Merry Christmas to All!

December 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Merry Christmas

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As the vast majority of the world stops this week to recognize the Christmas holiday, I wanted to take time to say Merry Christmas to all who have graced this blog this year either by stopping by to read or by taking time to leave a comment. I consider you all a true blessing in my life.

This has been an amazing, eventful year for Doulos Marketing. As the end of the year comes upon us and we take a short break from the work to spend time with family and friends, I want you to know how important you are and how excited I am to bring you new things in the coming year.

Have a great holiday season, and enjoy what for most will ba a slower pace. Let’s all come back next week to finish out the year strong and be set for the beginning of the best year of our lives!

Merry Christmas to All!

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Boomers Can’t Wait!

November 18, 2011 by 2 Comments
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As I have been working on the changes to Doulos Marketing for 2012, I have come to one undeniable conclusion:

Boomers Can’t Wait!

With all that is unfolding right before our eyes (Occupy Wall Street, a Congress that cannot function, an economy that cannot rebound, a housing market still reeling, manufacturing jobs gone for good, etc ….) it is time for average Boomers to once again step up again and lead the way to better things. Better ways to work, to serve our communities and to strengthen our families as well as ourselves.

Add to all of this that we Boomers are the largest group of chronically unemployed and I say again: Boomers can’t wait!

So, here is a simple plan that is filled with risk, excitement, fear, and, in the end, a way out of these dark times to a brighter day:

  1. Get up every day with a desire to be significant. Now I am not suggesting that everyone has to have a master plan designed to “change the world.” What I am suggesting though is that we don’t just go through life like it is an exercise in futility. We are here on this planet at this time for a reason. Find yours and live to bring it to pass!
  2. Go out every day to be the best person that you can be. If you have this “best person” mindset, you will treat others with dignity and respect (even people you don’t agree with or even like); you will work hard in everything you set your mind/heart/body to do; and you will continue to look to the benefit of your efforts to your company, your customers, your community and your family. You will see the dignity in everything you do and be able to end each day knowing you did what was right for you.
  3. Give back to those whose lives are not where yours is. One of our biggest struggles we have in this country is realizing how much we really have on a world-wide scale. So many of us have so much and so often we see what we have as “rights” instead of the blessings of liberty. When we recognize that we are truly blessed we will be much more willing to step out and help others so that they can have what we readily enjoy.

Now we can debate a lot of things these days, looking for the right people to blame, demanding that others “pay their fair share”, or shouting from the roof tops “its not my fault.” But, in my view, its time to stop that because too many of our generation will be destroyed without remedy looking for the mouse in the cookie jar. Boomers simply can’t wait any longer! We must choose to step up, step out, and be counted again.

The “new” Doulos Marketing is dedicated to charting a course for this to happen. I hope you will keep reading, keep passing the message on, and keep looking for ways to reach out to other Boomers who like sand at the beach, slipping through the cracks. (And the older we get the harder this task will become.) It’s really up to us. Will you join the effort?

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Four Seldom Used LinkedIn Features

September 26, 2011 by 4 Comments
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I personally think that LinkedIn is the best B2B and/or job search social media site currently available. It has a set of features that I think bring all that an existing business, someone looking to start a business, or someone looking to for employment needs to find what is right for them.

That said, I also think that very few people take advantage of all the features available to them and, by not doing so, limit the effectiveness of this wonderful platform. Today I want to talk about four seldom used LinkedIn features and how to make them work for you:

  1. First let’s begin in the “Groups” section. LinkedIn allows you to join 50 groups. This makes it possible for you to get noticed by a lot of people who have similar interests, knowledge, and passion as you. Many people join these groups, but my experience has been that very few take advantage of them. These groups give you a voice, they afford you a way to get your knowledge out, they can open doors if you will spend some time in them regularly. You outta give them a try!
  2. Next, consider the “Companies” section. Here you are able to follow companies in your industry (even your competitors) or even one’s you would love to work for. By following these companies you will know what they are saying, where they are headed, and in some cases what they are planning to do next. You can gain industry insight and, if you are looking to work for one of them, you might even find a solution for a problem or an idea that might move them forward (looks great on a job application).
  3. Have you ever explored the “Answers” section of LinkedIn? There are thousands of people asking questions about every subject under the sun. It is a place where you can let your knowledge and skill set shine. If I were looking for joint venture partners, answers to questions plaguing my business/industry, or an employer looking for answers that I have knowledge of, this is where I would start.
  4. Reading List is my fourth choice for seldom used features. This feature allows you to look at reading lists from people in specific industries. This not only allows you to see what is being read, but it gives you insight into the problems that some may see in that industry and allow you to position yourself as the one with the best solution.

There you have it. My list of four seldom used LinkedIn features that could make LinkedIn not only a compelling platform for you but could also make you a sought out expert in your industry!

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Make Time to Network

September 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I live and work in a very unique place. My local market is a small one, but within three hundred miles of me there are six major US cities. So, I have the benefit of both a small market atmosphere and a large market reach.

The best way take advantage of this situation is to make time to network. Networking in simple terms is reaching out to people who could be possible clients or business associates in your niche/industry. By networking with these people and companies you will have the inside track when they are looking for someone like you to benefit their business.

There are several things that are true in understanding the whole concept of networking:

  1. Networking takes time. You can’t just join a “networking” group or put a profile up on LinkedIn and Facebook and expect that new business will come pouring in the door. You must learn to “make a name for yourself” in these groups and online before people will see you as an asset to their business.
  2. Networking takes effort. If you plan to network with potential clients in your industry, you have to make the effort to know what they need and how your companies products/services can meet their companies needs. If you don’t do your homework, networking becomes nothing more than coffee table chat.
  3. Networking is not the same as sales. This to me is the biggest single truth that we have to overcome. When you are networking, you are not selling. Networking will certainly bring people into the sales cycle, but to make networking about sales will loose you more clients than it will ever gain. Networking allows you to become someone who is known, liked, and trusted. Sales results from that!

 

To make time to network, when done properly, will open the door for opportunities that would have never come about any other way. (Both from those we meet and from those they will introduce us to.) To not make time to network just makes growing your business that much harder.

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Collaboration with Businesses within Your Niche

August 10, 2011 by 2 Comments


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I had a very interesting conversation yesterday morning with a group of business owners that I meet with every week. The conversation stemmed from a question: “When and how much should you collaborate with businesses within your niche?”

To me, this kind of collaboration should be commonplace and considered normal. After all in cities of every size, there are more than one car dealer, more than one pizza parlor, more than one marketing company. Nowhere does is one business niche completely controlled by just one company. If companies in the same niche did understand each other and collaborate in areas of each others strengths, would there be more business/profits for everyone? (All with a lot less headaches?) So, should my company collaborate with others in my niche, or should I just keep to myself and protect my skills and my knowledge?

One of our group members related the story of how she has been working with others in her niche for some time now and how beneficial that collaboration has been to her and her friends in the industry. I listened to her and was thrilled that such friendships and help has come to play among those who are in essence “competitors.” But my question was, “Is there a place you draw the line? Are there some people you wouldn’t let ‘pick your brain?’ When does sharing your knowledge give someone else your competitive advantage?”

Even as I write this, these questions are spinning around in my head. What I need are your thoughts on this matter. Tell me what you think? Let’s get a real powerful conversation going about this thought. I think if we could collaborate for the right reasons it would strengthen and expand the influence and success of all the businesses involved. Tell me what you think/have seen about collaboration with businesses within your niche!

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Marketing Your Way to Business Success

August 5, 2011 by 2 Comments
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I find it interesting when I talk to business owners these days. It seems that most of them have very strong views about what they are willing to do to market for business success. Some like outbound marketing techniques (ads, mass mailings, television and radio, trade shows, etc.) while others have abandoned almost, if not all outbound marketing in favor of inbound marketing techniques (blogs, content marketing, social media platforms, whitepapers, etc.)

But, those businesses who are building the strongest and most successful marketing strategies understand the benefits of a “blended” program that allows them to network on and off line. Let me explain with an example:

John Doe visits your companies website and enjoys an article you wrote about some aspect of your business. In that article you provide access to a free cd giving John more information about the theme of the article. The requirement for the free cd is, of course, his name and address. Once you receive the request, you send the cd out and have created a new lead for your products and services. Included in the thank you letter you send with the cd, you introduce John to your Facebook and Twitter accounts along with your YouTube channel. You also remind John of your blog/website url and invite him to subscribe via your RSS feed. Then on a regular basis you put more information in the hands of John via regular mail when they are ready email, always offering your products/services as a benefit to meet your clients needs.

By blending on and off line networking techniques, your marketing strategy will be seen as unique and will bring your business a more loyal and referring client base. This of course leads to more inquiries, more information requests, more customers/clients, and more business success. SWEET!

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Is it Time to Start Blogging?

June 29, 2011 by 4 Comments
Internets = srs.biz. Parody motivator.

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Most of the time when I ask a business owner the question, “Is it time to start blogging?” I can pretty much predict the answer. “I don’t have time to blog, I don’t know have anything to blog about, and nobody is going to read it anyway. Now, I don’t know that any of these answers is true, but they are definitely the first response of most business owners. However, if we stay with the conversation it isn’t long before most of these business owners at least come to understand that a blog could become a part of their marketing strategy if they wanted it to be.

So how do you know if it is time to start blogging? I want to share three tests to determine the viability of a blog for your business:

1. Do you have something valuable to say? Blogging works, and gains followers when the blogger has something to say. Business blogs need to provide insight, answers, and instruction in the area of that business. They also need to do these things in an entertaining way that causes people to return often.

2. Are you willing to spend time in the development of your blog posts? Just like any form of marketing, advertising, and public relations, blogs need time and attention. Lots and lots of businesses start blogs because they are the “cool” thing to do and then find out that to make them work takes time and effort. One post deadline missed leads to another and before long the blog sits unattended. The readers it had gained are quickly off to someone else. In the end blogging is blamed and abandoned for good.

3. Are you willing to listen to learn how blogging can bring you both new and repeat business. Blogging is the beginning of a well thought out online strategy that is ever evolving in the fast paced world of the internet. Your blogging efforts need to evolve with these changes and you need to stay educated on these changes. Those who do can grow a large leadership and will find their blog to be both a pleasant diversion from the day to day as well as a power marketing and business identity tool.

If you think that it is time for you/your company to start blogging, do three things: (1) start by learning, (2) find someone who can help you through the process, and (3) create a plan first!

What do you think? What other thoughts should a potential blogger consider? How has your blog benefited your business?

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Genuine Relationships Equal Success

June 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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This is part four of my five part series: Five Steps to Business Success. Today we are going to look at how building genuine relationships equal success.

I had the privilege yesterday to meet with a local group of business people. Some own their own businesses, some work for large companies and non-profits, and some work for local companies. But, what they all had in common was that they were there looking to build business relationships.

It is easy in our high tech world to get caught up in the hype that you can build a long-term, successful business via the internet and never have any contact with clients or customers. The truth is, at least for the vast majority of us, we want to know who we are doing business with. We want at least a business oriented relationship. We want to trust the people we work with and we want to know that they will be loyal to us/our needs.

This kind of trust and loyalty requires genuine relationships. Relationships born of a two-way trust, loyalty, and dare I say even friendship! Now, I know that when I go to the grocery store, any cashier will do, but I also know that when a cashier has a unique and friendly personality, I do search them out. Their making my experience better does bring my into a more loyal position with that particular grocery store. (I have even changed stores when my favorite employee was transferred!)

Among small businesses and entrepreneurs, this building of genuine relationships equal success in even more powerful ways:

1. These kinds of relationships build loyalty and trust. (Key ingredients to long-term success.)
2. These kinds of relationships make referrals easy to give.
3. These kinds of relationships create reciprocal business exchanges.

So, as I spent time at the networking event last night, I met at least a dozen new people, passed around about that many business cards, and talked and listened for about two hours. Now what comes of these encounters is up to me. If genuine relationships come from this event it will be because I move from introduction to knowledge, and from knowledge to relationship, and from relationship to business.

Don’t underestimate the value of genuine relationships.

Genuine relationships equal success!

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Making Use of the Social Network

June 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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This is part three of my five part series: Five Steps to Business Success. Today we are going to delve into the world of the social web and the benefits that online social networking brings to your business. Part three: Making use of the social network!
Most business owners these days know about social networking and the social web. Many have even tried to incorporate some aspects of these online networks into their businesses. Some blog, some have LinkedIn profiles, some have Facebook fanpages, still others make some use of Twitter and even YouTube. Yet, the vast majority of business owners who are making use of the social web cannot point to how do so makes their businesses stronger or more successful. After a while the intensity of their efforts in these areas diminishes and the taste in their mouths becomes bitter to anything online/social media based.

The problem that seems most prevalent among businesses discouraged by their foray into the social network is that, because it is free and easy to get started, most business owners do so without creating a strategy or ways to measure the success of their efforts. Then to make the situation even more difficult, there are tens of thousands of people claiming to be “gurus” who provide advice in such generalities that know business can begin to know what is best for them.

Let me give you five suggestions that might help you in making use of the social network:

1. Find someone who can help you understand the whole social network landscape. Trial and error works, but it usually is very frustrating and can be detrimental to your bottom line desires.
2. Do not attempt to be an expert in all areas of the social network all at once. Your best bet is to learn each of the primary business components one or two at a time. (The primary business components are: a Blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.)
3. Create a social networking strategy and stick to it, making adjustments only when they will better serve you, your clients, and your business goals.
4. Be consistent in your online presence. Don’t start and then stop. I have done this and if there comes a time to “re-start” you will find yourself further behind the proverbial eight ball than if you hadn’t started in the first place.
5. Live your essence online. What I mean by this is that you need to be the same person online as you are offline. The social web gives you a lot of opportunity to create an online persona that is really not who you are. Don’t get caught up in this. Just be yourself and live your essence online. People will become loyal to you when they know the you online is the you everywhere else.

When you get comfortable with the social network, you will see how easily it can work for you to make you business much more successful than it would/could be without it!

How do you use the social network? What have you learned that you could share with newbies? How has your business become more successful because of your place on the social web?

 

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Remember the Regulars

June 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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This is part two of my five part series: Five Steps to Business Success. Today we are going to look at what I think has become a lost art in business today. Remember the Regulars!

Several years ago I lived in Park City, Utah. When I lived there, the running joke in town was that you either worked for Delta Airlines or were in Real Estate. (I was neither!) However, in my 18 plus years there, I bought and sold several pieces of real estate.

The last four transactions were all handled by the best Realtor I have ever known. Her name is Carolyn and she was (and I’m assuming still is …) incredible. I don’t know that she had any more skill than anyone else, but what she did have was a determination to let me and my family know that we meant something to her as people, not just commission checks.

During the summer of 2001 we sold a house and adjacent lot and bought another home. Carolyn handled all the paperwork and got us to the closing table on time. Even as an issue arose at closing, she expertly worked through it and we moved in that same day. But what made Carolyn stick out in my mind was that she would stop by after the closing with little gifts for my kids (13 and 6 at the time). We were in the run-up to the 2002 Olympics at the time and Olympic pins were all the rage. Carolyn would take time to find really cool pins for my kids and stop by with them.

My children were thrilled and eight years later I would not recommend any other Realtor in Park City than Carolyn. Even after we left Utah for Iowa, Carolyn kept in contact with Thanksgiving and Christmas cards. Her attempts to remember the regulars makes her one of the best in my book.

If you want to create a fan like I am of Carolyn’s consider her strategy:

1. Treat your clients like interesting people, not just paychecks.
2. Look for ways to solve problems that naturally arise in any business transaction.
3. Extend yourself to your clients after the sale. When you remind them how much they mean to you, there is a greater chance they will not only come back to you, but they will refer you to their family and friends.

If you owned a restaurant that could seat 100 and because you learn to remember the regulars, you can fill it to 75% capacity with those regulars every night, would that be a good thing? Just checking!

How do you remember the regulars? What ways to you keep the people you have and encourage them so that they refer family and friends?

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