Conferences are the best, right? They have interesting people, great speakers to learn from, and the potential for numerous business deals. If they’re so great, why do conferences wear us out so much? Why do we so often feel scattered and unfocused? Are they even worth the money? The Two Secrets to a Great Conference While there are a lot of factors that can make or break a…
5 Human Commonalities and Why Company Decision Makers Should Remember Them
by / ⠀Finding Customers• Startup Advice / September 10, 2013During the past 31 years, I have traveled to 134 different countries. Of all the countries I’ve visited, I’ve lived and worked for six months or more in 23 of them. I have been fortunate enough to live with people from different ethnic groups, socioeconomic strata, and educational backgrounds. They all had varying religious beliefs, cultural diversities, and values, but by allowing myself to be open to listening…
4 Free Channels To Attract New Customers
by / ⠀Entrepreneurship• Finding Customers / September 7, 2013So you’ve created your very first business but you’re struggling to find customers? It’s a really common problem. Don’t worry though; there are hundreds of marketing channels out there that will drive customers straight to your door! If you’re on a budget (like lots of new businesses are) then you’ll be hoping to generate some business with little or no cost. Well I suggest that this is entirely…
Captivate Customers With a Corporate Video
by / ⠀Entrepreneurship• Finding Customers• Startup Advice / September 2, 2013This decade has seen one of the most effective forms of marketing, video marketing. It is way more effective than oral campaigns, written ads or even promotion through audio content. It is an effective medium for entrepreneurs to expand their sales and device a highly specialized clip for a targeted sales program. Video content can either be self-generated internally or it can be outsourced to a corporate video…
Host a Conference, No Matter Your Budget or Size
by / ⠀Entrepreneurship• Finding Customers• Personal Branding• Startup Advice / August 25, 2013Venue. Speakers. Catering. Drink tickets. Hosting a conference comes with a price, and many business leaders make the mistake of thinking their companies are too small or too new to benefit from hosting an industry event. However, a conference can provide value for companies of all sizes and in all stages. Customers will have the opportunity to meet you, interact, understand your personality, and establish a personal relationship…
3 Most Common Marketing Mistakes Young Entrepreneurs Make (and How to Fix Them)
by / ⠀Entrepreneurship• Finding Customers / August 21, 2013You’ve heard it before: the vast majority of businesses fail within a few years. Now… let’s think about this for second. Why do smart, hard-working people with good intentions crash and burn? It’s often a combination of factors, from co-founder conflict, to funding issues and execution struggles… But at the core of it, businesses fail for one fundamental reason: they can’t sell their stuff. That’s the bottom line. And…
Why Business Owners Should Direct — Not Delegate — Their Digital Marketing
by / ⠀Finding Customers• Personal Branding• Startup Advice / August 18, 2013By delegating every aspect of digital marketing strategy, most business owners have effectively given control of their companies’ growth and vision to their IT and marketing teams. So, you get a spreadsheet every Monday showing the progress of your digital strategy? Neat. But digital marketing is a distribution channel. Would you let a wholesaler tell you what numbers you should be paying attention to? I hope not. You…
A Bite of Apple & a Sip of Coke: Lessons From the World’s Top Brands
by / ⠀Entrepreneurship• Finding Customers / August 17, 2013Marketing helps brands and brands help marketing. It’s all about creating a presence, a presence that is rooted in quality and trust. That ought to be the goal of every business, big or small. Don’t keep running after people, make them come to you. That’s an enviable position which one doesn’t often find oneself in. The world’s biggest brands, however, do. It doesn’t matter which industry they come…
Charge What You’re Worth- No Apology Required!
by / ⠀Entrepreneurship• Finding Customers / August 16, 2013Time and time again I’ve worked with gifted and passionate business owners who are so determined to get new clients in the door that they wind up working for a fraction of their true value! In fact, some of them work for nothing in order to get a shot at future business. I also tell people, time and time again, that if you are looking to THRIVE in…
Use Employees to Improve Your Company’s Online Presence
by / ⠀Entrepreneurship• Finding Customers / August 11, 2013There’s an unfortunate truth about business websites in general. Actually, two of them: (1) usually the only person who realizes the power of being online is the CEO himself/herself, and (2) it’s actually difficult for them to convey this point of view onto other employees in an effective way. In other words, you can always force someone to help you with the company’s website, but how can you…