The Three Best Ways to Find New Business

I had the benefit of hearing Tom Pryor, author, growth coach and Executive Director of the Small Business Development Center’s Enterprise Excellence, at a recent event (more later on how you too can get invited to hear great business minds share their knowledge). According to Pryor, many of us are asking ourselves the wrong questions these days – specifically when it comes to the economy. Instead of contemplating, “when will this crisis end,” we should consider the following: How will it change the way we think, do business and our priorities?

Once we’ve divined satisfactory answers, Pryor encourages us to mine for new small facts that can make a big difference and provide competitive edge. He shared The Idea Mining Journal, a tool created the Eureka Institute. The journal suggests we mine for ideas in three areas:

• uniqueness
• your customers
• technology

Pryor suggests we choose one task out of the business building trifecta and work on it for 30 minutes each day for an entire week. For example, you might look for ways to green your business and standout from your competitors. You could also poll your customers and ask them what they value about your business, and what could be improved. Finally, see how you can leverage technology to improve your business, making you more competitive. 

Once you’ve gathered your data, Pryor suggests moving forward at a rapid pace. “People tend to make the wrong decision when they over think,” he stated.

"If you’re going to fail – fail fast, make it cheap and get smart."

Pryor spoke at the Business Bites luncheon, a free event sponsored by The Alternative Board. They are held monthly in downtown Fort Worth and lunch is provided.

5 Ways to Save Money on a Viral Video Project

Most public relations practitioners think of corporate video has high-dollar productions. However, the rules in today’s world of social media are such that creating a video for your organization doesn't have to be expensive, and it can be just as valuable as a big budget corporate blockbuster. Click here and check out this rapping flight attendant from Southwest Airlines. Southwest put it on their blog and not long after they were fielding phone calls from CNN and The Jay Leno Show! You can't buy that kind of press.

My opportunity to create a viral video came while working at JPS. We wanted to launch a new customer service initiative and roll it out to all 4,500 employees who were geographically separated. We decided creating a series of videos that used humor and was attention grabbing would be far more effective than sending out an e-mail telling everyone to be nice and smile more often. Check out how we created elevator heroes and reminded everyone to provide better communication to patients by clicking here. You too can create heroes or promote your company’s fun atmosphere without breaking the bank by using the following guidelines:

• Write it yourself
• Use your own people as talent
• Keep it short 1:30 – 2 min
• Shoot multiple videos at one time
• Use limited:
•  audio
• graphics
• lighting

Use these tactics and you should be able to produce a series of viral videos for $6,000-$10,000.

Why Your Company Needs Social Media Guidelines

My column as it appeared in the Fort Worth Business Press on Feb. 15, 2010

Though some executives may feel that social media isn’t a useful marketing tool for their company, and they could be right, employers must keep in mind that even if their company isn’t blogging, podcasting or tweeting – their employees are. Facebook, the site that allows users to share information about themselves through brief status updates, pictures, video and more, boasts 350 million users. TechCrunch.com reports that 20 million Americans are using Twitter, a service that lets you sum up and share your thoughts in 140 characters or less. And these aren’t just gum-smacking, iPod using teenagers. According to Mashable.com more than 65 percent of Facebook users are 25 years of age and older, with the greatest growth seen in those aged 55 years and older.

Companies have been governing communication tools since phones and computers became standard issue for employees. Policies regulating personal phone calls, e-mail and internet usage were naturally implemented with the technology. They serve has reminders to staff that they are able to use the equipment provided to them for work purposes, but it is not intended for personal use and nothing is sacred. The problem is that these policies don’t address how employees use their own technology when they are at work and off the clock.

Wired.com reports that 54 percent of companies ban social media usage at work. Even though the IT department has blocked social media sites on a company-provided laptop, employees can still access banned pages on their smart phone in their pocket. A study done by Nucleus Research shows that 77 percent of people who have a Facebook account use it at work. The social nature of Facebook suggests the fodder is less likely to consist of company trade secrets and more apt to be commentary on the weather, the coffee in the break room or other mundane happenings. Think of it as happy hour chit chat all day long.

However, bosses beware; this relaxed atmosphere creates the opportunity for remarks never intended for your clients’ consumption to become public. Even well-intentioned employees could create havoc by attempting to provide advice or insight and inadvertently representing themselves as a spokesperson for your organization. Regardless of a company’s presence online, a social media policy is necessary for most all organizations. One might argue some industries should have greater concern than others, such as health care, banking/finance and others that collect sensitive information from clients and customers. What might seem as friendly health or financial advice to a relative or fellow blogger, could mean trouble if the message is inaccurate or counter to a company’s mission. Additionally, depending on the method used, the information could be open for public consumption.

Winstead PC shareholder John Smart, a board-certified specialist in labor and employment law responded on behalf of The Health Industry Council, a nonprofit, organization consisting of North Texas healthcare organizations. He recommends that employers remind staff that they have no reasonable expectations of privacy on their computers at work, and that they can be held accountable for information posted after hours. “Employers have the ability to discipline employees for inappropriate postings, regardless of how they are discovered,” he said.
Before putting those reminders on paper, consider including the following in your social media guidelines:
• Employees may not use your organization’s logo on their personal blog, Web site, Facebook page, etc.
• Employees should make sure that it is clear that their views are their own and that they are not representing the organization
• Your company will not be liable for any misinformation that is published by employees on personal Web sites, blogs, etc.
• Consider whether or not you want employees to be able to include a link to your homepage
• Encourage employees to think before they post or publish, if they have concerns about information they are sharing to contact their supervisor and/or public relations department

Most employers can sum up their guidelines in a few paragraphs. Consider forming a committee of employees to review them and provide feedback before they are adopted by the organization. This will help create buy-in once you are ready to roll them out. Finally, make sure employees understand that their participation in social media is certainly their decision, but that they can be held accountable at work for what is posted on their personal time.

Communicating Health Reform

Corporate communicators would serve themselves well to pop the alka-seltzer now and begin educating themselves and their employee base about health care reform. Communicating the inner workings of health care reform can make the most senior Washington insider nauseous, much less a public relations professional. “It is an ugly set of circumstances,” remarked Jeff Kimbell, President Jeffrey J. Kimbell & Associates, a Washington-based healthcare consultant. Kimbell, Dr. James Rohack, President and Director of the American Medical Association (AMA) and Dr. Dan Stultz President/Chief Executive Officer of Texas Health Resources participated on a panel and discussed key components of health care reform.

All agreed the time is now to engage the process. Involving your staff today will help alleviate possible misunderstandings and concerns when changes are made to how the government and your organization provide health care coverage. Helping people feel a part of the conversation now will benefit your company later when changes are made. Don’t let employees depend on reports from the media or water cooler gossip.

• Send an e-mail to staff and include the following recommended web sites listed below for the salient details. Include important milestone events in your newsletter.

         http://www.ama.org/
         http://www.hsreform.org/
         http://healthreform.kff.org/

• Hold a town hall meeting and invite elected officials so they can receive feedback from members of your organization.
• According to Rohack, the AMA would like health care reform to include incentives for those who make positive lifestyle choices. Consider forming a committee of employees and form a wellness program.

With just a small amount of effort you can begin providing information and gaining awareness of possible changes that will help clear up the fog of medicine-head confusion that is likely to follow the final health care reform changes.

Rules to Thriving in a Recession

This is the time when money is made, according to Tom Niesen, a sales performance consultant. I listened as he shared his message with the Dallas Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). He noted several companies that were born out of recessions including: FedEx, UPS, Coors Brewing Company, Walt Disney and Cost Co – just to name a few.

The four rules to being successful this year according to Niesen are as follows:

• Rule #1 Follow the money – Money is out there. America’s gross domestic product is more than $13 trillion (that’s the amount of money that will be exchanged this year). Niesen suggests turning off the tv and stop listening to all the pessimists. Then clear your mind and let go of the head trash. Think positive!

• Rule #2 Make Decisions Based on Customers – Ask them, “What do you want to buy, and how can I help you this year?”

• Rule #3 Be Different – Make your competitors irrelevant. Find out what sets you apart and own it.

• Rule #4 Be Extremely Aggressive in Sales – You must think of all of your employees as members of the sales department.

Niesen is CEO and founder of Acuity.

Signs of Poor Communication

Signs are an interesting form of communication. They can bring forth a myriad of emotions with just a few words. A sale sign can make my heart palpitate with excitement. Detour signs generally make me nervous. Signs can also be responsible for great disappointment. I was at the grocery store the other day and there was a piece of paper on the glass door where the dairy products are kept that had Out of Milk – Sorry written on it. It didn't seem very apologetic, and I couldn’t help but hear the woman in sweat pants tell the manager so. Perhaps they could have typed something up explaining the milk truck was in an accident, or the cows weren't up for milking that day? Whatever the explanation, customers expect to see a fully stocked dairy case when they walk into the grocery store. Management could have considered providing more details and directions to the nearest convenience store (ideally they would have called ahead to make sure the milk truck didn't pass them up, too).

The worst signs are the grammatically challenged written in poor penmanship. They are usually found taped to an elevator, or unruly piece of machinery. Soda Machine is Broke tends to be one I see frequently. I can’t help but think of my eleventh grade English teacher every time I see that particular phrase.

The point is – nearly every business housed in brick and mortar uses signs. Most of the people who create them are well-intentioned. They want to let you know that you should hang on to your dollar rather than risk losing it for a bottle of water. Fair enough, but when the communication comes down to an important business function such as, discontinuing a particular form of service or the relocation of an office- you want to make sure that people are being informed at the right time in the right manner. Creating a sign is passive form of communication. It prevents front line personnel from having to engage customers. The notion is if they create a sign, then they don’t have to be the one to provide the disappointing news. Actually, they are only fueling the flames of frustration. The customer is now angry before they even get to the frontline staff person. Conversely, we can’t be angry about something we haven’t made aware of, and it is less disappointing when someone apologizes and offers a solution.

Signs can’t convey tone or sympathy - only humans. Stop spreading signs. Be human.

Leverage Your Corporate Video for More Exposure and SEO

Corporate video can be expensive and have a short lifespan. Annual meeting and milestone celebrations are excellent occasions for creating a video piece, however, once the event is over, the piece can sometimes be put on a shelf never to be seen again. You might consider editing portions of the video in order to make it appropriate for a broad audience. Why not promote your company’s success and culture?

You can continue to leverage your video without spending any more money. Additionally, you can increase your search engine optimization (that means Google and Yahoo will put you up higher on the list when someone searches your for company or services).

You can go about using previously shot video in one of two ways – you can create a YouTube account and add the link to your website, or you can utilize a service that will embed your video on your site for you with little or no cost to you. There are pros and cons to each. YouTube is great because it is free and easy, but it doesn’t add to the search engine optimization (SEO) of your site. However, you can put a link on your site and show off what you’ve done. Check out how the Cincinnati Zoo uses YouTube on its website http://www.cincinnatizoo.org/

Search engines (Google, Yahoo) are constantly reviewing sites for key words and phrases. They are looking at number of clicks of course, and if you add video, you have the opportunity to add more keywords and phrases and more clicks on your site. There are several sites that will do this for you for no cost or low cost. The process is relatively easy. You send them the video and they send you a link for your site. Your video will appear on your site, just as if you had paid a designer to incorporate it into your site. The downside is that many use ads to off-set the revenue. You have no control if viewers see a Tide or Coca-Cola commercial before they view your video. They might also add a logo to the viewer. Check out the following to see how it works. Check out the following sites to see the process in action for yourself:

http://www.fliqz.com/

http://www.vimeo.com/

http://www.videobloom.com/