Category: a slice of BRILLIANCE

Find out what the pros (behind the pros) are reading, eating, watching & adoring…and the unvarnished stories (the brilliance!) behind their sky-high success.

Brand lessons non-profits can learn from small business – and vice versa: A chat with Aimee Stone Munsell

Posted on by Red Slice

Non-profits and small businesses have a ton in common: not enough resources, time or budget to spread their message and acquire customers (donors) while also getting their work done. But sometimes, they are sabotaging themselves and there are simple brand fixes and marketing tactics these organizations can implement  to get more bang for their buck. We’ll share some ideas in today’s Slice of Brilliance column.

Aimee Stone Munsell is owner of Stone Munsell and co-founder of Real-World Super Heroes, a hands-on community service program for kids. She and I have partnered on branding projects together and I absolutely adore her work ehtic, creativity and brilliance. Aimee worka with the smartest, most interesting people she can find – as clients, partners, employees, expert advisors — to tackle challenges that make a difference for the client and also for the world whenever possible. Her measurement for success: “I’m proud to tell my family what I do.”

So I’ve asked her to share with us the 3 mistakes non-profits make (ahem….that many small businesses do, too) and inexpensive ways to delight customers who’ve just purchased or donated. Plus, she gives you some resources and case sudies of companies engaged in social reponsibility, which is a win-win for everyone.

RS: Welcome Aimee! You’ve worked a lot with non-profits. Why do you think many of them don’t have strong brand awareness?

ASM: Let’s be honest: it takes time and money to build a brand. This is true for any business or non-profit cecause you have to fight through all the clutter out there to connect with the right audience – again and again in multiple ways, over time — to build a strong brand. And why invest in it? Because it is a key building block of sustainability. But it isn’t necessarily seen this way. Many non-profit leaders are in their jobs because they know a lot about the services they provide (as we’d hope!) but haven’t necessarily been trained in business skills. When I work with an NFP’s leadership team, we focus on their goals which often include things such as: bring in more donations, secure new grants, increase community support, and form partnerships to expand services. Then we assess the organization’s current brand position and marketing activity. And finally, together we come up with a focused plan of attack that takes into account the resources they have, often creating execution phased over 6-24 months, to get them where they need to be.

RS: Non-profits as well as many small businesses seem to struggle with messaging and conveying their passion and accomplishments in their marketing materials (website, collateral). What top 3 tips could help them improve?
Continue reading “Brand lessons non-profits can learn from small business – and vice versa: A chat with Aimee Stone Munsell”

Words that work: How to sell without sounding like a sleaze

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Too often, business owners believe that just because they know how to write, that their words will persuade people to pay attention, buy their products or provide word of mouth. But effective copywriting to compel an action or convey a brand takes a special skill. Today, Jared Matthew Kessler, Chief Copy Officer (CCO) at The Kick Ass Copywriter will share some insight as to how to sell by solving problems, not just tooting your horn. He’ll also dish on his process for crafting irresistible website copy, how to pitch without sounding schlocky and the biggest mistakes business owners can avoid if they want a compelling message.

Jared’s mission is to transform key ideas into words that sell and help companies stand out from the noise (not just add to it).

RS: Welcome Jared! How do you balance effective selling “techniques” for your clients without sounding overly cheesy?

JK: You know, we’re all a lot smarter these days. We know when we’re being sold and when we’re being helped. However, there’s this fine line between offering a product or service that you know will help people and slapping someone over the head with it.

When I take on a project, I ask numerous questions up front. In fact I gather as many marketing materials as I can and, if I need to, I send them a 7-page questionnaire that really helps me understand their brand – and whether or not there’s what I call a “B.S. factor.” So when I come up with a few concepts and start writing and developing them, I come from a conversational standpoint. Meaning, I literally have a conversation in my head between the prospect and the company owner. At any point, if I feel the “B.S. factor” is coming on too strong, I try and verbally pace the situation. Meaning, if it’s too good to be true you can say, “Listen… I know that sounds too good to be true. And honestly a lot of times it is. But…”

In addition to that, once I sense they are “pitching” someone, I just remove what was written and start again.

It should be about stepping inside the mind of your prospect, and getting people excited, without giving something away. So the product or service would be set up as the solution to your prospect’s problem (if that makes sense). That’s where you have to understand every single aspect of your audience before writing any copy.

I often say, “If you talk to everyone, you’re talking to no one.” It’s a conversation. Not a
sales pitch.

RS: So true. It’s about them, not about you! What big mistakes do you see when business owners write their own marketing or sales copy?

JK: There are four mistakes I see over and over:

1. Telling everyone about how great you are. How qualified you are to help someone. And how “life changing” your product or service is, giving everyone the overblown sales pitch of how much you can help someone. You can’t sell anything without rapport. Without trust. So make it about your prospect first. Then you, last.

2. Underestimating the power of your words. I mean this is similar to #1 in that a lot of people misunderstand what “copywriting” means. They think it’s all about making something sound good. And I think, huh? There’s so much work that goes into not just what I do, but what any true Copywriter does. And the reason I say, “true” is that I’ve seen a lot of “writers” tout themselves as Copywriters because of how much money they can make. And that makes me sad.

The main difference is that when you write copy you don’t just make something sound good. It has to be relevant to your audience. Sell a product or service without the greasy sales pitch. Increase your sales. Build your brand. And work.

I think too many people fall in love with an idea, instead of falling in love with a result. Recently, I had a client’s web site I rewrote the copy for and within hours she had people wanting to work with her. I love that! However, there was a TON of work and research behind that. I sent out surveys to send to her clients that really love her. I’ve written pages and pages of copy for each individual web page. Wrote a new tag line that served her brand much better than her web designer tried to pull off. Developed multiple concepts and… more importantly she didn’t change any of my work – which is the main reason I love her so much. 🙂

3. Building a website instead of a brand. I love a great ad campaign! One that’s smart. Effective. And solves their prospects problem in as a few words as possible (that’s 100% original). The best ones are when all the ads align with each other. For instance, take that David Beckham Superbowl ad (I’m sure you remember it ladies). Now it’s nothing to write home about in terms of incredibly original. But my point is, if you looked at the colors in the commercial. The style. The simplicity. It’s exactly the same look and feel as if you went into the store.

What I see of a lot of smaller businesses is that they just have a certain look and feel to their website. A certain look and feel to their business card. A certain look and feel to their actual business. And their brand is just inconsistent across all platforms. From their marketing collateral to their website, it really needs to be cohesive. It has to all click – not just one piece of it.

4. Have you or your web designer write the “copy” yourself, just to try and save a few bucks. What’s unfortunate is that people mistake a great looking website for an effective one. And that’s really two different things. It’s like me saying, “Well I can design your website for you.” I mean, I’ve never done that, nor would I ever! In fact I’m the first one to recommend a professional web designer to someone, because the design should support the copy (or vice versa).

In addition to that, I unfortunately tend to see certain business owners lose more money in lost sales, than trying to hire someone like me to begin with. What’s worse, is that if you’re a new brand, you have to build trust in the beginning. So if you’re looking to hire a Copywriter to “save the day” for your failing business months/years later, it’s unfortunately not going to do much good unless you rebrand yourself. Because once you lose someone’s trust, it’s really, really hard to earn that back. Even then so, it’ll take a lot more time and more money, than hiring a professional Copywriter from the start.

I mean, look at the rebrand JC Penney’s is going through. And how many millions of dollars in advertising are they spending to get you to revisit them after you already experienced them years ago?

It’s the same thing with trying to save any flailing business. Do it right from the beginning, or even if you’re doing it right, keep it consistent and hire a professional. In the short term, it might be more money than you thought. But in the long run, at least you’ll stay in business.

RS: Awesome points. You’ll end us spending more money (and losting more sales) if you don’t get it it right from the start. And it’s an investment in your business, not something you should skimp on.  One reason people cite is that “Another writer won’t sound like me if they write my copy.” How do you approach writing projects when you have your own writing style but need to reflect a client’s brand or voice?

JK: This is a great question! People get caught up in this a lot. They think that since you haven’t written copy for cell phone companies, or for medical sales or _______ that
you’re somehow unqualified – or the owner can do a better job than a professional Copywriter.

For me specifically, it’s similar to how actors research a role. I recently saw an interview with Brad Pitt on taking the role he did for Moneyball. In the interview, he mentioned how few people research roles nowadays. He mentioned how he could pick up certain character traits from spending months with the actual character he portrays. And how important the research process is for any project he takes on.

I mean, when you spend that much time researching your client, reading their marketing materials, talking with them over the phone, reviewing their answers to your questions… it’s only natural to pick up someone else’s style. Not only that, a lot of times you even help them discover their own voice, their own brand they didn’t even think they had. What’s more exciting than that?!

 What copywriting or messaging techniques have you found worked (or didn’t work) in your business? Please share your story in the Comments.

How to build an effective website and look like a million bucks: A chat with Nancy Owyang

Posted on by Red Slice

How can small business owners with shoestring budgets and even less time create a powerful and professional looking visual web presence for their brand? While your website is only one brand facet, it’s an important one. I work with clients on their brand story and messaging but how can they communicate that brand online? Nancy Owyang, Creative Director and Owner of Eye 2 Eye Graphics, is a cherished partner of mine and produces amazing, simple and elegant work. She works with small business owners to make their business memorable through meaningful, strategic, and professional graphic design.

Her mission? To provide small business owners high quality, professional brand identity design that will make them stand out in a crowd and allow them play with the big kids… all at a price they can work into their budget.

I sat down to talk to her about what people are doing wrong with their websites and how small businesses can create big brands.

RS: Nancy, what are three helpful hints you have for folks building a business website from scratch? Or put another way, what are some of the biggest mistakes that make you cringe?

NO: Hmmmm… good question, so besides my obvious 3 hints of:

  • Don’t do it yourself
  • Don’t have your neighbor’s 16 year old nephew do it, and
  • Do find a designer and programmer who work and collaborate together—it’s rare that both a programmer’s mind and a designer’s mind can live in the same body

I’ll dig a little deeper and give you maybe some less obvious hints.

Have a plan. This can be something that a client brings to the project, or we can create it together, but having a plan is important for any project, especially a web site. Web sites have a tendency to grow and evolve, which is one of the beautiful things about them, but this makes having a plan even more important. This is the foundation that will guide us to make decisions about the site to make sure we stay on track and true to the business goals—in essence just because you can do it on the web doesn’t mean you should. A few things to think about for the plan:

  • How the site will be used by current clients and potential clients?
  • Is it a place that users come back to over and over? Or is it mostly just visited when they are considering hiring you?
  • What is the experience that you want to create?
  • Does the client need to be able to easily make updates to the site?

Think ahead. You’d think that this might fall into the obvious hint category, but it’s a
good one to point out. Things to think ahead about include:

  • Timeline. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your web site. Good site design  and development takes time. For a smaller site, expect and plan for at
    least 3 months from idea to launch.
  • How do you plan to edit the site in the future? Many small business owners want to be able to edit their site themselves: this will require the back-end of the site to be built in such a way that you can do this without learning to be a programmer in your spare time. If you’re a larger business, this may be a piece that you hire out, so the site could be built using a different back-end framework.
  • As your business grows, how will your web site change? Will you need a shopping cart? Do you want a built-in blog? Will you want to add a calendar of events? These things and more are things to think about when setting up the site initially.

Work with professionals for all parts of the site. An effective web site is an investment in your business and if planned appropriately will last you for several years with just minor updates to keep it fresh. So with that in mind, not only do you need a great designer and programmer pair, but you will also need a great copywriter to execute the voice of the site. This is important not only because this is your chance to communicate with your clients, and introduce yourself to potential clients, but this is what the search engines see too! Working in your search engine optimized keywords into the copy of the site so it doesn’t seem awkward and contrived can take some finesse. If you want to write the copy yourself, at the very least I recommend having it reviewed and edited by a professional copywriter who has experience writing for the web.

RS: What key factors do you consider when you design and develop a client website?

NO: The main thing that comes to mind is how important it is to put yourself in the seat of your website user. Who are they? Are they potential clients checking you out? Are they current clients? Are they just passing through doing research or gathering ideas? Do they come back over and over again? How do they interact with the site?

Once you know this information it will help you decide what needs to be included in the site, this will also determine how the site is updated, and how often. A site that serves more as a “brochure” site where potential clients come to check you out doesn’t need to be updated as often as a site that has an ongoing interactive relationship with the users. So it’s good to know upfront what site experience you want to build.

RS: In what ways do you see web presence as “the great equalizer” in helping small companies to compete with big brands?

NO: The amazing thing about the web is that every business no matter the size or location is available to people around the globe 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If your site is set up properly with professional design, well-written content, and search optimized
programming, your site can pop right up at the top of the search with the “big
kids on the block”. The potential client never has to know that you are a solo-entrepreneur working in your PJs out of a home office, while you have 2 kids under the age of 5 running around. You decide how big you want to be on the web and make it happen.

This comes with a warning… since the options are potentially never ending it is important to have a plan and a target, and stick to it. Think of it this way—aim for the bull’s eye, but if you get hits on the other part of the board you still get the points!

Just because the web gives us the platform to compete with the big brands, you need to be honest and ask yourself, is that what you want? Once you have your answer, position your site accordingly using the visuals, the voice, and all the search engine optimization goodies. Your website is your virtual brick and mortar. How big do you want it to appear to the site visitors?

About Nancy:

As the owner of Eye 2 Eye Graphics, LLC, Nancy Owyang is an award-winning designer with strong branding experience. She has aided a variety of clients in rebranding their businesses, including Women Business Owners, SLN Stage + Design, Delane Engineering and many more. Clients praise Nancy’s design sensibilities and her ability to first understand an owner’s mission, and then to translate that complex identity into a graphic representation. Her branding and design solutions are practical and unique, detail-oriented, on time, and on budget. To view a sampling of Nancy’s work please visit her online portfolio.

Two to tango or tussle? How to build better business relationships

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Any business relies on relationships, no matter what you sell.  Whether with customers, suppliers or your business partner – maybe you’re co-authoring a book with someone – your relationships are a key business asset and can make or break your brand…and your success. How do you make a business “marriage” work?

Enter Kathy Clayton: Personal and partnership coach, “radiant guide and dog-on-a-bone
relationship advocate.” She is passionate about making the world a better place by teaching, guiding and sometimes cajoling her clients on how to be self-aware and conscious in their life, work and relationships so they can transform the world with their unique genius.

Kathy’s work with couples and especially business partners really sparked my interest so I invited her to the Slice of Brilliance column to share her wisdom about common relationship pitfalls, how to maintain a healthy work partnership and how to be more self-aware of our actions.

RS: Welcome! Kathy, your specialty seems to be working with a couple or business partnership when people get stuck and can’t move forward. When your clients need to rely on a relationship with another person for success but have obstacles, are there common issues you see time and again?

KC: What I see most often is the need to be right. As soon as one person takes this position, communication grinds to a halt because, well, they’re right and they aren’t particularly interested in the other person’s point of view.  The question you have to ask, “Is it more important to be right or to be happy?”  Too often folks are so invested in their position they lose sight of what really matters: the relationship.

Another trap:  listening to respond vs. listening to understand.  Think how often you have the perfect response and you’re just lying in wait until they stop talking so you can get ‘em with your brilliant, likely stinging retort.  If what you want is to keep this ‘me vs. you’ dynamic going, stay the course.  On the other hand, if what you want is to be on the same team again, get quiet, check your intentions and be honest with yourself and your partner.  You actually have a tremendous amount of power to change the dynamic by simply using these two tools.

RS: Business partnerships especially can be tricky with different personality types, expectations and work styles. What is a good first step that readers in this situation could take to start moving forward when they hit an impasse?

KC: Know thyself and know thy expectations! The first piece, knowing yourself, is essential for success in any relationship.  We are all wired differently and it’s folly to think you’ll be on the same page with your partner all the time.  Investing in self-development pays off so quickly and in so many arenas – you will see positive results immediately.  More importantly, you’ll be able to communicate more effectively.

As for expectations, we all have them.  Usually we’re too scared or worried about what our partner will think that we don’t speak up.  I advocate transparency.  The very first conversation I have with new clients is about expectations.  I have them, you have them: let’s get them out in the open so when inevitably one of us doesn’t meet those expectations, we can talk about it.  This lets us find solutions and strategies to stay focused, keep moving in the desired direction and get the results you say are most important.

RS: You talk about self-awareness as a prerequisite to healthy relationships. My husband complains often about people who seem to have none: the person who talks too loud in a restaurant, the one who pulls out of a parking space without looking, the one who cuts right in front of you in line. What is your take? What tips can we put into practice to ensure we’re appropriately self-aware? 

KC: I believe every person is trying to do their very best given their life and experience, and like your husband, I get irritated when folks go unconscious, too. The remedy?  Pick one area of your life where you want a different result or experience and practice, practice, practice compassionate honesty.  The ability to tell yourself the truth about who and how you really are is the first step toward self-awareness.   Why compassionately?  Because all of us have an amazing array of torturous, insidious tools and methods for beating ourselves up for being, well, who we are. Never in a million years would we talk to others the way we talk to ourselves. Changing your internal dialogue – be kind to and with yourself! – opens you up to seeing yourself and the world through a new lens.  This new perspective changes how you engage with others, which leads to greater self-awareness.

More about Kathy Clayton: Over the past 20 years, Kathy Clayton has capitalized on her insatiable belly-button gazing by creating tangible, practical, effective strategies and tools that transform how people relate to themselves and their partners (business and personal).  Using the living laboratory that is her marriage (thank you, Michael!), Kathy commits daily to walking her talk and being in service to all who say “Enough!” to the status quo and seek authentic connection and expression with themselves and their partners. Visit her website, reach out to her on Twitter or Facebook

What is your biggest relationship challenge with a business partner, colleague or client/customer? Please share in the Comments and tell us how you deal with it.

How you like me now? A chat with Michelle Tillis Lederman

Posted on by Red Slice

We all say it. We want to work with people we like. But can it really be this easy to conduct business this way? Can we focus on networking with the people we like and with whom we genuinely connect versus just the “right” people? Michelle Tillis Lederman says yes – in fact, it’s better for your work and career in the long run?

Today we dish about likeability, how to be more concise and three red-hot ways to rethink networking.

Michelle is an author, speaker, trainer and communications expert. She’s a firecracker – and she’s also a blogger, animal lover and rescuer (you can see why we bonded), and a mom.

Her new book, The 11 Laws of Likability, is subtitled: Relationship Networking . . . Because People Do Business with People They Like. The book, featuring activities, self-assessment quizzes, and real-life anecdotes from professional and social settings, shows readers how to identify what’s likable in themselves and create honest, authentic interactions that become “wins” for all parties involved.

RS: Welcome Michelle! Your book is called The 11 Laws of Likability. Saving the actual laws for those that buy the book, what does this mean and how can they make your business life (and personal life) better?

MTL: What makes each of us likable is distinct to us, and to some degree it’s in the mind of the beholder. But the basic drivers of likability are the same for most of us.  It is these drivers that I refer to as the Laws of Likability.

In many cases, likability actually trumps competence and many organizations differentiate the average performers from the stars based on their ability to lead, manage, and interact effectively with others. Life is about relationships and it is those relationships that sustain us and generate results.   Likeability is everyone’s business, and people do business with people they like.

RS: One of your blog posts recently was called “Say What You Want to Say And Shut Up.” Loved it. And for all my talk on clarity, I tend to ramble when I think I’m not communicating clearly. How can we be more concise?

MTL: Start with the punchline.  Is that concise enough?  The simplest way to increase both clarity and brevity is to start with your conclusion. Often, we try to get others to follow our train of thought in order for them to agree with our opinion.  If instead we start with the conclusion, it is much easier to follow, and be persuaded by, the explanation that follows.

Another tip, ask.  Ask, “Is that clear?”  or “Would you like me to elaborate?”  Those questions prevent the rambling and allow us to be clear about what is unclear with a follow up question.

RS: What are 3 actionable tips for effective networking?

MTL: Shift the way you think about networking in 3 ways:

  1. From you to the relationship.  It really isn’t about you or what you need. It is about the relationship and adding value to create connection. Don’t network just for need.
  2. From business to anything.  We often start and stop conversations on business topics such as, “what do you do?” There is nothing wrong with that, but often we find the strongest connections come in other areas of our lives. Talk about a broad range of topics.
  3. From now to long term.  Build the relationships that you want to build, not the ones you think you should. The network that you build based on connection is the one that will be there for you when you need it. Don’t network for now, network for life.

About Michelle: Michelle Tillis Lederman, PCC, author of  The 11 Laws of Likability (AMACOM), is the founder of Executive Essentials, a training company that provides communications and leadership programs, as well as executive coaching services.  Michelle believes real relationships lead to real results and specializes in teaching people how to communicate with confidence, clarity, and connection.

PS: Affiliate links for Amazon in effect. Just to let you know.

What one aspect of networking or communication do you take away from this interview? Please share in the Comments.

How to be your own Juliet with Alexandra Franzen

Posted on by Red Slice

Storytelling and branding (PS, same thing) are all about articulation. The sublime act of phrasing something to evoke just the right reaction at just the right time from just the right people.

No one does this better than today’s Slice of Brilliance guest, writer Alexandra Franzen.

I’m biased, because this “Promotional Wordsmith & Personal Scribe” – her words – helps me with my own brand messaging and has helped my clients. She also delivers the juiciness for heavyweights like Danielle LaPorte and Marie Forleo. Through her writing services she channels entrepreneurial LOVE into unforgettable language—the kind that inspires an immediate “YES.”

I don’t know how this chick replenishes her constant well of innovation but it might have to do with her choosing a different mission or manifesto every year. Her 2012 manifesto is called “DEVOTION.”

Today we dish about self-expression and how she turned her passion into profit.

RS: Alexandra, you have a gift for articulating intent, vibe and mission into powerful copy for clients. When did your love for writing develop, what inspired you to build a business around it?

AF: Hmmm…y’know, even as a kidlet, I was a writerly little thing. My mom quickly noticed that I had a knack for rewriting song lyrics, and pretty soon she started giving me little ‘assignments’. First it was, “Write a song about Great Aunt Mimi, to the tune of ‘Tiny Dancer’.” Later it became, “Write this fundraiser invitation, and make it really hilarious” and eventually “Write a Regency-era novella about your father & I, except he’s a butler in disguise and I’m an impetuous damsel!” Eventually, I had to diversify my client pool.

I wrote all through high school, college & my early ‘real-world’ career, in public broadcasting. Everything from five-minute operettas, to poetry, to one-act plays, to humor columns, to a grant-funded research paper, to snippets of copy for on-air promotional spots. But writing was always a sideline gig, a passion project, a lightly-paid hobby. I never really believed I could make a living – let alone build a business – through my wit & words, alone.

That is, until I quit my job – in the midst of the Recession. And suddenly, making money as a writer was the only option. And a fairly urgent one, at that.

It took me about a year to really hit my stride, as an entrepreneur. I struggled to find the right offerings, the right packages, and of course – the right clients. But once I found my sweet-spot – as a copywriter & promotional strategist for quirky, brilliant & truly visionary ‘preneurs – everything dovetailed together. Suddenly, my eclectic background and ability to duck & dive into numerous voices & styles was a marketable skill. Who woulda thunk it? Well, my mom, probably. She always knows everything about seven years before I do.

RS: They always do. People think of entrepreneurship or “being in business” as very analytical, but it can also be a form for artistic expression. What’s your advice on how to express ourselves through our businesses?

AF: I really believe that building a business is an act of supreme self-expression – what could be more expressive than packaging & presenting your greatest talents for the world to adore? When we hop on Twitter, when we post a blog entry, when we launch a new offering, when we speak or teach or lead a workshop, we’re expressing ourselves…expressing what we love, what we loathe, and what matters to us. And when we see a brand or identity that really strikes a heart-chord, what we’re essentially seeing is someone’s full & unapologetic self-expression. “This is who I am. This is what I do. This is why it matters. You with me, or what?”

RS: What messaging “rules” drive you crazy and how can people unlearn these rules for better impact?

AF: There’s an interview that’s furrowed into my brain, for all time – it’s a conversation with the great prima ballerina Allessandra Ferri from the American Ballet Theater. When Ferri was preparing to play Juliet in Romeo & Juliet, she said – forgive my paraphrasing – “First, I memorize the play. Then, I watch all the films. Then, I listen to the music – again, and again. And then, I forget everything. I must forget everything. Or how will I become my own Juliet?”

Messaging, marketing & positioning your business is a lot like preparing to play Juliet. YES, you should learn all the rules & techniques. YES, you should take all the courses, and invest in the templates. YES, you should work with top consultants, masters & gurus. But at some point, you’ve got to forget…to come back to the beginner’s mind, keeping only the essentials. Or how will you become your own Juliet? How will find your own voice? How will you build your own business – and not a facsimile of someone else’s entrepreneurial performance?

Every great artist, innovator & entrepreneur knows this to be true: the world is waiting for your Juliet…not a microfiche of someone else’s, no matter how marvelous. The world is waiting for you…to decide to be you.

More about Alexandra Franzen:

Promotional wordsmith & personal scribe. Soul stenographer. Strumpet nerd. Recovering socialist. Geriatric raver. Captivated by heart-shaped crystals, Finnish power metal, anything chartreuse, and Leonard Cohen. Fix me a Madagascar vanilla tea latte, and I’ll tell you all my secrets. Except that one.

Check out her website at www.alexandrafranzen.com Love it? Aw, yeah! And guess what? Alexandra’s putting her brilliance on-loan to you with two mini-products on the shelf right now. More on the way.

FIVE SCRIPTS TO FILL YOUR CLIENT DOCKET—
—a lovingly-crafted collection of tried ‘n true e-mail scripts, for baby-preneurs who are just starting out…as well as established solopreneurs who’ve hit a dry patch, or never quite mastered the Art of the Ask.

FIVE SCRIPTS TO RAKE IN THE PRAISE—
—a copy ‘n pasteable collection of snappy scripts, for entrepreneurs who want to crank up their credibility with highly-persuasive, love-drenched and 100% TRUE client reviews.

Carol Roth asks, “Is entrepreneurship worth it…for YOU?”

Posted on by Red Slice

If you haven’t read Carol Roth’s book, The Entrepreneur Equation, and have any notions of starting (or continuing with) your own business, stop reading this post and buy it at the link above pronto. I devoured this book, a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller, for many reasons and thought it to be the only real, honest, raw look at business ownership out there. In a sea of “If you dream it, you can do it!” platitudes, Carol – business strategist, content creator & bestselling author –  unmasks the naked truth to entpreneurship and makes you ask yourself if a) it’s worth it for you and b) are you really cut out for this stuff?  Now if only someone would write a similar book on parenting. (PS, yes, that’s an Amazom Affiliate link above, in full disclosure)

For me, the book clarified what I want from my business (I now know I’m a “job business” and I’m cool with that). And it also confirmed many things I’ve always thought but never said out loud at networking functions.

Carol graciously agreed to answer some tough questions for you guys, so enjoy!

RS: Hi Carol and welcome. Please tell us what you hope people get out of reading your book?

CR: I hope that readers garner the tools to make better risk and reward tradeoffs in relation to their own professional and business goals.  It’s very easy to get seduced by sexy ideas, the appeal of working for yourself and the allure of business ownership, but there’s a huge difference between being an innovative entrepreneur and creating a job that you have to pay for. 

There’s no judgment in the book, just a framework to make sure that the opportunities you are pursuing have enough rewards to justify the risks, as well as make sure that they are supportive of your personal goals and objectives. 

It’s a book not only for those starting a new business, but for those who are overwhelmed or overworked (or both).  It’s an opportunity to re-assess your business model to see if you are spending your time, effort and money wisely and that you are on the path that will make you the most successful- whatever your definition of success is.

 RS: Some might say your book scares or discourages people from starting a business. Is that your intent, or are you simply trying to make sure they go in with eyes wide open?

 I am very pro-entrepreneurship, but to be successful you need to be the right person pursuing the right opportunity at the right time with the right resources.  So, clearly, there are some people who should never start a business, there are others who should delay starting a business and still others who need to re-evaluate the business model that they are pursuing. 

My mother started a gift basket company in the early 1980s. It was one of the first in the country.  However, the business model was set up as a job and wasn’t scalable. She could have tweaked that model and been very successful but she didn’t and ended up after 10 years of hard work making the equivalent of $4/hr.  Other gift basket companies have models that have created bona-fide 7 and 8 figure a year businesses. 

 I guess that’s a long-winded way of saying I am giving people the framework for making the best decisions for their own circumstances and goals, so that they have the best chance of being successful.  If you are discouraged after reading it, then it’s time to re-assess.  Sometimes, that is the right course of action.

RS: You talk a lot about the “job” of an entrepreneur, which is different from the job the person actually wants to do (i.e., photography, accounting, cupcake baking) What’s your theory on why many people think they can just launch a business merely doing the technical work they love to do (baking cupcakes, building client strategies, etc.)? Where’s the gap in their understanding?

CR: I liken it to marriage.  Many people spend a lot of time thinking about the wedding- the dress, the flowers, the band, etc-. but don’t give an iota of thought about the hard work it takes to make a marriage work and to live “happily ever after”.  The same applies here.  It’s much more interesting to think about the technical work that they love and not the other components that are required in running a business (and usually take up the majority of the entrepreneur’s time). Plus, the job of an entrepreneur has become increasingly more challenging in terms of the sheer number of tasks that they need to do.  New technologies that are meant to make life easier create a constant learning curve.  There’s some element of rose-colored glasses here and also a consistently widening gap, so to speak.

RS: Great analogy! I heard a retail business owner lament, “Wow!  Marketing is something I have to do on an ongoing basis! I’m never done.” No one would ever say this about keeping the books, or stocking inventory. Why do you think some business owners see Marketing as a one-time project and not an ongoing investment?

CR: Well, many entrepreneurs don’t even think about keeping their books, but I get what you are asking.  Marketing is something that many entrepreneurs don’t like to do and many don’t consider it something that they are very good at.  Plus, the intoxication of starting a business creates that business lust where you are so enamored with your project, you just assume everyone else will be as well.  It’s easy to forget just how competitive an environment there is and how much noise there is in the marketplace making it challenging to get customers attention.   You can have the best service or product in the world, but if nobody knows about it, your business won’t be successful.  Back to the marriage analogy, I think people prefer to cross stuff off the to-do list because there’s a sense of accomplishment.  Having to do tasks day in and day out is exhausting.  It’s true and it’s not sexy, so we don’t hear a lot about that in the media.

About Carol Roth:

Carol Roth is a business strategist, deal maker and author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Entrepreneur Equation. She has helped her clients raise more than $1 billion in capital, complete more than $750 million worth of M&A transactions, secure high-profile licensing and partnership deals and create million dollar brand loyalty programs. Carol is a media contributor, appearing regularly on Fox News, MSNBC, Fox Business, WGN TV Chicago and more. She was named a 2011 Top 100 Small Business Influencer and is a contributing blogger to outlets like The Huffington Post and Crain’s Chicago Business/Enterprise City. Carol is the only business strategist with a fashion doll made in her likeness. Oh, and go grab a free eBook 60 Low & No Cost PR & Marketing Strategies at CarolRoth.com. Twitter: @CarolJSRoth

 

How to create and market your brilliant new eBook

Posted on by Red Slice

Congrats. You’ve finally decided to showcase all of your brilliant talent, thought-leadership or savvy into an eBook that can deliver value to customers – and will help them know, like and trust you and eventually buy from you. What a great way to extend your brand and build your sales pipeline.

Good friends Betsy and Warren Talbot quit their jobs and sold everything they owned to travel the world in 2010.You can learn more about living the good life at their blog, Married with Luggage. Amidst their adventures, they realized they had valuable info to share about saving up and paring down to make their dream a reality. So they got wise and wrote a new digital guide to help others do the same, called  Dream Save Do: The Step-by-Step Blueprint for Amassing the Cash to Live Your Dream . I’m proud to say it just launched today so get your hot little mitts on it!

Given all they learned about creating and marketing an eBook, I asked Betsy to share some tips and insights so you can  create and market a killer eBook for your own business or personal passion:

RS: Hi Betsy, over on the other side of the world! What advice do you have for someone who says, “I’ve written my ebook and posted it on my site…why isn’t anyone buying it?” 

BT: You probably thought that the hardest part about publishing an ebook for your site was actually writing it. Yes, it can be, but that part of the work ends when you turn it into a PDF and make it available for download. What never stops is the actual marketing and promotion of your ebook.  Throwing up a link on your sidebar with no other promotion says that you don’t really care if anyone buys it or not. So people won’t. Even if you do get a few “drive-buys” from your regular audience, you won’t ever make a living or amass the kind of email subscriber list that will grow your business without attracting an outside audience. 

Do people know why they need your ebook? What idea or program or information is contained inside that they just can’t live without a second longer? What need do they have that you can fill? What fear do they have that you can soothe?

Where have you tried promoting your ebook? If you rely solely on your website you are doomed to poor sales. Isn’t the point of writing an ebook to attract new readers and customers? 

Did you talk the ebook up as you were writing it? Did you involve your followers from the start to make sure you included the information they really wanted?  

When you can accurately describe why people need your ebook – in your sales page, blog posts, guest posts, interviews, videos, tweets, and updates – then you will see the sales come in.  

RS: It’s always all about communicating the value. What about free eBooks? Why should people pay for a designer or editor when they are planning on giving the ebook away? 

BT: Email subscribers are the golden egg. Those are people who have raised their hands and said “I want to give you my private email address so you can regularly send me info about your products and services so I can easily access my credits cards and Paypal account to buy from you.” (Well, maybe they didn’t say that specifically, but that’s what they meant.) 

When you think only in terms of what you will make off the direct sale of your ebook, you are missing the bigger picture. Your email subscriber list is a directory of people who like your message, want to know more about your expertise, and are already primed to buy your products and services in the future because they’ve given you permission to market to them. 

When you put out really quality materials – whether free or for thousands of dollars – people notice. When you throw together a bunch of blog posts into a Word document, turn it into a PDF and call it an ebook, people also notice. How you put out your information is as important as the information itself, and not recognizing that will keep you in the minor leagues. 

Most designers will work with entrepreneurs in their price range. For instance, we like working with Shea at On a Budget Design because she offers a DIY service. She sets up the style sheet and layout of an ebook for the first chapter or so, and then she turns it over to the author to finish. It is a great way to get a professional-looking ebook without spending a lot of money. The bonus is that it can be tied to your existing brand look and feel, which makes your business look a whole lot bigger and more professional than it might actually be. 

RS: Right on, girl! Your brand has to maintain quality and that means ponying up for quality talent – within your budget of course. You created a pretty comprehensive marketing plan for the book: what advice can you give others about this?

BT: Any author will tell you that the traditional book publishers no longer have the budget for promoting new books. (editor aside: true that!) New authors are required to have their own marketing plans, do a lot of the promotion themselves, and really work their networks in order to sell books. In fact, most authors won’t even get a book deal without a solid platform and marketing plan in place first. 

If that’s true for those guys, then it is doubly true for putting out your own ebook. No one else is as invested in the success of your ebook as you. 

Knowing how your ebook fits into your overall marketing plan before you even write it will help you develop tactics along the way to creatively market it. In a saturated market, it is hard to stand out, so putting extra time into this plan will mean the difference between selling it to one person (thanks, Mom!) and reaching a substantial audience. 

In fact, this post is an example of creative marketing, telling a new audience about *how* we wrote and published our ebook without ever even actually mentioning what’s in it. But you’re dying to know, aren’t you? And some of you might even check it out just to see what kind of design we used or how we wrote our sales page or even designed our press kit. 

If you market it like everyone else, you’ll get the same kind of results as everyone else. But since you’re reading Red Slice we know you aren’t going to do that, now are you?

RS: Love it! Thanks Betsy and safe travels.

Please follow Warren and Betsy’s amazing adventure at Married with Luggage. And don’t forget to check out the digital guide Dream, Save, Do for practical advice on how to make your dreams – whether that’s your own business, traveling  the world or something else – a reality.

Better get your “content on”: you must read this book!

Posted on by Red Slice

The rules of marketing have changed.

I am seeing more and more evidence that bigger companies do not get what small, strappy entrepreneurs have figured out. The way we need to reach, connect and attract customers has fundamentally changed.

Recently, I got to speak to two good friends who are both marketing execs at Silicon Valley tech companies. Their stories sounded identical. They have crafted plans that include a lot of awareness activity via social media, content creation, blogs, video, etc. And while some people get it, others still want them to do the “old” lead generation stuff”: events, email offers, etc.  And we’re talking about some of the most forward-thinking companies in the tech industry.

Marketing and branding is much more complex than it was even 5 years ago. The old ways of “generating leads for sales” do not cut it anymore. Now, you absolutely need to build a thought leadership and expert brand (especially if you are B2B). You need to have a viewpoint, a philosophy, a personality. You need to connect with the real human beings making the buying decision on a personal and conversational level. People are out there, doing research and searching the Web. You need more than just your home page to come up if you want to make your sales numbers.

A must-read for any business owner, entrepreneur, c-level exec or marketing professional is Content Rules How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, eBooks and Webinars (& More) That Engage Customers and Ignite your Business (Ann Handley and CC Chapman): It’s a how-to book on how to create effective content through various media, such as podcasts, video, blogs, etc. But the reason I think execs and CEO’s need to read it is that they need to understand the new paradigm, which the book explains very well. They may not need the nuts and bolts of how to do do it (leave that to their marketing teams) but the book provides ample case studies (including a whole section on B2B) about how this strategy impacts long-term success and sales.

It used to be that a differentiated brand strategy was to promote yourself as an advocate, expert and though leader. Now, it is a brand imperative. If you want to create a relationship with customers long before they are ready to buy so that you are top of mind, you absolutely have to start marketing your business in this way.

Practically speaking, what does that mean? If you are a hair salon, it means you need to provide content on the latest styles, proper hair care, how to protect your hair from sand and sun in the summer, and which products are best for which hair type. You could create content around trends, celebs, do’s and don’ts and hairstyles for any occasion. If you are a business ;lawyer, you need to do what my lawyer (and client) Equinox Business Law is doing: Michelle provides a monthly business seminar on all sorts of topics: branding, succession planning, real estate – and then tags on the legal perspective in dealing with those issues. She also reuses such content in her monthly newsletter.

The book has tons of case studies and I highly recommend it. If you are not ready for this paradigm shift in the market, I don’t care what size company you are or what industry you’re in: you will get left behind.

When it’s appropriate to lock yourself into a room: Come join me…

Posted on by Red Slice

That calendar meeting stares at you like an accusing parent. You said you would make the time, Maria. You said you were going to clear your schedule and focus on me. And here I am again, being shoved to the following week.

Admit it. You’ve had this conversation with yourself. It’s the time you carved out of your week/month/quarter/year to focus on your brand and marketing strategy. The time you were going to devote to better articulate your benefits for stronger communications; to laser-target on your ideal customer so you could stop trying to be all things to all people and spinning your wheels; to hone that succinct and delicious elevator pitch; to focus your marketing activities on a few efforts done RIGHT rather than throwing your money away on things that don’t work.

But you get so busy in your business, the first thing to go is the time you devote to work ON your business.

Well, I’m done. Are you?

This April and May I am offering 3 Brand Strategy Retreats: San Francisco, CA: April 28; Kirkland, WA: May 18; Downtown Seattle, WA: May 25

Our motto: Make the Time. Focus on the Strategy. Execute Flawlessly. No. excuses, no distractions. For 4 hours, I will lock 12 lucky entrepreneurs into a comfy, funky conference room to get schooled in branding, positioning and marketing, doing exercises IN CLASS that I do with my full-time clients. You will have 4 delicious hours working on your brand strategy, focusing on your ideal customer, honing your elevator pitch and clarifying what makes your business unique  – all with my advice, resources and objective feedback from the group. Bring any question you have. Pick my brain.

My goal is that you leave with a brand strategy that will attract rabid fans, differentiate your company, and save you time and money on marketing activities that work.

Heck, I may even join you as I work on my own planning….

Three dates. Twelve people per location only so you gotta reserve your spot pronto. This is to keep it custom and interactive. Don’t delay….or you know you will never make the time if you don’t commit!

Check out details, dates, benefits and my video invitation to you. And you can register here as well.

Stop making excuses. Start reinventing.. If you’re serious about creating a successful business, then see you there.