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What I Learned This Week – 6/12/2010
by Jamie Gorman on June 12, 2010
Another great week of weather and business. If you are willing to listen and reflect there are always oppotunities to learn.
Who Cares?
A great tip came from Asha Sedalia Bruot of ASHA Public Relations during a MAPS committee meeting this week. When preparing to write your next press release, ask yourself “Who Cares?”. Her point was that choosing the right audience is a must in deciding what to write, how to write and which media channels might be interested. The upcoming MAPS (Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations Strategies) Conference on September 22nd will be focused on developing a good public relations strategy – more to come!
“Customer Service” should always be top of mind
Kris Johnson of the PWCGM Chamber shared a story at Friday’s MB3 breakfast that we can all probably relate to. She was calling a relatively new member to offer a sponsorship opportunity and was deep into her explanation of the benefits of this particular sponsorship. The member gently interrupted and jokingly said, “Oh, you’re calling to sell a sponsorship, I thought you were calling to thank me for membership and see if all is well”. Knowing Kris and her record of customer service, she surely recovered and impressed by the end of the call. Her point was that we can all learn much more about customer service Wednesday at the Insight Series Luncheon “Customer Service” , with guest speaker Bobbie Walker, Partnership Marketing Education Director for Virginia Tourism Corporation, but this was a quick reminder for me. Everyone says that repeat business is the most profitable, but make sure you have successfully delivered on the previous sale before launching into the next!
Gas Mileage, Gravity and Centrifugal Force
I learned this week that a late model Toyota Avalon can go from Warrenton, VA to the PWCGM office in Manassas, then to the Western Chamber Office in Gainesville and finally to the Sheetz in Haymarket with the orange gas light on. In further news, on that same day I learned that a well placed gas cap wedged between the rear windshield and the trunk will last against wind and centrifugal force from the Sheetz in Haymarket to Warrenton and that 2 of 5 people on the road will take the time to slow down and try to point that out to a motorist on a cell phone. And for those kind people – Ok, ok, I know now what you were trying to tell me! Thank-you!
Shout Out!
News and events on the friends of SigmaBiz
Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to my little sis Kristy MacIntyre and her husband Jamie at MacIntyre Engineering! Congratulations to the “Rev Man”, Scot Small of RevBuilders who hosted a wonderful Grand Opening at his new office in Gainesville this week. I heard that Chow Now was featured in an article in an upcoming Flavor Magazine – looking forward to reading that. My daughter Jessica Gorman finished a summer semester of classes in France this week, with flying colors I’m sure. Way to go Jess! And finally, a big Sigma Shout Out to all the recent graduates of Leadership Prince William “Third is Superb” class. I hear nothing but great things about this program and they are currently recruiting for the next session. Congratulations!
Posted in Blog, Business Networking, Leadership and Management, Marketing and Sales, Online Marketing, What I Learned This Week
Tagged business, classes, culpeper, development, education, elevator, email, free, gainesville, groups, haymarket, learn, management, manassas, marketing, networking, online, optimization, prince william, sales, seo, small, training, Virginia, warrenton, web
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the universal guide to business networking, by Terry Bean (@terrybean) – Book Review
by Jamie Gorman on May 24, 2010
To be perfectly honest, I almost put the book down after the first ten pages, but because it received a strong endorsement from social networking guru Chris Brogan I endeavored to persevere. I’m very glad I did, because once I got through the universal connection philosophy stuff, with several references to “The Secret” that drag down the first chapter, I found a great networking philosophy and some wonderful tips for improving anyone’s networking game.
The book is broken down logically to discuss the preparation, execution and follow-up for networking events and for networking online. As someone focused on educating small business owners and not just giving them quick tips, I especially liked this outline. By laying it out in this way Terry followed the foundational steps for starting any marketing effort – Audience, Objectives, Message and Delivery/Follow-up.
“Understand What You Seek”, is one section title but also an overarching theme in the book. It was a good reminder that as my business grows and changes, I need to review what it is that I want my network to do. Terry touches on this concept throughout the book and then brings it home in the last section where he summarizes “The ASK”, his version of that 30-60 second self introduction that we all struggle to perfect. He also does a great job rolling this concept into the choices and decisions of who you should be targeting to meet, both in person and in your online networking.
“How to Work a Room.” This is one of the most practical pieces on networking that I have seen. Terry gets to some of the core concepts of meeting people in a large group setting. Being approachable with a smile, how to remember names, polite ways to enter and exit a conversation and even what to say, oops, I mean ASK, when you meet people. The ideas and suggestions he uses are especially good for those folks who are over the fear of working the big room, but not sure how to make it most effective. WARNING, shameless self promotion: For those still petrified of the big room, check out “Business Networking for the Non-networker”.
“How To Separate Yourself From Most People You Just Met” What a great way to start a chapter on follow-up! Terry even points out in the opening sentences that we all know the answer is follow-up, and yet it is probably the biggest point of failure, not only in networking, but in our general marketing efforts. Thank-you Terry for letting me off the hook and not insisting that a hand-written thank-you note is the only acceptable follow-up! The “After You Network” chapter provides a great process for timing, method and content of follow-ups, including one of my favorite lines from the book – “Here’s the reality, following up with someone 2 weeks after you met them, is still better than not following up with them at all.”
Overall, Terry has provided a pretty good guide and an easy read for improving your networking skills. The ASK approach is an interesting and unique way of looking at that 30-60 second self introduction that we all struggle to perfect. But more importantly it lays the foundation for adding value to a network that will then add value to you in return. Maybe that’s where the “universe” fits into the discussion?!? I recommend this book for any small business owner who has decided that personal networking is an important part of their marketing strategy.
Learn more about Terry Bean and his networking techniques at http://terrybean.magntize.com
Posted in Blog, Book Review, Business Networking, Marketing and Sales
Tagged business, classes, education, elevator, email, free, gainesville, haymarket, learn, management, manassas, marketing, networking, online, pitch, small, training, Virginia, web
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Business Networking for the Non-networker
by Jamie Gorman on May 19, 2010
Which One Are You?
Last year I attended a Brown Bag seminar at the Prince William County – Greater Manassas Chamber of Chamber of Commerce in Manassas, VA. The topic was on “networking” and presented by a couple of the chambers best. As we covered the different tips and tricks for how to work a room, how to target the right people, polite ways to transition between leads and setting goals I noticed something. With about 20 people in the room, about half were heavy participants in the conversation, adding comments and suggestions and asking questions – these are the networkers. The other half were content to sit quietly, listen and hope that they didn’t somehow get the spotlight turned on them – these are the non-networkers! Which one of these is you?
The sharp contrast struck me and I realized that most of the great networking tips out there today are either to help people who are already natural networkers improve or require a non-networker to change the core essence of who they are, unlikely in a one hour seminar. So, I decided to build a class around some tips and techniques that I have used to overcome my life as a “Non-networker”. The class is called “Business Networking for the Non-networker” and is offered free at Sigma College of Small Business, both live in person and live online.
Non-networker Networking Tips:
- Realize the importance of the network – Continually remind yourself why networking is part of your marketing strategy. It will help your patience, discipline and courage.
- Time and Touches – A quality network takes time and multiple touch points
- Referral Principle – A new contact’s referral is more likely than their business
- Meet Small, Build Big – Use small groups to meet new people then reinforce in big groups
- Forced Opportunity Principle – Develop techniques where an easy action forces networking.
When you approach building a professional network as a long term marketing strategy rather than a quick sell opportunity, it removes some of the stress in meeting new people. It puts you in the mind set of building new relationships that may result in a direct sale, but more importantly will probably result in multiple referrals!
The class “Business Networking for the Non-networker” is a free class offered by Sigma College of Small Business. If you are interested in attending live in person or live online get more information here.
Posted in Blog, Marketing and Sales
Tagged advertise, business, classes, culpeper, development, education, elevator, free, gainesville, haymarket, management, manassas, marketing, networking, online, prince william, sales, training, VA, Virginia, warrenton
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What I Learned This Week – 5/1/2010
by Jamie Gorman on May 1, 2010
A great week of classes, networking and even a College Road Trip to Ithaca, NY, Boston and Fitchburg, MA. (see Five Lessons from Katie).
Lou "The Hot Dog Guy" Cassaniti
Keep It Simple!
I’m a person who tends to over-think things. It drives my wife nuts, especially when I do it aloud. In Ithaca, NY this week my daughter and I were walking along the Ithaca Commons looking for the perfect lunch spot and came across Lou. Beef, pork or chicken and with or without onions and peppers. Doesn’t get much simpler than that – great product, perfect delivery.
Pork Sausage with a Coke - $3.50
Lou even added additional value when he pegged us as a prospective student family, shared next year’s tuitions for the three nearest schools and told us that it gets cold up there, so be ready and don’t complain. Lou’s community relation event is outlined on his chalk board and shared with each sale. He is expecting 600 people lined up for “dogs to help dogs” Hot Dog Day 2010 on Friday May 7th, benefiting the SPCA of Tompkins County. Good luck Lou and thanks for lunch!
Let Me Help You Stop Crying – Commuincating Our True Benefits
Terry Dixon of Castle Realty shared a great story at Piedmont Professionals Wednesday morning. A friend called and was sharing how she was frustrated to the point of daily tears because they couldn’t get contracts down on houses quickly enough before other buyers snatched them up. Terry politely asked if she was using a realtor. When she said no, he offered to help her to stop crying every day. Way to go Terry! We should all be able to listen and share what we do in terms of the real end result and benefit we can deliver to our customers.
Don’t Keep People in a Box
I invited my wife Gayle, owner of All Things Musical (music lessons), to her first ever business networking event on Wednesday morning. Gayle needs little beyond word of mouth to keep her schedule full, and she was a bit hesitant when I told her the format included getting up and introducing herself. I wasn’t sure what to expect because I see her as a musician, teacher, wife and mother, not as a business owning marketer. When it was her turn, I offered to make the introduction, but she declined, stood up and absolutely nailed her just under 60 second elevator pitch, completely unrehearsed! Wow, a whole new dimension to love and respect about my better half. She may be teaching the next “Elevator Pitch” class! Is there a family member or employee that you’ve placed in a box? Put them into new environments and challenge them with new ideas and education. You might be surprised at how much more they can do.
Shout Out!
News and Events on the Friends of SigmaBiz
Lake Lester of Court Clothing was my April student of the month. Thanks Lake for your attendance, contribution and great testimonials each week, but most importantly, thanks for applying what you learn to your business. Network @ Noon on Monday at the Western PWC-GM Chamber office – discussion topic is “Blogging”. Fauquier Faith Partners is holding their “Defeet” Abuse 5K run on Saturday, May 15. Email ffpmoreinfo@yahoo.com for more info. Hospice of the Rapidan is releasing butterflies on Mother’s Day, May 9th. Their 8th Annual Butterfly Celebrations includes the release of 100 Monarch butterflies! Call 540-825-4840 for more information.
Posted in Blog, Leadership and Management, Marketing and Sales, What I Learned This Week
Tagged advertise, business, classes, culpeper, development, education, elevator, email, free, gainesville, haymarket, learn, management, manassas, marketing, networking, online, optimization, pitch, prince william, resume, sales, small, VA, Virginia, warrenton, web
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Five Lessons from Katie – Ithaca College Class of 2010!
by Jamie Gorman on April 30, 2010
Katie after a windy tour.
This is Katie Venetsky. Katie graduates in 23 days with a degree in Sociology from Ithaca College in New York – Congratulations Katie!
Katie is one of the students at Ithaca that leads tours around campus for prospective students, and we met this week during the college road trip I took with my daughter Alyssa. The design of the tour and Katie’s great delivery provided some useful insight for all.
Listen First. Introductions were the first part of the tour, and each prospective student, not parents, gave their name, where they were from and their planned major. I know she actually listened too, because she used that information throughout the tour. Sigma College classes on networking and social networking place high emphasis on listening – and taking a genuine interest, when you meet anyone.
Connect With Your Audience. From the introductions it was clear the tour was for the students. It wasn’t rude or dismissive in any way, but it said “prospective student, “you are the customer here. I respect you as a decision making individual, not a kid, and your interests are what matter to me”. Although subtle, it stood out to me because it’s not something our teens hear very often. When you and your people (especially technical people) talk to prospective customers, do they meet them at their level with respect and understanding. Listen to those conversations from the customer’s perspective and watch their body language closely for a good indication.
Make It Personal. In our little group that morning we had interests in physical therapy, photography, football, ladies basketball and an undecided major. On our tour Katie was sure to talk about sports medicine internships, student photographs in the school paper, the “Exploratory” program for the undecided and the proximity of dormitories to the specific colleges that were mentioned in the group. Most impressively, as we were walking past a group of students, she stopped and introduced the prospective football player to a friend of hers that is on the football team. I know that wasn’t part of the tour script! Make sure that your are presenting your product with the focus on your customer’s interests and needs, demonstrating that you listened, care and have a path to meet their needs.
Any Questions? Katie mentioned that she holds the tour guide record for most times asking “are there any questions” in a tour. Keep asking questions. You never know what additional opportunity you will uncover and giving answers builds trust and credibility.
Prepare Your Team to Sell. Ithaca College Office of Admissions did a great job with the whole tour program. They picked the right people, designed a good process and then trained Katie with the information and skills she would need to provide a top notch tour. How is your process for marketing and sales? Do your people have the tools, materials and skills they need to deliver a great tour? More importantly – are they the right people?
Thanks Katie and Ithaca College for the wonderful tour and for the insight we can all apply to our marketing and sales. Congratulations and best of luck!
Posted in Blog, Marketing and Sales
Tagged advertise, benefits, business, classes, education, elevator, free, learn, management, manassas, marketing, networking, online, pitch, resume, sales, training
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Building Your Brand! Teach the World to Sing
by Jamie Gorman on April 14, 2010
Branding is the art and cornerstone of marketing – a common saying among marketers
I was at the BB&T Heathcote Branch Grand Opening last week in Haymarket, VA and took this picture of my table next to Janet, Marketing Director at Chik-fil-A in Gainesville, VA. Now, as people walked by what do you think drew their attention – the Sigma College of Small Business logo or the red and white Chik-fil-A table, complete with little stuffed cows and toy footballs?
To make matters worse, on my other side was the #33 BB&T stock car! I heard a lot of “Wow, look at that race car…and Chik-fil-A is here too!” It really isn’t fair:-(
Everyone can attest to the power of a brand! Coca Cola makes us want to teach the world to sing, and who does anything these days without “Googling” it first. Brands identify a product, create a feeling and convey an expectation of results – all from a logo, jingle, name or color scheme. But brands don’t just happen. The best brands are a result of creativity, strategy, disciplined marketing and most importantly consistent results.
Here are a few things we should consider as we build a brand:
- Deliver on the Brand – Define the attributes you want to convey with your brand and then make sure that you consistently deliver on those attributes – it takes a lot more marketing dollars to continually sell a message that isn’t backed by results. We like Chik-fil-A because it consistently delivers on our expectations of the brand.
- Brand Strategy – Most of us provide multiple products and services. Decide how you will approach branding and whose brand you will market most. If you are a shipping company authorized for FedEx shipments, gathering around that FedEx brand to get started might be the best approach. You can also brand at multiple levels. Honda is a brand for cars, motorcycles and generators, whereas Tide, Bounty and Charmin are all separate brands of Procter and Gamble. Make sure your brand strategy allows for expansion to your complete vision.
- Get Creative – There are a lot of resources out there that can help you build the actual brand elements – names, logos, colors, fonts, wording, etc… A few things that I’ve noticed about the best brands are that they are simple, flexible and unique. The names are easy to say, the logo (or part of the logo) is simple to reproduce and remember and the primary colors are few and contrasting. I’m no graphic designer, but I’ve heard some say that it is best to start your logo in black and white to get the base design, and then add the colors. In any case make sure the brand elements are consistent with your desired attributes.
- Be disciplined and consistent – Once you have decided on your branding, use it and be consistent. If someone misuses it, politely correct them. Use the fonts, words and colors you chose in your emails, advertising, give-aways and elevator pitch. And don’t forget to choose the advertising and sponsorships that match your brand attributes and audience.
It will likely take a few years for your new brand to be recognized, even in your local market. But the clock doesn’t start ticking until you decide to proactively build the brand.
What’s in a Name? The Power of Your Brand is now online with downloadable presentation and video.
How do you build your brand? I’d love to hear it!
Posted in Blog, Marketing and Sales
Tagged brand, branding, business, culpeper, development, education, elevator, free, gainesville, haymarket, introduction, learn, management, manassas, marketing, message, name, network, networking, owner, pitch, presentation, small, techniques, trademark, training, value, warrenton
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What I Learned This Week – 4/10/2010
by Jamie Gorman on April 10, 2010
What a great week of weather, business and family!
Molly’s Rule – “You MUST be present to win!”
While announcing the door prizes at events for the Prince William County – Greater Manassas Chamber, Chairman Molly Grove frequently reminds us – “You must be present to win, that’s my rule”. It hit me this week that this is not only a good door prize rule, but a great networking rule. To get the most out of a chamber of commerce or any networking group, you must attend, engage and participate. If you aren’t willing to “be present to win”, the networking opportunities will pass you by, and this is just as true with online social networking. Thanks Molly for reminding me of this networking fact!
YouTube Video Benefiting You Even More
Abe Erickson of Ugly Chair Productions sat down with me this week to discuss a joint class on using video in your marketing strategy (more info in the weeks to come). He mentioned a blog entry he was working on that described how, Google owned, YouTube is now transcribing the audio from YouTube videos, primarily for accessibility for the hearing impaired. However, another resulting benefit is that it provides text based content for search engine indexing – and any SEO expert will tell you “text is king” when it comes to search engines. This makes video an even more important part of your online strategy. Read more on Abe’s blog.
Exclusive: Abe also let me in on a new video production package Ugly Chair is developing where they will produce a 3 minute intro video for your business for less than $300. WOW! I’ll keep you posted on availability as I know.
- Jan’s Insurance Jeopardy!
Business Sign on Car =
Commercial Auto Policy
Jan Sutton of Farmer’s Insurance gave a near perfect demonstration of an effective way to use your “10 minutes” at the Piedmont Professionals. Insurance Jeopardy! was interesting, educational and most importantly, it gave Jan an opportunity to build credibility and point out some things that will help us all identify potential referrals for her. Great job Jan in making the BLAH, BLAH, BLAH a RAH, RAH, RAH, and thanks for the lesson. Don’t be surprised if I use this example in my next class.
Shouting Out!
Amelia with the #33 Car
News and Notes on the friends of SigmaBiz
Thanks to the Prince William County – Greater Manassas Chamber for adding Jessica Melander to the team! Jessica is hitting the ground running, making an already great team even better! Vince Buono and Costco in Manassas, VA will be hosting the Business Before Hours on Tuesday morning (4/13). Food, networking and early bird shopping – even for non-members. It’s free, so see you there and bring a guest. Amelia Stansell and her BB&T Heathcote Branch in Haymarket, VA hit a home run yesterday at the Grand Opening Celebration (see pictures). Thanks for the hospitality and all the people who came by to bank and help celebrate. Haymarket Earth Day on Saturday 4/17 – fun for the whole family and there are still sponsorship opportunities. Marketing on a Shoestring – I’m teaming up with Scot Small of Revbuilders and the Greater Warrenton Chamber of Commerce to present “Marketing on a Shoestring” Thursday morning, 4/15. We’re gonna put out some great info. Scot Small is also presenting at the “Business Making a Difference” Luncheon on Wednesday 4/14, hosted by 89.9 and 90.5 Virginia’s Positive Hits.
Posted in Blog, What I Learned This Week
Tagged business, classes, culpeper, education, elevator, free, gainesville, google, groups, haymarket, learn, management, marketing, networking, online, optimization, pitch, prince william, small, video, Virginia, warrenton, web, youtube
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Refining The “Elevator” Pitch
by Jamie Gorman on February 22, 2010
“What do you do?” We’ve all been there. It happens at those business networking events, business meetings and even at our family and social events. What do you say and how long do you spend saying it. Depending on the situation we may dive into our well rehearsed pitch with tag line, give a short one-line answer or just start talking only to stop when we are interrupted or alone.
The thought of the elevator pitch is that you should be able to convey important information about yourself and your company in less than a minute – the estimated time that you would be on an elevator with a prospective customer. The value of the elevator pitch is that in less than a minute you clearly communicate the value you provide (not a list of products) to that customer and establish a path for further communication. It seems simple and yet many of us, on a daily basis waste our moment in the spotlight because we don’t connect value to customer need in that short time.
Tuesday evening, 2/22/2010, we will be presenting a free class titled “What’s Your Business? The Art of the ‘Elevator’ Pitch” to walk through how to create and deliver a powerful one minute brief for your company. Here are a few tips that we cover in the class in greater detail:
- Know your value – the first step is to identify what value you and your products bring to each potential audience. What is in it for them if they buy or recommend your product.
- Define the audience – the message is different for each audience. Be prepared to address the person you only meet once differently from the networking group you see each week or a buyer differently than an influencer.
- Suggest a follow up – depending on the situation and your product the follow-up may range from an invitation to lunch to just an invitation to visit your web site. Either way, open a door for a future communication so you can start building that relationship.
- Listen – especially in those one-on-one initial meetings. Listen to what they do and what they need so that you can relate your value directly their needs. You may be better off spending 15 seconds giving your name, company name and arranging follow-up, then giving them your 45 seconds so that you can listen and be better prepared for the follow-up.
- Don’t talk too long – keep it short. Get to the point. In most situations people didn’t come just to listen to you, so keep it short and then arrange follow-up to get into details.
Many of us struggle in networking situations and that initial intro is always a bit awkward. Creating a mix of “elevator” pitches that we can draw from will help. If you belong to a networking group or have somebody who will give you honest feedback, ask for it and use it to improve.
Posted in Blog, Marketing and Sales
Tagged business, classes, education, elevator, groups, marketing, networking, pitch, sales
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