Monday, September 29, 2008

Being Irrational

In a recent post by Seth Godin he talks about being "irrationally committed".

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/09/irrationally-co.html

I translate that to mean - you sometimes have to be a little crazy to succeed. I think that really applies to small business. You have to be willing to take that one-more-punch. You have to be so "committed", that many people will probably think you are irrational.

But that is what separates the greats from the also-rans.

Your choice

Your Choice
Some people tell you if you to go into your own business just for the money (scratch), it’s unrewarding. I disagree. If that is your only motivation, and you handle yourself ethically, I say, go for it. If making money in your own business turns you on, and that is all you want out of your business, I have no problem with it - as long as it does not hurt someone along the way. It’s your business! And it’s your first real decision. I actually think going into business just for the money is a fine decision. Money moves your world. You can do more of what you want with money and you can help a lot more people if you have money. Plus, if you’re going to spend eight to 16 hours of your waking day working, you better be well compensated.
That being said, it does indeed feel good to know that you have helped someone, or a large group of people, with something you helped them get. I like that feeling too.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Five tips you can use to improve your marketing message

I am often asked how to structure and position marketing material to get people to buy. One way: People need to see what’s in the deal for them.
Nobody is going to buy because:
YOU have been in business for 30 years.
YOU have won, Best Dealer of the Year five years in a row.
YOU have more satisfied customers than anyone (so says YOU).

Nobody cares how what you did for somebody else helped you. People want to know how what you offer is going to help them get what they want. Period.

Your prospects need to know you understand them. That you understand their needs and wants well enough that you don’t even have to talk about the features of your product or service. But rather, what that product or service will do for them.

It all starts with a conversation or a marketing message. Here five tips you can use to help turn a prospect into a customer. They work because you speak their internal language and talk to them on an individual level.

Benefits not Features – People don’t want to hear you have a new, innovative tire with inner protection. They want to hear that your new tires have an inner ring of protection that if it get a flat, keeps the car (and the kids in car) moving straight on the street, rather than flying into a ditch or head on into another car.

Talk personally – If possible try to use the person’s first name in your message. People love the sound of their name and will pay more attention to your message if you “talk” to them using their name. And make the tone of your message conversational; like you were talking to a friend of 20 years.

Focus on one thing – You probably have more than one thing to sell. But don’t try to sell everything in one letter just to save money. You may miss some sales because what you are selling in that message doesn’t apply to that person at that particular time. However, your message is targeted and if you get the prospect’s interest, they will think you are talking directly to them. It allows them to focus.

Testimonials – Self praise is not recommendation. While people do care about what’s in it for them, most also do not want to be pioneers. Try to get a satisfied customer (or more) to give you a written testimonial. They are worth their weight in gold – to you.

Be a problem solver – Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and think about how much better you would feel after using your product. They bought it because it solved a need or a want for them. Think about the end result your product or service will achieve for your customer.

These tips are small but powerful. I hope by implementing them in your message, they bring you much success.

All the best,


Louie Bernstein

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Press Release - eBook

Press Release:

How To Start A Business From Scratch…Without Having Any.

Local business veteran writes Interactive eBook on starting and growing a business with little or no money.

Norcross, Ga – Louie Bernstein, founder and CEO of MindIQ, an Atlanta Technology company since 1986, has released a new, Interactive eBook, How To Start A Business From Scratch…Without Having Any.

“After running a company for 22+ years you learn a lot and have a lot of tips from that experience to share. I just wish I had something like this when I was starting out”, said Louie Bernstein. The interactive eBook covers topics from, making sure you have the right stuff, to choosing a business, to hiring employees and everything in between.

How To Start A Business From Scratch…Without Having Any includes:
- Videos
- Tips
- Resources
- Reader Question and Answer
- Some really humorous stories.

There are more than 200 million people worldwide who, for whatever reason, either hate their job or worry about being fired. This eBook is meant for those people.

How To Start A Business From Scratch…Without Having Any includes the following topics:
Chapter 1: Do You Have What it Takes?
Chapter 2: Getting started – How to Choose a Business
Chapter 3: The Right Tools
Chapter 4: Your Web Site
Chapter 5: Marketing
Chapter 6: Sales
Chapter 7: Negotiating
Chapter 8: Bankers, Lawyers and Accountants
Chapter 9: Employees – “If” You Have to Have Them
Chapter 10: Internet Marketing
Chapter 11: When It All Hits the Fan
Chapter 12: A Business Plan and Investors
Chapter 13: Conclusion, or Just The Beginning?
Just for Reference


“People who are worried about losing their job and want to be prepared or are just ready to make the switch, would learn quite a bit from this eBook,” says Mike Kelly, CEO of MitchellsAbrasives.com. “I’ve been in business a long time and I even learned some valuable things.”

“The cool thing about an eBook is that you can include videos, training courses, sound files, etc. And you have can have a new release in the readers “hands” within minutes. We have taken advantage of all of that”, says Bernstein. “I think it will really change the way people read. Just look where Amazon is headed with their Kindle product.”

There is a list of free resources included with the eBook and can be found at
www.sales-getter.com.


Louie Bernstein started MindIQ, a 2002 Inc.500 winner, representing America's fastest growing privately held companies and has been included in the 2005 Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) Top 40 Innovative Technology companies in the state.

Press contact phone number: 770-349-3256
Press contact email: Louie@sales-getter.com
Company website: www.sales-getter.com



Sunday, September 21, 2008

Paying yourself

I realized in this release of "How To Start A Business From Scratch...Without Having Any", I forgot to include a section on paying yourself. I will fix that in the next release.

Here is a good article I found.
http://www.startups.co.uk/6678842907564006694/paying-yourself.html

Friday, September 19, 2008

Blogging for backlinks - and knowledge!

I was looking to learn more about blogging when I stumbled upon a free tool called Comment Kahuna. www.kahunaware.com. It finds blogs that are in your search terms and allows you to post to the blogs. The key is to get backlinks to your site and that is great. But, as a byproduct, I learned a ton from other peoples blogs. It is a great tool to help you navigate the blog world.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

New eBook is out!!



My new eBook, "How To Start A Business From Scratch...Without Having Any", is out.
It contains:
- Videos
- Downloads
- Resources
- Tips
- And really humorous stories.

You can check it out at www.sales-getter.com