Nitin Aggarwal
Free is everywhere!
- We get free food samples at our supermarkets.
- We get free ebooks when we opt in to someone’s list on the Internet.
- On iTunes, most if not all podcasts are free, and there is always a selection of shows, music, and audio books that are free.
- We get free trials of software we are thinking about purchasing.
- We work while on the move via free WiFi internet access.
In his book Free: The Future of a Radical Price, Chris Anderson (author of the Long Tail and editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine) offers all kinds of examples of how “free” works to sell. A key message in the book is that “free” has a very strong impact on the psychology of the consumer. Give it away and it can easily go viral; charge even just a little bit for it, and it won’t move much farther than your bank deposit slip.
Google is a prime example of the use of “free” as a business strategy. Gmail went so viral that it has become a “must have” for many businesses, in spite of the use of other free services for company email addresses being frowned upon.
For small business marketing, “free” as a strategy has two schools of thought:
1) Don’t give too much away.
2) Give lots and lots of stuff away.
In the first instance, the free is a gimmick, like bait on a fish hook. It is intended to tantalize the prospect to the point where they part with their money to get the “real” product. In the second instance, the prospect gets so much value from the free stuff that they are more than willing to follow through with paid offerings.
In terms of client lifetime value, the second strategy is the hands down choice. Being openhanded, giving away “too much” in the eyes of your competitors, is part of establishing a relationship with your market that is based on trust and credibility.
Here are some suggestions to put into play when you use free as a way to build your business:
- Make your free thing whole and complete in itself. This doesn’t mean it can’t point to something that costs money. In fact, it should pitch a “for money” offering. Just be sure that your freebie is of value on its own.
- Consider giving some of your stuff away for nothing in return. Nothing. Meaning that the person can get it from you without giving you any of their contact information. This kind of action takes advantage of the principle of reciprocity; the receiver feels a sense of obligation when given something completely for free.
- Give participants the not-free thing they helped create for free. If you create software, reward your beta users. If you conduct a free teleclass and turn that material into a book or audio CD that you then sell, give the teleclass participants the book or CD for free. We give away free trial for our virtual assistant services. This not only helps our customers actually experience it but once also helps us get convert those prospects who have been shying away from the idea of having a virtual assistant.
- Finally, Don’t skimp or give “b” quality because the thing is being given away. Put the same quality into your freebie that you put into your priced offerings. And just like your priced offerings, make sure it provides real value to the recipient.
Do keep in mind that while you are giving away loads and loads of stuff, the end game really is to have prospects buy from you. Free won’t be effective unless you link the free stuff to opportunities to buy from you. So before you spring your free offers on your market, be clear about how and when you will present the “for money” opportunities to them.
About the author:
Nitin Aggarwal is a full time internet marketer and founder of Offshore Ally – A one stop virtual assistant company. In accordance with his philosophy for free – Offshore Ally offers a full one week trial for their virtual assistant services. You can connect with him on his website or Linkedin. You can also follow him on twitter.
Here is a helpful video -
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Richard Harmer
Over the past 7-8 years I’ve worked in marketing and brand development for myself and currently I’m a partner and Brand Strategist for Brady Media Group. http://www.bradymediagroup.com – It all “started” when I was 20 years old. A close friend of mine and business owner in Atlanta, GA wanted to speak with me about how to get him more business with those in my demographic. He’s been in business over 35 years and is over 60 years old. Much of his business comes from the younger generation…me. So, basically he needed some expert advice from a 20 year old! He asked me a ton of questions and just listened to me blab on about my life. I look back now and realize exactly what he was doing. He wanted to pick my brain. I’m not an idiot, so I sort of picked up on what he was doing during our conversations. What seemed the obvious to me was not at all the obvious to him. Even at times during some of our conversations, I thought why wouldn’t you do that? Neither he, nor his staff could see what I could. I had to explain why we younger people do some of the things we do. I realized during this time that he may not be the only business owner that needed such incredible knowledge (ha). I was sure that others needed the assistance, from a 20 year old, with little business experience. I was right! Others did! Real business owners were calling me, asking me questions! They were asking me all kinds of stuff! Now, I’m pretty savvy, but more than savvy I have some common sense. I see things as they are, without all the “fluff” and BS. Needless to say I didn’t charge them a penny, I didn’t know I could. Seems obvious I would charge, right? That’s the whole point of this article! What may be apparent to some, may not be apparent to others, even the guys who seem to have ALL the answers.
Many times business owners get so caught up “running” the business they neglect to evolve, stay up to date with current trends and strategically positioning their company for future success. This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Starting the company from the very beginning to handle growth and opportunities will keep the business from imploding or exploding later. It’s common sense. It is a bit of a balancing act however, but using some common sense will go along way.
Whatever demographic your business relies on, “become” it! If your demographic is kids, follow your own kids around, listen to them, or listen to other family members kids. Compile the information you’ve come up with by “becoming” your key demographic or key buyer. Be one of them… it’s common sense. Understand your buyer! Take the time to listen; don’t try to sell them on your stuff or your company, just listen. They will tell you exactly what to do next.
For example: Blockbuster is in a huge transition period with their business. They’re between the digital world and the “going to the store to rent a movie world”. This is a hard time for them. This could have been their chance to pull way ahead and positions themselves better for the future. All they had to do was UNDERSTAND who the buyers, or renters in this case were, what they were doing for fun and how they were watching movies!! They had ALL the resources, the name, the demographics and the reach. Blockbuster had one hell of an opportunity, but failed to use common sense and acknowledge what was happening. Common sense seems nonexistent when these types of companies become nothing but a complex bureaucracy. This is or was a multibillion dollar company that thinks they have all the answers. Well, they don’t! The industry they’re in, as of today, is an industry they could’ve led, they chose not to. They settled into a complex, no use of common sense, soon to be bankrupt company with little chance to succeed. It didn’t have to be that way.
So all business owners and executives, ATTENTION! Crawl out from your mahogany desk, get in the trenches and LISTEN to the people that want to buy your product. Look around on the internet and find out what’s going on. Join the conversation…it’s already going on without you. Chances are, there are blogs on the internet that say why your company sucks. Use common sense and it won’t be like trying to look into a crystal ball to see where to go or what to do next. Common sense tells me the internet and your “following” will tell you a lot about what you could do next. They, the consumers, are in control now…not you. Sometimes you have a rare opportunity to lead your entire industry into the direction you want it to go. Sometimes using a little bit of common sense instead of business sense will be the very thing that opens opportunities that could lead your business in the direction the industry is going! Think about it.
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Kevin Ishiguro
The What and Why of Formulists
When you get started with Twitter and as you become more active, the people you choose to follow, and the people who choose to follow you, provide Twitter’s value but also its toughest challenges. These challenges involve finding the right people to follow and sorting through them all once you do. On the flip-side, there is the difficulty of attracting the right followers and knowing when and why you lose them.
Formulists is a new web app that provides an effortless solution to these challenges by using Twitter lists in new ways. Formulists instantly generates personalized lists that can group the people you follow by criteria you specify, find new people in ways you choose, and show you changes in your followers directly from your Twitter home page or client.
Most Formulists-generated lists can be created with one click of the mouse, after signing into the website using your Twitter account. After creating the lists you can view them from your Twitter home page or client where they will be continuously updated without the need to return to the Formulist website. You can, however, return to the website if you would like to edit or view the history of one of your lists.
For those already experienced with Twitter lists, Formulists has some fun and unique ways to play with existing lists. Users have the option to create “custom lists” by combining, intersecting or subtracting existing Twitter lists from each other. Another option for users is to clone or filter existing lists by Twitter bio keywords, location or follower composition.
Curated by Deepak Gupta.
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Allan Maurer
So what is Tech Journal South? Tell us about their history and whom you are trying to reach.
Tech Journal South evolved from Triangle Tech Journal. The company hosts the Southeast Venture Conference. We then expanded the publication to the entire Southeastern United States. We typically focus on high-end stories involving CEOs, top level and industry trends, like a cross between TechCrunch and Mashable. We break funding stories as well. I am an experienced reporter and have written for magazines from Playboy to Modern Maturity as well as daily newspapers. I look for stories, interviews and trends. My audience is C-level execs, entrepreneurs, VCs and start-ups and I write about that culture. Major speakers appear at our SEVC and Internet Summit events, such as Craig Newmark of Craig’s List, comScore’s Gion Fulgoni, and Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia.
As an experienced national level reporter, how do you a recognize a Charlatan?
Sometimes you don’t until after the fact. It’s like playing Poker – you need to make sure your interviewee can back up claims. Basically, you check up on them quietly in the background. Call their Clients or people they do business with. It’s been quite minimal on the phony stuff – people are too well networked and you will know who they are. The Research Triangle is a hub of start-up culture and technology of the Southeast.
How do you market Tech Journal South?
- Print publication (not anymore)
- Online publication
- Regional and high profile conferences and events attracting national level speakers such as Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia or Vint Cerf of Google (Father of the internet).
What tools you do use as a Reporter?
- A Sony Digital Camera
- Networking events
- Ergonomic equipment
- Writing 6-8 stories a day
- Weekly tech view Atlanta
- SEO
- Art Images and use the of alt tags
- Google Analytics
- Dreamweaver
Any tips for startups or entrepreneurs?
Decide what your story is and get your story straight – ahead of time. Just like an elevator speech, you need a PR statement. When you become large enough, hire someone for PR – either externally or internally.
To find out more on Allan Maurer, be sure to visit – http://www.techjournalsouth.com/
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Joanne Lang
An Interview with Joanne Lang,
Founder and CEO of AboutOne.com
Recently, I met with Joanne Lang, Founder and CEO of bootstrapped web startup, AboutOne.com. She’s the mother of 4 boys under the age of 6, and started the company while working full time as an SAP executive. Throughout her 20 years’ experience in the software industry, Joanne has developed a proven track record of executing business development and go-to-market strategies for significant new software product launches, the most recent being the first enterprise SaaS offering for SAP. Moving on to the development and launch of AboutOne.com, a consumer SaaS application, was simply the logical next step in her career.
Currently in beta, AboutOne has already attracted considerable investor interest. This patent-pending web service helps busy families organize and manage what matters most: family memories and household information. Customers enter pieces of information as life happens, from any location, with any device, at any time. AboutOne saves their important information with a few clicks, and all posts are combined to save time and save money on everyday activities like creating mailing lists, family newsletters, scrapbooks, school forms, college applications, caregiver instructions, and tax returns. AboutOne also provides customers with information crucial to making informed decisions and responding to an emergency.
What was your inspiration for AboutOne.com?
About ten years ago, I had to apply for a visa to move from the UK to the US. The form required very specific information about my education, immunizations, health, residences, and doctors. I didn’t know most of these specific details and ended up calling my mom because she had all the information I needed, either in her head or on various pieces of paper. It wasn’t easy to compile it all, but thanks to her, I was able to take advantage of the opportunity to move to the US.
Now, as a mom, I am my family’s record-keeper. Because my family counts on me, I want to be prepared with the necessary details to handle everyday life events including creating my boys’ baby books, recording their education details, writing monthly newsletters to my extended family, and completing sports team and school applications. I need that same information at my fingertips in an emergency, and I want to ensure that my boys never miss opportunities in life because I’ve failed to keep the information they need or I’m not there to give it to them. I developed AboutOne using my experience with technology so I could spend less time on record-keeping and more time with my family.
I understand you felt very strongly about incorporating social responsibility in AboutOne’s mission.
Yes, I did. AboutOne’s mission includes a philanthropic component which emphasizes operating the company in a way that fosters mindfulness about important issues, empowers others to address these issues, and promotes positive change in local, national, and international communities. Our focus is on children, women, and heroes (military, police, firefighters).
What traits did you look for when building your initial team?
As I was building the AboutOne team, I looked for three characteristics:
- People who feel the pain point AboutOne addresses; I wanted team members who are passionate about our solution.
- The ability to execute.
- The ability work collaboratively and adapt to change.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs considering a web software startup opportunity?
Cash is king! The best piece of advice I can offer has to do with hiring technical contractors. When hiring a contract team, references are useful, but DO NOT rely on them. Have your contractors prove their ability. Give them a small project and deadlines, and make sure you have an expert on your team to review their work. If you do not have an expert on your team, PAY someone! Do not waste a lot of time and, more importantly, precious cash on a contract team who can’t deliver what they promise.
Visit www.AboutOne.com to learn more, or email Joanne Lang at jlang@aboutone.com. You can also find us on Twitter/AboutOne and on Facebook/AboutOne.
Curated by Deepak Gupta.
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Richard Harmer
What makes you think that putting a quarter page ad in a local magazine still works?! A few short years ago everything changed in the marketing world. How we communicate changed. Modern marketing and branding did a complete 180. The real “brand” of a company became fluid, like a school of fish avoiding a predator in an elaborate dance in the deep ocean. Everything you were ever told in college about advertising and marketing became distorted, seemingly overnight. Well, most of everything…(I’ll explain later). Those that don’t get it by now, SUCK! You see I don’t expect everyone to “get it” and understand the complexity in what happen, it’s those that don’t realize or even recognize it happened. Why? Their living in it with the rest of us, and using these same tools that’s why!! I’m not saying you have to be an expert on marketing or communications or anything of the sorts, but when the hell was the last time YOU built a relationship, bought something, or found an answer to a question you were looking for in an ad on a quarter page of some cheesy socialite local publication?! Yeah! Mean either!! Never have actually. It’s not the method itself I have a problem with, it’s the purpose behind it and HOW it’s being used. How about expecting YOUR audience to watch the local news on channel 5 and wait till 5:17pm till your 25 second spot airs? NOT going to happen! Again, it’s not the tactic, it the purpose and the expectations that are set within that singular tactic. The term “public relations” or should I say the “tactics” used in public relations are far different than they were just 5 short years ago. YouTube is now a PR tactic, so is twitter and even a podcast on your website. I mean, it’s still “public” and its still “relations” right? Remember, the end goal is NOT to get on TV or in a magazine…it’s to get in front your audience to drive revenue!
First and foremost, you have to understand “WHY” people LOVE you or your product or service to begin with, assuming you’ve been in business long enough to get a customer. No matter what platform you’re using to reach your customers you must have a great “story” or stand for something larger than just another “flippin” company selling some stupid “gizmo”. I mean really, if you suck, you’re still going to suck on YouTube! Now you can just suck in front of more people…and then they can tell others faster how much you suck! Got it?! Oh…and, if you suck and are NOT on YouTube, guess what?! Others can still say YOU suck on YouTube and YOU can’t be there to defend yourself…because you failed to get a YouTube channel! Geeeeez, that’s pretty harsh isn’t it?! Well, that’s the world we live in…and it’s only getting worse, so get used to it! What’s my point? Your brand or company is no longer in control. You see the consumers are in control now. They determine, when and how they want to communicate with you. They determine who and how many people they want to talk to about YOU (good or bad), what they want to hear from you and what information they need to make a decision to buy. What matters here isn’t the fact they do all this, because consumers have always “done this”. It’s the speed and volume in which it happens. They can spread a message faster to more people now than ever. You’re one bad twitter feed away from you losing your ass! One bad blog away from scrapping a multimillion dollar advertising campaign that your top ego in charge developed out of the genius of his own mind. I know, CRAZY, but true!! How do you control “it” (your brand, your message, the future of your company)? What’s your story? Really, what’s your story and answering WHY you’re in business to begin with will tell you where to be, what to say and how to say it, even who to say it to.
Texas Star Pharmacy http://texasstarpharmacy.com - in Plano, Texas is a client of mine at Brady Media Group http://bradymediagroup.com – We have been working with them for over a year now and have had a HUGE amount of success. In fact, they will be opening another pharmacy soon! Determining WHO they were and WHY they started Texas Star Pharmacy was where we had to begin. By assessing the company and their strengths it was actually the customers of the pharmacy that determined what the marketing approach was going to be. Because of the powerful and very loving personality of Dr. Donna Barsky, the owner and pharmacist of this independent pharmacy, we determined it was her! Her customers LOVE her!! She is extremely caring and a natural teacher. She loves helping people and sharing her wisdom with EVERYONE she sees. So what did we do? We merely provided opportunities for her to be…well, her, in front of more people. Our approach? Heavy on some tradition PR tactics, mostly TV so people can see her (and her demographic was watching TV), radio, creating “organic media” that included internal educational videos and podcasts all made by her, a slight change of the logo, a tag line that fit, print material that made her more prominent and an email that went to her customers. Of course there were a few components that were more in depth, but the point here is we only did what was going to be affective and what she could maintain. It wasn’t this large elaborate campaign that didn’t make sense. It was simple and kept to the core of who she is and what Texas Star Pharmacy is about, helping others. They needed help developing and telling the story, the message developed from that story and finally the strategy. They didn’t need to change in order to “fit” in to satisfy an audience she was never going to reach. What made them tick? What platforms made sense based on their audience and abilities? We answered these questions (along with a few others) and built a strategy for HER and Texas Star Pharmacy. No ad agency or PR firm can make you passionate or develop a product that people will use. If people won’t use it, it will flop…everytime! It won’t matter the “strategy” behind the campaign. If it will solve a problem for the end user all you may need is a great story to tell.
So where do you go from here if you don’t suck? Keep it simple stupid!! Don’t make your message complex! Work with what you have! Be Authentic! You may have to dig a little to find the story and develop the message, but if you can do that YOU become in control of your brand again. Yes, the consumers can control and drive growth and how much they talk about you, but they can NEVER change WHO you are and WHY you’re in business. That’s something you can always stand on! That way, if that bad tweet comes out, you can proudly stand on your record and offer to help fix the problem and even admit fault in front of EVERYONE! There’s a lot to be said about authenticity and transparency. Admitting fault on a very public stage requires a lot of courage!! From that courage you can gain respect and credibility with your audience and even outside your audience. So when I said “almost” everything changed, I meant it…”almost”. What hasn’t changed is WHAT makes a great company. Media, marketing, advertising, branding and how we communicate will keep changing, but if you’re loved and don’t suck, you’ll have nothing to worry about… just make sure you’re evolving your communication methods like everyone else, so they can see you being…you.
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Laurie Davis
What inspired you to start eFlirt Expert?
Prior to starting eFlirt Expert, I was a marketing consultant. One of my major clients was affected by the Madoff scandal and discontinued my project. So I decided to brainstorm my hidden talents and see if I could come up with a new career focus. When a friend called to tell me he was moving in with his girlfriend, a light bulb switched on. I helped him meet her! I was a first adopter to online dating 10 years ago, when I was a mere 18 years old, and throughout the years always gave my friends the digital hookup as I ghostwrote their profiles and taught them how to date online. Now, I combine my experience in online dating with my marketing savvy to create the ultimate personal branding campaigns for singles. I strategize their dating life by considering their target market, key messages, length, skim-ability and a number of other components.
You started your business during the recession?! What was that like?
When I started researching the online dating space, I realized that online dating was one of the few industries booming during the recession. Singles were laid off with more time on their hands. Their jobs had been their lives, but now they were forced to breakup with their career. Priorities shifted and they began to reevaluate their lives. Do they want children and a wife? Well… it can’t hurt to see what’s out there! The online dating space is also constantly evolving. It’s not just about having a profile on a dating site any longer – you flirt on Facebook and might even use a location-based dating app to meet other singles. I wanted to not only help singles put their best foot forward online, but help them transition seamlessly to meaningful, in-person experiences.
Did you have startup capital or other resources?
I started my entire business with $50, which I spent on a domain and website. I got myself a Twitter account, Facebook fan page and blog and started putting myself out there. Soon, Twitter had proved to be my company’s main vehicle for growth. In 140 characters, I became credible, developed a buzz, converted clients, met press and ultimately became one of the “Twitter Top Ten to Follow For Dating Advice,” alongside @Match and @okcupid (two major dating sites). In the last year, I have been cited as a subject matter expert by several media outlets including The New York Times, Glamour and The Washington Post. The company has seen aggressive growth in year one and there are lots of exciting things for us on the horizon.
But, I’m sure it couldn’t have all been easy. What challenges did you face?
The biggest hurdle was a lack of awareness of my services. I was not only creating a new company but developing a new service in a relatively new industry. Sure, not having much competition had its advantages, but new ideas need a frame of reference. If your target market doesn’t know your company’s services or products exist or properly understand their value, they won’t buy them. This is the reason why awareness through social media worked particularly well for us. It lets online daters, the industry and the press know that advice and help existed for those flirting with technology. When I first started my business, people whom I introduced myself to at events would say “You do what?!” Now, more often I hear “Oh, I’ve heard about eFlirt Expert.”
And what have people heard?
They’ve usually been to our website or read an article I was quoted in and want to know more. People are often hesitant to involve a third party in their dating efforts, but feel more comfortable once they realize that their certified eFlirter is basically just like their best friend with expert knowledge. Since you can’t study to be a “digital dating coach” in college, establishing credibility is a challenge. The key for me was being consistent, getting my advice out there and letting it speak for itself.
What were the best ways of spreading the word?
Originally, I distinguished myself by tweeting one tip each day. Soon, tweeps started following @eFlirtExpert simply for the daily dating tip, then they’d retweet it and then it would become a discussion point in the community. Twitter experts say the half life of a tweet is 4 minutes. Some of my dating tips of the day have circled the real-time web for over 20 hours.
Since we couldn’t afford traditional advertising campaigns, I thought of other ways to reach my target audience through less expensive guerilla marketing. I had interns post flyers in coffee shops and circulate postcards on the subway. I started a Wednesday tradition called Free Flirt Advice where I sit at a bar with a little sign and give 10 minutes of complimentary advice – office hours for singles, if you will. Basically, it’s all about being creative.
We’ve gotten some good press coverage and have been proactive about outreach. Now, I also co-host a web TV show and regularly contribute to a few third-party columns. I’d say to other entrepreneurs that if this type of approach fits your brand and is something to which you can dedicate enough time to make it work, go for it!
Since social media has been so important to eFlirt Expert, what advice would you give to startups regarding social media?
Having a clear point of view that your followers can rely on is important as is adding that human touch by revealing interesting stories that are relatable. Getting involved in their lives and really helping on a one-on-one basis is what we’re all about, and we continue to do that through Twitter. I jump in on conversations and give encouragement about a follower’s latest date or answer their direct questions about their love lives. While I consider my tweet stream a resource for singles, it’s also a journey of a “day in the life” of a startup. My followers enjoy the dating advice they get, but also appreciate hearing about and discussing my latest events, speaking engagements, photo shoots, client milestones, articles and book news.
Here is some recent coverage from NBC – click here.
Curated by Deepak Gupta.
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Susan Singer
Today I have the chance to open my discussion with one of my Twitter friends, Susan Singer about Product Management. Through networking, I learn new concepts and today Susan will share her thoughts about an knowledge (intangible) products.
Susan, you’ve been engaged in product management – but not the kind most people think of. Do you want to address that just a bit?
Sure, Deepak. I’ve worked in some form of research most of my career – scientific labs, universities, even survey research. Most of the time, there isn’t a tangible product at all; what is generated is knowledge and reports. Lots of reports! A biotech start-up I worked for didn’t get its first patent until 16 years after I left.
So, in my “business” you have to be satisfied with an end result that very few people will ever see or know about. You’ll certainly never see your work on store shelves… and it’s nearly impossible to show a portfolio of your work to prospective employers when nearly everything you’ve done is proprietary!
So you’re really a Knowledge Worker! How do you go about this kind of work?
I utilize a modified approach to project management in order to facilitate the work. In standard PM, time, scope and cost are generally well-defined; risk is avoided to whatever extent possible. But research is different – if you knew the answer already, you wouldn’t have to conduct research!
Also, scientists think differently. Even if you introduced them to the “triple constraints” of project management, they will adhere to the scientific method to the exclusion of all other considerations. Another thing that is very different in research is the acceptance of risk; scientists, especially, realize that sometimes the only way to achieve is to step far outside of the box and their comfort zones.
You mentioned “lots of reports” – what is your contribution to helping enable researchers to share and leverage the results of their work?
Moving the actual research through its various phases and through to completion is probably just over half of the job. I cover the process aspect fairly exhaustively in my article “Project Management in the Research Environment”. The remaining portion is sharing the results – within the community initially, and later to a broader audience. This information has to be the tailored to the audience; what is understandable and readable to other scientists, is going to make no sense to R&D venture capitalists and even less so to “lay” people who are merely seeking an answer to their questions.
Researchers are usually brilliant. Unfortunately, what comes easily to them eludes the rest of us. My job is to bring what they know to the audiences they want to share the information with and make it understandable.
What is the strangest way in which you’ve had to package the results of research for dissemination?
There was one PhD I used to work with. Great guy – great mind. He absolutely couldn’t string two sentences together and readily admitted it. As things happened in the lab or as ideas occurred to him, he’d tear scraps of paper off a pad and write those things down. He’d drop them on my desk whenever he passed by. I made entire, 20-page R&D proposals from these scraps!
What are scientists like to work with?
I love working with researchers. There is a genuine sense of community and intellectual banter that’s very collegial. Of course, when a lab experiment goes bad, they’ll brood for a few days, but you would too, if you’d invested your soul in your work, so I feel they’re entitled!
A huge issue arising in many workplaces now is the subject of bullying – have you experienced this sort of behavior in research environments?
Generally speaking, no. I have found researchers to be, by and large, a very heterogeneous group of people, and thus very tolerant and respectful of other people. The only thing I have witnessed is the competitiveness bred in a “publish or perish” world.
I have experienced bullying in corporate environments in which I’ve worked, though.
What is your opinion of workplace bullying? Do you have techniques for dealing with it in project management teams?
I consider it a form of workplace violence. It is not to be tolerated, regardless of whether it comes in the form of making faces, passive-aggressive acts like withholding information from a colleague or actual intimidation or physical/verbal abuse.
When I put together a team, I actively try to cultivate a true team atmosphere. I encourage everyone to participate and express their opinions. I tell people that I am perfectly capable of being wrong – regularly – and that I expect them to say something when I am so that corrections can be instituted before they become disasters. People give and get credit when it’s due; nothing productive comes from “the blame game” and mistakes are learning opportunities. I subscribe to the philosophy of “failing fast” in order to learn equally quickly to get a job done. There is no room for massive egos, jockeying for status and certainly not for bullying!
Posted by Deepak Gupta.
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Louis Rosas-Guyon
I had the opportunity to speak with business technology expert Louis Rosas-Guyon today. Louis is a peerless problem solver, author and speaker. He specializes in cloud computing and technology strategy. He founded R-Squared Computing in 1999 and has been helping small and medium-sized businesses become smarter, faster and cheaper than their competition.
His newest book Firm Wisdom teaches you how to use social technologies inside your business to protect your most undervalued asset. His first book Nearly Free IT for small business has been downloaded over 100,000 times. Louis was the kid that always found the best way to get the job done.
You can learn more about Louis at his website: LouRG.com
Why did you start your business?
Back in December of 1998, the madness of the Dot Com boom was finally crashing. My employer had just been sold and the new owners made me a good offer except it required uprooting my family and moving to Houston.
I was standing in the parking lot after work talking with Alex Rodriguez (not the baseball player!) discussing the future. It was during that fateful conversation that we hammered out the bones of the business plan that became R-Squared Computing. Because Alex is, hands-down, the smartest person I have ever known, I made him my business partner and Chief Engineer.
How do you serve your customers?
We solve business problems. We specialize in networks, servers, cloud computing and tech strategy. In everything we do we always try to maximize the value to our customers. And because we don’t sell the equipment and software we specify, you know there’s no profit motive driving our recommendations. Too many other technology outsourcers are really just salesmen in disguise.
Further, we believe that technology should never slow you down. You have real priorities and you just don’t have time for glitchy technology. You need it to work at least as hard as you do. For 10 years R-Squared Computing‘s customers have squeezed every ounce of productivity from their technology.
How do you reach your target market?
R-Squared attracts customers primarily through referrals, face-to-face networking, our blog, my books and social networking.
Without doubt, the vast majority of our customers come from referrals and face-to-face networking. The majority of our customers have referred us at least once with one customer having referred us to more than 25 prospects! Referrals are powerful because your customer’s are lending you their credibility.
Face-to-face networking is our second source of new prospects. As the designated extrovert, I handle the networking events. It is a great opportunity to meet new people and begin to build relationships. I never go to networking events with the goal of securing customers – I go with the goal of helping as many people as possible. By giving value first I become an important resource for the people I help.
Do you think there is an over-emphasis on social networking?
Depth of relationships matter. Online relationships can be shallow and one dimensional because it hides non-verbal communication. However in a face-to-face setting you have the opportunity to size people up. There are definite clues about a person’s character from how they dress, how they shake hands, the strength of eye contact and so forth. Social networking is a great way to keep in touch with people but not so useful for weighing their character.
How do you use your books as part of your marketing?
I have the standard set of marketing tools – business cards, brochures, website, case studies and so on.
Everyone I meet gets a business card, it doesn’t matter who they are. During our first formal business meeting, you get a brochure and any relevant case studies after we have finished our conversation. If we progress to the point where we meet again, you get a copy of my first book, Nearly Free IT and our written business proposal.
The book is an instant credibility builder. I go from just another vendor to “The Guy Who Wrote the Book on Lowering Technology Costs.” In the eyes of prospective customers, I am now an authority and that sets me apart from the rest of the herd.
On the flip side, there are also the customers that contact me because they read the book. These are the people who have started using the ideas I wrote about but have hit a snag that I did not cover. Maybe it’s something specific to their industry or a particular challenge they are facing – in either case, I become the Go-To Guy for their technical concerns because I have already given enormous value.
Your first book, Nearly Free IT, has over 100,000 downloads. What’s so special about the book?
I started writing Nearly Free IT with the goal of pursuing a traditional publishing deal. I hired an agent and he was shopping around my manuscript. Then all hell broke loose when the economy took a nose dive. The publishers that had expressed interest all unanimously informed me that they would not be accepting any new books until the “economic outlook improved.”
It was at that moment I decided to put it online for free. I firmly believe that entrepreneurs will lead the way back to recovery. Entrepreneurs create new businesses. They consume goods and services. They hire employees. They build, innovate and invent the future. Just ask Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey or Warren Buffett and they will all agree. Entrepreneurs are the real engines that drive sustainable economic growth.
With hard work, smart money management and a few lucky breaks, anyone can run a successful business. I decided my book would be a lucky break.
Nearly Free IT isn’t a list of free software you can download – it’s a new way of working with technology so you can derive all the benefits without the heavy price tag. It explains utility and cloud computing and how you can take advantage of that power in your business. And because I hate TechnoGeek jargon, I wrote this book in plain English that even my mother can understand. Go download a copy and see for yourself how it can help you save money.
What is your new book, Firm Wisdom, about?
Firm Wisdom is all about protecting your businesses most undervalued asset. Right now in every business there is knowledge, ideas, experiences and information that is trapped inside your employee’s heads. Everything from knowing your biggest customer’s favorite brand of whiskey to where the paperclips are hidden, this information is critical to the smooth operation of any business. When you lose those employees through layoffs, resignations or demise, you lose access to that incredible valuable information forever.
Firm wisdom explains why it’s important to record this information, how it becomes business wisdom and then provides a list of free tools you can use immediately to set up your own firm wisdom system.
Where can I buy a copy?
Just visit FirmWisdom.com and order your copy today.
Curated by Deepak Gupta.
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Kathryn Korostoff
First, a little context. I have been quite lucky in the world of business; I had successfully bootstrapped, and eventually sold, a business I had started back in 1993. But starting anew business, Research Rockstar, in 2009 was quite different. Especially in terms of marketing. After all, back in 1993, we didn’t even have our own domain name—let alone a website, email marketing campaigns, and SEO.
After eight months of trying to do it all on my own, I decided to hire a marketing expert. Someone who could help me with social media marketing and online campaigns overall. I searched on LinkedIn and Guru.com. I conducted phone interviews, ad checked unofficial references. Finally I selected a consultant. I’ll call her Jane.
Jane was going help assist me with a variety of marketing efforts to improve my SEO and also manage some planned PPC investments. She was sharp, experienced, and knew my industry. That last point is important because I am in a very niche market; I felt confident that she understood my product, and that was a big plus. The catch? She gets $100/hour. But I know what you get what you pay for. Someone at $100/hour, I assumed, would need minimal supervision and deliver high-quality.
The first few weeks were great. She really helped improve my SEO results.
But then we started the PPC part of our efforts; I shared with her what I had done to date with PPC, and my goals. A couple of week into it, as my Google AdWords bills came in, I realized I was spending a lot for clicks, but they were not converting very well. So I investigated, and much to my horror, she was running ads that had nothing to do with my offerings. The $100/consultant who I was sure understood my business, was getting me a lot of clicks—for a totally irrelevant offering.
After I advised her, come to find out that she subcontracted that part of the project. She told me the ads would stop. A week later? The ads were STILL running. I advised her I would be ending our engagement. She was indignant because she hires “best in class subcontractors” so it was ridiculous of me to expect her to “micro manage” them by actually checking their work. The whole thing wasted weeks of time and about $2k (of which $500 I got back from the poor subcontractor who probably had no idea what I sell) .
So what did this expensive lesson teach me?
- Just because someone says they have expertise in social media and online marketing, doesn’t mean they do. They may have great general marketing references, but it doesn’t mean they have a track record with newer marketing vehicles.
- Ask marketing consultants even one-person shops, what they subcontract. I get the feeling some have taken the “4-hour work week” a little too far.
- If I hire PPC help in the future, I will require 3 PPC-specific references, and specify that I must personally approve all ads. ALL of them.
Kathryn Korostoff (Twitter as ResearchRocks)
Founder, Research Rockstar
Kathryn Korostoff has a special interest in how organizations acquire, manage, and apply market research. Over the past 20 years, she has personally directed more than 600 primary market research projects and published over 100 bylined articles in various magazines, including Quirk’s and the MRA’s Alert!. Kathryn is also the author of the book, “How to Hire & Manage Market Research Agencies,” available on Amazon, and is the founder and president of Research Rockstar, the only independent company dedicated to market research training (online and in-person).
Curated by Deepak Gupta.
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