Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who only talks about themselves? I have, at more networking events then I care to remember. While I stand there politely for a few minutes asking the appropriate questions, I find myself getting annoyed when they show no interest in me as anything other then a potential customer. I have learned to gracefully end the conversation and walk away.

The same behavior carries over when I am watching television, reading a magazine, looking at email or direct mail. If the advertiser doesn’t make it immediately oblivious they care about me (my interests) I am likely to flip the remote, turn the page, delete the email or trash the postcard without a second thought.

So how do you capture the attention of prospects in a world where they receive thousands of messages daily?

Talk about them first! – Sounds simple, but it is not easy. You have to know who you are talking to. If you are trying to sell to everyone the message is so watered down it isn’t relevant to anyone. To do this well you have to know a bit about your audience. For example a day care center wants to talk to moms, but what kind of moms? What is most important? Safety? Stimulating environment? Affordable child care? Nurturing environment? Pick one and build a story around that.

1. Safety: Did you know, x% of children are injured in day care center accidents each year.. That is why….
2. Stimulating Environment: Your child’s future academic success begins in day care….
3. Nurturing: Sometimes the thing a child needs most is a hug… when you are not there, we are

I am often asked by small business owners, what if I pick one message, and that isn’t important to a particular client? Instead of trying do all these things in the same place, have multiple communication paths. When clients come to your website, ask what they are most interested in. For parents interested in safety offer supplemental information on how to keep your infant or toddler safe at home. For those parents interested in raising the next Einstein, offer tips on how to stimulate brain development. Once you they tell you what they are interested in, you can begin to send more information on that topic.

You don’t have to tell them everything at once, either. In a five minute conversation, I can’t tell you everything you need to know about my business, so I pick the most interesting things, and if you have questions, I have an invitation to a longer conversation. Do the same in your advertising and marketing, give customers the opportunity to ask for more and they will. Email and social media are both terrific tools to continue the conversation with prospects, help them get to know you, and hopefully become clients.

Will you miss some people on the fringe? Maybe. But you have a better chance of reaching the ones who are really interested in what you have to offer.

There is an huge  community of educated and influential women who have chosen to stay home with their young kids. Unlike previous generations, these women are not willing to disconnect from the business world.  They use social media and blogs to stay connected.

I was introduced to  this community through my work with Plow Digital.  We were hired to build a strong social media presence for several of their children’s  iPhone app ( Giggle Bear ).  Along the way, I have had a chance to meet and connect with some amazing women.  This group, often referred to as “mom bloggers” are extremely influential in a community with significant purchasing power.

Unlike “business” bloggers these women share a lot more of who they are in their posts. You really get to know them, their kids and their families. It is a different style of blogging.  For someone like me, who tends to be more business oriented in my posts, this took a little getting used to.  But, once I dove into the community, I have really enjoyed the change of pace.

Do not underestimate these  “mom bloggers”.  They  are serious about their businesses.  The best, are actively sought by marketers and product placement companies, earning cash and other benefits for their endorsements.  Want to learn more?  Join us on  Wednesday Aug 3rd as we talk to   Michelle McNally (@gotchababy) and Heather Sokol (@justheather) about her blogging experiences and how marketers can reach this growing community. Also joining the conversation is Cami Back, the co-founder of GetMomsOut a site dedicated to creating happier, healthier, wealthier moms.

If you missed the program you can listen to the recorded version here:

About two weeks ago, I had a chance to compare the effectiveness of email vs social media.   I proved to myself once again, email done correctly is a powerful addition to your marketing mix.

Email vs Social Media

The test?  I am working on a presentation for BlogIndiana which includes the results of a survey.  I have been promoting the survey on social media for several weeks and had about 90 responses. Then I sent an email through LinkedIN to a list of 500 business owners.  The email was short and personal, and the subject line was very specific: Can you help me get ready for presentation – It will only take a few minutes.

The result: More than 30 responses within just a few hours.  And more than 100 in two days.

So why was email so effective in this situation?  Because it was a very specific message directed at a small, targeted audience.   I didn’t sent it to everyone on my email list. I choose business owners, who had a presence on social media.  There was no sales pitch, just a simple call to action.

As we celebrate or mourn the 40th anniversary of email it is good to see that if used well it still has a place in your marketing mix.  So, to be clear, I am NOT endorsing a practice of building a list by simply adding anyone and everyone you meet, or even hear about.  They will just unsubscribe anyway.   Use the tool wisely to stay connected with customers and referral partners, bring them something of value and they will stay with you.  Here a few tips to keep readers coming back:

1. Segment Your List: As you begin your email program, create multiple categories.  And put people in the category in which they fit best.  While your list is small you may send the same email to everyone, but as your data base grows, it is painful to try to separate the names into subsets to create targeted  communication.  Today, my email lists are split between local and out of town companies, with a separate group for the HVAC industry ( this was my roots), I have biz owners and non biz owners, and a Men’s list and Women’s list to which I distribute event information.  – Create subgroups which are relevant to your business.
2. Content first – Your readers receive a lot of email.   How do you earn the right to be opened and read?  Present information of interest, this may or may not be directly related to your product, but it will keep readers coming back.  You have to earn the right to sell – My favorite example is a  weekly newsletter from Joe’s Butcher Shop – Every week he sends out a recipe.  His customers love it, because not only does Joe know fish and meat, he’s a good cook and he shares his favorites.  After the Recipe, the newsletter is filled with information on specials and events in downtown Carmel.  All the way at the bottom is a coupon good for one week.  Every week, Joe sells whatever he features.
3. Monitor performance.  Look at open rates, and opt-outs.  These numbers will tell you if you are using or abusing the tool.  When I first started using email six years ago, my open rates were around 50- 65%.  But email is very common now, and people are constantly being added to lists.  So with industry averages hovering around 20%  i no long expect that level of interest.   However, if I see a sudden drop, i back up.  Am I sending too much email?  Or the wrong type?
4. Adjust and go forward – There is no one right formula, but practice, and revisions will make it better!

Today’s post comes to us from Scott, Roundpeg’s summer interactive development intern. Scott started his own business a while back, and shares some tips about what he learned from turning his passion into cash flow.

I am a very curious person.  I like to ask lots of questions and it is important to me to see how something is done before I actually do it myself.  There have been times, however, when I have blindly rushed into something. For example:

Last summer, shortly after graduating from high school I was working Marsh Supermarket.  It was near the end of my shift, I was bringing in the last few carts from the parking lot and getting ready to go home.  I can’t remember my inspiration or thought process but I do remember the end result.  Standing in the parking I decided I should make a Frisbee!

When I got home I rushed to my computer to do some research.  I found a company that let me send them a design.   Before I knew it I had sold 20 of my frisbees to members of the community.  I learned a few things from this business venture.

Selling to a Specific Niche

Choosing a niche to sell to is key for any product.  The trick is to select a niche that is not too narrow or you will not sell much product.  Also, the item that is being sold, in this case a frisbee, has to appeal to the customer.  People won’t necessarily buy a frisbee for the heck of it.  There has to be a better reason.  In my case the audience I chose was attracted to buy my frisbee because it said “Panther Ultimate” on it.  The panther is the mascot of my high school.  It is also the mascot of another area high school.  Using this phrasing I was able to attract students from both schools.

Become an expert

I started playing Ultimate Frisbee a few years ago and came to love this unique sport.   My passion for Ultimate Frisbee drove me to learn more.  I attended a College Ultimate Championship and was overwhelmed by the amount of merchandise available.  After going home I quickly looked up the different brands and found out which companies were generally regarded as the best makers of frisbees.  Once I had a company in mind I got information on the most widely used frisbee weights and found the standard weight.  When I was satisfied I knew everything  I could possibly be asked about a frisbee I felt confident my researching was done.

Referral marketing is essential

Forming a network of people is important when trying to sell via referrals. I have played recreational Ultimate frisbee with different groups and people of all ages.  As a result, I have friends at multiple colleges who are on their school teams.  My friends know I am passionate about the sport and not just some random person.  If someone needed a new frisbee my friends would point them my way. Using my passion to start this business venture led me to the sale of frisbees.  This was a great experience and I would definitely repeat it.

Are you passionate about something?  How have you used this passion to enhance your business?

Last weekend, most of the Roundpeg team participated in Indianapolis’s third Start-Up Weekend. The goal of the weekend was for teams tor go from concept to business launch within the 54 hour event.  At the end of the weekend, each team presented their new venture to a board of judges, with the winning team moving on to a global start-up competition.

More than anything, I feel like the weekend was a learning experience. A few of the lessons I took away from Start-Up Weekend:

1. Passion is infectious – The best part of Start-Up Weekend was how excited participants became about their projects. By the end of the first night, seven teams fully believed they were on the verge of founding the next mega-corporation. That belief created a buzz in the air that was impossible to ignore. And that same fervor drove everyone in the building to work and push to create the best product possible.

2. Roadblocks are inevitable – I work with business owners all the time. Until Start-Up Weekend, though, I couldn’t empathize with business owners. I had never experienced the trials and tribulations of starting a business from scratch. Several times during the weekend we hit major roadblocks in development. For example, different “departments” work at different paces. In a startup, everyone is so close that it’s much more obvious when there’s a gap between those department production cycles. For our team, those roadblocks forced us to step back, regroup, and push forward once more to overcome obstacles.

3. The idea is paramount – At the end of the weekend, each team had only five minutes to present the case for its business. Five minutes is NOT very long.  There isn’t time to talk  in-depth about the financial projections. While the judges did appreciate teams briefly touching on financial projections, their final grades placed the most emphasis on the idea. If you have brilliant idea, always lead with that.

4. Show, don’t tell – This was some of the best advice I received over the weekend, when it comes to selling a business, it’s always better to show rather than tell. The most impressive presentations the final night were the demonstrations of working prototypes. This is really just an extension of the concept of “actions speak louder than words.”

These are just a few of the lessons I learned from attending from Start-Up Weekend. Have you ever attended a Start-Up Weekend? What did you learn? If you didn’t make it to this one, be sure to attend the next one in April 2011!

(And be sure to vote for Indy’s winning team:  StatsSquared in the Global Startup Battle.

Your Customer Has Needs You Cannot Fill

Your customer, whether they are an individual or a business, has needs beyond what you can provide. Understanding those other needs may lead you to cross-promotion opportunities or new services.

Think about your target customer.  What other products and services do your customers purchase on a regular basis. The providers of these products and services may be ideal strategic partners for your company. They may be interested in cross-promotion or possibly even joint promotions.

For example: A day-care center owner knows her clients (the parents of children ages two to five) need clothing, pediatric services, toys, and weekend activities. She identifies companies which provide these services in her local market. She even asks some of her clients who they buy from in these categories.

Using this list of potential partners, she approaches businesses with joint promotion ideas. An educational toy store or child party planner might be willing to engage in a cross-promotion, offering to trade coupons and discounts.

In addition, she allows her partners to conduct demonstration sessions at her facility. A new pediatrician is willing to offer on site check-ups once a week.

These additional services or activities create a point of differentiation for the day-care facility. They can also be used as source material for a press release which will catch the attention of a local newspaper.

As a small business owner, you may be own your own business, but you do not have to do everything alone. Finding partners who have a common goal:  Sell to the same person you want to sell to, can help you grow your business as you help them grow theirs.

Do you have a list of possible partners? Now is a great time to start building those relationships, and networking events, can help you find the right people!

Looking for some new connections?  Check out the next Starting Point Event.  The first Tuesday of Every Month at Champs at Keystone

Four years ago, Roundpeg suffered from split business disorder and as the owner, so did I. Offering marketing services for small business owners we also offered team building and training services to Fortune 500 firms.

The problem? Neither segment was large enough to stand alone, so I spent my time split between both. When someone asked me what I did, I was never quite sure how to respond and often said too much.

Networking associates overloaded with T.M.I. (Too Much Information) rarely had a good referral for me. How could they? If I didn’t know what I did or who I wanted to meet, it was unrealistic to expect others to be able to help me. A drastic change was required!

Narrow Your Focus and Make a Plan

And so I made a decision to narrow my focus and created an action plan to support the change:

• I gave up chasing “corporate gigs” and I concentrated on small businesses.
• Pulled 650 prospects from my database that did not fit my core target and gave them to a competitor.
• Discontinued my corporate eNews and gave up memberships in organizations that did not fit my core.
• Redirected my  time and resources  so I would become well known in a smaller circle.
  • Selected networking venues which would allow me to spend more time with small business owners.
  • Took leadership roles in organizations which served this market:  Rainmakers, Nowib, and the EAC.
• Revised all marketing material to support this new focus adding information and phrases which were  relevant to my target  customer.  This included changing our tag line to from the generic “Solutions that Fit”  to “Helping Small Businesses Become Big Businesses”

The Result

I have moved from being self-employed to running a business with a team of four amazing employees and three  interns. Roundpeg is known for our small business expertise. Many of our current clients and referral sources have no idea we ever worked with larger firms, and they never need to know.   Tightening our focus has allowed us to concentrate and grow!

On a regular basis I talk to small business owners about finding a niche.  Instead of trying to reach everyone equally well, small business owners will find more more success, but narrowing their focus, concentrating more of their efforts on a smaller group of more interested prospects.

The same advice makes sense when you are trying to optimize your website.  Michael Grey suggests instead of going after broad terms such as:

• Hotels
• Vacations
• Travel Tips
• Information

You should refine the terms, adding descriptors, for a narrower audience such as:

• Disney World Hotel Reviews
• Disney World Vacations
• Disney World Travel Tips
• Disney World Information

Instead of trying to compete with everyone for the most popular term, find phrases which are more relevant for your product, and dominate.

This advice is right in line with something I learned at BlogIndiana this year.   Search terms are getting longer and longer as savvy internet browsers learn the more specific their search term, the faster they will find what they are really looking for.   It is not unusual to see seven and eight word search strings, so don’t be afraid to niche your key words. Everyone won’t find you, but the people who want to, will!

Someone once told me a camel was simply a horse designed by a committee.

Everyone had input into the process and the result  was an unattractive,  surly creature that spits and bites.  Built to meet specifications, the flat feet work well on the sand.  Fuel efficient, it is able to store large amounts of food and water as it traverses the desert, but lets face it, a camel is not very comfortable to ride.

So what does this have to do with small business?   The lesson is simple, when you try to please everyone, you water down the offering so everyone is satisfied, and but no one is delighted.

It is impossible to please everyone, so my recommendation to small business owners is to  look for the long tail;  the group of customers with a specific need who you can delight on a regular basis.  Exceed their expectations, and and they will bring their friends.

Build a racehorse not a camel.

One of my favorite subjects in college was psychology.  I was fascinated by the research which tried to explain why people did what they did, how they processed information, made decisions, learned from their mistakes.  I never tired of reading conflicting arguments about  nature vs nurture, and how these two elements drove human behavior.   It is not surprise, when I went on to study marketing in grad school, it was the course in Consumer Behavior which intrigued me the most.

My  professor, Dr. Thomas Reynolds had published a series of papers advancing the theory that every decision could be traced back to very basic human needs. (Food, Shelter, Companionship, Safety, etc) He believed if  you could identify which need was driving the decision, you could use that information to create messaging to drive purchase behavior.

His model begins with a simple question – “Why did you buy?”  Sounds easy enough, until you understand you never accept the first answer.  You must follow up with “why is that important, why, why, why?   Much like an annoying child your keep probing , peeling away at the layers of answers till you get to the root.

For example: Why do you drink light beer?

1. Because it is less filling.. Why is that important?
2. Because I can drink more, without feeling full.  Why do you want to drink more?
3. When I go out with friends, we may spend a few hours together, I want to be able to drink throughout the evening. Why do you want to continue to drink through the evening.
4. I feel like part of the group - Root benefit:  Companionship

How do you use this information?  You create commercials showing the companionship and good times people have drinking beer. But not everyone will answer the questions the same way.  Starting at the same point, you can head down an entirely different path.   Why do you drink ight beer?

1. Because it has lower calories.. Why is that important?
2. Because I can drink more, without gaining weight.  Why is that important?
3. How I look is importnt to me..   Root Benefit: Self Esteem

For a customer who answers this way, the ads probably need to focus on attractive people, sipping beer moderatly.  Not the ‘Frat Boy” party campaign you might use to reach the inital target audience.

So how does the average small business owner use this information – Start by asking your customers why they buy, and don’t take the first answer at face value!