* robfrankel Yes, there IS a Free Clinic today, Monday, August 23, 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!
* joe2070 hi
* anita2306 Good morning, Joe.
* joe2070 good morning anita
* anita2306 I don't see Rob here. Probably has a phone call.
* robfrankel Hey Joe, Hi Anita!
* joe2070 hi rob
* robfrankel I have to start and stop on the dot with this, or we run overtime! What's going on? Who's up first?
* anita2306 Let Joe go first, I have an ant invasion
* robfrankel Hey, Joe. What's the situation with you?
* joe2070 i was just going to observe, but what the heck... I'm all about resurrecting the entrepreneurial spirit in America
* robfrankel Entrepreneurism is a good thing. I happen to think that America is just waiting for a charismatic leader to motivate them to action.
* joe2070 As a business coach, Business owners seem to be about 3% of the populace
I think maybe that's my calling, to be that leader
* anita2306 Only 3%?
* robfrankel Hey, 3% is enough if they leverage all of their constituents
* joe2070 I think so Anita, most people have a Job mentality
* anita2306 Maybe it is different out here in California. Almost everyone I know is a small biz owner.
* robfrankel Joe, I find that the world is divided into two camps: Those who give orders and those who follow orders. Although I can't imagine it, there are lots of people who are far more comfortable taking orders.
* joe2070 You're right rob. Part of being an entrepreneur is to be aware of the problems, part is to creatively create solutions, part is to enroll others as a visionary and leader to get others involved.
* robfrankel And followers just aren't capable of making decisions. It stresses them out.
* joe2070 I have been giving presentations, and when I ask, "Show of hands, ho many are afraid to start your own business, a solid 70% of the hands go up.
* robfrankel I totally believe that. And there's a REASON for it....
* joe2070 last presentation like that was 50 professionals, Bachelors, masters, and PHD's. What do you believe is the reason, Rob?
* robfrankel I suspect the degreed people are seeking ways to validate those degrees.
* robfrankel There's a real disconnect between people who THOUGHT they were earning a degree for success and then finding themselves working for OTHER PEOPLE'S success....
* anita2306 Also, a lot of people got degrees in fields that are not very viable in today's world.
* robfrankel Also, I'm betting they were older types, who are reassessing their life plans....
* joe2070 I also ask, " How many of you feel totally confident about approaching a prospect, and selling", only 5% say yes
* anita2306 Even MBAs seem to be a dime a dozen...
- rick_goldberg People who work for others want to forget about their jobs when they leave at night. People who start businesses worry about them all the time.
* anita2306 A Ph.D. definitely takes a long time to complete.
* robfrankel Joe, I'd bet that "approaching people" at all is among the #1 fears people have. Asking a girl out on a date can send guys into cardiac arrest!
- rick_goldberg Firms who want to keep customers happy practice CRM as a management tool. This includes empowering the people who answer the phones to make decisions that affect the customers.
* anita2306 I still think Daniel Pink's Free Agent Nation is an excellent discussion of this.
* robfrankel Thing is, as Rick says, lots of people who DO work make the mistake of thinking they can run a business. They're not the same thing at all
* joe2070 The problem with the MBA is a MANAGEMENT degree, to manage an existing business. It typically is devoid of the creativity and innovation to solve problems by creating a business solution
- rick_goldberg Re: Approaching People
Rob: I bought and read your Email Ebook. Why do you believe that cold Emails are more effective than cold call? They are more efficient to do. But agencies seem to always do cold calliong.
* joe2070 I can't buy into the effectiveness of e-mails, or anything internet, over face to face
- rick_goldberg Successful businesses have both a killer app and unique value proposition. Many hopeful entrepreneurs have neither.
* robfrankel Rick, e-mail works way better IF your targets are used to doing business on the web. They just want the data. They respond faster. They trust e-mail. So everything happens faster and more efficiently.
Plus, e-mail is global.
* anita2306 Face to face is too limited.
* joe2070 SOme people need to be slapped in the face. You can't do that with e-mail
* joe2070 You've got to be kidding, Anita!
* robfrankel Joe, you'd be AMAZED at what e-mail can do. Actually, not what it can do, but what kind of realtionships it can START, which is how I use it.
* joe2070 You can't read body language with email, you cant get vocal intonation with email, you can't shake hands with email
* robfrankel I use ONE e-mail to inititate a relationship. After that, it's all phone and face to face.
* robfrankel Joe, I've made too many deals and friends with e-mail intros to believe that. Besides, the vast majority of my clients are not local to me. E-mail has allowed me to expand my client base nationally and internationally
* joe2070 well, Rob, I agree, if you can migrate to phone, and face to face, then you're doing something effective.
* robfrankel Like I said, you can use email to INITIATE the relationship, not manage it.
* robfrankel Right Joe, but e-mail is also more time efficient.
* joe2070 What does your initiation e-mail do? What's the concept?
* joe2070 time efficient, yes, sensory deficient, yes
- rick_goldberg OK, Rob.
When you meet people face-to-face (either for the first time or in response to an Email), how do you start? Do you ask if they have a budget, need and deadline? Do you just listen to them?
* robfrankel Rick, by the time I meet them, they've paid and signed an agreement.
* joe2070 So, Rob, from one e-mail, you're getting a signed contract?
* robfrankel With me, it's intro by e-mail, phone call, proposal, phone call, engagement.
- rick_goldberg OK, First the blind Email. Then the proposal. Then the contract?
* robfrankel Not a blind e-mail exactly. But it's enough to generate a call. The call is where we see if there's a fit. If there is, I senda proposal.
* joe2070 I've got another challenge. Doing a product launch of the Pit Stop Portable Urinal System. When you got to pee so bad, you feel like your kidneys will explode. http://PitStopInfo.com
* robfrankel I know that product!!! From years ago!!
* joe2070 My marketing budget is generated from sales, so I'm working on vapors. Any ideas to get that first big purchase?
* joe2070 Well, we're finally launching bigger. We can produce 5000 units a day now.
* robfrankel Wasn't the original plan to market it to truckers?
* joe2070 yep, but we are also marketing to wheelchair bound, and bed bound, and experimental aircraft, and small boat owners.
* joe2070 I've got it in some truck stops, the drivers need to pull it through
* anita2306 How about nursing homes?
* joe2070 we do have an affiliate program, pays $20 per unit sold
* robfrankel Hey, I can tell you two more markets:
* robfrankel College students -- they do long road trips and this is just interesting enough to get their attention.
* robfrankel Moms with little kids.
* joe2070 nursing homes, hospital supply, we're working on getting in GSA Advantage, which ios a government approval process.
* anita2306 Especially since it is geared to both genders
* robfrankel Joe, how much does it retail for?
* joe2070 $69.95, wholesale discounts 4 units $50, 12 and up, $40 per unit
* robfrankel Joe, you have a URL for it?
We should look at it.
* joe2070 As we make more, we can reduce the price.
* joe2070 http://PitStopInfo.com
* robfrankel Yeah, I'm thinking it's priced too high for what it really is....
* anita2306 The website has an audio that is somewhat annoying
* joe2070 It's the only solution on the market, especially female friendly, environmentally friendly
* anita2306 And there are no meta tags
* robfrankel And it's WAAAAAAAAAY too targeted, in my opinion. Why limit your market like that?
* anita2306 And why does one need a cleaning station for it? Dump in a toilet and wash it out.
* joe2070 Well it is targeted, however, we are making a shift from the truckers market to the gnl health care market
* joe2070 cleaning station is for truckers hubs
* joe2070 if you were at a truck stop, the truckers trash cans are disgusting
* joe2070 So, the question, is how can we get more acceptance, more excitement, more viral storytelling
* robfrankel FIRst thing, Joe, I'd suggest is widen your appeal. Your message bypasses everyone EXCEPT truckers. SO why would anyone else be interested?
- rick_goldberg I know truckers who already have bathrooms in their trucks. Another market is hikers, campers, backpackers, who go where they must remove all bodily excrement.
* joe2070 we were endorsed by Women in Trucking to waste Management. you are right, Rob. That's next
* joe2070 rick, most truckers DON'T have that
* robfrankel Joe, it's one thing to say, "Hey, you KNOW it's great because this is the brand of choice for professional truckers." BUt you use that phrase on the general market as an endorsement, not a main sales tactic
* joe2070 The utility is universal, think disaster relief in Haiti, for example
* joe2070 Got it Rob, widen the appeal.
* robfrankel TEN MINUTE WARNING (Still plenty of time)
* anita2306 I suggest different landing pages for different audiences
* robfrankel NBC is doing a special on Five Years After Katrina. The #1 issue there was how people disposed of waste -- personal and otherwise.
* joe2070 Who has the most to gain from this kind of product?
* joe2070 sometimes, I feel too close to be objective
* robfrankel Joe, I can see that.
* joe2070 I've got a van, I'm hitting the road to circle the country, and visit the trucking companies face to face
* anita2306 You might want to aim it at the "green" market...
* robfrankel Joe, this is a perfect Dm product. So web and TV should do well for you
* joe2070 Yes, anita, we are a green product. When we launched this 4 years ago, green wasn't so "hip" Now, it's more timely. We were a little ahead of our time'
* joe2070 I'm thinking for web, we should do facebook ads targeting truckers and the like
* anita2306 There are many "green" social networks, search engines, and directories out there.
* robfrankel Facebook ads were terrible. Awful. When we tested them.
* joe2070 thanks, that's good
* anita2306 I do not think that truckers are on FB, and those ads seem to be a waste of money.
* joe2070 really, Rob, what was the product?
* robfrankel TWO MINUTES
* joe2070 there are truckers and trucker communities on FB
* robfrankel We tried books, items and stuff. No responses. No sales.
* anita2306 Also, look under the term "sustainable living". EcoSherpa.com is one such directory.
* joe2070 Women in trucking endorsed us heavily.
- rick_goldberg There are truckers on FB, but they must be computer-literate.
* anita2306 So, join those communities and talk about your product.
* joe2070 We'll be joining ATA, American Truckers AssociationS, an association of the trucking associations of each of the 50 States
- rick_goldberg Bye for today.
* joe2070 I'll check out ecosherpa
* 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!
* 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!
* joe2070 thanks Rob
* anita2306 Bye
* joe2070 thanks anita