Scout for Success

I Love My Work!

One of the beauties of being a website designer and content developer for small businesses is that I literally learn something (and often many things) new with each project.  Over the years I’ve worked in various capacities on websites for master knife makers, a knife collector and merchant, a storm water treatment specialist, a company that makes train signals, assorted doctors and surgeons, a vintage amplifier afficianado, a “film noir”-style portrait photographer, accountants and IT specialists, an all-camoflauge product retailer (from baby doll nighties to bathroom scales), a “cozy mysteries” book reviewer, a painting contractor, an interior designer, landscape specialists, a fence builder, a healthcare staffing company and, most recently, a master leathersmith and online retailer of steampunk accessories - Steambaby.net

My interest was piqued from the start on this one.  Owner Doug “Mac” McGowan of Salem, OR, had updated a mutual friend on his latest creative venture and I was intrigued enough to do some steampunk research.  The more I learned, the more interested I became.  Though I may offend steampunk purists, if such folks exist, I would describe the genre as a cross between Jules Verne-style fantasy, Victoriana, and obsession with steam-powered, eclectic, retro-industrial mechanics and gadgetry (spanning several eras and some dubious scientific disciplines), coupled with creative adaptations of aviator / Edwardian / American Indian / explorer attire.  Kind of like whirling Sherlock Holmes, Indiana Jones, Dr. Who, H.G. Wells and assorted other writers, begoggled aviators and turn-of-the 19th century mercenaries (along with a few belly dancers) in a blender and coming up with an unusual and potent concoction.  I got so creatively fired up that, unsolicited and unbeknownst to Doug, I pulled an overnighter crafting the website design that is now Steambaby.net and sent it off to him the next day.  I’m happy to say that he liked it, too.  Take a look - and a listen, specifically to band Abney Park’s “Airship Pirates” video at the top right of the Resources page.  What adventurers amongst us can resist these sentiments, as expressed by Captain Robert, the band’s lead singer and airship commander:

“With a crew of drunken pilots
We’re the only airship pirates
We’re full of hot air and we’re starting to rise
We’re the terror of the skies, but a danger to ourselves now”

Enjoy!

Thank You, Studs

Studs Terkel

Social Historian
 May 16, 1912 - October 31, 2008

• WFMT Radio - Best of Studs Terkel
• Official Studs Terkel Website sponsored by The Chicago Historical Society

Revisiting The E-Myth Revisited

About four years ago, my friend Billy Cochrane and I were sharing driving duties on a 10-hour roadtrip from Jackson, Mississippi to a trade show in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  In addition to being a great friend, Billy is also one of my first ecommerce website customers (VintageKnives.com) and the van was loaded with his wares along with my marketing materials.  Having started our businesses around the same time, we spent a while talking about some of the entrepreneurial challenges we were both experiencing, before I suggested we take a listen to a CD audio-book I had purchased for the drive.

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber turned out to be a revelation for both of us.  The sub-title might be a little daunting (Why Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It), but the advice turned out to be relevant and business-altering for both Billy and myself.  From growing pains to muddled systems to fear of leaving your comfort zone, the author dealt with these and other common small business issues in a straightforward way.  His examples and ideas about establishing systems and processes were insightful and helpful.  The chapter about working on your business, not in it, was especially thought provoking.

This is not high-falutin’ stuff.  Gerber uses a fictitious small business model to illustrate his points, but while the dialogue may seem simplistic to some, I found it easy to follow his concepts and thought processes.  Highly recommended for entrepreneurs and small business owners, especially those just starting up or in a quandry about what their “next steps” should be.  Also available in book form, but with time at a premium for most of us, the CDs were much easier to absorb.

Panning For Gold in Your Marketplace

Just recently I came across a business-to-business sales seminar I had developed back in 2001, “Panning for Gold - The Internet as a Sales Tool.”  While some of the resource links were outdated, the basic premise of the presentation still holds true:  invest 15 minutes on the Internet learning about each prospect prior to making a call, and realize a mother lode of benefits and increased sales.

It’s true, knowledge is power…
but only when you leverage it properly.  One essential nugget to take away from this presentation summary:  Pre-call research is not about acquiring all the answers. It’s about being able to ask your prospective customer smart, relevant questions.

The other reality is that in order to be successful, this research process has to be fast, easy and effective.  Google is your friend in that respect.  Use brief, succinct search phrases and learn to separate the wheat from the chaff quickly in the search results.  Cut and paste relevant tidbits of information right into the Notes screen of your contact management program, or into a document if you like hard copies to review and make notes on.  No need for fancy formating - just cut, paste and move on.  If you don’t even have time for that, at minimum skim information about these four items for each prospect:

• The company website - Home, About and Career pages are good sources for quick prospect background info.
• Range of products or services - What they make or do, and who they make or do it for.
• The industry - See the “history of” below.
• The competition - Who else does what they do in their marketplace?

“History of…” Queries
My favorite search phrase of all, “history of _____________,” is likely all you’ll need to provide you with enough interesting background, jargon and trivia about your prospect’s industry to jumpstart any sales call.  For a call on a local produce processor, “history of pickling” returned a detailed Pickle History Timeline, starting back in the Dark Ages!  “History of bar coding” once provided me with the tidbit that the technology had advanced to the point that honeybees could be bar coded to track their migration paths.  “History of tires” will answer every question you ever had about how the rubber hits the road.  You get the point.

It’s Human Nature
The bottom line is a simple one.  We humans are a gregarious lot, and it’s in our nature to reciprocate.  Your smart, relevant questions and curiousity about your prospect’s business, service, or stock in trade makes that person aware that you cared enough about what he or she does for a living to invest your own time in some research.  At the very least that conveys your interest and diligence, and ideally it makes the prospect willing to reciprocate by sharing time and information with you.  Time and information, two of the key factors that help every good salesperson to close the sale!

Copyright © Kimberly Washetas - 2008

Dragon NaturallySpeaking - Thumbs Up for Great Speech Recognition Software!

While I knew that the speech recognition program Dragon NaturallySpeaking had been around for a while, I was surprised to learn that it had originally been developed in the early 1980s. I’ve been considering buying the software for some time and finally ordered it last week.

The intuitive interface and the accuracy of the program are amazing. I foresee using this software tool more and more frequently in my work, primarily because it is so accurate. I actually created most of this post using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and I am getting more proficient every time I use it.

After installation, within about two hours I had mastered most of the dictation commands, corrections, editing and formatting functions. It’s best to do the set-up and training when you have some quiet time for yourself, as it does require concentration and you will want to practice. However, I can already tell that with each use it will become simpler and more natural to speak into the noise-canceling headset (comes with the software) and I’m looking forward to the increased productivity and the time savings that this product offers.

On a separate note, I wanted to learn more about Dragon NaturallySpeaking and other similar software because of the trend toward speech recognition in electronic records management, especially in the medical field. EMR, or Electronic Medical Records, will hopefully become the norm for the healthcare industry in the United States. I also foresee a need for qualified trainers who are familiar with these programs to provide specialized and accelerated instruction to physicians, nurses and other healthcare staffing personnel.  Definitely a Scout-recommended product!

The Pantone Guide to Communicating with Color

When I first started my own business, in addition to website design for my customers I was also producing all my own marketing collateral and promotional materials. This book was a lifesaver! Though I had always been artistic, I had no formal color training and knew very little about the psychology of color, its combinations and connotations. The book served as a fantastic resource for identifying color schemes for website designs, stationery, flyers and brochures. Author Leatrice Eiseman uses actual ad campaigns and full color photos to illustrate diverse concepts and combos, and there are pages and pages of sample palettes classified by theme: Serene, Earthy, Classic, Powerful, Elegant, Robust, Energetic, Playful, Traditional and more.

Not all small business owners have the need, inclination or time of their own to invest in development of marketing materials, and will outsource as needed. But if you’re a creative entrepreneur who relishes the challenge, you owe it to yourself to learn more about the visual elements and impact of the marketing pieces you are producing. Highly recommended.