* robfrankel   Yes, there IS a Free Clinic today, Monday, March 1, 2010! It will begin at the top of the hour as designated by the clock in the upper right hand corner of your browser.
* robfrankel   At that time, I'll be back here, hanging out for an hour to help anyone who drops by with their branding, business and other issues.
* robfrankel   So grab a cup of coffee, a muffin and limber up your fingers for the web's longest-running, publicly archived business chat!
* robfrankel   Alrighty then, the clinic is officially open, which means I'll be keeping my browser open for the next hour, in the event that anyone drops by and requires help...at no charge.
* anita2306   Good morning, Rob.
* robfrankel   Hey Anita, thanks for the RT...
* pete1405   Morning Rob
* anita2306   Not a problem. Am RT'ing a lot these days
* robfrankel   Hi Pete. Welcome back!
* anita2306   Now I really feel old, Tony Robbins is 50 today...
* pete1405   Thanks. Can you tell if there are many hits on that Solopreneurship white paper? MY browser seems to be refreshing every 4-5 seconds making typing difficult.
* robfrankel   And I'm betting that Tony Robbins is actually older than 50....
* robfrankel   Pete, let me see if I can get that for you...
* anita2306   Pete, what browser are you using?
* pete1405   IE 8
* robfrankel   No, I can't get those numbers for you. My system doesn't track the downloads, apparently. We only track items from the Store.
* robfrankel   Pete, I'd recommend ANYTHING other than IE.
* pete1405   I understand ;=[
* anita2306   I suggest either Firefox (although I beginning to wonder about it) or Chrome
* anita2306   Rob, your web log stats should show the downloads
* robfrankel   Being a Mac guy, I find that either Safari or Firefox seems to solve my browsing issues.
* robfrankel   Yeah, they should Anita. I have to find the web logs though. This system is a bit complicated.
* anita2306   Opera also works for Mac
* pete1405   Is Firefox a great grandchild of Netscape?
* anita2306   Much better than Netscape at this point. More of a divergent evolution
* robfrankel   I was under the impression that FireFox is the grandchild of Camino
* robfrankel   They're all part of the Mozilla family
* anita2306   Rob, someone heard a report on radio this weekend that Facebook would be charging for use. I cannot find anything on it. have you heard anything?
* robfrankel   No, I haven't heard anything about Facebook charging anyone anything. The rumors have always been that FB would charge for corporate programs. And of course, they charge for user information.
* anita2306   The other bit of news that made me laugh was that CNBC was doing a Baby Boomer special this week with the 70-yr old Tom Brokaw
* robfrankel   I must say, though, that my recent advertising test for BOTH Facebook and Linked both proved my suspicions that both are low clickthrough media that do not produce sales for most products/services.
* robfrankel   I shut down the aging shock machine when Ringo passed 70.
* anita2306   It is not so much sales for FB as in drawing attention to retail establishments/websites.
* robfrankel   I was a kid in Los Angeles when Brokaw got promoted to anchor the local news on NBC.
* anita2306   Linkedin is for biz connections and job seeking
* robfrankel   Yeah, I would say that if FB has any value, it's in that intangible "awareness" category, which even when successful, doesn't add much. Just ask Burger King.
* robfrankel   As such, I think I can confidently say that I'd never advise any client to spend money with any community site, focusing more on guerilla tactics since there's no true ROI there.
* anita2306   BK did much better with their chicken website.
* robfrankel   Actually, LinkedIn is like Lending Tree: They offer everything free to users so that they can resell your data for $$ to other businesses, recruiters, etc.
* anita2306   However, Facebook ads are very useful if you are targeting a specific demographic or region.
* robfrankel   Lending Tree doesn't make loans, they just peddle suckers' data to banks, which pay for them and then pester prospects for a year or two.
* robfrankel   Anita, I have yet to see the successful Facebook campaign tracked to a rise in revenue.
* anita2306   I am working on finding those case studies for you.
* pete1405   I'm typing this in old reliable, Notepad. And then I'll do a cut and paste. Allow me to go off topic for a moment. Rob, FYI, I am now officially accredited in Business Appraisal Review by the Institute of Business Appraisers. I know that is pertinent only in certain situations. You and I experienced the lack of interest in business sales and appraisals with the seminar we tried; at least no interest until there is a need. The purpose is to offer a credible/non-credible opinion about a completed business appraisal for a divorce, gifting, estate taxes, partnership splits, etc.
* robfrankel   Yep. I met a guy in a local networking group who did that.
* pete1405   This is a new certification, with the acronym ABAR. We are working on ways to promote this service to the various end users: judges, divorce attorneys, business attorneys. Any thoughts?
* robfrankel   If it's really new, there are two things to promote here:
1. Education: Let these professionals know that such a thing exists
2. Awareness: Letting them know you're one of the few who is accredited
* robfrankel   In both cases, however, you still need to keep in mind that your practice, like mine, only seems relevant at very specific points in time.
* robfrankel   NOBODY cares about insurance, for example, until they've had an accident. Nobody cares about their brand strategy until they've tried everything else and have run out of bullets and feel intense pain.
* robfrankel   In your case, nobody thinks about your services until the problem hits them head on in real time.
* robfrankel   Thus, your tactic has to be "a constant stream of new business promotion" that creates a pipeline of prospects, day in an day out.
* anita2306   Having just gone thru a divorce, Pete, you might look into talking to women's groups.
* robfrankel   If your message is on, then it becomes a matter of numbers. Some of the people you hit will be at just the right time. The majority will NOT be.
* robfrankel   Women's groups are where you may find sympathy, but not necessarily business. That's because it's the women's ATTORNEYS who do the hiring or experts, not the women themselves.
* pete1405   Agreed. They are not easy audiences to reach. A lot of clutter comes over their desks. Your point about relevancy only at a point in time is exactly on target. I agree with the constand stream, but how do you avoid the image, "Oh just another spam or promotion from that valuation guy. [DELETE}"
* robfrankel   You have to go where the BUSINESS is, not the sympathy.
* anita2306   Yes but a lot of women attorneys attend, and smart women often suggest resources to their attorneys
* robfrankel   So I would promote to lawyers, courts, and maybe even accountants, provided you allay any possible perception of threat to their practices.
* robfrankel   Anita, I disagree. There may be a lot of smart women, but I've yet to meet the attorney who would trust his/her business to a vendor referred by their client.
* robfrankel   Now, if Pete spoke to a group of women attorneys, that makes sense.
* anita2306   Take a look at FindLaw.com
* robfrankel   In any event, Pete, you probably should target the transactional professionals, including the court systems -- who could be seeking professionals to act on behalf of the court.
* robfrankel   I'd also get on the expert witness horse. There are quite a few expert witness services that screen and enlist their experts for no charge.
* pete1405   Anita, condolences or congratulations, whatever is appropriate. Thanks for the suggestions. The transactional professionals are the audience, again it's separation from the clutter that seems to be the hurdle. Tell me more about the expert witness services please.
* robfrankel   Pete. avoiding the spam e-mail issue is what my ebook is about. I use those tactics and I can safely say that my practice has skyrocketed since I used those tactics.
* robfrankel   If you do email marketing correctly, it only takes ONE e-mail to connect with roughly 2% of your respondents.
* robfrankel   The 2% is not due to the "open" rate; that's th number whose timing is right.
* robfrankel   As far as expert witness goes, I kidyou not, a simple Google search for expert witness providers will yield a list of services who (after a questionnaire) will screen your qualifications.
* robfrankel   Some charge money, some don't. However, attorneys use expert witness with unbridled checkbooks. The wages are great and the work comes in chunks.
* pete1405   Do you develop your own lists and write your own scripts? Or do you recommend a specific mailing house? Or do you recommend I buy your ebook - what an opening for you?
* robfrankel   As far as educating them, it's important that you outline for them FAST why they should restrict their valuation issues to accredited ABARs.
* robfrankel   Pete, get the ebook. It will save us both a lot of time and you can always follow up with an e-mail offline if you have questions. Or here.
* pete1405   Fair enough.
* robfrankel   But I'd definitely use the time to book yourself on to expert witness sites. WIthin the first two weeks, I heard from one service that pitched me to their client. And since they mark up your rates, it's totally free.
* robfrankel   Then, you can add "expert witness" to your private sales pitches. Instant credibility.
* pete1405   Before I jump to far I have to complete demo two reports for my Certified Business Appraisal certification. I have completed all of the coursework and passed the exam. I put the cart before the horse by taking the ABAR course and exam. Bascially the ABAR uses exactly the same criteria as those used to judge the demo reports - so it was like getting the answer sheet before the test. Hopefully that will be complete in a month or so.
* robfrankel   On the other hand, it gives you time to crate your marketing materials so you're ready to go.
* robfrankel   TEN MINUTE WARNING Still plenty of time....
* pete1405   Today, it seems like everyone is looking for letters after someone's name and experience is secondary. I'll grant that there is a lot of junk appraisals and I'm sure junk branding, but anyone can read a book and take a test. Thirty years of doing this in the trenches is tough to duplicate, but the market seems to minimize it. That is why I have jumped on the "letter" bandwagon.
* robfrankel   Well, the trick here is to continue to leverage your experience, but use the letters as icing on the cake.
* pete1405   Is FAST an acronym?
* robfrankel   Also, don't be shy about pushing against the hackery of other, less qualified vendors.
* robfrankel   FAST? As in....?
* robfrankel   Remember, the best way to describe yourself quickly is to start with the phrase, "Unlike other valuation providers...."
* pete1405   Hackery is a good term. I just got thru reviewing an appraisal by an expereinced, Ph.D appraiser, with all kinds of credentials. It was junk, my client thought it was junk, his attorney's thought it was junk, but the courts will accept it. FAST as in your capital letters earlier in the chat.
* robfrankel   FAST was capitalized for emphasis, not acronym.
* robfrankel   On my home page, I immediately call out "unlike other bloated agencies and design firms..." Hacks.
* pete1405   Got it. Thanks as usual. Have a great week.
* pete1405   You are shy!!!
* robfrankel   You too, Pete!
* robfrankel   Well, that should do it for another week. Have a great one and I'll see you online!
* robfrankel   Gotta run for a new call!