Successful Blog

#DellCAP: Have You Got the Right Model for Your Ideal Customers?

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Have You Really Thought about the People You Want to Reach?

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At the recent #DellCAP Days meeting in Austin, we — 15 customers and C-Level folks from operations and customer service — had an interesting discussion about sending customer service offshore.

When asked about it, the Chief-of-Staff gave a most honest and simple response that they felt that people wouldn’t be willing to pay the higher price for computers it would cost to keep those services in the U.S.

DELL is going for operational excellence in delivering there product. Operational excellence is a low-cost, reliable product with less customization and lower service.

The question came up … Is that attracting the market you want?

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Every market falls into three tiers:

  • operational excellence … think Southwest Airlines
    An operational excellence model attracts customers who care most about price. Their loyal is lower. A second high value needs to hold them when a still lower price becomes attractive.
  • customer relationship … think Zappos
    A customer relationship model attracts customers who care about their individual experience. They want customization that suits their lifestyle and their values. They’re willing to pay more for what they value — service or commitment that is tailored to them.
  • product innovation … think Apple
    A product innovation market attracts early adopters and prestige buyers. This group is willing to spend more to get high performance and to be the first on the block who owns the shiny new object. They are also willing to pay a premium price for a one-of-a-kind experience.

As you can see each tier’s model attracts a different customer.

Whether we’re DELL or a solo service professional, we need to make sure our price / value model matches the customers and the market we can reach and those customers we want to attract to us. If you want fiercely loyal customers,

  • Know why people are buying what you offer and know that price will always drive your loyalty relationships. If you attract people who buy for price, they will leave if you no longer hold the lowest price in the market. Build in other values to protect your loyalty. Southwest has outstanding “fun” as their price value-added.
  • Incorporate barriers to entry to reduce the threats to your value-added. Zappos has established a “story of service” that underscores their outstanding commitment to relationships and empowered, happy employees who serve individual customers in unique and personal ways.
  • Be the “first hired and first trusted” to serve your most loyal fans. Value what your customers value. Apple doesn’t appear to let other price points or other offers change their dedication to building in “childlike wonder” into every innovate design they offer. They also realize that their most raving fan- customers will forgive a few glitches to be the first to own the newest Apple products.

All three tiers can offer great customers for the business who serves them.

Have you got the right model for your ideal customers?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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The Declaration of Social Media Business Interdepence

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Forgive Me Thomas Jefferson …
but we do share the same birthday.

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On the Internet, July 4, 2010

The Declaration of Social Business Interdependence

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for people to band together, to connect, and to assume among the powers of the market, the innovative, competitive, and collaborative marketplace to which the Laws of Economics and of Human Behavior entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of all — customers, vendors, clients, coworkers, partners, competitors, consultants, C-suite executives, family members, friends (excepting the unethical, the liars, thieves, and gamers of the system) requires that we should declare the causes which impel us to the do business.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that life online and offline are both real life, that each is endowed with certain unalienable connectivity, that among these are conversations, relationships, transactions, and the pursuit of bandwidth to build dreams into realities.

–That social networks are instituted among creators, curators, crowds of fans, leaders, listeners, thinkers, and caretakers deriving their just powers from the consent of the community.

–That whenever any business, any site or any platform of interaction, any relationship becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to abandon or to abolish it. They may lay a new foundation on like values and organizing its powers that protect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence dictates that long established platforms should not be changed for light and transient causes — with the result of exporting information and friendships into chaotic ubiquity; and accordingly experience hath shewn, that people are more likely suffer bad code and crashing sites, than to change their social networking habits and passwords.

But when the possibility of abuses, misuses and usurpations — particularly of personal information, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off what might harm their reputation and their future security.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the social web, solemnly publish and declare,

  • That these social networks are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent (excepting those offering extraordinary paid content).
  • That we will navigate the social web with appropriate caution tempering our transparency, rising to the belief that TMI can be not only dangerous to personal identity, but a passive invasion of others’ privacy.
  • We throw down, block, and abolish all content thieves, spammers, scrapers and people who hijack our Twitter streams to try to sell things as soon as they meet us.
  • We shun people who get to know us for the purpose of exploiting our networks.
  • We ignore Twitter breakdowns and glitches at our pleasure and make no promise to continue to do so.
  • We distrust people who say they know social media, but have no online presence and no social networking profiles.
  • We curse bad links and outages that interfere with getting our work done so that we might spend time with our families.
  • We will never forget that no amount of talking or attention getting will help a product or service that is woefully lacking. Social media cannot fix bad hires, faulty product, or other failings..
  • We commit to being social offline and online in equal and equivalent measures to build trust through predictability.
  • We protect each other when we see something happening that could cause a fail. We will not take pleasure or participate in huge social media bashing sparked by bad advertising, bad employee behavior, or human error. Discussion will not require beating a horse that is dead already or fueling a fire unnecessarily.
  • We refer business to the people most qualified in our networks by value of their intelligence, competence, integrity, and interpersonal skills, not by value of their number of followers or their friendship.
  • We strive to grow our businesses, our relationships, and our personal awareness so that we might have more to offer. That growing and knowing will allow us to align our goals with strategic partners to build stronger business, relationships and communities.
  • We do not click links or open attachments from people we do not know … ever.
  • We recognize the value of our cooperative, respectful, authentic interactions with like-minded people and value every tweet, comment, blog post, and that we share as we build our businesses and rebuild the economy of the world interdependently. .

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other time of our Lives, participation in our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

We declare our interdepedence as people who work on the web.

—–
We’re not starting a revolution. It’s already started.

What will you declare?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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The Declaration of Independence

Cool Tool Review: Chartbeat

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Todd Hoskins Reviews Tools for Business

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Todd Hoskins chooses and uses tools and products that could belong in an entrepreneurial business toolkit. He’ll be checking out how useful they are to folks who would be their customers in a form that’s consistent and relevant.

Cool Tool Review: Chartbeat
A Review by Todd Hoskins

If you’re not using web analytics right now, you need to be. When Google Analytics launched as a free service a couple years ago it allowed publishers and bloggers of every variety to know where web traffic is coming from and what their visitor trends are. It doesn’t matter whether you are a blogger with five subscribers or an eCommerce company. In it’s simplest form, it’s a copied and pasted line of code that requires no technical skills to set up.

Site visits and metrics such as time-on-site provide you with information. But visits don’t necessarily convert into sales, customers, or loyal readers, and time-on-site may be skewed by bathroom breaks and open browser windows. The information becomes valuable when it is actionable.

Here’s where Chartbeat has an edge. But warning: it’s addictive. Real-time statistics detailing what people are doing on a site right now has prompted me to change content on the fly and see how people react. Though it can be sheer entertainment, the real value is in being able to understand what is compelling to your readers.

Measuring traffic has long been a tantalizing trap. Counting people, whether it’s a political rally or eyeballs in advertising, is something we all immediately understand. How many visitors did we get yesterday? In our store? On our site? But there’s lots of ways to get people in the door or get them to click on a link. The key is bringing the best merchandise (content) to the front of the store, and then continue to either source more of the same, or take the time to educate the visitor on why something deserves to occupy prime real estate. Traffic is necessary, but engagement has often been ignored.

Oh, engagement. What a disputed word. With Chartbeat, they are getting more frequent “pings” from the visitor in order to understand what is happening multiple times per minute instead of the one ping like the doorbell announcing, “Someone’s here!” Engagement then can be captured, for example, with scroll depth. Is the visitor quickly viewing content and moving on, or are they taking time to scroll down the page.

On what pages is this occurring?
Where is the traffic coming from?
Where are they going?

Take a look for yourself:

For $10 a month, this is a steal. If you’re hesitant, get Google Analytics set up, and then sign up for a free trial with Chartbeat as well. Compare and let me know what you think.

Summing Up – Is it worth it?

Enterprise Value: 4/5 – Even Fortune 500 companies are using Chartbeat in addition to Omniture. There’s an API as well.

Entrepreneur Value: 5/5 – Want to be nimble? Web analytics are necessary.

Personal Value: 2/5 – Google Analytics is usually good enough unless your a geek like me.

Social Media Book List: #DIVERSITYtweet and Blogging All in One for Dummies

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors to help manage their online book promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (and I love to read anyway!). I am here to offer a weekly post about one book author I am working with and one book I have put on my reading list. This week I will be highlighting ‘#DIVERSITYtweet’ by Deepika Bajaj. and ‘Blogging All in One for Dummies’ by Susan Gunelius. The books I discuss will cover topics such as social media (Facebook and Twitter), blogging, business, organization, career building, networking, writing, self development and inspiration.

‘#DIVERSITYtweet: Embracing the Growing Diversity our World’ by Deepika Bajaj

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‘#DIVERSITYtweet’ truly opened my eyes by adding this powerful medium to get our Diversity message out. Deepika truly hit a homerun on this one.”
Captain Ken Barrett, Diversity Director, U.S. Navy

People are transcending cultures and geographies and are embracing diversity in their experiences and interactions with others. Most importantly, this book is a thought provoking resource for managers and those who work with a diverse group of people, be it in the workforce, community projects, team building assignments, social gatherings, or business meetings. Organizations need to know how to manage diversity to be successful in the future, and in today’s competitive age, the flexibility and creativity augmented by diversity is crucial for success.

By the end of 2010, Twitter will have roughly 18 million registered users. What does this have to do with diversity and inclusion? The momentum has begun. The content is being developed in 140 characters; and identities are being created, new interpretations of diversity are being developed – with it we are observing new breakthroughs and breakdowns for Diversity. There is a paradigm shift – Diversity is the NEW NORMAL.

The book intends to create a bridge between a fresh and growing medium of expression and diversity and inclusion efforts. The message of diversity now transcends into thoughtful TWEETS and empowers the individual, an organization and its workforce. The big question is – Are you open to capitalizing on this momentum?

Here are a few tweets from ‘#DIVERSITYtweet’ I would like to share with you:

#1 Diversity in nature makes a case for respecting diversity in humanity.

#12 It is not the strongest of the species, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change that will survive.

#24 Diversity cherishes mutually beneficial relationships to serve the increasingly diverse global market.

#37 Diversity’s ultimate goal: Preserve our individualism while integrating us with others’ lives and perspectives.

#53 Every single person, with his or her own combination of background traits and characteristics, is his or her own unique diversity story.

#72 Whatever your ethnicity is, it is not the external beauty that counts. No one will hire you for the shirt you wear. They want your attitude and aptitude.

About the Author:

Deepika Bajaj is the Senior Director at Working Mother Media, a company providing support and community for women to find work life balance and founder of Invincibelle, a company empowering diverse, multigenerational workforce and women to thrive in a multicultural world. Prior to this, Deepika has more than eight years of experience in telecommunications consulting and corporate marketing. She has served on the board of various professional organizations including the National Society of Hispanic MBAs and Women in Intel.

Deepika is currently writing another book. This book (yet to be named) speaks to her experiences of being a global citizen and what is shaping the new voice of diversity. She speaks and consults on diversity, blogs at www.deepikabajaj.com, writes a column on mom blogs at Working Mother Media and writes a column on social media for Active Garage. She is in the process to launch a new blog Diverseconomy.com. You can follow her on http://twitter.com/invincibelle.

Deepika holds a degree in Engineering from Bangalore University, India and has an MBA in marketing from Fordham University, New York. She is an honorary member of Phi Kappa Phi and Beta Gamma Sigma. She loves kickboxing, reading, music, and painting. Currently, she lives in California.
You can purchase a copy of ‘#DIVERSITYtweet’ online at ThinkAha Books or at Amazon

This blog post is part of a virtual book tour done by Key Business Partners, LLC and I have received a complimentary copy of ‘#DIVERSITYtweet’ by the author.

Blogging All-in-One for Dummies by Susan Gunelius

Now I would like to highlight a book on my “review” reading list–Blogging All in One for Dummies.

Blogging is one of the key elements to having a successful online business presence. Blogging All in One for Dummies offers you a multitude of information to not only get your started but how to maintain and even build your business through your blog.

Here is partial book description on Amazon.com:

Prepare to launch into the blogosphere — here’s your ticket!

What do you want to tell the world? Get started today with this guide to creating and solidifying your place in the blogosphere. You’ll discover all the strategies and tools you’ll need to launch a blog and get noticed.

From selecting a platform and writing your first post to including ads and using Twitter, you’ll be piloting a blog in no time!

* What’s your niche? — follow guidelines to choose a niche and set your blog up for success
* Build your business — create a business blog marketing plan and choose business bloggers
* Make the right decision — select the best blogging applications and blog hosts to meet your goals
* Extend and enhance your blog — from optimizing your content for search engines to creating blog feeds, get up to speed on the available tools
* Gain a following — discover the secrets of blogging success as you market your blog and build a community
* Show me the money — find out how to earn income by adding blog advertising, publishing sponsored reviews, and selling merchandise
* Enter the world of microblogging — learn how to create your Twitter profile, follow other users, write and publish tweets, and more

Open the book and find:

* Advice on choosing a blog topic
* The rules of the blogosphere
* Tips on selecting the right blogging application
* How to write to attract search engines
* Ways to analyze your blog’s performance
* How to find and edit images to spice up your posts
* Guidance on creating a podcast or vlog
* Secrets of making money from your blog

8 books in 1

* Joining the Blogosphere
* Niche Blogging
* Corporate and Business Blogging
* Choosing a Blogging Application
* Blogging Tools
* Promoting and Growing Your Blog
* Making Money from Your Blog
* Microblogging with Twitter

About Susan:

Susan Gunelius is President and CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a full-service marketing communications provider.

Susan is also a published author and active blogger. As a marketing, branding and copywriting expert, Susan writes business nonfiction books through some of the largest and most recognized publishers in the world including Palgrave Macmillan (a division of Macmillan Publishing), Wiley, McGraw Hill and Entrepreneur Press.

Susan’s marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as Entrepreneur.com, MSNBC.com, FoxBusiness.com, WashingtonPost.com, BusinessWeek.com, SmartMoney.com, TheStreet.com, Yahoo! Small Business, Yahoo! Finance, and more. She also writes articles and blogs for a variety of clients, including Cox Communications, Newstex, and About.com (a New York Times company).

With nearly 20 years of marketing, branding and copywriting experience, Susan is a seasoned corporate professional having spent much or her career developing and executing marketing programs for global and national organizations, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC.

*courtesy of Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘Blogging All-in-One for Dummies’ on Amazon

I truly hope you will check out these books and please comment and let me know your thoughts on them.

8 Tips on Using Twitter to Build a Powerful Business Network

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From the Beginning

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More than ever, building and growing a business means becoming part of the social web. A powerful network of loyal fans means your message can be visible, heard, understood and spread with the speed and reach of the Internet.

How do you get a network like that?

I often call Twitter the world’s largest networking room, but that doesn’t do it justice. Networking rooms are physical and geographically limited. They can’t expand and contract in size. The people who visit the room are limited by those who can physically get to the location where the meeting and the room exists in space and time. And not every networking event collects the people who are interested in what we do.

Unlike that networking room, Twitter let us decide who is at our “networking event.”

8 Tips on Using Twitter to Build a Powerful Business Network

  1. Have one clear business message. Define yourself clearly as a business person. Use a photo. Write a professional bio. Name the metropolitan area you’re in. Link to a business site that tells more about you. Some folks link to a special page on their blog set up just for Twitter visitors. Add a unique background to further define yourself.
  2. Have a goal. If you want Twitter to be your relationship command center, you’ll set it up differently than if you want it to be your idea lab, your outlet store, or your customer service base. Think about that.
  3. Do the research. Check out how @DellOutlet , @ComcastCares , @TwelpForce , @AlyssaMilano , @WholeFoods , @SharnQuickBooks and others use Twitter to connect. You may not be as big as they are, but you can learn from their approach.
  4. Start small and listen. Visit Listorious.com
    listoriouseducation

    and TweepML to find lists of Twitter people who share your interests. Choose to follow a limited number a day. Get to know how they talk and what they talk about. When they follow you back, use that as opportunity to say hello to them in a unique and personal way.

  5. Talk when you have something that will add value to the conversation. Be helpful, not hypeful, just as you might be in person. Use the @ sign (@lizstrauss) to make sure your comment about a person or to a person gets to the person you’re mentioning.
  6. Start a Twitter list.
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    Lists draw attention to and from people. Each list can focus on one group of people. Check the lists that other folks make, see what their lists say about them. Have a core list strategy. Lists might include a handful of advisors, thought leaders in your industry, partners and vendors, key customers and clients, people in your home location.

  7. Decide early who you will follow – who you want at your networking event. Some folks follow only a few people and keep their followers limited to people in their business. Other folks look for input from a wider group.
  8. If you’re looking for clients, don’t just talk to the people who do what you do. It’s fun and safe to talk business with our peers, but the folks who hire us are the folks who don’t know how to do what we do.

Like any networking event, Twitter is filled with opportunities to meet people who want to do business. The difference is that some networking rooms are filled with people who have no business in common with us. On Twitter, we can reach out to folks who are interested in being at the same networking event as us.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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It’s Hard to Be Irresistible When You’re Kissing Up to Folks Who Don’t Care About You

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Invest in the Customers You Want to Attract

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Dreams are good things. Strategies to get us there are essential to making those dreams real. A key strategy in any business plan is knowing who the customers are that we want to serve.

Sometimes we think we know that, but then we make decisions worrying about what the whole world of customers will think of what we do. We want the whole world to love us, even though we know we’re not building a business for the whole lot of them.

Do you see the disconnect in that?

It’s hard to be irresistible to our ideal customers when we’re not showing them they’re the only ones we care about. Yet, sometimes we change our business because worry about the opinions of folks simply because they have opinions about us and what we do.

Before we change we really ought to consider whether the the folks having opinions are part of our ideal customer group.

The strongest businesses, the best web apps, the biggest celebrities and rock stars know that serving and celebrating their loyal fans is what builds a foundational brand. As Becky McCray and Sheila Scarborough pointed out so brilliantly at SOBCon2010 — If we narrow the niche we serve, the opportunity gets wider. If we invest hugely in the people we want to attract, the attraction factor becomes huge.

If we hedge our bets, those ideal customers can tell we’re not with them 100%.

Give your listening, your love and your best work to the ones who love what you do.

Think a minute. Have you been taking time from your ideal customers to please folks who’ll never care about you?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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