* robfrankel   Yes, there IS a Free Clinic today, Monday, May 17, 2010! It will begin at the top of the hour as designated by the clock in the upper right hand corner of your browser.
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.
So grab a cup of coffee, a muffin and limber up your fingers for the web's longest-running, publicly archived business chat!
* anita2306   Made it!
* anita2306   Of course, Rob is nowhere in sight.
- robfrankel   Yikes, my browser exploded....
- robfrankel   Whaddya mean "of course"? I'm here EVERY MONDAY....
* anita2306   Don't you mean imploded?
- robfrankel   Although attendance has been way down for the last month or so.
* anita2306   Except today...:)
* anita2306   People are scrambling
- robfrankel   I don't know why they're scrambling. Everything is pretty set for the near term future....
* anita2306   A lot of small businesses are running hard to stay in one place.
- robfrankel   There's a whole lot less talk about recession and lots more about recovery. Even Europe is looking to America to drive their economies....and America is rebounding already.
* anita2306   Even Twitter has been quieter than usual
- robfrankel   And I think it's too early for people to be leaving on the Memorial day vacations.
* anita2306   Have you gotten a copy of The Referral Engine yet?
- robfrankel   Which is another big mistake people are making: Planning new business campaigns going into Memorial Day weekend, when lots of people stretch the holiday from a three day weekend into a ten day vacation.
- robfrankel   No, I haven't. What's THAT ONE all about? :D
* anita2306   It is by John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing
* anita2306   He teaches the reader the best ways to get one's customers to refer others. So far, it has a lot of great examples of customer service
- robfrankel   Oh please, not another Next New Thing that has no impact on anyone except to sell more books....
- robfrankel   Before you can have great customer service, you have to have customers! Those guys never get to that part.
* anita2306   No, no. This book reinforces what John has always talked about
* anita2306   How to get customers, how to keep them, and how to get word of mouth referrals
- robfrankel   I gotta tell ya, in my personal experience, referrals are rarely a big source of business.
* anita2306   Which is what my biz runs on these days
- robfrankel   I've found that in business, referrals are gravy, not the meat of new biz. If you're not out there beating the bushes every day -- yourself -- it just isn't going to happen.
* anita2306   Even with a website, social media profiles, etc., WOM is still the best tool for us
- robfrankel   A lot of these gurus' feet don't touch the ground. Where do you get the ORIGINAL customers who generate the referrals?
* anita2306   I am re-reading you ebook on sending out cold emails
- robfrankel   And is the level of referrals enough to sustain a business? I doubt it.
* anita2306   I wouldn't call John a "guru". He is a business coach and is very down to earth.
- robfrankel   Even Network Marketing and MLM businesses eventually die out because NOBODY has enough referrals to make the business go.
* anita2306   I am re-focusing on my core business and have been dumping peripheral projects left and right.
* anita2306   Including a few blogs
- robfrankel   John may be okay, but that still begs the question:
You can't get referrals without the core business. Those customers have to come from SOMEHWERE
- robfrankel   Blogs. Meh.
* anita2306   As an example of WOM for me: we landed a project with a large real estate firm because they had a referral from a programming person who is a good friend of mine (that I made through Meetup)
- robfrankel   Blogs, to me, are a huge myth. The vast majority are a huge waste of time and totally unproductive. I can't believe it when I read people mourning about how they haven't posted to their blog in a while. As if the whole world has been waiting for it.
* anita2306   IMHO, core customers come from networking, and contact thru presentations.
- robfrankel   Anita, that referral is great. But you need five of those a month -- I would guess -- to make a living.
* anita2306   I have met several contacts thru Twitter.
- robfrankel   Over the years, I've found that in most cases, people move thru self-interest. And referring business is very reactive. I'd never count on it.
- robfrankel   I agree, Twitter has been suprisingly productive for me, too.
* anita2306   Some of the face to face network groups are too little to be of much use.
* anita2306   The people in them are small biz, that cannot afford my services.
* anita2306   So I am using Twitter to get the word out, and my friends there help as well.
- robfrankel   I almost made it to Shankman's no host last week, but got sidelined by a family issue. It would have been the first Twitter group attendance for me. I have, however, met with people from as far away as Australia when they were in town, through Twitter.
* anita2306   Although someone recently claimed that you HAD to have a Facebook page, I am still waffling over it for my particular biz.
- robfrankel   The leverage of the web is the way to go, as far as I'm concerned.
- robfrankel   Facebook has jumped the shark. It's pretty much over. I don't even bother with it personally, and professionally, I keep a page up there so that I have a "presence."
* anita2306   I do not think that people on FB are interested in SEO. I have started a FB group on the topic, bit no one is discussing anything.
* anita2306   In what way has it jumped?
- robfrankel   Anita, you'll find that many people think there are shorcuts to building business, like Facebook, referral engines, networks. But the truth is that for real business to happen faster, you have to drive it yourself.
* anita2306   I have redone my home page of MySearchGuru
- robfrankel   Facebook has jumped by Zuckerberg's arrogance, mainly. Privacy issues, over growth are two big issues that have taken the bloom off its rose.
* anita2306   Yup, I do think that one of the problems is that the CEO is too young to understand the privacy issues.
- robfrankel   There's a Facebook movie coming out in Fall 2010 that will shred Facebook and Zuckerberg, according to Shel Israel. It could unleash a major backlasht o the privcay concerns from Facebook and Google, et al.
* anita2306   That should be interesting.
- robfrankel   Look what happened to MySpace. And AOL. They both jumped the shark and pretty much died.
* anita2306   Google's Buzz has mostly died these days.
- robfrankel   And both had the market in their hands. They fumbled the ball. So will Facebook.
- robfrankel   Was there ever any doubt that Google Buzz was DOA? :D
* anita2306   Though Loren Feldman had an interesting take on how AOL could come back.
* anita2306   I'll find the link for you
- robfrankel   I watched Feldman's video yesterday. Cute, but he's not a business man
* anita2306   If LinkedIn isn't careful, they too will be jumping the shark soon enuf
- robfrankel   ANyone who thinks this is a one issue battle is clearly naive.
I agree, LinkedIn is on thin ice, but not as bad as Facebook....at least for now.
* anita2306   Although I understand what you mean about blogs, we are launching a new blog design service this week.
* anita2306   And, for once, I am not going to be doing it!
- robfrankel   I've maintained for a long time -- on record -- that AOL could be a player. But they have no sense of direction.
* anita2306   AOL could take over from Yahoo, but they are clueless as well.
- robfrankel   Good.
I believe blogs are like the gold mines: Few people strike gold, but the merchants who sell them picks and shovels get rich.
- robfrankel   Don't get me started on Yahoo!!! Dopes.
* anita2306   Yes, that was our thinking as well.
* anita2306   I thought the new CEO would rescue them, but, nope.
- rick_goldberg   I am at the Boston airport waiting for a flight in an hour, using my laptop. All social media gurus pitch Linked-In, Facebook and Twitter. Do you disagree?'
Also, 60 minutes last night had a piece on the oil spill, with the authority being a Cal prof. Feel proud, Rob.
- robfrankel   Hey Joe, Rick. Welcome! Jump in when you're ready.
* anita2306   Rick, those are the "Big Three" but I think Facebook is on the way out.
* anita2306   The privacy concerns are severly hurting them.
* joe2070   Trying to catch up on the conversation
* anita2306   And, it also depends on who and what your target market is.
- robfrankel   Depends on the business, Rick. Personally, I think Twitter is the most robust for most businesses. Facebook does well for lighter, softer stuff. LinkedIn may be okay for B2B, but I have had no success with either Facebook or LinkedIn for clients.
* joe2070   i canceled all my social media accounts except facebook
- robfrankel   Phil Glowatz just reported that ALL THREE are highly skewed to FEMALE users, with Facebook being the most female of the three. And the average age for Twitter users was 39.
* anita2306   For example, if your demographic is musical groups, MySpace is still useful.
- robfrankel   BTW, the ad tests we did on Facebook and LinkedIn were total failures. Ads simply don't work there.
* anita2306   And how did he come to that conclusion?
- robfrankel   Phil cited a research study done....I'll see if I have the link.
* joe2070   My entire strategy is to move people from online to a live phone call, to elevate the relationship
* anita2306   FB works well for women as they adapt well to the chatty side of things, but LI is mostly male
- robfrankel   Interesting reading:
http://royal.pingdom.com/2009/11/27/study-males-vs-females-in-social-networks/
- robfrankel   * The average social network user is 37 years old.
* LinkedIn, with its business focus, has a predictably high average user age; 44.
* The average Twitter user is 39 years old.
* The average Facebook user is 38 years old.
* The average MySpace user is 31 years old.
* Bebo has by far the youngest users, as witnessed earlier, with an average age of 28."
* joe2070   fb reconnected me with my past, friends from hs, and college
- robfrankel   * 84% (16 out of 19) of the sites have more female than male users.
* The social news sites Digg, Reddit and Slashdot have significantly more male users than female. The standout here is Slashdot which takes male geekdom to new heights with 82% male users. :)
* If we hadnít included the three social news sites, all of the sites would have had more females than males.
* Twitter and Facebook have almost the same male-female ratio; Twitter with 59% female users and Facebook with 57%.
* The most female-dominated site? Bebo (66% female users), closely followed by MySpace and Classmates.com (64%).
* The average ratio of all 19 sites was 47% male, 53% female
- robfrankel   Joe, but Facebook has no other real value. It's basically a time suck for non-business users, IMHO.
* joe2070   pretty much true
face to face is still king
- robfrankel   And MySpace has pretty much been reduced to failing musicians, teenagers and cougars.
- robfrankel   Joe, I dsiagree. I get most of my business online, mainly from direct e-mail and my website. About 80% from direct e-mail, maybe 20% from the site. Just guessing.
* joe2070   The reality is, we have all this technology, but we are more disconnected than ever
- robfrankel   In fact, I'm about to do a five city gig for a client I've never met face to face.
- robfrankel   Joe, I think the trick is to meet via technology, but develop the relationships as humanly as possible.
* joe2070   We can transmit a gigabyte in a nanosecond millions of miles, but it takes days, weeks, months, or even years to penetrate one inch of human skull
- robfrankel   For example, I sign a client, and then fly to their offices to meet them face to face. But it couldn't happen unless the technology allowed us a means to connect in the first place. Thing is that happens via direct e-mail, not networking services.
- robfrankel   Joe: I send ONE e-mail to a CEO. Just one. One time. That's it.
- robfrankel   Penetrating the human skull is what brand strategy is all about. That's the space I play in.
- robfrankel   Hi Lexchel!
* joe2070   I understand. We live in an attention deficit society. Attention IS the currency of the times
- lexchel   Hello, everyone. Just stopping by to see what I can learn today and perhaps share what I "know"
- robfrankel   But you're right, Joe. Most people have a defense shield right in front of the cerebellum. And THAT'S the main barrier to sale.
* joe2070   So, thats the question, how can we get through the defense shield, how can we get true listening, how can we build the trust, with so much cynicism
- robfrankel   Joe, I just need about 15 seconds to illustrate to my prospects why I'm the only solution to their problem. After that, we're just hammering out the details.
- robfrankel   Joe, it's all about the brand strategy: If you work with the truth (which is very rare these days) and you don't hype (which everyone else does), you come across credibly. If you can present your brand strategy credibly, you're in.
* joe2070   So it comes down to the elevator speech?
- robfrankel   If your brand strategy creates the perception in which you're perceived as "the only solution to their problem," they have no place else to shop. SO you're the ONLY alternative.
* joe2070   I do work with the truth, I do have the results track record, but the guard is still up.
- robfrankel   The question is NOT elevator speeches, it's brand strategy. It's why you should be perceived as the only solution.
Look around and you'll see most sales pitches are very similar to others' claims. When everyone looks the same, prospects go with the low bidder because they have no other criteria.
* joe2070   Yes, i call that the "point of onliness", good reminder
- robfrankel   TEN MINUTE WARNING Still plenty of time left....
- robfrankel   Okay, so you the trick is getting them to see your "onliness" as it applies to them. If you can do that, you're in.
- lexchel   Rob, does that mean that you don't specialize in a specific industry?
- robfrankel   Correct, Lexchel. In my business, I do everything "from software to men's wear" :D
* joe2070   So, I do live in the world of scientific strategy, proven principles.
I like what you're saying. One thing I do is let them know I don't treat you as the herd, but as a unique individual with unique needs.
- lexchel   That's interesting. Don't your prospects ask you have you worked in their industry before?
- robfrankel   But that's because my skill set is a broad based discipline. If I were a Porsche specialist, I wouldn't be out there fixing Chevies.
* anita2306   The same is true for SEO
- lexchel   That's interesting... very interesting. Prospects seem to love to know 'who else' you've worked with in their industry.
- robfrankel   Yes, Lex, they do. But once I explain that I'm not an expert in their business (THEY"RE the experts) and that I'm an expert in BRANDING, they get it.
- lexchel   Ohhhh! Got it!
* joe2070   SEO is worthless without conversion
- robfrankel   Look at it this way, Lex:
They didn't call me to be an expert in what they already know. They call me to help them with the stuff they DON'T know about, which is brand strategy and implementation.
* anita2306   Uh, no that is backwards. Websites are worthless if no one can find them in the search engines, which is what SEO does.
- robfrankel   To be honest, most clients appreciate that. They ALWAYS get screwed over by the "experts" in their industries, because they may know the industry, but NOT how to solve the real problems at hand.
* anita2306   SEO has nothing to do with conversion. That is up to the website itself.
- lexchel   Makes perfect sense, Rob.
- robfrankel   Lex, it DOES make sense....yet you'd be amazed at how few people have actually thought it out....
* joe2070   Exactly, Anita, and when I look at websites, they make me want to cry how bad they are
* anita2306   I can drive traffic to your website, but if you can't get the users to buy, that is not MY problem.
* joe2070   Ahh, you sell SEO.
* anita2306   Sorry, you hit a nerve.
* anita2306   I do SEO
* joe2070   My job, as business troubleshooter, is to get the cash register to ring.
- lexchel   I'm thinking about it now. LOL. I'm going to tweak some things ;)
- robfrankel   Anita is correct. It's like when we do ads for clients, I tell them not to expect increased sales, because THEIR people are selling, not ours. We can only bring bodies to the door. It's their guys who have to close the deal.
- robfrankel   TWO MINUTES....
* joe2070   Maybe we should JV, u sell traffic, I sell copy
* anita2306   Works for me
- robfrankel   One of our PeerMailing advertisers squawked about how our ads weren't generating sales. Odd, because our clickthrough page generated 4% CTR from qualified buyers. Problem was that the client wouldn't change their landing page.
* joe2070   I'd be surprised that very few sites convert less than 1%
- 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!
* anita2306   Joe, you can contact me pros@mysearchguru.com
* joe2070   cya
* joe2070   k anita
* joe2070   got a phone number?