My friend Dawud Miracle has put together something pretty special for small businesses and service providers. I would not normally promote something like this (it’s a kind of competition for my own business) but I know Dawud personally. Dawud knows what he is doing and what he is talking about.

I know, why am I shilling for some product? Because the economy is tough and everyone needs something to help build their business. Well, I coach people on how to do this for themselves and what kind of coach would I be if I didn’t point to excellent resources that are available. Seriously, even thought it’s not my own product I can recommend it with confidence. This service can help your business grow, and as you see next, it helps me a little bit too. (Please read to the end for a special offer from me)

NOTE: There is an affiliate program, so I get a little piece of the purchase – but you can too! Click here and follow the link to the affiliate program.

You simply can’t go wrong with this offer!

Small Business Owners & Service Providers:

Get an attractive, modern business website or blog – at a great price – WITHOUT all the guesswork, technical difficulties and hassles.

And, until Sunday, August 30 at 12:01pm, you can get your business-ready website or blog for the incredibly low price of $350!

((( BEGINS – THURSDAY, AUGUST 27th at NOON EASTERN )))

Sounds too good to be true? Well, it’s not – at least until Sunday! No tricks, no games, no gimmicks and no bait-and-switch.

You see, I’m celebrating. Not only is this price to celebrate the long-awaited birth of my turn-key business-ready website design service (The Website Habitat), but in a few weeks my wife will give birth to our fourth child. So I’m just giddy.

If you have been thinking about getting (or upgrading) a website for your small business, church, home business (or whatever), click this link to The Website Habitat and see just what Dawud has to offer. For example, the first 5 people to order a website get a free membership to Chris Garrett’s Authority Blogger online course. (Authority Blogger provides you with in depth, detailed strategies on how can be using your blog to marketing and promote your business, the course retails for $397. Just this course is worth the purchase!)

To make this deal even better, I am going to give anyone who buys a website from Dawud using my affiliate link a $50 discount from my own Writing for the Web Training Course. All you have to do is send me a copy of your confirmation e-mail (take out any personal/confidential info, of course!) and I will send you a discount code! You can use the contact form.

150 People Looking in the Same Direction

(post borrowed from Liz Strauss, because I am too buried in moving to write for myself right now)

TIME.

It’s the only resource we can’t get more of.

Suppose you could take a weekend retreat away from the noise…

• to focus entirely on your business
• to work with the support of a team
• to get quality time to interact with the best names in social media
• to get the best information AND time to dicuss how you’ll apply it
• to work with sponsors in the social media space
• in a room that only holds 150 people — all focused in the same direction
• without worry because the food and the wireless are outstanding.

A weekend of learning with Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Brian Clark, Liz Strauss, Brian Solis, Kali Evans-Raoul, KD Paine, Geoff Nelson and Chris Aarons, Denise Wakeman, Wendy Piersall, and David Bullock, Stephen Smith and Michael Martine, Saul Colt and Terry Starbucker, Glenda Watson Hyatt, Karen Putz, and Stephen Hopson — and a 150-person dream team.

Would you invest in your business to experience that?

Register for SOBCon 2009 here.

Drew and Gavin have completed the gargantuan task of pulling together all of the submissions for The Age of Conversation 2. I am very excited to be part of this project, and I believe that it will be a great success.

The book is available as a downloadable e-book beginning October 29, at a cost of $12.50, of which $10 will be contributed to the children’s charity Variety. Beginning on the same date, orders will be taken for a limited number of printed books in hardcover ($29.95, with $6.04 to charity) and softcover ($19.95, with $8.02 donated to charity).

Buy this book

Purchases can be made online at Lulu.com.
More information can be found at the Age of Conversation website. Please do consider purchasing this book, you can learn a lot and support a good cause.

The following is a link-rich list of all of the 237 contributors, please do take the time to visit their sites and leave a thoughtful comment.

Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem

I am looking forward to working on something exiting with each of the authors on this list in the future.

When stumped for a topic, write about your customer

Our customers choose our products and services for emotional reasons. This is true across the spectrum, from gum in the supermarket to a new car. They are buying what our product or service does for the customer – how it makes them feel, not for what it is. When you find out why they buy, that information will help you sell more effectively to them.

Ask questions that invite your customers to talk about their “why”

When we are looking for things to write about on our business blog we should consider calling one of our customers and asking them for an interview. We can then ask some questions and post the Q & A right on our website, with a link to the customer’s site (sharing is good!). I recommend that these interview questions should be along the lines of:

• How can our business help you succeed?
• Why is our product/service important to you?
• What is the impact of this decision upon your own business?
• What happens if you don’t do something about this situation by using our product/service?
• If you were to identify the business tactics most critical to your success, what would be number one?

When we understand our customer’s emotional connection with our product/service and how it influences their need to buy, we can position our product/service in the market for what it will do to address that emotion.

If we can help them address their “need-behind-the-need,” then a prospect becomes a probable purchaser and, ultimately, a customer.

John Jantsh from Duct Tape Marketing has a terrific post about some innovative ways to save time and money when meeting with clients and collaborators:

As more and more folks use this technology (and with $4/gl gas) it even starts to make sense for the local business to conduct meetings across town. Think about how many times you have jumped in the car, driven 30 minutes to make a 10 minute presentation, chit chatted for another 20 minutes, jumped back in the car for another 30 minutes and, let’s see – invested 90 minutes in that 10 minute presentation. As you utilize web and other tools such as web collaboration tools and teach your customers to use them as well, your effectiveness and efficiency will soar.

Getting involved in conversations with your market is one sure way to discover new ways of connecting with our customers, probable purchasers, and prospects.

Our current customers will especially appreciate this increased efficiency and start talking about it with their networks.

Another benefit of using this technology is that it completely eliminates geographical limitations. Webinars and conference calls allow us to reach out to the entire world, creating customers and partners in places that we can never visit for a sales pitch or seminar.

One to one seminar – When you create a webinar or sales presentation using a web technology you can invite someone who calls in to jump online and walk through the archived presentation on the spot.

Peer to peer seminar – Get two or three happy clients to agree to be panel members for a discussion about the problems in their business or industry and gently explain how your business or product is addressing this for them. The key here is transparency. Don’t let your guests sell. Make it a thoughtful, meaningful discussion among peers that you just happened to host.

Interview an expert – You would be surprised at the quality of guests from around the world you can convince to present to your clients and prospects. It’s a win for all involved. You get great content and the presenter may get added exposure for a book or other project with little time investment on their part.

Co-branded panel – Gather up a couple related businesses and put on a panel discussion on a hot topic. Everyone on the panel invites guests and everyone gets exposure.

This has to be one of my favorite ideas. Co-creation of content like this is a fantastic way to increase your audience and get that marketplace talking about you and your business. “Walking the walk”, when it comes to Social Media, is of vital importance. Social Media is about networking and sharing, not about pushing ads.

Sponsored show – Go out and find a sponsor who would like exposure to your audience and allow them to promote in and around your teleseminars. For instance, if you are a CPA with a series of tax savings presentations for small businesses maybe a company that sell tax software would sponsor your sessions. There are lots of businesses out there that want to jump into this kind of marketing but don’t want to do it themselves. Give them the opportunity to help you.

Q and A time – Set a time each week, say Friday at 2 pm and advertise an open line to get your burning questions answered about a topic. Maybe it’s interior design trends, best software tips and trick for business or anything of interest related to your business. You promote the free time, hang out on the line and answer questions when they come in.

This is another powerful idea, one that I have been considering for some time. There will be an entire post devoted to this topic.

Another powerful benefit of systematically presenting information in events of this nature is that you can and should record the events and interviews you conduct and archive them on your website or turn them into an audio CD to distribute through other forms of marketing.

Which of these tools have you used? Which would you like to learn more about? Would you be interested in a free weekly Mastermind conference call?

Leave a Comment.

Seth Godin is one of my heroes, and as such I’d liketo share a recent post from his blog, Thinking about Bizdev
Business Development is what this site is all about, and I’d like you to look over this list and let me know what you would like to learn more about:

Thinking about Bizdev

Some ideas to get you started:

1. Who goes first? Most biz dev is supplicant driven. You need a license or traffic or cooperation and you are forced to figure out who to call and to make your pitch. The posture of the licensor is to work to avoid trouble (saying “no” is always safe) or to maximize the money on the table (which kills the best deals.) What happens if the licensor turns it around? What happens if they proactively seek out aggressive, smart, successful organizations to run with their brand or property?
2. Who lays out the deal? Most licensors are hesitant to offer a deal first, because if it’s accepted, they have to say yes. As a result, there’s a lot of fencing back and forth (sometimes this lasts for years… I’ve seen it many times). The most successful deals are the ones that are simple and quick. The goal isn’t to have the biggest piece of pie, it’s to have the biggest pie.
3. How easy is it? You’d be amazed how many people will do a deal because it’s easy. Because they feel respected. Because they trust the other person. When you get all lawyered up on both sides, little good can come of it. If I were a bizdev person, I’d try to close every deal, yes or no, within a week. Even acquisitions.