Business Accomplishing
More W ith Less The Power of Teamwork and Synergy
They’re Going to $ell Themselves
(#) Hashtag Marketing
Builder Guide March 2015
In Winter, I Plot and Plan. In Spring, I Move. Henry Rollins
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Business e d i u G r e d l i u B
On The Cover
Accomplishing More with Less By: C. Franklin Nilson
The fastest way to accomplish more with less is synergy, within a team that shares a one-team one-goal mentality, where trust is dominant, and competencies are complementary!
Shot Box
The Age of Paralax Web Site
The origin of Shotbox is a lesson in patience,.
Parallax website design is an effect of a website layout.
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Page 35
Hash It or Pound It
The Hashtag - Power in Social Media Marketing
Page 31
Editor E. Kelly Gray
They’re Going to Sell Themselves Page 7 How Does Customer Service Fit into Business Networking? Page 19 SEO: What Is It and What Do I Do With It? Page 21 100 Shades of Blue Page 23 Good to Great Read Page 26 Let’s Get Clear Page 27
Your Turn to Talk
Why GenesisPURE Page 30 Ask the Expert Page 33
Publisher Christy Smith Dark Twin Publications Sales Editor Dave Nilson Copyright 2015 All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo copying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher. The publisher has no responsibility for external websites of contributors and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will be legal or appropriate. The content in the magazine is researched to the best of the ability of the editorial staff. Due to the nature of contributors, this magazine does not verify any content submitted by external writers. Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent issues. Business Builder Guide is a Dark Twin Marketing publication that is owned and managed by Cassie Designs and Marketing Solutions. All correspondence and advertising request should be sent to Dark Twin Publications P.O. Box 100 Hyrum, Utah 84319
Organize Until It Hurts I know the bottom of my desk is hiding in my office somewhere but it doesn’t matter how hard I look, I just can’t seem to find it. Have you ever spent hours looking for something that you know you had, and you know you set it on your desk, but now it is completely gone? I like to blame the fairies that steal my work, or misplace my keys, or steal just 1 of my socks from the dryer. As our businesses grow, we seem to get a bit more cluttered and disorganized. Let’s all take this spring opportunity to sit back and reflect on our success, and organize our minds and our desks. I promise to start with myself. Christy Smith Publisher
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l l e $ o t g n i o G They’re s e v l e s Them By Dave Nilson www.darktwin-marketing.com
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hy the old mantra we’ve all heard, “these items are so great, they practically sell themselves?!” Is there any truth to this saying? That depends on the interpretation. Today’s interpretation: while objects don’t literally “sell themselves,” the actual phenomenon this statement refers to is when buyers come to the table having already made the decision to buy. Perhaps it was the TV advertisement, the musical jingle, or their observing the desired item in use enough times by the right people…whatever it was, something pushed them over the edge, they didn’t need to “be sold,” and their mind was made up. Who wants to see more of this in your sales? (c’mon, raise your hand high!) Me too! How can we create this phenomenon in our own sales interactions?
The key to this phenomenon is the pronoun their – their mind was made up. Their internal conversation is what did the self-convincing & concluding & decision-making. Anyone who has ever sold anything knows that without one thing the sale will never occur – the buyer. This is obvious - but on a deeper level, how much does the buyer really play a role in the sales process? Is there more to it than their signature, their open wallet? Consider a contrast: Salesman 1 does all the talking, rather loudly & aggressively, always having a quick bold response to anything the buyer may say (if they can get a word in edgewise). If the buyer dares to disagree he is sure to be made to look a fool. Salesman 1 is the reason people attach such words as “pushy” to salesmen! Salesman 2 also has quick responses, and
can do plenty of talking, but the approach is entirely different. More questions are asked. The buyer does at least half of the talking. Instead of being focused on dragging a buyer along and beating them down by brute verbal contest, Salesman 2’s focus is on the buyer’s remarks, taking notes, showing genuine listening, seeking “first to understand, then to be understood” (Habit 5 from “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”). “Pushy?” More like, “considerate.” The outward difference? Salesman 1’s voice is louder and stronger and forcefully leads the sales beating… er, process. Salesman 2 PURPOSEFULLY allows the buyer’s responses to lead the sales process. More on this momentarily. But first, what is happening inwardly in these interactions? Buyer 1 will be telling himself, “I don’t want to be here, this guy is rude and makes me uncomfortable, the only way to get rid of him is to give in…I’ll just cancel the deal later over the phone or some way I don’t have to see him again…” Buyer 2 will be telling himself, “this guy really cares what I think, he’s here to serve me, remembers & repeats what I say, and is even taking notes! I’m enjoying this attention and this great deal he’s giving me! I’m going to tell my friends about him…” The best salespeople know what the impressive likes of Dale Carnegie, Margaret Wheatley, and Mary Kay Ash all poignantly stated in their various styles, paraphrased, “People support what they help create.” There are myriad ways to incorporate this principle in sales. As we seek to make our sales process so smooth & persuasive “they sell themselves,” this principle must be at play. Get the buyer involved. Speak to teach, rather than lecture. Ask the right questions – where any answer the buyer gives is perfect for you to reference & rein-
force, as they lead where you want – a win-win deal. (Rather than force-feed you a list of good questions and ways to get the buyer more involved in the process, I’ll take my own advice and get YOU involved in creating your own successful process.) What service do you offer? How does it really bless the lives of your buyers? What questions can you ask that allow the buyer to create their own need/value for your service? (see Sales Tips in the previous issue of Business Builder Guide) In what way can you pose your questions such that any & all answers the buyer gives are correct? (one power suggestion - to deepen their selling themselves, when correct answers are given, ask, “Why do you say that?”) Do you repeat their statements back to them, and use them to reinforce progress toward a win-win deal? (“You told me ____ so I’m getting you ____.”) As you incorporate this key principle, and get the buyer as involved as possible in creating the win-win deal, you will notice happier buyers, more referrals, longer-lasting relationships, and less stress in your sales role. “People support what they help create.” Be careful! It works so well, you may become addicted, and may never get to be that “pushy” salesman again.
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“People support a world they help create.”
}
Dale Carnegie
Accomplishing More with Less Part 2
one-team one-goal mentality, where trust is By: C. Franklin Nilson dominant, and competencies are complementary! Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s Habit 6, from www.fortunecookiecoaching.com “The 7-Habits of Highly Effective People” is SYNERGY. This is defined by him, “1 + 1 = 3 or more,” sometimes significantly more, even an hile some articles in The Business exponential increase in effective results! SimBuilders Guide may be continuaply put, the unified combined efforts of a true tions, our objective is to make all team are far greater than the sum of the parts. of them pertinent and valuable as standalone articles – in so doing there is a minimal Now, in theory – that sounds simple and easy. amount of repetition. In this article, to provide However, in my life experiences I’ve seen you the necessary foundation to understand, allow me to summarize a few points from our “That’s been one of my mantras – focus premier issue of several months ago. and simplicity. Simple can be harder than
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We discussed our ‘whitewater world’ and the reality of being under pressure to accomplish “more with less” concerning resources of every kind; people, marketing & advertising dollars, physical equipment, and even time. We are always asking ourselves, “Is there anything we can do about these pressures? They don’t seem to be diminishing in any way, shape, or form.” The fastest way to accomplish more with less is synergy, within a team that shares a
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complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
Steve Jobs
many things that are simple in concept, but certainly not easy in practice or application. Clearly without TRUST there is only minimal or fragmented benefit to being a team. Quite often we as humans make things harder than
they need to be, especially in interpersonal re- regardless, they clearly didn’t demonstrate in lationships. The KISS principle (Keep It Sim2015 the same level of synergy they did the ple Stupid) is unfortunately not often utilized, year before. because it isn’t complex enough. In the 2014 game, where they annihilated the Along these lines Steve Jobs said, “That’s Denver Broncos, the Seahawks played with a been one of my mantras – focus and simplichigher level of teamwork than I’ve ever preity. Simple can be harder than complex. You viously observed. Some may call this hype or have to work hard to get your thinking clean that the players were psyched up and aggresto make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end sively willing to be the underdogs against the because once you get there, you can move Broncos – but their playing as a TEAM was mountains.” Einstein said, “If you can’t exstellar, and should be talked about for a long plain it to a six year old, you don’t understand time. Watching their synergy was like hearing it yourself.” terrific poetry, like seeing a magnificent sunset, like the sweetest music to my ears! The Why do jealously and intimidation always Seahawks had so much synergy it was practiseem to play a starring role in the evolution cally oozing all over the field. of any organization becoming a true TEAM? Remedy this problem - believe and then adopt The Broncos, highly favored to win, were
T e a m
the words of Zig Ziglar, “There is no limit to what a person can accomplish if they don’t care who gets the credit.” For synergy to exist, members of the team must not showboat – they must realize that the outcome of the whole will exceed the combined outcome of the individual effort. The teams that simply demonstrate true synergy are few & far between, but I think of the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII (or Super Bowl 48 for us non-Romans). I refer to the spring of 2014, not the 2015 Super Bowl in which the Seahawks attempted a repeat. In the most recent Super Bowl, the Seahawks were only a small fraction of the synergistic masterpiece they were the year before. I believe part of this difference had to do with the hype of 2014 being their first opportunity at the big show, but
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mentally slapped from the opening play and they could never get back into the game. The Broncos had been record setting all season! Peyton Manning, arguably one the finest quarterbacks to ever play the game, had set numerous records leading up to Super Bowl Sunday. The very first play of the game - where the ball was hiked way over Manning’s head into the end zone, and the way the Seahawks were all over the play – in my humble opinion, psychologically removed Denver from the ball game! This score within 12 seconds of the kickoff set a Super Bowl record. Ironically the Seahawks also scored again within 12 seconds in the second half of the game! This spectacular 87 yard kickoff return by Seattle’s Percy Harvin, where he picked up the ball off a bounce, not only solidified a record that will
most likely never be beaten, but it destroyed the psyche of the Broncos for the second half as well. I was personally astounded by the minimal number of single defensive player tackles. It seems like every tackle was executed by two or more Seahawks swarming like a well-orchestrated hive of bees – going in for the kill. It’s enlightening to examine what happened with Percy Harvin after he played so fantastically during this particular Super Bowl. According to reports, he was not really a team player. He got into fights with other players, and although he was a singular superstar, the Seattle Seahawks traded him to the New York Jets, because he would not contribute to the synergy of the team. In the 1980 victory of the USA’s Olympic hockey team over the dominant Russian team, which had won gold medals in so many Olympic games that they were intimidating by the mere mention of their name, Coach Herb Brooks was ridiculed and belittled when he insisted on having the ‘RIGHT’ players not necessarily the ‘BEST’ Players. Clearly even though Percy Harvin was an exceptionally talented player – he wasn’t right for the Seahawks.
Often times people tire of the sports analogy for life or business parallels, but they are so effective in making these kinds of points. Within a sports type environment, the fruition of days, weeks, months, or years of concentrated effort can be visually culminated in mere moments - or at the most, several hours – so these parallels are tremendously powerful & effective. As such, the parallel lessons that can be learned from them are clear.
Football is a sport where no one single player, from the offence or defense, can single-handedly win a ball game – so the TEAM concept is a must. The TEAM is either effective - or
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it isn’t! The TEAM is either trusting of each other & synergistic as a result, or it isn’t. Of course the acronym for TEAM is: together everyone accomplishes more! And this 2014 Seahawk Super Bowl TEAM lived up to the acronym - they had a terrific chemistry. I challenge readers to check out these “2014 Super Bowl highlights” which are still available online. This lesson is so much easier in sports than it is in the world of business. Yet the example set by the Seahawks in this case should often be replicated in the business world. It’s been said that businesses should hire slow & fire fast, and that is true, but is another example of something that is simple in concept but not easy in practice. I marvel at
{
“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”
}
Albert Einstein
the difficulty for some to catch the vision that only about 15% of the success of an individual comes from technical knowledge or skill set, and the remaining 85% is directly tied to a pleasing personality and the ability to communicate effectively in a team environment – a topic for another article.
The 2014 Super Bowl was a perfect example of the type of team synergy and exponential outcome discussed by Dr. Covey. In reality the same excitement, confidence, and accomplishments demonstrated by the Seahawks in this Super Bowl can exist within your organization. It is a simple concept and not necessarily easy, but remember what Steve Jobs said, I paraphrase, “Whatever the efforts to arrive at the point where the same chemistry exists within your own team, it will be worth it.”
Company Spotlight Aaron Johnson www.shotbox.me
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{ { “The origin of Shotbox is a lesson in patience, perseverance, and creativity.”
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Originally inspired by the desire to digitally store and share historical family documents like journals and older photos f you’ve struggled with that were piling up in tattered photography in the past, shoeboxes or already in scrapAaron Johnson is going to books, Johnson explains, “… be your new best friend. As even back then there wasn’t a an inventor, Aaron Johnson good solution to digitizing the has finally figured out a way larger format 12”x12” scrapto take studio quality photos, book pages. It took a professans studio, with just a smart phone or other smart devices. sional level, expensive scanner to do. And scanning has alHe’s had a long career in the ways been such a pain. It has craft and scrapbook market which, 12 years ago, led him to a lot of steps and you have to manage lots of pieces. So even discover a problem without a though the idea originated for simple solution. scrapbook and family history needs, the Shotbox can be
Smart Shots With the Shotbox By E. Kelly Gray
used for a wide variety of markets, in my opinion.”
an attachment called the Sideshot which aids in taking steady, well-angled pictures of 3D objects. Because of its folding feature, it’s easy Shotbox, a personal tabletop light studio, is the to take out or put away, so your desk doesn’t name of his creation. It’s a collapsible box mea- have extra clutter full-time. Aaron sums up his suring roughly 15”x15”x15” that allows for a creation by saying, “When it comes down to controlled lighting environment. Aaron says of it, the Shotbox can provide so many options the design, “Even though the Shotbox is pretty for so many uses. I see it as a common tool for simple in concept, it’s actually quite technical. any photographer and they will want a deeper Light diffusion is critical and we’ve spent a lot environment for their craft. Yet, we want it so of time refining it, even down to the shape of simple that a non-photographer can set it up the box itself. We bounce and scatter the light and have a shot within, literally, seconds.” in many different directions and angles so the Not only is Aaron Johnson creative in his ideas, floor of the box has nice, balanced lighting, yet he is also creative in his business plans. Initially, [is] still very bright.” To achieve this Aaron has he plans to begin production of Shotboxes loutilized modern micro-LED technologies that cally. However, as the business grows, he plans are mounted closer together for better light to outsource fulfillment and assembly around diffusion. America rather than overseas. “I call it the Creating Contributors Program. I will The beauty of the Shotbox is the versatility. hire from the distressed unemployment areas, It can be used for the original purpose of reparticularly vets, disabled vets, Native Amerplacing an oversized and expensive scanner, icans, ex-cons, and even human trafficking or as a light studio for smaller 3D items. The victims. They all need a second, or even a first latter is a saving grace for anyone interested in chance to get their feet under them… I’ve selling small sized items like jewelry or other done pretty well in life and felt that I needed crafts online! Bright professional pictures easily to do more to contribute myself. I love people outsell dim or grainy cell phone shots on sites and the inspirational stories of their lives, where like eBay or Amazon. The Shotbox comes with they’ve been, the stuff they overcome, and where
they want to go. So instead of just building my next business centered around a great product, I wanted to help individuals and families as much as I can… I have requests for a disabled
help on the road to reclaiming their lives. The program will also show who precisely made which box and will lead to that person’s individual site so the buyer can learn more about the employee’s situation. The site will be a showcase of their ambitions for their lives. Buyers are presented with an option to assist if they have the means and desire to do so. The Shotbox will be available soon for a reasonable $129 and the Sideshot will be $59. Check out www.shotbox.me and watch the video showing the ease and practicality of the Shotbox.
facility in Michigan, setting up a shop in Oklahoma for the Cherokee Nation, and even in a safe-house in the Midwest for human trafficking victims. So we’ll start local and figure out a good balance of how much we do in-house, make it a good system, and then go from there.” – Aaron Johnson Aaron looks at the program as a way to help entry level employees progress to the point where they can springboard themselves to bigger and better opportunities. He aims for an environment where employees can acquire skills and training that will make them assets in their field of choice. With staggering obstacles facing veterans and other disadvantaged groups, Creating Contributors will be a huge
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Shotbox is about to launch a Kickstarter campaign this April to get the name out there. Aaron is also focusing on blogger realms as the most powerful marketing voiceforShotbox. Because of the fluid ease of using the Shotbox, it’s a great item to demonstrate on the HSN/ QVC, hopefully by the end of summer. Shotbox won’t be available through box stores in the immediate future. With a long list of opportunities in vertical interest groups and online, Aaron doesn’t want to limit Shotbox just to retail stores. The origin of Shotbox is a lesson in patience, perseverance, and creativity. It was twelve years in the making while Aaron waited for technology to catch up so he had the tools to hone his designs. Half a dozen prototypes later, the Shotbox will soon be ready for everyone, whether they are a family history buff, a photographer, a Pinterest poster, or a jewelry maker.
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How Does Customer Service Fit into Business Networking?! g.com ilson kiecoachin N n e By: B rtunecoo .fo www
Like a glove. Allow me to explain‌ Business Networking is reaching out through those with whom you do business, expanding your network by sharing your partners’ contacts. In its simplest sense, it is seeking and receiving referrals. Everyone knows word of mouth is the best way to increase your network. What brings referrals better than high-quality proactive customer service?! The way you treat your customers will naturally bring an attraction or repelling factor. This affects your customer directly, their network of referrals (your potential clients!), and indirectly affects your other business partners. They will find out whether you create thrilled or indifferent customers, and respond in kind, allowing their network to be attracted or repelled.
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In this, the Information Age, things have changed from previous decades – it’s not enough to have merely “satisfied” customers. Businesses must strive for thrilled, loyal customers. What’s the significant difference? Consider a “satisfied spouse” vs. a “loyal spouse”…need I say more?! To me, customer service needs to be proactive. Do you notify your customers of relevant developments before they find out on their own (sometimes the hard way)? For example, my family and I experienced a power outage last week. The electric company notified us within minutes of the outage with an ETA on the repair! I was impressed with the speed & accuracy of this proactive communication. As my mental wheels turned on that experience, I discovered a few more keys to
“John’s customers are thrilled with the results he gets them…wouldn’t my network benefit from working with John also?!” creating a thrilled, loyal customer. Speed & accuracy are critical. There are no excuses in our technological world for a lack of communication – not just “hey, here’s the problem…” but “we are aware of and responsible for this issue and will address it in the following ways ASAP…” So the customer doesn’t need to lift a finger (the service part of customer service). Finally, show appreciation. Nobody will do
business with you long-term if they do not clearly and frequently feel appreciated. “Charles & Susan, we know that you have a choice when it comes to _____ service. Thank you for choosing us. We will continue to _____ and take care of you. What more can we do for you?” So much changes so quickly today. How many times do you shop around, looking for that “better deal?” Creating a long-term thrilled, loyal customer will shine like a spotlight anytime your area of expertise comes up. How powerful will that be for your customers’ network to observe? Will they not yearn for similar dependability in their own lives? And last time you made a positive change in your service provider, was it not due to the suggestion of someone you trust? Highly likely. Ask yourself this question (whether you’re a customer or a business partner with our hypothetical example ‘John’) “John’s customers are thrilled with the results he gets them…wouldn’t my network benefit from working with John also?!” The definition of a loyal customer is one who will stay with you even if another company’s price or service could be better. That is so powerful in our competitive world! There will always be someone who does now or soon will outdo your business performance in one way or another. But this key – thrilled, loyal customers – will keep your business networking vibrant & growing, receiving referrals through multiple channels, setting you apart from the many others unsuccessfully seeking to snatch your customers. “No, thank you, but we must politely decline, we have been so well cared for by (*insert your name & business here), we will be their customers for life.”
Wh a t is it and wha t do I do with it ? By: Erin Pavek www.buzzbizz.biz Erin specializes in SEO at Buzz Bizz Studio’s. Contact her to get the most of your website.
searches. People will be sure to find you when they search for your products.” While these claims are mostly true, it is important that the clients know exactly what they can and cannot expect from this magical SEO.
Honesty
As your parents probably told you, honesty is the best policy. I believe you can still market SEO effectively without making claims that cannot consistently be followed through. Not much SEO & Client Management is worse than a client calling you two to three months into their contract wondering, “Why lient management can always be a challenge, however, it gets increasingly difficult am I not on the first page of Google yet?” Client when most clients have never even heard satisfaction will be much higher if they don’t feel of SEO. In attempt to explain such a complicated like they are getting scammed. So, how can you be totally honest with a client about SEO, but subject, while also trying to sell the product to still make a sale at the end of that day? Read on your client, you often create a gateway for misfor a few steps that I believe will help you and understandings. your clients.
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Some of the most common misunderstandings can be avoided with a proper explanation of what SEO is, and what it does. The temptation is to make SEO look like a miracle solution to all of the client’s online problems. “It will increase your site’s traffic, which will increase your sales!” “SEO will get you on the first page of Google
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The Explanation The first and most important step that must take place is helping your client understand what SEO is. If you don’t do this effectively, a couple things may happen. One, your client will
give you ultimate control of their website, and expect to have to do nothing on their end to improve their SEO. In actuality, a Search Engine Optimizer should be a consultant to the client. This means they research keywords, sign up for directories, take care of on-site SEO, etc. It does not mean they are ultimately in control of all content changes. There should be a healthy client-to-Optimizer interaction so both parties are on the same page. Two, if a client does not fully understand SEO they may resort to the Internet to learn about it themselves. Normally this can be a very good thing, however, with countless Blackhat and Grayhat sources for SEO, you have no idea what your client is learning. If the client then doubts what you are doing in any way, you’ll wish you’d given a proper explanation of SEO in the first place, to save you some uncomfortable customer interactions. If the client has control over their website edits (which is usually a good thing) and they do not trust you, they may use their little knowledge of SEO to change the optimization of their website, which you have worked very hard to establish. You must tell your client that you cannot guarantee specific results, especially not in the first month or two!
Try explaining SEO to your clients in gardening terms. “Initially there is a lot of work that must be done. Tilling the soil and planting takes time and effort. Even though a lot of time is spent right away, you do not see any produce until much later. Little by little the plants grow and eventually bear fruit. SEO is like this in many ways. The initial stages of on-site SEO tactics deleting negative links, and fixing any problems with the site - takes time. You do not always see increased traffic and higher search rankings right away. These must grow over time, through constant maintenance and updating content on the site. The process is enriched and sped up by updating site content, establishing good external links, and even some paid online advertising, like Google Adwords. These things act like water and fertilizer. They enrich the SEO root that was established in the beginning.” Explaining the process this way can you’re your client understand what your goal is with SEO, and why it takes time.
A satisfied client
Keep the client updated with wins and successes. Always ask them if they are seeing any difference in their customer flow. If not, find out If you can’t guarantee, how do you why. It’s a constant game of trial and error in the world of SEO. Let the customer know you are sell? trying your hardest, and they will respect that. It can be hard to sell something that is not guar- When a person does not understand what is anteed to work as quickly as desired. However, going on, and what they are paying for, it is easy to doubt. proper SEO techniques do yield fruit. It is important that your client is given the correct measuring stick for progress. If they are expecting to At the end of the day, the client’s satisfaction is be in the top of search results for highly compet- always what is most important. Maintaining a itive keywords in a few months, your client will good relationship with them will save you both be very disappointed. But if they know achieving time and money. Always remember, an ounce of top page results for a keyword is very difficult, prevention is worth a pound of cure. Make sure your client will be highly appreciative of even a your client has healthy expectations of what SEO can and cannot do. slowly increasing keyword rank.
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Shades of Blue By: E. Kelly Gray www.darktwin-marketing.com
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randing a business is like wearing the same outfit every day for years on end. It’s the visual association with your product or service. That’s quite a commitment to make for your business so it needs to be just right. Our last issue covered the power of two color personalities, orange and green. In this issue we will be discussing the merits of the color blue. Blue is an incredibly versatile color because of the range of emotions it can convey.
ter, General Electric, Chevrolet, AT&T, Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Allstate are just a few businesses to utilize blue for their branding.
Psychologically speaking, blue can invoke positive meanings such as loyalty, nurturing, reliability, devotion, honesty, and serenity. These are the emotions that should be in consideration regarding the target demographic. What message do you want your brand to convey? Different shades communicate different Color is understood in either a natural meanings. Warm, earthy teal tones are or cultural view. Green, for example, is great for understated sophistication, naturally associated with plants. Green spirituality, and trust. Cold, turquoise is also culturally associated with energy hues offer meanings for clarity and harefficiency. Red is culturally associated mony or self-expression. Sky blue is with danger in the United States while calming and can also stand for selfless in China, it’s a celebratory color. White and helpfulness. Darker blues are great in a Japanese culture is a funeral color, to show a serious, knowledgeable, and while in several European countries responsible brand. Pale blue, on a difalong with the United States, it’s a wed- ferent note, offers creativity, inspiration, ding color. and freedom in its meanings. Azure blue, similar to Facebook blue, inspires purWhen branding a business, you first pose, ambition, and determination. need to know what your target demographic is. Imagine the awkwardness So what outfit do you want your busiof branding a wedding boutique with ness to wear every day? A dark blue white in Japan. Blue is a wonderful col- outfit probably wouldn’t work if your or to cross countries with because it is target is an art student needing supplies. easy to focus on the natural view. From Also, let’s face it; it’d be hard to take an the sky to the ocean and everywhere accountant seriously in a powder blue in between, blue is a color everyone is outfit. Don’t be afraid to take some time familiar with. It’s this familiarity that to pick the perfect shade for your busihas made blue the ideal color brand for ness. companies in several industries. Twit-
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Simplify Your Life
A Good to GREAT Read By: E. Kelly Gray
Good to Great, written by Jim Collins, has been a bible to the business world since its release in 2001. Professors around the country still assign this engaging book to their syllabi, to examine ways of excelling in business leadership & management. Collins, along with an extensive research team, examined big name companies such as Walgreens, Nucor, and Phillip Morris, against comparable companies like Eckerd, Bethlehem Steel, and R. J. Reynolds, to discover why the former businesses outperformed the latter, despite very similar business size, available technologies, and markets. Collins insightfully found a pattern of behavior in the leadership of the great companies. The great companies became selective of who they employed and where they were positioned. Much like assembling a tent, everyone needed to be in the right place for the business to function properly. Once appropriately staffed, the companies had to swallow what pride they may have had and acknowledge the true circumstances they were in, for better or worse, which is easier said than done. More importantly, they looked at their problems and pressed on without losing hope or discipline. He introduced the Hedgehog Concept, an idea comprised of a three circled Venn diagram that questioned what they were passionate about, what they could be the best in the world at, and what drove their economic engine. The idea revolved around the fact that a hedgehog can’t do a lot of things other animals can, but is amazing at doing one thing instead.
If a business were to become great, they would have to focus on the one thing that they enjoyed, excelled at, and that could generate business. A disciplined culture was found in the great businesses. That’s not to say that there were excessive crack downs on behaviors. In fact, it lead to a melting away of hierarchy and layers of bureaucracy which allowed ideas to float to the top rather than stay stagnant at the bottom. The great companies didn’t become great overnight. Each of the great companies were methodical in their plans, painstakingly so in the example of Walgreens - when they made the decision to locate their stores only on the corner of a block. They even went so far as to move existing stores from a midblock location to a corner of the same block over a period of five years. Other concepts discovered were Flywheel and the Doom Loop. The Flywheel is the idea that once enough momentum has been attained, the flywheel can spin indefinitely. The Doom Loop however, is the polar opposite. The not so great companies experienced a roller coaster of shifting goals that constantly killed what momentum was being generated by previous leadership. Good to Great is a fantastic and surprisingly enjoyable book to read, whether you’re a new CEO, a fledgling entrepreneur, or even a camp leader. The principles contained therein are sound yet simple enough to be applicable for anyone in a leadership position.
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Lets Get Clear!
By: Chris Johnnie www.lifeenhanced101.com
“A negative mind will never give you a positive outcome.”
lems that are outside of your control? Do you dwell on past failures? Take a complete inventory of yourself. What are your good qualities? Are you smart? Funny?
Policing your thoughts is no easy task. Take small steps in controlling your thoughts, such There is always a better house. There is always as the following: Start with eliminating negaa better neighborhood. There is always a bettive language. Do you really need to verbally ter job/career. The tendency of many people beat yourself up? As you remove negative is to stop and pursue until something better language, you’ll notice negative thoughts will comes along and they start over again. Are begin to fade. Instead of thinking of scenarios you personally making decisions based on this of disaster, think of scenarios where Murbigger-fish syndrome? Becoming clear-mindphy’s Law is absent. Then start adding positive ed is a choice. It’s sad to observe, but many language - whether it’s praise for yourself & people either choose confusion & failure, or others, or just noticing simple pleasures of a have never learned the tools to overcome negnice day. Don’t be afraid to smile just because ative attitudes. something bad may happen. Be willing to accept the truth about yourself and then go The key to this clear-minded overhaul is comout and fix it. Write down the things you want mitment. As you shift your thought process changed the most so you don’t lose focus. Tell from negative to positive, you’re going to 12 others what you’re doing so you have peomake mistakes. There’s nothing wrong with ple to be accountable to. Take care who you this, it’s just a fact of life. Rome wasn’t built ask because skeptics won’t be as helpful as in a day after all. Old negative habits may upbeat & encouraging people. Walk or excreep up on you from time to time, but don’t ercise to clear your mind. In a world of conlet small failures, or even big ones, shake stant media bombardment, it’s no wonder our your commitment to becoming peaceful and thoughts can become muddled & disoriented. clear-headed. Try to discover underlying causes for the bad habits you’re trying to kick. If you understand Take some time in front of the mirror – menthe causes, you’ll be able to identify triggers tally evaluate the things you think or do that and learn how to cope with them. drag you down. Are you overly critical of yourself or others? Do you stress over probI was once told by someone that I should end
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each day by crossing it off my calendar and saying out loud, “There goes another day of my life, never to return again.” Try this for yourself, and notice how much it sharpens your focus. When you end a day with the feeling that you would have lived it the same if you had the chance to repeat it, you gain a sense of gratitude that helps you focus on what’s really important to you. When you end the day with a feeling of regret or loss, you gain the awareness to try a different approach the next day.
give yourself time to discover the answer.
Can you see how this would work for you? It creates an urgency to stop playing around in life and motivates you to go after what you want more vigorously.
This may be a stretch for you. It might be difficult for you to leave the comfort of what you were doing. If that is the case you will never reach your secret ambitions. They will always be out there somewhere, unattainable.
Points to Remember:
<What behaviors & thoughts are clouding your judgment < It takes time < Notice your language < Don’t be afraid of the truth < Make yourself accountable
The most important part of this process is learning to look inside and ask the question, “What do I want.” Learn to be calm. Learn to
Your Turn to Talk Power Question What is Your Definition of Social Networking Go on-line and answer this questions. Social Networking has become one of the top forms of marketing today. Say goodbye to the days of Newspapers and Radios. Even small town businesses can’t stay on top if they don’t have the tools to be online today.
Why GenesiPURE? “The world is changing faster than ever. Technology is accelerating, job security is declining and income inequality is increasing. People are overworked and underpaid. With less time and freedom, people are left wondering if there is a better way. Our changing economy has led to the rise of the entrepreneur. The fastest, most dependable and controllable way to become wealthy is to own your own business.” These are the indisputable words of Eric Worre, of NetworkMarketingPro.com. Of all the entrepreneurial approaches, why is Network Marketing touted as the best choice by many brilliant & successful businessmen? In my research & experience I have found the pros of Network Marketing far outweigh the cons. I have found the opportunities are nigh endless (I am in Utah after all, the Network Marketing capital of the world). But I have also found a few companies that I can get behind, for several important reasons. GenesisPURE I have been a part of this company for just short of 7 years, since its inception & prelaunch. When I saw this business opportunity, I was very impressed. The products were what
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initially interested me. There honestly wasn’t much of a team or system in place at first. But over the years, every one of the CRITICAL COMPONENTS for a powerful & successful business, especially amongst the highly competitive Network Marketing business opportunities, has evolved into proper place. The key components gleaned from the books, videos, and live trainings of such financial wizards as Robert Kiyosaki, Donald Trump, Warren Buffett, Steven R. Covey, and many more, are the following: timing – as the included picture shows, the foundation or “ground-floor” of a business’ lifespan is the prime time to get involved. GenesisPURE is in the Foundation, quickly approaching Momentum. This is the very best time to get involved. executive team – the Owner & Founder, Lindsey Duncan, is a powerful mentor & inspiration to me. Sitting at his feet for hours has absolutely changed my life for the better. The company is based on his bulletproof unchanging philosophy of CLEANSE, BALANCE, BUILD, & LOVE. The executives are constantly advancing every aspect of the company under his vision.
system – my team leaders have developed a simple system that anyone can follow to also create success. If you can Show the plan, Share the product, & Connect to a leader, you can succeed in building your GenesisPURE earnings as high as you desire! leaders – my mentors in GenesisPURE are saltof-the-earth people, who are absolutely committed to my success. They have never let me down in matching their time & attention with my efforts.
accidents in 2013. My father broke his neck to near paralysis. My mother shattered her pelvis. The doctors told them they’d be on dozens of medications, increasing throughout life, may never walk again, and would never again enjoy the quality of life they had previously. The details are astounding, but there is not room herein to include them all. In a nutshell, they both used the GenesisPURE products religiously, and blew the doctors’ minds! In a few short months, they were both off ALL medications, not just walking – but exercising, and are both enjoying equal or higher quality of life now than before. My own and my team’s results are also numerous & meaningful. I believe GenesisPURE to be the best Network Marketing business opportunity available today. I challenge you to beat it. (really…)
results – both my parents had near-death
http://www. Genesispure.com/jeenacnilson
product – Lindsey Duncan’s passion & expertise are UNMATCHED for the highest-quality, highest-potency, most harmless, clean, & natural products possible. I have compared dozens of other products, both store-front & Network Marketing health & wellness, and nothing has beat GenesisPURE. Few have even come close, in either price or quality.
Hash It or Pound It By : Christy Smith www.darktwin-marketing.com
Hashtag: Clickable, Searchable, & Measurable grouped items, used in many Social Media outlets. Distinguished by (#) the pound sign before a word or group of words.
The Hashtag - it quickly became a buzzword and can now be found in most social media settings - started as a simple idea back in 2007 when Chris Messina @ChrisMessina posted a simple message: “How do you feel about using (#) pound for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]?” Not only did Twitter not see the value in this, but it took years to catch on. The first big splash for the # sign was during the San Diego fires in 2007 when #sandiegofire, became the first viral hashtag. Today it is widely used by not only Twitter, but: Tumblr Pinterest Instagram YouTube Gawker Google+ and recently Facebook added the code to optimize the (#) hashtag symbol. The first sign that the now infamous (#) was going to be a worldwide sensation was in July 2009 when Twitter started adding hyperlinks to every (#) hashtag group. With this one simple move Twitter created not just search functionality, but a whole new type of Twitter (#) community. Today there are (#) hashtag communities
that schedule synchronized chat events that are attached to #chats. Titles like #landscapechat, #gardenchat, and #businesschat are now becoming regular weekly chat sessions, places to post your ideas, answer questions for others, and so much more. Companies are creating complete marketing plans based around #ideas. For years we have put so much value on the keywords that we use for our websites - those keywords today are now being used as search words in social media. Now you can go to Pinterest and put in #girlsbows and a whole community comes up. Let’s take a moment to look at how this simple little tag can help you and your business. This is just a brief look at some of the options available - if you want a complete list of great (#) hashtag marketing ideas, a FREE copy of the (#) hashtag marketing kit is available at www.darktwin-maketing.com
Getting Started
Create your own Chat Find the keyword that best describes you and your business. If you have done a keyword evaluation, you will know what your most successful keywords actually
are. (If you don’t know, contact your website manager and ask them for the list. A well-researched, successful keyword list, can be used to define every one of your marketing plans.) Once you have picked your chat name, start creating a series of posts, using your (#) hashtag. Post frequently with relevant information that intrigues others to join in. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and specifically ask for interaction. One of the best ways to find out what people are thinking & talking about is to simply ask them. Create your own Buzzword Once again, let’s take a look at those well researched keywords. Let’s find a keyword that has excessive amounts of monthly searches on the search engines. These can be found using your Google keyword tool. Now let’s turn that into a hashtag and start building great post, blogs, links, etc., using our brand new (#). Spread the Hash around
Now that you have started your very own hashtag marketing plan on Twitter, try spreading it to all of your other social media. Just take what you have already started, copy it and add to it. You already have great links and images for Pinterest, just add your (#) to the description. One of the biggest ways to catch your customers’ attention is with a simple 2 minute-or-less InfoVideo. These videos are simple & catchy, usually set to some really fun music, and very easy to post on your YouTube or Vimeo channels. Make sure your video has your (#) hashtag listed clearly in the description. Also very popular and much easier to create is the infographic. This is usually a simple animation, using graphics that are eye-catching, and full of information that is relevant to your topic of discussion or keyword. This one is easy - all you have to do is post it on your website, blog, or network. Don’t forget to add your hashtag to the Alt tag of your image, and once again, you have a searchable & measurable way to put your hashtag to work.
What is the single most important trait to develop if I want to be successful in sales?
You may have heard it said that opinions are like belly buttons (or other parts of the anatomy), everybody has one and most people think their opinion is important so they’ll gladly share it with you whether you want to hear it or not! The irony of a question like this is that if you ask 10 sales professionals, you’d get 10 different answers.
The trait is likability! You have to be personable, friendly and likable! And remember that part of this is being able to smile! If you doubt that likability is the single most important trait ask yourself this question, “When was the last time you bought something significant from someone you didn’t like?” You never have a second chance to make a good first impression! Remember the Golden Rule – it tends to work well at this stage of relation-
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ship building. Treat your prospect the way you’d want to be treated. Make sure that the first impression is positive, and for heaven’s sake remember their name. Dale Carnegie is the author of the classic, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” published nearly 80 years ago and still the best book of its kind on human relations skills. In it he states that a man’s name is the sweetest and most important sound in the world. If you’re likable – you’ll be off to a great start, but remain teachable so you can also add to your quiver of traits regularly. Ask the expert is sponsored by www.FortuneCookieCoaching.com
Your Turn to Talk
Go online and answer this question. www.fortunecookiecoaching.com We will post the results in next month’s issue, with tips & techniques from our sales pros.
Yo u â&#x20AC;&#x2122; r e O n l y
O n e
Nudge
A w a y
F r o m
Success
audiosculptfitness
The Age of Parallax Websites By Michael Buzinski www.buzzbizz.biz
viewers to a call-to-action. There is always a downside when dealing with bleeding edge technology and parallax is not exempt. The most critical negative implication of parallax design is its effect on search engine optimization (SEO). Some of these include:
• Slow load times due to a high volume of graphics required for the effect. Just a few years ago, web developers came to • Extended page lengths, which reduce the an age of mobile responsive website design that amount of meta information utilized by a allowed a unified code for PC driven and mobile single URL. driven displays. It was the dawn of a new era for • Lack of internal links because of the reweb development offering a whole new realm duced page count. of possibilities over a decade in the making. • Incompatibility with mobile responsive Some in the industry saw HTML5 as an evoludesign. tionary jump that wouldn’t be rivaled for another decade. If a company can afford the SEO downsides of parallax design, they still want to make sure Now after only a couple of years, the industry they implement it correctly to get the full has been exposed to the growing popularity of benefits of the effect. One tip is to make sure parallax design. Parallax website design is an to not overdo it. Motion sickness is a real thing effect that displays the background of a website for many people and over busyness scares the layout at a different rate as the foreground when common user away to other less intimidating scrolling up or down. It creates a feel of interac- sites. The best approach is to use parallax to tivity with many story-telling implications. Many tell stories or illustrate processes. Try to keep are calling it the next step in user experience. the experience light and fun with emphasis on your ultimate call-to-action. The key is to find a The process of designing with parallax scrolling way the effect can heighten the already presinvolves creating multiple layers of content and ent experience of your site. If the addition of graphics for a webpage. The developer then parallax fails to improve your message, leave it varies the speed at which each layer displays out entirely. Lastly, make sure you account for as the user scrolls down. The designer can have older browsers, and don’t forget your mobile elements of graphics and text move in and out users. of screen at will to help illustrate a point, give depth to a story, or create deeper dimension to Parallax is a cool gadget and for larger corpothe look of a page. rations, a wonderful entertainment tool. For most small businesses, parallax can be utilized The experience of parallax can provide many with restraint to help deepen their story, but benefits. Firstly, it presents a wow factor to should not become the center point of their visitors with an element of user-controlled anon-line presence. The downsides at this time imation, which then aids in storytelling, which are too great for an internet driven by SEO boosts page visit times through inciting curirankings and cluttered with mass competition. osity. The experience can also be used to guide
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