* robfrankel   Greetings!
* robfrankel   Yes, there IS a Free Clinic today, Monday, April 19, 2010! It will begin at the top of the hour as designated by the clock in the upper right hand corner of your browser.
So grab a cup of coffee, a muffin and limber up your fingers for the web's longest-running, publicly archived business chat!
* robfrankel   Almost didn't make it....a bit late, but ready!
* robfrankel   I'll hang out here for the next 60 minutes, in the event anyone drops by with a business or branding issue.
* robfrankel   Eydryan? You there?
* anita2306   Good morning, Rob
* robfrankel   HI Anita!
* anita2306   I'll be here until quarter of when I am getting a demo of the new Tweet Reports app
* anita2306   I was glad to see your tweet today about not using Google Docs
* robfrankel   No prob. The clinic has been sparse this past few weeks...
* anita2306   Everyone is out hustling probably
* robfrankel   I'd never use anything Google. I've been ranting about that for quite a while now. I feel as if the public is being lulled into dangerous lack of privacy.
* anita2306   And last week I was fighting with my taxes, and they were winning!
* anita2306   Facebook has the same problem.
* robfrankel   I figured as much. April is always weird. In fact, early April is one of the few times I suspend new business development. People are preoccupied.
* anita2306   It is out theory that young 'uns (18-24) do not understand the need for privacy until they really get out into the real world.
* anita2306   our
* anita2306   How is Google making money on the free applications?
* robfrankel   That HAS to be true. But I'm also amazed at how people of ALL ages are so lazy about their privacy. I've already seen some pretty sweet disasters as a result of Facebook naiveté
* anita2306   WEll, Facebook does not make it easy to fix the privacy settings.
* robfrankel   I believe Google's basic approach is the same old saw: Make them register, give them stuff for free and sell the ad space around it.
* robfrankel   Frankly, I'm amazed at ALL the Google apps that are free. A month or so ago I was impressed to find they even have their own free 3D illustration program!
* anita2306   I noticed that Yahoo has given up on its version of AdSense.
* robfrankel   Facebook doesn't have to make it easy; people just don't get the fact that some things shouldn't be shared.
* robfrankel   Yahoo is giving up -- period.
* anita2306   You mean SketchUp? That has been around for a bit.
* anita2306   Yahoo keeps sending me free coupons for their ad campaigns.
* robfrankel   SketchUp is pretty specific for a free product. Word processing is one thing. Mail is one thing. But 3D modeling is pretty specific for a free product.
* anita2306   Yes, but how many people are actually using the product? Most people I know that do 3D rendering have a paid for program.
* robfrankel   Right. I do, as well. But the fact that Google offers it is enough to lure the unsuspecting into its trap. And once you invest in it, you're stuck.
* anita2306   I think that many of these programs from Google are an outgrowth from stuff their own people are using. Buzz was a good (bad?) example of that.
* robfrankel   I see a bigger, more menacing issue: Apple, Google, Microsoft are all playing the closed environment game again. Just when we thought the web was open and free to stay, these leviathans are battling for ownership again.
* robfrankel   The iPad is the perfect example.
* robfrankel   Apple now chooses what you can and cannot read by restricting its publishing platform. We ran into this with the Little Wingman issue on iPhone. We were completely at their arbitrary mercy.
* robfrankel   Hi Patrick!
- patrick_kilhoffer   Rob, Windows 7 doesn't like your chat software. Took me forever to type this sentance.
- patrick_kilhoffer   Hi Rob. Damn this is slow.
* robfrankel   More Microsoft miracles. This chat is anicent technology. Should be a snap for Microsoft....
* robfrankel   Chat is working fine on this end, Patrick. Maybe it's your connection? Browser?
- patrick_kilhoffer   Curser keeps going away. Can't type.
* anita2306   Sorry, phone call.
* anita2306   Rob, Amazon has already shown it can and does censor stuff in Kindle.
* robfrankel   Which is why I'm sitting out the e-publishing market for my publications.
* anita2306   But, the iPad is nothing more than a toy, an overgrown iTouch.
* robfrankel   I'd rather kill at tree than my rights to uncensored self-expression.
* robfrankel   I played with the iPad this weekend and was NOT impressed. It's a total consumption toy; at best, a portable "dumb terminal" that could be used for SaaS-based businesses.
* anita2306   I refuse to get an ebook reader, on the grounds that any laptop or netbook can be made into one.
* robfrankel   Hi Rick!
- rick_goldberg   I now have Windows 7 also, and it seems fine.
* anita2306   There are a number of funny videos of animals playing with the iPad.
- patrick_k   Must be a setting then.
* robfrankel   Gotta be. It's like when people say they have trouble with my site, I know it's not me, because my site is pure HTML. EVERYONE can handle it.
- rick_goldberg   When you get to me: I not only upgraded from Windows 2000 to Windows 7, Verizon convinced me that I was not a customer, so I moved 3 phone lines to Comcast and got Comcast Internet.
* eydryan   hi everyone, got a question for you rob
* robfrankel   My opinion is that iPad will not live up to expectations when its limitations are publicized. Remember the MacBook Air? Not too many people do....
* robfrankel   Eydryan, go ahead
* eydryan   it's about the tropicana rebranding, been researching that for my master's paper and I stumbled onto an interesting way of looking at the problem: maybe the rebrand was made to be that bad, so that it would generate buzz
* eydryan   i mean people got all excited about how bad it was and then about how good the new old one is
- rick_goldberg   Here is my question for today: Rather than cold Emails, isn't it better t meet people at shows, phone them the next day to schedule a face-to-face meeting (if they are within driving distance) and confirm the meeting by Email?
* eydryan   what do you think?
- patrick_k   Rick, the best part of selling my business was never having Verizon controlling any part of my life. The money was nice too,
* robfrankel   an, your research will inevitably lead to the lost sales for Tropicana, which I'd heard was about $30 million in its first quarter alone.
I doubt Tropicana was planning that part.
- rick_goldberg   Patrick: I completely agree. They think it is only about them.
* eydryan   they did lose about 20% of sales (they say) but they did gain market share
* robfrankel   Rick, you can maybe meet a few people at a show that costs you huge time and money. You can cold e-mail hundreds a day in about five minutes. Which is a better use of your time?
* eydryan   and after all that we have no real sales data to go on, cause they're the only ones who give that stuff out
- rick_goldberg   Tropicana's rebranding and repackaging seems designed to hide the fact that the containers are smaller and the quality is worse.
* anita2306   Eydran, I think it was more along the lines of the New Coke mess.
* eydryan   well new coke can really be justified as the same thing
* eydryan   strangest thing about the tropicana thing is that it was so fast
- rick_goldberg   Rob: The response rate from meetings is much higher than from cold Emails. But if either case, referrals are the best way.
* robfrankel   Eydryan, Tropicana's ride with Arnell was a complete and total disaster. You can tell by one major data point:
Tropicana has NEVER moved as fast as it did to switch back in order to stem the hemorrhaging of sales.
* eydryan   i mean they reverted so fast back to the redesign
* anita2306   Rick, what if you get their card at a F2F and then ask permission to call them later?
* robfrankel   Rick, if you send out 100 e-mails a day, every day, you'll inevitablly close more leads over the same period of time at a much lower cost per sale.
* eydryan   and from what I've researched the branding company actually offered them a version of the old packaging just tweaked a bit but they turned it down; apparently pepsico wanted the new mess
* eydryan   but i guess they were just dumb; still, was curious what you'd say
* robfrankel   Not true, Eydryan. If you saw my blog on it - complete with Peer Arnell's video embedded -- you'd see it happening in real time.
- rick_goldberg   Anita: I only follow-up if they ask me to. The problem is they often then have excuses of no budget or no need.
* robfrankel   Rick, that's why I prefer e-mail. First, anyone who responds to e-mail is into efficiency and responsiveness. They make MUCH better clients.
- patrick_k   Rick, if you have 5o+ prospects go to trade shows, If 200+ then call them for the introduction. If you have 1,000+ prospects then email or hire someone to call them.
* anita2306   No one has the need, until you can show them how much they are losing
* robfrankel   Second, by e-mail, they only respond if they have the goods to be real clients. BEcause they are so efficient, they're much straighter with you and don't waste THEIR time, either.
* robfrankel   TEN MINUTE WARNING...still plenty of time.
* robfrankel   I NEVER go to trade shows. For me, they're a complete waste of time and money. I also caution not to go simply because "everyone else does."
Fact is, EVERYONE goes to trade show LOOKING for business. Very few go to become clients.
* robfrankel   And most clients don't leverage trade shows properly, anyway.
* robfrankel   In fact, a client of mine once taught me that the quickest way to get rid of a pest at a trade show is to ask for his business card.
What does THAT tell you?
- patrick_k   Bye all.
* robfrankel   BYe Patrick! Sorry about your Windows!
* robfrankel   Well, we're down to our last 4 minutes....
* robfrankel   Alrighty then, that should do it for another Monday! Thanks everyone for your insights. I've gotta run, but the room stays open for 15 more minutes. Archives should be up in a day or two! Have a great week. I'll see you online!
- rick_goldberg   OK. But I also go to conferences to go to the sessions to keep up with the industry. I also went to an Aberdeen conference where the audience was entirely senior managers with budget authority. But again, I spoke with several, followed up with Emails, and got no business from it.
- rick_goldberg   Rob: If you do targeted personalized Emails, I see your point. But if you rent lists with form Emails, I don't.
- rick_goldberg   After you respond, bye.