Andrew Barden's Small Biz Marketing Strategy

Super Saturday Lunch & Learn - Marketing Strategies, HR Solutions, and Networking

2011-01-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

Super Saturday - Lunch & Learn - Marketing & Sales Strategies, HR Solutions, & More to Increase Your Bottom Line Hosted by HR Alliance, Inc.

Saturday, Jan 15, 2011 (10:00 AM to 2:00 PM) at HR Alliance, Inc., Headquarters: 11115 NE 14th Street Suite 103, Vancouver, WA

360-567-2092 hr@hrallianceinc.com

www.hrallianceinc.com

REGISTER HERE: http://www.socializr.com/event/558942631

For all small business owners looking to grow their client base & improve their bottom line: Come gather with a small group of local business owners this Saturday for a Lunch & Learn. No Fee. HR Alliance, Inc., is ‘The Small Business Owner’s HR Solution.’ There is limited space available in our conference room.

Agenda:

10:00am - Small Business Marketing & Sales Fundamentals - 5 Skills Every Entrepreneur Should Develop - Presenter: Andrew Barden, Business Growth Strategist & Entrepreneurship Trainer - www.AndrewBarden.com & www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbarden

11:00am - Video presentation on HR Alliance, Inc.'s services - www.HRAllianceInc.com "Less Headaches, Less Paperwork, Less Taxes, Less Liability. More Profit." - "HR Alliance always brings small business owners good news."

11:45am - Q & A on HR Alliance methods of increasing bottom line dollars & decreasing liabilites

12:00pm - Networking & Bag Lunch (BYO lunch, coffee provided at no charge) After eating together, we will have a structured relationship-building and need/solution exchange led by a facilitator

1:00pm - Video presentation on HR Alliance, Inc. (for those who couldn't make the 11am show time)

1:45pm - Q & A on HR Alliance, Inc., methods of increasing bottom line dollars

One or more HR Agents will be available after each video presentation for questions about business strategies to address how, when HR Alliance, Inc., processes your payroll, we can also provide a full benefit package to you (and your employees, if any), including medical, dental, vision, life & disability, 401k, long term care insurance; significantly lower your business and personal income taxes; and ensure you comply with IRS payroll codes and HR laws, removing many legal liabilities. Again, our service is for business owners with or without employees... AND for those who may not presently use a payroll service. Sole Proprietors, LLCs, LLPs, and S Corps welcome! Limited space available in our small conference room. Be sure to bring your own bag lunch (Trader Joes is just 1/2 mile south of our office and they have many prepared meals to go). Coffee provided for free.

For more information, please contact Andrew Barden, CSO, HR Alliance, Inc., at 360-567-2092, ext 506

Marketing Fundamentals- Training Event by Andrew Barden

2010-07-24T21:31:00.001-07:00

Hi again,

I recently presented a marketing fundamentals training at the "Dream and Discover" conference presented by the Northern Los Angeles County Small Business Development Center, hosted by College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita, CA. Watch the video and see the power point slides here:

Click the below link or click the title of this post to watch the video and see the slides:

If you need help developing effective marketing strategies, feel free to contact me at 1-866-339-4619 or email me at andrew@andrewbarden.com ... you can also watch my Inspirational Entrepreneurship Training video at www.andrewbarden.com

Happy Marketing,
Andrew Barden
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Andrew Barden
Philanthropic Entrepreneur
"Love Your Clients. Love Your Profits. Love Your Life."
http://www.AndrewBarden.com
1-866-339-4619

How to Identify Your Target Market from Scratch in 7 Steps

2010-03-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

I was reading over James Roche's latest article, How to Identify Your Target Market from Scratch in 7 Steps, and wanted to post a link to it here. Great stuff for startups now doing their marketing research or those current business owners who are finally getting around to doing a serious marketing plan. I'd recommend you sign up for his bi-weekly newsletter, too.

http://www.infoproductguy.com/ezine/04042603.html

Enjoy reading and applying what you learn from James. He is on top of his game in terms of internet marketing, especially of marketing information products.

To Your Success,

Andrew

---------------------
Andrew Barden
Philanthropic Entrepreneur
"Love Your Clients. Love Your Profits. Love Your Life."
http://www.AndrewBarden.com
1-866-339-4619

Advertising/Marketing on Communities and Social Networks

2009-09-05T18:19:00.001-07:00

Advertising/Marketing on Communities and Social Networks

This is a mindmap showing how to advertise on communities and social networking sites. I’ll return later with more advise on how to attract more clients using online business social networking sites.

Future Entrepreneurial Trends

2009-09-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

Stewart Borie, a entrepreneurial management consultant and colleague of mine, posed a question on LinkedIn and my answer is below. His question reads:

What is the trend in entreprenership? Will it explode or will it stay level?

I have been an Entrepreneur and Advisor for over two decades, with a passion for Entrepreneurship and an MBA from Wharton in Entrepreneurial Management. I believe there is the potential for a "perfect storm" of Entrepreneurship in the coming decade. The recession, coupled with an aging population with little savings, a new generation of social networking and new generations of technology enhancing the “flattening" of the world and business, emerging economies such as China and India; all point to a new frontier of entrepreneurship, with waves of new entrepreneurs emerging of all ages. Is it coming? Where will it come from? What will it look like?

His original question can be found here:

http://www.linkedin.com/answers?viewQuestion=&answerLevel=fullAnswer&questionID=542670&askerID=5459625&goback=.hom.mid_1409998237

And here is my answer...

Stewart, I do agree with you that a perfect storm COULD be created. The trends do seem to be going in that direction. And, while the last comment about "consultants drowning people" may be a bit overly pessimistic, the other comment about the percentage of failures and stiff competition is quite accurate.

What I feel we need to remember as we look to the future is the larger cycles that we are experiencing on earth. Check out the DVD called The Great Year, as it talks about the 24,000 year cycles on this planet.

We are, according to the ancient sages and current wise people, on an upward cycle in general. However, what they also say is that we are just out of one of the lower periods.

So, we have a long way to go before our entire planetary consciousness is made up of largely good people helping one another. The entrepreneurial spirit that can and does help people is what I am working to support. Those that see a need and set up a system to fulfill that need can succeed, especially when their deepest motive is to truly be of service, to LOVE others and receive thanks in doing so.

I do believe that you are right, Stewart, there will be an upward growth in entrepreneurial business ATTEMPTS. The main question is, are these entrepreneurs aware of their need to get as much support as possible to beat the odds and approach their market with strength.

And, as we know, there is strength in numbers. As Keith Ferrazzi says, you need a team, a few people who you can trust completely and who "have your back," and you need a network of advisors who you meet with regularly. You don't want to go it alone. In fact, it's almost impossible to succeed by yourself. Micro enterprises do have advantages over big businesses that allow them to change faster.

And, certainly we are experiencing a LOT of changes, faster than ever before, as fewer and fewer people are trusting traditional forms of advertising. Neilsen did a Global Online Consumer Survey in July of 2009 that shows that people are most likely to trust the advice of people they know, and secondarily trust the opinion of consumers who post comments online, especially negative ones.

So, relationship marketing, one-to-one advice, social media, and word of mouth marketing are going to dominate the most successful company's marketing strategy in the next decade no doubt. Any relationship based on loving service will ultimately grow the brand reputation and thus the revenue. Love conquers all... including prospective clients/customers!

I think, on the flipside, there is in general more FEAR dominant in the world consciousness as a result of the financial melting we are seeing at all levels. It is this fear that could freeze the individuals who would normally take risks and invest money and time.

So, if there is going to be an explosion in entrepreneurship that is SUCCESSFULLY creating new business growth, it will be a sign that love and not fear is dominant in the majority of people's consciousness.

And, I feel there will be a growth in social entrepreneurship, where people focus on those activities that are most in harmony with other people and the planet, recognizing the divinity within the human heart as well as in nature. Those businesses that are in line with our upward evolution in consciousness will be those that are led by and have operating principles that are also in harmony.

Best Options for the 11% of Unemployed People in Los Angeles County

2009-06-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Again,

At 11% unemployment, Los Angelenos are finding it hard to keep or find a job. For the unemployed or under-employed people living in Los Angeles County, I've shared below a few of the best options to help you increase your income and perhaps have a life-changing experience, too! Keep up hope! May good fortune, gainful employment, and increased income quickly shine down upon you!

Become a Freelancer:

Most companies are now outsourcing many of their services to vendors instead of hiring people internally. Take your resume and re—write it for a business marketing piece. Ask your local SBDC counselor to write a simple professional profile, and then post it on the freelance job sites. An SBDC counselor will help at no charge. Simply visit http://lasbdcnet.lbcc.edu/locations.html to locate an SBDC near you.

Once you have a final draft of a professional profile, and a professional head and shoulder picture, with various resolutions (as each site will have their photo size requirements), post your photo and profile on the following sites: www.guru.com, www.elance.com, www.allfreelance.com, and www.freelancejobresource.com. These are the largest sites for freelancers, with thousands of projects on which to bid in nearly any area in which you might have an expertise. Projects can be local or from employers in another country.

These sites both make it easy for potential people to hire you, plus, they make it easy to get paid. You can be guaranteed to be paid for your work by using an escrow account. The employers (people who will hire you for temporary contracts) will post a job request, and you'll submit a bid (along with a few others). If they pick your bid, then you'll ask them to put their money in an escrow account. And, only then do you begin working on their project. You are guaranteed to get paid so long as you fulfill your end of the agreement.

Go Back to School:

If you feel like you have enough time outside of work (and the energy), and are willing to take on some student loans, now is the time when literally hundreds of thousands of out of work people are returning back to school. They are motivated either by being forced to switch careers or realize that in order to compete in this tougher economy, another degree can make the difference between getting the job or getting turned down.

Numerous community colleges (http://www.laccd.edu) and state and private colleges (http://www.laalmanac.com/education/ed36.htm) in the Los Angeles region are packed with new students of all ages, but, if you act quickly, you could get a spot in a reasonably-priced university, making your future job prospecting a good bit more hopeful.

If you don't have the time, energy, or are not willing to be burdened by large student loans, the below option of teaching English abroad could be a better choice.

Teach English Overseas:

There are fewer job openings in Los Angeles county than there have been since the Great Depression and many people are looking overseas for both a change in career and lifestyle. Teaching English in another country is a great option for those who don't have children under 18, who have always wanted to travel, are ready for a change, and don't have other employment options.

Recent college graduates with no other job prospects or people in their 40s, 50s, or even 60s who are ready for a career change can, within a few weeks, find themselves happily employed in an exotic country, making good money, and yet still have enough time off to travel.

For Los Angeles County residents, visit www.TESOLTrainingCenter.com to learn about the opportunities for single people (and couples without young kids) to get paid to Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in hundreds of other countries. A TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Certificate is required, and courses range from 80 to 100 hours in length, usually on the weekends.

It's best to receive your training from a teacher trainer with a Masters in TESOL. Be sure to ask. Many of the programs who offer a TESOL Certificate don't hire teachers with a Master in TESOL.

In-class tuition ranges from $800 to $1,200. Online certificates are not recommended, simply because teaching is a skill that requires practice. Typically a BA degree is also required by oversea employers.

Most ESL/EFL job boards say that there are more teaching positions than there are teachers to fill them in most countries. Once you have your TESOL Certificate, you can visit the following job boards to apply to get a job teaching English in the country of your choice: www.eslemployment.com, www.eslcafe.com/jobs, www.esljobs.com, www.esljob.org, www.eslteachersboard.com.

Join the Peace Corps:

You may have thought to yourself: “Some day I'll join the Peace Corps and make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.” Well, perhaps that day has come if you're one of the 11% in Los Angeles County who are unemployed.

Visit www.PeaceCorps.gov to learn more about the benefits of joining the Peace Corps. You won't return home with any savings, as this gig is a volunteer assignment., but, there are big benefits attached making it an attractive option.

In addition to a significant life-changing experience in a foreign country, with all of your travel, living expenses, and health insurance covered, you'll return home after 2 years with additional educational benefits. Over 40 universities will give you a discount on their tuition for Masters level degrees as part of the Peace Corps Fellows program. You can even earn your MBA at a fraction of the cost! Then, you can start a business, perhaps at first part time, as described below.

With the addition of a tour of duty in the Peace Corps, your resume will be given a significant boost. Plus, after 2 or 3 years, our US economy could be significantly on the rebound, making landing the job of your choice perhaps a bit more probable.

Develop a Weekend Business:

If you can't get another part-time job on the weekends, you can start a simple cash business, requiring little investment, simple inventory, and easy accounting. Be sure to take advantage of the free business counseling offered by local non-profits like the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) at www.score.org and the Los Angeles Network of Small Business Development Centers at http://lasbdcnet.lbcc.edu/locations.html. You can also sign up at www.TrainingInLA.org to be notified of either free or low-cost small business training provided by the Los Angeles Economic Development Institute (LAEDI).

The counselors at both your local SCORE chapter and your local SBDC can help you do all your research, legal requirements, and successfully launch your first business. Keep in mind that, like any non-profit, you may be assigned to a person who fits your needs perfectly or who doesn't quite make the best impression. So, if you don't get paired up with someone you'd rate as “5 Star,” don't give up. Simply ask for a reassignment and keep trying until you find someone who you feel is best suited to help you.

Start with a simple business model. Buy products at wholesale and sell them at a profit. Or make something fast enough to produce a substantial profit when you sell it. Simple, right? Now you just need to know where to sell your product to make the most for your investment of time and money in inventory.

Consider high-traffic areas, whether permanent or temporary. Around Los Angeles County, there are numerous swap meets, farmer's markets, carnivals, and festivals nearly every month, where you pay a small fee to gain entrance. (See the below links to local events). Some of the best areas for small operations are considered “tourist traps” - these are essentially where you can sell low-cost items at a premium. A goofy tee-shirt that you paid $3 for can go for $14.95 all day long to tourists who are not as cost-conscious while on vacation.

Sell something that you know is in demand, for example, a food item you made the day before, or on the spot if possible, and in which there is a substantial profit margin. Consider something as simple as a popcorn maker on a cart, as the cost is low and the smell percolates the surrounding, bringing in customers.

Get access to several events for a small daily fee. Arrive early and leave late. Stand in front of your booth and engage passer buys with free samples or special offers. Most people need to be persuaded to buy.

Learn how to sell: learn what to say and what not to say, and when to just listen.
Most people don't know how to sell and end up annoying their prospects by sounding pushy or desperate. Take a course at your local Small Business Development Center on sales techniques. Take the time to learn sales techniques that don't come off as techniques. Usually, a sale is made after a conversation, not a monologue. First ask questions about their needs and then only later make a pitch of how your products can solve their problem. This process is called “consultative sales.”

An extra few hundred dollars every Saturday or Sunday can go a long way to help pay your household bills. You may have to test the market to see what sells. Once you find a niche product, see if the event producers will guarantee that they won't let another similar product seller in the event.

LA Farmer's Markets:
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-farmersmarketlist,1,5715921.htmlstory

LA Swap Meets:
http://www.insiderpages.com/s/CA/LosAngeles/FleaMarketsSwapMeets

LA Festivals:
http://www.at-la.com/@la-fest.htm

Finally, be sure to develop a professional profile (more than a resume) on LinkedIn.com. You'll want to start developing a large network quickly. Feel free to invite me to connect with you and I'll give you access to my network of 5,700 and growing direct connections: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbarden.

Keep up hope! May good fortune, gainful employment, and increased income quickly shine down upon you!

Andrew Barden - Inspiring Entrepreneurship Trainer & Marketing Coach

2009-05-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

Click above to play this 9 minute promotional video, highlighting the group training services I provide. To hire me to train your group, for an evening, a day, or multiple days, call me to learn the wide variety of entrepreneurship training topics I can offer you: 1-866-339-4619
Some of the training events I do are free to qualified business owners, paid for by government agencies, chambers of commerce, foundations, non-profits, or banks. Individual business owners may also call me to set up a 30 minute complimentary small business marketing diagnostic. You'll know immediately what you may be doing wrong as well as how to fix your marketing to improve your ROI. 1-866-339-4619 or email me at andrew@andrewbarden.com

10 Proven B2B Marketing Communication Strategies

2009-05-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

: Know the decision making process of your targets.

If you are a business marketing to other businesses (B2B), there are a few steps you’ll need to address. Unfortunately, 9 out of 10 small businesses, when surveyed, don’t do sufficient planning of their marketing strategy. If you are a start up, your failure to plan means that you are planning to fail. To avoid the most common pitfalls, do your homework. The below steps will help you get started. It’s all about your research, your strategy, and your careful execution of marketing campaigns that are first tested and then refined and then launched.

If you need help with developing your B2B marketing strategy and execution, find a business coach / consultant / counselor with experience guiding small business owners through the process. The investment will pay off with a much higher ROI.

Before you start on your B2B marketing communications plan, there are some important things you need to consider:

The purpose of your marketing communications – Any marketing / communications effort has only two purposes: create a positive, larger-than- life image of your company, and create and facilitate sales opportunities. It’s all about creating a funnel of qualified leads for your sales team to close. And, if you are the only sales person (“solopreneur”), you need to leverage your time with effective marketing: you waste less time and end up making more money in less time.

Your budget – Most businesses fail because they run out of seed capital or have a dip in cash flow at some point. All factors must be taken into account. Obviously, a key new product or service introduction will require more money than an established product or service that “sells itself.” When a business owner makes marketing mistakes, the average cost is around $15,000. It’s better to invest in getting help developing your strategy than to waste your budget on failed marketing campaigns.

Your strategic plan – Are there new products to be introduced? Problems to be solved?
Images/perceptions to be altered? Interest/sales opportunities to be created? What do you expect to achieve through your marketing efforts? Develop a SWOT analysis (identifying your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) that helps you see problems before they arise.

Your tactical plan – Never forget that the desirability of the product or service itself is by far the greatest single factor in any marketing/selling effort. How you plan to create demand depends on just how much in demand your product or service is already in the market place. The more demand, the more competition, right? But, competition is good! Why? Because, as you read above, most small business owners don’t take the time to develop effective marketing strategies. When you do just a few simple things to correct the most common mistakes in your industry, you’ll soon see yourself dominating your market.

10 Proven Revenue-Growing Strategies for Small Business Marketing Communications

It’s just as important to execute the various components of your marketing communications campaign in proper sequence as it is to execute them well. For most small business owners the order should be as follows:

1. Corporate Identity – Logo, branding, letterhead, business cards, tagline, signage, etc. Follow through on all communications projects/materials. Look up the ebook called The Branding Bible. I’ve used it and recommend it highly. Branding is more than you’re your logo, or the colors and pictures you choose on your website. When you position yourself in the market correctly, you differentiate yourself from other businesses offering similar products / services. Your brand needs to show your Unique Selling Proposition within each marketing message. Not familiar with a USP? Simply “Google it” and you’ll know enough to improve your current slogan or elevator pitch. In fact, you’ll want to do the “poor man’s background check” and Google your brand or your first and last name to see how others see you. I’ve been working on this one myself. Google “Andrew Barden” and you’ll see that I dominate the first page, usually 9/10 or 10/10. Your online reputation can make or break your business reputation. Protect it.

2. Product photography/illustration – You need good photos or illustrations before you can do anything. This seemingly basic requirement is often overlooked. A picture says 1,000 words. The right picture can grab the readers’ attention enough to get them to read. Pictures of human faces or animals can also create a desired emotional reaction, even before reading a single word of copy in the promotion.

3. Web site – All of your leads / interested parties will go here, so make sure your web site is ready for them! Your site must make it easy to locate products/info and download quickly and easily. You need to be able to answer your prospect’s first question upon arrival “What is the ONE THING they want me to do?” And your answer needs to be “Give us your information in exchange for X.”

You need good copywriting and professional navigation, but you don’t need fancy graphics – web sites in the B2B world are for information, not showing off. No Flash is necessary. Your web site exists to help sell your products or to generate leads to sell your service. Make sure the information is current. Above all, develop a video with testimonials from satisfied clients. Adding a video introduction from you, the business owner, goes a long way in building rapport, too.

4. Web Traffic Generation – How to generate targeted traffic to your site. There are two approaches, short term and long term. An example of a short term approach is designing a landing page with Google Analytics embedded in it, then design a pay-per-click campaign, assign a daily budget, and test to see if within a week or so you have made more money than you spent.

A long term approach is to set up well written professional profiles on all the social networks, grow your network to many thousands, and ask and answer questions within groups of which your ideal client is likely to be a member.

Don’t dismiss the efficacy of growing your business with a well written social network profile. I’ve personally had prospective clients read my answers to questions posed on social networking sites, read my profile, check out my verifiable testimonials, and then pick up the phone and call me to sign up for business coaching. Plus, I’ve been fortunate to have both the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswire writers contact me as a small business expert—all based on my well written professional profile on sites like LinkedIn.com and Biznik.com. Just imagine if you had your industry news organizations calling you or clients calling you, simply because you had a compelling profile!

5. Literature – Provide first-class brochures that your salespeople are proud to present. Your literature is a reflection of the professionalism, or lack thereof, of your company. You need as much to capture the mind share of your salespeople as you do the attention of your potential customers.

6. Follow-up system – Use telemarketing to follow up on leads. Your telemarketing people must be capable of connecting with prospects and getting the information you need to close sales.

7. Ads – Target any ads to a very small niche. You’ll need to do your psychological profile of your Ideal Client first, to know where their “eyeballs” are going to be through the day. For B2B, industry journal advertising gets your company and products in front of a huge audience. It’s very cost effective in that sense. Advertising will not, typically, generate hot leads, but it will get people to your web site.

Establish a campaign or “look” unique to your company. Carry this through on all ads for at least a year. This is key for any branding strategy. And remember this: You only get one shot, so you have to stop them! Make them want to take action, and help them get in touch with you. Frequency is important, and so is impact. Take advantage of editorial calendars in journals and map out your schedule accordingly.

8. Public relations/publicity – Once you have your list of journal editors (which you need to update faithfully), send out press releases on a regular basis. You can use services like PRWeb.com and similar companies, most of whom charge around $400 per press release. If you are not a writer, be sure to have a professional write your press release or it won’t be distributed. Provide photos. Some online PR companies even allow you to embed video.

Establish relationships with the editors. You can use the press release’s cover letter to set up the initial pitch for technical articles. Technical articles are one of the most important yet most under-appreciated activities you can perform. They can generate huge exposure and position your company as the expert in your field.

With your article, you will want to showcase 2 main qualities. First, your humanity and only secondarily your expertise. Your humanity is showcased when you tell a painful story, showing the reader that you understand their pain. Then the reader believes that if you understand their pain so well, you’ll undoubtedly know how to solve their problems and make the pain go away. Only later do they need to confirm your competence. Start with a story and you’ll get them hooked to read all the way to the end where your contact information is located.

Most editors will run them, especially (whether they want to admit it or not) if you’re running ads with them. You can also write what is called an “advertorial.” Advertorials look like articles but you paid for their placement. It is one of the best forms of publicity out there.

Press tours to introduce new products or services are a very wise investment if you can afford them. You’ll need to hire a professional PR firm for this.

9. Direct marketing – It’s expensive to mail a printed piece to a huge audience. That’s what the wide circulation of a trade publication is for. But direct marketing is very easy to manage. You can target your recipients, check the leads yourself, and follow up easily. Success is easy to quantify. You’ll want to hire a professional copy writer for your sales letter, post card, or brochure. Write the first draft, focus on success stories and the benefits (the emotional release of solving the problem) and then turn it over to the copywriter to make it sing.

With any direct marketing effort, always make an offer. Without “something in it for me,” people will not respond. It’s called a “Call to Action.” But don’t just give stuff away. Make them respond to receive the offer.

Creative execution is critical. It must stand out. Newsletters, both print and electronic, offer another excellent way to communicate current information and generate exposure. There are often services within an industry (real estate, for example) that provide a weekly newsletter that they send to your list on your behalf, with your branding and photo and personal letter. Then they add plenty of news and stimulating articles that will be salient to your ideal clients. They can be either printed/mailed or electronic. Just look at your average client acquisition cost to see if postage and printing is a relatively small expense compared to the lifetime value of a new client.

Newsletters should be sent on a regular basis to key customers/prospects, sales channels, even editors. Most people want to receive personalized information. This means that you could have a different newsletter for a different product or service category. Let your browser choose which information will best suit their interests. They are far more likely to both subscribe as well as open and read the newsletter when it comes. You’ll also wan to utilize the service of an auto-responder service, like VerticalResponse.com or others, making the capture of contact information and regular sending of newsletters that don’t go into spam folders a much easier task. These services typically run at a very cost-effective $20 monthly fee.

Opt-in email is a very cost-effective, contemporary method of direct marketing and should not be underestimated. I recommend the work of the late Cory Rudl of MarketingTips.com His group, continuing on after his passing, is among the best trainers for email marketing and web site design that I’ve come across.

10. Trade shows – Pick the key trade shows in your industry and use a modest, well-organized booth. Get a hospitality suite, sponsor a press breakfast, host a seminar. Do something unique – focus on a key new product or product family. Focus on shows that will allow you to personally speak to enough qualified buyers to make it worth the cost. One little secret of how to write business at trade shows: do a major phone campaign to all the registered attendees prior to the show. Find out if they are willing to set up an appointment for a presentation. If you can present before the show, you can even close the deal at the show.

Remember, business is about relationships. Money comes from people making decisions. All of your communications, write, audio, video, or in person, needs to communicate the benefits of doing business with you. Apply the Law of Reciprocity and “show up giving” when first talking to your prospects. You’ll be amazed at how many prospects respond.

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Andrew Barden is a small business marketing strategist, trainer, author, consultant, and one-on-one coach, based in Los Angeles.

He can be reached at Andrew@AndrewBarden.com or 1-866-339-4619. Sign up for his free monthly “Small Business Marketing Strategies” newsletter and receive a 30 minute complimentary small business diagnostic: http://eggurl.com/dV

You can also view his professional profile, read testimonials, and connect with his 5,300+ global professional network on LinkedIn at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbarden

Optimizing Your Small Business Marketing Campaigns

2009-05-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

As a copy writer for web/print, I know that the most effective campaigns are guided by thoroughly planned out marketing strategies. I've written the following brief article to help you grow your revenue faster with less risk.

Optimal marketing campaigns—those that result in the highest net profit return on your investment of time and money—are the result of sufficient research, strategy, planning, and careful decision making, weighing all the factors. As a seasoned marketing strategist with experience in a wide variety of industries, I can help guide you every step of the way, preventing you from wasting your precious time and money. Then, when it comes time to design the format and write your copy for web sites, sales letters, post cards, flyers, and promotional audio or video, I can either write it for you or write it with you, teaching you how to do it yourself in the future.

Without the necessary research, strategy, and planning, the likelihood that you’ll have a strong ROI, or even have ANY profit from a marketing campaign, is much lower. If you take the time to develop a strategy that answers the following questions, you’re like to find much more success in all of your campaigns:

Which strategy is most likely to produce the greatest net profit in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of risk?

So, let’s break that down. Which strategy (or optional promotional opportunity) is 1) most likely (probability expressed as a percentage, e.g. 50% probability of success) to produce the greatest 2) net profit (a $100 net profit versus a $1000 net profit) in the shortest amount of 3) time (recorded in days, weeks, months, or years) with the least amount of 4) risk (the subjective emotional as well as financial component of the company’s decision makers).

Risk assessment is probably one of the most challenging of the 4 factors. If you had $1 million in your company’s accounts, you probably wouldn’t mind investing $50,000 in a marketing campaign. But, if you only had a total of $50,000 in your company's "war chest," you would be far less comfortable investing your entire amount of capital. So, for our purposes, we will express this risk factor as a percentage of total capital available.

This single question, involving several variables, will guide all of your marketing and sales process decision-making. It can be graphically illustrated in the following table, where the Options are the various marketing channels or promotional opportunities available to most small businesses. Then, you give a numeric value to each of the factors according to how important it is to YOU relative to each other.

Options	Probability	Net Profit	Time Frame	Level of Risk/ % of total budget
Option A	90%	$100	1 week	5%
Option B	40%	$2,000	3 weeks	30%
Option C	20%	$50,000	8 weeks	60%

Based on this matrix of marketing campaign decision making, which type of decision is easier, faster to make, and one that you’d be willing to go ahead with time and time again. Let’s look at Option A: Is it a “no-brainer” to make a decision that is 90% likely to work, only involves a 1 week time span, and requires only 5% of your overall marketing budget at risk? So, even though the net profit of $100 is not a lot, you could make this “bet” several times a week, couldn’t you? And you’d still be able to feel very comfortable with the level of risk, wouldn’t you?

Whereas, Option C, with it’s high net profit potential, is less of an attractive option, since it is only 20% likely to work and requires both a longer wait time of 8 weeks and a much larger risk factor, taking 60% of your marketing budget to execute.

Now, are you starting to see how analyzing every marketing opportunity available to you is a crucial step to making sure you don’t waste time and money? In fact, this one formula for comparing marketing channels can guide your every decision, making sure you are comfortable with the risk, and can improve your chances of a successful campaign many times over.

For testimonials from clients, enjoy reviewing my LinkedIn professional profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbarden

Sample copy writing sites:

www.eggurl.com/dV

www.AndrewBarden.com

www.SoccerMarketingInc.com

www.TrainingInLA.org

www.MackeySalesTeam.com

My answer to a start up landscaping business owner - how to handle competition

2009-05-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

Date: 4/28/2009 8:32:57 PM

Andrew,
I'm a young guy (26) who just recently moved back home, a small county in Va. I opened up a landscape/hardscape business and have a wonderful skills aquired in this area, that were developed in a rather ritzy city in the midwest. I'm very proud of what I know and can do.. But here's the scoop, when I moved back and opened the business, a "good ole' boy" down the road saw what I was doing and started the same type of business and has really got a corner (literally) on the market for advertizing.. more and more people are starting to use him and he has never planted a plant in his life much less designed anything! I know I have him by light years in regards to knowledge, work quality, and the such.. but he has the whole "being local" thing going for him. How do I get the corner market in this case besides just doing great work??

And my answer to him:

Hi,

In order for any small business to succeed (whether landscaping or carpentry or chiropractic), you first need to plan. Researching and writing a business plan is so crucial that those who fail to plan essentially plan to fail, so the saying goes.

This competitor of yours is leveraging his network against you. In normal business planning, you would develop what is called a SWOT analysis, which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. You would write up a description of your own strengths, the opportunities in the local marketplace to service clients who are not already being serviced by others, your own weaknesses, and any threats against your businesses, whether those threats are direct competitors, indirect competitors, bad weather, economic decline, etc.

And, you would also do a SWOT from all of your competitors positions. You would determine what weaknesses of each of your competitors (in this case, the good ol' boy who is opportunistic but incompetent) you could leverage against them.

In this case, based on the little that you've already told me, you would recognize that this competitor's clients will soon realize that he is not very good (assuming that they have a point of reference to compare his work to). If he charges the same that you do, and he does inferior work, his clients will quickly notice this and, if you are in front of them as an option, either in person or through marketing collateral (brochures, fliers, post cards, business cards, ads, etc) they know that you could be a better option and will contact you.

So, if his weakness is incompetence, and if he may even have a character flaw of a lack of integrity (knowing he is not qualified but still selling his friends his services), then your marketing message must leverage this against him, without specifically mentioning his company. How would you do this?

First, you'd tell a story of a very satisfied client. Marketing messages that actually capture people's attention are often story driven. You explain someone's problem and show how you solved it, thus directly showing how you'd solve your prospective client's problem. You'd tell the story that SHOWCASES your education, training, certification, and how landscapers without this background would not have solved it. You could even explain the story with your client describing the "MESS" created by "the other guy in town" who truly didn't know what they were doing. You explain to the prospective client the "DANGERS" of hiring someone who doesn't have integrity, essentially teaching them HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT LANDSCAPER.

I am a small business marketing specialist, having helped over 1,600 small business owners from around the world identify what is stopping them from making more money in their particular business, in their particular market, and in their particular economy. The principles and "best practices" are the same, but, the application of them is unique to each situation.

You see, becoming a successful landscaper has only partly to do with being good at your craft. You are not really in the business of landscaping. Sounds funny, doesn't it?! You are in the business of marketing landscaping services. So, you'll need to first become a good marketer and sales person and then you'll never have a problem growing your business... Your clients will see that you deliver on your promised (unlike your competition) and you'll dominate your local market.

Essentially, I can help you avoid the wasted time, wasted money, intense frustration, & hopeless confusion you experience when you ineffectively market your small business. For many years I have been helping over 1,600 small business owners understand the psychology of their ideal client: why your ideal client will buy what you are offering

I can review your current business plan (if you have one) and/or help you research and write your plan. With a thorough & accurate profile of your ideal client guiding your strategy, all of your marketing campaigns will produce a significantly higher ROI. After working with me, you'll be able to make marketing & sales process decisions with confidence and clarity, knowing exactly how to send the right message to the right people in the right way. Marketing is simple, it's just not that easy. Why is it not easy?

Simply put, most people don't take the time to do their homework, thus they feel confused and start guessing as to how to advertise and grow their client base. They try everything, and very little works. So, frustration is inevitable. If you spend your initial time and money instead on a marketing consultant/coach, you'll then start thinking like a marketer and eventually you'll become the expert at marketing landscaping services and you would only need someone like me for more advanced strategies.

I’m is also a professional copy writer. I can help you develop your marketing campaigns to make sure your overall design, images, and words will motivate your prospects to take the action you request.

There are proven formats that consistently yield the highest ROI, and I can show you how to implement those principles. I take the time to stay on top of all the latest traditional marketing & internet marketing strategies that are producing the best results for small businesses. When you partner with me, you get results. Period.

My specialties are:

Start ups, business model feasibility studies, target marketing, sales process strategy, psychological profile of ideal customer/client & catering the marketing message & sales process to fit that customer's natural tendencies. Focusing your marketing campaign only to ideal clients results in a decrease in marketing costs and an increase in ROI. I am quite adept at understanding "why people buy" and I have a history of successfully developing marketing strategies that allow those who are most likely to buy hear your messages—and converting more prospect with follow up sales strategies that are most effective at closing the sale.

How I Can Help You Grow Your Profits:

I can SAVE YOU TIME & MONEY:

There are numerous common marketing mistakes that I can help you avoid. The average marketing mistake costs a small business owner $15,000. I will work with you, one-on-one, developing both an initial diagnostic and later, if you choose, a thorough review of your marketing history and current strategies. You will know what is wrong and why it has been stopping you from attracting your ideal clients. You will know with certainty which marketing strategies for your particular business are most likely to produce the greatest net profit in the shortest amount of time. No more guess work. No more wasted time and money on marketing efforts.

I can help you Master the Psychology of Consumer Behavior:

I am adept at helping business owners understand why their ideal client will buy. I will guide you through a step-by-step process to get inside the mind of your ideal client and reach them with a message that is so appealing that they choose to start a relationship with you.

I deliver STRONG ROI for marketing campaigns:

After working with me, you'll be able to make marketing and sales process decisions with confidence & clarity, knowing exactly how to send the right message to the right people in the right way.

My Ad Copy Writing Converts Readers to Buyers:

As I’ve said before, I’m a professional ad copy writer. Copy is simply an industry term for the all the words in your marketing materials, including your sales letters, your advertisements, your website, post cards, business cards, and your elevator pitch when you introduce yourself. There are proven formats that consistently yield the highest ROI, and I can show you how to implement those principles, working with you to write effective copy.

I study the LATEST TRENDS in EFFECTIVE MARKETING:

I take the time to stay on top of all the latest innovative marketing and cost-effective internet marketing strategies that are producing the best results for small business owners. My clients leave my office with confident smiles & deeper pockets.

I can help you make more money in your small business for a lot less investment than most small business coaches. Again, I've helped literally thousands small business owners from around the world make more money through improving their marketing strategies and execution of their marketing campaigns.

The greatest resource of the entrepreneur that is also his or her most scarce resource is not money. The scarcest resource you have is your time. If you are willing to invest and hour or two of your time I will be willing to do the same. Then, we can agree to either continue on a regular basis or not.

Often it takes an objective third party to diagnose what's really going on in your business.

Given our tough economic times, as a start up, you'll have to overcome a lot of resistance from clients as to price. There is a method to make price a lot less important, even during a recession, to your clients. You need to attract your ideal clients to you, which is something I specialize in helping you do.

During your diagnostic session, I don't hold anything back. I give you my best, with the hopes that you and I might eventually develop a relationship in which I work with you regularly on a contingency contract.

There are typically two areas that most small business owners neglect.

First, most small business owners neglect optimizing their own mindset. Developing prosperity consciousness is the first and foremost responsibility of the business owner. I will make available to you for free hundreds of files, including pdfs, audio, and video, that can help you develop a mindset for business success.

Second, most small business owners, and I mean 99 out of 100, never take the time to develop a psychological profile of their business' IDEAL client. Without knowing how your ideal client makes decisions you will not know how to most effectively market and sell to your ideal clients. Not knowing who your ideal client is will make its much more difficult to grow your net profits as you will service clients who are not ideal.

In general an ideal client is one who is easy to find, easy to reach with a message, responds to that message, takes action, is easy to sell to, buys more than your average clients, does business regularly would you, and refers all of his or her family, friends, and associates to you.

Applying the 80/20 principle, we know that 20% of your revenue comes from 80% of your clients and 80% of the revenue comes from 20% of your clients. Wouldn't you like to replace the 80% of your less than ideal clients with the 20% of ideal clients less quadrupling your income, basically making more money in less time. This is the power of developing an ideal client psychological profile otherwise known as psychographics.

Demographics are the first step and also the easiest step in developing a marketing campaign. Too often small business owners stop at a demographic profile, then buy a list from a list broker, and send off thousands of postcard or flyer or brochure. They then sit and wait for the phone to ring, and unfortunately, little to nothing happens. Have you ever found yourself in that situation?

There's a simple solution that unfortunately most small business owners don't know. In order for even an ideal client to respond to a marketing message they need to hear a similar message in various formats from 10 to 12 times before they will take action and contact you. This means that if you send out 5000 postcards you don't send them to 5000 people once.

Instead, you send to 500 people 10 postcards with a similar branding theme, similar marketing message, yet different stories or themes. You'll have a similar cost, as postage is by far the greatest expense in such a campaign. And you will have a far greater response rate and a much greater return on your investment in the end. In fact, I seen up to 400% ROIs in direct mail campaigns.

The other crucial principle most small business owners neglect to apply correctly is generically termed relationship marketing. Roughly 85% of all small businesses in the United States are service based. Even if you are also selling products they're typically is a decision-making process that requires a live person to interact with the buyer. The sales process typically looks like this:

awareness --> like --> trust --> buy --> repeat buy --> refer

So, in the beginning of the relationship you are simply making your prospect aware of your offer. Your next step is essentially to get them to like you. People do business with those that they like, just like people choose to associate with friends for which they have some affinity.

Once you begin to like someone, notice that they care about your welfare, and notice that they are competence in their particular industry, you can begin to trust them and consider doing business with them.

This is where the Philanthropic Entrepreneur concept comes into play. A philanthropist is literally a lover of people, like a philosopher is a lover of wisdom. If you treat your prospective clients like a brother or sister, literally focusing on truly helping them, truly being of service, they will choose to do business with you, because they see your transparency, your honesty, your integrity, and that you truly care about them. Only once they feel your truly care will your prospecting success increase dramatically. And, you can’t fake this. You truly need to be a philanthropist. Then, at the point you’ve developed this trust, then and only then do you as the seller of your services begin to talk about the benefits of doing business with you versus other people, and the various advantages and features of your product or service.

Most sales processes (or marketing messages) start out backwards, neglecting the emotions of the prospective client. And, it is the emotions that govern decision making processes. People buy from you because it feels right, because they like you and trust you. They trust that the benefits you promise you will deliver. It has little to do with price or the features of your product or service. Remember, benefits sell, features and advantages seldom do.

Unfortunately, most people sell in face-to-face interactions or create written or video recorded promotions that focus on price, discounts, features, and forgot to establish an awareness, affinity, and trust in the relationship. This is why many advertisements and other direct mail or e-mail campaigns simply do not produce a significant return and often even no return... in fact it is often poor marketing strategy and field campaigns that is the direct cause of small businesses going out of business.

You may have heard from the Small Business Administration how well over two thirds of all small businesses failed in the first four years. And even greater numbers fail in subsequent years. Without effective marketing producing strong returns on your investment of money and time and the sales process that is engineered specifically to cater to your ideal clients preferences, wants, and hot buttons, you're more likely to fail than to succeed in building your small business.

As I said earlier, growing your landscaping business can be simple, but, it's simply not that easy. If you work with a business coach who can help you develop prosperity consciousness as well as the psychological profile of your ideal clients your likelihood of succeeding in your business venture increases exponentially.

I you are looking for clarity and confidence in your marketing strategy and campaign execution, your best strategy is to find a business coach who will act like a partner. They will grow with you over the next few years, helping you make key decisions and review everything with you every step of the way.

When you hire a business coach who works with you on marketing and sales process strategies, you'll avoid all the common mistakes, saving you a lot of wasted time and money. And, most importantly, you start making a strong RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT of time and money.

Sometimes he can happen quickly. Sometimes it may take a few months.

In uncertain economic times business owners who will survive will take much more calculated risks. They will do their homework in order to make decisions with clarity and confidence. A business coach who can walk you through a proven small business marketing system that has enabled literally thousands of small business owners to achieve strong ROIs in various industries in numerous cultures and economic conditions around the world is hands down one of the best partners a business owner would want to have.

We can do a full diagnostic of your business, for one hour or until you feel we've addressed everything. At the end of the conversation you and I will both make a decision to move onto the next step or not.

Once we are talking on the phone, I can tell you about website profiles where clients have written testimonials about how I've helped them (http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbarden). And, you can even contact those clients directly to verify. I'm a legit marketing specialist, as you'll learn when we first talk. I'm looking for long term relationships and lots of referrals. Once I help you make more money in your landscaping business, it is natural for you to refer your contacts to me, right?

I hope this helps.

Andrew Barden
AndrewBarden.com
866-339-4619

Andrew Barden - Inspiring Entrepreneurship Trainer

2009-03-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hi. I'm Andrew Barden, Philanthropic Entrepreneur. Enjoy watching my 9 minute promotional video!

I can help you make more money in your small business at no risk to you. I've helped literally thousands small business owners from around the world make more money through improving their marketing strategies and execution of their marketing campaigns.

I don't charged upfront fees. I work on a contingency contract. Simply put you only pay me a small portion of your increase in net profits. There is never any risk for you when working with me. To learn more about my philosophy and why I call myself a philanthropic entrepreneur, visit www.AndrewBarden.com.

The greatest resource of the entrepreneur that is also his or her most scarce resource is not money. The scarcest resource you have is your time. If you are willing to invest 30 minutes of your time I will be willing to do the same. Sign-up for a 30 minute complementary no-obligation consultation and I'll help you assess what might be stopping you from making more money in your particular business. Often it takes an objective third party to diagnose what's really going on in your business.

Given our tough economic times, it is likelythat your sales have already been slipping for quite some time. Isn't now the best time to take action? Isn't now the best time to consult with experts who have helped thousands of small business owners apply proven principles and strategies in their small business?

I invite you to connect with me on Linkin.com. Go to http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbarden and invite me to connect. You will see there my professional profile that includes testimonials from small business owners and colleagues, other experts who have witnessed the results I can get for small business owners.

I also invite you to follow me on my blog. Visit http://andrewbarden.blogspot.com, read the posts, and sign up to be alerted to new posts.

Finally, I invite you to invest 30 minutes in your small business marketing strategy development. There is no risk to you, as these 30 minutes will be a true conversation and focus on showing you immediate ways to improve your marketing strategy, both online and off-line.

During these 30 minutes I don't hold anything back. I give you my best, with the hopes that you and I might eventually develop a relationship in which I work with you regularly on a contingency contract. I would normally charge $150 for such a diagnostic. But, to start out any business relationship I practice applying the Law of Reciprocity, I "show up giving." There are numerous Universal Laws that we will together ensure you are successfully applying.

There are typically two areas that most small business owners neglect.

1. The business owner's own mindset: developing prosperity consciousness is the first and foremost responsibility of the business owner. Visits my website at http://www.andrewbarden.com where, as part of my philanthropic entrepreneurial mission, I have made available hundreds of files, including pdfs, audio, and video, under the page called "free prosperity downloads."

2. The psychological profile of the business' IDEAL client. Without knowing how your ideal client makes decisions you will not know how to most effectively market and sell to your ideal clients. Not knowing who your ideal client is will make its much more difficult to grow your net profits as you will service clients who are not ideal.

In general and ideal client is one who is easy to find easy to reach with a message, response to that message, takes action, is easy to sell to, buys more than your average clients, does business regularly would you, and refers all of his or her family and friends and associates to you.

Applying the 80/20 principle, we know that 20% of your revenue comes from 80% of your clients and 80% of the revenue comes from 20% of your clients. Wouldn't you like to replace the 80% of your less than ideal clients with the 20% of ideal clients less quadrupling your income, basically making more money in less time. This is the power of developing an ideal clients psychological profile otherwise known as psychographics.

Demographics are the first step and also the easiest step in developing a marketing campaign. Too often small business owners stop at a demographic profile by a list and send off a postcard or flyer or brochure. They then sit and wait for the phone to ring, and unfortunately, little to nothing happens. Have you ever found yourself in that situation?

There's a simple solution that unfortunately most small business owners don't know. In order for even an ideal client to respond to a marketing message they need to hear the message in veriest formats from 10 to 12 times before they will take action and contact you. This means that if you send out 5000 postcards you don't send them to 5000 people once.

Instead, you send to 500 people 10 postcards with a similar branding theme yet different messages. You'll have a similar cost as postage is by far the greatest expense. And you will have a far greater response rate and a much greater return on your investment in the end I seen 400% ROIs in direct mail campaigns.

The other crucial principle most small business owners neglect to apply correctly is generically termed relationship marketing. Roughly 85% of all small businesses in the United States are service based. Even if you are also selling products they're typically is a decision-making process that requires a live person to interact with the buyer. The sales process typically looks like this:

awareness --> like --> trust --> buy --> repeat buy --> refer

So, in the beginning of the relationship you are simply making your prospect aware of your offer. Your next step is essentially to get them to like you. People do business with those that they like, just like people choose to associate with friends for which they have some affinity.

Once you begin to like someone, notice that they care about your welfare, and notice that they are competence in their particular industry, you can begin to trust them and consider doing business with them. At that point you as the seller of your services would begin to talk about the benefits of doing business with you versus other people, and the various advantages and features of your product or service.

Unfortunately, most people sell or create promotions that focus on price, discounts, features, and forgot to establish an awareness, affinity, and trust in the relationship. This is why many advertisements and other direct mail or e-mail campaigns simply do not produce a significant return and often even no return... in fact it is often poor marketing strategy and field campaigns that is the direct cause of small businesses going out of business.

You may have heard from the Small Business Administration how well over two thirds of all small businesses failed in the first four years. And even greater numbers fail in subsequent years. Without effective marketing producing strong returns on your investment of money and time and the sales process that is engineered specifically to cater to your ideal clients preferences, wants, and hot buttons, you're more likely to fail than to succeed in building your small business.

Growing your business is simple, but, it's simply not that easy. Why is it not that easy? It is not that easy because most small business owners neglect to understand their own mindset and the mindset of their ideal client. If you work with a business coach who can help you develop prosperity consciousness as well as the psychological profile of your ideal clients your likelihood of succeeding in your business venture increases exponentially.

There are well over a dozen small business coaching companies whose fees range from $3000 upwards to $25,000 or more. Their sales pitch essentially reads like give us your money and maybe will be able to help you. Does that sound like an inviting offer? Of course not.

The most irresistible offer for small business owner who is looking for clarity and confidence in their marketing strategy and campaign execution is to find a business coach who will instead of acting like a vendor will act like a partner. A partner in your business would, like you, be willing to invest their time or what we call sweat equity, at their own risk. Your partner, would then sharer in the net profits with you.

When you hire a business coach who works on a contingency contract you are essentially securing a partner who makes a small portion of your net profits that they help you to create. Sometimes he can happen quickly. Sometimes it may take a few months. But in the end there is an equal investment of time. Doesn't that sound like an irresistible offer? Doesn't that sound like the kind of relationship you want to have with your business coach?

In uncertain economic times business owners who will survive will take much more calculated risks. They will do their homework in order to make decisions with clarity and confidence. A business coach who can walk you through a proven system that has enabled literally thousands of small business owners to achieve strong ROIs in various industries in numerous cultures and economic conditions around the world is hands down one of the best partners a business owner would want to have.

Invite me to start that relationship by signing up for an initial complementary 30 minute business diagnostic session. At the end of the conversation you and I will both make a decision to move onto the next step or not. I serve over 70 clients every month as of March 2009, most of them in Los Angeles County. However I'm willing to add a few more. So long as you are fluent in English, and are passionate about growing your small business revenues and willing to commit time and resources to achieve your business goals and we might be a good fit.

I look forward to speaking with you soon. If you are eager to start a relationship feel free to contact me via e-mail at Andrew@AndrewBarden.com or call my toll-free cell phone at 1 - 866-339-4619. This number, again, rings directly to my personal cell phone, so please only call during business hours Pacific Standard Time, from 9am to 6pm, Monday through Friday.

To your success,

Andrew Barden
Founder, Philanthropic Entrepreneur
www.AndrewBarden.com
1-866-339-4619

2009-03-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

Hello again. I'm once again going to copy some wise words from Robert Imbraile regarding social networking versus email marketing for your education...

Robert says:

For years, e-mail has been the "killer-app" of the web. It was the one thing that was going to kill direct mail and change our world. Well, it has done a lot to move us in that direction, and as you can tell, the US Postal Service is in financial ruin because of mail volume that has dropped by some 23 Billion pieces in the last 24 months alone. But e-
mail is also in big trouble now with more than 9 out of every 10 messages being purely spam.

Smart marketers are on the hunt for where the market has gone to communicate. If you'll look, you'll see that e-mail is today incredibly unreliable. Most "good" e-mail is being picked off by the spam filters, and marketers are suffering.

To stay on top of this, I've been hard at work over the past few years looking at ways to make e-mail more reliable. I've not found anything of real value in that area.

So I began to look for alternatives to e-mail, and I've now found many places, all free, where a smart marketer can build a successful business on the Internet.

Obviously, I've shifted much of my marketing energy away from e-mail and into this new area.

I'm now playing in places that are filled to the brim with the "perfect prospects.". And you can reach out these very same people in new and creative ways and it will result in new sales, more income, and being able to live the way you've always wanted.

But don't just take my word for it. Look around at all the new books, seminars, training programs, etc., that have come out on the topic of marketing with social media.

This is NOT a fad, it's where the Internet is headed, and if you're not paying attention to this trend, and more importantly, getting involved now, you'll surely miss the boat.

Have a look here: http://www.UnlimitedLeads.com for information that may be of interest to you.

And, if you've already jumped into the social media scene, let me know what you've been doing and how it's all been working for you.

What Happened to My E-mail? ... How Direct Mail is Making a Comeback

2009-02-10T00:49:00.000-08:00

Hi there... once again I'm copying an article by one of the best direct marketing consultants in the world, Robert Imbraile... I'm sure you'll benefit from his guidance below...

What Happened to My E-mail?

By Robert Imbriale, 'The Motivational Marketer'

Have you noticed that your e-mail just isn't as reliable as it once was? Do you wonder what happened? Aren't these technical things supposed to improve with time, and not degrade instead?You're not alone. More and more people are coming to realize that the once dominant e-mail application, the one we've relied upon for years is no longer reliable.

Our e-mail system is broken, and right now, there's not a single fix out there that's showing any sign of making things better anytime soon. Now you might not think that a broken e-mail system is not all that important, but consider the fact that are large numbers of people who actually WANT to get e-mail from individuals and companies and many of those messages just aren't getting delivered. Worse, you no longer get a reply letting you know that your messages were not delivered. They are simply deleted so you have no idea whether or not your message was even received.

So what's the big deal, right? So you miss a few e-mail messages, who gets hurt?

The truth is that many legitimate, honest, hard-working business owners who rely on e-mail to market and promote their businesses are getting hurt, and many have already gone out of business because they can no longer reach their customers with e-mail.

Personally, I've been using e-mail to market my business since 1995. In those days, most every message I sent was delivered. Not only that, having as many as 9 out of 10 these messages opened was considered normal in those days. Contrast that with today's numbers and you'll see what I mean. Right now, the average e-mail message is opened by LESS than 1% of the people it's sent to.

If you're a business owner, this is certainly not good news. For the people who use unsolicited e-mail (or spam) as their primary marketing tool, as opposed to legitimate permission-based e-mail, their solution to the problem has been to put more e-mail servers online and send out tens of millions more e-mail messages in order to get the same results they were getting just a few short years ago.

In response, the developers of e-mail spam filters have tightened up the noose to catch more of these illegal messages. While that has had an effect on the number of spam messages you see in your inbox, it's also had a devastating effect on businesses that send legitimate e-mail. Think of it as a side effect of combating the spam problem.

And so the story goes. As more spam is sent out, the spam filters get more aggressive and block more and more e-mail. As more and more e-mail is blocked, it becomes a less and less viable marketing channel, a more unreliable communications channel, and in many respects, it will soon become an obsolete technology as more and more people simply stop using and relying on e-mail.

Smart marketers, however, are not going to sit back and watch their businesses crumble because new legislation and technology have totally failed to fix the e- mail mess. The ones that will ultimately survive are taking action, and that action is in the form of finding new ways to reach their customers.

While there is a lot of buzz these days about "social media" there are yet only a few scant success stories, and ultimately this new media can't come close to the marketing power e-mail once had. That, we hope, will someday change, but it's still too early to know for certain when and if social media will ever be reliable replacement for e-mail.

Other business owners are turning back the hands of time and returning to what was once the only low-cost method of marketing; direct mail. For those of you who don't remember marketing before the Internet, direct mail was the de facto marketing tool to beat.

It's low cost and easy availability made it the marketing tool of choice for all types and sizes of businesses. Direct mail is the tried-and-true marketing channel and has been for more than a century. Direct mail has changed little in decades as a powerful marketing tool. It's stable, reliable, predictable, and remains a well-respected and highly affordable marketing channel, even by today's standards.

When direct mail is combined with the Internet, it becomes a very powerful and highly flexible marketing channel. For example, a business might send out a simple postcard to their past customers alerting them to a special offer, sale, or other event. The customer is then directed to a web page for more information and to place an order.

The postcard will see a deliverability rate in the high 90% range, and of those, the vast majority will at very least see the marketing message printed on the postcard. When you compare that to the sub 1% who will actually see a marketing message sent via e-mail, direct mail begins to look very attractive.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about marketing with direct mail is that you can take most of what you're doing on the Internet and convert it easily to a format that can be used with direct mail. This is one of the biggest attractions business owners are excited about, aside from the rather immediate increase in sales, of course.

About the Author
=================
Robert Imbriale is the author of the best-selling book, Motivational Marketing. He is a successful business coach, and seminar leader who has helped hundreds of thousands of business owners create bigger, more successful businesses, and he can help you too. Tell him what your biggest challenge is with your business right now! Go to http://www.askrobertimbriale.com
If you would like to have Robert help you with your business, you can reach him at 1-800-541-3816 or at http://www.robertimbriale.com

Weathering the Storm - What to do to Stay on Top in a Down Economy

2009-02-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

Weathering the Storm

What to do to Stay on Top in a Down Economy

By Robert Imbriale,

The Motivational Marketer

Business owners from coast to coast are worried, scared, and some are even considering closing up shop because of what they see as uncertain times ahead. While it's true that there will be many business closings ahead, your business doesn't have to be one of them.

What's behind much of the fear and worry is the constant barrage of bad news about industry giants failing at an alarming rate. And, it's not just the what's in the news. Our conversations have also turned negative about anything related to the economy.

What has happened to many business owners is that they have taken what they have heard or read about in the news and given it more attention than it truly deserves. That has created doubt, which soon becomes fear, and not long after that, you'll find these same business owners throwing in the towel and shutting their doors forever.

And then there's the trickle-down effect to consider. When one business fails, other business owners then begin to look at that failure to support their beliefs that things are as bad as they are hearing about in the news.

If your business is going to succeed, the first thing you need to do is shift your attention away from all of this and instead focus on things that are indeed more positive. I'm not suggesting that you ignore it all, but try to at least get a new perspective on it all.

For instance, yesterday, I was at the local packing and shipping store where business was booming. In fact, the owner told me he was having a great holiday season, despite what the fact that if you believe what you're hearing about in the news would make you think this could simply not be possible.

I'm sure that you won't see a story about this business in the news, either, so don't go looking for it.

Now, I'm not trying to blame the news media for all our troubles. These companies are nothing more than businesses that respond to what their customers buy. We buy bad news hundreds of times more than good news. If we bought only good news, that what you'd see more of. So it's not entirely the media's fault.

Closer to home, I started to look for signs that things weren't quite as bad as I'd heard. Sure enough, there is the landscape crew out on my front lawn, so I asked him how his business was doing. It was slower, but he was still getting big landscaping jobs, one totaling more than $125,000.00!

In my own business, I'm seeing more and more clients contacting me for my executive level coaching services because they are looking to make this coming year better than the previous one!

"What?" People actually not looking at things from a negative perspective? Well, they'll see, you think to yourself because you "know" they just can't be right.

Then you look a little deeper at what's really happening right now and what you begin to see is that this is the perfect time to be positive about the future.

Think about it this way. When the economy was bubbling hot, houses became almost unaffordable as prices rose to record-setting highs. Yes, cheap money was indeed behind all of that, but had it continued to go the way it was going, in just a decade from now, the average home in this country might have topped a million dollars!

Things are simply adjusting and getting back to more reasonable levels. And, as in any adjustment period, it's going to be a little uncomfortable for a little while. And, there is a lot you can do right now to take dvantage of all the changes.

Here are some suggestions for you.

First, go out of your way to find stories of success. Find people who are now talking about better times ahead instead of hanging around people who can only parrot what they hear in the news.

Then, start creating your plans for this next year by putting down on paper everything you wish to have and do in the next 12 months. Go ahead and be bold here because big dreams are what create big results.

Next, create, find, invent a way to get yourself around people who are positive, upbeat, and who are seeing all the opportunities that are now being created that could never have been if things had stayed the way they were. Engage in conversations of success and what you want your business to do, and what you're planning for the next year.

This is where a good coach can be extremely valuable to you and your business, and it's a worthwhile investment if you simply can't find anybody to motivate you and hold you accountable.

If you do these simple steps, what you'll find is that things aren't quite as bad as they are made to appear, and in fact, there are many places that are thriving right now.

Think about this. Each and every day billions and billions of dollars changes hands on the Internet. That number may be lower than it once was when it broke all previous records, but it has not stopped! It's just lower, and nothing more.

Your job is simply to find new and innovative ways to tap into the money stream that is flowing and will continue to flow, no matter how bad things may get out there.

Realize that millionaires are made in good times and bad. It's not about what's going on out there as much as it is about how you think about and what you do about it.

Your success comes from seeing things that other people can't or won't see. Every smart and successful business owner sees things as they want them to be rather than as they are.

They put their focus on what they are trying to create instead of what they are getting because they realize that what they are getting right now is simply a result of what they did, or failed to do, in the past. What they get tomorrow and beyond will be the result of what they do today and everyday going forward.

In a nutshell, you can, and you should be planning for a great year ahead. You should be thinking about how you want your business to look a year from today, and start working on those plans right now.

If you'll do these things, and I mean really do them, instead of just giving them lip service, I know you'll be pleased with the results you'll get in the coming year, regardless of how bad the media tells us things are out there.

Remember, drama is what sells newspapers, not stories of success. Go ahead and buck the trend, plan ahead, and create a business that will stand the test of what's ahead.. and cash in as all your competitor's go out of business because they got scared and their customers now start buying from you!

Think about it. You can either struggle in the coming year, or you can thrive, and it's really all up to you.

About the Author

business right now! Go to www.AskRobertImbriale.com If you would like to have Robert help you with your business, you can reach him at 1-800-541-3816 or at www.RobertImbriale.com

Which Comes First, the Product or the Promotion?

2009-02-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

I often answer marketing strategy questions on social networking sites, which typically lands me new clients. While I was on LinkedIn's group called eOffice, I read the following posted question:

Which comes first, the product or the marketing?

I stumbled upon this post by the genius Seth Godin, The Marketing Guru. “Well, if you define marketing as advertising, then it's clear you need the product first (Captain Crunch being the only exception I can think of... they made the ads first.)
This great clip from Mad Men brings the point home. If the Kodak guys hadn't invented the Carousel slide projector, Don Draper could never have pitched this ad. But wait. Marketing is not the same as advertising. Advertising is a tiny slice of what marketing is today, and in fact, it's pretty clear that the marketing has to come before the product, not after. As Jon points out, the Prius was developed after the marketing thinking was done.

Jones Soda, too. In fact, just about every successful product or service is the result of smart marketing thinking first, followed by a great product that makes the marketing story come true. If someone comes to you with a 'great' product that just needs some marketing, the game is probably already over.” http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/02/which-comes-first-the-product-or-the-marketing.html

Then, I replied with the following:

As you already know, Seth is among the best in the industry. So, to agree with him is a bit redundant. But, since you asked, it is definitely the promotion/marketing. If you haven't already read Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Work Week book, you'll find in there several simple ways to test, at least online, the sales process, including all marketing channels and finally to the point on a web page that someone gives their credit card information.

If you can get traffic to your site, convert enough of them to either register for some free report or actually make a purchase (with the last page saying, "Sorry, we are in the product launch phase, your credit card has not been charged. We will notify you when the product is available."), then you'll know you've got the right marketing message and the right sales process.

One key for online traffic via Google Adwords is to apply a filter to your ad so that you only get people clicking through who are most likely to make a purchase. Often, you'll see ads that give the price ranges of the products. So, if viewers are not ready to spend at least the minimum, they will likely not click. Lowering your marketing cost is equivalent to making more sales.

If you can develop a strong ROI by testing one or more marketing / sales process strategies first, for a product that you plan on developing, you will 1) be able to adjust the actual product's features according to what is going to sell better and 2) know that once the product is made, you can quickly set up your marketing channels and get them sold immediately.

In another OFFLINE approach, you do surveys. Simply 1) determine a psychological profile of your ideal client, 2) locate them locally (once you know someone's preferences, you'll know where they shop/eat), and 3) canvas your ideal clients, meaning, ask them in person or over the phone all the market research questions. One trick is to get permission to set up a table in front of where your ideal clients shop (and if you have voter registration forms on half of your table, no one can deny you!).

Even if 20% of respondents don't reply accurately (some people have a hard time predicting their own future behavior), so long as the majority reply accurately, you'll have some primary market research that will help you set up a proof of concept / feasibility study and both convince yourself that you have the right product at the right time, and you'll then know how to send the right message to the right people.
Since you know Seth's work, I'm guessing this is all review for you. However, perhaps others on this group would find some of what I explained of value.

So, do you have any stories that showcase this principle at work?

Many Benefits of being a Linked In Open Networker (LION)

2009-01-25T18:02:00.000-08:00

Hi again... the below is from a response to someone asking about all the Open Networkers asking for invitations on LinkedIn.com. If you are not aware of LinkedIn, please visit there, set up a profile, and ask me to connect with you. There are now specialists who teach how to leverage this free resource, but, I'm simply copying and pasting a response to an inquiry below for your brief education...

There are a wide variety of benefits to having a large network, both in person and online. For example, after hearing how America is loosing jobs at a rate not seen since 1945, I started a group called College Graduate Job Hunters just today, and sent out a quick invitation to 1,700+ of my direct connections in just a few clicks. No doubt that as this group grows, it will be of service to recent college grads seeking employment in a very competitive environment... and having a larger network will make it grow faster.

Further, there is a tradition on LinkedIn and other sites of being an "Open Networker." These folks, also called LIONs (Linked In Open Networker), both grow their own personal direct connections but also leave them viewable by other direct connections. So, when HR recruiter friends of mine are looking for a particular talent, with me as a direct connection, they can see the direct connections I have ...again, since I keep them open.

So, yet another example, a friend of mine, Derrick Hembt, was searching through the 30 million profiles for a certain type of client. He noticed that one of them was only 2 degrees away... and that I had a direct connection with his target. Derrick asked if I would introduce him and state simply my confidence in Derrick's ability to serve his clients. Which I promptly did, using a LinkedIn introduction. Now Derrick is able to start a dialogue with this prospective client.

When I answered a question posed by one of my direct connections (someone who I had not yet met) in a discussion group, he like my answer so much (and my profile, no doubt) that he picked up the phone and, because he could see my phone number as a direct connection, inquired about my business coaching service. Wouldn't you like prospective clients calling you, already impressed?

Another one of my direct connections sent me an Executive Summary of his start up, asking if I knew of anyone who would like to review it. Since he knows that I have a large online and offline network, it was likely that I could help him find an investor. After reviewing his Executive Summary, I will be sending him a handful of very qualified investors, and with my further due diligence, I may decide to invest some of my own money with him. I'm sure he will be glad that I am an Open Networker and that he saw my invitation to connect and invited me.

These are just a few reasons that playing the role of Open Networker on LinkedIn is advantageous for you and for your associates. One big happy family helping each other find partners, investors, employees, clients, or get hired. And, just imagine, for most of us on LinkedIn, it is a free service.

However, there are others on LinkedIn who choose to use this as simply a way to keep track of their personal friends and associates, and don't make them viewable to anyone else. That's fine. So.... you can be a private "closed" networker or you can be an Open Networker, seeking to connect directly with potential associates from all over the world. It's your choice. Use this service as you see fit. I find it benefits everyone that I know to be a LION.

I tend to be a Philanthropic Entrepreneur, I "show up giving." I activate the Law of Reciprocity. I offer something of value in order to begin the relationship. I give access to a large and growing network, both on LinkedIn and in person, to those who would find that valuable. And, only in my signature do I mention how I help small business owners. Just like in-person networking, I first find out how I can help someone I just met...Introduce them to a prospective client, etc., I don't start bragging about my achievements.

I recommend that you not only set up a profile on LinkedIn.com but also decide to become an Open Networker.

To Your Success,

Andrew Barden
Philanthropic Entrepreneur
“Love Your Clients. Love Your Profits. Love Your Life.”
AndrewBarden.com 866-339-4619

The Pros and Cons of MLM Distributorships (versus owning a business) - A conversation

2009-01-23T10:26:00.001-08:00

Hi again. I wanted to share with you a letter from an MLM distributor as well as my reply back to him. If you are considering joining an MLM, you may want to read my reply. And, no, I'm not soliciting / recruiting. I actually tend to coach people away from MLMs. You'll see why...

I invited my direct connections on LinkedIn to share with their a new group that I started called "College Graduate Job Hunters."

It was started simply as a gesture to help those who are either recent graduates or changing careers later in life to have the ability to ask questions and get them answered by either experts or their peers. You see, there are a lot of HR recruiters on LinkedIn and they do answer questions.

So, given all the bad news about job losses these days (the worst we've seen since 1945), I thought I'd help job hunters, especially recent college grads.

So, to put it this conversation in perspective, I will first copy and paste the invitation I sent out. Then I'll paste his reponse. Then I'll paste my response. Let me know what you think. Did you find my reponse helpful?

-----------------------------------------------------

On 01/23/09 2:23 AM, Andrew Barden wrote:
--------------------
Hi.

With all of the bad news about job losses, I started a group to help college graduates hunting for a new job.

Do you have connections on LinkedIn who would benefit from the discussions and advise offered on this group?

If so, please forward this invitation. Thanks.

To Your Success,

Andrew Barden
AndrewBarden.com

-----------------------------------------------------

Edward Collignon has sent you a message.

Date: 1/23/2009

Subject: RE: LinkedIn Group: College Graduate Job Hunters

Hi Andrew,

You have quite a challenge to find jobs for people today and it's not going to get any better soon. I am personally recruiting quite a few professionals into network marketing because they can see the bleak future for the next couple of years. It used to be a College education guaranteed you a job but not today. More and more people are starting their own business and network marketing is inexpensive and an individual can earn a very substantial income working from home.

If you are not really familiar with network marketing you can purchase an excellent book on it at Amazon for less the $5 used. The book is "Dare to Dream and Work to Win" by Dr. Tom Barrett. A very good read as it adds a lot of credibility to the industry.

If I run across anyone that would be interested in your group I will tell them about it but most of my connections really are more interested in their own business rather then try to find another job.

Have a very successful and prosperous day,

Ed Collignon
edinfl@msn.com

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Dear Ed,

I'm very familiar with MLMs, the pros and the cons. I'm a business coach/marketing and sales strategy consultant. I've done a few MLMs, too. The pros are everything you mentioned and more... the cons are, according to the Direct Marketing Association's annual study based on numbers provided by the MLMs themselves, that less than 2% ever make over $1,000 per month NET profit, and less than 1% ever make over $10,000 per month. So, 98% of people who join end up having an expensive hobby, and a lot of trampled dreams.

So, as an option for most people who need guaranteed income, the liklihood, as in, the probability, is simply stacked way against them. Sure, it can be a fun part time gig, making a few hundred bucks a month, which is a good number of people. But, the probability of getting a job and the probabilty of keeping that job and the probability of that job providing enough stable income is so far greater than starting an MLM business, that I would strong caution against looking at it as an "option" at all.

Instead, with the hundreds of clients that have come to me asking for help in their MLM business, I see money invested, money lost, maybe break even, and maybe make a few hundred residual. One client was even making $2,000 residual and he felt it was a major accomplishment. And yet, he is a licensed massage therapist and aestatician, who makes $75/hour, so if he simply attracted more clients, networking with local local wealthy women who are not feeling the recession, he would be making $6k to 10k per month. See my point?

Yes, for a very small percentage, MLMs are dreams come true. And, yes, passive income is the best sort of income. Flexible schedule, low start up costs, etc. Many, many pros. And there are better "models" than others, in terms of the ability to make money fast and grow it to business income level, which I consider at the very least $10,000 NET profit per month or more.

What I've noticed is that the people who have succeeded in MLMs are very good at a specific set of skills that most people do not naturally have... they are learnable, but, not natural for most people: consultative selling, networking, recruiting, effective marketing, both online and offline. These are all business skills that help anyone in any business make their revenues grow. Many of them had large personal networks with other people with similar skills. Many of them have clients from their current job or business, and they can carefully alert their client base to the new problem that they can help them solve. So, yes, it is feasible: for the right people with the right skills... again less than 1% of all MLMers.

Finally, one of the often overlooked cons of MLMs: you don't own the business. You are a commission-only sales rep. That's it. If the owners of the MLM make mistakes and it goes under, so do your monthly checks. They disappear. So, that income is very much NOT in your control. The majority of MLMs that get started, even when they are well funded, do not make it past 2 years. Now, if you create a legal entity, like an LLC, and you treat it like a business that you OWN, you can develop a large recruiting and training organization that could move from a current product/service to the next one, in case the current one tanks. Now you own a business with value. But, most people mistakenly say they are starting a business when they are simply joining the sales force of an MLM and, most often, they have to PAY to have to buy into it and then buy monthly in order to be able to sell the product or service. Everything, and I mean everything, is stacked in favor of the OWNERS, not the distributors.

Too many distributors start out annoying their friends, family, and acquantainces, simply because they don't know how to market and sell. This may be their first time "riding the bike," so to speak, so of course they are not going to get it right until they practice. But, unfortunately, they end up harming relationships. As a model, it would never make sense for a traditional business owner to send out inexperienced and untrain commission only sales reps into the field. It just doesn't happen. But, alas, that is often the case with MLMs. Even though many offer "training," I'm confident that most new recruits don't develop true sales skills for quite some time. Meanwhile, they experience the pain of rejection so deeply that they end up giving up. They were sent into a battlefield with no armor and no weapons. And they were taken out quickly. Marketing and sales are skills that are not natural for most people.

Personally, I'd rather counsel people to spend the time and money on starting THEIR OWN business, where they control everything. Then 100% of their sales goes to them. And, with affiliate systems in place, you can recruit people both online and offline to help you find clients. And your clients can referr you business and get paid/thanked. So, the power of networking and leveraging the time of others is possible to implement in a traditional small business.

Now, to be fair, there are some people for whom an MLM experience is a perfect fit. They benefit greatly from it: they get over their shyness, they start reading and listening to personal development materials recommended by their upline, they meet lots of people at events, they start networking locally and make new friends, etc. Again, there are LOADS of reasons to join an MLM... but, please, know the odds and tell your recruits the odds of actually making serious business income. And, let them know that all their years of hard work could go down the toilet if the MLM get sued or sells to new owners who make too many mistakes. Make sure that the offer is seen as the true gamble that it is.

Of course, all business is a gamble. It is a probability game. So long as your recruits know what they are getting into, you are truly being of service to them.

In Service,

Andrew Barden
Founder
Philanthropic Entrepreneur

----------------------------------------------

And, finally... Ed replies with his story...

Hi Andrew,

I don't disagree with most of what you say but there are exceptions and today's market is one of them. I have been in Network marketing for about 18 years and have experienced a lot of what you say; however a person needs to do their due diligence and not get caught up in the hype of most companies. Like it or not Amway has supported millions of reps and still does, so does Mary Kay and others. Yes, many do fail as most small business's also fail. I am in South Florida and I can't tell you how many people come to Florida with their life savings in their pocket, open a Cafe or Pizza joint and end up blowing their entire savings. It costs a lot of money for a conventional start up, how about a McDonalds, a million or so and you have bought yourself a 70 hr. a week job.

Most people never earn over a few hundred dollars a month in MLM but an extra $300 - $500 a month would have saved a lot of homes and stopped many bankruptcies the last few years. It certainly isn't for everyone but job security really doesn't exist as it did in the past. I am in MLM full time making a good living and have helped a lot of people financially. The company I am with is 7 years old, shipping product to 62 countries and quadrupled last year when many major companies went out of business, Their is no start up costs, all marketing material including web sites are free but yes they must buy $30 of product each month and if they can't afford that they need to join the unemployment line. I read today that Sears is not expected to survive this year, what will that do to a lot of people.

Some people just need a job to go to every day and need someone to tell them what to do every moment of their lives and some can step out and take control. Their are many selfish individuals in MLM and then there are others who really do try to support and help their downline to meet their goals and dreams, I like to think I am one of them. MLM is a job and a lot of hard work, too many people get into a company thinking it is easy and they don't have to do anything but call on their relatives, again the lack of real training and hype that you mentioned.

A little over 18 years ago I was an executive with a major corporation, lot's of stock options that was my retirement, when we were taken over by another company and due to circumstances beyond my control seen my options drop from over 550K to 40K as a result I told the new company to stick it and took my buy out and left. We had a home up north and a condo in Florida so I consulted for a couple of years while I built a MLM business and finally moved full time to Florida and never looked back.

Anyway, I really don't mean to vent about MLM but I do feel I need to defend it some.

Have a great day and stay in touch.

Ed

Robert Imbriale, Direct Marketing Guru, Fortells the Future of the Internet

2009-01-15T10:38:00.000-08:00

The Next Big Thing Online

By Robert Imbriale
Business Success Coach

When I first landed on the World Wide Web early in 1992, one of
the biggest claims I’d hear again and again about this dynamic
new medium is that it would soon be able to transmit graphics,
then photos, then sound, and finally even video would be able to
travel from computer to computer without the need for a
television.

While these were great promises, the truth took a bit longer to
materialize. Over the years we’ve seen many innovations on the
Internet, including voice and video conferencing. The question
that is on the minds of many business owners is where do we go
from here? What’s next?

We’ve now got audio, radio, telephone, and video on the Internet,
what’s left to tackle? Don’t worry, we’ve got a long way to go
and what you’ve seen so far really is just the very crude
beginnings of what’s still to come.

How you figure out what’s coming next is to look at the evolution
of the Internet to date. There is a pattern of evolution that’s
worth looking at. Let’s take streaming radio broadcasts for
example. If you remember when these broadcasts started to appear
on the Internet in the late 1990’s they all sounded as if they
were being broadcast through a pair of tin cans with a piece of
rope between them.

While the innovation was amazing, it took several years before it
was fine-tuned and really ready for the masses. Today, when you
tune into a radio broadcast, it’s almost as good as being in the
studio listening in person.

This is what you now see happening with video on the Internet.
First, it was really amazing to have a tiny, tiny window open up
to play a very low quality video clip on your computer. The first
time I saw this in a mass distribution was with Windows 95(TM).

On the installation CD, there were a few video clips that would
play with Windows Media Player right on your computer. In those
days, I’d show that video to everybody I ran into that was
running Windows 95(TM) because I thought it was just so cool!

From there, we began to see small, short video clips appear on
the Internet, but they were very flaky, often failed to download,
and you usually needed some media player to view them.

Nearly a decade later, we have YouTube.com and now just about
everybody can watch video on their computers. While this is
really great, there are still many improvements in the works and
this is where you’ll see the biggest innovations to come in the
next few years.

First, there’s the Internet connections offered by the ISP’s.
These are now undergoing some major changes and you’ll soon see
Internet connections reaching or exceeding 100 Megabits. That’s
more than 10 times most current broadband connection speeds.

As these connections become more and more available, video will
continue to evolve from the fuzzy, often choppy small video clips
we’re used to seeing on YouTube.com to full screen High-
Definition quality video being streamed in real-time to your
computer.

As this happens, there will be innovation in the quality of video
people produce and upload to the Internet. For businesses, that
will mean no more sticking a $50 web cam in your face and
recording a low-quality video with poor lighting, and sound that
echoes off every wall in the room.

Viewers will simply stop watching as they will have the choice of
seeing many more high-quality videos from hundreds of thousands
of sources.

This change will stimulate the creation of even more video
editing products, and cameras that continue to deliver higher and
higher quality video at lower and lower prices.

Video is not the only area of innovation to keep your eyes on
either. The other major area is voice over IP, or VOIP. This
emerging technology is just now becoming good enough to be a
serious contender in the telecom industry.

In the coming years as Internet connections speed up ten-fold,
you’ll see VOIP offer better and better quality, and in many
cases it will surpass the quality of the POTS (Plain Old
Telephone) lines we use today.

When that happens, look for telecommuting to grow exponentially
because a company can then run a telephone system that can
connect to any phone in the world from a single location.

While many of these systems are in place now, but their poor
voice quality has kept many businesses away from VOIP. That will
soon change as sound quality improves and it will spark
another round of outsourcing like we’ve never seen before.

Finally, the other big trend to pay close attention to is
portable computing. We now have many cell phones and hand-held
computers that can surf the Internet, but in many ways, they are
still rather crude. Look for this to change rapidly in the coming
years as better, bigger, foldable screens become available and
wireless Internet connections become faster and faster.

With social networking on the rise, and better than 90%
penetration in the US for households with Internet access,
innovation will continue to evolve at its normal break-neck pace
for the foreseeable future.

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About the Author

Robert Imbriale is the author of the best-selling book,
Motivational Marketing. He is a successful business coach, and
seminar leader who has helped hundreds of thousands of business
owners create bigger, more successful businesses, and he can help
you too. Tell him what your biggest challenge is with your
business right now! Go to www.AskRobertImbriale.com If you would
like to have Robert help you with your business, you can reach
him at 1-800-541-3816 or at www.RobertImbriale.com

2008-12-16T23:11:00.001-08:00

Andrew is reading Outliers, The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell

Psychological Factors in Achieving Professional Success

2008-12-11T12:29:00.000-08:00

Professional success all about psychology.

1) Most professionals, whether business owners or executives managing a team, need to be aware of their own psychology, how their mindset affects their effectiveness in all aspects in their business. 98% of our processing and behaviors are governed by the subconscious mind. In order to not simply react habitually to experiences throughout the day, professionals need to take the time each day to work on developing an optimal mindset for business success.

2) If you are in a service business, and 85% of small businesses in the US are service businesses, then you absolutely must have a thorough understanding of the psychology of your current and potential clients. I've noticed that most sales people, marketing strategists, and business owners have NOT taken the time to develop the imaginative skills required to truly place oneself in the mind of their clients. Once you can do this, you're business will grow substantially. Why? All of your marketing messages will hit home and activate prospects. All of your sales strategies will include hot buttons that trigger the right response from prospective clients. And you'll both retain and be able to upsell to your client base because they feel that you really truly "get" them. When you consistently solve someone problems exactly as they need them to be solved, you will keep loyal clients for life, who will naturally refer business to you.

3) Finally, as small businesses grow, especially from solopreneurs to 5 or 10 employees, it will be crucial that you choose partners and employees very carefully. Then, once you feel you've found the right people with the right mindset, you'll need to treat them like family. Remember that people join companies but leave bosses. How you treat people when you let them go will also affect people that you retain. Know that the emotional life of your partners and employees is often more important that you realize. Ask yourself how you'd address issues with your brother or sister, and then treat your partners or employees like that. And, the Golden Rule can be aptly refined to the Platinum Rule: treat others as THEY would like to be treated. In order to do that, you need to develop a psychological sense of how they would prefer to be treated. Sometimes you can use your imagination and be accurate. Sometimes it's best to simply ask them. Would you want to be respected and appreciated in a similar way? When you apply the Platinum rule to all of your relationships, be they partners, employees, or clients, you will have a thriving business. You are activating the Law of Reciprocity. Be of service to everyone in your life and they, directly or indirectly, will be of service in return.

If you refuse to see the world from the perspective of others, you will find that relationships don't serve your goals. When you help other people achieve everything they want, they will help you achieve everything you want. Develop these psychological talents and you'll find success chases after you instead of you chasing after it.

Best Practices for Business Social Networking.

2008-11-17T00:43:00.000-08:00

Hi Again.  A lot of my clients are asking me:
"What are the best practices for business social networking?"
So, I'm submitting the following brief assessment, with more to come I'm sure.  First, I'm recommending that businesses set up their own social network.  See ning.com to learn more about a free service that you can link to from your main site.  And, if you don't already have a blog to showcase your expertise, and allow prospective clients to 1) easily find you online and 2) "get to know you" by reading your published thoughts, you'll want to seriously consider starting a blog.  
Many small businesses can develop a much stronger presence online, reach more prospective clients, and send out the right message when prospective clients do a background check on the business owner(s).  If small business owners are smart, they will recognize the need to be aware of industry trends.  In what are the larger companies investing?  Is it important for a small business to adapt to the market?  I'd suggest that those small businesses who do not place themselves in front of their prospective clients, whether online or offline, are far less likely to attract new clients.  Larger companies invest a lot of money into following consumer behavior in order to generate leads.  Let's take a look at what the trends are in general... then, you'll want to study the bigger players in your industry.

Industry Trends

See the above graphic as it relates to the below quote from Forrester Research regarding the affect of social networking on businesses. They said...

"In a new report written for the market research firm, as detailed by Larry Dignan at CNET News.com's sibling site ZDNet, analyst G. Oliver Young predicts that "Enterprise 2.0" applications--buttoned-up versions of the Web 2.0 apps we all know and love--will be a $4.6 billion industry by 2013. Social networks, Young wrote, will make up the bulk of that, with nearly $2 billion invested in them.

This means we'll probably see a lot of intra-company networking tools (souped-up corporate directories, for example, or internal forums) as well as more interactive varieties of technical support. Not surprisingly, Young's report predicts the biggest adopters will be large companies where you can't just stroll over to the HR or IT folks for a little face time, and where instituting collaborative tools from 37Signals or Zoho could speed things up when not everyone's based in the same building (or time zone).

Smaller businesses, meanwhile, seemed a bit skeptical. Sixty-eight percent of small businesses (fewer than 99 employees) surveyed by Forrester said that they had no intention of instituting "Enterprise 2.0" applications, compared with 51 percent of global companies (20,000+ employees) who said they were already actively buying them up.

Behind social networking, the Forrester report asserts that the "Enterprise 2.0" landscape of 2013 will consist of mashups ($682 million), RSS technologies ($563 million), wikis ($451 million), blogs ($340 million), and podcasting ($273 million)."

That's a lot to invest in social media. How is your small business going to navigate these new waters?

A few thoughts on Ambition and developing a Mindset for Success

2008-11-16T00:43:00.000-08:00

Noble Ambition Creates True Prosperity

Ambition for becoming rich should include a desire to help others. You want to love people and use money, not the other way around! As a business owner, it is wise to think of one's self as a “Philanthropic Entrepreneur.” Philanthropy literally means “love of people.” The common way of saying it is describing someone as a “Social Entrepreneur.” But, I don't feel that Social Entrepreneur truly describes these noble and very giving people. When someone is so successful that they start to help others, they do so out of the goodness of their heart. It is out of a love of humanity and the joy that they feel while unselfishly helping others that these entrepreneurs are deemed philanthropists.

I believe it is perfectly acceptable—confirmed by any ethical principle in any philosophical or spiritual tradition available—for you to acquire all the money you can, so long as you are improving in some way your community or country or the world. Only those who foolishly think their actions are without consequence will seek financial gain by acting against the interests of others.

Opportunities in Life come by Creation, not by Chance

You created them with your thoughts and past actions. Whether or not you believe in the law of karma (most of the population of the planet DOES, by the way!), you do need to begin studying psychology enough to get yourself out of negative thought patterns that produce a life that is “stuck in a rut.” Do you feel like you are almost uncontrollably making the same mistakes over and over again? Having the same emotions of frustration and anger as a result of mis-managing your money or your small business marketing?

Well... I have good news for you!

You have unlimited powers that flow from the innermost forces of your being. It is worth investing some time into introspection. The return on your investment will produce more true freedam than nearly any other pursuit. You see, you achieve success or failure according to your habitual trend of thought.

Most of our decision and behaviors don't happen consciously, they happen in the subconscious mind. Only when you begin to study your unconscious thoughts and beliefs will you be able to think correctly regarding everything you do. Your mind is, literally, the creator of your world. And, it is not your passing inspirations or brilliant ideas so much as your everyday mental habits that control your life.

Devote your entire will power to mastering one thing at a time; do not scatter your energies, nor leave something half-done to being a new venture. If you devote your attention to a single-minded focus on mastering your inner game, you'll master your outer game much faster.

So, with love in your heart, a clear conscience, and supportive mental habits, the entrepreneur is setting him or herself up on a firm foundation for true and lasting prosperity.

If you are a new entrepreneur or if you are a seasoned business owners whose sales are down, feel free to contact me for a risk-free initial consultation. Visit: http://www.PhilanthropicEntrepreneur.com and submit your information. You'll love doing business with me. I guarantee that you'll make more money in your small business. You only pay me a small portion of your INCREASED sales! How's that for an irresistible offer?! Again, feel free to visit: http://www.PhilanthropicEntrepreneur.com and submit your information... I look forward to speaking with you soon!

Possibilities: Persistence guarantees success is inevitable

2008-11-13T10:13:00.001-08:00

If you think you are beaten, you already are.

If you think you dare not, you don't.

If you'd like to win, but, you think you can't,

It's already a cinch you won't.

If you think you'll loose, you've already lost,

For in the end you'll find that

Success comes from more than talent

It's a matter of heart and mind.

Some people quit when the going gets tough,

"It's just too hard!" they cry.

Winners get up when they fall down

and are always willing to try.

Think that you can and you will!

Remember, it's up to you.

The possibilities are endless!

You can do whatever you choose!

So, have a positive attitude.

Give your best right from the start.

And last but not least, have courage

To always follow your heart!

This is a poem that I use in my inspiring character education / comedy juggling show for youth and young adults. You can look me up on YouTube under Andrew Barden: Eccentric Juggler to view the promo video.

Video Testimonials Convert Browsers into Leads

2008-11-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

Hi again.

If you are a small business owner, 99% of the time you really must have a website (very very few exceptions to this rule). And, if you MUST have a website, you'll want to design it to produce the results you want.

The following brief article is a quick introduction for SERVICE based businesses more than PRODUCT based businesses, even though the principles apply to both.

As you can imagine, it is helpful to provide what sales psychologists call "social proof," which is a fancy way to call testimonials. Written testimonials are about 10% helpful. Add pictures and you double their effectiveness to 20%. Ultimately, they are good to have but not very effective.

However, video testimonials are 100% helpful in converting viewers/browsers into leads. What that means is that browsers are persuaded enough to give you their contact information, moving from a browser to a very warm if not "hot and fresh" lead. Then, it is your job to make sure that either you or your sales team views those emails or new entries into your CRM (Client Relationship Management) software online and immediately call them or email them or both.

Why video testimonials?

Browsers are FAR more likely to watch well edited video testimonial interview clips than they are to read anything. Written ad copy is certain essential for websites... for those 2% who are actually "readers." Give them a free e-book that is one long fun story about how your clients received benefits from working with you.

98% of web visitors don't read anymore online, they scan. Don't you? Busy professionals who are likely to hire you are not very likely to sit and read. If you are doing online marketing that sends people (strangers) to your page (versus offline marketing that expose people to you either in person or via TV, etc.,) you've got 7-10 seconds to convince someone to stay on your page if they don't know you yet. A video will keep them there, give them eye candy, and convince them based on the BENEFITS received from your coaching clients and speaking engagement participants.

BENEFITS SELL, FEATURES TELL. Your "welcome to my website intro" is basically a feature of what you are like when speaking either one-on-one or in front of a group. It will need to showcase the benefits of hiring you versus others. It gives watchers a sense of your "energy," so they'll know what to expect when they talk to you. It would be helpful to even add some unique content to the video each week, as it will be a good reason to draw prospective clients to the site to get a freebie, but, you'll need to wrap it up with a benefit driven testimonial clips from your most fanatical clients.

Finally, the people giving the testimonials must speak extemporaniously-- i.e. they can't sound scripted. If they have any hint of a script, it will damage their perceived sincerity. Too many infomercials on TV or radio sound very scripted, and we tend to simply not believe them.

Remember, everyone is tuned into the WIFM station, and you need to answer that question quickly when you first engage someone whether online or offline. What's In It For Me?

Do a video testimonial 60 to 90 second clip, add it to the end of each of your pep talks, and see your conversion rates skyrocket. Now those pep talks are actually effective promotional tools.

Now, I don't practice what I preach on my own site, www.PhilanthropicEntrepreneur.com... I'm in the process of obtaining those video testimonials from my clients... but, I don't do nearly as much coaching as I used to... I'm working on other projects. So, my own site is not optimized according to the best practices that I am recently learning about! Yes, the cobbler has no shoes!

Visit my site in early 2009 and I will have upgraded with a great intro video and video testimonials.... and likely a brand new design.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you agree or disagree and why...

Intro to Web 2.0 - Entrepreneurs are Obtaining More Clients Marketing Online for their Offiline Business

2008-11-11T02:22:00.000-08:00

Introduction to Web 2.0

The wave of the future is here… and it is Web 2.0. If you haven’t heard already, there is a new two-way communication required online. As they say, "out with the old and in with the new." If you are not leveraging the new ways clients are researching and finding out about you, you're leaving money on the table. In “times of old” people relied on the Internet as a one-way tool for communicating with others. Most business entrepreneurs will set up a website, then offer their opinions, advice and more to anyone willing to listen, pay attention or chime in.

That has all changed. Now people are relying on a relatively old concept to change the way they do business on the Web. Instead of using the Internet as a one-way tool for communicating, people are now realizing the Web’s potential for creating an interactive, dynamic environment. In this environment, individuals, consumers and businesses can collaborate and communicate in new and simpler ways.

When we think of the term “next generation”, we automatically think of something new and innovative.

The way se use the Web is new, but the technology supporting what people do with the Web has existed for decades.

While 2.0 isn’t exactly new, the next generation user or modern web users are using the technology supporting it in new ways. Long gone are the days of old where reading information on the Web was much like reading a book. Today people use the web for various purposes, including sharing information with others and to collaborate and communicate with others. To understand this, you must understand 2.0.

What Is It?

First popularized in 2004 and coined by O’Reilly Media, Web 2.0 is the “next generation” Web…

Web 2.0 is a broad term describing many different kinds of websites, websites that provide a platform where end-users have control over the content of sites. Web 2.0 includes social networking sites, wikis, sites like Squidoo.com and MySpace.com, folk-sonomies, Blogs, RSS Feeds and other sites that emphasize collaboration and sharing among users.

Web 2.0 is The NEW Internet. It’s a new way of communicating using the World Wide Web. It focuses on building communities where people come together to share their ideas, passions and interests. Some people used collaborative and community-based sites since the dawn of the Web. Only recently have people other than consumers begun realizing the true potential of collaborative networking.

The “old” way of doing things focused on individual users creating applications from which they presented visitors information. For example, a person sat at their computer, created a website and provided information to visitors. They sold product to visitors. They allowed feedback, usually in the form of a one-way email communication, web form or other application.

The “new” way: Web 2.0 encourages an approach to the Web where people form communities and collaborate to provide information on the Web. Instead of one person sitting at the end of a computer terminal, there are multiple people at many terminals all capable of accessing the same information, like a list of your favorites you bookmark on the Web.

Consider for example, Wikipedia.org. This is an ideal example of how the Web is transforming. This modern-day encyclopedia of information is a collection of insights and information gathered from people across the world. There is no one “editor” or author, rather people share and collaborate to create a resource that includes insights from all walks of life. The technology supporting this site allows users to collaborate and edit information using some formal and informal guidelines. The community works to approve or disprove new information, but overall, just about anyone can place information on the site.

To understand Web 2.0, it will help to explore some of the common sites and terms used in conjunction with this new web platform. In the next section, we will spend some time exploring the different sites that make up Web 2.0, and how you can use them to your benefit.

Web 2.0 Websites

Web 2.0 websites are not built using the traditional computer “platform” even though many people refer to the technology supporting Web 2.0 as a platform in its own right. Web 2.0 sites are noted by their ability to enhance and promote open communication among users. They operate in a much-decentralized manner than traditional sites do.

To get a better idea of how Web 2.0 works, let’s use the analogy of a corporation. Typically, in a traditional hierarchical corporation, information is passed from the top down. You have the CEO of the company, who may pass information to the controller, who may pass information to accounting managers, who may pass information to line workers. If the company were operating like Web 2.0, everyone would disseminate information horizontally, through shared systems. Meaning, the person on the bottom of the chain of command would have instant access to the same information the person at the top of the organization might.

One marked difference distinguishing Web 2.0 from the web of old is the philosophy that supports it. Web 2.0 encourages freedom of use, and sharing among all users. It supports the disintegration of hierarchical models of use, and instead promotes a horizontal or collaborative approach to knowledge sharing. Knowledge sharing is after all, a collective effort that includes the information and expertise of multiple members within an organization, community or other forum.

Whether sharing photographs, personal journals or data, Web 2.0 allows users to create communities from scratch, using many promising new technologies. Some examples of Web 2.0 sites include: Craiglist, Skype, del.icio.us. Technorati, Squidoo, Flickr and more. We will talk more about some of these sites later. Now that you have a better idea of “what” Web 2.0 is, let’s look at some of the different platforms used by users. Remember, not all Web 2.0 sites are alike.

Web 2.0 and Business

Web 2.0 is not popular among consumers only. Businesses are now realizing the potential benefits Web 2.0 has to offer. While many consumers think of popular applications like MySpace when they ponder Web 2.0, many fail to connect this technology with its potential for business.

Corporations can reduce much of the expense associated with installing and configuring essential software and applications on individual computers when they take advantage of the blogs available.

Web 2.0 Key Features

Most sites, regardless of their platform, share key features if they are 2.0 sites. Here are some of the key features and benefits associated with this new wave in technology.

1. Web 2.0 encourages greater collaboration among webmasters and visitors, so that interactive communities are created on the Web.

2. Web 2.0 approaches the Web as a platform for building conversation and communities.

3. The “new” Web focuses more on social networking and sharing, through various means including through blogs, wikis and more.

Rather than have an IT manager set up, configure and maintain a company’s applications and software on corporate servers, a company can now access a vendor’s server to acquire the information they need for their company.

Companies can now also share information and collaborate with one another in new and interesting ways. This will require business managers to start thinking more horizontally, moving away from a hierarchical model of communicating to one where knowledge is shared freely among employees, suppliers, vendors and even competitors.

Some company’s are even encouraging their customers to take advantage of social networks to help them advertise. GM for example allowed consumers to create commercials for some of their popular vehicles a while back. While many of these left much room for improvement, such integration allows for greater innovation and shared interest among key agents – consumers.

A company can also help businesses make working more practical and simpler. Rather than have individuals use stand-alone systems only, company’s can now encourage the joint use of software and computers among multiple users. Data can easily be shared from one person to next, meetings can be held online, and problem solving can take place from a much broader perspective.

As with anything, there are drawbacks to using this technology, even in the world of business. Business entrepreneurs have to ensure they fully understand the implications and utility of using Web 2.0 before they adopt the technology. Many must also realize that this technology has existed for some time, but offers an interactive approach to marketing and everyday business operations. A company should examine how they can integrate Web 2.0 into daily operations while still hedging risks.

What We Learned

We 2.0 is a community-based platform or network, one encouraging shared participation and community effort. Web applications common to this new platform include both Web and non-web applications (like instant messaging). Using this new platform, end-users throughout the globe can share data, information, photographs, personal insights and more.

A great example of community-based site that you can literally have set-up and running in 30-minutes is Ning.com. Their base product is free so you can set-up your an online social community in minutes. More and more businesses are also realizing the potential benefits of using a collaborative application and software such as that provided through Web 2.0 technologies. The entire way we do business is changing. Now that your interest is peaking, let us look at some of these applications, and the technology supporting Web 2.0.

Web 2.0 Sites

How do you know if you have landed on a Web 2.0 platform? Chances are, if you are asked to contribute to the content or body of knowledge contained on the site, you’ve hit the lottery. Most sites are those that encourage visitors to add their insights to a page, whether through ongoing commentary, through editing or by any other means available. Web 2.0 sites differ in their mission and purpose from traditional web pages. Some provide users the opportunity to share personal biographies, pictures and journals.

Examples include sites like MySpace.com. This fast and growing site is popular among the young and old. Even celebrities use the site to post pictures, update their fans and promote their latest shows or movies. One of the advantages of Web 2.0 is users can use it to express their opinions or passions, but also passively promote their products or services in the process. Here are some other common sites characteristic of this new trend.

Social Bookmarking Sites

Social bookmarking sites are sites that allow Internet users to classify and share their Internet bookmarks or favorites with others. They are similar to social networking sites, where users share content, personal photographs and other information. Social networking and social bookmarking sites alike both work to promote a community-type look and feel.

While the intent of social networking sites is more to create communities of like-minded people, social bookmarking sites concentrate more on increasing the popularity of common Internet bookmarks or favorites. You can tell the whole world what your passions are, and increase the page rank to your favorite sites, by placing tags on them and listing them in social bookmarking networks.

Social networks are nothing new, they have existed for decades on the Internet. Only recently however, have people taken a keen interest in their potential, especially from a marketing perspective. Think about it; you put bookmarks to all your blogs, sites and lists in a public forum. Others can link to your sites and click through to visit your sites through the social networking site you list with. You increase knowledge and awareness of your sites and also get free advertising and targeted traffic.

If the quality of information you provide is worthwhile, chances are you benefit tremendously from this new technology.

There is little difference between the two technologies, many use them as one in the same. If you do plan to use social networking or bookmarking sites to publicize your content, just be sure you do it in a non-threatening, non-confrontational and legitimate manner. No one likes a spammer, and you can spam social sites.

Remember, people join these sites and post information because they want quality links and information from real people. If you use the sites as a general “bulletin board” or classified ad, you diminish the value and might even get booted off.

In fact, one of the more commonly cited “drawbacks” of these sites is they do not rely on a standard set of tagging or keywords, so people can often set up unclear tags or fill the site with misspelled tags in the name of driving more traffic to their sites. Many sites are more likely to corrode as people use them more as a page rank boosting or search engine tool than to provide valuable information. Don’t book the same site repeatedly or you will get into trouble.

Weblogs

You’ve probably heard the term “blog.” This is short for web log or weblog. This is a site that allows users to create journal or diary-like entries in a chronological way. Users often post blogs or short entries and articles on information they are passionate about or have an interest in. Still others focus on providing content about news, entertainment or political commentary.

Many use these as online journals and diaries to communicate the latest and greatest events with their friends. Most bloggers now include photos and other graphic elements in their web pages, along with basic text. You can even use MP3 or videos to enhance the quality of content provided in blogs.

Most bloggers allow visitors to post feedback or comments about their blog entries, so in some ways web logs serve as a mini community or forum. Popular blogs may receive hundreds of visitors every month. There are search engines whose sole purpose involve tracking blogs and related sites, including Technorati.com for example.

One of the reasons web logs are popular for marketing is they allow users to provide content that is updated frequently. You can post daily, weekly or monthly. The more frequently you post information to blogs, the more likely you are to maintain your page ranking.

Like social bookmarking sites, blogs are not anything new, but are now gaining more attention and popularity among individuals, communities and online entrepreneurs and marketers. People are using them in many ways, even politically, to announce their passions, beliefs, purpose or to pitch their products and services while providing visitors with valuable content and information.

Like social networking sites, blogs are targets for spammers, who frequently post spam and links to junk sites in the comments section of blogs, so most webmasters will have to monitor this to avoid clogging their blog with unnecessary spam.

Everyone these days, from celebrities again to political commentators use blogs to deliver information and news to people throughout the globe. There are private and public blogs, blogs focusing on entertainment, those focusing on politics, the media and people. Even corporations are starting their own blog campaigns to encourage people to investigate their company.

Of course, as with anything there are problems with blogs and potential concerns. For example, many people do not realize the consequences of posting potentially negative or defamatory information on their blogs. Yes, free speech is important. But bloggers beware, there are many instances where bloggers have been cited for liability or defamation. Make sure if you communicate you do so wisely and with good intent.

Folksonomies

An interesting name for an interesting concept. These are sites that allow users to categorize and classify information on the Web, including websites or pages, photographs and other information like links. Users can classify information using tags, or special labels containing brief information about each categorized piece of information. An example of a popular “foksonomy” site is Flickr, where users can classify and organize and share photographs. Yet another is del.icio.us that allows users to tag and classify information ranging

from web pages to links to blogs and more. As with anything, once information is tagged and categorized, it becomes more easily and readily available to the public. Think of tagging as a unique way of creating navigation bars, bars that reside throughout the Web or that are easily accessed through multiple portals on the Web, rather than through a single web page.

Tagged sites are more likely to be picked up by search engines, though some people will refer to popular folksonomy sites to find information they are looking for rather than rely on popular search engines including Google.

There are some disadvantages of using categorical sites as these. For one, the tagging “system” isn’t really well defined. Because there are no exact rules or regulations defining how tags should be implemented or inserted, many are inserted inconsistently. This can make navigating these sites a bit tricky.

However, if used wisely, folksonomy sites and tagged pages are an excellent way to provide information to the public in an easily navigable format. As with anything, entrepreneurs and other small business owners can use these sites to help promote their products, services or link to their web pages or affiliate marketing sites on the Web.

Wikis

Another example of Web 2.0 in full force is the wiki. These are websites that allow individuals to add, edit and even remove content. Many act like an encyclopedia, like where users can add content creating a global online dictionary or encyclopedia of sorts. The problem with such sites is the information provided in the sites may not always be accurate. Remember, anyone can log into the site and edit, remove or add information, so most “wikis” need some form of monitoring.

This usually comes in the form of community collaboration, where a group or wiki community work together to make sure any and all users are engaging in reasonable and acceptable practices when adding information.

As a benefit, these sites may include more information than traditional strict “book” type or “knowledge based” learning centers. Most of these sites work on the premise that communities will band together to provide honest and positive information, rather than work in a malicious or malevolent way.

Wikis are less of a tool for self-promotion than some other common Web 2.0 interfaces like social bookmarking sites and blogs. There primary foundation is a content based site and community of people gathered together to learn and grow. Many are globally based.

To find information in a wiki, one can often rely on an internal search engine that will look for data using key search terms, much like one might look for information on Google or any other mainstream Web application.

Other Applications

Of course, there are many other types of Web applications that quality as Web 2.0 interfaces or platforms for users. Consider for example, YouTube, which allows users from all walks of life to create streamlined video clips to the world at large. Once again, this site is one that commoners and celebutants alike have attached to. Users can post any type of video clip they like using a simple web cam. Many provide parodies of political figures and celebrities, while others do nothing more than film ordinary events. Not surprisingly however, YouTube and sites like it are among the fastest growing on the Web, because face it… people like to see other people in action.

What We Learned

There are many types of sites one can categorize as part of the growing Web 2.0 base. These sites are user-friendly sites that promote socialization, collaboration and community building. These sites are also frequently used as a platform for small businesses and entrepreneurs to introduce their products and services to the public without blatantly advertising them.

Many Web 2.0 sites, including social bookmarking sites, have existed for centuries. They are only now gaining popularity as people begin to realize the potential for boosting business and page ranks. These sties are also idea for individuals that just want an opportunity to communicate with a global community. Of critical importance in the future will be finding ways to help keep these sites “spam” free and user friendly. As with any technology, Web 2.0 has its criticisms, including the likelihood that the sites will become corrupted by malicious individuals whose sole purpose for posting is “spamming.” Now that you have a better handle on what Web 2.0 is and how people use it, let’s review some frequently asked questions.

Web 2.0 Frequently Asked Questions

Now that you know a little more about Web 2.0 and how you can benefit, let’s explore some less commonly understood questions surrounding this incredible technology.

Q. What is the Semantic Web?

A. Semantic technologies often promote Web 2.0 sites. The Semantic Web enables users to create files explaining relationships between data sets. This technology allows for greater data integration and helps users classify and categorize information. Many also use the term “digital library” to identify these types of sites and this technology. It is the platform from which social bookmarking and other taxonomy type or categorical sites are created from.

Q. What is tagging (or tags)?

A. Tagging is a way users can classify or organize and categorize data, and is common on many sites including social bookmarking sites and folksonomies. How it works is users attach tags to data items like web pages, their blog entries or even photographs they want classified and categorized. Tagging is not the same as the Semantic system, which allows users to categorize information using unique identifiers rather than common tags. Relationships in a Semantic environment are more specific than in a tagging environment. For example, when one tags a blog page, they may tag it with terms like,

“internet marketing” or “summer picnic” whereas when one classifies information semantically, they will tag the information using a unique identifier. If someone classifies a web blog entry for example, they may identify it using the blog author’s name, the date of creation and the source of content used to create the blog entry.

Q. I still do not fully understand Web 2.0. Can you expand?

A. Web 2.0 is a client-sided application, meaning end-users, people sitting at their computer, can categorize, tag and store data on the Web and share it with others. For example, let’s say you bookmark 3 of your favorite sites. Usually, when you visit another computer, your bookmarks will not show up when you log in. When you use Web 2.0 technologies however, you bookmark your favorite sites to public forums, so you can access them from anywhere. At the same time, anyone else can access your favorites from any computer anywhere in the world. Some call this “intelligent” sharing of data. It is certainly a new way to classify and navigate information provided on the Web.

Q. How can I learn more about this exciting new technology?

Enroll in the SBDCnetwork.com eLearning course to learn how to build your own Web 2.0 business system the right way! We show you with video, podcasts and easy-to-read workbooks the right tools and techniques to start building massive traffic to your web site and turn more visitors into customers or prospects.

Q. How do I use a weblog? Isn’t it dangerous?

To use a blog or web log, all you have to do is set up an account. Anyone can set up a blog these days. Most people uses blogs as online journals or commentaries. You can share photographs of family members; you can share personal insights about political subjects or subjects you feel passionate about. The danger comes when someone uses blogs in a slanderous or malicious way. You should note that their may be some repercussions to posting your opinions on the Web. In some countries, people have been arrested for information they placed on a private blog. You should also know that when you post information to the Web, you are placing your personal information for the entire world to see. So if you do not want something public, do not post it on a blog, or keep your blog private.

Many people, including media moguls now use blogs to deliver news information on the Web in a consistent and timely fashion. As more and more people turn to the Web for information and advice, it makes sense to put information on the Web for others to access. People can comment on your Blog entries if you set up your blog in a way that allows them to do so, but this isn’t always a necessity. Some people prefer others do not comment on their blog, because this may result in spamming.

Q. What is RSS?

This is another technology rapidly gaining popularity. RSS technology, or “Really Simple Syndication” is a tool anyone can use to tell the world at large about new blog entries or web entries. What you do is set up your site content using RSS tools or content aggregators. What happens is any time you post new information to your page, that information is fed to people that are linked to your feed.

Q. If Web 2.0 isn’t new, who cares?

Web 2.0 isn’t new, but people are finding new and innovative ways to use it. If strategic, you can use Web 2.0 to market your products and services and promote your business or site to millions of people around the world. You do have to do this in a politically correct and decent way. Many applications allow readers to interact with the Web pages they browse. These applications are all part of Web 2.0 technology, and include SOAP, XML, JAVASCRIPT and AJAX. These interesting technologies allow you to interact with a web page that is live in much the same way you would interact with a page from your own computer, a page you created.

Web 2.0 isn’t new, but people are now taking an active interest in becoming members of a global community. Thus, Web 2.0 is becoming a lot more popular than it has been in the past. Sites including Gmail, Flickr and Digg are all the rage among collaborative types interested in link and information sharing on the Web

Conclusions

Web 2.0 is a popular term used to describe an old system but new way of thinking about and using the Internet. If you are an entrepreneur or business owner, you will find 2.0 is a great tool for promoting your business and establishing your credibility on the Web.

If you are someone interested in sharing information and forming collective communities on the Internet, you will also find 2.0 technology something new, exciting and innovative to explore.

No matter your intent or purpose, it’s worth a little time and effort. So take your time and explore 2.0 for all it is worth. Have fun, and share!

The Money Speech - an old classic worth reading

2008-11-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

"The 'Money' Speech" - From 'Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand

I just became familiar with one of Ayn Rand books, "Atlas Shrugged." particularly the famous "money speech" by Francisco. It is a classic that is worth posting here.

You may have to read it a few times to really understand it. And once you really get it, it can save you a lot of money in financial education and personal development in understanding about abundance and prosperity. If you haven't yet downloaded all the free PDFs, Word docs, audio, and videos on developing Prosperity Consciousness on my www.PhilanthropicEntrepreneur.com website, feel free to go there after you read the below and learn how your mindset often matters more than your marketing when looking to start or grow your small business.

This book will gain popularity in the next year due to several factors. Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board took this book to heart and writes about the influence it had in his life when he read it in the early stages of his professional life. Likely by 2010, a movie is coming out in the theaters and Angelina Jolie is one of the main characters in the movie. The book turns 50 years this year.

Here below is the classic 'Money' speech from the book:

Francisco's 'Money' Speech from -Atlas Shrugged-

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Original source: Part II, Section 2, pages 382-387 of the paperback (35th anniversary edition)
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Rearden heard Bertram Scudder, outside the group, say to a girl who made some sound of indignation, "Don't let him disturb you. You know, money is the root of all evil – and he's the typical product of money."

Rearden did not think that Francisco could have heard it, but he saw Francisco turning to them with a gravely courteous smile.

"So you think that money is the root of all evil?" said Francisco d'Aconia. "Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can't exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears, or of the looters, who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce. Is this what you consider evil?

"When you accept money in payment for your effort, you do so only on the conviction that you will exchange it for the product of the effort of others. It is not the moochers or the looters who give value to money. Not an ocean of tears nor all the guns in the world can transform those pieces of paper in your wallet into the bread you will need to survive tomorrow. Those pieces of paper, which should have been gold, are a token of honor – your claim upon the energy of the men who produce. Your wallet is your statement of hope that somewhere in the world around you there are men who will not default on that moral principle which is the root of money. Is this what you consider evil?

"Have you ever looked for the root of production? Take a look at an electric generator and dare tell yourself that it was created by the muscular effort of unthinking brutes. Try to grow a seed of wheat without the knowledge left to you by men who had to discover it for the first time. Try to obtain your food by means of nothing but physical motions – and you'll learn that man's mind is the root of all the goods produced and of all the wealth that has ever existed on earth.

"But you say that money is made by the strong at the expense of the weak? What strength do you mean? It is not the strength of guns or muscles. Wealth is the product of man's capacity to think. Then is money made by the man who invents a motor at the expense of those who did not invent it? Is money made by the intelligent at the expense of the fools? By the able at the expense of the incompetent? By the ambitious at the expense of the lazy? Money is made – before it can be looted or mooched – made by the effort of every honest man, each to the extent of his ability. An honest man is one who knows that he can't consume more than he has produced.

"To trade by means of money is the code of the men of good will. Money rests on the axiom that every man is the owner of his mind and his effort. Money allows no power to prescribe the value of your effort except by the voluntary choice of the man who is willing to trade you his effort in return. Money permits you to obtain for your goods and your labor that which they are worth to the men who buy them, but no more. Money permits no deals except those to mutual benefit by the unforced judgment of the traders. Money demands of you the recognition that men must work for their own benefit, not for their own injury, for their gain, not their loss – the recognition that they are not beasts of burden, born to carry the weight of your misery – that you must offer them values, not wounds – that the common bond among men is not the exchange of suffering, but the exchange of goods. Money demands that you sell, not your weakness to men's stupidity, but your talent to their reason; it demands that you buy, not the shoddiest they offer, but the best your money can find. And when men live by trade – with reason, not force, as their final arbiter – it is the best product that wins, the best performance, then man of best judgment and highest ability – and the degree of a man's productiveness is the degree of his reward. This is the code of existence whose tool and symbol is money. Is this what you consider evil?

"But money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver. It will give you the means for the satisfaction of your desires, but it will not provide you with desires. Money is the scourge of the men who attempt to reverse the law of causality – the men who seek to replace the mind by seizing the products of the mind.

"Money will not purchase happiness for the man who has no concept of what he wants; money will not give him a code of values, if he's evaded the knowledge of what to value, and it will not provide him with a purpose, if he's evaded the choice of what to seek. Money will not buy intelligence for the fool, or admiration for the coward, or respect for the incompetent. The man who attempts to purchase the brains of his superiors to serve him, with his money replacing his judgment, ends up by becoming the victim of his inferiors. The men of intelligence desert him, but the cheats and the frauds come flocking to him, drawn by a law which he has not discovered: that no man may be smaller than his money. Is this the reason why you call it evil?

"Only the man who does not need it, is fit to inherit wealth – the man who would make his own fortune no matter where he started. If an heir is equal to his money, it serves him; if not, it destroys him. But you look on and you cry that money corrupted him. Did it? Or did he corrupt his money? Do not envy a worthless heir; his wealth is not yours and you would have done no better with it. Do not think that it should have been distributed among you; loading the world with fifty parasites instead of one would not bring back the dead virtue which was the fortune. Money is a living power that dies without its root. Money will not serve that mind that cannot match it. Is this the reason why you call it evil?

"Money is your means of survival. The verdict which you pronounce upon the source of your livelihood is the verdict you pronounce upon your life. If the source is corrupt, you have damned your own existence. Did you get your money by fraud? By pandering to men's vices or men's stupidity? By catering to fools, in the hope of getting more than your ability deserves? By lowering your standards? By doing work you despise for purchasers you scorn? If so, then your money will not give you a moment's or a penny's worth of joy. Then all the things you buy will become, not a tribute to you, but a reproach; not an achievement, but a reminder of shame. Then you'll scream that money is evil. Evil, because it would not pinch-hit for your self-respect? Evil, because it would not let you enjoy your depravity? Is this the root of your hatred of money?

"Money will always remain an effect and refuse to replace you as the cause. Money is the product of virtue, but it will not give you virtue and it will not redeem your vices. Money will not give you the unearned, neither in matter nor in spirit. Is this the root of your hatred of money?

"Or did you say it's the love of money that's the root of all evil? To love a thing is to know and love its nature. To love money is to know and love the fact that money is the creation of the best power within you, and your passkey to trade your effort for the effort of the best among men. It's the person who would sell his soul for a nickel, who is the loudest in proclaiming his hatred of money – and he has good reason to hate it. The lovers of money are willing to work for it. They know they are able to deserve it.

"Let me give you a tip on a clue to men's characters: the man who damns money has obtained it dishonorably; the man who respects it has earned it.

"Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil. That sentence is the leper's bell of an approaching looter. So long as men live together on earth and need means to deal with one another – their only substitute, if they abandon money, is the muzzle of a gun.

"But money demands of you the highest virtues, if you wish to make it or to keep it. Men who have no courage, pride, or self-esteem, men who have no moral sense of their right to their money and are not willing to defend it as they defend their life, men who apologize for being rich – will not remain rich for long. They are the natural bait for the swarms of looters that stay under rocks for centuries, but come crawling out at the first smell of a man who begs to be forgiven for the guilt of owning wealth. They will hasten to relieve him of the guilt – and of his life, as he deserves.

"Then you will see the rise of the double standard – the men who live by force, yet count on those who live by trade to create the value of their looted money – the men who are the hitchhikers of virtue. In a moral society, these are the criminals, and the statutes are written to protect you against them. But when a society establishes criminals-by-right and looters-by-law – men who use force to seize the wealth of disarmed victims – then money becomes its creators' avenger. Such looters believe it safe to rob defenseless men, once they've passed a law to disarm them. But their loot becomes the magnet for other looters, who get it from them as they got it. Then the race goes, not to the ablest at production, but to those most ruthless at brutality. When force is the standard, the murderer wins over the pickpocket. And then that society vanishes, in a spread of ruins and slaughter.

"Do you wish to know whether that day is coming? Watch money. Money is the barometer of a society's virtue. When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion – when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing – when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors – when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don't protect you against them, but protect them against you – when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice – you may know that your society is doomed. Money is so noble a medium that it does not compete with guns and it does not make terms with brutality. It will not permit a country to survive as half-property, half-loot.

"Whenever destroyers appear among men, they start by destroying money, for money is men's protection and the base of a moral existence. Destroyers seize gold and leave to its owners a counterfeit pile of paper. This kills all objective standards and delivers men into the arbitrary power of an arbitrary setter of values. Gold was an objective value, an equivalent of wealth produced. Paper is a mortgage on wealth that does not exist, backed by a gun aimed at those who are expected to produce it. Paper is a check drawn by legal looters upon an account which is not theirs: upon the virtue of the victims. Watch for the day when it becomes, marked: 'Account overdrawn.'

"When you have made evil the means of survival, do not expect men to remain good. Do not expect them to stay moral and lose their lives for the purpose of becoming the fodder of the immoral. Do not expect them to produce, when production is punished and looting rewarded. Do not ask, 'Who is destroying the world?' You are.

"You stand in the midst of the greatest achievements of the greatest productive civilization and you wonder why it's crumbling around you, while you're damning its life-blood – money. You look upon money as the savages did before you, and you wonder why the jungle is creeping back to the edge of your cities. Throughout men's history, money was always seized by looters of one brand or another, but whose method remained the same: to seize wealth by force and to keep the producers bound, demeaned, defamed, deprived of honor. That phrase about the evil of money, which you mouth with such righteous recklessness, comes from a time when wealth was produced by the labor of slaves – slaves who repeated the motions once discovered by somebody's mind and left unimproved for centuries. So long as production was ruled by force, and wealth was obtained by conquest, there was little to conquer. Yet through all the centuries of stagnation and starvation, men exalted the looters, as aristocrats of the sword, as aristocrats of birth, as aristocrats of the bureau, and despised the producers, as slaves, as traders, as shopkeepers – as industrialists.

"To the glory of mankind, there was, for the first and only time in history, a country of money – and I have no higher, more reverent tribute to pay to America, for this means: a country of reason, justice, freedom, production, achievement. For the first time, man's mind and money were set free, and there were no fortunes-by-conquest, but only fortunes-by-work, and instead of swordsmen and slaves, there appeared the real maker of wealth, the greatest worker, the highest type of human being – the self-made man – the American industrialist.

"If you ask me to name the proudest distinction of Americans, I would choose – because it contains all the others – the fact that they were the people who created the phrase 'to make money'. No other language or nation had ever used these words before; men had always thought of wealth as a static quantity – to be seized, begged, inherited, shared, looted, or obtained as a favor. Americans were the first to understand that wealth has to be created. The words 'to make money' hold the essence of human morality.

"Yet these were the words for which Americans were denounced by the rotted cultures of the looters' continents. Now the looters' credo has brought you to regard your proudest achievements as a hallmark of shame, your prosperity as guilt, your greatest men, the industrialists, as blackguards, and your magnificent factories as the product and property of muscular labor, the labor of whip-driven slaves, like the pyramids of Egypt. The rotter who simpers that he sees no difference between the power of the dollar and the power of the whip, ought to learn the difference on his own hide – as, I think, he will.

"Until and unless you discover that money is the root of all good, you ask for your own destruction. When money ceases to be the tool by which men deal with one another, then men become the tools of men. Blood, whips and guns – or dollars. Take your choice – there is no other – and your time is running out."

Talent Is Overrated: What really separates world-class performers from everybody else

2008-11-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

Hi again. Similar to the topic of high achievers that I wrote about the other day, quoting JFK at the top, I wanted to give you a review of one of the best selling business books available on the market right now. The title of this very inspiring book is Talent Is Overrated: What really separates world-class performers from everybody else.

Expanding on a landmark cover story in Fortune, a top journalist, Geoff Colvin, debunks the myths of exceptional performance. One of the most popular Fortune articles in many years was a cover story called "What It Takes to Be Great." Geoff Colvin offered new evidence that top performers in any field--from Tiger Woods and Winston Churchill to Warren Buffett and Jack Welch--are not determined by their inborn talents. Greatness doesn't come from DNA but from practice and perseverance honed over decades. Perseverance guarantees that results are inevitable.

And not just plain old hard work, like your grandmother might have advocated, but a very specific kind of work. The key is how you practice, how you analyze the results of your progress and learn from your mistakes, that enables you to achieve greatness.

Now Colvin has expanded his article with much more scientific background and real-world examples. He shows that the skills of business—negotiating deals, evaluating financial statements, and all the rest—obey the principles that lead to greatness, so that anyone can get better at them with the right kind of effort. Even the hardest decisions and interactions can be systematically improved.

I've couched over 1,650 small businesses owners from around the world in various industries, economic conditions, cultural environment, and mindset. Those that tend to fail are far different than those that succeed. Colvin explains some of the most common factors of those who succeed. What does he mean by perseverance? Well, just imagine if you ran most of the race but felt too tired and too stressed and lost hope at the last few feet before the finish line. And, your competitors don't stop until they cross the finish line. If you give up, you'll stand a 0% chance of succeeding. But, if you stay persistent despite setbacks, despite challenges, despite the extra push you need to give yourself, YOU HAVE A 100% CHANCE OF MAKING IT! Again, persistence guarantees that results are INEVITABLE!

This new mind-set, combined with Colvin's practical advice, will change the way you think about your job and career and will inspire you to achieve more in all you do. I've read a lot of books on mindset topics and this one is definitely cream of the crop. I'd also look up John Assaraf, he is lso one of my favorites, and has written several books related to mindset and marketing for the small business owner.

World-class talent isn't something you are born with. It must be developed over many years of unflagging dedication, education, and "deliberate practice" of a key skill, which requires consistent repetition and immediate feedback. Colvin credits "deliberate practice" for the extraordinary achievements of phenoms like Jack Welch.

Chapter Seven, "Applying the Principles in Our Lives," presents more good ideas in 20 pages than many self-help books manage in 200. Among them: Treat business news like case studies by carefully considering what you would do in the place of a struggling leader; periodically go back and practice the fundamental skills of your craft (for example, analyze the ratios in a financial statement with pen and paper instead of software); and constantly deepen your knowledge of your industry.

Colvin spends much of Chapter Nine, "Performing Great at Innovation," tearing down straw men, including the presumably widespread beliefs that creativity depends on flashes of insight and that great inventions are created from whole cloth rather than built on the work of earlier inventors.

Anyone managing employees should consider this question: How do we balance the need to stretch people, which requires that they grapple with difficult and unfamiliar tasks, with the need for them to deliver peak performance at all times? The author's response is nuanced, but he is a fan of the stretch.

Just as parents and teachers develop chess, sports, and music prodigies, Colvin suggests they foster business skills in young children. It's a brilliant piece of work, and it deserves to be studied by anyone involved in human development.

Colvin's new book actually grew out of an assignment at Fortune. A couple years ago he was asked to contribute a piece for a special issue on great performance in business. "The resulting article," according to Colvin, "provoked a more intense response than anything else I've written." It is meticulously written, and the assertions made in the book are based on rigorous scientific research. The principal researcher who informs many of the findings discussed in the book is Professor K. Anders Ericsson, Conradi Eminent Scholar at Florida State University. Ericsson and his colleagues have been conducting study after study on expert performance for over thirty years, and their work may just revolutionize how leaders are developed in the future. At least, I hope so.

Colvin's provocative title neatly summarizes the premise of his book. Here are a few of the key messages from Talent Is Overrated:

Natural gifts and talents, if they exist at all, aren't what we think they are and they are not enough to explain world-class performance in chess, music, ballet, medicine, golf, business, or any other endeavor.
Staggeringly high IQs also don't characterize the great performers. Sometimes they champions have higher than average intelligence, but in many instances they are just average.
Years of experience don't necessarily make someone a high-performer, let alone the greatest performer. And, as startling as it might sound, sometimes more years of experience can mean poorer performance compared to those newly graduated in a specialty.
If natural talent, high IQ, and even years of experience don't explain greatness, then what does? The factor that best explains great performers is what the researchers call "deliberate practice."
Colvin admits that "Deliberate practice is a large concept, and to say that it explains everything would be simplistic and reductive." Therefore, if we are going to become experts in anything, it's essential that we understand what deliberate practice is and what it isn't. What most of us do when we "practice," it turns out, often does not lead to great performance at all, and it may just contribute to being mediocre and could even make us worse.

Colvin does a superb job of providing us with insights into what deliberate practice is, what it isn't, and how it works. He also applies the concepts to our personal lives, our organizations, and to innovation. In blogs over the next couple weeks, I'll share with you some of the key components of deliberate practice and propose ways in which we can apply these concepts to the development of leaders. In the meantime, if you'd like to join me in the dialogue, I urge you to read Talent Is Overrated. I'm certain it will influence how you think about what you can do to become a better leader and what you can do to develop those with whom you work. If you aspire to world-class performance, this will be time well spent.

So, who is the author of Talent is Overrated? He's a very talented person, ironically. Geoff Colvin, Fortune's senior editor at large, is one of America's most respected business journalists. He lectures widely and is the regular lead moderator for the Fortune Global Business Forum. A frequent guest on CNBC's Squawk Box and other TV programs, Colvin appears daily on the CBS Radio Network, reaching seven million listeners each week. He also co-anchored Wall Street Week with Fortune on PBS for three years.

What makes the 'Top Performers' such high achievers?

2008-11-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

John F. Kennedy said of P.T. 109: "I had to be a hero. My boat sank."

Very, very, very few un-squeaky wheels ever get oiled. Very, very, very few non-deadlines are ever met. The dirty little secret of high performers' high performance is not the glamorous, laudatory or self-effacing virtues of exceptional initiative or self-discipline. It is a mistake of self-sabotage to believe that others who seem to be performing at a much higher level than you are, or who are accomplishing more than you are, faster than you are, are somehow superior to you in discipline or initiative or capability or genetics, that they possess some sort of internal advantage, some sort of hard-wired power you lack.

This is only rarely the case. For the most part, the super performers, the super successful, the super rich are every bit as weak of character as everybody else. Oh, Napolean Hill was right when he listed qualities like initiative, discipline, persistence among his 17. He just failed to emphasize what caused the high achievers he studied to exhibit these qualities: deadlines, commitments, enormous risks and investments that required those qualities.

Consider the highly paid, experienced professional football player. Why is he required to come and be kept under lock and key in a pre-season training camp. He surely knows how to get himself physically and mentally prepared to perform in games. But if left to his own devices, he won't. So he has to be placed into a certain environment, with requirements and benchmarks and measurements and accountability.

If you want to accomplish more, you need to put yourself into a set of circumstances, conditions and commitments that require you to accomplish more...that require you to develop and exhibit the qualities of people who accomplish more.

Left to my own devices, I might have slept in. Or taken the whole day off to go shopping. Or gone to the gym all morning. Or fumbled away the day on trivial pursuits. And you wouldn't be reading this blog. But, I had appointments to keep, projects to move forward according to deadlines, etc.

Some people think I'm some paragon of discipline. I wish. Actually, I just have a lot of people squeaking. You see, life is a team sport. Business is a team sport. You need a master mind group to keep you accountable to your own goals. You need deadlines to inspire you to perform at your best under pressure. If you haven't achieved all that you want to in life, it's probably because you didn't have someone or some group to which you were accountable.

As secrets go, it's kind of disappointing, isn't it? Most secrets are.

Creativity Can Launch a New Business!

2008-10-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hi again. I have an inspiring story for you.

It was 1982, and a young man named Kenneth Cole wanted to launch a shoe company.

But, like many entrepreneurs, he had no money. He thought about going to U.S. banks and factories for capital, but feared that this was a long shot for him.

So, instead, he found a small Italian shoe production facility that had been hit hard by the 80s economy and desperately needed more clients. The company offered Kenneth a line of credit, and they immediately started manufacturing shoes.

But now, he had to figure out how to sell them.

So here's what he did (in his own words):

"At the time, a shoe company had two options. You could get a room at the Hilton [during the NY Shoe Expo] and become 1 of about 1100 shoe companies selling their goods. This didn't provide the identity or image I felt necessary for a new company, and it cost a lot more money than I had to spend. The other way was to do what the big companies do and get a fancy showroom in Midtown Manhattan not far from the Hilton. More identity, much more money too.

I had an idea.

I called a friend in the trucking business and asked to borrow one of his trucks to park in Midtown Manhattan. He said sure, but good luck getting permission. I went to the Mayor's office, Koch at the time, and asked how one gets permission to park a 40 foot trailer truck in Midtown Manhattan. He said one doesn't. The only people the city gives parking permits to are production companies shooting full length motion pictures and utility companies like Con Ed or AT&T. So that day I went to the stationery store and changed our company letterhead from Kenneth Cole, Inc. to Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. and the next day I applied for a permit to shoot a full length film entitled "The Birth of a Shoe Company."

With Kenneth Cole Productions painted on the side of the truck, we parked at 1370 6th Avenue, across from the New York Hilton, the day of shoe show. We opened for business with a fully furnished 40 ft trailer, a director (Sometimes there was film in the camera, sometimes there wasn't), models as actresses, and two of New York's finest, compliments of Mayor Koch, as our doormen. We sold 40 thousand pairs of shoes in two and a half days (the entire available production) and we were off and running.

To this day the company is still named Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. and serves as a reminder to the importance of resourcefulness and innovative problem solving."

Creativity enabled Kenneth Cole to gain financing and massive sales. Without these creative ideas, we wouldn't know the name Kenneth Cole today.

As an entrepreneur, you are most likely blessed with lots of creative energy. Keep a notebook handy and write down all your ideas. Don't only think of ideas for great products and services, but for financing, marketing, sales, operations, etc.

There are no limits to what you can achieve when you come up with ideas and execute on them.

To join a very creative mastermind, visit http://www.AndrewBarden.com and click on my button to connect with me on LinkedIn

Tips for Effective Business Plan Writing

2008-10-16T21:29:00.000-07:00

Hello. If you are thinking about starting your first business, writing a business plan can seem, ...well... overwhelming! If you feel you are not a researcher and writer, you'll likely want to hire someone who "plays" at doing those things. If you are a good researcher and writer, here are some tips that will help you develop a much better business plan. The more thorough and better written the plan, the more likely you'll both greatly increase the speed and amount of sales as well as significantly increase the likelihood that you'll get funded.

Looking for start up capital? Well, lately, just about the only banks giving businesses loans are those that are guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Soooo... if you are smart, you'll visit your local SBDC (Small Business Development Center) and get your first draft of a business plan reviewed by trained experts.

Ok. So, here are the tips, written in the order of a typical plan outline. Keep in mind that the executive summary may be placed in the beginning but it is always written in the end, after you've written almost everything else.

Tip #1: What sets your apart from your competition? What is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?

Think about the number of business plans your readers must plow through each day (if they are angel investors, venture capitalists, or bankers). An average venture capitalists, for example, usually sees about 1,000 plans a year and likley invests in up about 10! What distinguishes yours from the rest of the stack?

Highlight the qualities that set you apart from all the other businesses early on in your Executive Summary. Put your winning concept up front and make sure your readers get it. Really emphasize that you've done your marketing research and concisely explain why you will dominate your particular market (with sufficient capital to send the message out, of course!).

Tip #2 The eye loves white space. Give your words breathing room.

Separate out your summary into paragraphs that mirror the sections of your business plan, giving at least 1/2 an inch of white space between each topic. It gives the reader's mind a chance to breath. Summaries are best written very dense, with the lease words possible to say the most important things. So, the reader will want to take a moment to soak it in. Give them the white space to take a "mental breath" before taking on the next big gulp of information.

Tip #3 Inc and grow rich.

If you are presenting a business plan to someone other than your friend or relative, be sure to have incorporated already. Have your incorporation information listed in the Company Description section of the website. Telling the reader that you have yet to incorporate could lead them to think that you're not taking your business seriously. When you show that you have at least an LLC (which can later be converted to a C Corp or S Corp), then they see that "you mean business." Now, which state to incorporate in? Did you know that there are good reasons NOT to incorporate in the state in which you currently reside? Talk to a good business attorney and ask about which states give the most protection in court. Also, never sell more than 49% of your stocks unless you are willing to give up all control to other stock holders.

Tip #4 Milestones show maturity.

You'll want to develop a history of your company that makes you look smart. You'll want to list milestones that you've already achieved. For example, show a chronology of the following, providing the dates of when you:

Incorporated

Completed your prototype

Shipped your first product

Secured major accounts / customers

Secured key strategic partnerships

Reached a significant sales level

You'll want to indicate at what phase of development your company is currently. Choose one of the following that best describes where you are:

Seed Company: The business concept is developed, but the product or service is not yet finalized. Not yet making sales.

Start-Up: In the early state of operation. Securing first customers.

Expanding: Established company adding new products, services, or branches. Rapidly increasing sales growth.

Stable: Established company with modest ongoing sales growth.

Retrenchment: Consolidating or repositioning product lines. Little or no sales growth.

Tip #5 Avoid Disclosing Sensitive Information

Be careful about putting highly proprietary or technical details in your plan, even if your reader has signed a non-disclosure agreement. You can present these details at a later stage of discussion.

Tip #5 Research, Research, Research - spot trends before they take you out of the game

Researching industry trends enables you to provide facts supporting your claims for your company's potential success. You'll need to show that your industry is growing instead of dying or flat. Even more convincing are sales figures for similar companies in the industry.

Tip #6 Invest in Yourself

Most lenders and investors want to see that the business owners have already made a significant personal financial investment in their own company. Many loan programs require owners to contribute 20 to 30% towards any funds sought. So, make certain you highlight the amount of money--as well as the time and other resources--you've already committed to your company.

Tip #7 Targeting your Market Shows Exactly How You'll Reach Certain People

A strong target market definition is:

Definable: It identifies the specific characteristics potential customers have in common

Meaningful: These characteristics directly relate to purchasing decisions

Sizable: The number of those potential customers is large enough to sustain your business.

Reachable: You can affordably and effectively market to them and have proven they will respond via cost effective marketing campaigns.

MORE TIPS TO COME... that's it for now, but, I'll post more tips soon... be sure to sign up for my RSS feed

10 Factors Creating Wealth for Entrepreneurs

2008-10-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hi again. I wanted to give you... especially if you are a new entrepreneur... some tips that will greatly increase your likelihood of succeeding in your new venture.

The entrepreneur needs to study psychology to be most effective. Sure, it is possible to be lucky enough to offer the right product at the right time to the right people. And you may even have done years of research to understand your market. But, you really need to understand yourself if you are going to consistently take the right actions in the right order to produce the results you want in your business.

Everything begins in thought—how often have we heard those words? The question remains, are your thoughts supporting your success, or are self-limiting beliefs and behaviors sabotaging your growth? There is an entire logistical approach as well as mindset to success. It isn’t merely what you do, it is how you think! Those thoughts produce the actions that lead to success.

Let’s review the basic preliminaries of the actual product or service itself:

The decision of a particular type of business to get into is critical. Focus on products or services that people want; whether they need them or not, is not an essential element, believe it or not.

Businesses that offer products or services that lend themselves to repeat sales provide a much greater opportunity for profitable sustenance and growth potential. Taking these points into consideration, don’t assume that because your product is in demand, you have yourself a winner. It isn’t the product that is the winner, it is the business that you create--it's the marketing message that compels people to take action and respond to your offer. It's the irresistible offer that is a "no brainer" exchange of value where they come out the winner.

Did you know that there are actually common practices and a winning mindset that are prevalent among individuals that have achieved huge financial success? They view opportunity and money in a very different way.

My team and I have actually isolated key differences that separate achieving mindsets from the mass majority. Where do you stand?

1. Take a moment and reflect on your thoughts concerning money.

Are you critical of wealthy people? Do you feel guilty when people give you money? Are you uncomfortable? Those feelings are actually limiting your success. On some level, you will never be able to achieve the level of success that you want if you are critical or uncomfortable with the idea of wealth or making money at the expense of your customers. Reframe your product or service by feeling that you owe your prospects the opportunity to hear about your product.

2. What is your approach to failure?

When Michael Jackson was asked how he viewed failure, he told the interviewer that the word failure did not exist in his vocabulary. Many of us are irrationally, immobilized by a fear of failure.

Whether it is a thought fulfilling prophesy or simply blocking our attempts to achieve, failure is weakened through an active mindset of focus and persistence. A plan of action, strategy, and effort combat this immensely debilitating and self-sabotaging belief.

3. How well do you influence? Do you have the ability to influence affectively and with integrity? Are you hesitant about selling?

Become knowledgeable as to establishing rapport and understanding how and why individuals buy. One key filter is big picture thinking verse the detail-oriented person. Filters can help you to determine how people may react. Realizing that your customers may need finite details or prefer to be inspired through a conceptual experience is a key element to motivating your buyer to purchase.

4. Do you have the ability to take action fast?

High achievers may make a list, but they act simultaneously, not sequentially. This practice includes their approach to strategy; they implement several key factors at once.

5. Give yourself deadlines and launch dates.

If necessary, work backwards form the launch date, to ensure that the actions necessary for implementation are conducted in a timely manner.

6. Do you ascertain the lessons from each of your (opportunities for greater learning)
mistakes?

Take the time to assess the growth elements to your challenging experiences. Don’t repeat them. Fool hearty is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result!

7. Embrace marketing, become good at it.

Learn to write well. Always test your marketing on a small scale. Consistently try new methods in a low risk way. Marketing is essentially telling audiences about your product/service and creating demand. You are consistently branding your business with every person you meet. Understand the importance of representation and the opportunities to tell everyone about your product.

8. Know the internet.

The internet needs to be a core element of your communication. You can now find people everywhere and establish an ongoing relationship in a multimedia way. The internet is a critical communication tool. Master it.

9. Always include a high-end offering in your product offerings.

Do you have a product or a line extension that targets a wealthy audience? For some buyers, price is not an issue. Develop a high margin platinum tier. Always consider that people do not buy on price. Perceived value is the key element that induces a purchase.

10. Make the most of your time.

To grow a successful business, the bulk of your time contributes to your business vision, strategy/growth and direction, values, and disciplines. Learn to manage effectively and hire responsible team players that share your passion. Are you thinking big enough? Does your strategy incorporate your values and beliefs for your organization? Investing in these principles will enable you to be pro-active to your market. Consider that your business will come to be as identifiable as you are. Possessing a greater understanding of your beliefs and values and creating a powerful mindset enables you to create the greatest opportunity for success. Ideally, this conceptual understanding to your business is a powerful strategic tool that enables
you to grow your business through a culture of authenticity and individual purpose. Don’t leave your business to guesswork and “fly by the seat of your pants” mentality. Decide to be profitable, learn from the success of others and be pro-active.

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who make excuses and those who get results.

An excuse person will find any excuse for why a job was not done, and a results person will find
any reason why it can be done. Be a creator, not a reactor.

-- Alan Cohen, A Deep Breath Of Life

Let me know if you found this post compelling. I'm available to coach you through your first year as an entrepreneur. Register for a risk-free one-on-one telephone session with me at www.AndrewBarden.com

Top 10 Ways to Ruin Your Small Business Plan

2008-10-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hi there. If you are in the process of writing your business plan, you're in luck. If you avoid the following common errors, you are far likelier to reach your goals.

1. Make basic mistakes: If you leave out key info or get basic facts wrong, you'll mess up your entire business plan. Your readers will then begin looking for other obvious mistakes in your research and will discredit your ability to understand your position in the market and how to reach your target audience. Do your homework so you're familiar with standard industry practices. Educate yourself about distribution channels, price mark-ups, regulations, and legal and accounting matters. One error can ruin all your projections and assumptions.

2. Underestimate the competition: The worst thing you can say in a business plan is "There is no competition." No matter how unique or terrific your product or service, if you don't have competition, it means there's no market for what you're selling. Be sure to consider potential future competition once you've proven the concept.

3. Overestimate sales: When you launch a product or service that's better, faster, or cheaper than the competitions', it's natural to assume customers will beat a path to your door. They won't. Be realistic, even conservative, about how difficult it will be to build a customer base and how long it will take.

4. Plan more than one business at a time: Even though your business may eventually have a number of revenue streams, concentrate on one part of it at a time. Show you can be successful in one area before branching out.

5. Go it alone: Nobody can build a successful business alone. Strategic alliances, particularly with strong existing businesses, can improve your chances of success. And if you want your business to grow, you'll need to attract and keep capable management and personnel. Show you can work well and creatively with others to leverage your resources.

6. Use "phantom" numbers: Don't use financial projections just because they sound good. Don't use "boilerplate" numbers: industry averages might not apply in your situation. Be able to substantiate where you got your numbers and why you made your financial assumptions. Always overestimate expenses and underestimate income.

7. Forget a "Sources and Use of Funds" statement: Financing sources want to see exactly how much money you'll need, how you intend to use it, what money you're contributing, and whether you are expecting to get funds from other sources. If you don't include this information in a clear, concise format, you'll confuse potential investors or lenders.

8. Omit an exit strategy: While you may plan on running your business forever, others who invest in your company want to know how they'll get their money out. It's usually not enough for them to just get an annual return; they will want a way to make their original investment "liquid."

9. Lie: This is the best way to get a business plan rejected, increase the chances of your business failing, and ruin your reputation. While every business plan is developed with a certain degree of optimism, when the plan becomes fiction, you're in trouble.

10. Under-develop the psychographic profile of your ideal client/customer: Money comes from people making decisions. If you don't thoroughly understand the decision-making process of your preferred client or customer (the person who is most likely to buy what you are offering), you are setting yourself up for low ROIs of your marketing capital.

Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?

2008-10-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

Hi again! Since, according to the SBA, more small businesses fail after 4 years than succeed, I thought it would be helpful to discuss the kind of qualities that you'll want to either already have or dedicate yourself to developing if you are thinking about starting your business or you are within that dangerous 4 year period!

Entrepreneurship in today's constantly changing business environment requires an understanding of cutting edge small business technology and the ability to harness it to generate enterprise growth and profitability. You'll want to take advantage of all the free help you can get, both from the government (http://www.SBDCnetwork.com), non profits like SCORE (http://www.SCORE.org), and local community colleges and universities that offer free or low cost training events.

I'm part of the Los Angeles Regional Network of SBDC, consulting and training people in how to write business plans, develop effective marketing and sales strategies, and general business diagnostics and turn arounds. I'm proud to say that our District Office lead all 68 SBA offices nationwide in providing $1.23 billion in capital to more than 5,100 entrepreneurs and furthered economic development through approximately 30,000 jobs that were either created or retained as a direct result of our help. We also led in financing 3,065 minority-owned businesses in the ammount of $617 million and 1,275 women-owned businesses for $200 million. Additionally, we assisted 64,000 individuals in 2006 with business training and procurement services.

So, what does all of this mean for you? If you're not working with your local SBDC (http://www.SBDCnetwork.com), you're missing out on A LOT of help!

And, if you are not sure if you have what it takes, a thoughtful SBDC counselor can help you do a self-assessment as part of your ongoing counseling they provide, FREE OF CHARGE! You've already paid for the program through your tax dollars, you might as well use our services!

A largely untapped resource to help small business owners

2008-10-05T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hi there. If you're a small business owner, entrepreneur, or just thinking about starting a business, you'll want to see what the Small Business Administration of our government has to offer you, often at no charge, that will help you start or grow your business. What a pitch! Basically, the government is saying "We'll help you make more money and never charge you a dime!" Can you beat that? And yet, I'm amazed at how many small business owners DON'T use the services of their local Small Business Development Center (SBDC)!

For 54 years, the US Small Business Administration has been a key resource for small businesses across our nation, funding local SBDCs and providing an amazing amount of helpful online and printed content. I urge you to take advantage of the many products and services your local SBDC provides. If you are looking for financing, business counseling, federal procurement opportunities (where the federal government buys from you), or you need help attaining the certifications necessary to compete in today's marketplace, then you'll want to stop by your local Center. You can locate yours by visiting http://www.SBDCnetwork.com

Like most any non-profit or government organization, when you work with an individual in that group they may be great or they may be less than great. It is hit-or-miss. But, just know that it is worth finding that "diamond in the rough," that person whose talent and sincere interest in your success actually makes the difference. So, don't be disheartened like I was many years ago when I made my first appointment with an SBDC counselor in Pennsylvania who turned out to be a dud. Since then, I've not only had amazing counselors but have become one myself, so I know that these positions do attract very effective business counselors.

It is easy to get excited about serving the small business community. People walk into our offices with such energy and hope and talent that you know they will do whatever it takes to succeed! And it usually requires that kind of attitude and persistence in order to make any new business work or to begin to dominate the market and grow your existing business.

Small businesses like yours are the lifeblood of our economy. Did you know that? Small business owners create between 60 to 80 percent of the new jobs in America. It isn't the big businesses that make up most of the GDP, it is the work of small business owners. They help drive our economy, transform communities, create jobs, and e3nable people to realize their dreams. What dream businesses do you want to start?

At the SBDCs, our goal is to help small businesses by giving the mthe tools they need to succeed. Curious about what we can do? Visit: http://www.SBDCnetwork.com to learn more. Whether you are starting or expanding a small businesses and need help developing a business plan, targeting clients that make you more money for your time, or establishing a budget or need additional training (don't you just LOVE to do bookkeeping!) (tee-hee), or you need technical or financial assistance, the SBDCs are here to help.

You see, the role of government is to create an environment in which the entrepreneur can flourish, in which minds can expand, in which technologies can reach new frontiers. Serious, hard-working and successful small business owners create wealth for themselves, their investors, and their employees. Their creativity, hard work, and productivity have combined to produce the most vibrant economy in the world (it's only the banks that have made it unstable lately).

Your local SBDC (Small Business Development Center), one of over 1,000 offices nationwide, are accessible via one of America's largest resource vaults for supporting small business owners at http://www.SBDCnetwork.com. Register for free, watch some training videos, write a business plan, apply for a loan, and a whole lot more. We're here to help.