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Archive | October, 2009

Is Cold Calling DEAD?

By Melinda Emerson on October 29, 2009 in Branding & Marketing, SmallBizChat, Social Media

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wed. on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @BradfordShimp. Bradford is a small business expert and the blogger behind All Business Answers. The goal of allbizanswers.com is to answer common business questions, solve the problems that hold businesses back, and show owners how they can build amazing companies. He is actively involved in running a regular small business, as well as several online ventures. His services are available for consulting advice as well as writing content. For more information check out www.allbizanswers.com

Smallbizlady: Is cold calling dead?

Bradford Shimp: No. Many businesses still use it. However, it is losing its effectiveness. Cold calling relies on interruption. Today, people have access to info when they need it, so are less likely to put up with cold calling. People are far less likely to trust someone based on a cold call, and trust is very important.

Smallbizlady: What is the difference between cold and warm calling?

Bradford Shimp: Warm calling is making sales calls after making preliminary contact. Warm calling works best when it is tied to another form of marketing, such as educational or event marketing. Warm calling can refer back to a marketing piece, a form filled out at a trade show, or any form of previous contact.

Smallbizlady: What is permission based marketing?

Bradford Shimp: Permission marketing is when prospects sign up to receive messages from you. Instead of you interrupting their day with messages they don’t care about, you are invited to speak to them. Permission marketing is about having prospect qualify themselves.

Smallbizlady: How do you get permission from someone to market to them?

Bradford Shimp: You need a complete marketing plan to gain a constant stream of permission. The basic concept is to provide something of value in return for getting permission to market further. Permission can include signing up for a newsletter, coming to an event, or requesting more information.

Smallbizlady: Cold calling brings results, why should I stop?

Bradford Shimp: Cold calling is a numbers game. For every yes, you have 10 or more nos that are closed doors. Using permission marketing, you can keep the conversation open, even with people who aren’t buying right now. By building marketing around conversations and education, you can create a steady stream of leads that will grow virally.

Smallbizlady: Why should businesses make the extra effort to educate customers?

Bradford Shimp: By educating, you set yourself up as the expert. This allows you to set the course of the relationship. Educating allows you to “sell without selling.” Prospects thank you for the info and go to you first to buy. When you create educational marketing, you can re-purpose it in many ways.

Smallbizlady: How can Twitter help businesses avoid cold calling?

Bradford Shimp: Twitter is a great place to communicate, attract fans, and build relationships. Your followers have given you permission to talk to them. Just don’t be all sales talk, all the time. From conversations on Twitter, you can move into a sales process. Twitter opens the door to a ton of prospects. It is your job to attract qualified prospects by providing quality content.

Smallbizlady: Why is building an email list the most important thing businesses should be doing?

Bradford Shimp: An email list built on permission is a group of people who have pre-qualified themselves as real prospects. With regular email, you can build trust with prospects and up sell current customers. An email list is a database of prospects you can dip in to when you need to add sales. Put out a good newsletter and good value for signing up, and your email list will continue to grow. Unlike cold calling, you will be able to communicate 1 to many, but with a much larger trust factor.

Smallbizlady: How can we use events to bring in loads of new customers?

Bradford Shimp: Events allow you to invite prospects to something they will value, without directly selling to them. Make your event specific, and it will attract ideal, pre-qualified, prospects. You can build a huge level of trust quickly by providing a quality event. People will be inclined to buy from you.

Smallbizlady: Should a small business have a blog/email newsletter?

Bradford Shimp: Yes. Providing regular content for customers/prospects has several benefits. It will bring in more traffic to your site and provide visitors with instant value. It will educate prospects and build trust, making them inclined to buy from you and trust you. It will make you better at your business. Creating content on your niche will inevitably make you an expert.

Smallbizlady: What kind of conversations should businesses be having with their customers/prospects?

Bradford Shimp: Conversations should be about much more than making the sale. You should seek to educate, to answer questions, to ask questions. The biggest thing is to build trust and provide endless value.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter.

How to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on starting or growing your small biz subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com

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Are You Ready for 2010?

By Melinda Emerson on October 26, 2009 in Business Inspiration, Grow Your Business, How to Start, Mompreneurs, My Recommendations, Pink Slip Entrepreneurs, SmallBizChat, Solopreneurs, Starting A Small Business, Women in Business, Your Small Business

smallbizchat_live_telesummit The economy is on the rebound, but the nature of business has changed.

Is your small business repositioned for 2010? October and November is the perfect time to start planning for how you will kickoff the New Year. It’s not about making it through the recession; it’s about coming out of this recession with a stronger business.

Every Wednesday #SmallBizChat delivers training on how to start and run a profitable small business via Twitter, now for the first time we we’re delivering what you need over the phone and at your own desktop.

I’m known as @Smallbizlady on Twitter, I have developed a FREE resource to help you develop tools to compete in this new business environment. We’re calling it the SmallBizChat Live Telesummit. To register now, visit http://bit.ly/1TxnoL .

I’ve pulled together top small business experts who are allowing me to pick their brains and share with you invaluable advice that will take your business to the next level.

The Smallbizchat Live Telesummit interviews will take place over four-days the first week of November.

Mark your calendars for Nov 3-6, 2009

Register now http://bit.ly/1TxnoL

Listen and Learn! Each day, we will do live interviews at 1pm and 7pm Eastern Time

We’re going to introduce the challenges and advantages this new business economy has created.

Live Telesummit Nov 3-6, 2009 | register for full program – http://bit.ly/1TxnoL

If you’re already an entrepreneur and you want to improve your business, or if you’re planning to take the leap and want to start out on the right foot, here’s your chance to learn from top experts who are business owners just like you.

Sheer passion and courage aren’t all you need to succeed in today’s business environment. Listen in and you’ll be able to learn key strategies to accelerate your business success.

This is a great time for an aggressive entrepreneur, but you need an action plan for business success in 2010.

Wondering if this is for you?

The old rules of business no longer apply. Do you know how to compete?

Are you tired of dealing with the unpredictable ups and downs of cash flow in your business?

Is the daily stress in your business draining you of the passion you have for your business?

You know you need to be utilizing social media, but don’t know where to start?

Are you ready to invest in learning how to adapt and grow your business while others struggle?

If you’ve answered “Yes” to any of the questions above, sign up today for the 1^st Annual #SmallBizChat Live Telesummit http://bit.ly/1TxnoL!

Telesummit Topics:

Using Social Media to Brand Your Business

Developing a Mastermind Group

Retooling Your Business in Tough Times

Strategic Cash Flow Management

Growing Your Network

Getting More Out of Each Business Day

How to Author a Book to Grow Your Brand

How to Be an Email-Marketing “ROCK STAR!”

MEET THE EXPERTS

Melinda Emerson “Smallbizlady” is your host for the #SmallBizChat Live TeleSummit! Melinda is a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach. Her areas of expertise include small business start-up, business development and social media strategy. Melinda hosts #Smallbizchat, a weekly talk show on Twitter. #Smallbizchat is the trusted resource on Twitter to discuss everything entrepreneurs need to know about launching and running a profitable small business. Melinda has been featured on NBC Nightly News and in the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and World Report and Black Enterprise. Melinda publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com and has several special reports including 44 Things To Do Before You Go Into Business and The 12 Cardinal Sins of Small Business-and How to Avoid Them! Melinda’s first book Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to Start a Business that Works!” will be released in February 2010 by Adams Media. For more information, please visit melindaemerson.com

Mike Michalowicz is the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. Mike Michalowicz has a driving passion for entrepreneurialism. Michalowicz wrote The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur with the sole purpose of giving first time entrepreneurs the information they need to grow their concepts into industry leaders. Michalowicz has successfully launched three multimillion-dollar companies. His most recent venture, Obsidian Launch LLC, partners exclusively with first-time entrepreneurs to launch their ideas into niche industry leaders. For more information, please visit toiletpaperentrepreneur.com

Dr. Melvin Gravely, II, is the founder of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, the leading think tank on issues related to business development. The Institute is nationally known for providing thought leadership, and industry changing research on issues at the intersection of business and race. The Institute is a trusted advisor to Chambers of Commerce, major corporations and community leaders across the nation. Gravely is the author of seven books including The Lost Art of Entrepreneurship, When Black and White Make Green, and his latest Getting to the Next Level. He has been featured in many national publications including Black Enterprise Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, and American City Business Journals. After ten successful years working for a large corporation, he co-founded a civil engineering firm and grew it into a multimillion dollar company. Dr. Gravely speaks and writes on various topics related to entrepreneurial thinking and business development. For more information, please visit entrethinking.com

Michelle Villalobos is a Business turnaround expert who teaches busy entrepreneurs how to improve their sales approach through networking skills, personal branding and word-of-mouth marketing. As a 14-year sales & marketing veteran, she first made her mark in the publishing industry. Michelle is known for never turning down a sales challenge, she has helped numerous small businesses significantly increase their revenues. She conducts seminars, brainstorming sessions, strategic planning workshops, roundtables and other programs that “educate, entertain and engage” by helping businesses learn to build revenues, through effective sales, networking and word-of-mouth techniques Michelle holds an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, and an MBA from the University of Miami and is a life-long devotee of Sharpies. You’ll have to listen in to find out the deal with that. For more information, please visit MichelleVillalobos.com

Paul B. Brown is a long-time contributor to the New York Times. Paul is the author of more than two dozen books, including the international best-seller Customers for Life. A former writer and editor of Business Week, Financial World, Forbes, and Inc., Brown has “ghosted” books for several of the nation’s most success business executives. The latest example: Obstacles Welcome: How to Turn Adversity into Advantage in Business and in Life, written with Ralph de la Vega, president of AT&T. Even more relevant for our purposes he is the author of Publishing Confidential: What it really takes to land a non-fiction book deal. Brown was trained as a lawyer, but he asks that you do not hold that against him.

Lisa D. Sparks is a marketing expert with nine years of experience developing and implementing marketing communications solutions for small and medium sized businesses. A small business owner herself, Lisa uses her expertise to teach small organizations in South Florida how to use technology to maximize the power of relationship marketing. She is experienced in providing guidance, instruction, and comprehensive planning advice for the development, growth, and expansion of new and existing businesses. In 2007, Lisa won the Florida State Star Award as the top small business analyst in Florida.

Karyn Greenstreet is a small business coach and a mastermind group facilitator, and the owner of The Success Alliance, a website devoted to helping mastermind group facilitators start and grow their own mastermind groups. She has been creating and running these groups since 1994 and is the author of How to Create a For-Profit Mastermind Group. She also teaches a series of classes on starting and running mastermind groups. Karyn holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Management, and is a certified Adult Education Trainer. She has postgraduate work in Business Administration and Computer Systems, and is graduate of CoachU. She has spoken at numerous national on business-building topics and action planning. Visit her website TheSuccessAlliance.com

Tim Berry, is president and founder of Palo Alto Software, founder of bplans.com, and a co-founder of Borland International. He built Palo Alto Software from zero to 40 employees and 70% market share without outside investment. He is a Stanford MBA and taught starting a business at the University of Oregon. He’s the conceptual author of Business Plan Pro, author of The Plan-As-You-Go Business Plan, Entrepreneur Press. Find Tim on twitter at @TimBerry. “I’ve seen startups and small business from multiple views. I’ve had the good years and bad years. My wife and I had three mortgages and $65,000 of credit card debt at one very low point, which we survived, but I really don’t recommend. I’ve consulted with startups on bringing in venture capital, and angel investors, and business loans, and friends and family.” He’ll be talking about Cash Flow in a Tough Economy.

Allyson Lewis is a renowned motivational speaker and business coach who focuses on productivity, specifically developing systems to change your life. Allyson has spent the last 22 years teaching concrete yet actionable ideas to business leaders all over the country. Her book, The Seven Minute Difference, grew out of the workshops she has been teaching for the last five years. Author of The Million Dollar Car and $250,000 Pizza (Kaplan Publishing, 2000), Allyson is frequently asked to host motivational and educational public workshops throughout the country. She has been a guest on CNN, CNNfn, Bloomberg Information Television, and many other regional radio and television programs. For more information, please visit Seven Minutes Inc.

The nature of business had changed, if you register for this Telesummit you will be equipped to handle anything the economy will throw at you. Don’t delay! Register now Smallbizchat Live TeleSummit http://bit.ly/1TxnoL

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The Perfect PR Pitch For Your Small Business

By Melinda Emerson on October 22, 2009 in Branding & Marketing, SmallBizChat, Social Media

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wed. on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @PRSarahEvans. Sarah is a public relations and new media strategist at @SevansStrategy. Sarah has worked extensively in the non-for-profit, higher education and healthcare sectors, focusing on media relations, message management, coalition building, deployment strategies, and organizational change. A self-described social media freak, Sarah is the founder of #journchat and MediaOnTwitter. Her personal mission is to engage and employ the use of emerging technologies in all communication – that connects her with a rapidly growing base of more than 26,000 people. Contact Sarah online at: http://card.ly/prsarahevans

Smallbizlady: How much time should you dedicate to PR for your business?

@PRSarahEvans At least 10% of your time should be spent working on your business. That time should include building relationships with journalists and bloggers, identifying stories your public should know, reputation management, tracking who is talking about you…to name a few. Public relations is more than media relations. Here’s how I define it: Public relations is an ongoing conversation, which builds sustainable relationships between an entity and its publics resulting in change, action or influence

Smallbizlady: What’s the best way to generate traditional media coverage? What about social media?

@PRSarahEvans The best to generate traditional media coverage is to have a good story to tell to the right journalist with the right audience. That means knowing who covers topics appropriate to your business and reading/listening/watching their work. Nothing kills a potential relationship faster than an off-pitch. It’s not all about the press release (more on that later). Social media coverage means blogs, online news publications, content distributors and influencers. Same rules apple.

Smallbizlady: Are press releases still in vogue, does anyone read them?

@PRSarahEvans I host a Monday night chat on Twitter, #journchat, where journalists, bloggers and PR professionals discuss questions like this. Recently we had the New York Times social media editor @NYT_jenpreston who said this in response to the value of press releases, “Honestly? Minimum value.” @JeffJarvis recently told PRs that the press release is dead. However, I work with many local daily print publications who request press releases because of their cutbacks in the newsroom. If you really want to know if a journalist reads a release, ask them. There are other uses for press releases than for pitching stories. I’m the community manager for Pitchengine where we’re changing the way press releases are created, written and distributed–social media release (more on that in a bit).

Smallbizlady: How often should to use press releases as a small business?

@PRSarahEvans It depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. The press release isn’t your magic cure all pill. Use the basics of “what is newsworthy” to determine whether you should write and distribute a press release: timing, significance, proximity, prominence, human interest. It’s not about how often, rather the quality of what you share.

Smallbizlady: What about social media press releases?

@PRSarahEvans I’m biased and I like the SMR. The social media press release is the first wave in the evolution of the release, there’s more needed to make it a truly great tool. Use the same rules as a traditional release. However, the caveat I offer is in regards to search engine optimization. SMRs are helpful in driving awareness to your site if they’re written and distributed effectively. I wrote a post for Mashable on this topic: 10 ways to make your press release SEO friendly http://bit.ly/GEdLx.

Smallbizlady: How do you craft a pitch? How much time should you dedicate?

@PRSarahEvans One of the great things about social media is that I research a journalist or blogger’s online presence before a pitch. If they’re on Twitter I might check out what they’ve been talking about in addition to their recent work. It’s nice to add a personal touch–especially if it’s the first time you’re communicating. The research takes time. The pitch takes time. The follow up takes times. Your best bet is to create a small, targeted list of media you reach out to on a regular basis. You’ll put the bulk of your time into the initial contact and build a relationship from there.

Smallbizlady: What are your top 5 pieces of advice for small biz owners doing their own PR?

@PRSarahEvans 1. Develop a small, targeted list of media and bloggers (10-15) you communicate with on a regular basis

2. Engage a group of stakeholders (friends, family, customers) who serve as your third party coalition of supporters. When you have a message or story to share, include them and encourage them to share, too.

3. Use traditional and online media to share your stories

4. ONLINE: Set up Google alerts for you, your business, your competitors to monitor your online mentions. Secure your user name across all social networks, even if you don’t use them (knowem.com). Use a resource like @alltop to aggregate your favorite media outlets so you can easily research trends.

5. Participate in discussions and chats like this to share with one another. It’s good karma.

Smallbizlady: How often should you pitch a particular media source?

@PRSarahEvans It depends on the frequency and reach of the media outlet. If it’s a blog written about one topic with a targeted audience and they recently wrote about you, pitching them the week after is probably not smart.

Smallbizlady: Do you need to have a media reel to get national media coverage?

@PRSarahEvans No. I would however, recommend an online newsroom. A place where journalists and bloggers can easily obtain your logo, photos and headshots, boilerplate, recent releases, bios, etc.

Smallbizlady: What determines a story?

@PRSarahEvans This goes back to the definition of newsworthy. I’d also encourage you to think about a story in this way: if you go home at the end of the day and can’t wait to share something with your significant other, parent, child, it’s probably a story. In fact, when I think about a story I ask myself, “would my mom care about this?”

Smallbizlady: Is PR only generating media coverage?

@PRSarahEvans No way! The larger umbrella of PR is communications and that encompasses a whole host of activities. It can include media relations, community relations, internal and external communications, and legislative affairs (to name a few).

Smallbizlady: What’s the benefit of hiring someone to do PR for my small biz?

@PRSarahEvans Do write your own legal documents? Unless you’re a lawyer, I’m going to guess no. I hired a lawyer and an accountant for my small business because they are the experts. There are some things small business owners can do on a PR front, but in reality do not have the time to conduct full PR outreach.

Smallbizlady: What are ways to use social media to further a story?

@PRSarahEvans 1. Write a blog post. This can be for your blog or as a guest post.

2. Check out CNN iReport to see if there’s an appropriate segment for your story.

3. Share information on social networks.

4. Use a social media release.

5. Include bloggers and online influencers in your media database.

Here are 5 case studies of small businesses successfully using Social Media http://ow.ly/vJW2

Great information on social media press releases: http://budurl.com/SMReleases

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter.

How to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on starting or growing your small biz subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com

Comments { 5 }

Could Franchising Be For You?

By Melinda Emerson on October 19, 2009 in Branding & Marketing, Business Inspiration, How to Start

Franchising is a great opportunity to take a proven business model that has produced financial success and run it as your own business. While there are many wildly inaccurate statistics about success rates for franchises all over the internet, in general “a franchise is a lower risk proposition than investing in a pure start-up,” according to Joel Libava, the The Franchise King.

One of things that concerns me the most about entrepreneurs who invest in franchises is the belief that, “if you buy a franchise, you cannot fail.” This is fallacy, and is simply not true. Any business can fail. The question is whether your particular franchise opportunity puts you in a better position for success than if you attempted to start a similar business on your own. When you buy into a franchise you are buying a turnkey system. Your continual implementation of that system will determine how successful you will be in business. Starting any business is a risk, but I believe fear of failure is a healthy motivator in business.

Key benefits of a owning a franchise includes – you are buying an established brand, with an instant client base, with operations procedures already in place. You do not have go through the labor intensive task of launching a new brand, establishing procedures, testing and marketing products or establishing a distribution network. However, you must operate your business exactly as the formula describes it and pay a royalty and/or licensing fee to the parent company.

Buying a franchise that is already established can be a lucrative business, but there are drawbacks.

It can be very expensive. In some cases, especially for the marquee franchises, you must be able and willing to purchase three franchises, not just one. This significantly limits the individuals who can afford to buy a franchise.

The price is substantial and the return on investment slow. It can take more than three years to break even and up to five years to turn a profit.

You are at the mercy of the parent marketing department. They will determine the marketing done in your area.

You share in your parent company’s negative publicity. Remember, that issue with lettuce that Taco Bell had two years ago? Well, nobody was eating at any Taco Bell until the restaurant chain cleared up the issue.

The deal with owning a franchise is that the rules/operating procedures must be followed. The uniforms and store set up are set in stone, your main suppliers will be predetermined and franchise fees must be paid. If you think you want to put your personal stamp on your business, a franchise might not be for you.

There are some terrific small franchise opportunities that you can invest in for under $50,000. The following websites are great resources for researching franchise businesses.

www.franchiseopportunities.com

www.franchise.org

www.franchisegator.com

There are so many business opportunities in franchising, that anyone can find one to fit their situation: the key is research. Like with any business, you must take into account the skills you have and the skills you will need to run your franchise. Consider working for another franchise before purchasing your own. Those franchise agreements are really intense legally binding contracts, so be sure to engage an attorney that specializes in franchise agreements. Here are some other questions to consider:

How much capital do you have to purchase a franchise?

How much capital do you have to actually operate the business?

Will you need financing?

How much training and continued support is offered?

How much control will you want to have over the business?

A franchise opportunity could be the perfect business for you. Once you understand your personal and financial capabilities then you will be able to find the franchise business that suits your situation. Evaluate your net worth, personal skills, the market you are interested in, and be sure to talk to other franchise operators to research the best franchise business for you.

Do you know of any additional franchising pros and cons? I want to hear why you think franchising is the way to go to start a business.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda Emerson, “SmallBizLady”, is a Veteran Entrepreneur, Small Business Expert and Social Media Coach who hosts #SmallBizChat on Twitter. #Smallbizchat is the trusted resource on Twitter to discuss everything entrepreneurs need to know about launching and running a profitable small business. Melinda’s first book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months! A Month-by-Month Guide to Start a Business that Works! is scheduled to be released by Adams Media in Feb 2010.

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How to Go From Self-Starter to Self-Finisher

By Melinda Emerson on October 15, 2009 in How to Start, SmallBizChat, Solopreneurs

From time to time as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with small business experts that could benefit my audience. This is excerpted from my #smallbizchat interview on Twitter with Michelle Mangen @mmangen is a Virtual Assistant specializing in Accounting, Payroll, Excel and Social Media services. She helps sole proprietors and small businesses by reducing the amount of time they spend on administrative and accounting tasks while helping them to achieve a better work/life balance. Her social media skills include WordPress and Aweber set-up, and copyediting. Michelle is skilled in analyzing problems, troubleshooting crises and delivering alternative solutions. She constantly revises and “tweaks” the process to get project complete as quickly and efficiently as possible. She’s a valuable resource to grow your business and realize your full potential.

Smallbizlady: What keeps self-starters from finishing their projects?

Michelle Mangen: A number of things can prevent self-starters from finishing their projects – for example: needing info from someone else, lack of focus, interruptions, too many things to do, overwhelm

Smallbizlady: What role does isolation play in getting things done?

Michelle Mangen: For me having isolation while getting things done is critical. When I am deep in a project I will go as far as to turn off the phone & email because I am easily distracted, especially by the email. Always wondering what goodies are waiting in there for me.

Smallbizlady: As entrepreneurs since we do 12 jobs minimum. What strategies do you suggest for handling daily tasks and the “to do” list?

Michelle Mangen: Strategies I swear by for handling daily tasks and my “to do” list are: writing everything down, scheduling appointments with myself, outsourcing what I’m not good at, learning to say NO.

Smallbizlady: How do we get through all the little frustrations that pile up at work?

Michelle Mangen: I think this is to be defined by each person. For me, I just try to keep it in perspective. For me, projects and clients equals money and satisfaction that I am making a difference in the world, one business owner at a time.

Smallbizlady: What are your top 3 strategies do you use to help people finish what they start?Michelle Mangen: 1. Set aside the appropriate time for the project – for example: don’t start a 3 hour project if you only have 30 minutes

2. Try to anticipate what may be needed from others before starting

3. Bullet points of what still needs to be done – try to get “full picture” outlined so it seems more manageable

Smallbizlady: How do you keep going when you feel completely overwhelmed?

Michelle Mangen: As counter-productive as it may seem that is when I actually take a break. Even 10 minutes “away” can make all the difference in overwhelm (or a few very deep breaths). If I’m really feeling overwhelmed I’ll call a friend to have a five minute vent.

Smallbizlady: What if I realize I need help to grow my biz? How do I find a partner?

Michelle Mangen: I know this is right around the corner for me. I’m working on finding people to work with me that share same vision, drive and have skills that I don’t. I have been outsourcing several of my own administrative tasks for several months now and I am continually trying to see what else I can hand off to others.

Smallbizlady: How do you turn away a client without looking like a jerk?

Michelle Mangen: I am upfront and tell them I don’t think it’s a good fit. I also offer to help find someone else who may be more suitable.

Smallbizlady: How do you keep from getting overwhelmed with a new idea/project, especially when you’re short on time?

Michelle Mangen: Normally it’s my own “wish” list that I get overwhelmed with. I have many things I want to learn & I feel as though I cheat myself sometimes. If it’s a big project I will break into 30-60 min sessions. Again, I write everything down so I can revisit ideas at a later point. If I am really overwhelmed with my own list I will sit down and re-assess the list. There are times I find that things I wrote down several months ago no longer interest me.

Smallbizlady: How can one stay motivated daily when working on a long-term project? Michelle Mangen: I would suggest breaking the project down into smaller pieces. Visualize the desired outcome. I also always work on long-term projects during my high energy times, which is why from time to time people won’t see me on Twitter first thing in the morning.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter.

How to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on starting or growing your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog at http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com

Comments { 3 }

The New Rules About Blogging for Money

By Melinda Emerson on October 12, 2009 in Grow Your Business, Mompreneurs, Social Media, Solopreneurs, Women in Business, Your Small Business

Lady Justice

As of December 1, 2009 the Federal Trade Commission is going to require Bloggers, Podcasters and video producers – any producer of consumer-generated content online to disclose any paid endorsements to their followers and audience they communicate with online. These new rules have the potential to change everyone’s online habits. Here’s what you need to know:

If you receive even a small fee in exchange for reviewing a particular product or writing a blog post about it – this new ruling applies to you. Under the FTC’s new rules, all bloggers who blog for dollars will have to disclose that they are receiving a fee for their blog post. In addition, bloggers will also need to disclose any gifts they receive such as books, product samples or even toothpaste. All merchandise now counts as compensation.

Many bloggers already disclose when they are being paid for reviews, but this could get tricky for some blogs who use sponsors, and particularly for some corporations such as Walmart, Office Max etc. who use mom bloggers to target women customers. It will be interesting to see how these relationships will change.

Transparency is what you need to have in social media anyway, but now it’s on another level. Prominent users of social networks such as Twitter will need to pay attention to the FTC’s new rules. If you want to give a business some praise – do it, but if you work there, you need to tell people. If you want to get on Twitter and talk about how great a new book or product is…make sure people know it’s your product or that you are the author.

When commenting on blogs and in forums, please do not pretend to be someone else particularly if you are leaving a negative comment. If you post comments in an online forum that undercuts your competitor without making it clear who you are, you have broken the rules.

The FTC is not trying to fine mombloggers! Repeat offenders may end up being punished, but the new regulations are really just trying to regulate how advertisers pay for endorsements and reviews.

So Blogger Beware!

What you do think about the new FTC regulations? Should you really have to disclose a free book?

Additional resources on the new FTC regulations:

http://www.whitneyhoffman.com/2009/10/06/the-new-ftc-guidelines-on-endorsements-by-bloggers/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/business/media/06adco.html

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda Emerson “SmallBizLady” is a Veteran Entrepreneur, Small Business Expert and Social Media Coach who hosts #SmallBizChat on Twitter. #Smallbizchat is the trusted resource on Twitter to discuss everything entrepreneurs need to know about launching and running a profitable small business. Melinda’s first book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 months! A Month-by-Month Guide to Start a Business that Works! is scheduled to be released by Adams Media in Feb 2010.

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How to Take Your Blog to the Next Level

By Melinda Emerson on October 8, 2009 in Branding & Marketing, SmallBizChat, Social Media

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wed. on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Anita Campbell @smallbiztrends. The editor and chief contributor of http://www.smallbiztrends.com, one of the most widely read small business blogs on the internet. Her company, Small Business Trends LLC, is a media and information company. In that role she closely follows trends in the small business market and trends in technology. Her popular website won the Forbes “Best of the Web” distinction for small business blogs in 2005 and again in 2008.

Smallbizlady: How long has Small Business Trends been around?

Anita Campbell–It’s been around for six years. I started out on Blogger at a blogspot address for first few years. Then moved to my own domain and WordPress. That was my first jump to a new level. If you are still on the Blogger platform and dream big, I suggest moving to WordPress. You will need its expanded features. Remember, also, that perseverance is a key to success. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Every blog starts small with just a few readers.

Smillbizlady: How has blogging changed in the last 6 years?

Anita Campbell–In one sense it is still the same. But it has matured. Used to see a lot of shorter posts just dropping links to media articles. Now I think the bar is higher and you must have something original to say. People now point out interesting links at Twitter instead. There’s lots more competition now, too. Many more blogs. The need for a narrow niche is important today. There’s always room for good blogs, though.

Smallbizlady: The niche target market is so important in any small business venture. Why is the blog niche so important?

Anita Campbell–There are millions of blogs today. Many topics are saturated. It’s harder to stand out. A niche is one way to stand out. Your audience might be smaller, but you have the advantage of uniqueness.

Smallbizlady: What’s the #1 thing you should do to get your blog to the next level?

Anita Campbell–Think about your blog as a product. You are the manufacturer and distributor of that product. This gives you purpose and structure. Makes it easier to know what to do. It makes the process of creating content much easier. No waking up and wondering “what do I write about today?” Instead, it’s like a magazine – a clear concept. Problogger has a brilliant piece where he dissects a magazine as a way to shape a content plan.

You can find it in his e-book “31 Days to Build a Better Blog” (not free – but worth the modest price). Thinking of your blog as a magazine helps you set goals and stay on track.

Smallbizlady: Do you recommend having a marketing plan?

Anita Campbell–Yes! You should have the typical elements of a marketing plan in it. Clear target market. Unique selling proposition of your blog. Online marketing building blocks: SEO; email marketing; social media marketing. For an easy starting place, create plan for marketing a single blog post. Read Problogger’s post – how to get your post read by more than mom: http://adjix.com/uwkv After learning how to promote single posts, work your way up to a marketing plan for the blog overall.

Smallbizlady: Should you plan an editorial calendar for your blog?

AnitaCampbell–An editorial calendar will help you be more organized and make sure you stay on point. Strive for a general sense of what you publish when – but not too rigid. Allow yourself some flexibility.

Smallbizlady: What is the biggest mistake to getting to the next level with your blog?

AnitaCampbell–First mistake: trying to monetize a blog too soon. Not enough focus on your audience. You need to build an audience who clamors for your content. Focus on serving readers first. You are not likely to make any money from ads in the first 6 months — So why distract yourself?

Second mistake is not blogging enough. Most of the big name blogs post a MINIMUM of once a day. Your growth will be limited by how frequently you post. Here’s analogy: what if you developed a product, and only shipped it out now and then? When you “had time”? Would you expect that product to become a big seller?

Smallbizlady: Can a part-time blog be successful?

AnitaCampbell–I’m not saying you can’t benefit from a blog with 1 post a week. Just that the blog’s growth will be limited. You may be OK with a part-time blog – there’s not a thing wrong with that. Perhaps you have a full-time business and your blog is there solely to market the business. If so, be proud! But adjust your expectations — traffic will be modest. You will need to work at your blog full-time if you expect to become a popular end destination.

Smallbizlady: What about other mistakes preventing you from getting to the next level?

AnitaCampbell–Another blogging mistake is inconsistency. Inconsistency in how often you post. Inconsistency in your topics, sometimes getting off topic. Readers like consistency. Your readers want to know what to expect. Example: that you write about email marketing and they can get email tips at your blog. But if one day you write about your dog, and the next email marketing – don’t be surprised if readers are confused.

Read “Why They’re a Successful Blogger and You’re Not”: http://adjix.com/zvcx

Smallbizlady: What about guest bloggers?

AnitaCampbell–Guest bloggers are good. Readers like to hear different voices. Vet your guest posters carefully. Your voice and what makes your blog unique can get diluted if you are not careful. Don’t make mistake of thinking guest bloggers are freelance writers, either. Think of them like Op Ed contributors to a newspaper Editorial page.

But they are not newspaper reporters. Don’t expect them to be your workforce & only source of content.

Smallbizlady: How to do become a paid guest blogger for a corporate blog?

AnitaCampbell–Consistent top notch writing. Having something worthwhile to say in a conversational tone. Face it — large sites can afford to pay freelance writers. And there are plenty of laid off journalists. You must offer something different, such as an edgy tone or unique perspective or a well-developed reputation.

They also will want you to “bring your audience with you.” Get good at promoting your articles. Then you become more interesting to such sites.

Smallbizlady: How important is it to tie-in current events to your blog posts?

AnitaCampbell–Two schools of thought on current events. One school says “yes, current events make you relevant.” Another school says “stick with evergreen content.” No surprise, then, that mixing both types of content has merit.

If you found this interview helpful, subscribe to smallbiztrends and join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter.

How to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on starting or growing your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog at www.succeedasyourownboss.com

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10 Ways to Get Your Blog to Shine

By Melinda Emerson on October 5, 2009 in 10 Things Lists, Branding & Marketing, Social Media, Your Small Business

This is the last post of a three part series on blogging for business. We started out with how to get started blogging. Then we tackled the strategy for setting up your blog as your only website or having two separate websites. Now we are finally talking about what to do to get your blog noticed. Here’s 10 Tips that I swear by for building a successful blog platform and getting your blog to shine. The best way to get to the front page of Google and other search engines is to have the exact phrase a person is searching for used on your blog. The same words you use in the title also need to be somewhere in your text.

1. Be strategic about your headline.

2. Use a branded header. Image is everything. People need to know what your blog is about at first click. Use a colorful header that features your logo, a professional photo and your tag line. Your tag line is the most important element of your header. It should tell your reader exactly what to expect from your blog.

3. Explain your blog. On the front page of your blog — tell people more information about what you can do for them. Be sure and include keywords, your name and any branded materials you have such as a book title. Explain who your target audience is and the credentials that make you an expert.

4. Create a conversation. Use a conversational tone when you write. Do not just give information; let your personality shine through. People love well told stories. They also like to learn from other people’s mistakes. Don’t be afraid to take an unpopular position or be brutally honest. Be your authentic self. Tell your readers what you really think.

5. Be original. Teach ‘em some new stuff and be entertaining. Your audience wants to find something that doesn’t exist anywhere else on the web. David Meerman Scott author of World Wide Rave says people want to share in something remarkable. Do you have any concepts or systems that you have developed? I developed the Emerson Planning System which is a new approach to business planning. I wrote my book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months (Adams Media, Feb 2010) based on the system. I use elements of it to write many blog posts. That’s my signature content, what’s yours?

6. Be a participant. If you want your ideas to spread or your blog posts to be retweeted you need to spend some time building relationships online. Getting involved in the online communities where people actively share information in your specialty area. It is also a great way to have comments left on your blog. I spent six months on Twitter building relationships, answers questions and supporting others before I launched my blog. It made a big difference.

7. Avoid fluff. In order to have people talk about your ideas, resist the temptation to hype your products and services. Create something interesting that will be talked about online. Readers have many choices available, and they’ll quickly move on from a blog with unnecessary or annoying commentary. Keep your writing focused. If you leave your readers wanting more, and they’ll come back for more.

8. Use multimedia to break things up. Add podcasts and video posts to add depth to your blog. Sometimes when I am interviewed on an internet radio show, I will turn the interview link into a blog post by adding a tip list highlighting key takeaways from the interview. The interview host will appreciate the additional exposure for sure. Keep those video posts short, no more than 3 minutes please. Trust me – less is more.

9. Comment on blogs. Leave comments on other people’s blogs. Doing this will help you get a quality backlink. Blogs need backlinks. They help increase your PageRank and widen your blog’s visibility. The plugin displays a link to your last post along with your picture and your name using RSS feeds. Also use the CommentLuv Plugin on your blog.

10. Always think of your audience first. Whenever you start thinking of a blog topic make sure the information will be helpful to your target audience. Provide information, analysis, interviews and viewpoints on your blog. When you give your audience what they want and need, they will tell others and post your information to social media sites.

For more information on getting your blog to shine join us this wednesday 8-9pm ET on 10/7 for #smallbizchat on Twitter where my guest will be Anita Campbell @smallbiztrends who will be talking about how to take your blog to the next level.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

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Making Love & Money: How to Be Successful Couplepreneurs

By Melinda Emerson on October 1, 2009 in How to Start, SmallBizChat, Women in Business

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wed on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Donna Maria Coles Johnson @indiebusiness on Twitter. She is an award winning entrepreneur who has inspired millions through her seminars and her role as the leader of the Indie Beauty Network and Indie Business Revolution events nationwide. She also produces Indie Business Radio show. Donna Maria co-owns Indie Business Media, LLC, with her husband of 10 years Darryl Johnson @djphotographer. They have two children and a passion for empowering other married couples to harness their talents and gifts to own and manage a business of their own. For more information http://www.indiebeauty.com and http://www.indiebusinessblog.com

Smallbizlady: How did you and your husband start in business together?

@indiebusiness: He was laid off. I already had my business. We looked at our talents and gifts and saw an opportunity to merge them into a family business so that’s what we did.

Smallbizlady: How is your business set-up?

@indiebusiness: We are a home based business. I have an office, and he has an office, on different floors. We have 2 kids, ages 5 and 7. We used to have nearly full-time help when the kids were infants and toddlers. Now, we hire help when we need it. Our children are used to us working at home.

Smallbizlady: How do you work at home with young children around?

@indiebusiness: It’s a challenge. We call it “tag teaming.” He takes them so I can work, and vice versa. If we have to be working together, which is a lot of the time, they play in a play room or outside in the yard. This happens a lot when we are taping a show or doing audio recordings. We need quiet and that is hard to come by with two kids around all the time. We also use young teens in the neighborhood to babysit sometimes. It all works well.

Smallbizlady: How do you stay on track? With kids, home, business, etc.?

@indiebusiness: Well, we meet every day (sometimes early in the morning, sometimes later at night after kids are asleep) to list the 5 top priorities each of us has for that day.

Smallbizlady: How do you handle disagreements about the direction of the business?

@indiebusiness: It doesn’t happen often because our responsibilities are pretty clearly drawn. He does what he does best and I do what I do best. But when it does happen, we look at the issue and see who it matters the most to. If it’s a part of the business that is in my bailiwick, then I usually have the final say. If it’s more his area, then he usually has the final say. That’s not always predictable, but because we want to make a profit and stay married, we have to look at who would be most impacted by a particular decision. That usually helps us figure out what to do.

Smallbizlady: How do you handle it when disagreements spillover into your personal relationship?

@indiebusiness: We used to argue about it. Eventually though, we both just started being honest. If I’m upset about something on the business side, I tell him that, and I also tell him that I am not feeling “warm and cozy” tonight because I’m stewing over a business issue. He does the same. We have learned that the time to raise touchy business issue is during the business day. And we pretty much do that. If someone can’t get over it that night, well, we’ve learned to go to separate corners. We always come back together in a few hours anyway. We are patient and forgiving of each other and that’s really the bottom line. We also don’t hold grudges. We believe in each other, know that we have each other’s best interests at heart and give the benefit of the doubt. We try to start each day fresh, like a new beginning for each of us.

Smallbizlady: How to you separate the business from your day to day married life?

@indiebusiness: Well, there really is not a lot of separation. The reality is that the security and long term viability of the business and the marriage are quite intertwined. Conflict in one area affects the other. Success in one area affects the other. It’s a constant ebb and flow of both personal and professional weaving back and forth to form a holistic entity that includes both our family and our business.

Smallbizlady: So, who reports to whom?

@indiebusiness: Well, it depends on the issue. When it comes to what to wear for a video, how to sound, how to stand or hold the props or what music goes best in the video, I report to him. When it comes to what video project to undertake next, he reports to me. Again, it works because he knows what he’s responsible for and I know what I’m responsible for.

Smallbizlady: Have you ever wanted to quit?

@indiebusiness: Yes. Once when we ran out of money and again when we ran out of money. That’s true, but seriously, there are times when we become frustrated with one another. We work together, live together, sleep together, raise kids together – all under one roof. We’ve known each other for nearly 30 years and been married for 10 of those years so we do get on each other’s nerves from time to time. But we both have our separate interests outside of the business and the marriage so when we need to take a break, that’s what we do.

Smallbizlady: What 4 tips can you offer to help other couples get started in business as WAHMs and WAHDs (Work at Home Moms and Dads)?

@indiebusiness: First, make sure that you can be content spending inordinate amounts of time together. If you drive each other totally nuts in separate work spaces, it’s probably not a good idea to work together. Having said that, if you find that your employment opportunities are drying up and you have to work together, I suggest you suck it up and get on with it. You have to eat, and if you have to create a business together to make that happen, then do it.

Next, make sure that the business offers a needed product or service. Don’t jump in without doing some market research first, just like with any other business.

Next, be sure to divide up responsibilities. Each person needs what amounts to a job description so they can be accountable for their responsibilities. Have regular meetings to air out options and disagreements so they don’t impeded your progress.

Know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. As in a marriage, you each bring different things to the party. Just like in your personal relationship, work to minimize each other’s weaknesses so you are a strong and united force together.

Smallbizlady: I know that you and your husband participate in a couple’s mastermind group. How is that helpful?

@indiebusiness: Our couple’s mastermind group is extremely helpful on many levels. Accountability for one thing. For another, the group provides real support. We are all going through the same things – juggling kids, family business, marriage. It helps to know that other similarly situated people are pulling for us. We help and encourage each other.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter.

How to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on starting or growing your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog at www.succeedasyourownboss.com

Links to relevant articles:

Making Love and Money: http://www.indiebusinessblog.com/2008/09/01/making-love-and-money/

How to Start a Couple’s MasterMind Group, Part 1: http://www.indiebusinessblog.com/2009/07/30/how-to-start-a-couples-mastermind-group/

How to Start a Couple’s MasterMind Group, Part 2 http://www.indiebusinessblog.com/2009/08/21/video-how-to-start-a-couples-mastermind-group-part-2/

Bliss, Diss and Kiss: http://www.indiebusinessblog.com/2009/05/21/bliss-diss-and-kiss-reflections-on-marriage-on-my-9th-wedding-anniversary/

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