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What I learned from.... mash-ups

The subject of this months MZM WILF sounds rather like messing up. I learned a lot from that too, but that's perhaps for another day.

My turtle friend Robert at MZM objective of this month is to mash up at least two items from a list he kindly enough provided us:

So, here goes:

Time - Heroes

You know, as children we all had our heroes, be it Punch and Judy, Dumbo or in my case Bones McCoy, Mr Spock and later followed by Mr Data. Why does someone becomes "your hero"? Mainly, I think, because they inspire you to follow in their footsteps, to act, behave like they do.
You aspire (thanks for this mash up Drew) to become as great, kind, knowledgeable, sincere, respectful and respected, sociable and generous as them. And while over time your actual heroes may change, the reason why they and their replacements are your heroes doesn't.
At least, that's what I've learned.

Heroes - Friends

Fictional heroes from my youth are one by one replaced by factual heroes - real people (although I have to admit you don't have to search far to still find various ST-memorabilia im my possession, just listen to my pc). My 'modern day' heroes too are great, kind, knowledgeable, sincere, respectful and respected, sociable and very generous. Sometimes it feels they go out of their way to help me, guide me, advice me, encourage me. Very kind and generous of them.

Factual heroes, contrary to fictional heroes, turn into real friends.
At least, that's what I've learned.

Friends - Technology

Some 30 - 35 years ago I had 'pen-friends', 'friends' you wrote hand-written letters to - once every month or so. Some you had never seen, only knew them from their letters.
Imagine that! A friend far away who you'd never seen, but who still told you all about their daily things, what they had done at School, what this or that person had said to them and vice versa of course. Your pen-friend knew all about your life.

Fast forward 30 years and some of my hero-friends I've never seen in real life too. But instead of once every month or so technology brings daily conversations with them. Well, almost daily then.
Many doom-and-gloomers warn that technology will only bring superficial friendship: here today, gone tomorrow. I beg to differ, my friends were here a week ago, were here yesterday, are here today and will be here tomorrow and next month too. Thanks to technology.
At least, that's what I've learned.

Technology - Writing

I'll be honest now, the draft of this WILF contribution I wrote rather - in my case - old-fashioned with pen and paper. I'd closed my showroom and headed to our School-garden this afternoon two days ago - the weather is/was just to gorgeous to stay inside. It's been a long time since I took an afternoon off - away from my (as my partner sometimes jokes - jokes?) "home-away-from-home" showroom. And for a tiny moment I wished I did have a laptop - that item just went up 4 places on my wish-list!

But pen and paper it is for now. Which means I miss my spell-checker terribly, my online thesaurus too - all essential items you need when English isn't your first language. But I'll get by.

There's only one, very old, problem for me when writing with pen and paper. I have to really force myself to write readable, an ability which has never ever been my strongest point and what goes back as fas as the first time my primary school teacher taught me how to write. After two/three days my scribbles seem to turn into hieroglyphs and I have to start guessing what I wrote! 
A keyboard and screen makes writing less of task (or guessing game in my case) and much more pleasurable.
At least, that's what I've learned.

Writing - Space

If you'd asked me what I'd wanted to be when I grew up, for years the answer was: a journalist - like 3 of my uncles from my dad's side.
Words, stories have always bubbled up in my head, filled my head really and I just had to write them down, always - to make space in my head for more. My first official publication happened when I was only 7 years old. The local paper published my short story "The talking pen and the flying paper" in their weekly Wednesday's children's corner. And nothing has really changed - words, stories still bubble up in my head and I have to write them down, always.

What has changed though is the subject of my writing. Before, I wrote fictional stories, sometimes about my fictional heroes. Nowadays I write factual words and stories, sometimes about my factual heroes.
Two years ago I managed to mash-up fact with fiction in my debut business novel, I (and especially my mother) am still very proud of this milestone - a real paperback carrying my name on the cover and in which one of my hero-friends so very kindly wrote his generous foreword.

Writing creates space in my head for the next idea, the next story.
Writing is what connects friends, far away and close by, the progress in technology enables the written word to reach many and contrary to what doom-and-gloomers have warned us for time and time again, no era has seen so many books published as this era of technology.
Writing is timeless, we still quote the old masters in blogpost, in articles, in E-books and in newspaper columns. And we all hope our own 'wise' words will be quoted in future times too.
Writing is, like Space, without boundaries.

Writing is the ultimate mash-up.
At least, that's what I've learned.

Mamut and MYOB - when 1 plus 1 makes 3

As (Dutch) qualified bookkeeper most of you know I'm one of those persons who gets excited over accounting programs - I know, weird to say the least.

When we moved to the UK - today exactly 8 years ago! - I had the 'pleasurable' task to select an accounting program that complied with English accounting rules and regulations but that also would make our 'foreign' business life simple. Well, that took care of SAGE - makes bookkeeping and especially reporting the facts and figures harder, not simpler.

I opted for MYOB and have never regretted it. Great software, great service.

Until our business needed a Customer Relationship Management System and I was introduced to Mamut CRM & Sales. Great software, great service.

It soon became apparent to me that adding the accounting module of Mamut would make my life even easier. My personal Support Manager advised me to opt for the Mamut Enterprise solution to benefit from even more modules and so came the time - January this year - to say a heartfelt farewell to my loyal and trusted MYOB accounting program.

Today I received the news - straight in my inbox from Alan Moody, the Managing Director of Mamut UK  personal! - that Mamut has purchased the UK and Ireland Business Division of MYOB.

The 'marriage' of two of my favourite, loyal and trusted accounting and marketing programs - who can ask for more?

Yes I know, only a weird bookkeeping nerd like me would get excited about this news, but I know what this can mean to many other small and medium businesses in the UK - user friendly and effective software for a very reasonable price with a proven track record of great customer service. Multi functional software that gives every user a big advantage over their competitors who are still 'stuck' on or with SAGE.

Passionate about Givers Gain - the mindset, not the trade-off

Many a word is written on the 'Givers-Gain' principle - I'm guilty of it myself

Doing it: by Givers Gain Principle, posted 14.01.2007
Hard Facts and 'givers gain', posted 01.02.2007
My blogging metaphor: BNI, posted  30.05.07
Cuisine ala Givers Gain, posted 21.04.08

BNI (Business Network International) has it as 'motto': by giving business to others, you will get business in return.
That however is somehow distorting the true value of Givers-Gain. It's almost a trade-off: I give so I must gain, I give so you have to give back.

True value of Givers-Gain is a mindset where the 'gain' is
a) not for you
b) an afterthought mostly experienced through the eyes of others.

The giving part is being generous, being so passionate about something you can't help but give it away - tips on how a product or service can help another person, advice on which product is the best for your client's circumstances, pointing someone to a better, simpler, quicker software  program that will help him/her best. Writing down your expertise for everyone to have access to freely.
Give, give, give to make others gain. It's a mindset born out of generosity, but more so from passion.

Let me explain why I've been contemplating on the Givers-Gain mindset this weekend. My good friend and business consultant Richard Calderwood has almost drilled the 'be passionate about and in everything you do and the world is your oyster' principle in to me; marketing genius Paul Gorman hammers it home constantly as the most important asset you have to have to succeed in business.

Both lead by example:

Paul Gorman, together with Ed Rivis (another great follower of the principle - he gave his book on which he laboured for 3 years away for free!) is giving away his secrets on copy-writing through the Copy-Writers Gang.
(Side-note: go over to Paul's LeaveThemInTheDust site, subscribe to his announcement list and receive 12 valuable Business Success Advisories from the genius for free!)

Richard Calderwood is in the process of compiling over 100 business building advisories, tips and ideas that anyone can understand and use - and all for free too! Subscribe to his blog-alert to receive the news of this launch the minute this happens on his bizRichard website.

Both, no sorry, all three are passionate about helping other businesses grow in a profitable and sustainable way. All three are experts and authorities, passionate about their own profession - copy-writing, web-marketing and building businesses.

They give, give, give passionately so we gain. That's the true Givers-Gain mindset.

Nation of Bulimics - not the eating kind

One of the pleasures of our Sunday mornings is reading the Saturday Times on our leisure - and loads of coffee to go with it, 3 cups at least. It's also the only paper we read.

This morning Janice Turner's column caught my eye - she's one of my favourite columnists, always takes a 'different but thought-provoking' view on news-issues. It could be that my partner and I originate from The Netherlands, THE nation of prudent savers where a credit card is still alien to most and something you only might use when going abroad to a far, far away country - her article had me nodding my head in total agreement.

Shop, Eat, Purge - We've become a nation of bulimics

It starts with the revaluations from John Prescot on his bulimic tendencies but then turns into a typical Janice Turner interesting twist on the matter, by making a comparison many Brits would not really care for to hear or read. One of last paragraphs really brings the message home:

"But now when we drink more expensive beer - land that once grew hops having been turned over to ethanol-producing corn - we have some distant connection with Asia's empty rice bowls. Maybe we will realise the insanity of pretending we are saving the planet by pumping the West's SUVs with the hungry's cereal crop. Maybe we'll realise that the only solution is to consume less.

And when I hear teenagers contemptuous of a model of mobile phone because it's six months old, or when a young woman with a good job tells me she has 50 pairs of shoes, £6,000 on her cards, but thinks she'll never own her own home, I wonder if this is a bad thing."

Cuisine ala Givers Gain

Marketing genius Paul Gorman just got back from holiday. His latest post on LeaveThemInTheDust relates a wonderful true story how the business and life principle of Givers Gain comes up trump every single time:

Two restaurants: one rich, one poor.

A simple story about two different restaurants in the area where he has been on holiday makes powerful reading, and for those still wavering about the idea of givers gain should take the lesson to heart - it is sure to make you 'profit' one way or the other and feel good about it too.

At Wood You like our hedgehog concept is based on the Givers Gain Principle and just ask our modern account how well that works for us, short term and especially long term.

And Paul, at the off chance you're reading this little post on the KissBusiness blog yourself - when is your excellent book:

How to Out-sell, Out-market, Out-promote, Out-advertise, Everyone Else You Compete Against, Before They Even Know What Hit Them

available again? At the moment I've got hold of my neighbour's copy she (Nicole Kofman - Dutch like me - of Smartaupairs) kindly let my borrow - but I rather have my own brand new copy for keeps!

(And I'm sure you can find your way back to the lovely village of Charing ;-), which by the way seems to be taken over by Dutch entrepreneurs - all of the female kind!)

 

Rapid Accounting - as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4

As (Dutch) qualified bookkeeper 'doing-the-books' is almost second nature to me and I really took time to select that accounting package that does everything I want it to do (and preferably more). For that reason I recently switched from my trusted and reliable MYOB software to Mamut Enterprice (which integrates Customer Relationship Management, Accounting, Webshop, Sales & Purchasing and more into one simple system).

But that's me - facts, figures and statistics 'nut' (or 'freak' as my partner regularly compliments me), 99 out of the 100 small business, self-employed traders or service providers will be more than happy with a less complicated, user-friendly simple piece of software that replaces the 'old-fashioned' pencil and paper cash-book, saving time and money.

And time and money are the two main things you as a starting business, a small business owner or self-employed trader can't have enough of for doing the normal day-to-day work, be it on the job or sourcing new clients. But your accountant, the Inland Revenue and for some the 'VAT-man' come knocking at least once a year to see and check the results of your normal day-to-day work.
(Side-note: if you have an accountant that really only comes knocking once a year, find another one immediately - a modern accountant should not only concern him/her self with your financial annual result, he/she should actively be involved as business consultant or advisor to help you grow your business any which way he/she can!)

Our own modern accountant has, on request of many of his clients, designed the Rapid Cash Accounting Package - as simple as 1, 2, 3, 4.

It works like any other ledger-system (cash-book): every line contains the 4 W's of every transaction:

• Money coming in:
• Who's paid you money (clients name)
• When did he/she pay you money (date of payment)
• Where was the money paid into (cash, bank, card)
• Why was it paid (product or service sold)
• Money going out:
• Who did you pay (suppliers name)
• When did you pay
• Where was the money paid from (cash, bank, card)
• Why was it paid (product or service bought)

But with the Rapid Cash Accounting Package that's all you have to do! Fill in the 4 W's per transaction and the program does the rest. It calculates the totals of every column, from bank balance to income or cost category after every transaction.  And at the end of every month it transfers your bank, cash and card balance automagically to the next one - plus at any moment in time you can check your year-to-date results.
Once again: all you have to do is fill in the 4 W's per transaction - as simple as 1, 2, 3, 4.

Watch the video below to see how easy the program is:

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The revised 2008 version is now available for instant download (this RCAP page contains much more information on the program) and as a very special re-launch offer the first 25 purchasers of the revised program only pay £ 17.95

= a whole £ 50.00 discount on the normal price of £ 67.95

My (volunteer) life as treasure of the BNI-Ashford chapter was made very easy with an earlier version of the program, the revised 2008 version is updated with even more benefits for the user.
So hurry before the special re-launch offer runs out - and to be honest even £ 67,95 for a program like this is worth every penny of it.

It deserves a K.I.S.S.-award!

The Problem with "New Customers Only"

No matter which Business Advice book you read eventually they all tell you to concentrate on repeat orders to keep your business cash-healthy and growing. More and more I see the terms: Front-End and Back-End sales (or purchases) creeping up.
There are now two types of sales: Front-End (to new clients you have managed to find) and Back-End (selling more items, more frequent and for higher prices to your existing clients).

Or in other words:

Front-End = customer acquisition
Back-End = lifetime value

Last week I finished reading Richard Lomax's "The 7 secrets of Highly Effective Marketing" - not yet available from amazon.co.uk, only from his own "common-sense-marketing" website after going through the IMHO most ineffective extremely long landing-page I've seen recently, and I don't really understand why he keeps sending me emails to encourage me to buy the book and get 7 FREE marketing reports with it when I'm one of the first 100 buyers of his book?!?! He's not practising what he's preaching in free report 2: "How To Avoid The Six Most Common, Deadly Sins Of Sales Communication" - but that's beside the point now).

Anyway, back to the subject on hand: back-end versus front-end sales, marketing and strategies.

Richard Lomax states (pages 100-101, secret #6):

"The critical step at the front-end is to make it so absolutely irresistible for a targeted new customer or client to buy from you for their very first time, that they find it impossible NOT TO.

The back-end purchases are where the true profit and growth potential of your business really lies. So how do you go about achieving a powerful Front-End customer acquisition strategy?
Instead of offering your complete, normal product or service in the first instance, think of how you can make just one aspect or facet of segment of your offering available for a fraction of the normal price.

Don't focus on making your maximum income at the front-end.

Be content to gain new customers on a minimal margin or for free on a break-even basis"

Let's look at this from a printing company point of view: offering to print business cards with a 50% discount to any new qualified lead. If successful and done with grate care and great overall service a business will be over the moon and decide to have its letterheads printed by the same printing company (at normal rate of course). Then follows the envelops with logo, complimentary slips, the yearly Christmas cards with logo and seasonal wishes, one-off marketing projects, company brochure etc in the following years.

Or in other words: 50% discount on a small item (and business cards aren't the most expensive stationery you will ever buy) turns a qualified lead in a loyal client for an average lifetime of 5 years. So a true statement? The chart below does indicate so.

Now lets look at it from what I've come to call a NCO' - "New Customers Only" business - point of view, great example our own company: wooden flooring.

Chart below shows our standard life-time value build-up per average customer:

Don't focus on making your maximum income at the front-end?

Wooden flooring is a definite NCO - our maximum income does come from the Front-End first purchase of a converted qualified lead. We can't be content with a minimal margin or to just break-even on that first purchase.
And we're absolutely not an unique business.

What's your type of business: Front-End or Back-End based? I really would like to know the following of all NCO's:

How do you look at all those plentiful highly effective marketing strategy books, blogs, article, reports etc that all seem to focus on Back-End businesses?

Tell me right here in the comment box, please!

Business conversations - the new way

Synchronicity - a known factor in the blogosphere.
Over at Successful Blog, Liz Strauss just asked the question: " We meet many people at conventions and networking events, what sort of “hello” makes a person memorable to you?" and answers as follows: those totally present in the conversation.

That Q&A and various 'business' conversations I had today, the whole new year in fact, made me realise that like with marketing and other business concerns there is a 'change' in Business Conversations. Or at least, I see a change - could be just me.

I left the following comment on Liz's post: " I prefer the ones who are looking for a conversation and try to avoid those looking for a ’sale’."
It's not just during conventions or network events that looking for the conversation and not for the sale is IMHO the new way to be in business. Nor does it have to be a face-to-face conversation. Here is where the synchronicity comes in the picture: after leaving the comment on Liz's blog I received an email from a business contact. I've never met him in a face-to-face meeting, always only by email or - rarely - by phone. He even lives and works in another country than me. But I like to do business with him - because as so often the email carried a little personal note too.

Or the phone call I had yesterday evening with a new prospect, before and after the real 'business enquiry' there was - from both sides - a personal conversation. This was a call from Scotland - up North, we're in Kent - down South. The conversation continued this morning in the same way: conversation 'laced' with some business items.

Or the emails we seem to be receiving rather frequently lately from prospects who have been to visit us in our little showroom. A simple email, thanking us for the information we'd provided and the welcome reception we'd given them.

Don't know, perhaps I'm just rambling - but I can't get away from the warm feeling that personality has found its way back into doing business - the person, not the sale, is the most valued asset. Turning conversations in the best tool for sustainable growth - business and personal wise.
The best tool, because although the media is still trying to sell everyone a recession and overall consumer spending seems to be getting down, our business is doing great.

AWeber as conversation tool

My last post mentioned the effect two small changes in the 'submit your details' had on the average numbers of subscribers to our newsletter (and happy to say: still on 1 new reader per day!).

We all know the standard 'webform' on so many websites and/or blogs to submit your name and email address to subscribe or to receive more information, perhaps you're using it yourself.

Be the first to know when new articles and offers are published (from our Wood You Like's FAQ & News blog)
Name:
Email:

AWeber (affiliate) can do much, much more for you - as I found out recently.

Looking for a simpler way for our prospects to contact us in such a way we could start a proper conversation (and keep them informed about our products and services in one go) I first tried to 'send them' to a feature on our new webshop: Request more information. But the amount of information a prospect has to fill in straight away just to ask the simplest of questions I myself would find too much of an effort.

If you are familiar with the AWeber software (if not, I strongly recommend you subscribe to a "test drive" - see below for link) you have recognised the way the above 'webform' is created. In the List Settings - Webform tab you create your own text to explain what the sumbitter will receive, add name and email field, edit the text in the submit button and presto: html coding ready for you to add to your website or blog. Simple.

But if you click on the 'pencil' in the field you added to your webform it opens a whole new  world of options:

From choosing the type this specific field should be: radio-buttons, drop-down list, check box or even text area to making it a required field you can create your own survey form.

Why not have a first look on Wood You Like's "Ask our professional advice" page to see how it can work.

And it does work! Since implementing it on our website last weekend we already received five questions, which gives us the opportunity to answer the query very specific - tailor made in fact due to the information we received from the form, start a continues conversation with our new prospect and keep in monthly contact with them through our newsletter.

How much more fun can webmarketing become?
(Well, I know - but that's for a later post, am still working on the finishing touches on another even more elaborate webform)

AWeber Demo

Less Work - More Sales Sound good? AWeber's unlimited follow up autoresponders increase sales, lower costs, build lasting customer relationships, and increase your profits! Find out how with Unlimited Autoresponders.

When web marketing ideas pop-up (or over)

Last week I mentioned The Ultimate Web Marketing Strategy written by Ed Rivis and about to be available as hard-copy. Ed's book (and blog) is filled with effective web marketing ideas anyone who has some knowledge of IT and/or web marketing software can implement straight away.
Like I did with one of his tips (from his blog, even before I received the PDF-file of his book).

90% of our yearly turnover is generated from new clients, only 10% comes from existing clients (buying small extra items like maintenance products and very rarely - still - a whole new floor). That's the type of business, trade we are in: 'cos how many quality natural wooden floors do you need in a year - or in 5 years?

Now, marketing statistics tell us that is takes 7 times more effort to find a new customer/client than keeping an existing one. The same statistics also tell us that on average you'll have to send around 7 - 10 marketing messages to a prospect before he/she turns into a customer/client. Being in a what I've started to call a "New Customer Only" trade means it is of utmost importance to reach as many prospects as you can and to start a conversation with them as soon as possible.

Offering specific information is a way to do this, using an informative website. That's one message delivered. In order to be able to deliver a sequence of messages to a prospect you need their details: nowadays an email address is a good starter. Since last October our informative website has AWever webforms embedded on specific pages to do just that: we give you information in return of a small favour: you give us your name and email address so we can keep you informed with our monthly newsletter after we have emailed you the specific information you requested.

Until this month on average 1 prospect per week subscribed this way. Since this month this has increased to almost 1 a day! An increase of 700%
6 more prospects per week who have shown interest in our products and services and who we, by keeping the conversation alive with for them interesting and specific information, must try to convert into customers/clients. The odds of converting 1 out of 10 prospects is much easier when the number of prospects is growing.

And all it took to increase this number of prospects were two small changes in the "subscribe to our newsletter" webform.

The first change was our offer of free gift to all new subscribers - our E-booklet "The Advantages and Benefits of Natural Wooden Flooring" - normal price £ 3.97

The second change was to add a pop-over webform (only once per visitor - but on four different and popular pages - three of them also showing the normal static subscribe option).
And as it turns out, the pop-over is responsible for the most new subscribers.
(I had to overcome my own aversion towards pop-overs, but as so often it proves that personal 'taste' is just that, 'personal')

Small changes, terrific results - now 'all' we have to do is keep them engaged in the conversation.

One idea down - many more to go.

I don't understand people! - sometimes

(My contribution to this month's MZM's group writing project - I think?)

Our - 5 year old - company Wood You Like Ltd prides itself on its high level of customer care. Everyone of our clients knows what they can expect from us from the start, we have webpages filled with (free) information to help them decide and select the best (for their circumstances, interior design wishes and their budget) products and or services we can supply.

And our customer care doesn't stop the moment we've delivered or installed their floor, we don't 'close-the-door' on them (like one 'fellow' installer once told me he did). Our clients appreciate our care, and are happy to tell us so too.

And to be honest, we don't get many complaints or negative remarks from our clients, but we are only human so of course it can happen. We're not afraid of that, of course not! We will always do our utmost best to remedy any issue our clients are not really happy with.

How else can we create word-of-mouth? Because, as Andy Sernovitz so truly states in his book "Word Of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking": Marketing is NOT about what you say, it is about what you DO!

This week we received a (long) letter from one of our clients. We worked on a flooring, part renovation job for them last year. Four months ago!
Their letter starts with a sweet remark on how they appreciate the enjoyable relationship they have (had?) with us, which made it somehow hard for them to put pen to paper to state a list with items/issues they're not happy with. And could we please contact them to remedy the situation? OF COURSE! VERY HAPPY TO DO SO! YESTERDAY IF POSSIBLE!

Why on earth did they wait 4 months? It's not that we tell them they can't contact us after we've closed the door on the job, on the contrary! Every client, no matter if we only delivered the floor or delivered and installed it, receives a letter within 4 weeks of delivery/installation. The very first paragraph in this letter states:

"You recently purchased a natural wooden floor or service from us and we trust everything is to your liking and in good order. Please feel free to call us if you are in any doubt. Remember there is always a 4-seasons guarantee on our labour (if we installed the floor for you)."

We cannot make it any clearer than that! Our clients waited 4 months to inform us of their doubts. And what frustrates me most is the ultimate reason they finally did so: more and more friends, family, neighbours remarked on their floor. 4 months of 'festering' doubt if we are the proper company we make out to be, 4 months of generating 'bad publicity' without us even knowing about it, 4 months without us being able to correct the situation if we've made mistakes - we are only human, we do make mistakes (not many fortunately but still, we do!).

We will remedy this situation, no doubt about it and it doesn't matter if it is just a perception or indeed a case of having made mistakes, we will remedy this. Rather sooner than later!

That leaves me with one big 'festering' question:

How do you stop clients NOT complaining?

(update: see comment box)

Book (p)re-view: The Ultimate Web Marketing Strategy - Ed Rivis

In my last post I talked about team work, essential for any business, even or especially if your business 'only' exist of 1 or 2 employees. Prior to my next post on this subject I want to point your attention to a brand new book, so brand new it isn't even available in any shop or on Amazon!

When you establish a outstanding team around you one of the best ongoing result will be 'the looking out for each other' practise: if one of the team members sees something he/she knows the other will benefit from (even if it's not related to the project your team is working on at the moment) it almost becomes a habit to point the other towards it. That's exactly what happened over a week ago.

Richard C emailed me about an UK based blog about webmarketing: Ed Rivis, Web Marketing Strategy for Small Business Success.

"I suddenly remembered that I meant to send you an email re Ed Rivis. His blog has become, probably only since the beginning of 2008, really good value (for people like you and me).  He seems to post a blog daily now (almost too much for me to take in) but they are extremely 'educational' in content and currently very relevant to you and I.  He is clearly feeding off Paul Gorman (a mutual friend / business marketing guru I know).  What is very skilled is his approach to offers etc - he is very strict on the 'time frame' for responses and it seems to be working for him.

His current 'special' is a .pdf download of his book - provided you've registered with him by 1st February."

Which, of course, I did. And even before registering to his blog (using the AWeber web form) I picked up a very useful web marketing tip (what, how, where and why I implemented that straight away is for a later post, this one is - again! - already turning into a longer one than originally planned).

Anyway, as promised by Ed Rivis last Friday at 4pm an email with password arrived in my inbox to go and download his gift to his subscribers: the PFD-version of his new book. The full version, no cutting 'cheap' corners.

Downloaded it, printed it (and for my readers looking for green credentials: on the back of already used paper - I recycle) and took it home with me, all 210 pages of it.

To be honest, I do think I know pretty much about Web Marketing already. I mean, last year we increased our turnover with 66% and 68% of our new clients found us through our websites!
But, everything can always be made better, that's the beauty of learning.

Friday evening I was already on page 129 and yesterday evening I'd finished it all. And now I have to find even more time because my head is (again) filled with ideas and new, better web marketing projects that will last me the rest of the year!

Our 'static' websites are already on my list to be revamped (again), but now with the extra knowledge gained from Ed's book this project will:

a) be moved forward on the priority list
b) even more focussed on - as New Customers Only based business (that's worth another post, no, make that another book) - capturing prospect details to start the conversation, utilising the surrounding software packages (like AWeber) we have even better.
c) while continuing and keeping in line with the already successful parts on there

IMHO Ed's book is written very well, straightforward and based on the great principle: don't just read it - implement it! And he makes that very simple with excellent examples, links to software packages, websites and much more.
(Keeping It Simple means I've awarded him the K.I.S.S. award, but of course.)

You're too late to receive the PDF-version, that's been taken of the blog since last Saturday, but by all means subscribe to his excellent blog and start learning and earning.
The physical copy will be available around 18 February on Ed's blog with a 65% discount on the official price for his blog subscribers, so what's keeping you? Trust me on this one!

And if you've missed the 24 hours special offer, you can now buy The Ultimate Web Marketing Strategy direct from the author

Team work: team building outside your company

(Oops, a month ago I wrote: 2007, where has it gone? I could say the same of January 2008: where has it gone?!? and excuses for the silence on this blog: I've been rather business busy ;-))

In 2006 73% of UK businesses employed just 1 or 2 employees, most times the 'hands-on' (jack of all trades) director - directors (or sole-trader and partner). Accounting, logistics, marketing, sales, operations, deliveries, customer care, debt collecting, networking etc etc etc. All tasks, jobs any normal business has to tackle. All tasks, jobs in 73% of UK businesses done by the 1 or two employees.

Now, some of these tasks can be outsourced of course. Then the question is always: will the company that handles the outsourced task represent you in same the way you would represent your company. Comparability and consistency.
Also, outsourcing on a part-time or full-time or even project time base? Cash-flow (and once again: consistency).

Or, a method I prefer, you can build a dedicated team around you. A team that consists of team members who know you and your company and the other team members; team members who are a star in their own field - or fields; team members who help you build your company stronger in a consistent way. Team members who have their own business but who will regard you as the team-leader.

You can't build a team like that on an ad-hoc base and, like with any internal team, it takes time to find, source the correct and compatible team members. Not only do they have to get along with you, the team leader, but also with the other members.

Tomorrow, on our FAQ & News site a terrific sample of outside team work will appear. The title is very appropriate too: From little Acorns.....
(small ideas are little acorns, not? And when little ideas are fed with nutritious input and cared for gently but firmly they grow into the most wonderful results, products.)

More on this specific team work, the specific team members and their tremendous input in another post. It's back to the long 'still-to-do-list' for me at the moment.

235% increase in subscribers in a day ?!?!

As a double Capricorn (and bookkeeper) I love statistics. Every day I do a quick check on the various online statistics my websites (static and dynamic sites) have generated the day before, like Statcounter, Feedburner, Technorati and MyBlogLog.
Mostly the stats behave normally - showing an nice average that is slowly growing. This morning however I had to blink my eyes when checking the Feedburner stats:

Over the last few weeks there has been a steady increase in the number of subscribers to the this (Kiss2) blog and the average has risen from around 65 to 80 subscribed readers daily - not bad IMHO.

Now, look at the image left: 187 subscribed readers yesterday!

That's a hefty increase - in 1 day - of around 235%. Of course I like to think it's down to my excellent writing, captivation stories and inspiring revelations on the Keep It simple Sweetheart, specially in business principle - but I'm not kidding myself.

True to my 'character' as double Capricorn and bookkeeper I'm investigating. The Statcounter stats of yesterday showed 21 unique visitors to this blog, the Feedburner stat on yesterdays outgoing links didn't show over 110 clicks on any of the 'Subscribe to Reader' links embedded on this blog (see right hand column and feel free to click!). And nor does the Top10 outgoing links on MyBlogLog Stats.

So a 'freak of nature'? A Feedburner glitch? IMHO: definitely. But very nice for posterity ;-)

Sure it will be back to 'normal' tomorrow. And very happy with the steady growing number of the last weeks, might even reach the 187 in 2 years time. I'll keep you all posted in the future.

Update 18.01.08: Feed Subscribers per 17.01.08 = 627. Apparently FeedBlitz went from 4 this Tuesday to 106 Wednesday to a massive 549 yesterday.
Feedblitz is on to it, reading their news: "FeedBlitz metrics - stats spike"

"A bug that caused circulation data to get out of sync with the poller has been found and fixed. Metrics for today (Thursday 17th) may well be off, but should be all straightened out from now on. In other words, Friday's metrics will be what you expect."

Darn! ;-)

2007 - where has it gone!

Just finished writing our Business and Strategy Plan for 2008. It feels like only a short while ago I'd done that for 2007 - where has this year gone? Are we really in the last days of this year already?

It seems 2007 has sped away, looking back it's almost a blur. 
On the other hand though I know that so many good things have been cramped in this year: so many encounters, so many discoveries, so many aha moments, so many sighs of happiness and contentment and even successes, it is hard to keep count. But I'll try anyway, because IMHO looking back gives you a new focus or perspective for next year.

January - apparently filled with books, books and more books. I must have written a dozen reviews on marketing and business advice books that month! The sentence that stills stands out for me came from George Silverman's book: "The Secrets of Word-of-Mouth Marketing"

“Shortening the decision cycle by making the decision easier for the prospect, by focussing on their particular decision roadblocks, bottlenecks, friction points and rough spots.
It’s one of those ideas that is simple, obvious, compelling and almost totally ignored, both in theory and practise”

February - THE most mind-boggling discovery I made this year happened in this month reading (yet) another book: Now Discover your strengths. It totally changed the way I thought about many things, including myself. One of the results of this profound discovery was a new (personal) blog: Stop Start, ponderings on growing and growing pains, as an outlet for my rather confused state of mind ;-)

"Mentally we grow also, sometimes fast, sometimes slow and sometimes we have growing pains. We have grown so fast we've grown out of our comfort zone. So we stop until the overstretched boundaries become our new comfort zone.
Then we start growing again.

We grow with a stop/start effect"

So, thanks once again Kent, for recommending the publications of the Gallup Organisation.

March - Deadlines and success in business stands out for this month, still think those two items are related somehow. It was also the month that a post from Liz stopped me in my tracks and had a proper rethink on a particular attitude I displayed.

"At that moment of realisation I deliberately counted the many blessings this person bestows upon me and I felt ashamed of wanting even more blessings.

Treat blessing with respect, be in awe of them.
Don't "count on" them, just count them and be grateful."

Thanks again Liz - it prevented me from overstepping the boundary.

April - even more deadlines that month. Preparations for and the executing of manning a stand at the largest Business-to-Business exhibition in Kent. Boy, were we busy! Not just of making sure everything was there and on time, but also busy with the focus of our business - trying to leave a legacy (warning, links to the longest post I ever wrote!).

My favourite sentence in this article must be "We are talking about legacies that make life better for those who come after us, not about our own fame or recognition, but about helping others."
If you translate that into a business vision, statement, hedge-hog concept it is that same part where 'making meaning' comes in.

May - the month of Sobcon07 with that unexpected but lovely phone call from both Liz and Kent, the month of tags and memes (I've counted 4!) plus new business focus, creating a mix between self-service restaurant and candle lit diner (eh, for wooden flooring?)

"Imagine one building containing two restaurants: one 'self-service' and one 'candle lit diner'. Both restaurants are served by the same kitchen.

Meaning: same quality products; differently presented, differently served and hence different total price.
At the moment our 'restaurant' has candle lit tables, but the sign outside states: self-service possible."

June - more discoveries through the publications of Gallup Organisation "Go put your strength to work". Revelations even, recognising that those tasks that play to your strengths/talents can make (business) life so much more rewarding in many unexpected ways.

"Because if you don't know as company what your strengths are (hedge-hog concept), and if you don't know how to play to those strengths constantly how on earth can you make clear (brag!) to your customers/clients/patrons/buyers what makes it worth buying from you, staying with you, even tooting your horn as ambassadors?"

Is was also the month that I dared to ask to help a dear friend to reach his own goals - another fine result of finding strength.

July - looking back it feels like it was a steep learning curve in regards of 'teaching' - something I'd never done before really. The result was a new blog for my friend and a new realisation of two-way-traffic. Oh, and a Gold Wheelbarrow award!

"He taught me most I know about running and growing a profitable business and his blog is on 'how to' - it is pretty easy with the right guidance, right tools and the right attitude to implementation - closing the Knowing-Doing Gap in the most simple and effective way.
Richard C can tell you, show you much more about this.
Give him my regards ;-)

August - the month of a quadruple birthday party and when I 'got babies' (blog-babies that is): the launch of our blog workshops - more teaching, more fun, more blogs! And this Kiss2 blog ended up on the W-list: a list of Outstanding Women Bloggers. How about that!

Personal Integrity: why a list - not for equality fighting, but to honour the women 1% outlaws of culture - and I'm with Tully - one of my turtle friends: "make it about brilliant women bloggers who deserve to be recognized. Recognized because they are brilliant and provide value to the blogging community - not because they aren’t men."

September - found I was too busy with growing our business in a proper and sustainable way to write many blogposts. But never too busy to have another 'party' - this time involving my KissBiss Crew

Ton, my ‘sparring’-partner, for willing to ‘go-it-together’
Mike, the real web-wizard.
Lesley, my confidante.
Pete for changing some of my ‘Double Dutch’ phrases into proper English ones.
Richard, friend and mentor. For giving me confidence, but mostly for keeping me sane during difficult times.

October - Kiss2 blog 1 year old! (The blog that ended up in the Top 100 of Business blogs, wow!) The start of the last quarter of our financial year and 'gearing' up the marketing efforts. One of those efforts really made the 'discovery' of January's Shortening the Decision Cycle very clear. Plus Steve Roesler started his amazing series on Creating Change and Smooth Transitions.

"The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths to it are not found but made, and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination"

November - a truly amazing month business wise. Normally it starts to slow down, but not this time, oh no! Best every month (again, because September had been our best ever month, which then was taken over by October as best ever month!). Also introduced my own K.I.S.S.-awards
And I enrolled in the Teaching Sells course - if only I could find more time for that ;-)

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin

December - what to tell about this month? That the sales kept on coming? That we started fully on the preparations for next year: 5th Anniversary of Wood You Like? (Stay tuned for many more posts on this subject, the cooperation between various great business persons made my life so easy in regards of this!). Still amazed by our ongoing strong business results I made a remark (after landing a large order through only phone and email contact, 1.5 hours work in total for me) that 'earned' me a slap on the wrist:

It's never 1.5 hours of work - you put in far more effort each month promoting your business than most people do in a year!  So you deserve it.  at £15 per hour, say, that has paid for a month's work!!

Richard C

OK, I understand where he's coming from and I stand - happily - corrected. (Who wouldn't with a 66% growth in turnover?)

What I learned most from 2007 (which makes it my contribution to MZM-Group writing Project: blogapalooza too) is that learning, discovering and sharing knowledge/experiences creates such an grateful environment - not just business wise - it really creates a happier, complete and 'richer' life. Almost, or even more than, Givers Gain.

Why do we always reflect, reminisce on things gone by at the end of a year? To me it's taking stock of what I've learned and it gives me a clearer focus for next year - years.

And it is the time to acknowledge those who meant so much to me this year - in any which way:

Kent Blumberg, Liz Strauss, Ann Michael, Steve Roesler, Lesley Perk, Robert Hruzek, Peter Allen and Richard Calderwood. May you all have a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Bring on 2008!

Merry Christmas

Musical Christmas greeting  Have a good  and merry time with all your loved , near and dear ones!

Taking a short break

We're off to The Netherlands tomorrow to meet up with

History - a lunch meeting with one of the finest Directors I ever worked for during those 19 years at Nedalco

Present - diner with Ton's family on Saturday evening, diner with my family on Sunday afternoon/evening.

Future - discussing wood flooring products with our main supplier/manufacturer and taking more (and better) pictures of their quality wooden furniture for our own new 'division'.

Back on Wednesday late afternoon again.

In the meantime - with thanks to Peter Allen -

a Musical Christmas greeting from me to you

Change IS very interesting

End of September Steve Roesler (specializing in communication training and development with an emphasis on improving systems, relationships, and large-scale change) at All Things Workplace - teaching smart people practical ways to become extraordinary - started a 'short' series on

Making Changes, Leading Changes, and Changing Change

In his first article (published on 25 September 2007) Steve asks the question why change is so very interesting?

"You and I are making, leading, or responding to changes every day. What we really need to know is:

What is the healthiest, most effective way to address the changes in our lives?

So that's the real focus of this series. I'll keep it practical and applicable to life and life in the workplace"

Yesterday Steve published article 27 in the series:  Change, what are your resources? and more will follow shortly.

How can a 'short' series on change last over 3 months and turn into a very interesting, thought provoking journey where the 'change' not only happens in the posts, but frequently in the comment-box too?
Because change is so very interesting! Steve originally planned to publish 6 to 8 articles on the subject, but as said above, thoughts, ideas, opinions in the comment-box changed the series on change.

And, of course, change - changes always happen. Not just in business, but in life too, almost everyday. And how we react, adept to and sometimes even grow from change is what makes life, living and running a business so very interesting. You can't just change the way a business, department, policy works without changing the 'by-standers'. Nor can bystanders change without changing the business, department, policy.

It is an intriguing journey Steve has taken us on and the end isn't near yet (fortunately!) At least two guest-posts will be published this week by Peter Vadja of SpiritHeart about the very issue of how change changes persons and businesses and vice-versa.

Why not join this very interesting journey yourself? It might change you and your business.

(Quite interesting little fact I read on Steve's About page makes it clear why the short series has changed to this 'epic' journey:

"Most of my engagements turn into long-time relationships although they start as a single project.")

Every company is a media company

Brain Clark at Copyblogger made a great conclusion - or is it true statement? - that nowadays with blogs - personal, conversational, business and corporate - every company is a media company.

My thoughts exactly! Since you are your google results - personal or business, how long is it since you 'googled' yourself? - you should use a dynamic, easy accessible and search-engine friendly media tool to promote your company the best and most honest way you can.

Extra bonus with a blog (I prefer to call them 'dynamic websites' - more approachable term for those who still think a blog is a personal diary) is that you have a focusing tool at the same time. Because writing proper and relevant content on a regular basis (weekly, daily if you like) demands you stay focused on your business purpose.

How else can you 'persuade' prospects, readers, clients to buy in to you if not for focus?

Legally taking care of

Two stories in The (Saturday's) Times caught my eye this morning:

In France children are taking their parents to court in order to have them support them longer, even though they've come of age (from 18 years old on, but a lot of twenners are suing and where the oldest suer apparently is 42!)
Get a job!

In India children (from 18 years old on) are being fined and can even receive a jail-sentence when they are found guilty of not taking care of their (elderly) parents.

What' the world coming to? I'm all for sending those litigating French children over to India ;-)

What I learned from.... the World of Sports

Now I really tried to wriggle out of this one, but turtle friend Robert wouldn't let me (dear Robert, turtles don't do sport! really they don't! The Tortoise and the Hare story must have made that clear to you - it was the hare that did the sporty bit, not the tortoise!)

So, hear goes, but remember I didn't want to because I'm not sporty, never was really. As a primary school child I was always chosen among the last when teams were selected (and that 'habit' didn't change during secondary school too!), I was more at ease with a book than with ball games, running games or whatever game that involved more arm or leg muscle than head 'muscles'.

Not that I was fat, overweight (always been ahem kind of 'sturdy build') or my legs were too short or something like that (did had/have long and tripping-triggery feet). No, nothing like that. It's just that being sporty is so tiring! Being asthmatic in my younger years didn't help I guess.

Also during school sports days I (and/or the team that selected me) frequently ended up being last in any game.

Expect that one year. The year when I had a paper-round in the early mornings, delivering the local daily paper to over 200 addresses. Early mornings mean early fresh air and a lot of arm and leg muscle movement. Not just on my little bike (remember, we're talking Dutch here, everything there is done on your bike!), but marching up and down the garden paths with a bundle of papers under my arm, jumping over (low) hedges and gates etc. The perfect outside gym, perfect it turned out for children with asthmatic tendencies.

And you know what's funny? I didn't even notice the improvement in physical health until the training days before the sports day. The same three girls in my gym-class always run the 800 meter race and even during training the rest of us could never keep up with them, until that year. I was running besides them, even running first for a while until it hit me: what's going on here? I'm not supposed to run here, I should be legging way, way behind.

I did get selected that year to run the 800 meters and ended in a decent place (don't ask me which place, plain forgotten that. Safe to say it wasn't first, I would definitely remember that!). After the following summer holidays my exam year started and I said goodbye to my paper-round (too much homework with with too many long evenings studying), so no more successes in sports.

So what did I learn from the world of sports? Nothing really, the title should better be changed in:

What I learned from a Paper-Round: being a decent sport!

(note from the editor. Just in: turtles do do sport!
Thanks Robert ;-)

Eco-logic in the Dragons' Den

Still one of my favourite business programs is BBC's Dragons' Den. Budding 'entrepreneurs' looking - sometimes with absolutely no business feeling at all - for private investors to launch or grow their business. And the investors - the Dragons - come from high standing: all successful business persons on their own.

Entering the Dragons' Den is IMHO a feat on its own and the worst (or best) you go away with is some proper business advice.

Yesterday two clever guys entered: JPM Eco-Logistics, Jerry Mantalvanos and Paul Merker wanted £100,000 for 20% of the business. The business is a haulier company, using trucks made from reclaimed materials and driving on 100% bio-diesel. Hence the name Eco-Logisitics.

The new buzz-word: eco-friendly, eco-logic, eco-logistics, it really doesn't matter what the second part is as long as you seem to be doing something to save, sustain or better the environment. Big money!

In the end, after first James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne teamed up offering the £ 100.000 for 45% of the business,  Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden put in a lower bit asking for only 40% of the fledgeling business. That offer was happily accepted by the two budding entrepreneurs.

This is what I saw happening:
Theo, a 'retailer' owning a 350 store chain,  didn't see an investment; he saw cheaper freight costs for delivers to and from his 350 stores and the fashionable label he can splash on everything now: Eco-friendly delivered - i.e. increase his prices a bit.

Jerry and Paul didn't see an investor; they saw a new and important, influential client with 350 stores nation wide.
Their own answer to Evan Davies when he asked if they hadn't given away much more than they had in mind (40% versus the original 20%) sealed my opinion:

"No, not really. We had our maximum of course, but as long as Theo would come on board we were willing to give in."

Double eco-logic whammy. Clever!

Related article: Dragons Den - short window for profit?

Tell me....

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin

True then, even more true now in this Information Age.

Today every possible piece of information is stored somewhere on the 'net', available to anyone. Websites, Wikipedia's, specialised blogs, forums on every subject. Information aplenty. So we all would know more, wouldn't we? It's all out there.

Need to install a wooden floor? Our own simple article "How to install a wooden floor, keep it simple.." is the most read post on our FAQ & News site (234 out of the last 800 page loads).

Funnily enough it's also the post that attracts the most 'comments' (from 12 different persons so far) i.e. 'online' requests for more information on this simple subject, based on their own specific circumstances.

This makes your wonder. I know personally that all the information on their specific needs with installing a wooden floor is available on-line. So why didn't those 12 search further until they found the information themselves? Now they had to type in their question (had to think about the wording to make the problem - pain - as clear as possible), had to wait until we received notification of 'new comment posted', we had read the question and we had found time to hopefully answer them adequately.

That's a 'powerful' position to be in: 12 different persons searching the world-wide-web filled with free and instant available information willing to wait until the 'expert' has time (and willingness) to answer. And that's just on one specific small item in the field of our 'expertise', of our knowledge.

Information is free, knowledge is valuable. Aren't we all more than willing to hand over something (be it  - waiting - time, email address, name and number, money) if someone else turns all the free information into knowledge for us?

But is that possible nowadays? Turning your knowledge into 'paid-for' information? Isn't the world-wide-web based on 'free' information? And isn't the only way you can 'make money from the web' by filling your website/blog with AdSense?

Read the 'Teaching Sells' Free Report to understand why free information is rather passée.

I've enrolled in the Teaching Sells course and am learning a lot in a very interactive way. Some of you know of my 'learning - maximising' strength and this course is turning my already over active mind even more into overdrive!

Stay tuned!

Bright!

Robert Craven's Bright Marketing (both book and vibrant workshops of the same title) contain some remarkable but simple (yeah!) definitions:

Marketing = about systematically selecting how and what you're communicating to whom.

Brand = combination of

• Signs by which you are known and remembered
• A bundle of explicit/implicit promises
• A reflection of personality
• A statement of position

Conclusion and learning objective (more about that in a later post)

By the time you finish the book (or leave the workshop) you should have sorted out
How and What your Brand should be Communicating and to Whom.

Talking about workshops, like business advice books I have an personal 'definition' on proper, worthwhile workshops: it's in the word WORK - i.e. not having to listen for hours to a so-called guru going on and on about mostly already known strategies and/or marketing ideas, but being actively involved in the going ons. You can find more on my ideal image of how workshops should be organised in my The Kiss Business novel:

"Like why (business) workshops should be interactive and not just a lecture filled with cliché solutions (clichés most times only suitable for specific kinds of businesses - nine times out of ten not yours)."

The 'Lets talk...' workshops by Robert Craven in cooperation with Barclays fit the bill perfectly, if you are ever in the position to join in don't hesitate, just go and be prepared to work!
(Another proper example has been a workshop I attended some years ago now - organised by Burns-Waring's Stephen Askew and Mind Mentor Lauri Philp.)

Talking about Robert Craven and Accountants (see the above reference to my own accountant) - this week Robert published a blog-post on the very subject: I love my accountant.
In his post you'll find a link to an interview he recently did - made me smile many times over!

Very versatile, Robert is, and he does keeps it simple.

('award' button thanks to cool.text)