Friday, May 26, 2006

It Takes A Village . . .

To Raise an Entreprenuer!!!

Okay, some of you are probably going what are you talking about? Well I believe that entrepreneurs are rare breeds. They tend to be idea people, they are creative, bold and energized. However, they are not always great as sticking with things once it is started. Because of how they are wired, they tend to move on to the next challenge. What I have seen happen next is a wake of frustrated people floating behind and a clueless entrepreneur on to their next challenge. What I recommend to my entrepreneurial clients is to find a team of people that can help them be more effective.

The first step is determine what the entrepreneur is good at doing. Then determine what key areas of management or processes are missing. Then fill in the blanks with competent people. Now I am not necessarily saying hiring a bunch of employees. It might mean outsourcing key areas. For example: If you create products for the internet and sell them on the web you are called a "Infopreneuer." There are lots of steps to creating a product that can be sold. Some of those steps can be outsourced like a fulfillment company can copy the CDs and Documentation and mail it. A Virtual Assistant can type up the documents or manage the customer service aspect. You might also hire someone just to market the product. This frees up the entrepreneur to use their creative talents to make money.

Logistically this can all be managed from a home office. Pretty amazing how, if you create a village (global village), you can create an amazing business and have the life you always dreamed of having.

Monday, May 22, 2006

Marketing Step 1 - Feels like a mile

But each time you move you are that much closer. There are times when it seems almost impossible to reach who you want to reach. Sometimes you are not even sure who you should reach. That's okay. The trick is to keep moving forward. It might be a baby step, but a baby step is better than not moving at all. What I mean is some people get stuck getting ready to get ready and never get anywhere. Don't get stuck. Make one call. Send out one email. Write an article. Start a blog. Post a message on a board. Do something. As you make this a habit, you will be surprised to see how much you start to get done.

Friday, May 19, 2006

It all starts with a plan . . .

Well really it starts with a goal and then a plan to reach the goal. Goal setting is so important there are web sites devoted to it. I found one that is pretty good. I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy Goals-2-Go.

Monday, May 15, 2006

It's Official . . .


It's official, I just signed up to be a licensed facilitator for CJ Hayden's Get Client's Now!(tm) Marketing Program. With this program I will be able to help my clients develop a plan for marketing including identifying who they should market to, how to reach them and then a daily strategy to get them. It's simple and easy to use and does not require marketing knowledge from my clients. The best part, no matter how busy my clients get, they can do a few things each day to keep their funnel full.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Thoughts to Live By

“There are two kinds of people: those who don’t do what they want to do, so they write down in a diary about what they haven’t done, and those who haven’t time to write about it because they’re out doing it.”
Richard Flournoy and Lewis R. Foster

“If you have something to do that is worthwhile doing, don’t talk about it . . . do it.”
George W. Biount

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Is it May already?????

As I went about my business today, I suddenly realized that a quarter of the year is gone. Yes, a whole Quarter is behind us!!! To some that can be a scary thing or it can be a good thing. This is a good time to ask yourself, "Am I where I need to be to get to where I projected I would at the end of the year?" If the answer is no, now is the time to get serious. Look at your plan (if you have one) and see what worked? What didn't? What should I be doing differently? Don't wait till November when there is no time to adjust. It's time to look at the plan and if you don't have a plan it's time to write the plan. Good luck.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Who was that masked man?

Have you ever watched a commercial and it was so entertaining you couldn't wait to tell a friend about it. Usually they are very funny and sometimes they are very serious. What I find most striking about them is, they spend so much time trying to make the commercial entertaining, they forget to market the product. My mother was carrying on about a commercial with an Elephant. She asked "did you see it?" I said, "No, at least I don't think so. What was it for?" She and my father talked for quite sometime and never remembered the product. Hmm, so who was that masked man anyway? So remember, it's nice to entertain, but don't forget, it's about the product!!!!

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Sales Vs. Marketing

Over time I have had discussions with clients about the difference between sales and marketing. In my Sandler Training I came across a great paper that describes it. In essence: "Marketing is the role of identifying groups of people or companies that may fit your product or service before the person-to-person contact is made. Selling is the effort applied to those "possible fits" initiated by person-to-person contact. So you need a plan for both. First, you need a marketing plan that defines who you are, what you do, who needs it and why. Then you need to go and get them.