Open For Business

There is a thin line between confidence and hubris. This is true is what ever we do, be especially in selling professional services.

The top eleven business writers (Seth Godin, Alan Weiss, Keith Ferrazzi and others), have teamed up for a focused look at this most delicate endeavor: How to Sell Professional Services.

Is it true that products are easier to sell than services? A product itself is has no ego to contend with in the selling cycle. This avoidance-of-arrogance makes the process concentrated on the features and benefits of the product.

Might it be said it is easier to sell someone else, than yourself? By selling someone else we can at least remove one degree away from egoism.

Tips from Top Thinkers:

Tell us what you think, email Tommy or Ken at [email protected]!

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Hot Potato News items are two articles that connect very well with our discussion this evening.

7 Targeted Social Networks Niche Marketers Should Try. Hubspot’s blog is on the mark again, exploring how the social network world is becoming more and more fragmented, not unlike great traditional niche marketing.

20 Stats That Explain Why Marketers Still Struggle to Measure Social Media ROI. 9 year old LinkedIn, 8 year old Facebook, and 6 year old Twitter, and still marketers struggle with measuring how effective these social media tools are in achieving goals and delivering a positive ROI. Here are some reasons for that.

Featured Discussion -- Social Media, SEO and Making Money Online

Matt Service is a 20+ year veteran of the online world. He founded Service Internet Solutions to help clients navigate the complexities of being online and making money at it. Matt helped us explore the options, obstacles and opportunities that exist today, and how to leverage your online presence for business and a strong ROI.

Brian Parker, Ken Cook and Open for Business #52 – more great information than you could hope for in less than an hour.

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Franchising has great appeal, but is it right for you? Tom Russo, Brian Parker and Ken Cook take an in depth look at franchising; the good, bad and ugly of it.

As always, we open with what’s Hot in the world of customers, marketing, and sales. Presenting the Hot Potato News for the first full week of October 2012.

Are Facebook clicks totally meaningless? The answer is yes, no or maybe, depending on who you are. Hubspot’s blog explores how your social media metrics need to align with your marketing strategy.

Hubspot’s blog strikes again with 7 Reasons Why Your Brand Will Never Be As Awesome As Apple’s. How many do you identify with?

One feature you don’t want on your iPhone -- the ability to spy on you. Yet Congress has decreed that iPhone’s (and other smartphones) can spy on you because the manufacturers are based in China -- specifically Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp.

The Allure of the Franchise -- Here are 10 Things Every Franchise Owner Should Know

Here are Five Reasons Why Franchise Ownership isNo Longer the American Dream

And lastly, the do's and don'ts of franchising. With franchising, just like any other business, success is far from guaranteed. But here are a few tips to better your odds.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/08h/07/smbusiness/franchising_dosanddonts/?postversion=2007080803

Tom Russo, Brian Parker, Ken Cook and Open for Business #51 – more great information than you could hope for in less than an hour.

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This is episode #50 – Who Loves You Baby!? If “customers” is not your answer, then tune in. Tom Russo, Ken Cook and Brian Parker explore seven ways+ to make customer love you

As always, we open with what’s Hot in the world of customers, marketing, and sales. Presenting the Hot Potato News for the last week of September 2012.

The Turf Wars Continue as Apple CEO Tim Cook says he is extremely sorry for IPhone maps frustration. The giants continue to battle for the control of your smartphone real estate, and Tim Cook and Apple demonstrate how to turn a fiasco into lemonade. Bloomberg Link

Instagram Kicks Twitters Butt on Mobiles -- from Fast Company. Facebook paid a cool billion for Instagram and is now looking at Twitter in the rear view mirror. Hubspot Link

Google's Stock Market Value Passes Microsoft's – The old man in the software world is overtaken by the new world leader. Yahoo News Link

7 Ways+ to Make Customers Love You.

Other Great References:

http://blog.springmetrics.com/2012/06/how-to-love-your-customers/

Tom Russo, Brian Parker, Ken Cook and Open for Business #50 – more great information than you could hope for in less than an hour.

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Marketing is a foundational and necessary element because it tells the world who you are and maybe why they should do business with you. At least that’s the hope.

The challenge is marketing encompasses so many different things and can and should be different for every company. What you say, who you say it to and the means in which you say it are all unique because each company is unique. More importantly, the customers you want to reach are unique.

However, there are some universal truths that hold true for all marketing, and this is where the biggest mistakes get made.

Truth #1 – Focus: You are not all things to all people and your marketing should focus on the customers best aligned to buy your products and services.

Truth #2 – Emotion Overrides Fact: People buy based on emotion and your marketing should connect with those emotions. Your marketing should not spout facts and figures about what you do.

Truth #3 – Execution Trumps Strategy: Being excellent at implementing your marketing is critically important. While good implementation can overcome a bad strategy, poor implementation can quickly kill a good strategy.

Tune in and hear Tom Russo, Brian Parker, and Ken Cook explore these marketing mistakes, and more. Open for Business #48 – more great information than you could hope for in less than an hour.

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In the latest edition of Open for Business Tom Russo, Brian Parker and Ken Cook, along with our special guest Marc Halpert explore the world of Social Media. We looked at the Social Media universe and how the multitude of tools work, both independently and with each other.

Our primary focus was on LinkedIn and its value in the B:B space; where it fits, how to use it, and the value it offers. We also talked about how Facebook and Twitter are much more B:C tools connecting businesses with consumers and consumers with consumers.

When Marc Halpert joined LinkedIn 10 years ago as its’ approximate 220,000 user it wasn’t part of a larger Social Media phenomenon. LinkedIn in its infancy merely facilitated the connection between people who had lost touch with each other. Now there are 175 million users worldwide and 1-2 new users joining every minute.

LiinkedIn has evolved into the preeminent online business branding tool. LinkedIn enables personal and company branding in a very personalized way. LinkedIn also completes the circular nature of Social Media in that it connects with Facebook and Twitter, feeding each other with news and information.

If you’ve ever thought about how to best use Social Media, tune in and hear how LinkedIn and other tools can be some of your best marketing friends. Open for Business #47 – more great information than you could hope for in less than an hour.

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In the latest edition of Open for Business Tom Russo, Brian Parker and Ken Cook explore where the jobs are, what jobs are worth getting, and how talent wins out on a global scale. PLus, the continuing titanic battle between Apple & Samsung (with Google and every mobile equipment maker on the planet being drawn into it).

According to Forbes, if you are in the energy, technology, and (believe it or not) manufacturing fields, your industry is doing well. The best job opportunities are in these areas, and the geographic centers that support these industries are growing. That means oil states like Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. It means manufacturing centers in the midwest like Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.

According to CNN/Money, If you work for companies where you find your work meaningful, then you work at a “best company to work for” winner. This includes Google, Wegman’s Markets, and Men’s Wearhouse. What you do is not nearly as important as whether you find your work meaningful and whether it is valued.

Finally, Tom Friedman takes us to Rethink Robotics, a MA robot maker who uses talent across the world to make robots that remake how companies get stuff done.

Tune in and hear how the job market and opportunities are evolving. Open for Business #45 – more great information than you could hope for in less than an hour.

This show covers a lot of territory in 45 short minutes. Ken Cook, Brian Parker and Tommy Russo explore in some depth the growing trend of “sequestering” by manufacturers as one more way for them to stay viable and for that matter profitable, too!

Another topic that took up some of the show’s real estate was whether or not investing in Facebook stocks would prove to be, both short and long term, a good investment. As a sidebar to the Facebook discussion the three hosts shared their observations on whether advertisers, using social media, were keeping their messages on point or going way overboard, providing their target markets with way too much useless information.

Finally, the trio all seemed to agree on that higher education, in this country, is long overdue for an overhaul. Tom, Ken & Brian all concur that colleges need to do a better job of preparing their students for the 21st Century’s work force. Open for Business #44 – worth a listen if you’re looking to learn something and have a few laughs while you do it.

In our latest edition of Open for Business Tom Russo, Brian Parker, Ken Cook and guest Mike Lynch explore how understanding one’s passion and why you do something is a great accelerator for finding that ideal job.

There are 631 people who are part of the CT Re-employment Group founded by Mike Lynch on LinkedIn. The group helps members with their job search. And one of the words they use most frequently to do that is why. Inspired by Simon Sinek’s bestseller Start with Why, members tap into their passion and motivation for work.

Tune in and hear how understanding why you do something is more important than what you do. Open for Business #42 – more great information than you could hope for in less than an hour.

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When it comes to getting things done everyone wants to do things right – being efficient. Everyone wants to do the right things – being effective. The best processes work though when everyone is disciplined to do things – they execute. Add to that the up front discipline of setting goals that are realistic, attainable and measurable, and you have a formula for success.

In our latest edition of Open for Business Tom Russo, Brian Parker and Ken Cook went in depth on effectiveness, efficiency, and execution, and how goal setting directs all of them. We explored how all of these elements interact in the context of workflow processes, what it takes to make things happen, and making some money while doing it.

Tune in and hear how workflow impacts profits, growth and a better work environment. Open for Business #41 – more great information than you could hope for in less than an hour.