What Works for Northern Nevada Scholarship

scholarshipNevada is a known incubator for business. If you own/operate a business in Nevada within 100 miles of Carson City and need a hand up, the What Works for Northern Nevada Scholarship may be able to help. Each month, we invest $1,000 in tuition to five different students. ($200 award each) The award may be specific, such as entry into a live or online workshop, or general – to be used for general business help.

 

 

 

To qualify for the scholarship, the business must be:

  • Currently in existence (doing business now)
  • Located in Nevada within 100 miles of Carson City
  • Exhibit a clear need for business help

Qualified? Apply for the scholarship now!

 

 

Build your fan base and they will be screaming for you.

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Yesterday, we talked about effective networking online. This sparked a discussion about the steps you should take in building that ever-important reputation. Piping up about the “fan-base philosophy,” garnered from years in the entertainment business, I decided to make today’s exercise about that. If you have read “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell, you know that there’s a certain level of action required before something tips and interest comes in larger waves. That point can be achieved through consistent activities that create exposure for your business. In a word, you have to create value.

Think about a new rock band and how they build their fan base. Starting out, they might play a few local shows. They are seen in some way. It’s said that you can’t make money by sitting in your office. You need to get out, press the flesh, get known. That’s what these small shows are about and, for you, its what small talk is about. Attend a conference where your target market is, become interested in them. Now that the rock band has played a few local shows, and they’ve captured some information (in your case business cards) they send a track out. They’ve also been working their social media channels. They’ve been opening up on Facebook and Twitter, providing a behind the scenes to potential fans. They’ve been providing inspiration and giving away tickets to their next local show. Now they book some local interviews. They get themselves in the media, whatever media they can find. They find their angle an tell their story. They start going to the right parties. (In your world, that party might be the right LinkedIn Group – Staples runs a great one.) They don’t whip out their instruments and play at the party, they just go with the flow, they meet people. More interest collected, they provide their demo to the right people.

Here’s the key, though, they warm up the audience. Your opening song is simply having a conversation. You aren’t in it to pitch yet. You are in it to find out about them, add value and see if they are even pitch worthy. Imagine if this same rock band went to a party and immediately started pitching their music and (ooops) come to find out they are talking to the GM of a country music station. Once the fan base is there, you can communicate on a regular basis and be sure your fans get the newest stuff first. Providing exclusive treatment to your best customers is a great way to keep them listening to you for life.

Building a fan base is all about:

1) Identifying the right channels – Where is your target audience? Where are they most likely to be looking for you?

2) Providing value – What can you provide that’s cool and interesting? What’s your role at the party?

3) Nurturing the fandom – Keep giving, keep learning, keep LISTENING.

4) Learning how you can serve – Ask directed questions and continue to listen.

5) Playing your heart out – Once you can serve, serve with all your heart.

6) Develop an ongoing relationship – Don’t let this be a one night stand. Keep in touch! Check in. Continue providing value and you will be top of mind next time they need something.

Today’s Exercise: Where are you in fan base building? Are you at #1 where you are just figuring out who to talk to or are you learning how to listen? Identify where you are and start building, online and offline. What steps do you need to take to be the rock star of your own business?

Discuss this exercise in the comments below or if you need help, contact us.

 

Are you an online business creeper?

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Today, as I was moderating our new Help for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs LinkedIn Group, I encountered an enthusiastic entrepreneur with an energy business. Unfortunately, I encountered him in the wrong way. Within moments of joining our group he had plastered his URL, phone number, headline in three different places on the group. Being a coach, I reached out to him versus banning him outright (which is what most groups would do). Here was my response, paraphrased. I thought it worthy enough to share with all.

“One of the top things I coach my clients on is how to participate in a group when networking. You meet people for business purposes through networking, but its kind of like dating. It’s not a good idea to push marriage on the first date. You participate in discussions. You provide input. Sending URLS, emails, and so on when you are not the sponsor of the group is not effective group participation.”

It’s true. Think about online dating for a bit. If you are serious about looking for someone, you don’t outright say – “hey, I want to get married honey.” You ask about interests. You comment on aspects of their profile. You get to know them before asking them out on a date.

Social media networking works the same way. If you join a group, ADD VALUE. Answer people’s questions. Ask a few questions of your own. Post an interesting article. To lead generate, post an article you have written that resides on your web site. Ask for opinions about a new product offering. Don’t just say, “hey baby, have I got a special offer for you.” The ONLY place that is appropriate is when you are the sponsor of a group. But do it VERY SPARINGLY. You are there to build a community, to add value. Ultimately, yes, you will come upon people who are interested in what you have to offer. But, like the new person who is participating in a LinkedIn Group, Facebook Group, posting on walls, tweeting, pinning, Instagramming, or anything else, you need to have a soft touch.

Otherwise you just come off like that sleazy guy in a bar looking for a one night stand. Who wants to be THAT guy?

Today’s Exercise: Look at all the ways you network – in person or via social media. Are you asking for marriage before you even get a date? What is your strategy for becoming part of the group and gaining interest before you pitch? What are you doing right? What are you doing wrong?

Questions about how to tackle social media networking? Claim your free Quick Question session and ask away – or just ask on our LinkedIn Group.

Are your goals SMART or LAME?

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You can plan all day long until you are blue in the face. Yes, until you make real goals and make them SMART, you might as well consider your brain a very high functioning toy. Entrepreneurs especially are great at that. New idea! They play. New product! They play. However, in all that playing and planning, some end up trying to put the roof on a house with no foundation. They get the steps out of order so, like a house with no foundation, the ideas don’t stand on their own.

SMART goals are nothing new. Yet, often, people get so caught up in the excitement of “getting going” that they put on the jet packs and fire off in the wrong direction.

Here’s how to set a SMART goal.

SMART goals are:

Specific: What EXACTLY are you looking to accomplish?

Measurable: What METRIC are you going to apply to this? What does success look like in NUMBERS?

Attainable: With the resources you have at your disposal, is this DOABLE?

Realistic: Can this really happen or are you dreaming up a big pretty business UNICORN?

Timely: How LONG do you give yourself to accomplish this goal? How much TIME will it really take?

Today’s Exercise: Think of one goal you have. Just one. Make it a shorter term one – say within a month. Now, make it SMART. What changed about your goal? Does it seem more or less attainable?

Discuss your experience below.

By the way, LAME goals are:

Lengthy

Assumptive

Malicious

Expensive

More on that later…

For now, we now have a NEW LinkedIn Group for FREE HELP for Entrepreneurs, Business Owners and Business Leaders. Go there now and cash in on your What Works Quick Question and meet others like you around the world.

Give a Man a Fish
What costs less, learning to do it or having it done?

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If you’ve read the story about What Works, you know that our firm used to be all about taking over the reins – being an installed executive, doing your email programs, web sites, marketing plans and marketing campaigns for you. Can we still refer you to people who can do it for you if you need it? Absolutely! We do that every day. But what we really prefer to do is coach you on HOW to do it. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” That old Chinese Proverb is actually very true.

Think about it. If we teach you What Works for your unique situation, than you have the power, the knowledge, to continue forward and repeat that process if your issue should ever recur again. However, if we say – “here, let’s just do that for you, charge you this nifty one time fee and its done,” what’s the result? Sure, its done for you. The issue has been handled – THIS TIME. However, the next time you need something done, you are stuck in the mud. At that point you look for a new solution, a new vendor,  or a new whatever.  Why look for something new over and over again when you can participate in the development of your own trusted, tried and true tools? At What Works, we give you the tools to be unstuck.

Today’s exercise: Think of past situation where something “stuck” in your business. How did it get there? Where did you shift things to unstick it? What guidance would you give yourself now that it’s unstuck? Did your solution teach you how to fish or was it a Band-Aid to get past temporary pain?

When you see an issue, you need to fish for lasting solutions or rush for a quick fix?

Tell us all about it in the comments below and, if we can help, contact us.