business. Make sure you come across as someone knowledgable in your field. If you need help with presentation skills, most cities have a local chapter of Toastmasters. If your city doesn't, try the local community college. The main thing is to get in front of strangers, do a lot of presentations, and get good quality feedback. Most of your friends won't give you good feedback because they don't want to hurt your feelings.
If you are reading this blog, most likely you are already using social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. Most likeley you also have your own blog. Posting comments on other people's blogs and providing a link to your own (as long as it's relevant) is a good way to get increased traffic to your blog. You may even be asked to write a guest column every now and then!
To read the article, click here: http://payonperformance.ning.com/profiles/blogs/memo-to-nonprofits-pr-is
Basically what he advises is:
1. Become a Speaker
2. Use Social Media
3. Use a Pay on Performance PR Firm, never a retainer firm
Of course all of these are great advise to regular businesses. When you become a speaker for local groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, SCORE, and trade organizations, you build credibility for yourself and your firm. Many groups are in great need of speakers, and if you can get yourself connected with one or two, your speaking engagements will grow.
One OBVIOUS caveat though: I was at a presentation a few weeks ago where the speaker was not well prepared and was wearing very casual clothes. Need I go on? Your goal when doing presentations is to promote your business. Make sure you come across as someone knowledgable in your field. If you need help with presentation skills, most cities have a local chapter of Toastmasters. If your city doesn't, try the local community college. The main thing is to get in front of strangers, do a lot of presentations, and get good quality feedback. Most of your friends won't give you good feedback because they don't want to hurt your feelings.
If you are reading this blog, most likely you are already using social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. Most likeley you also have your own blog. Posting comments on other people's blogs and providing a link to your own (as long as it's relevant) is a good way to get increased traffic to your blog. You may even be asked to write a guest column every now and then!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Thoughts on the 7 most Over Rated Business Ideas
Today I was forwarded this article that discusses the 7 most overrated businesses. http://smallbusinessanswers.yahoo.com/overrated
Here are my comments:
1. The first on the list is Restaurants. I tend to agree with this one. As a SCORE business consultant, I tend to see a lot of start up restaurant owners in our seminars. People tend to think that opening a restaurnt will be an easy way of leaving their current job and becoming an entreprenuer. What they don't tend to do is research. Who are the competitors? Why will someone want to go to your restaurant and not another...or just stay home for that matter? A fantastic marketing plan is key, especially when you are entering the Restaurant market. After all, 60% of these types of businesses fail in the first 3 years. That's a pretty high risk margin.
2. The second, Direct Sales, could have been more aptly named Multi Level Marketing. If the person who is getting you into the business is going to be getting a cut on you, plus who you recruit, think twice. Are the products going to be priced where the consumer can't just go down the street and buy a similar product for half the cost? In today's tough economic times keep this in mind. Consumers are smart. They know that a "party" that has XXX in front of it means that they are going to have to shell out some money--Normally a lot more money than they would have to pay at their local mall. Some people do well in this type of business, but the majority just give up after a few months because they aren't cut out to recruit their friends to sell products themselves. Although, one of the benefits to this type of business is that you do not need to keep high quantities of inventory, you normally do have some inventory costs. When going into this type of business, be sure to find out what your out of pocket costs are going to be up front.
3. Online Retail. This might have been fantastic 5 years ago, but before delving into this type of business today, you are going to have to have a marketing plan, and a marketing budget. I agree that you can't just put a website up today and think that your market will find you. Also, most people who go online today are shopping price. If you can't compete with prices from around the globe, you may not do well in this marketplace. Just make sure that if you do start an online store, that you have a well laid plan to get eyeballs to your site.
4. High End Retail. My husband and I walked into a lighting store a few weeks ago and we couldn't believe the prices. We were shopping for some lamps to put on our desks, but I would also like to get a new chandelier for our dining room. We went to four or five places before we stopped in to this VERY high end store. I couldn't believe the price differential. You could tell that the quality was better, but to be honest, I didn't think that it was 10 times better. Today's consumer, no matter how wealthy, is looking for a deal. It is also very difficult to keep your inventory costs under control in these types of stores. One of the biggest mistakes that business owners make is to have too much inventory. If you start a business like this, make sure that you keep a close watch on your inventory.
5. Independent Consulting. Although I have not seen a huge volume of this type of business coming through the SCORE doors, I do know lots of people who are in this business. The great thing about becoming a consultant is that there are very little start up costs. Many people just go to the local printer and print up some cards, and now they are a consultant. However, one of the main issues here is clients. How are you going to get your clients? This is something that many consultants do not consider. Not only do you have to be good at what you do, but you have to be excellent at marketing and sales. Be sure to think this through before embarking on a consulting business.
6. Franchises. I agree that just because you are buying a franchise, you are not guaranteed a profit. Make sure you work with someone who is an expert in this area. Read the information before you sign the paperwork. Have an attorney with franchise expertise look it over to point out any areas of concern. Talk to existing franchise owners and LISTEN to what they have to say. Take a look at their marketing plan and find out what assistance they will be giving you versus what you will have to do yourself. Ask questions. Why should you go with their franchise versus setting up a similar business on your own?
7. Traffic Driven Web Sites: Being in San Diego where we have a lot of high tech businesses here, I have listened to a lot of pitches about the next best Facebook or the next best this or that. Yes, the internet has spawned some fantastic websites (like Blogger) and you can make a lot of money. You will need to have an excellent idea and get yourself in front of some Venture Capitalists. Listen to what they say. This type of business is difficult to get off the ground, but if you have an idea that is good, chances are if you get in front of enough VCs you can make your case. You will have a long road ahead of you, but if you have the right idea it can pay off.
As with any business, the main thing that you should do before starting a business is to have a good marketing and business plan. You can obtain assistance with this by visiting your local SCORE office or by obtaining the services of a good business consultant who has experience in the business that you would like to start.
Here are my comments:
1. The first on the list is Restaurants. I tend to agree with this one. As a SCORE business consultant, I tend to see a lot of start up restaurant owners in our seminars. People tend to think that opening a restaurnt will be an easy way of leaving their current job and becoming an entreprenuer. What they don't tend to do is research. Who are the competitors? Why will someone want to go to your restaurant and not another...or just stay home for that matter? A fantastic marketing plan is key, especially when you are entering the Restaurant market. After all, 60% of these types of businesses fail in the first 3 years. That's a pretty high risk margin.
2. The second, Direct Sales, could have been more aptly named Multi Level Marketing. If the person who is getting you into the business is going to be getting a cut on you, plus who you recruit, think twice. Are the products going to be priced where the consumer can't just go down the street and buy a similar product for half the cost? In today's tough economic times keep this in mind. Consumers are smart. They know that a "party" that has XXX in front of it means that they are going to have to shell out some money--Normally a lot more money than they would have to pay at their local mall. Some people do well in this type of business, but the majority just give up after a few months because they aren't cut out to recruit their friends to sell products themselves. Although, one of the benefits to this type of business is that you do not need to keep high quantities of inventory, you normally do have some inventory costs. When going into this type of business, be sure to find out what your out of pocket costs are going to be up front.
3. Online Retail. This might have been fantastic 5 years ago, but before delving into this type of business today, you are going to have to have a marketing plan, and a marketing budget. I agree that you can't just put a website up today and think that your market will find you. Also, most people who go online today are shopping price. If you can't compete with prices from around the globe, you may not do well in this marketplace. Just make sure that if you do start an online store, that you have a well laid plan to get eyeballs to your site.
4. High End Retail. My husband and I walked into a lighting store a few weeks ago and we couldn't believe the prices. We were shopping for some lamps to put on our desks, but I would also like to get a new chandelier for our dining room. We went to four or five places before we stopped in to this VERY high end store. I couldn't believe the price differential. You could tell that the quality was better, but to be honest, I didn't think that it was 10 times better. Today's consumer, no matter how wealthy, is looking for a deal. It is also very difficult to keep your inventory costs under control in these types of stores. One of the biggest mistakes that business owners make is to have too much inventory. If you start a business like this, make sure that you keep a close watch on your inventory.
5. Independent Consulting. Although I have not seen a huge volume of this type of business coming through the SCORE doors, I do know lots of people who are in this business. The great thing about becoming a consultant is that there are very little start up costs. Many people just go to the local printer and print up some cards, and now they are a consultant. However, one of the main issues here is clients. How are you going to get your clients? This is something that many consultants do not consider. Not only do you have to be good at what you do, but you have to be excellent at marketing and sales. Be sure to think this through before embarking on a consulting business.
6. Franchises. I agree that just because you are buying a franchise, you are not guaranteed a profit. Make sure you work with someone who is an expert in this area. Read the information before you sign the paperwork. Have an attorney with franchise expertise look it over to point out any areas of concern. Talk to existing franchise owners and LISTEN to what they have to say. Take a look at their marketing plan and find out what assistance they will be giving you versus what you will have to do yourself. Ask questions. Why should you go with their franchise versus setting up a similar business on your own?
7. Traffic Driven Web Sites: Being in San Diego where we have a lot of high tech businesses here, I have listened to a lot of pitches about the next best Facebook or the next best this or that. Yes, the internet has spawned some fantastic websites (like Blogger) and you can make a lot of money. You will need to have an excellent idea and get yourself in front of some Venture Capitalists. Listen to what they say. This type of business is difficult to get off the ground, but if you have an idea that is good, chances are if you get in front of enough VCs you can make your case. You will have a long road ahead of you, but if you have the right idea it can pay off.
As with any business, the main thing that you should do before starting a business is to have a good marketing and business plan. You can obtain assistance with this by visiting your local SCORE office or by obtaining the services of a good business consultant who has experience in the business that you would like to start.
Friday, July 31, 2009
I've been on twitter the last couple of weeks and now have a following of around 1300 people.
At first it was pretty easy, when I had a following of only 20 or 30 people, but as my friends and followers grew it got to be a bit daunting. Here are my tips so far:
1. If you start following a lot of people you will need to get a twitter management tool. There are many out there, but I'm using TweetDeck. It allows you to separate your friends (The people you are following) into groups. That way you can read the most important tweets first, and then get to the rest when you get around to it. It's not perfect, but without it I definitely would not be able to read the posts.
2. Find someone you like or that has a synergistic business with yours and watch what they say for a day or two. If you like them, start following people that they follow. Don't go crazy, you'll want to keep your follower to friend ratio on the lower side. Maybe 2:1. Its ok to follow more people than follow you, but you can't say for instance follow 2000 people and only have 1 follower.
3. When someone follows you, follow them back for at least a few days to see what they have to say. It's the polite thing to do. Of course, if they are just trying to sell you something, you can always unfollow them.
4. Don't shout. If you are selling something, that's ok, but let people get to know you first. If you read my posts, I hardly ever talk about what I do. Now I don't have zillions of followers yet, because I'm still pretty new. I'm just trying to give you the benefit of my experience.
5. Stay away from the sites that tell you that they can get you XXX followers in one day. Basically they have you follow 100 people or so and those people have to follow you and so on. Most of them wind up unfollowing you right away. You'd be better off following people that you think might be interested in what you are doing, than random people you know nothing about.
6. Remember, once you follow 2000 people, twitter limits you on how many more you can follow. They go by a secret ratio formula and I'll let you know what it is once I find out!
Well, that's it for now. You can follow me at @kathekline on Twitter.
What do you think about Twitter?
At first it was pretty easy, when I had a following of only 20 or 30 people, but as my friends and followers grew it got to be a bit daunting. Here are my tips so far:
1. If you start following a lot of people you will need to get a twitter management tool. There are many out there, but I'm using TweetDeck. It allows you to separate your friends (The people you are following) into groups. That way you can read the most important tweets first, and then get to the rest when you get around to it. It's not perfect, but without it I definitely would not be able to read the posts.
2. Find someone you like or that has a synergistic business with yours and watch what they say for a day or two. If you like them, start following people that they follow. Don't go crazy, you'll want to keep your follower to friend ratio on the lower side. Maybe 2:1. Its ok to follow more people than follow you, but you can't say for instance follow 2000 people and only have 1 follower.
3. When someone follows you, follow them back for at least a few days to see what they have to say. It's the polite thing to do. Of course, if they are just trying to sell you something, you can always unfollow them.
4. Don't shout. If you are selling something, that's ok, but let people get to know you first. If you read my posts, I hardly ever talk about what I do. Now I don't have zillions of followers yet, because I'm still pretty new. I'm just trying to give you the benefit of my experience.
5. Stay away from the sites that tell you that they can get you XXX followers in one day. Basically they have you follow 100 people or so and those people have to follow you and so on. Most of them wind up unfollowing you right away. You'd be better off following people that you think might be interested in what you are doing, than random people you know nothing about.
6. Remember, once you follow 2000 people, twitter limits you on how many more you can follow. They go by a secret ratio formula and I'll let you know what it is once I find out!
Well, that's it for now. You can follow me at @kathekline on Twitter.
What do you think about Twitter?
Saturday, July 25, 2009
How to Get Money for your business
Les just posted a new article to the website that you might want to read. It gives information on Angel Investors and free programs to help you get money for your company:
http://www.californiabusinessresource.com/Raising_Money.html
Good luck!
http://www.californiabusinessresource.com/Raising_Money.html
Good luck!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Get good PR without writing a press release
Today's post is from David Oats, who is an expert at getting PR for small to medium sized busisses. Enjoy! Kathe
Get good PR without writing a press release
By David B. Oates, APR
This may sound odd coming from a PR guy, but I’m no longer a believer that the press release is the primary way most companies can generate good, positive press. The reason is simple – no one’s reading them anymore!
Here’s why: press releases used to work well when PR firms or in-house marketing folks would blast them to a set list of newspaper and magazine reporters as well as the assignment desks of various television news outlets. But those opportunities are fewer and farther between than at any time in recent history. Anyone who hasn’t been under a rock over the past year has seen the very visible demise of traditional news organizations. Once high-flying behemoths like Tribune Company (owners of the L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune, Superstation WGN and others) are now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy with other long-standing publications on the verge of going away all together. Those that remain are struggling with a skeleton staff that are now holding down multiple roles and being pulled in so many directions that they have very little time to digest a 400-word announcement from yet another “leading provider of…[insert your industry here].”
Now that doesn’t mean that news outlets don’t want to hear about an organization’s recent achievements. Far from it – they need credible sources to help them with story ideas and developing topics now more than ever. Their dwindling staffs can’t cover it all, so they need the eyes and ears of the general public to do their job. But companies must look to announce such events in a much different way – online!
So before drafting another standard press release, try these three steps first:
1. Website news posting – put your piece of relevant news on its own page within your Web site. This will service as foundation to drive journalists and other relevant parties to find out more about your organization and your latest accomplishments.
2. Post your news on at least three social network systems – This may sound difficult at first, but trust me – it will take far less time and have far greater success once it’s set up. I’d recommend getting started by launching a Facebook and Twitter account in addition to your own blog. From there, link up with friends and business acquaintances as well as the reporters from media outlets that are using the same services (I guarantee that you’ll find some of them there!). Update your status/news on a regular basis and include a link to the news posting on your Web site. If done correctly, organizations will see much more activity than they ever did by just blasting the news out to media outlets.
3. Get others to do the same – The more people who comment on your news through the same social network services, the more attention it gets, and the greater reach an organization will garner.
At its basic level, this is grass roots/word of mouth marketing – just in an online form. I’ve personally secured new clients through this tactic, and I have seen a significant increase in interest from reporters when I distribute announcements through social media platforms. I may still write the occasional press release for companies, but I’m spending far less time doing so, and figure the tactic will all but be dead in the very near future.
About the Author: David Oates, APR, is the President of Stalwart Communications Inc., a San Diego-based marketing and public relations firm. He can be reached at david@stalwartcom.com or through his Twitter ID, @Stalwartcom.
Get good PR without writing a press release
By David B. Oates, APR
This may sound odd coming from a PR guy, but I’m no longer a believer that the press release is the primary way most companies can generate good, positive press. The reason is simple – no one’s reading them anymore!
Here’s why: press releases used to work well when PR firms or in-house marketing folks would blast them to a set list of newspaper and magazine reporters as well as the assignment desks of various television news outlets. But those opportunities are fewer and farther between than at any time in recent history. Anyone who hasn’t been under a rock over the past year has seen the very visible demise of traditional news organizations. Once high-flying behemoths like Tribune Company (owners of the L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune, Superstation WGN and others) are now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy with other long-standing publications on the verge of going away all together. Those that remain are struggling with a skeleton staff that are now holding down multiple roles and being pulled in so many directions that they have very little time to digest a 400-word announcement from yet another “leading provider of…[insert your industry here].”
Now that doesn’t mean that news outlets don’t want to hear about an organization’s recent achievements. Far from it – they need credible sources to help them with story ideas and developing topics now more than ever. Their dwindling staffs can’t cover it all, so they need the eyes and ears of the general public to do their job. But companies must look to announce such events in a much different way – online!
So before drafting another standard press release, try these three steps first:
1. Website news posting – put your piece of relevant news on its own page within your Web site. This will service as foundation to drive journalists and other relevant parties to find out more about your organization and your latest accomplishments.
2. Post your news on at least three social network systems – This may sound difficult at first, but trust me – it will take far less time and have far greater success once it’s set up. I’d recommend getting started by launching a Facebook and Twitter account in addition to your own blog. From there, link up with friends and business acquaintances as well as the reporters from media outlets that are using the same services (I guarantee that you’ll find some of them there!). Update your status/news on a regular basis and include a link to the news posting on your Web site. If done correctly, organizations will see much more activity than they ever did by just blasting the news out to media outlets.
3. Get others to do the same – The more people who comment on your news through the same social network services, the more attention it gets, and the greater reach an organization will garner.
At its basic level, this is grass roots/word of mouth marketing – just in an online form. I’ve personally secured new clients through this tactic, and I have seen a significant increase in interest from reporters when I distribute announcements through social media platforms. I may still write the occasional press release for companies, but I’m spending far less time doing so, and figure the tactic will all but be dead in the very near future.
About the Author: David Oates, APR, is the President of Stalwart Communications Inc., a San Diego-based marketing and public relations firm. He can be reached at david@stalwartcom.com or through his Twitter ID, @Stalwartcom.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Are you having fun in your business?
Why did you start your business? Did you start it so you would have a job? Did you start it because you wanted to be your own boss? Did you start it because you wanted to make a lot of money?
With the downturn in the economy, it's time to take a look at your business and determine why you got into your business in the first place. If you are not having fun in your business, perhaps it's time to re-think what you are doing. It's time to take a day or so and figure out your short and long term planning.
Ask yourself,
"When I started my business did I envision what I am doing now?"
"If not, what can I do to change my business so that it is what I dreamed it would be?"
If you are not having fun in your business, perhaps its time to make a change so that you do have fun!
What do you think?
With the downturn in the economy, it's time to take a look at your business and determine why you got into your business in the first place. If you are not having fun in your business, perhaps it's time to re-think what you are doing. It's time to take a day or so and figure out your short and long term planning.
Ask yourself,
"When I started my business did I envision what I am doing now?"
"If not, what can I do to change my business so that it is what I dreamed it would be?"
If you are not having fun in your business, perhaps its time to make a change so that you do have fun!
What do you think?
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Chrysler Fiasco
I have been working on a story called "Is Capitalism Dead?", but I can't print it now, because it's completely out of date now that Ken Tinnerman has broken a story that the majority of the dealers on the Chrysler "cut" list were republican donors. For a copy of the story go here:
http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/chrysler_republicans/2009/05/27/218757.html
However, it also turns out that 88% of all car dealerships are republican:
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/05/news-flash-car-dealers-are-republicans.html
How does this affect your business? Large business corporations frequently give donations to both parties to assist them with their lobbying efforts. Small business owners do not normally have this ability because 1. They don't have the money, and 2. They are usually giving money because they truly believe in the cause.
California is decidedly a Democrat state. The San Diego area (where I'm from) has typically been Republican. I'm sure that this will be a huge topic for the water coolers today, but here is my take on it:
First of all, if most auto dealers are republican, of course there will be a higher percentage of republicans on the "cut list".
Second, this is a huge black eye for whoever has made the decision. The person or persons should have realized that this would get out, and should realize the bad PR that this would have created.
Third, business owners shouldn't have to feel intimidated by their political beliefs. I realize that individual customers can show their displeasure by boycotting, etc, but business owners shouldn't be made to feel that the government itself can take over their business because of money that they gave to one side or another.
I suggest that Chrysler release the criteria that they used to create the "cut list". In today's Twittering world they'd better move on this fast.
What do you think?
http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/chrysler_republicans/2009/05/27/218757.html
However, it also turns out that 88% of all car dealerships are republican:
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/05/news-flash-car-dealers-are-republicans.html
How does this affect your business? Large business corporations frequently give donations to both parties to assist them with their lobbying efforts. Small business owners do not normally have this ability because 1. They don't have the money, and 2. They are usually giving money because they truly believe in the cause.
California is decidedly a Democrat state. The San Diego area (where I'm from) has typically been Republican. I'm sure that this will be a huge topic for the water coolers today, but here is my take on it:
First of all, if most auto dealers are republican, of course there will be a higher percentage of republicans on the "cut list".
Second, this is a huge black eye for whoever has made the decision. The person or persons should have realized that this would get out, and should realize the bad PR that this would have created.
Third, business owners shouldn't have to feel intimidated by their political beliefs. I realize that individual customers can show their displeasure by boycotting, etc, but business owners shouldn't be made to feel that the government itself can take over their business because of money that they gave to one side or another.
I suggest that Chrysler release the criteria that they used to create the "cut list". In today's Twittering world they'd better move on this fast.
What do you think?
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
What the Tweet is Twitter?
Ok, I finally caved into peer pressure and I got a Twitter account. Kathe was already taken so I was forced to use KatheKline, even though I'm going to be changing my name someday because I got married. I guess I'll deal with that when I have to.
I found out that somebody had already twittered about my blog. I hope I have the terminology right. I'm not sure if I'm using the right words. Anyway, I'm going to be taking some marketing classes/seminars about this whole twitter thing and I'll let you know if it's any good.
Any one out there Twittering? What are your thoughts on this whole Twitter business?
I found out that somebody had already twittered about my blog. I hope I have the terminology right. I'm not sure if I'm using the right words. Anyway, I'm going to be taking some marketing classes/seminars about this whole twitter thing and I'll let you know if it's any good.
Any one out there Twittering? What are your thoughts on this whole Twitter business?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
For PR, enter competitions!
I read a post written by Erin Jacobs titled “How to compete with the Big Guys”. http://www.startupnation.com/blogs/index.php/2009/05/22/how-to-compete-with-the-big-guys/
Basically she is recommending that in addition to normal marketing techniques, that small businesses should sign up for contests and compete.
Her company actually did this. She works for Vertical Marketing, a company that does email marketing and postcard mailing campaigns. The company sponsored a contest, http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-2009 and got press from ABC news, who ran a story on the winner.
Entering contests for your business makes a lot of sense. If you win the grand prize, of course you will receive some PR for that, but even if you don’t then you will get valuable feedback on your product or service.
I like her idea and I’m going to look for some ways that I can compete, or perhaps I’ll hold a competition for business owners? Now I’ll just have to think of what the competition will be and what the prize will be.
What do you think?
Basically she is recommending that in addition to normal marketing techniques, that small businesses should sign up for contests and compete.
Her company actually did this. She works for Vertical Marketing, a company that does email marketing and postcard mailing campaigns. The company sponsored a contest, http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-2009 and got press from ABC news, who ran a story on the winner.
Entering contests for your business makes a lot of sense. If you win the grand prize, of course you will receive some PR for that, but even if you don’t then you will get valuable feedback on your product or service.
I like her idea and I’m going to look for some ways that I can compete, or perhaps I’ll hold a competition for business owners? Now I’ll just have to think of what the competition will be and what the prize will be.
What do you think?
Monday, May 25, 2009
Business Leader Success Advice: A Break In The Supply Chain
I read the following blog today after my day off observing the Memorial Day Holiday: Business Leader Success Advice: A Break In The Supply Chain
The author does have a point that the bankruptcy of the auto dealers will hurt suppliers and other small businesses that rely on the auto makers for their livelihoods, but I am concerned that the way the government has taken over some banks, some insurance companies, and some auto manufacturers. It's not in the interest of the free market system. It's not in the interest of capitalism.
I understand that our economy needed to be propped up, and I understand that when the bailout occured we were at a very vulnerable position--that we could have entered a recession much larger than the one we are in. But I can't help feeling that we are putting off the inevitable, that if our auto industries can't survive on their own, that they won't survive at all.
And now that we are headed towards government ownership of private business, I can't help wonder...
Is capitalism dead?
The author does have a point that the bankruptcy of the auto dealers will hurt suppliers and other small businesses that rely on the auto makers for their livelihoods, but I am concerned that the way the government has taken over some banks, some insurance companies, and some auto manufacturers. It's not in the interest of the free market system. It's not in the interest of capitalism.
I understand that our economy needed to be propped up, and I understand that when the bailout occured we were at a very vulnerable position--that we could have entered a recession much larger than the one we are in. But I can't help feeling that we are putting off the inevitable, that if our auto industries can't survive on their own, that they won't survive at all.
And now that we are headed towards government ownership of private business, I can't help wonder...
Is capitalism dead?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Free Choice is no Choice
Many of you are aware of the "Employee Free Choice Act", which basically takes secret votes for Unionization and turns them into public votes. I think that this idea is a threat not only to business, but also to our democracy system.
For help fighting this Act, please go to: http://www.uschamber.com/chambers/efca_gr_toolkit
What do you think?
For help fighting this Act, please go to: http://www.uschamber.com/chambers/efca_gr_toolkit
What do you think?
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
300 Dealers Sue
I've been listening to the news about the car dealers who have been given three weeks notice that they will be losing their dealerships.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/dow-chrysler-dealers-suit-may19,0,6471245.story
I heard one dealer last night tell his story that they were supposed to cut the bottom 14% of the car dealers, but he is actually in the top 2% and his franchise is being taken away and given to the dealer down the street. He will be getting no compensation for this transaction.
This morning I heard a similar story. A dealer in Florida who was just forced by the franchise to do a million dollars of upgrades to his dealership, will be losing his franchise in three weeks and it will be given to the dealer down the street.
His inventory won't be repurchased, and he won't be compensated for the money he had to borrow to do the upgrades.
I'm going to be doing more research on this issue, but it sounds to me like capitalism is in danger of dying.
Of course, bankruptcy courts have a lot of latitude, but to take from one to give to another... well that sounds like a different type of government to me.
What do you think?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/dow-chrysler-dealers-suit-may19,0,6471245.story
I heard one dealer last night tell his story that they were supposed to cut the bottom 14% of the car dealers, but he is actually in the top 2% and his franchise is being taken away and given to the dealer down the street. He will be getting no compensation for this transaction.
This morning I heard a similar story. A dealer in Florida who was just forced by the franchise to do a million dollars of upgrades to his dealership, will be losing his franchise in three weeks and it will be given to the dealer down the street.
His inventory won't be repurchased, and he won't be compensated for the money he had to borrow to do the upgrades.
I'm going to be doing more research on this issue, but it sounds to me like capitalism is in danger of dying.
Of course, bankruptcy courts have a lot of latitude, but to take from one to give to another... well that sounds like a different type of government to me.
What do you think?
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Aardvark, what a great tool!
Yesterday I signed up for Aardvark, which is a cool social networking site for question answering.
You ask a question, and in 5 minutes or so, somebody on the site sends you an answer.
I asked a question about my outlook account. I use two computers (three if you count my blackberry) and when I send an email from one of my computers it shows up on the other, but not vice-versa. I asked a question about why this is, and how to fix it. Within five minutes I had three people working on my case.
As of this writing, I still don't have my answer (a lot of suggestions though!) but I'll update you later to let you know if I ever find out the answer.
And if any of YOU know what the problem is, please let me know!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Blogger verification
I had to add this to verify that I'm the owner of this site.
**************************************************
Isms and America...watch this 50 year old cartoon
I just watched this cartoon that was made 50 years ago. It discusses freedom and how it will be taken away if people subscribe to "isms". It's worth watching, but there are some "ads" inserted by the person who posted it to youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB6p5QPVhPI
Makes you think about what's been going on the last 8 or 10 years....
What do you think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB6p5QPVhPI
Makes you think about what's been going on the last 8 or 10 years....
What do you think?
Monday, May 4, 2009
401(k) and your employees
A lot of employers are unaware about a case that went to the Supreme Court that can affect them. It has to do with 401(k) plans. Before the ruling, which happened in Feb of 2008, it was assumed that employers were not responsible for what happened to an individual employee's 401(k) plan. This is no longer the case. Employees who have individual losses, and not just classes of employees, have the right to sue employers over the losses in their plan.
If an employer allows unwise investment choices, or extremely high fees, that employer can be liable for damages, so it is very important that an employer doesn't just "set it and forget it", when implementing a 401(k) plan.
Although the stock market is up as I am writing this, we all know how volatile the market has been over the last year or so. I think it is a wise idea to review your 401(k) plan at least once a year.
Luckily, getting a plan review isn't really that difficult. There are four key areas to look for when reviewing your plan, and you can get a full report on this by going to: http://www.californiabusinessresource.com/Why_Evaluate_Your_Business_es_401(k).html
Reviewing the plan, having an investment policy statement and sticking to it, maintaining records on educational meetings, etc, are all simple things that an employer can do to mitigate the risk.
There is also another way to mitigate the risk as well--outsource your 401(k) plan liability by engaging a Professional Employer Organization (PEO). By outsourcing your employees via a PEO, you are not only lowering your risk, but many times you are lowering the cost as well. I'll write about PEOs in another post. I think that in today's troubled times, employers must do everything that they can to lower the risk of getting sued by former or current disgruntled employees.
What do you think?
If an employer allows unwise investment choices, or extremely high fees, that employer can be liable for damages, so it is very important that an employer doesn't just "set it and forget it", when implementing a 401(k) plan.
Although the stock market is up as I am writing this, we all know how volatile the market has been over the last year or so. I think it is a wise idea to review your 401(k) plan at least once a year.
Luckily, getting a plan review isn't really that difficult. There are four key areas to look for when reviewing your plan, and you can get a full report on this by going to: http://www.californiabusinessresource.com/Why_Evaluate_Your_Business_es_401(k).html
Reviewing the plan, having an investment policy statement and sticking to it, maintaining records on educational meetings, etc, are all simple things that an employer can do to mitigate the risk.
There is also another way to mitigate the risk as well--outsource your 401(k) plan liability by engaging a Professional Employer Organization (PEO). By outsourcing your employees via a PEO, you are not only lowering your risk, but many times you are lowering the cost as well. I'll write about PEOs in another post. I think that in today's troubled times, employers must do everything that they can to lower the risk of getting sued by former or current disgruntled employees.
What do you think?
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Swine Flu
This last week I've been following the Swine Flu issue and have been wondering what will happen to my business if the Swine Flu really does become an epidemic.
I'm wondering if "Business Interruption Insurance" covers an epidemic. I emailed a friend of mine who is a Property Casualty Broker, but I haven't heard back yet. As soon as I do hear back, I'll let you all know.
I'm also thinking that I need to back up my work, and I'm going to sign up with an offsite backup service this week. Nothing like a good epidemic to remind me that I need to do a data backup! Actually I do regular backups that I keep on portable drives, but having an offsite backup is one additional step that one can take to protect the business.
For those of you who've met me, you know that I'm already sort of a "germaphobe". I don't like to shake hands with people just before or during a meal, and I've gotten a lot of flack for this in the past. I don't trust those little bottles of purel to completely kill all of the germs. Lately I've been surprised that people are still shaking hands during meals in light of the 24 hour flu coverage. This drives me crazy!
Anyway, I'll be updating you soon with the information on Business Interuption Insurance and other ways we can all protect our businesses if there was some sort of natural disaster.
What do you think?
I'm wondering if "Business Interruption Insurance" covers an epidemic. I emailed a friend of mine who is a Property Casualty Broker, but I haven't heard back yet. As soon as I do hear back, I'll let you all know.
I'm also thinking that I need to back up my work, and I'm going to sign up with an offsite backup service this week. Nothing like a good epidemic to remind me that I need to do a data backup! Actually I do regular backups that I keep on portable drives, but having an offsite backup is one additional step that one can take to protect the business.
For those of you who've met me, you know that I'm already sort of a "germaphobe". I don't like to shake hands with people just before or during a meal, and I've gotten a lot of flack for this in the past. I don't trust those little bottles of purel to completely kill all of the germs. Lately I've been surprised that people are still shaking hands during meals in light of the 24 hour flu coverage. This drives me crazy!
Anyway, I'll be updating you soon with the information on Business Interuption Insurance and other ways we can all protect our businesses if there was some sort of natural disaster.
What do you think?
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Today's Luncheon
Today I went to a luncheon sponsored by NAWBO. The speaker was Angie Swartz of Square Martini Marketing. It was a fantastic talk and I'm really glad that I went. However, now I think I'm WAY behind this social media stuff...
Angie had a lot of really great things to say. First she asked the group who was using Linkedin and almost every hand (about 80 people) went up. Then she asked who was using Facebook and a lot less hands were seen. The reason, the group explained to her, was that we felt that facebook is for kids, and Linkedin is for business.
Angie is a big believer in Facebook, and she explained the demographics, i.e. the fastest growing group on Facebook is women aged 55. We thought that was because they were signing up to talk to their grandchildren. She explained that if we wanted to sell services and products to those women we should sign up for the service.
I'll think about it, but my target audience is C level executives so I think I'll stick to Linkedin...
Anyway, she also talked about Twitter, which is basically a micro-blog site where you can only type 140 characters. She said it was the fastest growing social media that there is and if we got on board now we would still be considered "first movers".
For more information about social media go to her site at: www.squaremartinimedia.com
I feel so behind, because I only just started this blog! So now I have to start a Twitter account and learn to "Tweet" people. I have to get "Google Alerts" so if some of my clients get all in a twitter about something I've done (like Amazon did with the gay and lesbian community over the Easter holiday) I can respond quickly. Amazon did not respond quickly and on Easter they were getting 50 tweets per minute about Amazon's lack of tolerance toward the gay community.
I'm exhausted just thinking about it!
What do you think?
Angie had a lot of really great things to say. First she asked the group who was using Linkedin and almost every hand (about 80 people) went up. Then she asked who was using Facebook and a lot less hands were seen. The reason, the group explained to her, was that we felt that facebook is for kids, and Linkedin is for business.
Angie is a big believer in Facebook, and she explained the demographics, i.e. the fastest growing group on Facebook is women aged 55. We thought that was because they were signing up to talk to their grandchildren. She explained that if we wanted to sell services and products to those women we should sign up for the service.
I'll think about it, but my target audience is C level executives so I think I'll stick to Linkedin...
Anyway, she also talked about Twitter, which is basically a micro-blog site where you can only type 140 characters. She said it was the fastest growing social media that there is and if we got on board now we would still be considered "first movers".
For more information about social media go to her site at: www.squaremartinimedia.com
I feel so behind, because I only just started this blog! So now I have to start a Twitter account and learn to "Tweet" people. I have to get "Google Alerts" so if some of my clients get all in a twitter about something I've done (like Amazon did with the gay and lesbian community over the Easter holiday) I can respond quickly. Amazon did not respond quickly and on Easter they were getting 50 tweets per minute about Amazon's lack of tolerance toward the gay community.
I'm exhausted just thinking about it!
What do you think?
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Strategic Networking
Strategic Networking
How to you build your online presence? There is a fantastic way to build your online business that is not only fun, but free!
Basically you find someone who is in a non-competing business and you work together to build both of your businesses at the same time. This type of networking takes a bit longer than just meeting people and asking them for their business, but it can payoff much greater in the end.
When you first start looking for strategic partners, it may take you a while to find the right fit. You need to find someone who is like minded so that you feel that the partnership is worth the time and effort. When I first started this process I targeted business relationship managers at banks. It took me several attempts before I finally found the right person to work with. Here are some tips to get started:
How to you build your online presence? There is a fantastic way to build your online business that is not only fun, but free!
Basically you find someone who is in a non-competing business and you work together to build both of your businesses at the same time. This type of networking takes a bit longer than just meeting people and asking them for their business, but it can payoff much greater in the end.
When you first start looking for strategic partners, it may take you a while to find the right fit. You need to find someone who is like minded so that you feel that the partnership is worth the time and effort. When I first started this process I targeted business relationship managers at banks. It took me several attempts before I finally found the right person to work with. Here are some tips to get started:
1. Join a few social networking sites like Facebook or Linkedin. Help other people with their business, share ideas, and give them referrals where appropriate. Find out what networking meetings they are going to and see if you can come along.
2. Always look to do business within your strategic networking groups. Instead of just going online and doing a search; look to your networking partners within your Facebook or Linkedin accounts. If you are going to make a purchase, why not stay within your network? You may even be able to negotiate a better price with someone you know. Over time, you will find that people you have done business with will do business with you.
3. Networking events can be more fun if you go with someone else. However, don’t make the mistake of sticking to that person like glue at the event. You already know that person! Make it a game; place a bet on who can get the most business cards at the function. If it is a dinner, don’t next to each other so that you will have new people sitting on both your right side and left side. Have your friend sit one or two persons away from you. That way you can still talk if it makes you more comfortable, but you are not spending the whole time with someone you already know.
4. If you are on Linkedin, make sure that you read the questions that others post, and if you know the answer…post it! This establishes you as an expert and gets your name out there. Once you get to know some people who may make viable strategic partners, step it up.
5. If you find someone who sells a service or product that is complementary to yours, have him write an article for your website. Give him a page on your website to sell his service. Ask him to do the same for you. This type of arrangement won’t necessarily help your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as much as if you weren’t sharing links, but the fresh content will help the web crawler recognize your site.
6. Likewise, if you have a website that sells products that are complimentary, you can share Google ad costs with the business. Have the clicks go to a landing page that describes both products and then when someone inquires on the site you can split the leads. By sharing advertising costs, you can afford to pay more per click, get your ads higher up on the Google search engine, and get more clicks that translate to more sales.
Katherine Kline is Vice President of OFD Enterprises. She can be reached by emailing kathekline@OFDEnterprises.com or by calling 866-445-6683 ext 5207
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Is your business backed up?
Last week there was a lot of buzz about a computer virus that was pretty much impossible to detect-and if you tried to get rid of it you ran the risk of catching it from direputable websites that claimed to help check your computer for the virus, or help you rid yourself of the virus, but actually they infected you with the virus.
The virus was actually easy to stay clear of, if you had been keeping up with your Windows updates. Its amazing how many people do not do this.
In addition, a lot of us don't back up our systems. This is amazing because there are a lot of programs out there that will do this for you, and at an amazingly low cost. Some of these systems advertise on my website, http://www.californiabusinessresource.com/, and will do your backups for as little as 5 bucks a month.
Even though the virus scare was pretty much a big letdown; nothing really happened.... it gives us all reason to pause and think to ourselves..."am I backedup?"
If the answer is no, maybe you should go do that right now!
What do you think?
The virus was actually easy to stay clear of, if you had been keeping up with your Windows updates. Its amazing how many people do not do this.
In addition, a lot of us don't back up our systems. This is amazing because there are a lot of programs out there that will do this for you, and at an amazingly low cost. Some of these systems advertise on my website, http://www.californiabusinessresource.com/, and will do your backups for as little as 5 bucks a month.
Even though the virus scare was pretty much a big letdown; nothing really happened.... it gives us all reason to pause and think to ourselves..."am I backedup?"
If the answer is no, maybe you should go do that right now!
What do you think?
Monday, March 30, 2009
Brain Gyms
Today I read in the Wall Street Journal that the newest craze is to work out in "Brain Gyms". So now, not only do I have to feel guilty for not going to the regular gym, but I have to feel guilty for missing my brain workout.
Basically the Brain Gym is a place where you go to play computer games that are just difficult enough to make you feel a little stressed out because you can't really do it.
Just what I need, a little more stress in my life. I've been telling my husband that the reason I keep forgetting things is because my brain is too full of information that I probably will never use anyway. Now it turns out that the reason I'm forgetting things is because I haven't been working my brain enough.
What else will they come up with for me to put on my "to do" list, and so that I won't have time to do it?
What do you think?
Basically the Brain Gym is a place where you go to play computer games that are just difficult enough to make you feel a little stressed out because you can't really do it.
Just what I need, a little more stress in my life. I've been telling my husband that the reason I keep forgetting things is because my brain is too full of information that I probably will never use anyway. Now it turns out that the reason I'm forgetting things is because I haven't been working my brain enough.
What else will they come up with for me to put on my "to do" list, and so that I won't have time to do it?
What do you think?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The new ecomony (Discovery Bank CEO event)
This morning I went to a CEO event put on by Discovery Bank. They had a hot breakfast for us, and the platform speaker was Reo Carr, the Associate Publisher of the San Diego Business Journal. It's always fun and informative to listen to Reo speak, and I thought I'd share some of his observations here.
His presentation was about the current recession and what was going to happen once the recession is over.
Reo said that there were five words that we had to remember from his presentation:
Mean
Lean
Green
Keen
Faster
Mean- This recession is not going to be like the last one. It is going to change our whole economy. Businesses will have to emerge much more competetive becaue now we will be competing with other countries who have an educated workforce and the technological tools to compete. Namely: China, India, Korea, Brazil, Russia, and Europe among others.
Lean-In order to compete, your business has to run leaner. Toyota is a good example of this. There will be great pressures on running leaner. If you used to have a 10 million dollar company with 100 employees, you will need to go to a 10 million dollar company with 80 employees.
This will bring a golden age for consultants, and companies will start to outsource to help them remain leaner. When the job is done, they just won't renew the contract. Once this recession is over, you can't just go back to what you were doing two years ago. You will have to become leaner to survive, because there will be a much greater pressure on margins.
Green-Being green is now a mainstream concept. We are continuing to populate the earth with the same number of limited resources. Because of this, we MUST do more with less. Being green now has to do with Economics. Here in San Diego we are getting "Water Allocation" (water rationing). This will soon become the norm here.
Most companies can become greener by just allowing their employees to stay home once a week. Think of what would happen to our traffic and oil consumption if everyone just worked from home once a week!
Also, the company wouldn't have to house the employee, pay for heat or air conditioning, lights, parking, etc. etc.
(Reo didn't say this, but there are companies that help corporations allow for telecommuting. They help the employer track what the employee is doing, and keep safe for worker's compensation purposes etc. I have a friend who runs such a company. It's called Home2Office)
Keen- Companies will have to be smarter. There is more competition and they will have to lear to do more with less. Being smarter will become very important.
Faster--The speed of business has increased and is continuing to increase exponentially because of the utilization of computers. (I remember when there weren't any computers in a small business, and I'm sure that some of my readers do too, but there are plenty of younger business people out there who do NOT have those memories).
Because of the use of computers our economy has changed. We will see sharper upturns when the market turns around, but also sharper downturns. We will have a period of learning, where we will have some pain, because right now we do not know how to manage the global economy.
Rio had a lot of other things to say, and there were other great speakers there as well, but this is it for now.
What do you think about all of this?
His presentation was about the current recession and what was going to happen once the recession is over.
Reo said that there were five words that we had to remember from his presentation:
Mean
Lean
Green
Keen
Faster
Mean- This recession is not going to be like the last one. It is going to change our whole economy. Businesses will have to emerge much more competetive becaue now we will be competing with other countries who have an educated workforce and the technological tools to compete. Namely: China, India, Korea, Brazil, Russia, and Europe among others.
Lean-In order to compete, your business has to run leaner. Toyota is a good example of this. There will be great pressures on running leaner. If you used to have a 10 million dollar company with 100 employees, you will need to go to a 10 million dollar company with 80 employees.
This will bring a golden age for consultants, and companies will start to outsource to help them remain leaner. When the job is done, they just won't renew the contract. Once this recession is over, you can't just go back to what you were doing two years ago. You will have to become leaner to survive, because there will be a much greater pressure on margins.
Green-Being green is now a mainstream concept. We are continuing to populate the earth with the same number of limited resources. Because of this, we MUST do more with less. Being green now has to do with Economics. Here in San Diego we are getting "Water Allocation" (water rationing). This will soon become the norm here.
Most companies can become greener by just allowing their employees to stay home once a week. Think of what would happen to our traffic and oil consumption if everyone just worked from home once a week!
Also, the company wouldn't have to house the employee, pay for heat or air conditioning, lights, parking, etc. etc.
(Reo didn't say this, but there are companies that help corporations allow for telecommuting. They help the employer track what the employee is doing, and keep safe for worker's compensation purposes etc. I have a friend who runs such a company. It's called Home2Office)
Keen- Companies will have to be smarter. There is more competition and they will have to lear to do more with less. Being smarter will become very important.
Faster--The speed of business has increased and is continuing to increase exponentially because of the utilization of computers. (I remember when there weren't any computers in a small business, and I'm sure that some of my readers do too, but there are plenty of younger business people out there who do NOT have those memories).
Because of the use of computers our economy has changed. We will see sharper upturns when the market turns around, but also sharper downturns. We will have a period of learning, where we will have some pain, because right now we do not know how to manage the global economy.
Rio had a lot of other things to say, and there were other great speakers there as well, but this is it for now.
What do you think about all of this?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Unionization of America
I read several articles this morning about FedEx and how they have threatened to cancel an order of 15-30 planes that they plan to purchase from Boeing if the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009 becomes law. For a description of the bill, go to:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-915
Basically, FedEx has stated that they will no longer be profitable if they become fully unionized, and if the bill passes, that is a much more likely event. Currently the pilots are the only unionized employees at FedEx.
Boeing is not commenting on the statement other to say that they have not added the order for 30 planes to their firm orders because of the wording of the contract in place.
The bill would make them more in line with UPS, who is not covered under the Railroad Act of 1926 because they started as a trucking company before aviation became popular. UPS is unionized by the Teamsters Union.
Congress is becoming more and more unfriendly towards business. Public sentiment also seems to be headed towards becoming business un-friendly.
Here in California, businesses are battling the "Employee Free Choice Act" that changes the current voting procedure from secret ballots to allowing unions to organize by collecting signed membership cards. Privacy groups and employers are concerned that employees would be bullied into voting for the union if union members are allowed to view their votes.
Increasingly, unions are gaining access by petitioning our government to change laws that give them the advantage.
Allan Zaremberg, president of the California Chamber of Commerce, said that the (California) bill would open the door to worker intimidation, and employers could suffer even more than they are suffering now. "Freedom for workers to make the choice to unionize without the threat of intimidation could very well determine the success of any individual employer," Zaremberg said . "In this severe recession, we should be focused on reducing costs to employers so that they can increase the number of jobs they provide."
I'm becoming increasingly concerned about the Business Environment in California. What do you think?
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-915
Basically, FedEx has stated that they will no longer be profitable if they become fully unionized, and if the bill passes, that is a much more likely event. Currently the pilots are the only unionized employees at FedEx.
Boeing is not commenting on the statement other to say that they have not added the order for 30 planes to their firm orders because of the wording of the contract in place.
The bill would make them more in line with UPS, who is not covered under the Railroad Act of 1926 because they started as a trucking company before aviation became popular. UPS is unionized by the Teamsters Union.
Congress is becoming more and more unfriendly towards business. Public sentiment also seems to be headed towards becoming business un-friendly.
Here in California, businesses are battling the "Employee Free Choice Act" that changes the current voting procedure from secret ballots to allowing unions to organize by collecting signed membership cards. Privacy groups and employers are concerned that employees would be bullied into voting for the union if union members are allowed to view their votes.
Increasingly, unions are gaining access by petitioning our government to change laws that give them the advantage.
Allan Zaremberg, president of the California Chamber of Commerce, said that the (California) bill would open the door to worker intimidation, and employers could suffer even more than they are suffering now. "Freedom for workers to make the choice to unionize without the threat of intimidation could very well determine the success of any individual employer," Zaremberg said . "In this severe recession, we should be focused on reducing costs to employers so that they can increase the number of jobs they provide."
I'm becoming increasingly concerned about the Business Environment in California. What do you think?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Bonus Checks...should we take them back?
There has been a lot of comment lately on the bonus checks issue at AIG. A lot of people are saying that we should tax them at 90 to 100%, or that we should make them give the checks back, etc. etc.
Hey, I'm no fan of giving these folks our hard earned tax payer money. I'm just concerned about the negative environment that is being built up right now for businesses.
The other day I was at a dinner with friends, and one of the guests said that he thought that we could fix the problem by making it so that all bonus checks had to be paid out over a ten year period. I laughed and then asked him if he had ever had employees...
As a business owner, I want the flexibility of being able to pay my people enough to get the good workers onboard, but not so much that it is no longer worth my while to take the risk of being a business owner.
What do you think should be done about these bonus checks?
Hey, I'm no fan of giving these folks our hard earned tax payer money. I'm just concerned about the negative environment that is being built up right now for businesses.
The other day I was at a dinner with friends, and one of the guests said that he thought that we could fix the problem by making it so that all bonus checks had to be paid out over a ten year period. I laughed and then asked him if he had ever had employees...
As a business owner, I want the flexibility of being able to pay my people enough to get the good workers onboard, but not so much that it is no longer worth my while to take the risk of being a business owner.
What do you think should be done about these bonus checks?
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