More than a Few Words

It often feels as if the world is just a little nastier than it used to be with online attacks to individuals and businesses.  Well it turns out that's not new. The internet has made it a little bit more visible, but history is filled with examples of public attacks on professionals, politicians and businesses. Jason Viovich thinks we can learn so much from how others have handled criticism and negative feedback throughout history. As you put yourself out there, you need to be prepared for feedback, both good and bad.  The only thing worse than  getting criticism is not getting criticism. As a business owner, you can't take it personally.  You need to take the emotional sting out of an insult and respond strategically.   About Jason In a career that spans more than 25 years, Jason Voiovich has launched hundreds of new products – everything from medical devices, to virtual healthcare systems, to non-dairy consumer cheese, to next-generation alternatives to the dreaded “cone of shame” for pets, to sex aides for cows (really!). The author of Marketer in Chief, best described as history meets brand management He’s a graduate of both the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota, and he has completed post-graduate studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His formal training has been invaluable, but he credits his true success to growing up in a family of artists, immigrants, and entrepreneurs. They taught him how to carefully observe the world, see patterns before others notice them, and use those insights to create new innovations. History is Jason’s favorite way to observe the world. He believes the people from the past have plenty to teach us about the challenges and opportunities we face today.  

My husband loves scotch and it was on his bucket list to see where it was made. So several years ago, I found myself wandering through distillery after distillery hearing about malting, mash and wort, the importance of good water, roasting temperatures for barley and what yeast does to the mixture. At first I thought all the tours were the same. Then, I began to really listen to the tour guides, watching as each one puffed up with pride as they explained their point of difference, the one thing which made their whisky taste better than any other. So which is best? Well that is a matter a taste. Some people prefer the smoky effect the peat brings to whisky, while others prefer the milder flavors which come from steam heat and triple distilling. Our preferences are impacted by the type of whisky we normally drink, as well the food we pair with it. Given dramatically different taste preferences, there is no way to create a whisky which will please everyone. Instead the best distilleries understand what makes their whisky different. They focus your attention on that element, so as you taste their product you become a believer, too. This is the essence of niche strategy. Truly exceptional products do not come from trying to be all things to all people. Best in category comes when you commit to finding what makes your product or service unique and do it exceptionally well Ready to work on defining what makes you special?   Check out our Position Statement Workbook

We like to think of ourselves as evolved creatures, but according to Felix Cao the primal brain is actually the place where the subconscious mind lives and that actually, influences up to 95% of our everyday decisions. The study of neuromarketing  looks at how the brain is structured and how information physically enters the brain and use the biology to improve your marketing. Felix Cao is a neuromarketing expert and business growth strategist with over 15 years of sales and marketingexperience. He has been featured on major media outlets, such as The Huffington Post, Adweek, and Authority Magazine. Felix has appeared as a special guest on a major Canadian radio show where he talked about neuromarketing and the 2019 Canadian election. He also makes frequent appearances on the top business podcasts in the world and contributes to popular publications where he shares the most-up-date insights on how businesses can take their sales and marketing to the next stratosphere by implementing neuromarketing strategies that will give companies the game-changing edge that separates them from the rest of their competitors.

 If I asked you where the keys to your house were, might take you a minute, if you're a little bit like me and put him down somewhere in the house, but within a minute or two, you'd know where your keys were. Why? Because it's important that you protect your home by locking your doors and having a set of keys with you. The same is true for your website, you need to know where the keys are to your website. And the keys are your domain name and your hosting passwords. And all too often I talk to business owners who can't answer that question. They're like, Well, my web designers god, my hosting, and they have my password, so I don't need them. Yes, you do. Because what happens to your business if your web designer gets hit by a bus? That's a little gruesome, but the truth is that your business success should not be tied to them. You need to own your domain. You need to be responsible for renewing it annually or every two years or or automatically to your credit card. So you own it. It's an important business asset. You need to have the passwords so you can log into your hosting account. Even if you never do you need to have the master keys. You can work with a professional web developer, but as a business owner, this is your website, then you need to own it.   

As a business owner you are active on social media to do more than just make friends.  You are there because you ultimately hope it will lead to sales.  if you want to  that to happen you  need to do more than just hope.  You need to take an active role, using the tools in an effective social sales process.  This week, guest Patty Farmer describes social selling as a process to cultivate relationships that will lead to sales.  To be effective you need to approach social media with the customer journey in mind.   Everything you share should address customers at one stage in the journey.    About Patty Patty Farmer is an award-winning Marketing & Media Strategist, International Speaker, Podcast Host, Magazine Publisher, and Event Producer.  She works with small business owners, entrepreneurs, & speakers to attract and convert their ideal clients so they can make a big impact in the world, and bigger deposits in their bank account. Patty believes we all have a message and her mission is to help them master their marketing, leverage the media, and monetize their business in a way that creates transformation for both them and their clients while designing a lifestyle they want to live.

I am a fan of Walt Disney, not just his movies, but his vision and creativity as an entrepreneur.  He understood the importance of a clear company vision expressed passionately through stories and ideas, not cold facts and numbers. When Disney started construction on Disneyland he worked closely with the construction crews mapping out every detail of the park. He envisioned a magical place and wanted everyone who came to the park to feel the magic from their very first step so he insisted they build Sleeping Beauty’s castle first. The castle was located in the center of the park so it was impractical and expensive to start with the castle but Disney insisted. Why? The castle was  the center of the idea, representing all the magic of the park. He believed once it was built others would see the park the way he did and he was right. So how do you communicate your vision if you don’t have something as specific as a castle in the center of your business?

LinkedIn can be an incredibly valuable resource for your business, but it won't work if all you do is post content telling l people how awesome you are with a link to your blog or website.  If you want to actually drive results, you will need to focus on engagement.  Our guest, Sam Moss shared some tips on how to do just that.  Make sure this is where your customers and potential partners are hanging out.  Create educational content for your prospective customers Assume the audience won't click the link so be sure what you are posting has value as a stand alone post Acknowledge comments and look for ways to interact with content created by your audience.  About Sam Moss Sam Moss is the owner, 1Click Agency, a web design company in Elmira, New York. He’s also the co-host of the Small Business Made Simple podcast  

Write Your Goals Down As the new year begins, take a few minutes to think about your goals and what you want to accomplish in 2018. Dream big both personally and professionally. Maybe you want to lose weight, expand your team, launch new products, or close more sales. Be specific; do you want 5, 50, or 500 new projects. Write your goals down. There is lots of research which indicates even the simple act of writing your goals will help you stay on track to accomplish them. Visualize Success Imagine today’s date is December 31, 2018. The year is over. You have achieved all of the goals you have set out for yourself, both personally and professionally. With that picture firmly in your mind, write a letter to yourself. Pretend you are looking back at all that has happened and write about what you did, what you accomplished, and how you feel about where you are now. Make a list the new skills you learned and the changes you made in order to accomplish your goals. Think about the risks you took and how those risks panned out. If you are running a company with employees, think about how proud you are of their growth and accomplishments, too. Be as descriptive as possible, don’t just make it a list of bullet points but a story you will want to read someday in the future. When you are done seal the letter and give it to a friend and ask him/her to mail it to you at the end of the year. You can also just drop it in the bottom of a drawer, and open it up on the last day of the year. But there is something special about it arriving in the mail when you aren’t expecting it that makes it feel as if it is coming from someone entirely different. I have done this a few times, and as the end of the year approaches, I look forward to receiving my letter and to see how closely I came to making my vision come true. I find myself smiling as I read the descriptions, congratulating myself on the things I nailed. Some years my own words come back to haunt me as I am reminded of things I wanted to accomplish, but let fall by the wayside. Reading my own words, enthusiastically describing something I felt was important just a year ago, often gives me the kick I need to put the task back on my to-do list. Other times, it gives me the confidence to simply let it go once and for all. So as the new year begins, make a list of all you want to accomplish this year. Then take a few minutes today and write yourself a letter. You will be glad you did!

Everyone talks about finding your ideal client. But how do you do that? Today my guest Tim Fitzpatrick of Rialto Marketing explains it can be as easy as answering three questions. Who do you enjoy working with, because why would you want to be in business and work with people who make us bang our head against a wall?  Who are your most profitable clients?  Surprisingly, this may not be the people who spend the most money.  Your largest clients usually are not your most profitable because they may be taking up a lot of your time, pressuring you on price and asking for other concessions. Who do you do your best work for, getting the best results for consistently over and over again. If you can work with clients giving them great results for they're going to want to do more business with you. They are likely to stay with you longer and refer you to others.  Tim Fitzpatrick Tim is an entrepreneur/business owner with expertise in marketing and business growth. He has 20+ years of entrepreneurial experience with a passion for developing and growing businesses.   Founding Rialto Marketing in 2013 Tim has been helping small business owners and entrepreneurs eliminate the confusion of marketing using an amazingly simple plan so they can grow.  

Your brand doesn't happen by accident.  Our guests Tonya Eberhart & Michael Carr, partners behind BrandFace have created The 3 D Process for building your brand.  Define - In the define stage, start with a look at who are your ideal customers, because you can't do business with everybody. If you try to help everybody, you'll just help yourself right out of business.  Develop - In the development phase you need to start working on  messaging and imagery to support the definition phase.  It is more than just a tagline and a logo Display -  This is where the hard works comes in to make sure your brand is displayed consistently wherever someone might run into your brand.  About Tonya and Michael Tonya and Michael are international bestselling authors, hosts of the Be Bold Branding Podcast, and partners in BrandFace,  the only comprehensive personal brand-building system across the globe. They have helped and inspired authors, podcasters, coaches, real estate agents, and business owners in 5 countries and 43 US states to stand out and become an authority in their market through the power of personal branding.    Their mantra is, "People don't do business with a logo. They do business with a person."