Do You Need Google Juice?

Its the first week of the month. Do you know where your Google ranking is?

-Google your name and a word for your business - Tom Zuckerman insurance, for example.

-Google the name of your company.

-Google the name of your town or marketing area and a description of your business - Saco Maine Pool Chemicals

-Google your target industry and a description of your business - steel mill racking systems, for example.

If you are not listed in the first Google result page you don't exist to many potential buyers. It's time to build Google juice so you're not invisible?

Here's an overview of how Google ranks sites.

Makin' it Easy

Want a pizza delivered? How about 1:00 AM? No cash? Hate figuring out the tip thing?

PapaJohns.com has it covered.

We now order all our pizza from Papa Johns. The pizza is good. However, as important is that they just make it easy to order.

I type in papajohns.com and up comes their order screen. I pick a pizza and click order. I don't even have to type in my credit card number as they store it from my first order. I can even put the tip on the cc.

You have to make it easy for your customers. You have to take away any friction. True in pizza, insurance, consulting, jewelry, or whatever business you're in.

Ask your customers how you could make it easier for them. Then listen.

Making Money

I love the expression "making money," a truly American formulation.

It is what we do as business people. We literally make money.

Every time I start working with a new client I have "made money" for myself and my family. I provide value - my clients give me money.

Earned money comes from providing value.

Value does not always result in money.

You, however, can not make money without providing value - true as a business owner - true as an employee.

What value are you providing?

Where can you add value to what you offer?

Are you taking advantage of all the opportunities to provide value?

Serious Consultants Only

If you are a consultant and you do not read the books by Dr. Alan Weiss, you are simply not serious about your business. He is the author of Million Dollar Consulting and more than 20 other books.

Alan has been my Mentor for 6 years now. I have attended multiple seminars and training programs by him. I have all his books and have visited him at his home where he gave me amazing advice and counsel.

I have earned millions of dollars because of Alan.

I just got back from NY for the annual meeting of the Society for Advancement of Consulting - a group started by Alan to promote professionalism in consulting. A great day filled with information not available anywhere else. I'll be posting some of the ideas from the session here in the days to come.

For the $300 membership fee I get,

-Free Admission to the annual conference

-6 teleseminars on consulting topics that will help my business immensely

-Access to an on-line forum where the best and the brightest consultants in the world talk about business, marketing, politics, ethics, and life. When I have a business problem I post a question and at least 5 people jump in with ideas and comment. At least 150 people are visiting this forum every day. It is the greatest educational environment out there for the solo-preneur.

We are building a New England Chapter - the dues for which are zero (just pay the national dues).

If you are serious about success in your consulting business and are in New England, send me an email.

I Hate Meetings!

I make no bones about the fact that I hate meetings. In my 20 years working for other people I bet I spent 20% of my time in meetings.

Now I rarely meet with anyone - in person.

In fact, this afternoon was the first time I met with a client face to face in a month. Phone calls, email, and conference calls take care of just about everything.

In 2000 I drove 30,000 miles.

In 2008 I drove 7,000.

Seth Godin makes some great suggestions in his blog.

Here are some of mine:

-At the start of the meeting tell everyone when you are walking out. When that time comes, walk out.

-Meet standing up.

-Don't serve drinks. Don't allow anyone to bring drinks. Meet now / eat later. Get what needs to be done done. Eat and drink on your own time.

-Require an agenda

-Invite only those who will provide input. Prepare a meeting summary and email it to everyone else. Reading is faster than meeting.

-Call meetings for twenty minutes before closing time - nobody has a reason to hang around late.

-I like Seth's idea about charging the last guy to come to the meeting $10.

-Better yet, ban all meetings.

Take More Shots

Alexander Ovechkin is the NHL's leading scorer - 50 so far this year (maybe more as you read this).

What is not widely reported is that he is also the leading shot taker with 461. That's 131 more than the number 2 shot-taker.

To score goals you must shoot.

Scott

Stupid Surveys

I just got a call from Amtrack.  They wanted to survey me on my Amtrack experience. 

I usually beg off quickly on survey calls.  I like to take the train so I decided to go ahead.

First he gave me a long explination about what the surevey was about.  I listened as I rolled my eyes.

He then asked what my home train station is.  Now, I'm a frequent traveler on Amtrak and they called me because they had my records.  Why would they ask that when they could just look at my records?

I told him Saco Maine.  Then he made me spell it out.  Then he asked me what city and state that was in.

I hung up.

Rules for Surveys:

-Don't ask questions that you should know.  

-Don't bother people with stupid questions.  

-Don't hire stupid people to run your surveys.

Putting Up Walls To Contacts

About twice a week I send an email to someone who is using Spam Arrest - a web dis-service that forces new email contacts to prove they are human.  I hate it.

You get a note that says, "I'm trying to protect myself from spam.  Please jump through a hoop so I can be a pain in the butt to do business with."

Actually, I added the last part.

Spam is not that big a deal especially if you use an email system like Gmail.  I'm absolutely promiscuous with my email address.  It is out there in 100,000 places.  I get three pieces of spam a day that GMail doesn't stop.  Big Deal!

Why would you put any barrier to new people contacting you?  Why would you do anything that causes others to have any hassle in working with you?  It's just dumb.

Along with dumb stuff is putting coding on your website so the robots cant tell that you have an email address listed on your site.  You've seen it - PompousDontWorkWithMecom. 

What on earth are you afraid of?  If even one prospective customer is annoyed, the price is too high for the small impact you will have on your inbox.

Data Backup

I harp on this all the time.  Backup your computer files.  Home, office, laptop...

Here is an easy solution.  Carbonite.com - $50 a year.  Automatic, encripted backup using your high speed internet access.  I have been using it for  a year now.  Works great.  Easy.  I don't even have to think about it.

Cheap insurance.

Marketers Who Cant Market Part 2

Every 2 months I send out a newsletter to banks - about 3000 pieces. I contacted a Maine direct mail company to see if they would like to bid on the project.

I emailed the sales contact on Sunday - no reply yet.

I bet the sales guy is too busy drinking coffee telling anyone who will listen that the economy is bad.