Thank you for a great year, Biznik
As the year comes to a close, Lara and I would like to thank you for helping to make 2006 a year of solid growth for business networking that doesn’t suck. One year ago today, Biznik had 109 members. Today, Biznik has 2025 members, including more than 70 supporting members, and currently membership is growing at an average rate of 7 per day. We’d like to share with you this chart, which records the number of visits to Biznik.com over the past year: it’s gone from 3,389 visits to the site last January, to 47,664 in December.
Numbers like this make us very happy. But what’s up for 2007? Despite the fact that Biznik has members in 52 countries, it’s still pretty much a Seattle phenomenon. We plan to change that in 2007, by making the Biznik networking platform equally accessible and localized to members everywhere. Biznik 2.0 is in development now, and we’re planning to launch it in early March. All supporting members will be invited to participate in the private beta in early 2007.
Thank you for helping to create this magic with us, and we wish you and your business a fantastic year in 2007. Now, where’s that champagne!
3 Comments Seattle Indie Biz Buzz congratulates Dominic Canterbury and Phoenix Rudner
Just a quick plug to let you know that the latest Seattle Indie Biz Buzz went out this afternoon via email to 1119 Biznik members in the Seattle area. I’d like to extend a special congratulations to Biznik members Dominic Canterbury and Phoenix Rudner, who got a great writeup in the Seattle PI on Tuesday for their efforts to develop a niche that helped Phoenix stand out in the crowded field of real estate agents. This is a great example of two Biznik members working together to go to the next level. Great job you guys!
Also, quite a few Seattle members have complained that they’re not receiving the Buzz - if you live in Seattle and didn’t receive yours, make sure your spam filter is set to allow delivery from admin@biznik.com. You should also add noreply@biznik.com and info@biznik.com to your whitelist to ensure that you receive Biznik messages such as referrals and messages from other members.
Happy New Years! Lara and I are looking forward to seeing many of you tonight at the big party at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.
Biznik business indie networking SeattleSeattle Nurse Practitioner Grace Grymes Chapman: I want to provide quality service, not quantity service
Grace Grymes Chapman will be hosting the first Biznik event in 2007 - a speed networking night on Tuesday, January 2. Grace is a nurse practitioner who sees patients of all ages, both with and without insurance, and offers a hugely reduced fee to patients without insurance, not because she has to, but because she wants to. Let’s find out why…
Q: You just opened the West Seattle Community Clinic last August. Can you tell me how you came to start that business?
I have worked in healthcare for sometime and after I received my Masters in Nursing I worked for a few places as a provider. I knew I wanted to open my own clinic but didn’t think it would happen so soon. I just got tired of the politics and B.S. that came from the organizations and managers. I want to practice my own way without being told how many patients I need to see or how long I can spend with patients. I want to provide quality service, not quantity service.
Q: What makes a community clinic different from, say, a doctor’s office?
They are both pretty much the same except one is private and one is for public health. A community clinic offers service to the disadvantaged and gets government funding for the services they provide. My clinic is not a “community clinic” on that level. I wanted the community to know we are there for anyone. No one is excluded, insured or non insured.
Q: That’s awesome, but how can you afford to stay in business if you accept patients without insurance?
It is not easy, but I am not in it to be rich, I do it because I love what I do and I also have been in the same place as some of my patients. They pay cash for their services at a steep discount from most clinics. I give cash-paying, non-insured patients a 50 percent discount on office visits, that does not include lab fees. I dont know of any other clinics that offer that, even public health and community clinics are stopping their sliding scale fees due to financial woes. Because I see patients w/o insurance means I have to step up the marketing for the clinic and referrals I receive so that I can balance my patient panel with insured and non insured. Hopefully it will all work out in the end.
Q: Are there any unique challenges that you’re facing with your business right now that you’d like help with?
I would really like to have a gazillion referrals and low cost/free effective marketing. My first month in business I spent my budget on advertising with little results. I talked with Dominic Canterbury a couple of Fridays ago and because of his advice and our brainstorming, I am hosting a children’s health fair in March and have partnered with the King County Health Department to help me put it all together.
Q: You’re hosting a speed networking event on Jan. 2. What can members who attend expect to experience at your event?
I hope they find it fun and informative while they meet new people. I attended my first event last week and it was fun and relaxing and I met some very nice people while I was there.
Q: How’d you hear about Biznik?
I was told about it by one of the massage therapists, Michael Mandell, in my building. I think he found it by searching the internet or by one the members. But after I joined and told him about the events I persuaded him to join, he even attended the event with me last week at Kallaloos. I think the members I have met have been very supportive and seem to be genuine. I also like the way Biznik is willing to help new businesses w/o charging you dollars for listening to the same old B.S. from one or two successful people who aren’t really trying help you get were they are.
Grace’s website is www.westseattlecommunityclinic.com.
affordable healthcare Biznik business networking clinic nurse SeattleTaking your networking efforts to the next level requires shift to NetBeing
Handing out your business card at monthly Chamber of Commerce meetings no longer qualifies as networking. Today’s business leaders know that real, profit-generating networking requires more. More strategy, more connectedness, and more trust.
I’d suggest we’re moving into an era where the relationship-based NetBeing, a set of attitudes and actions that foster real meaningful business relationships and build mutual trust, will overtake networking as a business development strategy.
Adapting to this new strategy brings its share of challenges but it can also yield great rewards. Partnerships form more easily. Sales and retention increases. Profits grow faster. After all success in business is all about relationships. Consider the following:
- It’s more difficult for you to get a chance to do business with a client when your competition has better customer relationships.
- When surveyed customers who are most satisfied also state they have a strong relationship with their solutions provider. This fact is consistent even when service quality is below industry averages.
- The odds of selling a product to a customer that you have no relationship with are less than half what they are to those with strong ties.
Even the most aggressive networking has limitations. We must move our mindset beyond networking to NetBeing.
One of the key differences between networking and NetBeing is seen in the way relationships are viewed. Networking relationships are situational and transactional. NetBeing relationships, on the other hand, are ongoing and collaborative. By their very nature, networking relationships will end and NetBeing relationships continue long afterward. The relationship simply shifts. And, as we’ve seen above, that ongoing relationship can add future profits to the bottom line.
NetBeing also goes beyond networking to focus on mutual success and transforming networking contacts to a relationship that is mutually supportive, purposeful, creative, and rewarding. It’s the concept of giver’s gain – by sharing your knowledge, skills, and connections with others, you will eventually be rewarded several times over.
The real benefit of the NetBeing approach is that it forces us to start thinking of relationships strategically. We must consider the various ways we can add value to the relationship and how those relationships evolve over time.
RelationShift, consequently, has come to mean re-identifying the existing relationship as it flows into something else or changing your mindset and views of an existing relationship. For example, a former client takes a new job with one of your vendors. The way you work with them and add value to the relationship will necessarily change. Your respect for each other and willingness to work together shouldn’t change.
In short, think of networking as something you do to people some of the time and in some places. Meanwhile, NetBeing is something you do with people all the time and everywhere. That shift in your thinking and behavior will help you succeed as you help others to do so.
To learn more about Ron Sukenick visit: www.relationshipstrategiesinstitute.com. Ron can also be reached directly at 317-216-8210 or via email at RS@RelationshipStrategiesInstitute.com.
Meet Vitaly Golomb, Biznik’s 2000th member
Biznik passed a membership milestone on Dec. 23 when Vitaly Golomb of San Francisco, become Biznik’s 2000th member. And as a big fan of -nik names, I was delighted to learn the name of his business: Sputnik. So let’s meet him, shall we?
Q: Tell me a bit about how you started Sputnik.
SputnikSF (aka Sputnik Designs Group) was founded by myself and childhood friend Alex Pachikov to answer the requests for web and general marketing design in 1999. At the time we were both in college. We organized several of our friends and acquaintances in the industry and formed “Sputnik Designs Group” as a Colorado company. Our early customers came by referral from our friends, family, and associates. Several of them are still with Sputnik six years later. Out of our web design business came our web hosting service “Tinball Networks” and to supplement our print design business (and my background in print production) came our digital and offset printing service “SharkPrint.com”. A couple of years ago Alex decided to pursue another opportunity and I took Sputnik to the next level. In 2005, Sputnik Design Group became SputnikSF and moved its offices from Sunnyvale (close to San Jose California) to San Francisco’s famous “Multimedia Gulch”, home to many of the world-class ad and interactive firms. Here Sputnik grew 200% in 2005 and 250% in 2006. Also, in 2006, SputnikSF took six design awards as well as world-class clients such as Namco Networks.
Q: How’d you choose the name Sputnik for your businesses?
Sputnik was of course the name of the Russian space program that on October 4th, 1957 successfully launched the first satellite in to space. The word “sputnik” in Russian means “fellow traveler” or “companion”. We have always paralleled the astonishing and complicated task of launching a spacecraft to launching a new business. “Concept – Launch – Support” is our slogan and our approach to client-relations. Hence why our very first client is still with us. So as our clients go into the unknown, we are their trusty “fellow travelers”. The name came from both Alex’s and mine shared birth place of the former Soviet Union and Alex’s fascination with space and subsequent degree in Astro Physics.
Q: How many employees do you have today? And what challenges did you face growing from just a couple of guys doing freelance work to being a small firm?
SputnikSF is currently 6 (with 100% planned growth in 2007) states-side and about the same in our Eastern-European development operations. As they say, “good help is hard to find”. SputnikSF, being at the cusp of technology, has had to compete for the same technical talent as the likes of Google and every Web 2.0 firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. Also, as any entrepreneur will agree, it is hard to find people that “care” as much as you do about anything beyond a paycheck. So growing sales is one thing… but growing the production capacity while maintaining the same level of service quality is probably the biggest challenge we’ve had to overcome.
Q: You’ve worked for both large and small clients. What’s your ideal project/client?
Although SputnikSF’s services address the needs of even small self-funded startups, we find it ideal to work with growing and established companies on specialty projects that allow us to flex our muscles in all of our strong areas. We begin every engagement with a thorough analysis of the client’s differentiating factors, goals, and competition to structure a precise strategy. Our approach demystifies seemingly complicated tasks and the inherent information architecture involved. Our creative team stays current with the times and makes sure that the designs and color schemes are appropriate for the given industry and application. Our development team utilizes ever-evolving coding best practices to create dynamic interaction and clean SEO compliant layouts. So to sum it up, we are happy to work with clients of any size, but shine while working with clients that are willing to commit the type of resources necessary to gain the “unfair” advantage in their respective marketplaces through our expert application of all currently available technologies and the most advanced techniques. Our experience with a multitude of industries and business models gives us the context to assure effective ROIs.
Q: What sets you apart from other firms of your type in the Bay area?
Besides the consultative approach described above, SputnikSF is unique (at least amongst the firms of similar size) for being expert in such a wide range of services. We approach each engagement holistically and make sure that the desired effect is achieved via opportunities both through online and offline marketing. First and foremost we understand business and that makes us aligned with our clients’ needs, rather than simply “interpreters” on the creative side. We’ve also been called upon by several large clients for specialty projects utilizing our expertise in the bleeding-edge web technologies. No client too small, no project too big.
Q: How important is business networking to the continued growth of your business? What organizations or online tools have you used to network? What trends do you see in that space in the coming few years?
Any service business (especially professional services) depends heavily on referrals and credibility. SputnikSF has taken a proactive approach to networking by working through conventional business networking events, online services (such as LinkedIn), and by encouraging referrals within our customer and associate base. I see a big surge in 2007 towards maintaining business relationships through business social networking sites. You look at sites like MySpace.com that allow young people to keep in touch and stay up to speed with their former classmates with minimal effort… and it’s not difficult to see a huge growth in business adapting the same model to keep in touch peripherally with their associates and customers between engagements.
Vitaly’s website is www.sputniksf.com.
Bay Area Biznik business networking san francisco sputnikSmall Business Success in 2007 - Secrets that Make Small Business Work
Why do New Year’s resolutions usually end in frustration and failure, leaving us feeling defeated?
Conventional wisdom says resolutions disappear like smoke up the chimney before we’ve consumed all the goodies that filled our mantelpiece stockings.
My theory: resolutions are no more than brave statements of what you wish you could accomplish. Regardless of good intentions, resolutions lack practical support born of real conviction.
It seems there’s a missing ingredient. Resolutions alone don’t work because meaningful improvement requires action. Find someone who ever made a resolution and actually accomplished it, and you’ll find someone who relied on specific effective actions to achieve their goal. They reached insight about what it would take, and then provided all the essentials, according to a rational plan. They moved beyond daydreaming and did something that made a real difference.
Business success happens when you see the end from the beginning and take all the necessary steps to arrive at your result. This is what a business plan, written or mental, is all about.
If anyone has ever done this, anyone can do it — including you. The secret of successful business is to follow 5 steps that create flow for your vision, planning, and execution.
- Analyze and perceive your present. Understand the elements and dynamics of your initial situation.
- Reach insight about what’s happening, and how - see your business as a system.
- Translate desired improvements into goals and objectives.
- Carry out a practical action plan that implements your desired changes.
- Evaluate results periodically, make necessary adjustments, and continue execution.
In case you’re wondering, this approach is what you get when you crash General Systems Theory into classic scientific method and apply the result to business. It works for Fortune 50 companies. Scaled down, it works for you.
Why not start 2007 by honestly assessing your business potential? And then give your business the Christmas gift it missed - the essential steps to sustained profitable revenue.
Okay. Action! Based on a plan. A plan, based on perception, analysis, and insight.
“But, uh. . . where do I start?”
Statistics demonstrate that not one small business in 20 has effective marketing.
If your small business is typical, you can take action to turn it around and make it explode in 2007.
Revenue that generates profits is the first and most important focus of any healthy business. All else is about sustaining and conserving income, and minimizing expense.
Strong revenue results from reaching out to your customers effectively.
Then sufficient income makes possible everything else you want to accomplish.
Establish an information stream that proves relevance, credibility, and value. Show your customers how your product or service is relevant to their needs and wants, that you’re a credible source, and how you deliver solid value that exceeds cost. This is what they’re searching for, despite their jaded surface cynicism.
Inwardly, they’re dying for this. Provide it and they’ll reward you with a healthy, steady, growing revenue stream.
The following are marketing elements you may need to make your business revenue all it can be in 2007. Consider how these essentials fit with your business dynamics, and plan how you can acquire the right missing pieces.
Strategic marketing plan
Wait! Don’t despair.
If you find you have little effective marketing in place as the New Year breaks, now you see what to focus on, and that’s a good thing.
Now you can divide and conquer.
Hey, you’re a Biznik. You have resources. Just look around in this growing community you’ve joined. You’ll find amazingly capable people ready to provide all your business needs. For every essential element listed above, there is at least one Biznik eager to join your effort. In most cases you have multiple choices. Pick folks you like working with.
But whatever you do, don’t skimp on marketing. You can’t afford to go without it. No marketing, no business. Victim-stance people aren’t known for success. Except, perhaps, in litigation.
Be a courageous entrepreneur. Find ways to make it happen. Take out a mortgage. Get an SBA loan or write a grant. Find a provider who will barter, work on contingency, or accept residuals. Ask for payment terms over time. Sell some shares of stock privately. Factor your inventory. Co-venture with someone.
Last resort — get a day job. OK, maybe not.
You might take a class and learn to do some marketing yourself. What you can take on will be limited by your need to run the rest of your business. Talk to marketers, they are idea people who want to help. Incredibly useful Biznik seminars are regularly available on marketing topics at trivial cost.
No whining, either, until you understand how much things really cost. You may be shocked at how affordable modest marketing can be. It doesn’t take a corporate budget to launch self-sustaining small business revenue growth.
Any small business can fortify their marketing, in phases, for no more than a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per phase.
In other words, if all else fails in the ‘get funding’ approaches, you can break marketing improvements down into do-able pieces and bootstrap the whole effort.
And don’t forget that “marketing” and “communications” go together like “New Year’s” and “resolutions.” Good writing makes possible every phase of marketing planning and execution. And the quality and professionalism of the writing has a lot to do with your outcomes.
Marketing that works requires writing that persuades, at every point of contact with your customer. And writing that persuades requires marketing that works, if it is to accomplish much. Unless you’re a commercial writer with marketing expertise, plan to work with Biznik pros — marketers, media and web folks, and commercial writers.
With expert help, you can not only create your winning plan, but also take action that will make your good intentions for revenue real in 2007.
Why not make fixing your marketing the resolution you keep this year? Your bottom line will be proud.
Joseph Riden is a supporting member of Biznik, a commercial freelance writer, and frequent blog contributor. He serves business indies, sourcing many marketing essentials listed above. His website is www.jriden.com.
business marketing networking resolutions success tips writingYou can bid online to sponsor the Seattle Indie Biz Buzz
OK, we’ve had some nibbles on sponsorship of the Seattle Indie Biz Buzz, but no takers so far. So I figured, maybe that’s because members are afraid to ask how much it costs. I mean, we don’t really know what sponsorship is worth to you, so we really don’t know what to ask. So I’ve hit on a solution: I’ve created an online auction that will allow YOU to set the price! That’s right, you can now place a bid to sponsor next Sunday’s edition of the Seattle Indie Biz Buzz, which is emailed to more than a thousand independent business owners in the Seattle area. It’s a great way to get your message out there, and bidding starts at just $25.
Here’s approximately what a sponsorship would look like if you win (you can use your photo here too, if you like, instead of a logo).
Bidding closes at 5pm Friday for the following week’s edition, then opens for the following week on Sunday morning at 12 am.
Happy bidding!
You Can’t Randomly Generate Connection
A month ago, I got this “message from a partner” of a marketing newsletter I subscribe to. I wanted to post about it earlier, but I’ve been a little speechless since reading it.
*CONTENT GENERATOR 1/2 PRICE OFFER:
XXX’s Content Generator makes it easy to consistently promote your expertise. It includes 167 pages that describe how to use ‘list-based’ writing and more than 400 content ideas–each complete with definitions, examples, and applications. Used by authors and master copywriters the world over.
Create your own marketing messages that enhance your credibility and promote your expertise.
Save thousands of dollars on freelance writing fees each year and create precisely the message you want.
I only have a vague understanding of this piece of software because the ad links straight to a purchasing form rather than to more information. I love how they promise that it will replace your need for freelance writing and help you with your own creativity…by giving you access to a database of static “content ideas,” all for $69. Seriously, who would think it was a good idea to promote their business and connect with their customers using a similar principle to the Dilbert Mission Statement Generator.
Ok, I can see how some businesses would be attracted to this software, much in the way that I’m interested in the newest weight loss gimmick. But here’s where I stand–as an independent professional, nothing, NOTHING, can replace your unique creativity and voice for being the strongest tool you have to reach your ideal customers. Just like in weight loss, the answer always comes down to motivation, dedication, and hard work.
Biznik blogging creativity voice writingPole for the Soul
Biznik is a business network for people who are passionate about what they do for a living. And Krisha CatZen is definitely one of those people. She’s a pole dancing instructor and founder of Seattle’s first pole dancing school, Pole for the Soul. And to hear her describe it, pole dancing isn’t just a great way to stay in shape - it’s meditative, empowering, fun, and yes, sexy. So…let’s hear her describe it!
Q: A lot of people work out so they can feel sexy. With pole dancing, it seems you can achieve both at the same time. Is that the idea?
Definitely! I’ve tried other forms of working out, from walking and running to weight lifting. You can certainly gain a lot of confidence from the improvements these activities eventually make to your body, but they aren’t always fun and not everyone feels sexy while lifting weights over and over again. Everything about pole dancing is sexy, from the stretching and floor work we do in my classes to warm up, all the way through to the end where students learn to dance, spin and even a bit of striptease.
Q: How did you learn to pole dance?
There is a dance club in Capitol Hill with a pole for it’s customers to play on (it’s just there for customers, there are no paid or professional dancers). Before I could dance, I used to admire the men who pole danced there. When men pole dance, it’s very Cirque de Soleil-ish; mesmerizing and beautiful. One day I worked up the courage to walk up to one of these pole dancers and ask them to teach me a trick. He did, and the first time I went spinning around that pole, I felt like I was flying! I was hooked instantly and I kept coming back every weekend to ask the men who pole danced there to teach me a few of their tricks. Eventually I wanted to learn more than they could teach me, but there were no pole schools here in Seattle. So I took a month off work and drove down to Los Angeles and took an intensive pole dancing course at the famous S Factor studio there.
Q: Your business name, Pole for the Soul, implies that it’s not just about physical fitness. How is pole dancing nourishing on a deeper level?
I think pole dancing is a spiritual experience on more than one level. In the classes, women often discover a part of themselves they never even knew existed. And the more they learn in classes, the more opportunities they have to delve deeper into this undiscovered territory and fully embrace and express it. They leave feeling more beautiful, expressive and free than they could have ever imagined before the class. Learning to embrace and appreciate every aspect of yourself is incredibly empowering and nourishing to the soul.
Pole dancing also gives women an opportunity to push past what they thought were their own limitations. At first they see women spinning and flying around the pole or hanging from the pole by one leg, and they think; only strippers or dancers can do that. I teach them that preconceived limitations like that can be completely shattered and they can in fact do those amazing things. Breaking their own barriers and accomplishing something they thought was impossible, gives women an sense of empowerment that goes far beyond just feeling sexy. And this feeling of being unlimited and powerful changes us permanently, from psyche to soul.
There are also some similarities between pole dancing and meditation. Mediation can be challenging because it often requires the mind to be perfectly still. People study for years trying to learn to quiet the mind and be totally present in the moment. But when you are spinning on a pole, you are completely present and free of thoughts. It’s almost impossible to think while you are spinning. So there is this magical feeling of flight combined with perfect calm and total stillness and presence of mind. It’s very much like mediation.
Q: What are the origins of pole dancing?
It probably originated with the Maypole dance, which was originally a Pagan fertility dance before later becoming a common folk dance in Western Europe. Pole dancing was introduced to strip clubs in the 80’s.
Q: How do your classes work, where are they, and when is the next class starting?
Intro classes are taught once per week for 6 weeks. Each class is an hour and a half and starts with yoga inspired warm ups and floor work and progresses into pole moves and spins. The purpose of the classes are not to learn to dance sexy for some one else or memorize a routine to perform. Instead, they are about learning to slow down, move in an entirely new way and tap into our sensual sides, using the pole dancing and floor work as a way to free and express that inner beauty and sensuality. My studio with 3 poles, mirrors and a surround sound stereo system is located inside my Queen Anne home. I have outgrown my small home studio though and I’m shopping for a larger dance studio. Classes are currently in session and the next 6-week session begins in January 2007. I also offer 2-hour pole parties, which are different than the classes. Women generally book pole parties with their friends for bachelorette parties, birthday parties, or just for a fun girls’ night out.
Q: Once you’ve learned the moves, are there any poles in Seattle where dancers can stretch their stuff?
The Vogue in Capitol Hill has a pole, but they are moving and changing their name in January. There is also a dance club in Capitol Hill called Sugar (not to be confused with “Sugars” which is a strip club) that has poles on the bar. Z Bar in Renton has a pole and the Wild Palms in Pioneer Square used to have a pole (I don’t know if they still have one). A Mexican restaurant in Lake Forrest Park called La Hacienda has a dance floor with a pole.
Krisha’s website, which lists her upcoming classes, is www.poleforthesoul.com
1 CommentAre your customers Armadillos?
===============================
Are your customers Armadillos?
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Last weekend I got attacked by an armadillo.
He was a vicious, six-year-old, blonde haired armadillo
who–earlier in the night–had claimed to be a werewolf. He had
howled and screeched and pounced and gnashed his werewolf teeth and
then howled and howled some more.
But now he was an armadillo. And a tough one at that. He balled
himself up tight, pulled his limbs in and tucked his head into an
invulnerable armadillo ball. He was pillow-proof, this armadillo,
laughing off puffy strikes from other kids and adult guests alike
as his tough nine-banded armadillo hide kept him safe and sound and
. . .err. . . portable.
Because, you see, this kid was so committed to his
armadillo-ness–so committed to keeping himself safe and
tough–that he stayed in his little ball even as I tucked him
football-like under my arm and ran an end run over to his smirking
and bemused mom.
To one degree or another, your customers are like armadillos. (And
sometimes they’re like six-year-old kids who pretend to be
armadillos too.)
You see every customer has a soft underbelly. An emotional core
that marketing folks, salesmen, mother-in-laws and schoolyard
bullies are all too eager to take advantage of.
And so customers all learn to armor up, toughen their hearts and
get just a wee bit cynical.
It’s like a strange little tremor sense. As soon as most folks see
a plaid salesman’s coat, a string of 17 exclamation points or a
smiling moon-faced girl on a corner with a clipboard, they go into
armadillo mode.
They curl up. They scritch and scratch their claws. And they get
ready to say “NO NO NO” to whatever outlandish offer or outrageous
smarmy deal is about to come their way.
=================================
But Chris, as ethical marketers with honest-to-goodness good
products and services to sell, how do we get customers . . . err. .
. unball?
=================================
Good question. Here’s the deal. Every day, every single one of your
customers is bombarded by a million zillion sales messages.
Billboards, Spam, TV ads, Magazine spreads, Myspace smarm, Banners,
Beggars, Sheisters and more all desperately trying to separate them
from their hard-earned cash.
So how do you cut through the haze and get your customers to let
you get in close?
Easy.
Be Honest.
===============
Huzzuhwazzuhuh?
===============
Yea, yea, I know. Honesty in marketing is like fiscal
responsibility in the military.
But being honest with your customers–telling them that you want to
sell them something, showing them all the pros and *even some of
the cons* of what you’ve got to offer and talking like an honest to
god human being–is the surest and quickest path to getting your
customers to lower their shields and start an actual conversation.
And when you’re honest (maybe even brutally so) you earn a customer
who you can sell to again and again and again.
Chris Haddad is a direct response copywriter and marketing wonk living and working in Seattle, Washington. You can learn more about Chris by visiting http://www.haddadink.com
The Seattle Biz Buzz
After a great response to last week’s Seattle holiday guide that was emailed to more than a thousand Seattle members, we’ve decided to make the new format a weekly staple, and the second weekly mailing went out earlier today, titled Seattle Biz Buzz. The new format has a fun narrative voice, and provides a glimpse at what Biznik members in Seattle are up to.
If you didn’t receive yours, make sure your spam filter is set to allow messages from admin@biznik.com.
After we launch Biznik 2.0 in February, we’ll look at extending this to other cities as membership grows outside of Seattle. Meanwhile, if you’ve got a news tip about a Seattle member or you’ve got something you’d like us to consider including, please send it to us. We’re here to help your indie business rock ‘n roll. Oh yeah, and one more thing: if you’d like to sponsor the Seattle Biz Buzz, we’d be happy to chat!
Bizniks pitch their projects at Ignition Seattle geek night
Check out O’Reilly Radar today! They used a photo of me presenting Biznik to 200 of Seattle’s technorati at Ignite Seattle, which happened Thursday night at the Capitol Hill Arts Center. The event was organized and MC’d by Brady Forest, who is a tech evangelist for O’Reilly (and also is a Biznik member).
The format was great - each of the 25 invited speakers (which included quite a few Biznik members) had to bring 20 slides, and the slides changed every 15 seconds, so we each got a total of 5 minutes to present. That wasn’t very long, but it keep things moving and worked well - almost everyone stayed through the last presentation. Here’s the scoop on our members who presented (I’ll have links to each of the presentations posted here as soon as they’re posted on the O’Reilly site):
Shelly Farnham - Dorkbot. Shelly led off with a presentation about Dorkbot - an organization that has monthly meetings for “people doing strange things with electricity.” Shelly’s passionate about the intersection of art and technology, and as the Seattle “dork overlord” she makes sure there’s always something creative happening at Dorkbot.
Scott Berkun - business innovation. Scott’s in the middle of writing a book about business innovation, and gave us a taste of what we can expect when it’s published next year. Scott’s already agree to host a Biznik event on the topic.
Ario Jafarzadeh - User experience. Ario gave a presentation titled “Mortality and User Experience,” in which he explained the importance of making things truly simple. He showed some pix from various user experiences that he’s come
across recently that reflect simplicity and short learning curves, one of which was the Nintendo Wii which even his mom enjoys playing. Here’s his presentation with notes.
Stuart Maxwell - 19 pings. Stuart talked about stuff that’s on his radar, but I was getting a drink during his presentation so unfortunately missed it.
Buster McLeod - Robot Coop, McLeod Residence. You literally never know who Buster McLeod is going to be when you see him, but you know he’ll never be borning. Tonight he owned the stage as a motivational speaker, explaining how you can trick yourself into doing things that you really want to do but never quite get around to (such as exercise). The trick: Announce your intentions publicly! That way you’ll lose face if you don’t follow through. And the place to do it is 43things.com, one of several websites he and the guys at Robot Coop have built. Buster’s also opening a bar in Belltown early next year, The McLeod Residence. I’m looking forward to holding Biznik events there.
Peter Brown - RealityAllStarz.com. From his website: “You got what it takes to become a RealityAllStar? It don’t take much but a creative mind, a video camera, and a willingness to turn life into a game…” Peter’s created a fun website where you can post a challenge, members vote on the number of points the challenge is worth, and then you post photographic proof of yourself actually performing the challenge to claim the points. Fun stuff! Popular challenges include saving someone’s life, raising $5,000 for a non-profit, and giving birth without painkillers.
Dan McComb - Biznik.com. I shared my view that great business ideas emerge from people who solve problems for themselves, which turn out to solve a lot of other people’s problems. I’m sure half the people in the room have ideas of their own like that. And I told them that Biznik is a great place to build a supportive network from bringing your business ideas to life through face-to-face events, which is the best way to build the essential ingredient of every business relationship: Trust. Here’s the full presentation (pdf 4.5 megs).
Jonah Burke - darfurwall.org . Jonah’s a former program manager at Microsoft who left recently to form a non-profit dedicated to raising money for organizations doing something about the dire situation in Darfur, where more than 400,000 people have been killed and millions displaced. His website is an eerie wall of anonymous looking numbers, which light up when you donate money.
Biznik geek ignite oreilly Seattle techBlogging Anxiety: You Don’t Have To Be Famous
A colleague of mine confided to me that she was awestruck by sheer mass of blog posts on the web, especially on some of the well-known sites. “I’ll never catch up,” she said, mournfully. I suspect that many of us are sometimes a bit cowed when we surf around and see people who post brilliantly every day. Here’s the thing, though: those guys do that for a living. I mean, that’s a full-time job and they’ve become personalities through their blogging. Unless your goal is to become nationally renown, don’t worry about trying to be like John Gruber, Seth Godin, or Bob Parsons. (You’ll get no links here–I want to decrease the anxiety!)
A new author who compares himself to Dan Brown (The DaVinci Code), for instance, is highly unlikely to get any words on the page. The bar is just set too damn high. Nobody ever writes well when they’re pressuring themself for results. Luckily, you don’t need to be famous in order to be successful.
If you are writing for your business, most likely you’re doing it to demonstrate your credibility to potential customers. That’s all you need to worry about. You’re writing for a much smaller audience, which makes your job a lot easier. Also, your primary job, unlike the bigwig bloggers, is to do what you do best–acupuncture, real estate, coach, etc. Remember that, for you, writing is just a means to an end (ie getting more customers for what you actually love doing). You don’t need to be a Writer or Blogger; just be yourself. Be a person who is passionate about your business and let the writing flow from there.
Rachel Whalley is a Seattle business and writing coach, who helps her clients Write with Meaning.
blogging business relationships seth godin success tip writingDon’t waste your time pursuing multiple streams of revenue if you don’t already have a good primary source of revenue
Are you really ready for Multiple Streams of Income?
I just had an interesting email exchange with biznik business writer Joseph Riden. He sent a quote I’d like to share and build on.
“Don’t waste your time pursuing multiple streams of revenue if you don’t already have a good primary source of revenue. Too many people want to do it all, but they do it all poorly or marginally well.” –Wally Adamchik
The quintessential entrepreneur can and does wear many hats. Entrepreneurs are masters at mulit-tasking and are generally mutli-talented. It is for this reason that it is easy to see why an entrepreneur might light up at the idea of multiple streams of income.
“Multiple streams of income” simply means that you have a variety of ways to make money, not just one. Where the problems start are when we diversify what we do rather than diversify how we do what we do. What, exactly, is the difference?
Some proponents of multiple streams of income offer all kinds of systems. For example: the 5 streams of income where you invest in real estate, the stock market and a few others. These proponents suggest you pick the one you are most good at to start with then branch out to the others. This is an example of diversifying what you do. Take many things that aren’t related and do them all.
When you diversify how you do what you do you are looking at a different ballgame. First of all you must have strong legs around what you do. Most entrepreneurs, upwards of 80%, are service professionals. That is they provide a service rather than sell a product. Think FedEx, chiropractors and lawyers. So to create multiple streams of income you must have a certain level of expertise at what you do. Take one thing and make many things from it. (For clarity, let’s say you are a chiropractor. I am suggesting you specialize in one aspect of chiropractic like adjusting the atlas or working with children. This is growing strong legs. Otherwise you do it all within the field of chiropractic: adjusting the atlas and working with kids and auto accident victims—in other words, everybody. This would be taking many things that aren’t related and doing them all. A common mistake is that we think staying in the same field equals focusing. BIG misnomer)
Now before you jump into creating multiple streams of income, understand that it requires a significant investment in not only time but energy and often of money. (though there are plenty of no or low-cost ways to diversify your income streams) Here are a few foundational elements you should have in place.
First of all: Do you LOVE what you do? Does your work energize you? Are you working with ideal clients—ones that charge rather than drain you? If not, do not proceed with multiple streams of income. Your work at this point is to find what you love about your work, pull it to the forefront and find ideal clients who will gladly pay you for it. If you skip this step you will chain yourself to even more energy drains and become a slave to your work rather than being freed by it.
If you do love your work and your work energizes you then step two is: Do you have good systems already in place to support more clients and contacts? Because when you have multiple streams of income you naturally have more people coming to you. Good systems are things like a solid referral system, a networking contact and follow-up system, a client response system and basic office management systems. If not, develop these and stick with them until they are relatively smooth and effective.
If you have good systems in place then check point three is: do you have an idea of how you can diversify? Writing? Speaking? Seminars? Blogging? Google’s AdSense? Group consulting? Corporate contracts? Product development? There are so many possible revenue streams. You need to find the ones that work with your natural skills and proclivities and begin with the one that is easiest and that you are most likely to do.
And step four is: a plan. Do not just dive in. Do the back-end work to create a plan so you can really be successful. Multiple streams of income are appealing because they greatly expand our income potential. But if you don’t have a good plan, based on having done homework, understanding revenue diversification, a clear sense of why you are doing it and where you are headed you will make it more work than it’s worth.
As entrepreneurs, sometimes our enthusiasm gets the best of us and we dive into multiple streams of income without a strong enough foundation in our expertise and the systems to support more business. Take the steps necessary to be ready for this wonderful opportunity. And when you are ready, craft a solid and inspiring plan and be on your way. Be sure to share what you’ve learned with others who want to break into multiple streams of income so they can learn from your mistakes and triumphs, helping to ensure ease and victory on their path to multiple streams of income.
Much success to you!
Sadee Whip is a speaker and workshop presenter who loves to teach, inspire and catalyze. Her specialty is “taking high-level entrepreneurs to the next level.”