Nov
22
2008

Want An iPod Nano?

Thank you all for your great business tips in the comments section below! I feel the best way to give away my iPod Nano would be to let my readers decide who gets it. Be sure to vote below and tell me who I should give away my iPod Nano to. I will close the voting on Sunday 5PM PST, and post the winner on my blog. Make your vote heard…

Viewing 37 Comments

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    I work in the IT recruiting industry, and having the ability to rapidly disseminate information to a large group of people, not to mention, making sure the message is read, is critical to staying ahead of our competition. Services such as Tatango help with that. We are fortunate though, as we work technology professionals, so gaining adoption is much easier than it would be for say, an average web user. For the majority of users, adoption comes from seeing how it enhances something with which they are already familiar,

    You can do so two ways; by broadening your product offering, which can be costly and may or may not gain widespread adoption, or you can look for ways to get Tatango in front of more people through already established sites/services which would benefit from adding Tatango to the mix. Take, for example, online invitation management (I think we're all familiar with the more popular ones out there). The current service offering allows users to receive text reminders of an upcoming event, and notification of a change. The user still has to log into the website in order to review the change or update.

    Integration with Tatango would allow the site to:

    - Providing more relevant information to the users and do so almost instantaneously
    -Provide an additional service to enhance the user experience, helping increase market share

    It helps Tatango by:

    -Leveraging an already trusted and popular service
    -Populated with a user base already, familiar with and open to using web technology
    -It shows the end user of a real, practical application of the tool, something above and beyond what other SMS based services out there provide.

    The service offering is too new for most users to look at and immediately "get it." Through smart integrations/partnerships, a much broader cross section of users will be able to see the product in action, with hope of utilizing the services as a stand alone tool as well.
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    I'd keep it with you and when you see a child that appears to have the tougher side of life, surprise him right there with it. If that's not your bag -> http://www.wish.org
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    I am VP of an insurance agency - John Bailey Company, co-founder of YPK (Young Professionals of Knoxville), and co-owner of www.knoxify.com. Through all the start-ups, partnerships, relationship building, failures, sucesses, and hard work I have learned one thing and it is the simplest thing of all: Be yourself,.

    Put yourself in the shoes of your clients, and make decisions that help you rest easy. Walk through business as you walk through life...be real and genuine. Do GOOD work and the business will come, as you grow so shall your business.
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    I manage a 200 unit apartment community. We were built in the late 80's and have new communities all around us but we have higher rents and occupancy than them. Our method is as old as business itself. Customer service. We go above and beyond. We have a lot of older folks. We take them to the pharmacy, we will move their furniture around after they come home from surgery and set up those "new fangeled tv's and computers". Just today someone was going out of town for the holidays and had scheduled to send their cat the to kennel. Last minute the cat got stitches and the kennel would not take him. So we are checking on him until she gets back. Going above and beyond you can never go wrong.
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    Derek,
    Hope you are doing well! Here is my biggest advice I will tell anyone at any age.

    You are STUPID!, we all are STUPID. We cant even grasp .0000001 % of the information available in the business world. High test scores and Ivy league degrees are meaningless with a prideful attitude. I have seen this countless times..."pride before the fall". Dont ever compare yourself to people you are light years ahead of....compare yourself to the people you want to be like. This will help combat pride from infiltrating the mind like a poisen. Everyone struggles with it. Pride is our worst enemy brother.
    -Mark Michuda
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    Hey Derek,
    I'm impressed with your passion and the organization you've built. The design work on your blog was what drew me in.

    Here's my advice: A business CAN only be as good as the relationships it fosters. You must take care of your people inside (employees) and outside (consumers) of your organization. No great business exists on only a great product. A product is worthless without human beings. People are the life blood. If you forget this, they will forget you, and your business will fail. Period.
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    Okay Derek, here goes...think like a fighter pilot. Using the OODA Loop for making tactical decisions, actions....operational plans and strategic direction is the way to go to ensure that you:
    1) continuously stay on the OFFENSIVE
    2) keep your adversary (competitive business or market noise) on the DEFENSIVE
    3) build learning and IMPROVEMENT into your culture
    and
    4) have the coolest internal language/lingo in your workplace.

    OODA is an execution philosophy and practice popularized by VietNam era USAF fighter pilot: "40 second" John Boyd [Google him]. It is sometimes called "Boyd's OODA Loop".

    It is about making decisions quicker, going through your loop before the other poor dumb bastard can...
    O: OBSERVE the situation/your adversary/the landscape/the marketplace/trends
    O: ORIENT you craft/situation/company to the changing situation or preferebaly to take advantage of the virgin situation
    D: DECIDE on the best COA (course of action) to take IOT take advantage of the situation
    A: ACT. Do it, and do it now with relative assertiveness/aggressiveness/violence (pick your poison)

    and then get back to OBSERVING how your violent action affected the 'target' so you can ORIENT, DECIDE and ACT again so as to take advantage of the great unwashed.

    At this level this is very tactical...think of a boxer, or a wrestler or a basketball player...forcing the opponent to 'play' his game.

    At higher levels, operational and strategic, the model is designed to apply to large scale initiatives...one after the other, but with an additional step R: REVIEW. Review is a formal post-mortem (after action or debrief) process to evaluate past execution and learn and improve as a result.

    This is how you win in business....now, can I have that OODA Looped NANO?

    thanks- 610.704.1232,
    Boom Daniel
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    Starting is EASY, finishing is HARD.

    Also, be passionate about your product and your customers will return the favor.
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    The business tip from me is to GIVE GIVE GIVE. Be yourself and give anything you have to your business "community". Don't be impatient about it.
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    OK, Derek, I sent you my tips but here is what I sent you for all to see, I hope I win:

    CHECK OUT WWW.DANIJOHNSON.COM for many biz tips. She's awesome and has many tips for you.

    Check her out.

    Rod
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    First, have a competition offering something of value to a knowledgeable audience that will encourage them to offer up a number of good ideas (old and tested or new and innovative) for free... Oh wait... Well done.
    Having superb relationships is really key. Having localized knowledge about where they are- especially with International clients. Gotta build bonds. But that shit and more is up top of this post. But as a person who works in the mobile industry (only slightly comparable to Tatango but this equates)... Right now apps/functions need to stay simple (in terms of usability) if you are trying to hit a big audience... but think about it as setting yourself up for when a more tech savvy generation comes of age. Build the relationships now that can pay off when this economy turns and that generation hits. Many companies are gonna fall or come out very damaged. Self preservation with an eye to tech and design that play down the line. Digital media right now has to be more involved in the cultural conversation of its target audience than ever before. This will help make your clients happy. So some platitudes there... You seem to be doing well enough. Keep her going...

    Cheers.
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    There are many ways to motivate employees, many of which I’m sure you’re using already. When I was a branch operator with Collegeworks Painting, my fellow managers and I used each others success to make ourselves more successful. We were able to do this because the company policy enabled us to become a close team by getting together on a regular basis to do fun activities.

    So the business tip is:

    Create a close work team be making sure to inject fun into the long work schedule. I often worked 70-hour work weeks and was able to get through it because I had something to look forward to every weekend. Whether it be paintballing, bar-b-q’ing or camping, the weekly activities brought the team together and refreshed us for the next work week.
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    Produce revenue. VC is a great start, but in the end what counts is making a product that people use and in some way pay for. That could be a direct payment, or it could be advertising, but either way, you're good.

    But you knew that. :-)
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    Spend every dollar as if it were your last.

    http://www.collegemogul.com
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    Red Bull much? haha
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    As an entrepreneur, everything thing you do and everything you say represents your product. BE NICE.
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    Hey Derek,
    The piece of advice that has helped me the most, has been to not be afraid of failure. There are going to be plenty of times when things are going to go wrong. The best thing anyone can do in these situations is learn and not be defeated by their failures. One of my favorite quotes is, "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more successfully." Henry Ford. This is exactly how failure should be perceived in every entrepreneurs mind, because as the statistics read 8 out of 10 start-ups fail. So, the goal is to keep moving through those 8 failures until you get to lucky number 9 or 10. Without a doubt, every person in the world is going to be faced with failure at one point or another in their life. Those individuals who can learn something from their failures will be the ones who eventually find success.
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    Network.

    That's the best tip I have and the one thing that everyone I meet tells me about.

    When you meet a person, ask for their business card and exchange your own card too. When you get their card, look at it. Read it. Don't just stuff it back in your wallet or where ever you keep your business cards. Then follow up. You take the initiative to get in contact with them through their card. A simple email will do. And keep in contact with them. You never know when that person or someone else they know can help you.

    Then if you want to take it a step further, then write and mail them a hand written letter in an envelope. That will impress them and keep you in their mind. As in todays world of email and text messages, a letter does wonders.

    So network.
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    The best business tip is to hire well and trust your people to do their jobs. I think if you build a team of smart people, men and women who are good at their jobs and work well together, and possess the right balance of integrity and camaraderie, you will have a loyal workforce that sticks together and works as a team to make your business, their business. I've worked in a number of environments over the years, and the best places and the most successful places are the ones with the right mix of people and personalities. To me - it all comes down to hiring.
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    In every business 20% of all the things an owner does makes 80% of the difference on revenue and profits. That 20% always includes strengthening the relationships with existing customers and developing new relationship with prospective customers. Spend 80% of your time on that 20%.

    Steve Pohlit
    The Profit Expert
    http://stevepohlit.com
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    Something that has always been important to me is one on one interviews or conferences. Get to know each of your employees on an individual basis. Learn about their ideas. This way you can collect everyone's thoughts and see what kind of mind frame everyone is on. This can sometimes help to get everyone on the same page on future plans.

    Read and Comment! I am learning about this more and more. Get to know what everyone is talking about. Learn where the eyeballs are going! Comment on what you read and get feed back. Learn what the people like and dislike.

    Be on the floor! Get out there and communicate with the people. Talk to them. Get to know your users. Earn their trust and loyalty so that they will stick around, and hopefully bring in new users.

    Don't make promises you can't keep. Know what you're passionate about. Crush it, literally. Talk it up, hype it up, but know what you are talking about. Know the facts. Don't lead anyone on.

    If you want something, go get it. Don't let anything hold you back. Work hard. Work your face off. Don't ever let anything get in the way of what your goals are.
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    Ok, here it is.. the #1 small business resource book. This is a link to the PDF that holds all sorts of business ideas, ways to conduct business more cost effectively, promote your business, etc. It's a great tool. ENJOY!! http://tinyurl.com/6g3flu
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    I'd love to give you 20 ideas, hoping that I might have 20 chances to win, but I think the single best thing we've done at SellPhone Marketing is make it easy for our clients to recommend us. 20% of the people who know you already recommend you. 20% NEVER recommend ANYONE and won't will never give you the names or numbers of people they know. We focus on the 60% that remain.

    Before we accept a newly-signed contract, we explain the next steps. We tell our new client what to expect and when to expect it (and we hold true to those dates). During that discussion, we explain that we want to know their thoughts at every step along the way, and that in 90 days when they are not just happy but enthusiastic about the job we're doing for them, we're going to be asking for a letter of recommendation and an introduction to other business owners they know that we may be able to help. It's amazing to me how many people will give you referrals if you ask for them and tell them you expect them. It's mutually agreed upon 90 days prior!

    We also send out "Thank You" letters the same day we sign that agreement. Inside that hand-written note is a small card that explains our referral policy. We tell our clients (and prospects...and friends...and strangers!) that we'll buy them and a friend lunch any time they introduce us to someone they know who might be interested in working with us. I currently enjoy "referral lunches" about twice a week. It's pretty cool to sit down at a table with a client and a prospect he's brought along...our closing ration goes WAY up when the referrer is sitting there with us to act as a third-party endorser!

    Not only that, but we include our referral offer in our newsletters and just about every communication we send out. It is the cheapest and most effective form of advertising we've ever encountered. Paying for those two lunches usually runs me about $25, and I close 4 out of 5 of those deals over lunch...and probably 9 out of 10 eventually. $25 is a pretty low cost of sale.

    If you make asking for referrals a part of your corporate culture, you can't help but be successful. The problem is most people are reluctant to ask for referrals. I'm reluctant NOT to ask!

    If anyone would like to talk more about how to institute their own referral program, feel free to contact me. I'm happy to help.
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    Hi Derek:

    I love your passion for what you're doing.

    Here is my best business advice:

    1. Listen intensely and stay focused on the other person. Ask intelligent questions that show you're thinking abou them and their needs.

    2. Prepare to win...too many people prepare not to lose. This mind set makes all the difference. Ask yourself today: What can I do to prepare to win?"

    3. Risk all... put yourself on the edge as this drives innovation and excitement. However, always know what plan B is even if Plan B is living in your car..

    4. Establish an informal board of directors of people who are genuinely interested in helping you succeed.

    5. Always, always strive to give more than you get and don't be TOO self promotional.

    6. Always approach every business negotiation with how much you can do for the other person without giving away your profits. Remember, it does have to be WIN WIN-either short or long term. Don't be taken advantage of because you need short term cash flow.

    7. Get expert advice from lawyers, accoutants and business advisers right up front. Put their fees on your CC if you have to, but start out with a firm foundation.

    8. Every day, think this: "What are the three actions I can take that will have the most impact on the profitability of my business?" AND "What are the three actions I can take that will have the most profitability on the business of those around me?"

    9. Do something nice for someone you don't know and from whom you have nothing to gain and will never see again.

    10. Read the WSJ and the NY Times online. Stay informed so you do not become too insulated.

    Good luck. And, remember, really...PREPARE TO WIN.
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    Always keep in mind:

    TEAM

    'Together Everyone Accomplishes More!'
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    Stop giving money to big companies and put it back into your own company in turn keeping costs low for your customers.
    What is an example of this? Computers come pre-installed with Office Bundles. Why? Because when they upgrade, you have to upgrade; so in turn you have to go buy software and or licenses. What about a company that has more than x amount of employees? You then have to buy licenses in bulk.
    Avoid that mess and start using open source software such as Google apps, or Lotus Symphony. It's free, you don't have to pay for licenses and support comes at a minimal cost to your company if you opt for it.
    This simple step forward can put a lot of cash back...into your pocket.

    Want more ways to save money? Email me. I have a pocket full of money saving ideas.
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    I am replying from my iPhone, which is advice one. Be mobile and ondemand.
    But when I get home I will provide a link to a resource
    That has been invaluable to me for doing everything listed here so far.
    Your business service puts you in a good situation also for effective cutting edge marketing at a low cost to you which also is a key factor. I'll post my link later. It's worth it!
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    Become a thought leader in your respective niche. You can accomplish this through speaking engagements, blogging, writing an ebook, creating a podcast etc. By establishing yourself as a trusted and knowledgeable resource more people will want to do business with you. People will also spread your content around, or link to your site, which is great marketing for the company you represent.
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    This may be really random compared to all the other comments but it here it goes!

    I went to a motivational conference in Seattle a few months ago and I learned a few important things from a woman named Tamara Lowe:

    1) It is really important to understand that people get motivated differently. What motivates one worker could de-motivate another. If an employer is aware of this, they will be able to maxamize an employees performance and production.
    2) Tamara talked about her idea of motivational DNA: D stands for drive, N stands for needs, and A stands for awards.
    3) Concerning Drive, it is important to ask or figure out if your employees have more of a competitive or cooperative (people centered) drive.
    Concerning Need, it is important to ask or figure out if your employees prefer constancy or change in order to feel fulfilled?
    Concerning Award, it is also important to know whether your employees feel more valued at work through sincere appreciation without a financial bonus or bonus without appreciation?
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    Derek, here's my tips:
    - Find you niche, stick to it
    - ALWAYS keep the lines of communication open (you're great at that, and social media extremely effectively)
    - Never lose your authenticity
    - Always value your people
    - HAVE A BLAST! When it's drudgery...it's not profitable (no matter what the paychecks say...)
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    Hey Derek,

    I had talked with you earlier about Daylert and how we were able to sell that company in a year.

    I am a young entrepreneur and gave you some quick tips on the phone...but I'll post some great ones here.

    First, people want relationships, not a salespitch. People "buy" from friends - not from marketers. Patience is key, especially when trying to drive traffic. At first, traffic might not be that great, but if you wait, build rapport and relationships, you'll establish value. Once you establish value, then you will see the viral marketing go crazy. There is a book that I read once called Creating Consumer Evangelists, and it talks about the importance of having friends, not clients.

    Incentives are great, but are they genuine? People are so good at reading into me asking for a favor. My favorite quote to go along with this is by Samuel Johnson. He said, "The True Testament of a Man's Character is how He Treats Someone who can Do Him Absolutely No Good." Treat someone good, not because you expect something in return, but because you are a nice person. It'll take you so far. I have had multiple offers from companies from bizarre situations where I was just lending a hand, giving advice, or even playing a positive role in someone who sat next to me at a baseball game. After a couple of e-mails, good things happened. The point: Be nice, be genuine, and don't do it because you want something in return. Expect nothing - the irony is you'll get so much more.

    In terms of marketing for Daylert, it was all about creativity. Have you thought about making a street team? My friend Shane and I made something called the Dream Team - a bunch of college kids willing to learn and wanting to help. We'd spend a lot of time brainstorming creative marketing. See, creating brand reps and all that just doesn't flow (see Uloop). You need a good product, which you have. You inspire a couple of people, create Dream Teams, and set up an infrastructure. You have the know-how, and they want to learn - it works out perfectly. One thing we did was make business cards and gave out like 5 dollar coupons to every 5th person we gave them to. On the business card, it said, "Are you on Daylert's savings time?" The prizes were randomized, creating buzz, as well as creating consumer evangelists. We saw the amount of traffic skyrocket and it paid off bigtime.

    We didn't spend that much money on marketing, but if you want to get to the tipping point, you almost have to.

    Right now, we are working on a site called http://www.activelycaringforpeople.org and our teachers, classmates, and well-respected peers are helping us create the buzz for it.

    From a marketing perspective, people like to feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves - they want to feel like they have an active role. Have you thought about becoming the best feedback, customer-oriented web 2.0 business? I go to www.ted.com to get a lot of advice and listen to talks. To help you be able to do something now, I'd say watch this talk by Seth Godin: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/seth_godin_o...

    It is all about being remarkable and being the ABSOLUTE best. We tried to make Daylert the absolute BEST in terms of a product to make it so your time online was well-spent (from an educational standpoint). We were well on our way to be there and we had that mindset everyday that we worked on it.

    Brand your product (in your case a group text messaging service) as the premiere, absolute best product in that market.

    Advertising is important - I know that you all don't spend a lot on marketing, but a little can gain a lot. Creating those mavens, those consumer evangelists can happen via advertising/networking events.

    So, something like doing a big giveaway of 5 free nice phones with pro accounts for Tatango could be something that creates buzz - gets people talking.

    So, relationships, genuineness, creative marketing, being remarkable and the absolute best, branding your product as the premiere product in your market, and responsible advertising can do wonders.

    You are doing a good job with this blog, for it is a way for me to know Derek Johnson, the man, not just the CEO of Tatango.

    Read Groundswell and Purple Cow by Seth Godin, differentiate your company.

    I say, create forums and actively post in them. Make your "friends" feel comfortable, and have them WANT to spread your product.

    Hope that helps.....

    -Brandon Carroll
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    Remember you're building software for people. Always keep in mind that you are providing a service to them. Think to yourself, "How can I help my customer kick ass"? If Tatango helps them succeed at what they do, Tatango will succeed. A good product and great service will always win out over gimmicks and swag.
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    Here's an idea that you may like...

    To secure some excellent employee relations, try letting them have a say in new hires for the company. (Kind of a recruitment process) Have applicants spend a day on the floor with employees, being trained, whatever it may be, and then have your current employees voice their opinion to upper level management. This way current employees have a greater since of loyalty and respect for the company because they know what kind of people you will be hiring in the future, and they feel as though they are contributing to the future of the company...they may be more likely to stick around. Bad mouthing and catty things should not be an issue because a. the employees don't have the final say and b. they are most likely quality employees that you respect.

    Hope this helps at least a little with what you were looking for.
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    Mine is simple: have a passion for what you're selling (product, service, etc.). Your passion will shine through, and people will eat-it-up. PASSION!
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    The best tip I would have in business, and in life, is go with your gut. If people say you are too young, too old, too aggressive, whatever - don't worry about it. Generally your gut instinct is right (thanks to thousand's of years of evolution), and going with your gut will almost always make you feel better about yourself.
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    Instead of sending out the same bland Word or Web based survey to your clients, have your CEO call them at the end of each project. Tailor the questions to the project. It will increase your return rate, no doubt. But the feedback you receive will be far more valuable than what people will typically take the time to write. Also sends the message that the CEO values the feedback instead of sliding into some database with everyone else.
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    been thinking about this a lot lately - and it's probably to broad to win, but...

    Do more by doing less better than anyone else.

    I think we get way too caught up in the "ohhh we could do that, or offer this, or add this..." and we forget what we were doing in the first place - and start losing the focus that gave us success initially.
 

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