Up and Running Blog

July 2011

QR Me

by Lena West on July 29, 2011

qr-code

Image by bernissimo via Flickr

You’ve probably seen them, but don’t know what they are; or if you know what they are, you’re not sure how to actually USE them to benefit your business.

They look like a mix between a barcode and television snow/static and, in  my opinion, they’re one of  the most under-used, affordable marketing tools around.

And, because I want you to have the details you need to market your business effectively (I do, I REALLY do),  I partnered with the good folks at Langton Cherubino to give you some actionable information about this new means of leading your target market directly to your (helpful) content that you want them to read (how cool is that?!).

What the HECK is it?

According to Wikipedia, the mobile barcode or QR code is a specific matrix barcode that is made up of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data. “QR” stands for quick response.

To read a QR code you need to download an app on your smart phone. (Newer phones have QR Code scanners built-in so you don’t need an app.) The phone scans the matrix barcode and directs you to a website, display text or email/texting message. It seems to have a lot of potential and it’s quite popular in Japan, but hasn’t really caught on in the US. And yet, we see more and more of these funny matrix boxes in magazine ads and on websites.

How can you use it?

There are many ways for service businesses to take advantage of QR codes:
1. To provide a direct link to a lead generation tool like a white paper or a free report.
2. To provide a direct link to a brochure (PDF) — and avoid printing costs.
3. To help a video “go viral”
4. Add a “contact” QR code to the back of your business card to automatically have someone add you to their cell phone contact list.

5. Retailers can use QR codes to expand on advertising — you only have so much space on a page/billboard and to give special offers for people smart enough to use those codes — discounts for insiders, invites to in-store events, etc.

Anyone can use a QR code to track a specific marketing/advertising effort.

How can you get your own?

To create your own QR code, use this website: http://goqr.me/

It generates QR codes up to 1000 x 1000 pixels at no cost.

How are you going to start using QR codes in your marketing?

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P.S. Want more questions like this one answered? Want more visibility for your business?

Then, ask me your most hot-like-fire social media question and, I’ll give you an answer – live and in color via VIDEO! I’ll mention your name and your website address when I answer the question (anonymous questions are also welcome!) so you get to shine, too!

Head over to Facebook or Twitter and ask me your question and I’ll respond via our new blog.

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Do You Recognize These Problems With Business Negotiations

by Tim Berry on July 27, 2011

Greg Dannis is a lawyer who’s spent a career working with school districts in California. He’s a founding partner at Dannis, Wolver & Kelly, in San Francisco. I just finished reading his article Labor’s Lessons in the California Public Employees Relations Journal. Greg Dannis

Greg writes about labor contracts in schools, specifically; he’s been involved in that area for decades. But it occurred to me that what he says about that applies just as well to business negotiations I’ve been in.

For example, how time in negotiations is different from time everywhere else:

I always believed in the immutability of time — until I experienced negotiations. Bargaining is unreal in so many ways, but I did not anticipate the altered measurement of time itself! This time warp can be calculated between ratios of about 2:1 to 6:1 depending on the activity at hand. For example:

  • When the parties agree to take a one-hour lunch break, in negotiations time this signifies an interlude of two hours — a 2:1 ratio.
  • “We just need a five minute caucus” in bargaining reality means a half-hour — a 6:1 ratio.
  • “We will respond to your proposal at the next session” may in fact mean you will not see a counter proposal for months, if ever. I cannot even calculate the ratio for this.

Even more astounding is how units of time can be compressed. An eight-hour session can metamorphose magically into six and even four hours! This phenomenon rarely happens in the opposite direction, however, in which the parties actually stay beyond the established ending time.

At another part of the same article, he’s talking about telltale signs of developing problems:

  • The Caucus Time/Table Time Ratio. The more time spent away from each other in caucus, the worse the process is working.
  • The “Post-It Index.” At some tables, only the spokesperson is allowed to talk, and team members may contribute only by sending post-its back and forth. In this case, the more post-its that are “flying,” the more trouble you are in.

These are just a couple of witty interludes in a serious article about the future of public education and the impact of school boards and teachers’ unions having to work together. In the end, his conclusion is a lot like what I’ve seen in just about every business negotiation: it’s win-win or lose-lose. No one party beats the other if the conclusion isn’t good for both sides. That’s my way of saying it, but here’s Greg’s conclusion:

We have grave problems to conquer, and if we heed Labor’s Lessons, we can be jointly victorious without either side seeking to be triumphant. We need to reject rigidity and embrace flexibility. For, perhaps the greatest Labor’s Lesson of all is this: The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B.

(Image: courtesy of Dannis Wollver & Kelly)

(Disclosure: I have a family connection to Greg Dannis)

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Leveraging the Power of Video

by Cidnee Stephen on July 21, 2011

Image representing YouTube as depicted in Crun...

Image via CrunchBase

I remember two years ago listening to a Web expert predict that eventually websites would be all video instead of print. While it hasn’t quite reached that extreme, it’s hard to ignore the impact videos and YouTube are having as a marketing tool. As a small business owner, you may want to take a close look at this amazing tool.

Thanks to companies like Bizbox TV and Pixability, creating videos is not necessarily cost prohibitive. If you are more of a do-it-yourselfer, you can even arm yourself these days with your phone or Flip video, along with some editing software, and be on your merry way.

So how can you use video?

  1. A Two-minute commercial of what you or your company does
  2. Testimonials (much more impactful than just words)
  3. Blog posts (sometimes referred to as Vlog) can be great to mix things up, or if you don’t like to write
  4. Promotion (demo a product or your speaking style)
  5. Credibility builder (“how-to”, webinars or statistical videos)
  6. Lead generator (think “sales letter or sales presentation” but in video)
  7. Ad or info on other websites (think advertising or strategic alliances)

Where can you use the video?

The two big ones of course are on your website (or blog) and YouTube. YouTube right now is the second largest search engine after Google. What does that mean? That means millions of people are searching for specific information on YouTube. You should also know that people pay more attention to a YouTube video than they do their TV set. Finally, you should know that it can do amazing things to your Search Engine Optimization (being found on the Internet).

But definitely look for other options. Incorporate a video into presentations, as an introduction to your company at a live event or as an “ad” on your website or other websites.

A few key tips:

  1. Keep it real – the more authentic the video, the more believable.
  2. Keep it short – unless you are providing how-to info or product demonstrations, try to keep to two minutes or less.
  3. Make it entertaining – seems obvious, but boring videos will lose your audience.

While video may seem daunting, it doesn’t have to be. Look for great resources and, for a start, why don’t you try today to “point and shoot.” You never know what the result might be!

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Vote Tim Berry as a Small Business Guru on SmallBizTrends!

by Kai Davis on July 20, 2011

Can I ask you for a quick favor?

Tim Berry, the founder of Palo Alto Software and a personal friend, was just nominated as a Small Business Influencer in the Guru category on SmallBizTrends.com. Everyone at Palo Alto Software would love to see him win. We’re hoping that you can help us out by voting for Tim Berry.

Image representing Tim Berry as depicted in Cr...

Tim Berry, via Crunch Base

Can you take a quick break from reading this article and go vote for Tim Berry as a Small Business Influencer? You don’t have to register and they won’t ask for your email address. All you need to do is click the big yellow vote button.

If this is your first time on Up and Running (Welcome! We’re glad to see you), you might be wondering who Tim Berry is.

I first met Tim when I took his course on Business Planning and Entrepreneurship at the University of Oregon in 2008. Today, I’m a marketing manager for his company, Palo Alto Software. I’m working here because I believe in his passion and vision for business planning, business management, and entrepreneurship.

Tim is the expert on business planning. If you enjoy the articles, books, and essays he’s written, or if you’re a satisfied customer of Business Plan Pro, Sales and Marketing Pro, or LivePlan.com, please take a second and vote for Tim berry as a Small Business Influencer in the Guru category on SmallBizTrends.

Thanks for reading. And thanks for voting.

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Why Small Businesses Need a Marketing Strategy

by Carolyn Higgins on July 19, 2011

You decide to throw a dinner party. You want it to be the type of dinner party that people remember fondly and talk about for years. Imagine that you will serve an amazing meal and that your guests will rave about the delicious food, the great atmosphere, and the wonderful conversation. Now imagine throwing it all together without a plan. You won’t plan the menu. YouSmal business Marketing Strategy won’t plan the decorations. You won’t even plan the guest list.

Instead, you just go to the grocery store and pick up whatever is on sale that day, hoping that you can somehow throw it all together and make it work. You end up with a box of Fruit Loops, three lbs. of chicken fryers, 10 boxes of mac and cheese, Velveeta, and two litres of Hawaiian Punch.

For the guest list, you figure you can just tell one or two people and count on them inviting everyone they know – you’re sure a crowd of the most fun, excellent conversationalist dinner-party-guest-types will come.

Given this scenario, I want you to imagine the type of dinner party it will be now. Do you think you’ll be serving a delicious meal? Do you think you’ll have the best guests – and lots of them? Or do you think your menu will consist of some crazy meal made of Fruit Loops and Velveeta with a few mismatched guests, including the boisterous lady from your spin class who ends up drinking too much and insulting everyone in the room and the neighbor down the street who hasn’t showered in weeks, shows up just for the free meal, and then stands in the corner mumbling to himself all night?

Would you really rely on one or two people to get a bunch of the most fun, outgoing, and best dinner party guests to your house? Would you plan a meal without a menu, a recipe or two, and a shopping list? Of course you wouldn’t. So then, why would you run a business this way?

Yet, that is exactly what small business owners do every day. They have a vision for a business: offering the very best product or service, standing out from the competition, and serving lots of happy, satisfied customers who talk about their business for years. But instead of mapping out a plan for achieving all of this, they go to work every day, work IN their business, deliver the best they can handle, buy whatever advertising is cheap or on sale, attend events because they think they should – all the while hoping to attract the right kind of customers who appreciate their work and are willing to pay a decent price for their product or service. And then they expect those customers to tell anyone and everyone about them, without teaching them how to refer the right kind of customer. (Think dinner party guests!)

Just like a dinner party, you can’t build a successful business without a plan. You need to outline a strategy: who would make the best customers? Whom do you want to invite to do business with you? What will you offer? How will you package it? How will you deliver it? How will you promote it? Buying whatever is easy and cheap and counting on a few people to spread the word might get you some results, but are they the results you want?

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Good Marketing Strategy Starts With a Defined Message.

by Susan Solovic on July 18, 2011

Antilock Braking System

Image via Wikipedia

Many business owners ask me for advice about how to market their businesses. Before I can answer that question, I need to know what the business owner’s key marketing messages are and who their customer is. Frequently, I get a perplexed look when I ask for the marketing messages.

Long before you start choosing how you want to market your small business, you have to decide what it is you want to say. What is your marketing message? It’s not uncommon to have different messages for different markets, but it’s critical to focus on something from the start and be consistent. Here are some guidelines that will serve you well:

  • Be concise. Don’t include everything there is to know about your business in your marketing materials.  What makes you different from everyone else in the market? Your unique value proposition should be an important part of your marketing message. Otherwise you are just “more of the same.” Stand out from the crowd and give people a reason to do business with you instead of a competitor.
  • Be consistent. Don’t confuse people with too many things, and don’t change your message frequently. A consistent message is easier to remember. It takes a while for your message to cut through the clutter and be heard. So if you want your message to resonate, you must repeat the same message time and time again.
  • Focus on the customer. Always create marketing messages that feature the customer, rather than your product or service. It is what’s commonly known as the WIIFM—what’s in it for me. For example, let’s say you are a car salesperson and the car you’re trying to sell is equipped with state-of-the-art anti-lock brakes that can stop you from having an accident. Instead of telling your customer the technical safety features of the brake system, share a story. Story-telling is a great sales tool.  So appeal to your customer’s concern for safety. You could explain how your customer’s family won’t be at risk if there is a big snowstorm because of this car’s state-of-the-art anti-lock brakes. See the difference?  As the business owner and primary sales representative, you need to put yourself in your customer’s shows. Listen and learn what their wants are and then you align your message accordingly.
  • Deliver on your promises. Never guarantee something in your marketing materials unless you are absolutely positive you can deliver on that promise every single time. Establishing expectations with your market and then not living up to them will tarnish your reputation quickly. News of bad service travels fast.

Finally, make sure all of your marketing messages match your actions. This is known as brand integrity. Lots of business brands make the terrible mistake of saying one thing in their marketing and doing something else when it comes to delivering their products or services. If you tell people in your marketing campaigns that customer service is paramount, but you have people in your organization who ignore complaints or don’t act on orders, then you minimize the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Always, walk the talk.

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Maria Torres, Program Manager; Celina Solis, Gigi Paquette, Nina Taylor, Greg Magie, Barbra Nelson, Silas Denny, Carolyn Elliot, Jarred Partridge, Margarita Solis, Susan Coyle, and Instructor, Polly Mertens. (not pictured Reena Plant)

An Introduction to Entrepreneurship

by Kai Davis on July 15, 2011

Designed for entrepreneurs who are either starting a new business or growing an existing one, Palo Alto Software’s Start, Run & Grow Your Business: An Introduction to Entrepreneurship course is currently being taught at colleges and universities around the country.

Maria Torres, Program Manager; Celina Solis, Gigi Paquette, Nina Taylor, Greg Magie, Barbra Nelson, Silas Denny, Carolyn Elliot, Jarred Partridge, Margarita Solis, Susan Coyle, and Instructor, Polly Mertens. (not pictured Reena Plant)

This course takes students through the process of conceiving, creating, managing, and growing their own business. The goal is to provide a solid background of important concepts for anybody starting or running a business.

Congratulations to Spring 2011 Graduates!

David Ryal recently wrote to us to tell us about the Women’s Business Center’s graduates from the program.

MCSC/WBC consultant and instructor Polly Mertens recently celebrated the conclusion of the latest Entrepreneurial Training Program offered to budding entrepreneurs and existing businesses. The Spring Class graduated from the course with a graduation ceremony held at the community room of a People’s Self Help Housing facility on South Higuera.

Eleven students (see photo) completed the class that is based on the curriculum and software program Business Plan Pro that has been developed by Small Business Guru Tim Berry of Palo Alto Software. The core curriculum has been taught at the University of Oregon.

The fourteen-week class takes the students on the trek of writing a business plan. Topics include: business basics and start-up; market analysis and strategy; developing financials; getting financed; the importance of the Web and Social Media; building a team; legal issues; tax issues; and making the pitch.

The certificate program comes with the seal from the Association of Small Business Development Centers. The corporate sponsor for the class was Citibank. The graduation ceremony was the last for Maria Torres, former Program Director of the WBC. She congratulated the students on behalf of the MCSC Board of Directors for a job well done.

Everyone at Palo Alto Software wishes the Spring 2011 Graduates an exciting and entrepreneurial future.

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Brief Introduction Into The SBA Loan Programs

by Helena Hauk on July 14, 2011

Seal of the U.S. government's Small Business A...

Image via Wikipedia

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, creating jobs and adding new and innovative products to the market. The Small Business Administration exists to support both emerging and growing small businesses by offering services, tools, and resources at affordable rates. The SBA also offers several loan programs to help those businesses meet demand, acquire needed assets and personnel, and preserve working capital in an undulating market.  Those programs supplement traditional commercial loans, giving small businesses more options when it comes time to seek outside financial help.

7(a) Loan Program

This program is geared toward businesses that have special requirements either because of where they operate or because of new requirements established by laws such as NAFTA. Businesses that operate in rural and underserved areas, exporters, companies affected by new government regulations, and both active and retired military personnel are all included as “special requirement” businesses under this program. Startups can also seek funding through this program.

Micro Loan Program

Under the micro loan program, the SBA provides small, short-term loans to small businesses and certain nonprofits. The SBA sets very specific guidelines for how the micro loans can be used. Namely, the loans cannot be used for buying real estate or for paying off existing debt. Instead the loans can be used to purchase inventory, furniture, and equipment as well as to use as working capital.  The maximum loan amount allowed under this program is $50,000; however, the average loan amount is typically around the $13,000 range, although the loan amounts can be higher, sometimes as much as $250,000, depending on the micro-loan provider’s parameters.

CDC/504 Loan Program

The 504 program is the vehicle through which the SBA spurs much of its economic development and public policy goals. This program provides long-term, fixed-rate loans for the acquisition of major assets such as commercial real estate, equipment, improvements to real estate, and modernization of facilities for energy efficiency. The maximum loan amount allowed depends on the purpose of the loan and which public policy goal it is satisfying (e.g. rural development, energy efficiency, minorities in business, etc.).

All three programs use third party intermediaries to facilitate funds. Both the 7(a) and 504 programs also require a traditional lender and a consultant to assist with packaging and processing the loan. Check with your local SBA office to learn more and to identify trusted consultants in your area.

 

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Differences Between Small Business Owners and High-Growth Entrepreneurs

by Tim Berry on July 13, 2011

I’m fascinated by data Steve King of Small Business Labs published a couple of weeks ago in Comparing Small Business Owners and High-Growth Entrepreneurs. This makes perfect sense to me: I would expect the general small business owners — which makes me think of restaurants, car washes, hardware stores, dry cleaners, etc. — to be significantly different, as a group, from high-growth entrepreneurs.

To do this we analyzed small business owner survey data from the Small Business Success Index (SBSI), produced by the University of Maryland and Network Solutions.  We compared this data with the results from a 2009 study of the motivations and backgrounds of high-growth entrepreneurs – An Anatomy of an Entrepreneur.

If you guessed that the high-growth entrepreneurs tend to be more educated, you were right. Here’s what Steve says:

About 95% of high-growth entrepreneurs have graduated from college and 47% have advanced degrees.  Slightly less than half (47%) of small business owners have graduated from college and only around 5% have advanced degrees.

And here’s a disturbing note on women:

Women own roughly 30% of small businesses.  While that’s lower than their share of the overall workforce, it’s significantly higher than the less than 7% of high-growth entrepreneurs who are female.

And I’m not at all surprised to see that motivation is also different:

The top reason for starting a company according to high-growth entrepreneurs was “building wealth.”  This was listed as the 4th reason by small business owners.  Small business owners listed “working for yourself” as the top reason for starting their business.  This came in as the 4th choice by high-growth entrepreneurs.

Finally, I like what Steve says about why this may be much more important than just idle curiosity about different demographics:

The main reason we’re interested in this topic is we believe policy makers are too focused on high-growth companies and entrepreneurs … the millions of U.S. small businesses are also important – especially for groups underrepresented in high-growth firms (women, minorities, those without a college education).

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Find the Time to Work on Your Business…. or Else!

by Carolyn Higgins on July 12, 2011

Business owners say all the time, “I need more business. My marketing isn’t working.” Yet, when they are faced with an opportunity to learn and grow and install a system that will give them a long-term strategy for success, their excuse is, “I don’t have the time.”

How can that be? How can you need more business if you don’t even have the time to GET more business? What are you going to do IF you ever actuSmall Business Owners make time for marketingally get that business?

I’ve been in a business a little while now…. I have customers, I have speaking engagements, I have workshops, classes and seminars. I have A/P, A/R, taxes, piles of paper, and all that same stuff that every other small business owner has – AND I spend a lot of time marketing my business. After only a little while in business – and not exactly a millionaire yet – I realized it’s time to hire someone because I simply can’t do it all myself. I want to grow and I realize that in order to grow, I need help.

I started out small – I hired someone on a contractual basis to handle some of the tasks I don’t like doing. Yeah, it’s money out of my pocket (and there isn’t a ton of it right now) but my eye is on the bigger picture – the future of my company. A vision that includes having a few employees executing the day-to-day while I drive the strategic direction and do what I am best at – which has nothing to do with A/R, taxes, booking speaking engagements, etc.

The point is this: if you want more business but can’t even take the necessary steps to either free yourself up or hire someone to do what it takes to GET more business, do you really need more business? You hear it again and again, stop working IN your business and start working ON your business. When are you going to take that step? When are you going to say, “OK, today is the day, I need to do something different, because what I’ve been doing isn’t working.”? When are you going to stop spinning in circles and start making some of the tough decisions that business owners need to make? You can either make the decision to grow, or you can continue to drown… what will it be?

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