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On-line Marketing for Accountants & Attorneys ~ 88.7 FM WRHU The Profit Express interview

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:37:06 +0000

Last week, I was interviewed by Tim Healy of The Profit Express, an hour show on Long Island 88.7 FM WRHU. A 7 minute excerpt is on Youtube, and I just finished editing the full 42 minute interview:

Marketing with LinkedIn - audio slideshow

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:29:11 +0000

Marketing With LinkedIn

View more presentations from vikramrajan2.

Creativity vs. Consistency - right marketing habits

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:08:55 +0000

It happened today again. A managing partner of a boutique law firm had never “attempted marketing” because he felt he wasn’t creative enough. In fact, most of his clients already come from [what I dub, passive] referrals. I’m guessing you’re a bit more creative (or at least you have your moments)… You’re at least pro-active enough with your practice marketing to read this blog post!

As you know, most attorneys and CPAs aren’t “good at marketing,” nor do most claim to be (… or want to be, in some cases). I am often challenged with the “I’m not creative” belief from my clients. They hope to get “new ideas” from me.

As a marketing advisor I must coach my clients to develop doable pro-active marketing skills. They need not become Mad Men! Practice marketing need not be very creative (ingenuity is always wonderful). In fact, too many ideas can become distracting.

I’m sure you also know many peers who think they have tons of great ideas… and fail to execute diligently. In fact, I contend that most of ‘client development’ is an accumulation of simple, everyday, habits. It may be as simple as turning reactive “waiting for referrals” word-of-mouth into pro-active education networking.

Creativity is fun and imaginative.
Still, it takes consistency, diligence, perseverance to complete a task, a project, a goal.

As a marketing advisor I help to generate ideas.
We brainstorm and prioritze.
Moreover, I help my clients to stay the course.

Way beyond creativity lay consistency.
After all, we learn through practice, practice, practice.
Branding is a matter of repetition, repetition, repetition.

Unfortunately, staying consistent can become boring.
Armchair “idea research” seems productive, but rarely yields clients.
What do you think?

Who is a Center of Influence?

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:10:27 +0000

Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell
Unleashing the Ideavirus, by Seth Godin
The Influentials, by Edward Keller and Jonathan Berry

The phrase ‘Center of Influence’ or COI is used often in sales & marketing, especially within the Insurance, investment, and financial services sector. Rather than marketing to them, we market through Influentials. Favoring the hub-and-spoke model, I agree with the strategy. It’s its execution I question.

The phrase ‘Center of Influence’ or COI is used too often in sales & marketing, especially by financial advisors. Not every CPA is a COI. Not every advisor exhibits the same amount of Influence. In fact, how can we measure Influence anyways?

Influence presumes following: Thus, measure the followers - measure the Influence (sort of, close enough, and at least materially). [Sure, we can be ‘moved’ emotionally by Influence, not just physically. But we expect thought to lead to action - especially when it comes to marketing & sales.]

It’s not always as easy as measuring followers of a blog, e-mail list, or LinkedIn 2nd degree reach (or twitter followers). The Centers of Influence in our off-line world must be ‘measured’ in less specific ways. (Besides, online following doesn’t necessarily equate to off-line action.)

I like to synonymize COI as Group Leaders. That is, I ask my clients to list people who “lead groups: any type of group: professional/trade association, networking group, civic association, golf outings, charity dinners, etc.”

While bureaucratic leaders may not wield the type of charismatic influence as we would want, at least they produce results. People show up, sit down, shut up, and listen… and spend money. Blunt; yet this is what we want our COI to do for us, eh? Those who ‘lead ad hoc groups’ showcase more charismatic influence than those leaders with titles. They naturally attract a crowd of listeners, fans, friends, etc.

Utilities like LinkedIn help us organize our database by Influence.

Lawyers learning about business

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 12:59:03 +0000

WALL STREET JOURNAL: MAY 20, 2009

Bankers, consultants and marketers aren’t the only professionals looking to beef up their business skills for competitive advantage these days. At a growing number of law firms, top attorneys are being trained like business people, using executive education courses designed to strengthen management and business skills.

Click here to read the ABA Journal review, with some interesting blog post comments from attorneys.

SWOT Analysis: Your Marketing Projects

Vikram Rajan — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:25:33 +0000

When I begin working with a law or accounting firm, one of the first steps I go through is a braindump between all the managing partners of current, past, and urgent marketing efforts. We categorize it these 4 groups, so that we can then prioritize, with goals. Soon, a Dashboard can be employed to monitor the projects’ progress.

Take a moment right now to list all your marketing efforts: The ones you’ve tried, with little follow-up (or “didn’t work”). The ones you are planning to do. The marketing projects you want to do but aren’t quite ready to launch. And the projects that must be part of your day-to-day world.

We’ll explore specifics in upcoming posts… for now brainstorm in these 4 categories:

Strategic: These marketing projects tend to be longer-term and help to position your firm differently than others in your specialty or niche. For example, a strategic project can be developing a Client Appreciation Seminar series.

Wishlist: These are marketing projects are ones that you want to do. They may not yield new clients right away, or be significant revenue generators. Like strategic projects, they tend to be longer-term… They need not be as “important” as Strategic projects, but they help contribute to your firm’s culture (and/or your personal development). A Wishlist marketing project may be developing a book based on your expertise.

Opportunistic: These marketing projects are urgent and serendipitous (right place, right time). These are opportunities to promote your firm in a way that you weren’t planning. While it is not yet integrated into your Marketing Action Plan (it may be for next year), it is well worth it (yield is greater than cost) to pursue it. Hopefully, it does not derail the other important marketing projects. An Opportunistic marketing project could when you are invited to speak at a trade conference.

Tactical: These are your everyday marketing habits. These are the basics that should be reviewed at least monthly, if not weekly. Nothing dramatic happens if you don’t get to it today, but if days or weeks go by, your firm’s pipeline will be affected. For example, Tactical marketing includes your networking events, 1-on-1 follow-up, or e-newsletters.

By brainstorming in these 4 categories, you can ensure that your short-term Tactical are becoming systematic while engaging in more fun, long-term Strategic & Wishlist projects. Opportunities are everywhere… this will help you to hone your antennae.

The (not so) Secret Formula for Success!

markbullock — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:01:05 +0000

Several recent experiences, both personally and professionally, with my clients & others have deeply reinforced to me what I’ve held as an accurate & authentic formula for what it takes to be successful as a Practicing Professional. I assert it holds true regardless of the state of the economy, or almost any other forces we may encounter. In fact this (not so) secret formula seems to hold whether you are a practicing professional, a business owner or an employee. I assert that the (not so) secret formula, as it became more apparent to me a few years ago, is simply the following:

To be successful, you only really need to:

1 - BE People Centric

2 - BE Technology Literate

3 - BE Branding & Marketing Focused

And

4 - Do Great Work

Here’s how I distinguish these four tenets of success: Click Here…For the rest of the story

Gain a Client or Lose a Client, the Choice is Yours

markbullock — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:39:50 +0000

In an Advisory, Consulting, Coaching model, potential clients often start out skeptical, then get enthusiastic when you show them the results that are possible for them when they engage with you. Then the reality sets in - that they will have to do something & be in action in ways that they are not comfortable or familiar with, and certainly they are not in the habit of doing things the way that you propose.

This all leads to their concern (fear) over what it’s going to take from them to “get over the hump” in order to get the results they want. Ultimately many then become resigned, focusing on all the reasons they can’t do what you propose, and then come up with every conceivable “objection” (real or imagined) to engaging with you. Price is the most prevalent objection, even though it is rarely the “real reason”. The real reason is that they either don’t see the value, or more likely, that they are afraid they won’t be able or willing to do what they need to do (their part) to create the results they want.

I recently converted a prospect into a client that followed this path. They were originally a “yes for sure”, then canceled, then a “not now, but definitely later” and finally a “let’s get started now” confirmed new client.

As for the how – I went above & beyond in offering Business Coaching (I’m also an experienced Business Coach) to help them move past what was standing in the way (themselves). This was as simple as a no-fee coaching session, and a couple of phone calls & emails. More importantly I refused to just give up (I wouldn’t buy into their resignation in the matter), but I was also not “attached” to gaining their business or desperate in any way. I just committed myself to their success – and – committed to their becoming a client now vs. later and the value that I could provide for them if they did.

The question is – where can you go above and beyond for a potential client, adding value up-front, that shows your commitment to their success? Perhaps you could show them a path forward, a way that they can do what they don’t believe they can’t do, to get the results they want.

Mark V Bullock Partner / PMA www.PracticeMarketingAdvisors.com www.MBullock.com

President Obama’s Marketing Mistake #2

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:15:18 +0000

First, number 1: When I donated to President Obama’s campaign, I didn’t receive any collaterals (e.g., bumper stickers, t-shirts, pins, etc.) to showcase either my donation or adoration. I suppose I was as vocal without this minor expense; regardless, the Obama campaign did miss out on an opportunity with millions of others: silent, passive viral marketing. Perhaps I was a small oversight (commensurate with the donation?).

President Obama’s governance scorecard is debatable… he’s only 50 days in. His policies, including the Stimulus Package and the Budget, are also debatable… I’ll leave that up to the pundits and politicians. More than administration, Obama is making a major marketing mistake.

Obama’s Marketing Mistake #2 is more serious: We all remember the defining vision of Obama’s campaign; it is best summed up in his 1-liner: Yes We Can (‘hope’ and ‘change’ being other handles). What is the defining vision for this country that Obama has provided us?

We don’t have a clear vision articulated in a simple battle-cry (a 1-liner). What is the flag we can wave, that the media can splash? What is the 1-liner that clearly defines where Obama is taking us? Sure he may be trying to reform all 5 areas; that’s operations… Ironically, Obama’s not selling it with catchy rhetoric (thankfully he’s back to the optimism).

The closest we’ve got is Recovery.gov… and that’s not visionary, it’s disciplinary.

Culture change begins with a paradigm shift; an emotionally resonant affirmation. Such empty words are then filled with day-to-day actions. What is our paradigm shift? What are our day-to-day actions?

FDR gave us the New Deal. Johnson gave us the Great Society. Even Newt gave us the Contract with America. Kennedy’s “Man on the Moon within 10 years” would even qualify, as it rallied a segment of the nation.

I’m out of examples… what other defining visions have Presidents given us?

What could Obama give us? How about “Re-energize America”? Got anything better?

How does this relate to marketing our practices?

As leaders of our practice (partners, associates, staff) and leaders of our community (clients, colleagues, centers of influence)… we must provide an affirmative 1-liner – “bullets” that can be used at trigger points, to talk about us. Can we boil our boring 30-second elevator pitch into a catchy 1-liner? Yes We Can.

Founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman, on Charlie Rose

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 03:55:00 +0000

“Everybody is an entrepreneur.”

Is Your Marketing Action Plan Counter Intuitive?

barrylaub — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:38:47 +0000

Now more than ever you need to differentiate yourself from your peers. Everyday you hear that times are tough and that money is tight. This may be the best news that you have heard.

What am I saying? Have I lost my mind? Just the opposite: read on. When times are tough and money is tight, one of the first budget items that practices and firms cut is marketing. Cutting back saves money doesn’t it? Actually, cutting back on marketing can create an even deeper problem called smaller market share.

Not investing in marketing is counter intuitive to good business thinking. When you promote yourself when many aren’t, prospective clients will consider you above others. This climate presents the opportunity that you have been waiting for and lends itself to a high ROI for your strategic marketing investment. Do not be one of the many who act counter-intuitively to good business sense. Grab as much of the market share as you can handle, while others cut back.

You can market yourself with little or no cost. Actively gather testimonials and referrals. Publish a blog and an e-newsletter. Attend targeted networking events. Set up speaking engagements. These are just a few ideas. For maximum efficiency and accountability, retain a marketing coach.

Is Your Brochure Creating Collateral Damage?

barrylaub — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:45:51 +0000

Have you noticed that many professionals spend a great deal of time and money on collateral literature? They hire a graphic artist and a copywriter to put their masterpiece together. They spend hours discussing design and colors.

The finished product is this four color trifold brochure. It tells the history of the business with all the services and features provided. This truly conveys a professional image that one is proud to hand out.

Have you ever received one of these brochures? I am sure that you have. Did this piece of work motivate you to buy? Did you read it from cover to cover? Most likely the answer is no.

You accepted it graciously and wanted to know how this service or product would make you money or save you money. Somewhere in the brochure it was mentioned but it did not stand out, nor was it compelling. In fact you never even read it before putting it on your desk.

If this sounds familiar, what has been accomplished? I call it collateral damage. The objective to grab the interest of the prospect failed and you are told that it will be read. If there is interest they will get back to you.

Your objective should have been to uncover the needs of the prospect and demonstrate what is in it for him/her. The hot buttons can only be hit when the prospect tells you what they are. Literature, though nice, does not accomplish the objective unless it is uniquely customized for the prospect.

You would be better served spending more time on relationship building; more time on presentation and discovery skills; more time promoting your expertise and less money and time creating pretty brochures that are about you. The result would be less collateral damage.

Direct regular mail marketing cost going up!

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:09:33 +0000

The price of stamps are going up to 44 cents on May 11, 2009. You have until May 11 to buy the 42 cent Forever Stamp that will be valid, forever (they go up to 44 cents on 5/11 too). As the cost of stamps will be going up about .05% every year, it may be a pretty good investment! I’ll leave that up to the financial advisors.

My concern is that direct regular mail marketing is a staple of day-to-day marketing. You may not want to utilize regular mail marketing due to its low lead generation ratio (and possibly low closing ratio). Arguably, it’s about 1%. True, one man’s junk mail is another business’ direct regular mail marketing campaign.

How do you go through the mail? Over the trashcan? The chuck-ratio of regular mail marketing is rather high. The chuck ratio of package mail marketing is much better - we don’t throw away gifts as easily. Inevitably the cost of this will also go up.

Moreover, I am saddened that during these challenging economic times our USPS is making it more expensive for the average business to market itself. They would argue that they are only meeting their own costs; and are staving off their own bail out.

What do you think? How does this impact your Word-of-mouth marketing strategies?

5 Benefits of collecting Testimonial Letters

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:48:20 +0000

We were discussing the “BENEFITS OF ASKING FOR (AND COLLECTING) TESTIMONIAL LETTERS” at a Rainmakers Roundtable we were doing at a law firm earlier this week:

1) Obviously, to show potential clients (prospects).
2) Also, to show your other partners and associates (to set an example).
3) To make your other marketing materials (e.g., websites) more credible and relevant.
4) To segue into asking for referrals.
5) As your client writes the Testimonial Letter they are branding the positive experience they had with you (they are more apt to remember and thus recommend you).

It is best that they write the Testimonial Letter, and not just sign off on it. But you can give your clients ideas: Instead of a simple “praise letter” that basically says “you did a great job, thanks”… Ask your clients to be as specific as possible, without revealing private information, for example:
“In one or two sentences, can you describe the situation you were in?” (adversity/aspiration/problem)
“In one or two sentences, can you describe what we did to help you?” (advice/action/solution)

“In one or two sentences, can you describe how what we did helped?” (achievement/advantage/benefit)

This simple template for an anecdote thus makes the Testimonial Letter more substantive.

Michael Arrington: taking a break from being a personal brand

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:38:14 +0000

Today Michael Arrington took a break from his extremely popular blog TechCrunch; read his blog post. You may not know his name; but in high geekdom, in the Web 2.0-mosphere, in the blogopshere… Michael Arrington may as well be a deity. And I’ve read enough blog commentary and outright reports about Michael’s Arrogance. Maybe he is… or maybe he is stand-offish for rightful reasons. Or sick and tired of being pitched all the time… I can only imagine.

But this brings up a more serious question… NOT “what will happen to his blog?” For Michael has empowered other writers to contribute to his blog; like a magazine - not a column. TechCrunch is an institution; not a personal brand. And I’m sure Michael’s brand will be preserved (in whatever perception people have). [Incidentally, I am also proud of how Dan Schawbel has brought on other writers on his Personal Branding Blog. Likewise, I welcome Barry & Mark that have begun to post here too.]

That’s lesson #1 to be learned. Leverage your personal brand: Create intellectual property that no requires your physical presence. Musicians create albums, then create labels. Trump is not just a real estate developer. This way you can take a break, and keep rollin’.

But there’s another lesson opportunity raised…
It’s a frustration raised to me by luddites, naives, the confused or complaining alike.
“Facebook and all that blogging stuff just makes my personal life too… public.
I like my business communications to stay… professional.”
Of course, it is said to me with a sneer or disappointment. I have to smile. And I have to comfort. … I listen and nurture, before predicting and advising. If they’re nice

First I explain, “Well, business is changing…” I don’t get into it in personal usually… but actually, it’s going back to how it used to be. In small towns and villages - for most of our civilizations - thrived on knowing each other. Fights happen; laws were needed - but, “your word is bond.” And the Internet brings a transparency to our business life. Sure, I don’t like cameras (figuratively & literally) - and have always carried a film of Orwellian cynicism even in my most idealistic & righteous days - very proud for supporting ACLU, etc. — (paint with me with some broad brush if you must).

But the Internet, more importantly, enables us to craft our brand… to show off what we want to show off… sure, we have to joke with friends “don’t paste this all over Facebook”… but our life is wonderful with these little gadgets that could equally embarrass us. It’s the responsibility we all have - with this great power (personal branding using the Internet, that is).

But as our fame grows, so does the public’s want of us. Michael Arrington reminds us of the dark side of celebrity. We know we can’t be safe by hiding - or by avoiding crafting our personal brand. My mindful thoughts go to him and his family. While some kill to win, win to kill, and kill to kill… we need to win to win in a way everybody wins.

We should all take a break some time. We should be allowed family space - no matter how much we are in, want, or are about the lime light.

Can we grow our personal brands, while protecting our family privacy? Yes we can.

Branding yourself through articles

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:44:14 +0000

Stories where you’re quoted helps promote your “expertise brand” - as is my case with the Wall Street Journal’s Startup Journal & Entrepreneur magazine some time ago. But I prefer to help my clients create on-going columns and other articles, as is my case with Long Island Business News and Financial Advisor magazine.

While being quoted helps get your name out there, regular articles helps to get your expertise out there. Getting your articles regularly published in professional journals, local newspapers, and colleagues’ newsletters is actually easier than being in the right place at the right time for journalists (as PR agents do).

My latest articles can be found in Personal Branding magazine, where I interviewed “G” from FOX’s Secret Millionaire - about his own personal branding success tips. You can also read my latest column in the New York Real Estate Journal in this week’s issue.

The first step is to write… which is why blogging is a great start. Having a cache of 2 or 3 articles enables editors/publishers to take a look at your work. Many times they can will publish it as-is, or request a new (unpublished) topic. The traditional column length is 700 words.

The second step is to mine your relationships for media contacts… which is why LinkedIn, etc. is a great start. Ask your centers of influence and other colleagues about writing for their newsletters, contacts at local/regional newspapers, and trade journals.

The third step is to a) learn more about these publications & b) develop a relationship with these contacts. Like any business relationship, don’t begin with a pitch. Rather, start with questions. You should already know if they’ve covered the kind of topics you want to write about. (Avoid a foot in mouth response: “Umm… actually… we published something like that last month.”)

Yes, it takes more time than simply “cold e-mailing” your articles… but relationships are more valuable than transactions. For example, last January, one of my clients had introduced me to the publisher of the New York Real Estate Journal. She was overwhelmed with professional and personal pressures that prevented us from developing our relationship. Now exactly a year later, we’ve begun to add value to one another - and to her readers. Likewise, I’ve since been quoted by Long Island Business News several times since ending my series of business columns.

With due diligence and diligent efforts, you too will develop a long list of media quotes and better yet, published articles. Have you been quoted some place? Do your articles appear regularly in publications? Comment below; we get about a 1,000 readers every week.

New marketing ideas for real estate agents

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:34:39 +0000

On Friday, one of my clients, Bruce Maasbach arranged a seminar for his circle of real estate agents. While much of the time should have been dedicated to a tactical, Web 2.0, Marketing Action Plan… my inspirational preamble was more valuable. First a mindset change, or a paradigm shift, has to take place for a Real Estate Agent to do business from 2009 on. Hear what I mean:

Three 10-minute parts will automatically be on the right-hand of the video above when I upload to my blip.tv account. With the poor lighting and zoom, the video quite frankly sucks. But my audio silhouette - with hand gestures - gets my points across!

VIDEO 1: I go through how the market has changed over the past 10 years.
VIDEO 2: I explain how ludicrous the real estate industry has been, and a brave new vision for them.
VIDEO 3: I talk about how real estate professionals can begin creating a new business model.

Originally, I had brought my projector, my laptop, with a PowerPoint… but there was no table for the equipment, screen (or white wall), and I’m sure WiFi would’ve been “too secure.” I’m a speaker, not a presenter, so I didn’t care.
LESSON TO BE LEARNED: I did bring hand-outs, which are low-tech and guaranteed to work.

What do you think about the new Business Model Vision I proposed for real estate agents/brokers?

4 Types of Networking Groups

Vikram Rajan — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:55:11 +0000

A few days ago, I was then invited to speak at the Attorney/Accountant Networking Group; there, I outlined a PRE/PRESENT/POST goals for our networking. Here’s a re-cap:

PRE the meeting: Have a goal of who/type of person you’d like to meet & how many. PRESENT: Be present; leave your cell phone or Blackberry alone. Don’t participate in “drive-by” networking (those who run past you handing business cards). Don’t pitch anybody; likewise, a good 10-minute conversation is “enough” with 1 person. I “doggy-ear” those I plan on getting back to - especially prospective clients. POST: Follow-up within 3 business days. They may be prospects, centers of influence, or potential connectors to either of those 2. AND, put them into your database - and preferably, your e-newsletter list.

SO what are the 4 types of groups?
1) Trade associations: Not necessarily those of your peers, but your target market’s association. Of course, as a lawyer, you probably get a lot of referrals from other attorneys… so Bar Associations are a good choice. And more and more CPAs are concentrating on a niche market, or specialized service; thus, Societies can also be a good trade association choice. Nearly every profession/industry have national and local associations; plus within their profession/industry there are sub-categories/specialties; moreover, often ethnic/geographic groups form within trades/professions.
2) General gatherings: These include chambers of commerce and other open rooms that attract a variety of professionals. Often they meet early in the morning or in the evening. There may be competitors, peers, colleagues, and clients in the room. For all those folks, standing out and showcasing your distinctive expertise (preferably with a 1-liner) is paramount. Don’t forget the ones sitting down; often business owners and other decision makers don’t know how to network well. And don’t forget to wear your own badge.
3) Non-compete groups: Like the one I belong to, American Business Associates (ABA), these are usually small, round-tables of 15-20 professionals. As it implies, there are no competing professionals in the room. While there may be more than one financial advisor or attorney, they usually agree on specific areas of focus. Some non-compete groups are more ‘retail’ oriented, featuring more business-to-consumer businesses; others are more ‘professionals’ oriented, featuring advisors including attorneys, accountants, and financial advisors; still others are more niche, featuring professionals who all target one market (e.g., healthcare).
4) Database meetings: These are the informal meetings that you can create from your own database. By networking your clients, centers of influence, and colleagues, you are growing everybody’s network, influence, and thoughts of you. As they invite their circle of influence, your network grows exponentially. Don’t overlook this bounty in your own background; and don’t underestimate the folks that are dormant in your database. The new year is a great time to spark old relationships.

National Conference of CPA Practitioners (NCCPAP) launches Marketing Roundtables

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:08:57 +0000

This write-up will soon appear in the NCCPAP Nassau-Suffolk newsletter. On Tuesday, January 6, I facilitated the first meeting of our NCCPAP Marketing Roundtable. I would like to extend a special thank you to Doug Sinetar, a Roundtable member, for opening up his conference room to us. The small CPA firms represented ranged from solo practitioners, to partnerships, to firms with around 7 accountants.

Each member received a copy of my book, “365 Marketing Thumb-rules: Daily reminders for rainmakers.” I used the book to remind our members of the different types of marketing channels and marketing collaterals. It will continue to be our workbook, reminding members of what can and should be doing.

Unlike a seminar or workshop, I asked the Roundtable a series of questions; thus each member had an equal opportunity to share their backgrounds, their marketing questions, and marketing experiences. After our introductions, we began to share some marketing questions and concerns. For example, one member felt she may have been doing “too much networking.” Another member was more concerned in general lead generation, while another chimed in that he wanted to “upgrade” his clientele.

On the other hand, another CPA wanted to “bottom-feed” on the “C-grade clients” of larger firms. Still another member was wondering about the right marketing budget; he felt the thumb-rule of “10% of revenue” (which he learned elsewhere) was too high. Likewise, another member asked about placing ads. Ultimately, another member shared that his major concern was managing time between developing new clients versus servicing existing ones. I shared a Marketing Action Plan (MAP) Dashboard that outlined specific marketing actions that can turn into consistent habits.

We also shared how we attracted our latest 2 clients. While most said it was from unsolicited referrals, 3 of our members benefited from seminars and classes they teach. In fact, one member shared that her latest client was from a seminar she did a year ago. It was thus concluded that we need to pro-actively ask for referrals and that we should reach out to associations for speaking opportunities.

Nobody had benefited from advertising or regular mailings; though after the meeting I was able to help one of our members to focus a direct mailing campaign he was about to launch. I suggested that instead of 1 large mailing, that he work with a smaller population and do bi-weekly mailings; he also agreed to create a targeted incentive mailing for his own client base.

We also discussed new marketing ideas and committed to new actions; to be reviewed at our next session. Unfortunately, only 1 of the members actively made use of e-newsletters. Often our disorganized and incomplete database is a bottleneck. Many members vowed to get their database ready for e-mailings by next month’s session. For our Marketing Roundtable, we have launched a private LinkedIn group. While only 1 member has received a new client through this professional network, many already had profiles. Like many others, they were at the “Now what?” stage with LinkedIn. On-line marketing will of course become a major focus of discussion at upcoming sessions.

We went around the table and announced a “pet project” that will be completed by next month; additionally, I assigned 3 “bread-and-butter” foundational marketing tasks to each member. I asked each member to put together their Sales Funnel (of prospective clients, with dated meetings) and their “cascading number-by-date” goals. While they will not have to announce it publicly, each member will have written out the number of clients, and/or billing, that they would like to have by this time next year. They will also break this down into quarterly and monthly goals. We can then focus on the activity goals that will make these result goals a reality.

I also asked each member to craft their “Marketing Bio,” since most did not have any marketing materials to share with prospective clients (or those who would like to refer them). I agreed to send them our “Bio Template,” to help them bring out their distinctive personal brand. Each member will recite their bio out-loud at the next session. This will lead to what I call their introductory “1-liner.” It’s more powerful than the “30-second elevator pitch,” which is often bandied about in networking circles.

Our first session was very successful, as it set the stage for 2009. Wonderfully, each member is committed to these monthly sessions; we are not even skipping April. We all agreed it would be worthwhile, if not therapeutic, to set aside 2 hours to work on our marketing, instead of just “pushing the pencil.”

Happy Days Are Here Again!!!

barrylaub — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:36:33 +0000

Many people today are frightened and misfocused. You may be one of them. Are you looking back and rehashing the things you did wrong or could have done differently. Well, none of us have the ability to change the past. What we do have control over are our actions going forward. Therefore you may want to focus your energy on the future.

You have the ability to stop wasting your energy on events that are beyond your control. Find a mentor or a coach who could help you get clear on the activities that would be in your best interest and the right actions you can take now. When you are in action good things usually happen. Not only will you have your focus properly directed, some positive results may come of it.

I hope that these words help you or someone you know who could benefit from a mental adjustment.

Blogging DON’T

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:03:40 +0000

In addition to the blogs I typically read, I use Google.com/ALERTS to keep me apprised whenever any blog or article uses a phrase I’d be interested in (e.g., “practice marketing”): Often these two lists overlap. Case in point, this morning I read a great post by Kevin O’Keefe who writes the “Real Lawyers Have Blogs” (which conveniently, properly, and ethically promotes the LexBlog ‘bLAWg’ platform). His latest post berated an attorney who did what I refer to “on-line ambulance chasing”:

The latest comes from Dallas Attorney Shezad Malik who posts ‘Ambulance And Car Accident in Leonard, North of Dallas.’Of course the longest paragraph in the post:

If you or a family member has been injured because of the fault of someone else; by negligence, personal injury, slip and fall, car accident, medical malpractice, trucking accident, drunk driving, bad product, toxic injury etc then please contact the Dallas Texas Personal Injury Attorney Dr. Shezad Malik. For a no obligation, free case analysis, please call 817-255-4001 or Contact Me Online.

Blogs like this are being used to game Google and for no other reason at all. The lawyer is regularly updating his blog with keywords related to his locale and injury matters hoping that his blog will rise to the top of the search engines for related terms. And of course throw in a few links in target text like ‘personal injury’ linking to your website for added SEO effect.

To the majority of bloggers, the media, and sane people, the lawyer looks like an idiot at best. To me, he’s an embarrassment to our profession.

To which I commented (and felt it was worthy enough for re-print as a post here): Well, there are 4 issues going on here: 1) codes of ethics 2) personal ethics 3) value of blawg and other educational marketing 4) SEO.

1) The above example (and the many, many others) are the on-line version of “ambulance chasing,” which has given the PI atty a bad brand to begin with. Hence, there are codes of ethics on how to use the web — and they will be improved (that is, more specific - not just more words, hopefully) as years go on.

2) Of course, like other regulations and laws (like speeding), there is only so much policing to be done. It’s comes down to personal responsibility, values, ethics, and pride. Thus, the PI/trial world been able to overcome much public derision (and good jokes).

3) As blawgging, podcasting, video, e-book marketing grows more mainstream (in the legal community), more attorneys (and para staff) will realize that the real value isn’t just mere “display advertising,” but rather credibility and remark-ability as they share insight, thought, perspective (though not advice).

4) SEO: keyword-dropping, like name-dropping, will be a perennial if not pretentious issue. SEO algorithms have grown more sophisticated and we should always blog with it in mind. It isn’t WRONG; heck, as an intelligent form of marketing, blawging should be SEO conscious: Though our SEO-friendly posts & comments should be checked with the above 3 principles.

Trigger more referrals, with a catchy 1-liner

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:53:30 +0000

On December 16, I was invited back for a 3rd time to address the Preferred Providers Network of the National Network of Accountants. My topic included a worksheet that would help the room of CPAs, attorneys, and financial advisors to “Trigger More Referrals, with a catchy 1-liner.” You can practice along, with the worksheet attached, and the video below. Better yet, add your 1-liner below in the comments. (The video seminar brightens up after about 15 seconds.)

I introduced our Community Hexagon™ to the room. Many had been to a previous seminar (Target your Market to the 4°), which went over the Community Dartboard™. They are similar concepts - in that they outline the 6 facets of a “community,” a like-minded demographic that shares lifestyle aspects that encourages culture & identity. It’s not so esoteric: Dog lovers and trial attorneys are sub-cultures, that is, they share all 6 facets of the Community Hexagon™.

Likewise, we can take the more-general community of pet owners and the community of professionals and go to the “4th degree” in the Community Dartboard™. By doing so, we would be able to check-off all 6 criteria on the Community Checklist™ with which the worksheet begins. How far can you go on the downloadable Worksheet? Does your target market meet all 6 facets that would make it a Word-of-mouth buzz-friendly group?

Here’s a cool video on Social Networking

WHAT are you branding?

Vikram Rajan — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:49:51 +0000

CPAs and attorneys are actively marketing themselves now more than ever; financial advisors have been savvy for years now. Yet most professionals fall into the same branding quagmire as most marketers: They get mesmerized by the Madison Avenue marketing jargon like “branding.”

First of all, most professionals (and marketers) confuse a brand with a logo. Your logo (or face/fashion for a personal brand) is not the brand… it’s the branding iron.

Remember that the concept of a brand comes from the cruel practice of singing the hides of cows, etc. The brand isn’t the tool the cowboy (or factory farm) owns. Rather, it’s the image burnt onto the animal. Cowboys branded their cattle to showcase ownership (and prevent theft from competitors). At the risk of relating our clients to cash cows, our brand is meant to be a sign of ownership over them. That means we should first and foremost be “branding” our clients. They should know our branding irons… our marketing materials, especially a S.M.A.R.T. 1-liners [click for related post].

Secondly, we should presume ownership over our target market community. That is our brand should quickly showcase to whom we are best suited… our ideal client. This is more easily done with a S.M.A.R.T. 1-liner trigger than even a logo.

As you design or improve your marketing materials and Marketing Action Plan, keep your brand in mind. Not its image or even “brand experience,” but keep the result of your branding irons in mind. BTW: The original brands were simple geometric shapes (that could be easily fashioned by blacksmiths). Lesson? Keep it simple.

By focusing on your brand - and not just your irons - you can more quickly practice marketing your expertise and personal brand, within your codes of ethics and compliance obligations.

Lawyers are blogging more than ever

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:52:19 +0000

For the second year in a row the American Bar Association has compiled The bLAWg 100 (clever pun intended); the cover story for the December issue of the ABA Journal. Even more dramatic than how the legal community has taken to blogging, is the American Bar Association launching their own social network, called LegallyMinded.com. Poised to become the LinkedIn for the legal community, it not only enables lawyers to launch their own blog, but also provides articles (Resources) on practice management, marketing, and careers. While it’s just beginning, ABA is pro-actively helping to make blawging (and on-line networking in general) acceptable and soon mainstream.

Down Economy, Slashed Budgets, Oh MY!

markbullock — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:31:43 +0000

Are you getting any comments from prospective customers like “our budgets being slashed”, or “It’s not in the budget”? I will paraphrase Jeffrey Gittomer: “Why are you selling to the person that has to go ask Daddy for the money, when you should be selling to Daddy in the first place?” It’s an abrasive, but I believe, valid point.

Here’s how it works; The principle or CEO sees a possibility & an idea or belief of what it will take to improve her/his business from YOU (salesperson/consultant/trusted advisor). He/she then delegates/introduces you to the Director of _______, with accompanying words of encouragement and/or direction to explore what you are suggesting & see if it will work for them. If there’s a strong potential fit/synergy/ROI, then surprise – surprise, money/budget that didn’t exist for the Director of _______, suddenly & almost magically becomes available.

I’ve personally sold millions in products & services by bypassing the entire decision chain, and speaking directly to the person that holds the proverbial purse strings. Most of which were never “in the budget”. Warning – it requires dedication to effective & creative marketing, not to mention strong & clear communication skills to get and keep the ear of the decision maker. Also, it’s not often you can even get there at all - through the “normal channels” of bureaucracies, management ego’s, and gate keepers that are so prevalent in mid-sized and larger organizations.

I assert that effectively reaching & engaging with the prime decision maker requires a whole new level of commitment, one beyond what most of us have ever experienced. A commitment to a cause, to making a difference for a client, their employee’s, and their customers. A commitment to add real and tangible value. This absolutely has to supersede your desire to “make the sale”. The $$ comes as an effect of your commitment to your cause and to your client, not the other way around. Take a stand (as in “stand out”) for something both you and your target markets prime decision makers both care deeply about. That’ll get you on their radar screen!

Lastly, it takes a commitment to leveraged, effective, and consistent marketing & branding. Consistent “value first” marketing that uses a web of channels, clear value driven collaterals, and consistent touch points to convey the most valuable thing you have to offer – your cause/what you stand for - Your Personal Brand.

Mark Bullock
Partner – Practice Marketing Advisors
www.PracticeMarketingBLOG.com
www.MBullock.com

So you want to email out a newsletter?

markbullock — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 16:17:20 +0000

I recently received an unsolicited email “Newsletter” from a well intended but misinformed motivational speaker. It was sent TO: me from an MS Outlook account, with 70 or so other recipients plainly listed in the TO: field as well. Effectively distributing to all the recipients - all the other recipients email addresses. The “Newsletter” was in the form and attached PDF of a scanned, blurry, & tilted paper document. Additionally there was no obvious or automated way for me to “Opt-Out” from future emails.

Aside from the unwelcome intrusion, and a chuckle about how unprofessional and ineffective their email marketing campaign is, I was struck by the total ignorance by the well intentioned sender that what they had done is called Spamming, and it’s illegal. So I wanted to share with you a couple of nuts & bolts tips on how to avoid making a similar blunder.

1 – Don’t use your desktop email program for bulk email – EVER (no, don’t just use BCC to get around the TO: field problem, because it doesn’t always work). Get an automated & compliant email list management service like Openmoves Email, Talkware Media, or even Constant Contact. They’re cheap, easy to use, will give you valuable tracking & feedback or your email campaigns, and most importantly – they’re CAN-SPAM Act compliant.

2 – Compose your emails for delivery as both HTML & plain text. Most of the services above will automatically deliver which ever format the recipients email program will accept. What ever you do, don’t include an attachment. This will almost always get your email either rejected or un-opened (unless you are a “trusted” sender for that recipient). Alternatively you can include a link (Web address if in text) for readers to follow to get a PDF or other document from your Web site.

3 - Always include an “Un-Subscribe” or “Opt-Out” link at the bottom of both versions – it’s the law folks, just do it.

4 – Use the automated tracking features of your chosen service to see who’s getting it, who’s opening it, who’s forwarding it, etc, and who’s not. Process your blocked and/or returned email so as not to get blacklisted by the email Spam Gods.

5 – Once you have all of the above figured out, now you can put an “Opt-In” form on your Web site or Blog for people to subscribe (permission marketing) to your content. The form is linked back to your email list management service for automated processing (Auto-responding) – but that’s for another post.

Mark Bullock
Partner - Practice Marketing Advisors
www.PracticeMarketingBlog.com
www.MBullock.com

Secret Power of Social Networking Sites

markbullock — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:34:27 +0000

I only recently put myself up on LinkedIn, Facebook, and MySpace. This was after years of not really getting what the value was, and my concerns over the “professionalism” of my being on such sites. But, I bit the bullet and set-up my profile on each, and started wondering - now what?

I figured out that it was probably a good idea to scour my address book for the people in my own network that were already on one or more of these sites (some I had not been in touch with for years). I found a few dozen, and decided to invite them to “join” my network. About half of those I invited joined – ok, not sure what happened with the other half, but now what to do with those I was connected to? How could I leverage this medium, what could I contribute that would be of value?

Then it dawned on me, how about making “recommendations” and/or “endorsing” the people I knew. It would be a simple gesture, acknowledging who each of these people were for me. Many I had not directly done business with, but I could certainly speak about their character – what kind of person they were. So I took a Sunday afternoon and wrote about 25 recommendations and/or endorsements for those in my “network” on LinkedIn. I spoke from the heart, in plain language, again simply acknowledging these people for their individual contributions to me, or the community around them – what ever came to mind.

What happened next frankly stunned me. First off a handful of individuals immediately recommended or endorsed me back – thanks guys! But what was more important was the emails & calls I got thanking me for my endorsement, and wanting to know how I was, what was up to, and when could we meet for coffee – lunch whatever. Now as I said, some of these folks I hadn’t interacted with in a few years, and honestly most were not aware of my career shift towards marketing.

In short the combination of relationship “re-connects”, “cross-connects”, direct business, and referred business that I received thought this simple act of endorsing others, was totally disproportionate to the relatively small effort I initially made. You see I had stumbled on a powerful secret – I made it about them, not about me. The moral of the story: Join an online social network, be authentic & generous, connect & endorse others. Business is conducted personally between people, people are personally connected to each other – get personally connected – conduct more business, personally!

Mark Bullock

Partner / Practice Marketing Advisor

PracticeMarketingBLOG.com

MBullock.com

Splash or Drip?

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:51:40 +0000

We all have a marketing budget. Is it a line item? Is it consciously invested? Is it monitored? Is it planned?

Our marketing budget is the time we spend on networking, asking clients/COI for referrals, improving our website, writing our newsletters, and all the other W.A.T.E.R.S. endeavors. And of course, we all have a money budget for marketing. We may only spend money on events, mailings, phone calls, and collateral development — and some of us may make media ad buys.

All too often we find clients more interested in making a Splash, to keep up with the larger firms out there. Yet, time and time again, we find that that it’s the consistent small actions - marketing habits in routine drips - that really provides the biggest bang for the buck.

Splashy ads and campaigns can spark buzz. But it’s the consistent drips that sustain word-of-mouth marketing and follows up on results.

Start a drip campaign of e-mail, phone, regular mail, and meeting campaigns. You can do so today. When was the last time you had breakfast, lunch, or dinner with one of your top clients?

Splash campaigns should be planned, executed, and managed more strategically so as to not waste precious time and money.

In both (and you should have both), Your Practice Marketing (aka, W.A.T.E.R.S.) Action Dashboard becomes pivotal and center stage. See attached.

Practice Marketing Advisors

The highest leverage client retention tool yet!

markbullock — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:31:47 +0000

What do your clients think about you, but aren’t telling you? What comes to their minds when they think about making an appointment with you? What do they unconsciously know they can count on from you?

You see, you have an impact on your clients and in fact everyone you interact with. Whether you know it or not. Whether you see it or not, and whether you intend it or not. It’s the same impact that carries through from your marketing efforts, to your initial conversations with someone, to your follow through with a long term client relationship.

What is your single biggest impact? It is simply your integrity. Do you do what you say, when you say you will do it? Do you Honor Your Word? Let’s be honest now, we all have our reasons for being late for a meeting, or not completing a project on time, or missing a conference call. Circumstances and reasons abound. But your circumstances & reasons don’t mean anything to your clients, not really, nor to anyone else who needs to trust you, only whether they can count on you or not. It’s that simple.

There’s a rule of thumb that says “how you do anything, is how you do everything”. In fact this rule is embedded in our psyches. We unconsciously know when dealing with someone who is late or in some way breaks a promise -that we can’t completely trust them to keep future promises. We also know when someone shows respect for our time and attention, by being on time, and fulfilling on their agreements, that we can probably trust them in the future, and even outside of the context of our current interaction.

So the single most powerful client retention tool is simply to Honor Your Word. To do what you say you will do, when you say you will do it. But what if on occasion, despite your best efforts, you can’t? Then notify the other party at the earliest possible moment, in advance if at all possible, and make a new promise of time/delivery and keep it. In other words, acknowledge the break down, clean it up, and move forward. Make this a day by day, moment by moment practice, and watch your practice and the strength of your relationships grow!

Seth Godin touches on this principle in his blog at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/09/time.html

Mark Bullock

Partner / Practice Marketing Advisor PracticeMarketingBLOG.com MBullock.com

Marketing after the sale?

markbullock — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:30:38 +0000

The cost of acquisition of a new client can be very high, both in $$ and your resources and yet the typical practice/firm puts out 80% of it’s marketing effort towards acquiring new clients and only 20% on existing clients. Marketers in the know – know you should reverse these percentages. The fact of the matter is you’ve already made the investment to reach your existing clients, develop a trusted relationship with them, and proven your value to them. – But – do they know how else and in what other ways you can serve them going forward?

It’s crystal clear in this market place the value of branding yourself as a specialist. But that doesn’t mean you can’t capitalize on more general or other specialist opportunities with existing clients as those opportunities arise. And frankly – why not create those opportunities in the first place?

Here’s a couple of quick samples:

1. Some folks are uncomfortable referring others, or you may be uncomfortable asking for them. So how can you always follow the marketing thumb rule of always ask for referrals? Here’s the secret – Don’t ask for a referral – ask for an “introduction”. After confirming your client is happy, simply ask if they know anyone they would be willing to introduce you to. Make sure you are willing to give away an initial meeting to advise or council. This is a much softer sell, and far less threatening request than asking for your customers to essentially “sell” you to their friends & associates.

2. Add every client to your ongoing follow-up system. IE. your email/snail mail newsletter, your seminar or event invitation schedule, your promotional invitation schedule, copies of any and all press you receive, etc., basically any and every chance to stay in touch. Also, don’t forget to invite them to any fund raiser / charity events you sponsor, golf outings, trade show’s they may enjoy, etc.

3. Lastly, consider developing a small & affordable, value driven, maintenance/update program. This could be a yearly Will review, or a bi-annual financial planning review, anything you can turn into a retainer and/or recurring revenue that keeps you top of mind and creates ongoing value for your existing client base.

The above are just a handful of ideas. Fact of the matter is, it’s no secret that expanding the lifetime value of an existing client, and farming regular high value referrals is not only a huge boon to your bottom line, but much more cost effective and productive that constantly chasing after new clients through traditional advertising means.

For another effective habit on getting referrals watch this video:

Referral Marketing - Planting Seeds

Mark Bullock Partner/PMA Practice Marketing Advisors www.mbullock.com

Raise your rates, increase the value of your brand AND make more money!

markbullock — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:25:39 +0000

Several years back I had a tech consulting practice. It was reasonably successful ie. I was making a living. There was only one problem. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, working 60 to 80 hours a week, and frankly I was burning out fast. I was very much a generalist and charged an hourly rate that was a “bargain” in comparison to many of the other practicing generalists in my area. In short I was working my tail off for a modest income, and really didn’t enjoy working with many of my clients, most of which I struggled to get paid from, and I was doing an awful lot of unpaid work because I didn’t understand my own value….

Then I hired my business coach Tom, and what he led me to understand what was then shocking to me. He indicated that if I raised my rates substantially, and repositioned myself as a specialist, I would indeed lose some of the bottom dweller clients, but that would free up time to be much more effective and add greater value to the clients that could afford my new higher rates.

Fast forward 6 months, I trusted Tom and went out on a limb. I refocused, re-branded myself, and did not 1 but 2 price increases, effectively doubling my billable rate. The net effect? I nearly tripled my income, cut my hours in half, and started to make a huge difference with my remaining clients by having the time to go much deeper and be much more strategic with them.

I had a whole new level of relationship with my “best” clients. They suddenly appreciated the value I brought to them, they became much more respectful of my time. Additionally they listened to me more, taking more of my advise & counsel. They were more “bought it” and committed to their projects, having more skin in the game. All of this and having the bottom dwellers fade away, made my practice, and my life much more enjoyable.

All of the sudden high value referrals started showing up, and frankly I had a new problem. How to select which clients I wanted to work with. The desperate client chase was over, now prospective clients were literally waiting in line for an initial consultation.

A great post about this value phenomenon in the retail space was written by Paul Williams

Mark Bullock Partner/PMA

www.mbullock.com

Maximizing Your Networking Efforts

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:11:19 +0000

Personal Branding – Thumb Rule #48

Belong to very few networking groups, and be active in them.

So its 8:30am, you walk into the grand ballroom with your pocket thick with business cards. The room is buzzing with conversation, there are about 150 professionals dressed in their business attire. Each has that “Hello My Name Is” sticker hopefully on there right side of their lapel. You start to weave through the crowd to find a familiar face. Ah you see one but they are engaged so you wait close by until you decide to seek another face. As you begin to walk thru the maze you notice many faces of net workers whom you have seen at other events over the past few weeks.

I have been attended countless of these types of events for the past 15 years. A learning experience yes, but a lot of wasted time and dollars spent out of my own pocket. So here is the scoop

Eliminate the word networking from your mind and replace it “Relationship Building”

Do not belong to more than 3 groups, and one to be a non-for profit.

Get involved, become active, and join a committee. Become valuable to the group.

Build relationships that are based on trust, integrity and that you are an expert in your field.

If you give you will get without trying. Approach conversations whit a how can I help get you business. Once you help another they will do the same for you.

Order a professional name badge, include your logo, and name. Get the one with magnets. Just by being distinctive you will be noticed. Where the badge at every event you attend including tradeshows, and sales calls.

Be patient in my experience it takes 8-12 monthly meetings to get a referral. Don’t give up.

You need to continue to build these relationships between meetings. Meet for breakfast or lunch with at least on member of the group each month.

Go to every event and get there 15 min before it begins, that’s when the rainmakers show up.

Always smile, present an optimistic view, act energized, give complements, be genuine and follow up, follow, up follow up. Oh and please don’t forget the breath mints.

For example, check out this blog post: http://marketingcatalyst.blogspot.com/2008/08/avoiding-people-traps-at-networking.html

Leadership is Taken - Not Given

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:03:58 +0000

Practice Management Thumb Rule #22

Yes it took a while but I finally understood why some become leaders before others. For the first 10 years of my big company corporate career, I never understood the puzzle. My co-workers and I always spoke of management as “They”. “They” never did this or understood that. “They“did not know as much as we did. We knew what had to be done but there was no sense of empowerment. Frustrated and disappointed, I knew what had to be done, but my senior manager was focused on managing up, and seemed not interested. After a period of time I realized that “They” would never address some of what I thought were important issues and initiatives. On evening at home I looked in the mirror and words came out and I said “I Am They”.

The next morning I called an impromptu department meeting and discussed the issues we all have been complaining about. I told my group that “They” would not be helping us. I brought a mirror and asked my group to stand together on one side of the conference table and looked in the mirror as a group, and I said “We Are They”. My group thought I was loosing it. I repeated it again “We… Are… They”, as I repeated it I looked right in the eyes of my each team member. After about 5 times we said “We Are They” in unison, they/we all finally got it.

So don’t wait 10 years, and don’t wait until “They” give you the opportunity to become a leader. Take charge “Leadership is taken not given”.

TOM PETERS - LEADERSHIP

Make People Feel Good

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:24 +0000

Personal Branding Thumb-Rule # 29

I must admit this is very easy for me because it is my nature it is part of who I am. Realizing that this is one my strengths has been a critical component in my success as a marketing professional, and a as a manager of sales people.

As a 30 year veteran of the home financing industry (most cringe at the mortgage word these days), I have had to rely on realtor’s to refer me business. Realtors are bombarded my sales people and usually put up a thick wall when you meet them. They want to avoid you like the plague. My success has been based upon likability. I always try to make them feel good. Offer a complement, give a smile and always a positive attitude. Ask their opinion, listen to their challenges, offer help, just make them feel good and that wall will soon disappear.

All people Like to do business with those they like. As you help people feel good, they will like you.

Barack’s Creation Story

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:33:01 +0000

I’m watching CNN’s “Revealed” documentary of Obama. It’s reminding me of the “glorious” beginning of Barack’s professional career… sacrificing any number of high-income, high-profile positions in any city he would want… Instead, Obama returns to the southside of Chicago to organize… and launch his political movement.

Barack has become a hero of his community. Those against him make fun of his “fan club.” Indeed.

I’m a big fan of the book Primal Branding. I believe every professional should read it: Forge a fantastic vision for your practice.

A few posts below I attached a template for writing a market-friendly bio.

In the early years of your professional career… what are some of those formative anecdotes?

A few years ago I created The Anecdote Game for local professionals to play & practice. (The Game got too involved and long as it was valuable to all the professionals practicing!)

I’ll share a video on The Anecdote Game & Formative Anecdotes soon. I’ll share some of my own formative anecdotes as examples.

It often comes up with new relationships: “How did you get into your field?” Formative Anecdotes paint a picture of your Character and Purpose, while showcasing Competency.

The more “heroic” and “overcoming” your Formative Anecdote… the more charismatic it will be… Dare you call it your Creation Story? It should be on your website/blog. Share your anecdotes.

How To Swing Like Tarzan

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:07:55 +0000

On Ethical Selling Thumb Rule #11: Book A Meeting From A Meeting

Tarzan could travel through the jungle faster than anyone, never breaking a sweat, while at the same time avoiding the pitfalls (think snakes) that awaited him on the path everyone else took. He did it by becoming intimately familiar with his environment and using it to his advantage.

We all know that Tarzan would race through the jungle by swinging from one vine to another. The trick was to grab the next vine as his ride on the current vine was ending, then smoothly transition forward.

Back here in civilization, we would be well advised to become intimately familiar with our client development and client service environments. One simple way to transition from one vine to the next is to set a date for your next meeting at the end of your present one.

I learned this simple, highly effective marketing/service habit from my chiropractor (whether you “believe in chiropractors” or not is not relevant for this discussion). Every time I finished getting adjusted, it was protocol for me to go to the reception desk and book my next appointment. Depending on how I felt I was doing, I would make the appointment or choose not to.

So by booking a meeting from a meeting, my chiropractor (or his assistant) didn’t have to make a note to call Dominick to see when he wants to come in again. He did a better job of fixing my problem, made his practice run more smoothly and had more billable visits.

Even if you “pencil in” an appointment with a client or prospective client for a future date, it’s “in the book” until one of you calls to take it out. Suppose a tax accountant sits down with her client in March to prepare his personal returns. Might it make sense to pencil in an appointment for a quarterly review before the client leaves the office?

If it typically takes several “touches” for a prospective client to become your actual client, “book a meeting from a meeting” can be your Plan B if the prospect doesn’t hire you at the end of the current meeting. Have a reason (or quiver of reasons) to reconnect again at an appointed time.

This method is also can work if you don’t like selling, or if your prospect doesn’t like deciding. If a prospect meets with you three, four, or even five times, there comes a point where you can take the lead and let them know when to expect their bill.

Client Appreciation Thumb-Rule #20

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:02:17 +0000

“Take a picture with your clients and link them to your website. Ask them for a reciprocal link”Better yet grab your camcorder and record a video testimonial - Call your client and tell them that you would like to come to their place of work and get a video testimonial. It doesn’t matter what kind of work they do, construction biz - go to the job site, restaurant biz - go there, an if the work in an office even better. Use a tripod, you can get one for as little as $20, it will take a better quality video, you will also look like a pro. When you go to their place of work and set-up the tripod, their co-workers will be curious and will want to watch. Try to get as much privacy it will add to the curiosity. If possible try to get the logo of your clients business in the shoot, which will help promote their biz.. Once completed make sure to leave any collateral material that your client can hand out to co-workers once you leave.

The video should be short and sweet. Upload it to your YouTube and own site. Call your client and tell them the link is on the way, then send the link. Ask them to create a new e-mail with the link of the video to your website. Tell your client not to evaluate who it might be good for - just get it out to as many of their network. Let The Power of The Video Testimonial Flourish

Thumb-Rule #57: Invite people to attend the tradeshow where you’re exhibiting.

markbullock — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:34:47 +0000

Ok, so you decided to bite the bullet and shell out the investment for a trade show exhibit. You got yourself a nice backdrop, table display, handouts, etc. You showed up on time, and “manned” the booth from opening to closing waiting for people to walk up to you. Now I’ll bet you’re very disappointed with the results. What did you miss?

You’re not alone, and indeed there are more than a handful of reasons you got far less response than you were hoping for. One of the biggest is – you didn’t bother to tell anyone you were going to be there! Why? Because you assumed your reason to exhibit was only to get new prospects – and – that it’s the show’s organizer’s responsibility to provide you throngs of fresh walk-up prospects.

Trade shows usually require a large investment of your time & resources to exhibit, but only a very small portion of the exhibitors do everything possible to leverage that investment.

The first leverage point; In advance of the show - invite everyone, everyone in your contact database, everyone in your customer database, everyone in your prospect database – in short everyone you know, & let them know you’re going to be there! Not only that, but provide them dates & times, where you will be located on the floor, and MOST IMPORTANTLY – WHY they should come to see you at the show! And equally importantly – WHY they should bring a friend!

Exhibiting can be your big chance to present yourself in person, to provide a temporary “store front” if you don’t have one, and to create “buzz” around you and your brand. Exhibiting helps you forge new relationships, reinforce existing relationships, and provide a high impact platform to grow you business and your brand IF well planned and leveraged. Inviting anyone, and everyone you can think of (in a compelling way of course), is just one of your key leverage points.

Mark V. Bullock Partner/PMA PracticeMarketingAdvisors.com

Ethical Selling Thumb-Rule #26: Flip every objection into your value. Bring it up before they do.

markbullock — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:26:33 +0000

Ever engaged a new client, enrolled a new customer in a service, or sold a new customer a product, only to have the customer back-peddle or worse - cancel after making a purchase commitment because they said - “You didn’t tell me…!!!”?

Client’s back-peddling or canceling after the sale hurt. They hurt not only the bottom line and your confidence, but waste valuable time. Ultimately it hurts the client/customer as much or more than you, because in their minds they had their hopes & trust in you dashed, and have wasted their time too.

This thumb rule is in part an incredibly powerful sales tool, part “managing customer expectations”, and part practicing making a “complete sale” – that sticks.

Recent brain research has revealed that the human mind is a prediction machine. Always wanting to know what’s coming, what’s around the corner, and in respect to you and your service, wanting to predict what their experience of you, and your product and service will be like.

So here’s the short answer; People don’t expect perfection, they just want whatever they spend hard earned money on to work. They don’t really want “cheapest” they really want to solve a problem, or at least make it go away. They hate being misled and manipulated, they appreciate honesty and integrity. So the more you can paint an accurate and authentic picture in their minds of what engaging with you will be like, so that they sense they have a “real” idea about what’s coming, the more accountable they will be to honoring their commitment to buy.

Lastly, of course – they want value from you. Never pretend that there are no downsides – that there is ever a payoff without a cost. If you are the one to bring up not only the “pay off’s” (upsides) but also the “costs” (downsides) of what you are proposing – you will be perceived as trustworthy. The salesmanship comes in being able context those downsides for them, in advance, in a way that empowers them to make an educated choice, and stick with it.

Mark V. Bullock Partner/PMA PracticeMarketingAdvisors.com

People trust, enjoy, prefer (and ultimatly BUY) what is familiar

markbullock — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:21:43 +0000

This is an interesting marketing thumb rule in that it speaks volumes to how people make decisions about what and when to purchase, and where and/or whom to purchase from. I often speak with clients about the value of brand “consistency” in the context of customer service.

An example of the power of this rule is the success of McDonald’s. I don’t think you’d find many people that would say that McDonald’s makes great tasting food, or even that their cuisine is very healthy. So why then, if “quality” is not their main value in the marketplace, is McDonald’s so successful.

I assert it is their commitment to delivering a “consistent” customer experience over time. They can be “counted on” for a number of things in the customer’s minds; Food that always tastes the same no matter which store you buy it from. The same consistency applies to the food being served fast, and hot.

Notice then, that what consumers obviously prefer is not necessarily excellent quality, great taste, or even great service from McDonald’s, but the consistency of delivery. The fact that their customers can count on that, consistency allows consumers to connect with the McDonald’s brand with first familiarity, then trust in knowing what they are going to get when they walk in the door – every time. It’s not great – but it is familiar and they can count on it. This is powerful and persuasive brand marketing at it’s best.

Question: How could you make your customer’s experience of you more consistent so that you can leverage “familiarity” & trust in your brand building?

Mark V. Bullock, Partner/PMA Practice Marketing Advisors practicemarketingblog.com

7 Thumb-rules to write your “Marketing-friendly Bio,” with MY actual example

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:42:25 +0000

When I work with clients, our relationship is forged on what I call “The 10 Basics.” It is what it sounds like. And even seasoned professionals have to go back to the basics once they are serious about marketing their personal brands. One of these basics is their “Marketing-friendly Bio.” Some of my clients have a CV (curriculum vitae) or resume; but most have to dust it off.

Don’t worry about the past. Start from scratch. We don’t want a boring litany of professional moves. As a practicing professional, your Marketing-friendly Bio should show-off your expertise, experience, and enjoyment. I’ve attached a template of 7 thumb-rules, with my own bio as an example. More importantly, erase what I wrote, and brag about yourself.

Remember your professional codes of ethics and what compliance/legal wants to see. Name-drop and use “keywords” your target prospects would catch onto. Moreover, let the star within you shine!

(This is a wonderful exercise to do with your networking circles. Learn how to brag about one another.)

Download Word

David Bilinsky on Lawyer Marketing Trends

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:48:24 +0000

David J. Bilinsky is the Practice Management Advisor and staff lawyer for the Law Society of British Columbia. He is a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management and the Editor-in-Chief of Law Practice Magazine (American Bar Association). He also authors his own blawg at thoughtfullaw.com:

Prospecting Thumb-rule #10

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:25:49 +0000

Marketing Thumb-rules #204: Dedicate at least 20% of your productive time to marketing.

Most of my clients are so busy and so successful that marketing time seems to “get in the way.” But marketing is about planting seeds that will bear fruit in months down the road. 20% is about 1 day a week, or about 1 full hour every day. For those of us who are regular networkers, bloggers, e-newsletter/article writers, etc… this comes easy.

In bad times, we are too desperate to plant seeds; we need to eat the fruits today. In great times, we seem too busy to plant seeds; we’re stuffed with the fruits today. Thus, most professionals yo-yo between feast and famine. The smart ones make marketing a consistent habit, and enjoy pleasurable practice growth continuously.

Your first step? As another Marketing Thumb-rule says, “You have to block the time.” Staring at our calendar, it’s chock-full… then skip ahead 2 or 3 weeks… and now start to block out time with specific Marketing Action Goals. Hold yourself accountable, or bring in a Practice Marketing Advisor to map the plan out and hold you and your staff to task.

For more thumb-rules, visit MarketingThumbrules.com.

VIDEO SEMINAR: Top 15 Questions for your Marketing Action Plan

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:41:33 +0000

Last Thursday I was invited (again) to be the final speaker in this season’s series of business seminars at the Half Hollow Hills library in Dix Hills, Long Island (NY). I’ve attached the handout I used - feel free to print it out and follow along this full seminar! Ask your questions as comments below.

You may notice the handout is missing “Question 14″ - or really the second worksheet… The Marketing CheatSheet™.

Well, if you want to know EVERY marketing channel & collateral for traditional AND on-line marketing –> Order an audio-book (or my NEW TEXT BOOK, 365 Marketing Thumb-rules™) and I’ll give you the Marketing CheatSheet™ FOR FREE!

In the meanwhile, use the worksheet along with the video seminar and grow your practice to the next level… post questions/comments by clicking Comments below.

Make your relationships PRODUCTIVE

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:58:22 +0000

Personal branding and marketing is all about relationship building. After all, most of your business probably already comes from referrals. But we all have dormant relationships; most likely, more than those which are active. So how can we light the fire under these relationships? And how can they inspire us to refer them more business?

Relationships are built on our three C’s: Our charisma, our character, and our competency. Our charisma is the personal magnetism, charm, and attraction that is not so readily explainable, but we all know it when we feel it. There are ways to improve our charisma as Vik’s audio-book “Magnetic Personality” details.

Most of our relationships are character driven. That is, our personalities (our “outside character”) match. We like each other; we have similar values, hobbies, and style. We enjoy playing golf with each or grabbing a drink after work. These business relationships quickly turn into friendships. Good times are had by all, but then we realize that we’re not doing much business together.

We’ve all had experiences where we like the guy, but wouldn’t necessarily do business with him or her. Perhaps we don’t trust in their capabilities or workmanship; what I call their “inside character” traits. Or, maybe we already have a worthwhile (economic) relationship with a competing professional.

They say they are different, but we’re not sure exactly how. So we don’t refer them any business. Or maybe we’re that guy: We say we’re different because we’re reliable and put relationships first. But doesn’t everybody seem to say that?

We’ve all put up with professionals who rub us the wrong way or lack people-skills, but definitely do a great job. So we give them our business and refer clients to them (we warn them first). We put up with their character faults, because they are so highly competent.

Of course, the best of both worlds is to be a highly-competent professional who has mastered the art of relationship building. And they are the rainmakers who seem to do a bounty of business, make a lot of money for everyone around them, and have friends for all the right reasons. We are all working toward being this way.

So as we work toward building relationships, we have to work toward making them productive. That is, as we showcase our fun personality, we must showcase our expertise. We must showcase how our expertise is different from the next advisor, and how our expertise is better for our target market.

Here’s a Marketing Thumb-rule to (re)brand yourself: Replace your boring 30-second “elevator pitch” or networking message, with a 1-line Catchphrase: It should Short, Memorable, Appealing, Repeatable, and Timely.

Instead of your boring title or confusing designations, Personal Brand Marketing clients talk about the articles, audio-books, text-books, blogs, or other media that they’ve authored or been quoted by. Others offer educational tidbits (1-liners) that are counter-intuitive. If you have the right personality, you can take a commonly-used phrase or cliché, and play on it. Or coin a new word (a neologism), phrase, or jargon that is simply S.M.A.R.T..

See the video in the next post!

Perfecting Your Catchphrase - Buzz through headlines

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:02:59 +0000

Nowadays, a 30-second elevator pitch is way toooo long! Worse, our prospects, referral partners, and centers of influence can barely remember all of it. Even worse, we rarely can remember our whole 30-second “elevator pitch.” And when we do, it sounds too canned!

Rather, by perfecting our catchphrase, we’ll have a Short, Memorable, Appealing, Repeatable, and Timely one-liner or headline that our targets will use to recommend us. A catchphrase headline then becomes the predominant theme tying together all of your marketing collaterals, including your business card, 1-pagers, tri-folds, websites, and conversation starters.

In this live video with over 50 lawyers, real estate professionals, accountants, bankers, and financial advisors, I walk you through Perfecting Your Catchphrase.

The audio-book Sales Momentum goes into more background why it works and how you can use your Catchphrase to close more deals, more quickly.

CLICK THE “E-BOOK” LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE .PDF WORKSHEET FOR THE VIDEO SEMINAR.

Google Video of Web 2.0 Direct Marketing seminar

Vikram Rajan — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:27:13 +0000

Full “Web 2.0 Direct Marketing” panel seminar, hosted by the Direct Marketing Association of Long Island.

Recruiting Others through technology

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:19:35 +0000

I AM BACK! Yes, there is a big gap between the last post and this one… nearly 2 months. I took the month of March off (from my practice and from blogging) to tour the Philippines, on behalf of the Rotary Club Foundation (its Group Study Exchange for young professionals). It was wonderful to see how the Rotarians are improving the extreme disparity.

While over there, I did 2 impromptu seminars: 1, for their largest privately-held real estate development & management firm, Century Properties (owned by their Ambassador to China, Mr. Jose Antonio - who recited my bio from memory).

My 2nd seminar in March was for Philamlife, aka AIG Philippines, their largest insurance agency (SGA). I addressed over 21 MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table) qualifiers, and 30 aspirants at their first team meeting; Philamlife CEO, Mr. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. was in attendance. I sold dozens of books, and expect to return to do more business in the near future… BUT NOW ONTO MORE PRACTICE MARKETING THUMB-RULES:

A big area of interest (and focus) for my clients with firms, and especially for the agency managers and broker-dealers that I work with is RECRUITING.

I am in the process of developing 2 recruitment programs, based on our Personal Brand Marketing Model™. My column on this topic is featured in the free version of Personal Branding magazine. You can get a copy at PersonalBrandingSample.com.

While the issue is really dedicated to “being recruited,” as the e-zine’s Entrepreneurship Branding columnist, I focused my article on “recruiting others.” Here’s a quick video featuring the publisher:

Where did “Blogs” come from?! A very brief history on Blogs

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:14:48 +0000

For the past few weeks I haven’t been blogging much. Like any other habits, it waxes and wanes; yet the consistency should be maintained. So I’ll be returning to professional blogging in a month from now.

For the next month, I’ll be travelogging:

The Rotary Club foundation is sending me for a month-long trip to the Philippines. I’ve been chosen to get to know their business community and meet their VIPs, including Rotarians.

Originally blogs were chronological logs of personal lives, much like Gulliver’s travelogue. In the past few years, this 21st century soapbox has become the best way for experts to establish, build, grow, and communicate their personal brands.

Blogs are powerful for how interactive they can be. They are more one-way than a forum, but can also enable conversations like a message board or forum. And these grew out of the Bulletin Board Systems (BBSs) of the 1980s & ’90s.

As the World Wide Web took shape, these types of websites became weblogs. And now, my clients know how much I believe in its power.

Marketing is everywhere. We are always marketing ourselves. And we are always being marketed to. So for the next month, I’ll let you know how they do it on the other side of the world… which isn’t that far away anymore.

Personal Branding magazine #3

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 17:09:15 +0000

Yesterday I attended the Marcy Neumann’s product launch at I AM books where I had my own book launch 2 weeks ago. The topic of “googling oneself” came up… and naturally, I chimed in. It just so happens that an interview with the Google guys about Personal Branding is the featured cover article of Issue #3 of Personal Branding magazine (which came out last week). You can sample it here, and view the Editor-in-Chief, Dan Schawbel, in th video below. I write the Entrepreneur Brand column for it; my topic was on “Making Money while Marketing Yourself… through knowledge products.”

The top 14 Marketing Questions

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:39:31 +0000

Yesterday, I was invited to be a guest instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where I’ve taught classes before. It was a general audience of aspiring entrepreneurs, and they were wrapping up a series of classes on the topic. Mine was obviously marketing… here’s a quick podcast of the top 14 marketing questions.

How many of them can you answer effectively? How many of the answers have you written down??

Folks in my workshops answer YES! … Now, you can too.

Success isn’t luck…

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:30:11 +0000

Last night, I attended an awesome networking event with some of the most influential leaders of Long Island. Luckily, it was my book release party (and 30th birthday). It was the biggest event the bookstore (I AM Books in Huntington, NY) ever had; and my book sold out. (This is bitter-sweet since I don’t have books for my speaking engagement on Friday; or for a real estate trade party on Tuesday; back-of-the-room sales is a Thumb-rule; this is a faux-pas.)

My main intention of the event was of course to drive book sales… but not only to sell out the room, but to promote the book as an awesome gift: 100% of my book sale profits from last night is being donated to the Cross Island YMCA Strong Kids campaign, which grants memberships to lower-income families. I’m the campaign chair for 2008, so it seemed natural to me. We raised over $1500 last night for Long Island youth. PLUS, those who purchased more than 2 books got my audio-book(s) for free. Now they have an extra copy - hopefully autographed - to give as a gift to a “stranger.” My colleagues will pollinate future orders.

I have achieved my January “book sales quota,” and I now working on February. But this success isn’t luck… And while it’s based on strategic design, I know there’s a greater power at play.

I wanted to invoke my spiritual beliefs to bless the success of my book. I invited my aunt, Geetha, to perform a short pooja (Hindu blessing ceremony). It was only fitting that I have my immediate family in the room, including my grandmother. As one of my colleagues mentioned as he was leaving, “It was like I attended a family event.” I responded, “It is.” My network was introduced not only to my family, my culture, my beliefs, and my intentional personal brand. Unfortunately, the video of the ceremony has been lost to the Universe!

Words cannot fully express how grateful I am for the wonderful reception I felt last night… while the cupcakes weren’t fully appreciated, folks ate up the snacks and my sense of style (4-button peach suit and deep purple shirt). I nurtured the success and am grateful for the forces that coalesce to continue the book’s phenomenal success.

We must plant the right seeds at the right time in the right soil. We must water appropriate and tend to the weeds. But still, we cannot grow the fruit. I believe God does the Growing in response to our successful Strategic Habits. Together, everyone achieves this TEAM.

Thank you.

How to Change the World

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:51:53 +0000

The moments of appreciation, reminiscence, and forethought are the gifts we give ourselves during this season. It is the dawn of a new year, and our resolutions need not be fleeting. There’s no preaching here. Instead, let’s consider practicing some rules of thumb that can help change the world.

Often, many of us feel “stuck.” We all know the clichés and bumper stickers to change the world, but can’t seem to find the time, the money, the people, or the energy to do much about it. We want to “be the change we want to see” … but we gotta do what we gotta do to just keep up with everyday life. First off, if we’re meeting our obligations, we must be proud of that. No guilt. But oftentimes we’d like to do more good.

We can judge ourselves by how we handle our calendar and our cash flow; it shows us what’s really important to us. It may be easier said than done, but we must make the time to take the time. What are we choosing to do with our time and money? Don’t worry about what others are doing right now. Let’s become aware of what we’re choosing.

You can read the rest of my FEATURE ARTICLE in this month’s issue of Canvas Magazine.

Your Vision: 2008!

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:47:02 +0000

From resolutions to goals to habits to achievement.

In order to sustain a 365 personal brand, we must schedule in our Action Goals in order to achieve our Result Goals. And of course, today is the first day of the rest of your life. It also feels apropos given the season…

You won’t have the time. You won’t find the time. You have to make the time.

What’s your Vision for 2008? My clients know that I make goal setting a very simple process… with 5 cascading goals:

1000 days (2 - 3 years from now)
300 days (1 year from now)
200 days (six months from now)
100 days (3 months from now)
30 days (1 month from now)

Progressively, it becomes more short-term (in alignment with the long-term), more tactical, more practical, and more action-oriented. The more we achieve our day-to-day action goals, the more will achieve our Vision for 2008!

The SMARTest goal setting process is simply ____what____ BY _____when_____. This goal-setting formula will keep it specific, measurable, results-oriented, resource-focused, and time-bound, in a simple, one-liner.

The most important daily action-goal: Smile, with a deep breath, and affirm your goals!

celebrity bloggers…

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:17:19 +0000

I’ve gone around town (and now on YouTube) for saying “the most popular blogs are by bloggers who blog about blogging.”

And yet again, Forbes’ Web Celeb 25 confirms my conjecture (vast majority fit my bill, especially the Near Misses). How many do you know without clicking their names?

do you have the Craving?

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:56:55 +0000

Yesterday I was meeting with a colleague, and potential client. But half-way through the conversation I realized that he wasn’t quite ready to leverage his personal brand.

Personal branding is getting a lot of buzz, and most of the time we talk about the tactics, techniques, and sometimes strategies. But all of that is the HOW.

None of the tips, tricks, and thumb-rules that we implement are important without the WHY.

I tend to ask a lot of questions during my 1-on-1 sessions - especially during the first couple of meetings. And definitely during my “sales process.” My colleague was answering my questions to the best of his ability, but something just didn’t feel right to me. And while their answers aren’t irrelevant, what they say isn’t as important, as their emotional response, our rapport, and how I’m feeling on the inside. After all, more than competency and character - it’s about our charisma.

Branding, especially personal branding, is an emotional experience: For our prospective clients, and for us. If we don’t feel our passion and purpose, then how can we expect our clients to?

So I asked him, and I do with most of my clients about their projects, “WHY are you doing this? What’s the point, the purpose? Why is it worth it to you?” And more to the point, “Are you passionate about — not the end result, but the process… the crap that will have to be done?” In other words, “do you have the Craving?”

There are many C’s to personal branding… just scroll down to the lower left and you’ll see the Categories. The pre-C to all of the techniques of personal branding, is whether or not you are ready to build and leverage your personal brand. If you don’t have the inner craving to be rich and famous in your niche target market Community, then don’t even bother.

Business, life, and especially personal brand marketing, is about having fun. As you live your purpose, you exude the passion, and attract the profits. What’s your passion? What are you yearing and Craving for?

gift giving — appreciate their personal brand

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:26:56 +0000

‘Tis the season to give gifts. And everybody loves getting gifts. It’s also a great way to promote your personal brand: I don’t mean giving gifts with your logo on it (though, done with class, is not such a bad idea). Rather, your personal brand relationship with that other person.

Having said that, gifts and cards should be personal. At the very least, personalized. Obviously I love the wonders of technology and mass-customization, but still, micro-customization - our handwriting - is still a great personal touch. With a tablet or other e-writing pad, you can also digitize your signature (like my book). More importantly, a personal note makes the greeting card extra special for each of us.

We shouldn’t feel obligated to give cards and gifts. We should feel honored that we can share our love & appreciation.

But be sure that the amount of gifts and its costs are within your professional compliance and ethics regulations. Obviously we’re gifting for the right reasons; it shouldn’t bite us in the arse!

The best gifts are ones that are for that person alone… bottles of wine, etc. are fine… and perfect if s/he is a connoisseur or sommelier… but for the rest of us… it wreaks of lack of thought. But I’ll take the free bottle of wine! Rather, if you’ve been listening and paying attention to your clients, colleagues, partners, or employees through-out the year… they’ve given you clues as to want they would really appreciate. Hint: Look around their offices for gift ideas.

Done with appropriate class and taste, you may opt to make a special impression and give a gift for the whole family. Likewise, what would your client’s spouse appreciate? What are their hobbies? And what are the kids into? Not only are you able to share a special moment as you present the gift (in person preferably), but now… the parents are able to give a gift to their kids (make sure you include all of them). Make it fun, age-appropriate, and personalized…

Gift giving is a wonderful character trait. Congratulations for considering it. But it’s also an opportunity to really show that we care, how we care, why we care, and what we appreciate in the other person. Appreciate their personal brand.

So where’s my gift?

the Wharton brand experience

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 00:42:17 +0000

Last Thursday, I took my cousin to visit Wharton (University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Business). I was amazed and impressed by the experience given to us. It also gave us a glimpse at how Wharton differentiates itself from its “competitors” and offers a better “distinctive value proposition” than the dominant B-school: Harvard.

Harvard tends to have a ‘brand perception’ of high-quality education, high-quality brand, and high-quality graduates. They also give off a snooty, snobby, and hifalutin “Hah-ved” personality. That may or may not be so… it’s my impression, and perception shared by many.

Likewise, Wharton is one of the top-rated graduate b-schools in the country. Their MBA students are also recruited by the top firms from the first day they are on campus. Wharton also clearly produces excellent leaders, not only in business… but in nearly every field.

My point is not to herald Wharton, Harvard, or any business education. But rather to illustrate how we can and should express our brand distinctiveness. Here are some of the points Wharton students and administration stressed:

Note: Statistics have shown that when a student is accepted to both schools, the vast majority still choose Harvard. Nobody mentioned their most dominant competitor by name (Harvard). But I felt it was a constant undercurrent to EVERYTHING that was said.

For example, we had lunch with 3 first-year students. We were to ask them questions about their application process, their experience as students, and their goals as professionals. 2 of them mentioned that Wharton classes did not follow the “case study method” exclusively, but rather followed that approach “when it was appropriate.” They went on to mention that some classes are more suited for a lecture format, and others for a ‘real-world case’ study format. In fact, one student specifically mentioned that he chose Wharton because he prefers the lecture format over the case study approach. Harvard is famous for driving the case study approach to business learning; they even have a course on creating case studies. I felt their repeated insistence was a direct differentiation statement against their dominant competition.

Another example: The head of admissions began her description of benefits by using the word “scrappy.” She mentioned that they like to roll up their sleeves, get the job done, work together, develop life-long relationships, and not stand on ceremony, status, title, or even student hierarchy. Harvard, rather, prefers to stand on their tradition… and appreciates their elite heritage… not being scrappy.

Both schools administration decided to allow students to vote on whether or not to disclose grades/scores. 96% of Wharton students have decided not to disclose their grades. (My cousin and I assumed that the other 4% were doing so well, they wanted to brag). Well, it turns out Harvard students have overwhelmingly voted to DISCLOSE their grades. I believe this is a literal metaphor to the 2 different student cultures: Wharton students prefer to leverage each others’ strengths and work together as comrades. Harvard prefers to emulate the competitive nature of natural business world. Both have its merits.

Harvard Business School is physically separated from the rest of their campus, away from the undergrads. Wharton is fully integrated into the undergrad environment - the undergrad business building is right next to their new MBA building, and is sometimes used for space. Different; better is the customer’s (student’s) choice.

Wharton is proud that most of their students live right in the vicinity of the campus. Most other business schools have many commuters. Wharton lubricates their community through … free beer and pizza. It’s a horrible reason to choose this high-class program over others, but the mundane is often profound: The free beer and pizza - every Thursday - helps to congeal busy professionals. It fosters the camaraderie that is truly life-long. It also provides prospective students an opportunity to mingle with 1st and 2nd year students. It’s a safe place for the MBA students to express their diversity: Each night has a theme… ours was Asian (with Asian beer & food sampling)… some nights have a Greek theme, or a Gay theme (where they encourage professors to cross-dress)! Their humor and unpretentiousness is in stark contrast to the Harvard brand image.

Finally, Wharton operates on a Monday-Thursday week… Fridays are off. This allows students to catch up, spend time on extracurricular groups, projects, family, or professional interviews. It’s different than a typical M-F week.

Of course both have a great network of alumni. Wharton - in alignment with their “here for each other” brand impression - stressed how open and willing their alum are. Students and administration repeated this point often. Harvard didn’t mention it at all. It should really go without saying… we know many b-school alum opening doors for each other: But Wharton repeated it, Harvard (proudly) ignored it.

From their student guides to the admissions administration, Wharton gave a consistent and unified brand experience, stressing (repeating) specific value elements. They purposefully positioned themselves differently - and IMHO, better - than their dominant competition, Harvard. After all, the real bucks to be made is not on the tuition … but in their life-long donations. (Wharton’s brand new MBA building was fully funded through alumni contributions).

I’ll be joining my cousin on his other b-school adventures… let’s see how the other top b-schools position themselves:

“Just like Harvard, but better,” or
“We’re different than Harvard, thus better.”

Have you had similar experiences when you’ve been courted? How is your alum school better than all of these?

Direct Marketing Association of Long Island DMALI hosts Web 2.0 panel

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:14:36 +0000

Direct marketing is traditionally through regular mail, phone, and even fax. E-mail is also a direct marketing channel. More and more, direct marketers are integrating the on-line direct marketing channels.

Last Thursday, I was invited to address the Direct Marketing Association of Long Island (DMALI) on the direct marketing opportunities available through Web 2.0, blogs, podcasts, on-line communities, etc.

It was a 1-hour seminar with me and Abe Mezrich of Didit.com.

The full seminar will be on Google Video soon. The first 10 minutes is below. I cite the latest Nielsen ratings for on-line communities and blog platforms.

Of course, the 60-minute audio-book WEB MARKETING 2.0 goes into more step-by-step detail!

why accountants & financial advisors don’t blog, podcast, videocast, or network on-line for clients?

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 02:03:02 +0000

It’s growing at an exponential rate: But I’ve found there is still a humongous part of the professional world — especially accountants and financial advisors — who aren’t into blogging & podcasting because they feel it doesn’t apply to them.

First of all, they don’t quite understand the technology - and that scares them. And then, these professionals rarely take part in such media (blogs, podcasts, on-line videos, communities). And when they do (like many those reading this), it’s a foreign experience. Hint: You’re supposed to leave a meaningful comment, and link back to your website.

Moreover, the vast majority of CPA’s, bookkeepers, tax professionals, investment advisors, insurance brokers, and financial planners don’t know if blogging & podcasting will bring more qualified prospects and referrals. They don’t know - and they’re afraid it won’t work….

Here’s how accountants & financial advisors can use “Web 2.0 social media” to market themselves better, even with all the compliance & ethics regulations.

On Friday, I was invited by a large financial services firm to address this question, in context of personal brand marketing. The full 42 minute session will be on Google Video shortly… a juicy 10-minute excerpt is now on YouTube:

branded category: co-branding with clients

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:38:02 +0000

I just finished working out, and eating while watching TV. Sometimes, life is simply great. The TV turned on to a local station replaying Wheel of Fortune… celebrity edition, no less. I think, “hey, why not?”

I already talk about the Wheel of Fortune game show to make another point (more on that later). And now, they’ve done it again:

The first category was “People” — not “people.” The category was branded with the People magazine logo and the phrase referenced what would be found inside People magazine. I wonder if People magazine paid for this “branded category.” No doubt it’s clever promo for the magazine. And it’s interesting to viewers and players of the show.

My point is not to herald Wheel of Fortune (tho I do)… rather, this instance reminds me of how innovative we can be once we view our clients as partners. Together everybody achieves more. Cooperate & grow.

How have you partnered with clients to market your practice(s) or to add greater value to your clients?

Make the most out of tradeshows…

Vikram Rajan — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:45:56 +0000

Tradeshows are an excellent opportunity to be in a room full of the people you want to meet. Ripped from the pages of my new book - more on that later - here are some do’s and don’ts:

1) If you’re gonna walk a show, DON’T sell to the vendors. At least grab their card and call ‘em later… reference that you stopped by their booth. Keep their booth clear so they can generate business: …a golden rule.

2) Set up during the time allotted: Many shows require you to set up the day before. Do so.. and network with the other vendors. Many small businesses set up their own booths. And it’s a great time to develop relationships in a laid-back atmosphere. But DON’T distract ‘em while they’re working. Or at least help out.

3) Sell knowledge products at your table: Record an audiobook, produce a booklet for sale, or create a DVD… turn your presence into a point-of-sale, and make money while marketing.

4) Collect every business card and/or e-mail contact info: Obviously follow-up with those who show interest. And the rest go on your e-newsletter database (hint: have one).

5) As a fellow vendor, meet’n'greet the other vendors. Often, they make great prospects… or at least referral buddies.

We’ll be at the NYC XPO on November 28th at Jacob Javits. Hope to network with you there.

What’s your personal brand icon?

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:41:10 +0000

Your personal brand icon is similar to a corporate logo… it is a summation of your purpose and values… in this case your personal brand character. It is mostly visual - style, gestures, accessories (though it can be a sound, i.e., words, tone, pitch, rhythm).

My crazy jackets brand me… what brands you… what are your “white wires”? Nowadays “professionalism” and “personality” is no longer an oxymoron!

Connie Reece talks about her personal brand icon in the video:

2 new columns of mine….

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 18:13:44 +0000

A major component of personal branding is sharing your expertise through articles and columns. Last month, Financial Advisor publications debuted my “21st Century Marketing” column. And this week, Personal Branding magazine debuted my “Entrepreneurship Branding” column. (The publisher’s blog is linked on my blogroll on the side.)

Below is a quick video of Dan Schawbel, publisher of Personal Branding magazine, talking about it. BTW: Dan donates proceeds of the subscriptions to charity! I particularly like the video’s Spanish subtitles. While I can’t read them, I do like the broad appeal. (On a related note, I also write a business column for Dominican Times magazine, which is bi-lingual.)

Which TARGET MARKET is right for you?

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 18:11:39 +0000

Stop being all things to all people. Stop chasing more than 1 rabbit.

Targeting a market can be nerve-wracking to some. ‘Decision’ means ‘to cut off.’ These are the strategic risks entrepreneurs are paid to take. I’ve heard many different fears from my clients: They feel as if they’d be alienating, forgetting, or leaving-behind some of their best clients.

But target marketing need not be a shot in the dark. In fact, it’s completely the opposite. Picking the right niche should be a well-researched, and justified move. I’ve identified 6 factors that can help you predict whether or not a tight-knit Community will spark word-of-mouth buzz for you; that’s the topic of the “SALES MOMENTUM” audio-book.

But what’s the first step? Where should you start, as you try to figure out which target market is right for you? The attached podcast gives you a head-start on the best decision you can make!

dress appropriately

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 20:30:11 +0000

I was having lunch with two of my clients; I was introducing them (there’s a tip).

And during it, one of my clients talked about a quick anecdote that illustrates the importance of dressing appropriately. He was going to meet with an executive at a top big box retailer. He had heard they had a very laid back culture at their Texas HQ. In fact, he was told that he may want to dress casually.

He took that advice and threw up a nice pair of khaki’s and a button-down shirt emblazoned with their corporate logo. When he entered the lobby to meet his prospective client, the client was in a pair of jeans and cowboy boots! Whew, thank goodness he wasn’t in the traditional garb of sales professional.

In such a scenario, the dark suit, white tie, and red tie combo - a sure bet for a banker - would have turned off the prospective client. At best it would have made the prospect uncomfortable, or worst brand my client a NY city slicker. Matching your character style and tone is essential for building rapport!

Sometimes, it’s great to stand out! (For example, when you’re the MC hype-man for the evening fundraiser.) And other times, it’s better to fit in with the community culture. Have you ever made a fashion faux pas?

Value-Added Resellers of commodities…

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:02:24 +0000

ChannelPro Magazine is for distributors and value-added resellers (VARs) of technology, OEM parts, etc. They interviewed me about the important of brand-building in their industry.

Like other brokers of commodities, VARs must focus on their expertise-based brand. Check out my comments and the full story at: ChannelProOnline.com

Since your product is similar, if not the same, as everybody else’s… you need to build your personal brand reputation - and live up to it - in order to command premium margins. If you’re a value-added professional, focus on the distinctive value.

Unfortunately, we tend to rely too much on the spec sheet. Change your mind, change your brand, change their minds. Grow from broker to expert.

media companies: who owns what

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 02:11:27 +0000

Thinkin’ of a master plan…

1) Befriend these 17 CEO’s…

2) Add to Facebook…

3) Rule the world.

INNOVATIVE IMAGE EDITOR: It crops & resizes intelligently!

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 11:02:07 +0000

I usually put cool web-based resources and tools in my “cool web resources” area - located on the lower left of this blog. But this tool takes the possibilities of our image-based branding to a whole new level. As someone who often helps edit and enhance images, this web-based image editor is impressive not only in its results - but in its innovative process:

It’s hard to fully explain what Rsizr (as in “resizer”) can do for your photos. Their blog image gallery (cool layout, btw) quickly shows the possibilities. I appreciate the behind-the-scenes video (below) that shows HOW this technology works! Sometimes when new services seem “too good to be true,” or seem “just like” something else, it’s good to get a little technical.

I hope the mumbo-jumbo doesn’t throw you, but rather illuminates how innovative this tool can be for you. I haven’t yet played with this, since I just learned about it through the Mashable blog. But I am already imagining the possibilities of this web-based image editor. It could use a better help function, but with a little practice, you (or your assistant) should be able to use this amazing image editor.

If you do play with it, please link your own gallery here for us to check out. Together, everybody achieves more.

make your own Facebook application easily!

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 04:38:11 +0000

I learned about this through the Mashable blog post:

Widgetbox - home of my own ‘blidget‘ (which allows you to embed a blog widget of my recent posts) has created a simple Facebook application builder: The App Accelerator. Whatever you can create in HTML, including Flash, can be converted into your very own Facebook application.

A few months ago, Facebook opened up its network to any software developer to help its users customize their on-line community experience. Since then, we’ve been flooded with ways to express ourselves, test our personalities, give each other cutesy distractions.

And now you can join the fun. Facebook applications are naturally Pollen (aka, viral). While you can create your own blog-widget Facebook app, a more user-centric (and self-expressive) opportunity would probably take off faster.

I haven’t yet experimented with it.. but I plan to! Tell me what you’re creating, and I’ll be sure to add your glitter to my Facebook page.

800 lb. GUERILLA in the room

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:04:01 +0000

What’s the biggest objection given to you by prospective clients?

What’s the biggest misconception or stigma about your service, product, or profession?

What’s wrong with the dominant professional (famous celebrity) in your field?

They’re thinking about it whenever you sit on the other side of the table. Even if you don’t bring it up, it’s looming in the back of their mind. You don’t have worry about it.

You can turn objections into your best personal brand marketing tool! Listen to the podcast and discover how I helped 2 professionals dance with the 800 lb. guerilla in the room!

Tell us about the biggest objection, misconception, or myth folks around talking about … behind your back. Show us how you flip it to your favor.

HINT: This is an example of how to use Buzz Stream #6, as featured in the audio-book INSTANT BUZZ.

Steal This Gif: Copyright 2.0

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 15:08:08 +0000

I am very ardently pro-copyright… I’m in the Intellectual Property business, after all. And you should be too (both points).

I find this funny at first blush; but it is very alarming: Apparently, Virgin used a Creative Commons picture of a young woman in this advert (Australia). It was kind of making fun of her (with the Virgin pun, no less).

The picture was taken from Flickr, seemingly under the ‘appropriate’ commercial rights, and altered (mirrored). But the young woman (nor her family) was NOT involved in the decision-making process, were NOT notified, or compensated.

It seems that the young woman never granted rights to her image, but rather ‘a friend’ did — possibly without understand the full possible consequence. (I guess he never figured her friend would be plastered all over Australia tongue-in-cheek.) Her family is apparently suing Virgin, as I came to know through the AdFreak blog.

The comments from the young woman displayed in the ad, her brother (filmmaker), and other interested bloggers are well worth the read. You may like to add your 2.0 cents.

FYI: Creative Commons - half search engine; half standard creator - allows image-makers to create less-than “All rights reserved” images to be used in a variety of ways; commercial usage is explicitly stated (or denied). It’s a useful image resource for designers, et al. when used properly and ethically.

Publish Your Writing

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:31:32 +0000

10 years ago today… well, yesterday… I launched my SUNY Albany’s creative writing magazine, The Fountain Pen. The name was a pun on all the celebrated fountains around campus. Earlier this month, 10 years ago, I had produced an advert calling for submissions.

The call to action was simple and to the point. I started the magazine because there was a void: Our campus of over 20,000 students did not have a creative writing & arts magazine; and more selfishly, I didn’t have a soapbox for my writing.

(Incidentally, I got into a lot of flack because I didn’t feel censoring the rants of our students was prudent. As you can imagine, the angst and diversity could clash with more conservative viewpoints. I defended our write to express ourselves to the end.)

And now, 10 years later, my plea to you is to do the same. It need not be poetry or short stories, but articles from your expertise will help position your personal brand.

The Albany Student Press, and The Fountain Pen, used to have a Wikipedia page… alas, it is now gone. Ah well, at least I still have my original ad hanging up and the original issues somewhere.

your GENETIC personal brand… is going to be googled.

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:29:37 +0000

Ah, there are so many ways we can influence the way people perceive our personal brand. But our real personal brand - our genetic code - is hardwired (for now).

What if we could understand (and improve) our whole DNA, and our genetic strengths and weaknesses? And what if we could have our medicine tailored to our genes? And what if we could google our genetic family tree & our distant relatives? Well, welcome to the future personal brand community:

23andMe.com, started by Anne Wojcicki, the wife of Google founder, Sergey Brin, is going to help us store, analyze, and possibly create a search-based community of our genetic code — for free. Google has invested about $4 mil into this company; and has many genetic research companies as investors too.

A couple of the blogs I read referenced the Forbes article about it. It’s worth the read. And the webcast about the company powering the genetic deciphering (Illumina) is also facinating. Preview the audio through the slideshow; it can get a bit technical, but fast-forward to the truly sci-fi future we will experience in the next few years.

The future is now. Your personal brand community is about to go genetic. And our family tree is about to expand big-time! …talk about personal brand SEO!

Google me to my face, yo! (Talk about me behind my back.)

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:15:14 +0000

Much ado has been made about our personal brand “Google Quotient” - the search results when folks look us up. I’ve had mixed feelings about it. No doubt we need to have a presence, but how often are people googling our names… or are they really googling other more relevant search terms?

Well, I know people do google me (and people with bosses have to deal with this phenomenon more often). And when people google relevant search terms, they find this blog.

But yesterday morning I got a wonderful compliment. And as a speaker, it will happen to you too:

I was presenting in front of the Independent Real Estate Brokers, a group of uhm… well, figure it out. After my persentation, “From Broker to Expert,” one of the participants came up to me with her smartphone in hand. She exclaimed, “While you were speaking, I googled you!”

While that means she wasn’t really paying attention, I still took it as a compliment. She went on to say, “Wow, you popped right up… I guess you know what you’re talking about.”

Nowadays with the ubiquity of the Internet in the palm of our hands, we definitely have to be conscious of our personal brand Google rank. People will google you to your face, and then talk about you behind your back.

So more important than even having a personal brand web presence, is to make sure it’s all consistent and in alignment with your personal brand character (often this means it should be positive).

It’s amazing how our professional and personal worlds are colliding: It started with our cell phone number. Our Facebook profiles are making ‘friends’ out of our ‘colleagues.’

During my activist rallies and media events in college, we used to subscribe to the bumper-sticker philosophy, “The Personal is the Political.” Nowadays, I suppose, also “The Personal is the Professional.”

THEME EXPERIENCE… down to the microphone decoration detail

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:31:38 +0000

Your seminars, workshops, and classes shouldn’t just be educational. It should be entertaining; role model a showman. Your presentations (that is, performances) should be memorable experiences… of what makes you different & better. Your personality needs to shine through… not only through the subject material, but through the THEME EXPERIENCE.

On Sept 18, I will be the MC for the Cross Island YMCA & Strong Kids: A Perfect Match fundraising dinner and awards ceremony. I sit on the Board for this Y and chair our Strong Kids campaign (we give grants to families who cannot afford the YMCA). Among the 3 honorees, we will be awarding our past Board chair (and my current client) Dan Gerstman.

Through consistent design, decoration, and puns, we will be serving a Tennis-themed evening. As the MC, I noticed that the microphone was inconspicuously ignored from the theme. But what a perfect opportunity to decorate the head! So I cut up a tennis ball (around its seam) and the rubber naturally wrapped itself around the microphone. It will be able to pick up my voice clearly through the top and side that is to me (uncovered by the ball). To the audience, it will be a subtle treat (and I’m sure most will notice — and remember).

The next time you have to (that is, get to) step up to the mic, make it yours! Keep all the decorations consistent and in alignment with the theme. Your creativity personality will shine through. And thus, you will brand yourself in another memorable way.

Isn’t it amazing how we remember the small, odd details!

What kind of extraordinary incidentals have you experienced?

Mascot Branding

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 13:31:37 +0000

It happened to me again: I was commenting on somebody else’s blog, and I got inspired to elaborate on my point here. (You can read my comments, featured on other people’s blogs, on the lower right hand side of this page, later.)

Branding is all about pulling prospects to you (or your product) with an emotional connection… We’re moved by great brands; great brands are movements. The Culting of Brands is a great book on this subject.

Corporate Brands force this emotional connection: After all, it take mighty marketing mavens to have us fall in love with what is really a multi-national, multi-billion-dollar, conglomerate. But we do.

Personal Brands, on the other hands, have natural emotional connections. We are a naturally inspired, moved, and are attracted to other people. As we start focusing on what makes our character and charisma distinctive, we immediately differentiate our competency. As we focus on a community to which we can relate, we naturally develop personal brand appeal.

A happy medium between corporate branding (what I call a “forced emotional connection”) and personal branding (aah, “natural emotional connection”) is Mascot Branding. For those of us who don’t want to really capitalize on ourselves, or make our business dependent on our reputation (a vulnerable position as Martha and Imus both felt), we can leverage the personal brand appeal of a MASCOT.

We can think of many other famous companies who use mascots to personify their own service, or their “evil” competitor, a lousy or great customer: In fact, we can vote on them and see the winner parade at NY’s Advertising Week “Favorite Icon”.

Marketing a mascot is just like marketing any other personal brand. We can build a whole world around our mascots even, as the Caveman’s Crib is doing: It’s an experience worthy of its distraction — learn a few “immersive experience” marketing lessons from playing around on the Caveman’s Crib website.

If you don’t want to leverage your reputation, or want to embellish your own personal brand… consider the route of the Mascot. For example, Adam Schwam, founder of Sandwire - a computer technology services company, regularly uses mascots in his marketing and advertising. I interviewed him last summer for a book that I’m writing. Since then we’ve grown a cool relationship; we’re working on writing a “marketing technology” column together and more. (In fact, his illustrator, Michael Mastermaker is the one who drew me for the cover of my Audio-Books.)

I’ll be visiting a new client this afternoon. I know he wants to sell his business after a few years, so he may not want to develop and leverage his own personal brand. Let’s see if he can think outside-the-box of what’s traditional for his industry. By creating a legendary mascot, he would immediately set his company and his “commoditized” service apart. When he’s ready, he can also very easily sell the rights to the business & its mascot - an income-producing asset.

‘Tis the season…

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 20:54:24 +0000

I took this pic around the corner from me. Surely your neighborhood is no different…

One of the simplest ways to attract buzz about your services or products is to promote around a specific holiday, season, date, or cycle.

Think about your niche prospect/client target market Community: What special dates, events, holidays, or seasons are special to them? Every community “celebrates” (or dreads) certain times of the year — and everybody in that Community knows about it. If it’s not clear to you, target your market some more, or do some more homework.

It’s B2B season again… back-to-business. Now that the kids are out of your hair… Let’s market your personal brand!

MAESTRO ROLE MODEL: Rick Rubin

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 19:54:10 +0000

Second to Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin is my role model. I believe we can learn a lot about our own careers, pitfalls, and successes through our role models. Rick Rubin is featured on the cover of this week’s NY Times magazine. He has produced the best albums and hits in the mainstream music industry. Rick Rubin truly is a MAESTRO!

As you know, the music industry is in shambles. In May, Columbia Records recruited the legendary Rick Rubin to re-innovate them; Rick Rubin became Chairman of Columbia Records. Rick Rubin is a maestro with a personal brand all his own. Read the cover story! You will learn a lot on how to stand out and reshape - not only your career - but your whole profession.

Some [useful marketing] quotes by Rick Rubin from this week’s NY Times Magazine cover story:

“I still believe that if an artist gains the belief of the listener, then anything is possible.”

“I have no training, no technical skill — it’s only this ability to listen and try to coach the artist to be the best they can from the perspective of a fan.”

Your local library offers free research resources….

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 18:21:21 +0000

I was interviewed by Long Island Business News about the wonderful resources of the Middle Country Library’s Miller Business Center. It’s free for HIA members. You can read the LIBN article here. In April, I also posted about how cool your library is. Click to read my blog post here. This weekend, stop by your local library and see if they can help you get free mailing lists, how-to videos, market research materials, and oh yea, books.

please go beyond the Motherhood 5 core values….

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 16:38:10 +0000

All of my comments on other people’s blog are listed on the right hand side of my blog through a cool utility called CoComment. For example, I just commented on Maria Elena’s blog and felt my comment was worthwhile enough as a post here!

Core Values is vital to our inner Character (our outer Character is our Style). Yet reading corporate mission statements that list core values is like reading about motherhood and apple pie… Of course, of course, of course. Your personal brand core values should immediately make you stand out; after all, you’re unique just as you are!

We all tend to agree with what I call the “MOTHERHOOD 5.” It’s the 5 values our mother’s taught us. When we violate them, it is the most destructive and leads to the common media scandals. So we better remind ourselves, affirm ‘em, and follow em… but our personal brands should go beyond these: 1. Honesty 2. Accountability (integrity) 3. Trust 4. Loyalty 5. Lawfullness.

How we put these principles into action may vary: For example, is going 85 in a 55 zone violating our core values? Not for me

But more important for our Personal Brand core values, are the ones that MOST PEOPLE don’t share: Its the values and principles that make us who we are, and differentiate us from the rest. Its also the values that help us connect with a niche target market Community that most of our peers won’t.

For example… I have 3 core values that most people do not share: 1) Entrepreneurship - Less 5% of our nation practices this value, even though we are the global leader in free enterprise 2) Vegetarianism - Less than 10% practice a day-to-day philosophy of not killing animals for a living. 3) Frugality - I’m cheap. I don’t thrive on status: I enjoy making money and spending money on people… but not on commodities. Ironically, I enjoy looking beyond brand status and am more practical. Personal brands are worth the emotional and economic value; rarely are corporate brands.

So beyond the typical “Motherhood 5″ (the values our mom taught us), what are your core values that shape your personal brand?? I look forward to reading about you! Got anything to add to my Motherhood 5?

What makes an Expert? …according to Harvard…

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:07:59 +0000

The July/August issue of Harvard Business Review features an article that discusses a new study about “What makes an expert?”

My quick podcast highlights the best parts.

…speaking of experts, I was interviewed to be on a panel of Blogging Tips, by the Egg Marketing Blog. Click here to read the 5-part series.

Happy listening!

iPersonal Brand: What are your White Wires nowadays?

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 16:16:46 +0000

I’m on vacation right now. My uncle suggested I blog about my trip, and look out for [personal brand marketing] tips along the way. Of course I should web-log my trip… I’m On The Road, with my tablet (Kerouac 2.0, I’spose - 40 years hence).

Well, I’ve been having too much fun on my vacation to blog daily. But I got a couple of down hours waiting for my Grand Canyon tour to pick me up…. so here’s 2 vacation-inspired tips:

1. Yesterday’s off-road ATV 4×4 action through the Sonoran desert makes me think of this: You should brand yourself by showcasing your unique interests! It makes you more memorable: Remember, ↑ Remembered ⇔ ↑ Referrals 2. Of course, sharing the hobbies of your community helps to create a bond too. For example, how many of you Mix Greens? …Golf with business?

But that’s not what really inspired me to blog right now. Last year I wrote an article called “What are your White Wires?” for Debonair Magazine. I was also invited to share this personal branding insight to the graduating athletes of C.W. Post University. (I finally got to tell the jocks what to do!)

Yes, times they are a-changing: While white wires still brand the iCommunity, nowadays it hardly brands you. Personalize your vanilla iPod earbuds, brand your distinctive persona: I just learned about Emotibuds (and its extended Emotibles line) while reading nytimes.com/Magazine.

Moreover, this functional-to-fashion accessory helps to illustrate tip #3: How can you take a seemingly ordinary part of your style, and make it extraordinary?

By accentuating something positive about your “external character,” e.g., your wardrobe, body language, etc., you become (as Cosmo Kramer said) “more you, than you’ve ever been!” Its a simple way to stand out. (Tip 4: Like white wires, splashy ties are old hat. My article will help you be more clever.)

I give you specific areas & steps to brand your own “White Wires” in my article. (Tip 5: Caricature artists are great at picking up our distinctive quirks.) “What are your White Wires?” Here’s mine (from the article)…

…I’ve got a penchant for mixing and matching colors like a bad acid trip. So I’ve set out to become known for my eye-popping blazers: Business, creativity, and showmanship, all wrapped up into one.

Last week, I met a colleague at the bank branch he manages. To be introduced to his superiors, I donned a navy suit, tan shirt, and a tame scarlet tie. His eyes popped to a grin, “What? No crazy jacket today?” He leaned over to his partner, “This guy’s got the wildest suits!”

I smirked at his quip. It tells me my fans are noticing, remembering, and talking about me, exactly how I want. I’ve branded my persona onto his mind: My “white wires” may be a 4-button saffron jacket and a striped chocolate shirt. What are yours?

Everything you do on-line is public… family matters

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:22:32 +0000

After the on-line magazine, Slate, “outted” her (click to read article)… Rudy Giuliani’s daughter Caroline left the political fanclub for Barack Obama, “One Million Strong for Barack” on her Facebook profile. Who knows who she plans on voting for… but this isn’t a good sign for Rudy’s personal brand.

Caroline and Rudy have had a rocky relationship, and it’s sad that her private life will now be dragged into the public realm. Regardless, she should be smart enough to know the media will be watching (after all, she goes to Harvard).

But Caroline is not at fault… after all, she may be voting for a better presidential candidate. Rudy should know that family always matters.

The value of personal brand can be measured by the strength of our closest relationships. And no, Rudy, quantity doesn’t count more than quality!

I hope we can all value family beyond its personal brand value.

Lawyers are blogging: bLAWgWorld 2007

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 14:56:37 +0000

I like the pun. Even better, is the 366 page e-book featuring 77 articles from the top blawggers and practice management tech experts for lawyers. It includes articles by many of the blogs I reference in the sidebar, including one by Legal Sanity blogger, and good friend, Arnie Herz.

Its been published for free by Technolawyer.com. From client work, to practice management, including marketing, you’ll surely find some value in its pages: You can click on the pic or click here to download it.

“The 2007 TechnoLawyer Problem/Solution Guide is a revolutionary new way to find Solutions to Problems your law firm is experiencing. Specifically, it contains 185 Problems and corresponding Solutions.Each Problem is written in the form of a question from the point of view of a law firm and organized by topic. Topics include case management, depositions, discovery, document management, legal research, time-billing, and many more — 58 topics in all.” - Technolawyer.com

Track & blast distribute videos on top sites like YouTube

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:33:45 +0000

You’ll be able to see more of my short videos in weeks to come. For example, the “Podcasting by Phone” webinar I did on July 28 for PodCamp City On-line should be available soon.

While YouTube is the “google” of video sharing sites (literally), it’s not the only one. You should distribute your videos to all the top YouTube competitors for maximum visibility. And it doesn’t take much time! Remember to keep your videos short:

According to comScore market research, the average watching duration was only 2.5 minutes.
Many sites have file size restrictions: Shorter video = smaller file size.
Quicker turnaround: Short videos can be posted more often, more consistently.

More and more “video blasters” or distribution services are coming out; each offers something different and better (distinctive value). It’s annoying that you have to create individual accounts on the video hosting sites, but that’s a one-time inconvenience. Here are 3 free services…

Hey!Spread enables you to blast your video to the most amount of (top) video sites (of course you don’t have to spread your video to all of ‘em):

Vidmetrix.com enables you to blast to only the 7 top sites - YouTube, Myspace, Metacafe, Google, Yahoo, Revver, and Veoh. But more importantly, as their name suggests, VidMetrix also helps you track your views, comments, blog links that reference your video, and show-off your success through a metrics widget.

TubeMogul.com, measures like VidMetrix and focuses only on the top 6 video sites: YouTube, Google Video, Metacafe, MySpace, Revver, Yahoo!, and the annoying-to-use, but still popular: AOL Uncut Video. TubeMogul also allows you to measure the viewing success of your video across these websites, and even monitor other people’s video viewing success (which comes in handy to keep tabs on your competitors or friends).

Since they’re not necessarily mutually exclusive, used together, you’ll be able to get your video maximum exposure and measure its success. If you know of other video distribution services, let me know.

got BALLS? got 2 bucks? get BUZZ!

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 06:14:34 +0000

Want to make a splash with your next seminar or event invitation?

Want to grab the attention of prospective clients?

Want to get ‘em keep talking about you… with INSTANT BUZZ?

Want to thank somebody in a fun way?

Here’s how to generate more Response from your next Regular mail campaign! Your clients & prospects will surely remember you & talk about you, even when you’re not there!!

Quick 3 minute audio photo slideshow of me doing it! Ad specialties, promotional items, and greeting cards are always great… but, this is the best choice for cost, safety, novelty, & fun appeal! What other great Regular mail response gimmicks you got?

Sendaball.com send a ball The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch

Target your Market to the 4°

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 05:48:04 +0000

Last Tuesday, the National Network of Accountants (well, their Preferred Providers Network) invited me to present to them again. They asked me to elaborate on, “How to differentiate yourself.” There are so many ways to showcase your distinctiveness; this whole podBlog is dedicated to that!

I chose a different angle: I focused in the Personal Brand FOCUS FACTOR… Community. Often, I substitute a close synonym: Target Market.

In this seminar, I role played a 1-on-1 Q&A personal brand marketing session that I would do with a client. Mark Badami, Certified Financial Planner, and director of retirement planning for the National Network of Accountants graciously played along. My line of questioning helps to illuminate the referral-generating value of target marketing.

Everybody had a copy of the Community Target Market Story worksheet: You can e-mail me for one or just draw it yourself: 4 progressively smaller rings. 3 intersecting diagonals creates 2 big areas and 4 smaller segments.

The story of your prospect Community answers the 6 questions:

Who - demographics, labels
What - psychographics, frustrations
When - seasons, regulations
Where - groups, subscriptions
With - complementers, competition
Why - your personal brand appeal

Not clear? The audio of my seminar will walk you through an example of filling out the worksheet, and thus targeting your market to the 4°.

At my seminars, there’s usually so much chatter between me and the audience: I’m asking them questions; they’re asking me questions; I’m facilitating small-group exercises. This time, there was pin-drop silence as people listened to our 1-on-1 role play attentively! (It kinda freaked me out - as you may notice.)

The seminar is 33 minutes long: Download it for your iPod (or make your iPhone useful), or have a “lunch’n'learn” with friends!

How focused is your target market? Tell us about it… How many “degrees of ..who..” do you focus?

Startup Trends, Small Business Trends

Feb 2007’s New York lawyer advertising rules reversed!

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 02:59:44 +0000

I just got this from LexBlog’s blog. Public Citizen advocacy group issues a press release entitled, “Public Citizen Wins Injunction Against Unconstitutional Rules.”

Basically with these rules reversed in NY, it seems to me more personal brand marketing opportunities should be available (again):

You can use testimonials from a client, with a pending case.
You can use a nickname or tagline that affirms some kind of result. (Of course, be careful.)
You can use a domain name that affirms some kind of result. (Ditto.)
You can use an acted skit to illustrate your marketing message.
You can advertise your hobbies & style to market your personal brand.

Here are the relevant excerpts from the Press Release… “In a victory for First Amendment rights, [The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York] permanently enjoined enforcement of most of the challenged rules against attorney advertising, including rules against attention-getting techniques, the use of nicknames and mottos, the use of client testimonials, the portrayal of judges and the use of Internet pop-up ads.

…

It noted that the state had not produced any evidence that its restrictions on speech were necessary to protect consumers and found that the prohibitions were much broader than necessary to accomplish the state’s claimed objectives.”

You can read the actual full decision here. Basically, these compliance codes are no longer applicable:

The first group of amendments addresses restrictions on potentially misleading advertisements and consists of several rules:

N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 22, § 1200.6:

(c) An advertisement shall not: (1) include an endorsement of, or testimonial about, a lawyer or law firm from a client with respect to a matter still pending;

* * *

(3) include the portrayal of a judge, the portrayal of a fictitious law firm, the use of a fictitious name to refer to lawyers not associated together in a law firm, or otherwise imply that lawyers are associated in a law firm if that is not the case;

(5) rely on techniques to obtain attention that demonstrate a clear and intentional lack of relevance to the selection of counsel, including the portrayal of lawyers exhibiting characteristics clearly unrelated to legal competence;

* * *

(7) utilize a nickname, moniker, motto or trade name that implies an ability to obtain results in a matter.

(g) A lawyer or law firm shall not utilize: (1) a pop-up or pop-under advertisement in connection with computer-accessed communications, other than on the lawyer or law firm’s own web site or other internet presence . . . .

N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 22, § 1200.7:

(e) A lawyer or law firm may utilize a domain name for an internet web site that does not include the name of the lawyer or law firm provided:

(1) all pages of the web site clearly and conspicuously include the actual name of the lawyer or law firm;

(2) the lawyer or law firm in no way attempts to engage in the practice of law using the domain name;

(3) the domain name does not imply an ability to obtain results in a matter; and

(4) the domain name does not otherwise violate a disciplinary rule.

Though lawyers who charge clients must still notify consumers with the words “ATTORNEY ADVERTISING”. Non-profit lawyers who don’t charge clients no longer have to say this - according to the Court’s ruling.

Some argue that more compliance leads to more ethical behavior. While some legislation can help (and make a public statement), ultimately it’s our responsibility as professionals to market ourselves ethically. Likewise, it is our responsibility as consumers to be aware. In both ways, marketing your personal brand through an educational blog helps.

Controversy - through contrarian behavior, does create INSTANT BUZZ. Though, it’s better to be safe, than sorry. While these compliance rules have been reversed in NY, use common sense & disclose your marketing appropriately.

BTW: As consumers, we can enjoy being marketed to… it makes us like you better. Marketing icons have become part of our Americana. And many commercial tag lines have turned into American phrases. Brands have fan clubs. Make us part of your marketing experience, and you’ll engage us as clients before you know it!

WIIFM: The 24 x 7 blog & podcast radio station!

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 00:20:15 +0000

A popular sales & marketing thumb-rule: Like radio station call letters, remember WIIFM: “What’s In It For Me?”

That’s what your prospects, clients, and colleagues are all thinking. You’ve heard the thumb-rule: “Talk about your benefits, not your features.”

Blogging & podcasting has redefined the soapbox. And I hope this podBlog helps you with your personal brand marketing.

As you define, develop, and leverage your personal brand, remember your target market Community is the focus factor. We need to get to know who they are, what they want, and how they want to be approached.

Thus, we need to ask them questions… literally, ask. We can prepare, by asking ourselves questions in their voice, with empathy: “What’s In It For Me?” if I were the consumer of my services?

The best marketing materials - including your new blog should - answer this question, often with the WIIFM heading.

When they rationally ask, “What makes you different or better, than the next guy?” They are asking emotionally, “What In It For Me?”

Stop using what I call The 4 Supposed-to & Should-be’s! Last week I was invited to speak at a bank networking event. The organizer was afraid to have her guests play my TOUGH networking game, “So what makes you different & better?” In the game, we take turns at self-promotion/pitching/bragging/anecdotes, and you can’t say any variation of these:

1. Of course, “I CARE ABOUT CLIENTS” (Customer Service)

2. Of course, “I’m QUALIFIED” (Experience, credentials, Degrees)

3. Of course, “I DELIVER RESULTS on-time”

4. Of course, “My rates are REASONABLE & no hidden fees.”

Did I miss a cliche? Click on comments and add one you always hear.

…So?? So does the next guy. If I choose you, “What In It For Me?” beyond getting what I paid you for? Empathize from your clients’ perspective.

Your e-books, audio-books, podcasts, and blogs should excel at answering this. BTW: If the concepts of “podcasting & blogging” boggle you, I’ll be speaking at PodCamp On-line this Saturday afternoon. My topic, “Podcasting by Phone, Access more listeners; brand your expertise more easily.“

20,392,068 prospects

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 01:40:50 +0000

Within CoGrow, I’ve specialized my practice to help self-employed experts develop and leverage their personal brands. And we have to do it within your compliance obligations… as your reputation precedes you, qualified prospects will choose you.

For those of us who work within the specific needs of those self-employed, or run small practices, our market is growing. This is from Anita Campbell’s smallbiztrends.com:

Single Person Businesses Booming

By Anita Campbell on July 16, 2007

The U.S. Census has new statistics out — and they show that the numbers of single-person businesses are booming. There are now over 20 million such businesses, based on the most recently available data as of 2005.

To be exact, the United States has 20,392,068 single-person businesses. In the space of three years, 2.7 million more people became the owner of a “business of one.” Here’s the chart (you knew there’d be a chart, right?):

For the past three years the number of single-person businesses has grown each year between 4% and 5%. That means the single-person businesses grow faster than the rate of growth of the U.S. population as a whole (which grows at about 1% a year according to the U.S. Census).

These single-person businesses account for 78% of ALL U.S. businesses. You know those millions of small businesses that everyone is always talking about? Well, the majority of them fall into this category of single-person business.

These single-person businesses bring in over $951 billion (US) in annual receipts or sales to the U.S. economy. That averages to roughly $46,600 in annual sales per business. Obviously, since it’s an average, some businesses will be larger and some smaller. Still, you can see that many are pretty small businesses. Whatever their individual size, collectively these business owners are a force because of the sheer numbers of them.

personal brand: Nelson Mandela

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 18:23:22 +0000

I just found this article interesting. It was published in the Pretoria News, the main newspaper of the executive capitol of South Africa. It’s entitled, “Moves to modify Madiba magic ‘myth’” by Melanie Peters. (BTW: Madiba is an honorary elder statesman title associated with Mandela.)

It’s a happy birthday makeover! The whole article is great; here’s an excerpt:

“Nelson Mandela is one of the greatest statesmen ever and brand specialists and top advertising executives say that Madiba Magic is a priceless brand legacy that will live for years to come.

The former president turned 89 on Wednesday and his foundation announced that it was working on a personal brand make-over.

Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO Achmat Dangor said that, at Mandela’s insistence, it would be working to break down “the mythology around the man”.

For the true brand legacy to remain, a branding campaign must be engineered to combat the tendency by the media to turn him into a myth, he said.

Advertising industry leaders were wary of putting a price tag on the brand, but all agreed that he had “priceless” pulling power.

He is a major draw card when raising funds for charity. Major celebrities in the world clamour for a photo opportunity with him or to get involved in charity work because his name has been linked to it.

…

Roger Sinclair, professor of marketing at Wits University, said Mandela’s popularity was a worldwide phenomenon, and that it was impossible to say how much his brand was worth.

“It’s priceless. It is no ordinary brand because he is an extraordinary person,” Sinclair said. “After he is gone his legacy will still generate value. Winston Churchill still carries weight 50 years later and he carries half the weight that Madiba does.

‘It is impossible to put a value to it. He is a powerful personal brand.’“

personal branding Irony: Democrats debate yet look the same!

Vikram Rajan — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 01:00:24 +0000

Isn’t it ironic? Personal branding started with the oldest profession….

Politicians..

And yet they yearn to be so alike… logo colors RWB are all-American (and worldly too).

Sure… but as Americans we should be proud to stand out for what we believe!

If you had to vote by logo… who’s got 2008?

Thanks to Matt of 37signals for the pic & post inspiration.

i heart huckabee — at least he dared to use Yellow.

… and I love that Obama uses a circle, reminiscent of his initial… and a new dawn, over our Stripes. Aaah… (hmm, would a rising Star look awkward?)

Who d’you think got the best p’Brand Logo??

Creating a quick video is more important than ever…

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 01:50:48 +0000

comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given comScore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. comScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, comScore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behavior and attitudes.

comScore today released their study for MAY 2007. Here are the summary points:

Online viewers watched an average of 158 minutes of streaming video per streamer.
The average video stream duration was 2.5 minutes.
Nearly three out of four (74.3 percent) U.S. Internet users streamed video online (132 million people).
More than one out of three (35 percent) U.S. Internet users streamed video on YouTube.com.
The average online video viewer consumed 63 video streams, or more than two per day.

PowerPoint DON’Ts

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:51:53 +0000

I just came back from speaking in front of the National Network of Accountants… luckily, no slides!

Here’s how your PowerPoint slides should look!

Wikipedia your personal brand (ethically)

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 03:03:55 +0000

I was with friends 2 nights ago… and the neo-verbs “to Google” & “to Wikipedia” (as in “…just Wikipedia that!”) were being thrown around left and right.

Personally, I use Wikipedia when I really want to be schooled a subject… just like how I used to use a bulky set of Encyclopedia Britannica (aah, the Internet). Compared to Wikipedia, Google amounts to the proverbial bathroom wall: Wikipedia cuts through the bullshit.

When you’re Googling a subject… have you noticed that the Wikipedia page pops up nearly #1?? So from a “personal brand SEO” (or on-line reputation management) perspective, growing a Wikipedia page would be awesome.

PLUS, a Wikipedia article page about your personal brand leverages the credibility Wikipedia has created – and actively maintains. Wikipedia is authoritative: It is governed & edited.

Peter Drucker has one. Tom Peters has one. Robert Kiyosaki has one. I love that Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin have ‘em. Even Malcolm Gladwell has one. Yes, Michael Jordan has one. And of course Oprah has one.

Will you also have a Wikipedia article page about your personal brand?

HOW CAN YOU grow your Wikipedia references?

CLICK TO READ, “How to Wikipedia your personal brand… in 6 steps!”

This is an in-depth 6-page guide to do so ethically. I’ve distilled Wikipedia policies into steps & thumb-rules: Instead of reading, you may prefer to stream the audio in the background (so you can do something else). Or download the mp3 podcast for later.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP for my first “workshop-by-phone” (and probably yours too)!

The Anecdote Game

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 18:39:25 +0000

Last fall, I ran a series of highly-interactive & fun networking events called The Anecdote Game.

The rules were simple: We try to out-do each other with the most creative and distinctive customer success stories… or anecdotes. We take turns saying & editing our anecdotes. And we score each other on our strong points, and what to improve.

The Anecdote Game is fun to play, and a great way to test market, and to get instant feedback from people who will be recommending us! It helped cut out our jargon, get to the heart of our benefits, and to Keep It Short & Simple… We even got (Hershey’s) KISSes as prizes!

Have a sales team or belong to a networking group? The Anecdote Game is easy to play. If you want me to host one, just let me know. I’ll post a podcast soon explaining the basic rules. The substance of which is how to write a short and compelling ANECDOTE:

Write out successful client ANECDOTES:

1. in their words, ASPIRATION/ADVERSITY: 2. in their words, your ADVICE/ACTIONS: 3. in their words, ADVANTAGE/ACHIEVEMENT:

For more emphasis & suspense, flip the order of 3 & 2. You can say the whole anecdote in less than 10 words: Start with 100 words (30 x 3), then underline the most important 30 (10 x 3)… and then 10 (3 x 3)!

Have clients sign off on them, and use it as testimonials. Or bring your cellphone along & have them record it as a voicemail for you to use as a quick audio on your website. Yes, mine are in the process of being created!!

Why don’t you practice writing customer-success anecdotes by posting your own below?

How can a podBlog drive traffic to your website?

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 04:27:40 +0000

(On July 7, I had 16,318 hits… what do I have now? What’s the average? I’m hitting over 300 a day. Thank you everybody.)

The more traffic on your website. The more new leads you get.

Google & iTunes will drive traffic to your website - for free - if you do this…

Click below to hear my podcast: How engaging your Internet leads can be quick & easy. (Subscribers to my e-mail newsletter got the whole transcript.)

Call me (516.642.4100) with your questions. Or just post them below as comments (and promote your website).

PodcastersWhosWho.com invited me to do a special “Internet radio show,” called Podcamp On-line. My topic is, “Podcasting BY PHONE: Access more listeners; personal brand your expertise!”

Ask me how to participate with any phone or through the Internet.

DATE: July 28 TIME: 12:30 - 1 afternoon PLACE: your home office ATTIRE: pajamas.

BTW: This podcast is one of the highlights of my latest audio-book WEB MARKETING 2.0

… so what blogs do you like read?

Lawyer Rating version 1.5, e.g. Avvo

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 23:51:55 +0000

For over 138 years, Martindale-Hubble has been rating lawyers, and offering peer-based reviews.

We are now well ensconced into the buzzworld of Web 2.0… more and more lawyers are growing their personal brands and building an on-line reputation. Following 2.0 suit, lawyer rating may become more cooperative, collaborative, public, and subject to the “wisdom” of crowds, i.e. democratic. That may grow troublesome, and tiresome for lawyers looking to keep their reputation sharp and positive. Regardless, it’s inevitable: Have Googled yourself lately?

Somewhere in the middle of this is a lawyer-rating website called Avvo. Launched just last month, it has already become part of a class-action suit questioning its mode of rating lawyers (what do you get for messing around with lawyers’ reputations??):

Rather than opening its rating to purely democratic means, Avvo.com has a proprietary system of ranking of lawyers. This isn’t so unusual: Google, et al. publishes some of its rating criteria… but their ranking algorithm is a hot topic and has launched the SEO cottage industry. Similarly lawyers may be forced to work on their “Avvo rating” (a numerical score)… in the way we must work toward building our website PageRank. The audio podcast below discusses potential lawyer and client manipulation of the Avvo ranking system, and on-line reputation building in general.

I am not recommending or denouncing Avvo; in fact, I think it is a half-step toward the inevitable “Lawyer Rating 2.0″ we must get used to… The Internet is another way for lawyers to promote themselves, and for prospective clients to learn about their potential advisor. All systems will have flaws, and clients should be open-minded and seek multiple inputs before making a decision: the least of which should be the proverbial ‘bathroom stall’, which is often what the Internet becomes.

As with any controversy, it is a learning opportunity for us. Just this week, Denise Howell interviewed the CEO of Avvo, Mark Britton. He is a practicing lawyer, with web experience from Expedia. The interview is not just a way for Avvo to defend itself or promote its website (which has less traffic than Newsday.com - see graphic below).

This Week in Law podcast interview discusses many relevant questions and concerns about web-based reputation building & defense for lawyers (and other experts). It is nearly 93 minutes long, but worth it. Click on the picture to play the .mp3 audio interview. Open the link in a new window to play it in the background; right-mouse click first.

Again, while Avvo is not yet a force to be reckoned with, the interview discusses opportunities and concerns that highlight today’s world of Personal Branding for lawyers, and other regulated advisors.

What do you think? What’s good and what’s bad about the un-regulated world of lawyer ranking?

AVVO.com traffic is in blue. NEWSDAY.com, Long Island’s community newspaper, is in red:

20 other sites like Craigslist to promote & find stuff!!!!!!

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:54:59 +0000

If you’re interested in marketing yourself through Craigslist, you may want to check out the audio-book, WEB MARKETING 2.0: Prospect like Craigslist, YouTube, and eBay!

Craigslist has nearly single-handedly destroyed the paid newspaper classifieds world. It’s a great way to promote your products, find employees, sell your garage-sale stuff, and whatever else… it’s also localized for our convenience.

You can use these website to post your real estate listings, sell your garage-sale stuff, promote new job openings, find potential applicants, and even sell your e/audio/books!

But it’s not the only player in town. Mashable has reviewed a whole bunch, and I’ve added to the list with their comments. Just about all of them are free, localized, categorized, and regulate themselves through an honor system. Here they are in approximate order of popularity:

Google Base (attached to Google Product Search, formerly known as Froogle)
Kijiji (eBay’s free listings, big internationally, just launched in USA)
MySpace Classifieds
Facebook Marketplace (becoming bigger than MySpace, and attracts an older audience)
Yahoo! Classifieds
Windows Live Expo (Microsoft)
Village Voice, powered by Backpage
OLX.com (big internationally?)
Lycos classifieds
Local.com
PennySaver USA
Trulia (for real estate only)
Vast
vFlyer (auto-posting to Google Base, Craigslist, and sharing widgets)
Oodle, iqZone, Edgeio (are also multi-classifieds blasters, aggregators, and search engines)
Verticlans (new)
MyStore (new & very social sharing “2.0″ oriented)
Yample.com is also social/2.0
RealpeopleRealstuff.com (video-based classifieds)
…AND SO MANY MORE (click to view Google search results for ‘free classifieds’)

But these are the biggest. Now, you just have to post & re-post since most listings expire after a while. BTW: You can compare website traffic through Alexa.com

I’M SURE YOU FOUND THIS USEFUL:

If you’re interested in marketing yourself through Craigslist, you may want to check out the audio-book, WEB MARKETING 2.0: Prospect like Craigslist, YouTube, and eBay!

Reading blogs can be a waste of time. … what’s RSS?

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 02:08:28 +0000

So why bother with blogs? 1) Reading blogs help stay up with the trends in your world. 2) Commenting on blogs help you practice articulating your point of view. 3) Commenting on blogs also helps grow in-links to your website or blog. 4) Commenting on blogs also furthers your Personal Brand positioning. 5) Hosting your own blog gives you a soapbox platform. Make it worthwhile.

Doing all 5 can take a lot of time. Well, blogs aren’t the problem. It’s your time management with them… become more productive with easy technology. #5 is time well spent… after all, personal brand marketing attracts the right prospects!

How can we make better use of our time with #1 - 4?

Subscribe to your favorite blogs!! Have their posts come to you. You can even create Google Alerts to have new websites, news, and blog posts e-mailed to you … Thousands of professionals are on my e-mail list.

And I have a over a thousand on my RSS feed subscription… they know the value of a RSS reader. They want to be on top of the blogosphere … but know that their time is too valuable to go a-hunting. RSS feeds force the news & blog posts come to you.

See the word SUBSCRIBE on the right-hand side? Or the orange icon next to the world RSS in the upper right-hand corner? And all those tiny icons on the right hand side of my blog? They all do one thing… it’s going to be the newspaper of the future! get hip to it… Wonder what that RSS stuff is all about?

Common Craft created a great video about RSS:

Thanks for subscribing

Reputation… or a Personal Brand?

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 15:41:25 +0000

I’m often asked what’s the difference between a Reputation… and a Personal Brand?

NOTHING… potentially. Most personal brands are just reputations. And they miss out on the real long-lasting fruits of their labor. But reputations that enjoy 3 powers are able to leverage Personal Brands.

The attached podcast goes into detail about these 3 powers (or differences between a reputation and a personal brand). It also asks you quick questions to help you measure the power of your personal brand. If you just have a reputation, you can learn 3 new marketing tips every week to automatically transform into a Personal Brand.

Does your reputation enjoy these 3 powers?

PURPOSE power
COMMUNITY power
ENDORSEMENT power.

Again, my podcast goes into detail about what I mean. I also give examples of personal brands who leverage each of these 3 powers.

Ultimately, ENDORSEMENT is the greatest power of your Personal Brand:

Your clients may recommend your services to their friends because of your great reputation. As your reputation precedes you, prospects are attracted to you, and it’s simpler to close the deal. Because they trust your insight or experience, they may even ask you for advice or recommendations – on topics unrelated to your expertise.

But a reputation only strokes your ego. While it feels good, it can trap you. If your clients recommend you, but add… “Oh, ask for … he’s the one you want to work with… don’t bother with the others.” Then your reputation surely expresses your great competency, character, and charisma… but it erodes your Endorsement Power.

With the power to endorse, you need not do all the work yourself. You can become sought after, yet still enjoy free time. More than with a reputation, your “Full-Spectrum” Personal Brand will enable you to delegate, recommend and co-brand products, services, and other professionals. How can you further develop the Endorsement capability of your reputation, or personal brand? Find out by listening one of my most detailed podcasts below!

In her book about the personal brand Emeril!, Marcia Layton Turner explains, “In order to sustain itself beyond the end of the individual on which the reputation has been built, a brand must be active in multiple media.”

Why Russell Simmons is my #1 Role Model…

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 15:21:16 +0000

Who Inspires You? Who all compels you to grow your personal brand of excellence?

Russell Simmons is a pioneer of the most influential social movement of our generation. Last week I was able to attend a talk he gave. And not being shy, I asked him about his Role Models.

Russell Simmons has a new book called Do You! He admits that it features success principles easily found in all scriptures and other self-help books. But he appeals to a community (the hiphop generation) that many “self-help gurus” and preachers cannot reach.

His Full-Spectrum personal brand of excellence fulfills all 4 quadrants of my Role Model Collage:

1) Personal Qualities

2) Professional Qualities

3) Professional Quantities

4) Professional Quantities.

In the attached 10 minute audio, I walk you step-by-step on how to envision your own Role Model Collage. It’s easy to create. It’s fun to do. And a wonderful group and team building exercise.

More importantly, it helps you re-mind yourself and align your habits on a day-to-day basis. It also helps bring others into your wavelength. You can build deep rapport with others through your public Role Model Collage.

We should have as many role models as the number of roles we play everyday. We should have as many role models as the different kinds of success we enjoy. We become how we see ourselves. We can see ourselves as a collage of those we admire, want to emulate, and enjoy equal success!

The Peril of Personal Branding…

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:58:54 +0000

For all its appeal, if all you’re doing is building your personal brand then you’re half-assed.

It’s funny: I came to the world of personal branding originally against the notion. My consulting firm helps small-business owners develop strategies to create leverage: That is, to create a business that simply is not co-dependent on the owner’s personal time. From the looks of it, Personal Branding positions people to want YOU — and not anybody else. If your business or income streams would come to a screeching halt when you’re not actively working (on vacation, in the hospital, distracted by other projects), then well, that really sucks! (That’s why personal branding for career advancement is half-assed.)

Bottom-line, if all we have is our personal brands … then while your ego can inflate indefinitely… our time-based income is extremely limited. The point is to develop a reputation so powerful that we can then endorse other products & people, upon our personal brand platform. That is, we should Leverage our Personal Brand!

We need to develop a Full-Spectrum Personal Brand™: One that begins with our own reputation. But then brands other products, platforms, and ultimately, other people. Our legacy is through the other people we uplift.

The first step is to yes, focus on your personal brand marketing. As you maximize your time…

Then develop intellectual property (audio, videos, etc.) that create income based on your personal brand.

Once you develop a business model that can expand with other people. We can use the Personal Brand Marketing Formula ™ to help you grow your practice beyond your time. In fact, the beauty of creating a franchise or license is that you’re able to leverage OPM in addition to OPPB (other people’s personal brands). But that will come in time: First things first… let’s get back to our personal brand marketing

“Patent Pending 2.0″

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:12:41 +0000

In the new tradition of community-collaboration using the Internet (aka, Web 2.0), the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office is cooperating with a revolutionary new website: PeertoPatent.org (developed by New York Law). I quote from their new site… Peer-to-Patent opens the patent examination process to public participation for the first time.

Become part of this historic pilot program. Help the USPTO find the information relevant to assessing the claims of pending patent applications.

Become a community reviewer and improve the quality of patents.

HERE IS HOW PEER TO PATENT WORKS:

This Screencast video will teach you how to utilize and navigate the Peer-To-Patent website so that you can effectively contribute to the public review of pending patent applications.

It’s a great way to police & defend your personal brand copyrights, trademark designs, and patents.

The best damn iPhone review ever… and, the 1st.

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 03:00:44 +0000

The Wall Street Journal was one of the few select media testing out and reviewing the coveted iPhone. But is it all that it’s cracked up to be… especially for your business productivity?

I don’t believe the hype.

Great review: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118289311361649057.html?mod=hpp_us_editors_picks

There are some major flaws! Read the end & the middle. And then watch the video.

“In addition, even when you have great AT&T coverage, the iPhone can’t run on AT&T’s fastest cellular data network. Instead, it uses a pokey network called EDGE, which is far slower than the fastest networks from Verizon or Sprint that power many other smart phones. And the initial iPhone model cannot be upgraded to use the faster networks.” - Wall St. Journal review

How well do you know your Compliance Officer?

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:19:02 +0000

As you know, your Codes of Ethics & Professionalism governs your marketing. If you work within a larger practice, you must have your marketing materials & messages approved by your Compliance Officer (or similar job title). If you’re on your own, you should have your materials reviewed by your professional trade association or regulatory agency.

It’s all about relationships. You take this thumb-rule to heart with clients & prospects… but how well do you know your C.O.?

You shouldn’t just become friends with your Compliance Officer to get special treatment. Far beyond that, there are other benefits: Of course, you get to enjoy the company of a new friend! And you can grow your practice in other ways…. enjoy the podcast.

How have your experiences & relationships with Compliance Officers been? Comment below.

A personal brand new experience.

Vikram Rajan — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 19:26:21 +0000

For example -

Tips from my new & improved business card

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 18:42:15 +0000

I’m not perfect; but I do lead by example: I watch how prospects respond to my marketing collaterals. I then update my materials to keep it current.

Your business card is THE MOST VALUABLE marketing collateral you have: More people see it. It’s what’s often given to referrals. It’s usually the first marketing piece anybody sees about you. It’s often the most lasting piece… in a card file (drawer, box), desk clutter, or scanned in.

Place your business card beside another professional in your field… does it stand out? Does it showcase what makes you different and better? Heck, can we even tell what you do by your business card? Does it have your e-mail & website address? Does it have an incentive to speak with you? Surely you have stay within your compliance regulations, but with some creativity and controls we can develop a design that reflects your personal brand of excellence.

Like a model house in a planned community, my business card showcases nearly all of the points I build into proper business card design. There is one minor flaw with my business card… can you figure it out?

Here’s the front of my business card. I’ve put a lot of thought into its form & function:

First of all it’s vertical; that immediately stands out.
You can’t tell by this picture, but the edges are round. It conforms to my logo, and adds to its distinctiveness.
The colors are consistent: All the blue’s are shades of what I call “CoGrow blue.” Likewise, with the green.
Colors alternate and are symmetrical. The white space also breaks up all the text.
There are actually 4 colors on this side: My name is highlighted.
I don’t like hifalutin titles, so I’ve left it out. I’m a founder, partner, and director…
Instead of the usual Contact Info Labels, I used obvious icons: It saves space & adds to its design distinction.
Why 2 websites? Because I didn’t want to clutter it all 4 types of websites that I preach! One’s corporate; another product-driven.
My tag-line is understandable & relevant to my target Community’s wants & needs. Stay away from “Corporate Poetry” in your tag-lines, purpose & vision statements: K.I.S.S.
And on the bottom, I’ve given you something for free…
ALL THIS WITHIN YOUR 2 SECOND ATTENTION SPAN.

I never give my business card unless I’m asked. And then I give it back-side first. It proposes my value even more quickly than the front:

I start off with the Catchphrase that I prefer (the front has the tag-line you prefer). Who else can help you Leverage your Personal Brand??
How do I make money? In 3 main ways… but I’ve translated it into a smorgasbord of value that you can relate to. Pick the right foot for me to get into your door.
My e-mail address is repeated here; in the same red as my name on the front. I prefer my e-mail address since it also conveys my website. Are you the CEO of aol.com? Do you run Optonline.net? Stop promoting their brand; promote your personal brand URL.
To add depth & separation I included a simple design element: An abstract representation of my logo.
It borders my target community, i.e. 5 types of experts I work with… it’s in a soft white shadow so that it doesn’t compete with the text above. It’s difficult to read in low light; but I’m not trying to be romantic.
And yes, the blue background is a shade of “CoGrow blue.” (So are the circles).

Even with all these conscious elements, I didn’t achieve everything I wanted. There is one flaw that sometimes annoys the interlocuter (”person I’m speaking with”). What is it? Post your comments, improvements, and dare I say, critiques.

We all need to write down 2 types of goals….

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:48:06 +0000

As professional advisors we are used to getting the job done, on time, for our clients. But how accountable are we to our own practice development and marketing projects?

It may be awkward for us to put on a sales professional hat. But the best salespeople write down 2 types of goals for themselves and their team:

For any project… on a weekly basis… monthly… and so forth, we need 2 types of goals. Both are measurable, both help us stay accountable, both help us plan better.

Without writing down and affirming BOTH TYPES OF GOALS, we will fall short of achieving what we want, when we want, and how we want it. It’s a quick 2 minute podcast, take notes and ask your colleagues which type of goal they write down:

1) do they have any goals?

2) do they write it down?

3) do the only affirm one type of goal?

Now you know better. Friends don’t let friends grow without goals!

Marketing time management for more prospects….

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:39:47 +0000

I just came out with new two new audio-books, SALES MOMENTUM: Meet more prospects who’ll close themselves & WEB MARKETING 2.0: Market yourself like Craigslist, YouTube, & eBay.

My next audio-book will elaborate on my attached 5-minute podcast, MARKETING TIME MANAGEMENT. I describe how to develop the 3 marketing habits (also described in SALES MOMENTUM).

Stay on top of your competition, research trends

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:32:50 +0000

Currency is about staying current. In less than 3 minutes, my podcast walks you through the quickest & easiest (& free) way to stay on top of your market’s currents: trends, forces, lingo, competition, and more!

Why would a Dentist want to target Limo Owners?

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 30 May 2007 20:31:08 +0000

Last night I spoke in front of the Nassau/Suffolk Limo Association; it’s not my typical crowd. But Matt Silver, VP of the group & awesome networker, invited me to speak about Marketing. Maybe I had something to offer.

I invited one of my clients, a cosmetic dentist, to come on by, with targeted postcards in hand. I presented my 6 Conditions for Community Momentum as featured in my new audio-book Sales Momentum (to be released next week - woohoo).

While I was describing the 2nd Condition, I mentioned my blog post about Commerce Bank. I then asked the crowd of Limo/Black Car Owners, “Why would a Dentist want to develop Relationships with you guys???”

Nobody had a clue. So I asked the doc to give the answer. Folks were still bewildered… so I prompted the audience to think out-of-the-box:

‘Tis the season… Proms? Weddings? Engagements? Graduations?

Aren’t limo owners & cosmetic dentists complementary businesses? Sure, the specific cross-promotion details still need to be worked out privately, creatively, and politely… but out-of-the-box relationships were sparked.

Are you targeting the same broad, generic, mass population as everybody else? With the questions I ask you in Sales Momentum, you’ll see how your Personal Brand can attract more and more qualified prospects in less and less time.

Free talking character for your personal sites….

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 27 May 2007 14:21:50 +0000

SitePal from Oddcast is a cool feature to have on your website. It allows you to talk to your website visitors through an animated character… you can use text-to-speech or your voice (record by phone, or upload a file).

Now, to help proliferate their service, Oddcast has created VOKI… a free version you can embed into your (personal) website, blog, or anywhere else. You can use animated characters (aka, ‘avatars’) to

welcome website visitors,
describe your product, service,
narrate real estate listings or detailed specs
read answers to FAQ,
and anything else you can imagine.

Characters are full customizable to look sort of like you. SitePal offers more customization and even Your-Own-Photo-realistic service (for a fee of course). Voki mentions:

“Can anyone use Voki? Voki is solely and exclusively for personal, non-commercial use only. If you run a business website where you sell things or you run a site about your business – a real estate agency, for example – then Voki is not for you. We have a product called SitePal that costs a small monthly fee for business class users.”

I created this in less than 5 minutes (click to view). Does it look me? I used text-to-speech… Voki: Can’t beat free!

YOU MAY ALSO FIND THIS USEFUL:

Avatars Everywhere: 27 of the Best Avatar Makers

spy on your website visitors…

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 17 May 2007 04:33:41 +0000

I can’t wait to help you improve your website. Now we’ll be able to see what works and what doesn’t, first hand. Like the creator of this free website add-on says, “It’s like looking over their shoulders while they surf your website.”

Literally watch recordings of your website visitors - they don’t have to install or confirm anything -

watch where visitors click (even over non-links),
where visitors don’t click,
where mouse hovers,
where abouts they are looking,
how long your visitors stay on pages,
which page on your site they go to next,
how they are filling out forms,
and if, when, and where they abandon forms.

It sounds like the perfect website market research tool. I just learned about it, and about to update all of my websites! Can your website take advantage of this Javascript module? Ask me.

Make better use of your Organization Memberships..

Vikram Rajan — Fri, 11 May 2007 18:14:28 +0000

As a professional, you probably belong to many business, civic, and charity organizations. It’s a great way to build relationships: Those you meet can turn into clients, referral sources, and other strategic relationships. It’s also a great way to learn about what’s going on and to give back to your Community.

But being active can take a lot of time (as you know). Are you making the time productive??

I co-chair the Membership Committee and the Business Development committee for the Hauppauge Industrial Association, I am on the Board of the Cross Island YMCA, and am active in the longest-running, professionally-managed networking group on Long Island, American Business Associates.

Based on my experience, the 6-min podcast below will you a few tips on how to make your membership productive for you & for the organization. Feel free to comment or ask questions.

Target a frustrated & overlooked Community…

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 10 May 2007 17:03:18 +0000

The other day I was walking to the subway in Manhattan and I noticed a Commerce Bank storefront: “FREE DOGGY TREATS… please bring in your dog!” Commerce bank has destroyed yet another “stupid rule.”

Most banks don’t allow customers to bring in their pet dogs.

Many Manhattanites love to go for a walk with their dog and do errands - like banking - along the way. What an annoyance to have to leave loved ones outside!! Or to make a special trip to the bank.

Well, Commerce Bank has targeted the community of dog lovers/owners in a clever way: No strings attached, dog lovers can treat their loved one… And perhaps do a little banking as well! (Unfortunately, for them, they did not advertise this on their website.)

Communities are populations who think alike, regularly congregate, enjoy spending time with one another, & talk to each other — especially about products/services that cater to their special needs… let’s see if Commerce’s offer pollinates through the dog lover Community.

There are 6 specific factors that will help you choose the right target market & niche Community for you Personal Brand of service. Other posts go into ‘em. Or just ask me to send you the PDF worksheet.

Have you been able to target a frustrated, yet overlooked Community population of clients? Are you part of a frustrated, yet overlooked Community? Who is catering to you?

the Sanjaya effect

Vikram Rajan — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 02:24:15 +0000

—- I just wrote an e-mail to a client giving some advice………………………..

Your website, and e-newsletter, are examples of the kind of attention you can gain from having well-designed impressions. Your business card must earn respect by the conservative, traditional, and old fashioned - it’s expected from a lawyer; you know that.

Going against a strong expectation is a contradiction that may bring on the wrong sort of attention: I’m calling it “the Sanjaya effect.” However, on that note, with the right personality… you too can pull it off. How much do you want to leverage your personality?

…..

How cool is your local Library?

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 23:22:00 +0000

Disclaimer: I’m a major library geek. I used to work at my public library growing up. And in high school, I used to hang out in our library. (Of course, it was less studious playing video games on one of the first h.s. student LANs with Internet access.)

And I still love libraries.

In May, the Half Hollow Hills library (Dix Hills) will be hosting their annual Small Business Education month series of seminars. I’m proud that they’ve invited me to present 2 of them; click to read about all 8 seminars. On behalf of the U.S. Small Business Administration, I’ve also presented at Freeport and Great Neck public libraries.

One of my recent podcasts referenced the Middle Country Public Library’s relationship with the Hauppauge Industrial Association. We enjoy amazing benefits (listen to “free call lists” post) as HIA members. While I co-chair 2 committees: Membership, and Business Development Committees - thus obliged to promote HIA - the benefits of HIA membership speak for itself.

Libraries can provide you market research resources & references. Librarians are experts at research. Libraries also have many trade magazines, journals, and newspapers.

Oh yea, your local library also has books… about business. Audiobooks too.

If your library hasn’t produced any business education seminars recently, I’d be happy to help them coordinate one. If your library does have any events, feel free to promote it in the Comments below.

Imagine… WORDS THAT WORK.. to generate prospects

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:39:19 +0000

I often browse the bookstores searching for books that are not yet on the radar screens. Most of the time it takes authors hundreds of pages to get to just 1 of the sentences in my book “101 Business Thumb-Rules: Idea Journal.” (It’s often a prize at my seminars. And it’s a gift when you order 3 copies of my audio-book INSTANT BUZZ.)

The other day I happened upon a cool looking book (dramatic cover)… AND the words within worked with me. It’s called Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear. Frank Luntz, the author, is a market researcher and political campaign advisor. He has helped win victories for many right-wing campaigns. I don’t hold that against him… if they win in today’s climate, that means Dr. Luntz really knows something worthwhile!

Through anecdotes, Dr. Frank Luntz showcases 10 Rules to precisely use “Words That Work.” I highly recommend that book, you can buy it right from Amazon. I’m paraphrasing the 10 thumb-rules here; it’s worth it to buy the book and read why (and how) these rules work:

Use small, simple words.
Use short sentences.
Build credibility (not just hype).
Consistent repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition.
Novelty: new wine, old bottle… be surprising and provocative.
Use sound words: Alliteration, Rhyme, Rhythm, Onomatopoeia (like Snap! Crackle Pop!).
Evoke aspirations, improvements, vision.
Use visual words: descriptive imagery.
Ask questions?
Frame it: Build context, the why, its relevancy.

CURRENCY: In the appendix of Words That Work, Dr. Frank Luntz goes on to cite “21 words for the 21st Century.” These are the words that are the most trendy and current. You’ll hear ‘em in product & political marketing… and you should use ‘em to your advantage (with the 10 rules above). Dr. Luntz doesn’t go into much detail about WHY these are the words in the appendix, but Words That Work is worth the buy. Here are the 21st Century currency words (in no relative order):

Imagine…

Hassle-free

Lifestyle

Accountability

‘Results,’ ‘Can-do spirit’

Innovation

Renew, revitalize, rejuvenate, restore, rekindle, reinvent, re-…

Efficient & efficiency

The right to…

Patient-centered

Investment

Casual elegance

Independent

Peace of mind

Certified

All-American

Prosperity

Spirituality

Financial security

A balanced approach

A culture of…

Can you see how these “21st century” currency words follow the ten rules above? What do you think about the book, Words That Work? Which ads have you seen that follow these rules & words? How have you put ‘em to use?

Post your comments. Promote your personal brand! Feel free to Share this post…

Get targeted mailing/call lists at no cost…

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:05:49 +0000

I recorded this tidbit as I was driving back from two clients. My advice helped both with their next regular mailing. In this podcast I give you those 2 tips and a way to get targeted mailing lists … AT NO COST!

If you’ve used this resource, feel free to post your comments and share your experiences.

/ FORWARD THIS POST TO FRIENDS

Shift happens.

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 17:22:15 +0000

Global changes:

Is your ad doing what you want it to?

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:20:56 +0000

Advertisements - be in printed, audio (radio), video (tv) - or any other collaterals should achieve your goal. Some marketing collaterals are meant to position your brand with the right target community. Others are meant to actively generate leads right away.My latest podcast quickly talks about the two types of focus an ad, brochure, website, or postcard can have. I also cite quick thumb-rules for you to make the necessary improvements to achieve the right result.

Mashup: How many molesters live near you?!

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 13:50:41 +0000

There’s a new website that will literally show where the convicted offenders live. It’s public & legal. It’s alarming and truthful.

It also shows us the power of “API Mashups.”

How is this useful for marketing?

Yesterday I was networking with Bruce Mendelson, an insurance broker who specializes in families with special needs kids. As the conversation progressed, he beat me to the punch: Bruce asked me what I enjoyed doing - besides business. I admitted my geeky hobby of learning about Web 2.0 “stuff”.

I told him that it’s like the Wild West Web all over again, like the late 90’s Boom… there are so many Internet Innovations going on! So Bruce fed my instant excitement, “What’s the coolest thing on the Web now?”

More than blogs, podcasts, social bookmarks, and profiles are… APIs. An API is a “Application Programming Interface.” Basically, it allows you to query, search, lookup, or “mix and mash” public databases of information.

Private companies are creating APIs into their database. Google allows you to mash into their maps, for example. Yahoo! created an API for us to use Flickr photos in creative ways (for example… this programmer created a way for us to send free e-cards). Amazon has just created an API to search their book database (Google too). There are over 2000 mashups currently created by programmers. Start browsing here.

Type in your zip code and be warned. MapSexOffenders.com is a “mashup” of the National Registry… and Google Maps. (Personally, I am a righteous civil libertarian — but Freedom of Information about public threats trumps personal privacy.)

Here’s an example of what Real Estate professionals can do with Mashups…

You can grab the RSS feed off of Craiglist that queries the new real estate property listings (or MLS, if they offer a way). You can mash that onto Google Maps. Or you can mash your exclusive listings onto a Google street-photo map.

Your website visitors can get a birds-eye view of the properties for sale in their desired geography. They can even see its roof! Moreover, it would link to its specific property page. With another click, they can call you immediately!

Wanna create your own mashup?

1. Choose from the 400 APIs or public databases you can mash up (Now you know why it’s called ProgrammableWeb.com)

2. Learn programming languages like XML or use new “point-and-click” services like Teqlo.com and Yahoo! Pipes. BTW: You can also use RSS feeds as XML data. There are other cool mashup services too. 3. Place your free valuable service on your website!

4. Or you can just call me: 516.642.4100 and let’s talk about your imagination: What would be valuable to your prospects? What would lure your web visitors to return to your website often? How can your colleagues use your website as a resource?

Google’s new Ad program: Pay only for closings!

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 04:09:10 +0000

Right now with Google Adwords, you pay for every click… whether or not your “prospect” calls you, e-mails you, fills out a form, … or does nothing and leaves after 5 seconds, or if it’s your competitor checking you out.

Google has just launched a “beta test” of their new PAY-PER-ACTION program. The ‘action’ can be anything… a page view, a filled-out form, or a sale… for instance, of my audio-book INSTANT BUZZ. I just signed up to give Google a percentage of any quick sales of my book.

Of course, the response is overwhelming: The test is only open for current Adwords customers (which is just $5 to start and takes a few minutes to set up). You can read more about Google’s P-P-A beta program by clicking here.

It’s very similar to current “managed affiliate marketing” models (like LinkShare, CommissionJunction)… except that it leverages Google’s search dominance and “content network” of websites who show Google ads. Got questions? Want help with your Google marketing. Let’s chat; give me a call: (516) 642-4100.

~ Vik

Stamp goes up to 41 cents. Buy ~Forever Stamps~

Vikram Rajan — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 03:05:47 +0000

It costs 39 cents to send a first class letter now. It will cost 41 cents in May.

When it goes up, USPS will sell the first “Forever Stamp” (costs 41 cents)… good to post… forever.

Postcards are still a better deal: Now, 24 cents. In May: 26 cents.

(Yea the chuck rate is high for all junk mail, face it. But it works. Give em a reason to call/act immediately, and give ‘em some reason to keep your stuff around. A simple magnet may do.)

Go to New York Times to read more… I got this from there, well, from AP:

The rates taking effect May 14 include:

– Letters, bill payments, greeting cards: 41 cents for the first ounce, up from 39 cents.

– Wedding invitation (2-ounces), 58 cents, down from 63 cents.

– Postcard, 26 cents, up from 24 cents.

– Priority mail flat-rate envelope, $4.60, up from $4.05.

– Express Mail flat-rate envelope, $16.25, up from $14.40.

– Parcel Post, 1-pound package, $4.50, up from 3.95.

– Bank statement, 2 ounces, presorted, 45.9 cents, down from 54.4 cents.

– Utility bill, barcoded, 31.2 cents, up from 29.3 cents.

Still with me? NOTE: We pay more. Banks pay less (around 15% less).

Got too much clutter? Before you clean house…..

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 19:44:45 +0000

I’m a clutter maven. I like messy offices. But you don’t have follow my lead there.

I can appreciate organization, cleanliness, and the whole bit…

BUT… BEFORE YOU CLEAN HOUSE… MAKE SURE YOU NEVER THROW THESE 2 THINGS OUT!!!

1) These free little plastic things hardly take up any room… but just when you need one, you’ll remember when you chucked it…

2) Again, this free junk hardly take up any room… and when you need it… it’ll cost you big time to replicate it….

Puzzled? Listen to the podcast.

How should you improve your logo?

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 19:38:19 +0000

Do you have a logo/letterhead?

Is your logo/letterhead any good?

When was the last time you updated your logo/letterhead?

Is it even necessary for you to have a logo?

Do you trust your logo?

Is your logo a piece of art, or a piece of….?

Logos & designed letterhead can help your practice stand out.

But there’s a difference between artful design and a brand logo:

I gave this same advice to two well-experienced professionals, both with years of marketing themselves. I got off the phone with them, and then recorded the podcast for you:

Make your networking time more effective……

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 19:28:53 +0000

Most lawyers, accountants, financial planners, and other advisors who go to networking events and tradeshows tend to blend in with all the other lawyers, accountants, financial planners, et al.

How can we stand out, be remembered, provoke questions, and appeal to those who want a distinctive business advisor? You don’t have to change anything about you or even what you say.

This trick is so good, it’ll often relief the pressure of breaking the ice for you!

It’s simple. It takes less than 4 minutes.

First step, listen to the podcast. Next step, ask me any questions. Third step, use the podcast!

The BEST movie on {marketing} strategy I’ve seen..

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 21:32:46 +0000

Ever wonder how Bush won … “again”? No president has ever been re-elected with such low approval ratings. All it took was the right strategy… a new documentary DVD reveals how it happened through candid interviews from both sides.

Personal brand marketing strategy goes hand-in-hand with political campaign strategy!

In my audiobook INSTANT BUZZ, I actually reveal one of the most Influential books on the Bush campaign, as quoted by the RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman. It’s referenced by Matthew Dowd (Chief Strategist Bush 2004 Campaign) as he’s interviewed in this great interview-driven documentary:

In Fall 2006, film makers, James D. Stern & Adam Del Deo, released “…So Goes the Nation” through IFCfilms. It recently came out on DVD; watch it!! Study it!! And tell others… I think it’s the next best Secret. Last night, I saw the documentary three times in a row… including the directors’ behind-the-scenes commentary.

Sadly the DVD (and the trailer below) is packaged in typical “pro-liberal/anti-Bush” garb (obviously that didn’t stop me). But the movie is so much better than propaganda.

Camera crews {in typical realityTV form} follow 4 everyday campaigners through their trials and tribulations in the most pivotal state in the election (Ohio): 2 on the Kerry 2004 side, and 2 for the Bush Campaign 2004. As an activist who’s dedicated years to grassroots organizing, it was very reassuring to me.

While this narrative provided great suspense (even though we all know the ending), I loved the interviews: 8 TOP INSIDERS ON BOTH THE KERRY CAMPAIGN & THE BUSH CAMPAIGN GAVE CANDID INTERVIEWS on “What in the world were they thinking????”: ~1~ Mary Beth Cahill - Kerry Campaign Manager ~2~ Ken Mehlman - Bush 2004 Campaign Manager ~3~ Matthew Dowd - Chief Strategist Bush 2004 Campaign ~4~ Mark McKinnon - Media Director for Bush 2004 Campaign ~5~ Terry McAuliffe - Democratic National Committee Chairman ~6~ Tad Devine - Communications Director for Kerry Campaign ~7~ Ed Gillespie - Republican National Committee Chairman ~8~ Paul Begata - Clinton campaign advisor (former co-host of CNN CrossFire)

Both sides explore one of the most important marketing strategy decisions: PERSUASION or MOTIVATION? Which won?

Click to BUY THE DVDor visit the …So Goes the Nation movie website.

Documentary Trailer:

Listen to one of my favorite parts of “…So Goes the Nation” in my podcast. Mark McKinnon, Bush Media Strategist, describes how he set up Kerry to blunder!

~Watch ‘…So Goes the Nation’ & share it as a gift.

Anecdote: Financial planner defines his Community

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 06:17:30 +0000

In the attached podcast, I’m coming back from a 2nd meeting I had a with a financial planner… I recorded the Anecdote:

Adversity/Aspiration: The financial planner was going after the typical “wealthy business owner” market. He wanted to make his marketing efforts more effective. He knew his marketing wasn’t focused, but didn’t know exactly where to begin.

Advice/Actions: My podcast showcases how I started to help him explore & define the right target market Community. Listen how we’ve started to uncover the answers to these questions: 1) What are the common Demographics of your target market community? 2) What’s their mindset, Psycographics, symptoms, aspirations & adversities? 3) What are their common hobbies & Habits that exhibit their community belonging? 4) How does your community spend Money on complimentary & competitive products & services? 5) What are the names of the Clubs & media to which your community attend/subscribe? 6) What is your personal brand (rational & emotional) Appeal to this community?

Advantage/Achievement: ~ With one of my 45-minute exercises, the financial planner can now immediately differentiate himself from the vast competition. Of course, he’ll need to improve his specific expertise and competencies. And he should adapt the 6 Buzz Streams for this Community.

~ His name will immediately pop into the minds of his colleagues as they’re in front of the right people. They’ll know the two of them will connect well! And what Catchphrases to say to perk interest.

~ He can identify & focus on clever channels that pinpoint his community’s hobbies & habits. His marketing collaterals will immediately spark interest… with the right words, imagery, and anecdotes.

~ How else can a unified target market Community help?

Listen to the audio anecdote. Take the time to answer these 6 questions for yourself. Have you answered them correctly? I gave you a quick thumb-rule at the end of the audio. What’s your personal brand Appeal? Describe your unified target market Community in the comments.

Time management priority thumb-rule…

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 05:20:08 +0000

Last year I wrote a quick book, “101 Thumb-rules from the Top Business Advisors.” It works as a great Idea Journal. Moreover, it reminds us of many lessons we may know already — and those we can always work on. For example:

Want to manage your time better? Want to tackle your to-do list the right way? My podcast shares a pivotal thumb-rule is that often repeated by my father, and quoted by our clients.

BTW: There is a difference between a thumb-rule and a cliche… I cleared it up the audio.

Day-to-day printing stuck in the 20th century?

Vikram Rajan — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 04:48:37 +0000

I visit the offices of many business advisors. And very often I still see an inkjet shuffling out fuzzy flyers, makeshift brochures, etc. There is a better way to make D-I-Y marketing collaterals stand out. Like I summarize in the podcast, “it’s the little things that make a difference.”

Promote your Videos, beyond YouTube…

Vikram Rajan — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 03:23:53 +0000

On-line search (e.g, Google) have walloped Yellow Pages.

Free on-line classifieds (e.g., Craigslist) have walloped newspaper listings.

Blogs & podcasts (e.g., VikramRajan.com) are “democratizing” editorial & radio broadcast….

And D-I-Y video websites (e.g., YouTube) are beginning to take its punch at TV… “Viral videos” of stupid kids barely does it justice. Internet-based video is hot, here to stay, and is growing in popularity, relevance, and integrity. These sites offer you an opportunity to showcase your Personal Brand messages in vivid detail. While professional videographers & editors cannot be substituted, you can stay amateur and use many of these {marketing} channels for FREE….

Online Video Industry Index

Written by Emre Sokullu and edited by Richard MacManus

There are now so many companies vying to be the next YouTube, it’s easy to lose track of them all. So let’s take a look at the entire online video industry and categorize the major players. Our thanks to Ali Dagli of Savvian, for providing us a lot of the useful data listed here.

In this post we’ve summarized the latest video industry innovations under the following categories:

Video Sharing
Intermediaries
Video Search
Video eCommerce
Video Editing & Creation
Rich Media Advertising
P2P (Peer To Peer)
Video Streaming
Vlogosphere

Read the whole Index on this blog: Online Video Industry Index

Want to engage your audience more?

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:00:56 +0000

1) Want to ensure your brochure content explains benefits?

2) Need to make sure your prospects are engaged by your proposal?

3) Having trouble writing out an outline for your seminar?

4) Having trouble keeping your seminars interactive?

5) Want an easy way to come up with ideas for your blog posts, podcasts, & articles?

Would you believe my quick podcast answers all this?!

Sick of seeing the same folks at events?

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 23:49:06 +0000

I go to A LOT of networking events… through chambers, professional/trade groups, etc. If you don’t… you should: It’s a great way to not only prospect directly, but to develop a word-of-mouth referral network, and to add to your e-mail database.

Those of us who are active in our business community may become “sick and tired” of seeing “the same people” over and over again. First of all, we’re ‘obligated’ to say hi. And after I do, I tend to say, “Alright… we know each other, let’s meet some new people!”

But there’s another way to make the best of seeing familiar faces… as my podcast explains.

Come up higher in Google…

Vikram Rajan — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 17:08:35 +0000

There are 4 main ways to have your website rank higher in search results with Google, Yahoo, MSN, or AOL. These aren’t magic tricks, secrets, schemes, or trickery… it makes sense once you know what search engine “spiders” (like Googlebot) look for. We aren’t wizards or gurus… we manage specific controls, including:

#1) Have a lot of the right keywords within the tags & within the content on your website. Content should read naturally, yet be chock-full of relevant keywords; web content editors & consultants (ahem, ahem) can help you find the right balance.

Do not force it to happen; e.g., you may notice strings of keywords on the bottom of pages. Not only does it cheapen the look of your site, the evolving “organic” or “human language” search algorithms will roll their eyes at it as we do.

#2) My 2:54 minute podcast reveals another step you should take. Done well, it can even trump #1. The attached audio also offers you the quickest way to actually make use of the tip!

Do you know the right answer? Comment below. Why is {my podcast tip} considered so highly by search engines? What’s the logic?

Click to read the whole Intuit report on the Future of Small Business (pdf).

Intuit’s report: Future of Small Business

Vikram Rajan — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 03:22:23 +0000

Our 3rd annual “Your Vision: 2007!” workshop was a great success! (Missed it? We’re doing it AGAIN on March 9 at the AXA Building. The events calendar to the right will be updated soon!) Our wonderfully-inspired and energized crowd affirms what Intuit found…

I learned of Intuit’s study through Anita Campbell’s blog (under the ones I read). This is part 1 of Intuit’s study (in conjunction with the Orwellian-sounding “Institute for the Future”)… it basically justifies 3 familiar trends:

1) Greater Diversity – Including “Mompreneurs,” a rising trend in Baby Boomers, immigrants, and the kids of “Gen Y” are all getting into the game. Wow, I’m not an Other!

2) Rise of Personal Businesses — 20 million self-employed “free agents” and growing. So basically I have 20 million prospects; ready to leverage your personal brand?

3) Entrepreneurial Education Grows – It’s growing in k-12 schools, undergrad, grad, and most importantly trade schools. Unfortunately this means more competition for our MAESTRO Business Academy. Luckily, we actually help you implement what you learn!

No time to blog, eh?

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 04:21:55 +0000

Blogs give experts, advisors, and other professionals an easy way to record our thoughts and slowly build up our catalog of intellectual property… it’s also a quick way to produce value-added materials for our clients, prospects, referral partners, friends, etc.

Blogging sounds good in theory, until we have to actually sit down and type everyday… over and above our e-mails and other work!

What if we could blog throughout the day… in the nooks and crannies of our day? ..As simply as leaving ourselves a voicemail? Well, that’s what I wanted to do:

So I figured out how to do it… for free: My audio speaks to the power of putting Podbean & Gabcast together. And from now on, you’ll hear my frequent musings & tidbits — more consistently — leading up to an audio-book like INSTANT BUZZ.

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-df561cda650ca918d172518c96d99d5d}

Marketing with CURRENCY

Vikram Rajan — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 00:10:16 +0000

If you’re not marketing with Currency, then your marketing dollars & energy are working harding than it needs to. Find out what Currency is all about in this 3:41 minute un-abridged INTRODUCTION of the audio-book INSTANT BUZZ: 6 Free Ways to Keep ‘em Talking about You… and get more referrals.