Social Media 101 Small Business Panel -Squamish Oct. 27th

Social Networking Simplified - A Small Business Primer - Part I

Simplifying Social Networking for Small Business Part I

Here is Part I of the recent workshop done in Squamish for 50 entrepreneurs.  The response was very positive and I look forward to the upcoming one-on-one consulting sessions.

Unfortunately this widget from Slideshare tends to mess with some of the formatting.  That said, hope you find it useful.
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Where do I start with Social Networking?

This is the common question seasoned and new entrepreneurs are asking as they consider jumping on the Social media Bandwagon.  Barraged with news reports and friends talking about Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, small businesses feel like they should be active in social media.

The big barrier is their concern about the time investment to both learn about and execute social media and, most importantly, what to do.  As I consult to and present workshops on the subject here is some of the advice I share with them.  Hope this may be helpful to you too.

The number one mistake made is to jump right into the tactics.  To decide that all of a sudden you are going to blog, tweet or make someone the mayor on Foursquare.  This is folly unless you frame your action by considering your marketing strategy first!

• Who is your primary audience?
• Are they likely to be found on social media?
• What content can you share that would create connection and engage them?
• Who are the key influencers in the social media channels for your niche?
• Do you understand the fundamentals of social media so you can be efficient?   Like tools that publish your content across multiple channels,  or the right frequency to optimize SEO?
• What are the advantages of social networking and social media vs. traditional interruption marketing?     

These are some of the key questions that must be asked to make your time investment worthwhile.  Remember, even if you decide not to jump on the bandwagon, that doesn't mean that your prospects and customers are not talking about you or the problems you can solve!  

Look for my presentation slides from the workshops I have been doing in Squamish for Howe Sound entrepreneurs in a future post.  In the meantime, start to listen and learn by checking out your competitor's social media activity (start with a search on Twitter or Facebook) and by following some key voices that matter in your area of business online.  There are a wealth of resources that just might make your business more successful and sociable!   

5 Simple Steps to Small Biz Sales Success

I recently had the pleasure of facilitating a half-day workshop, Simple Steps for Sales Success, in Squamish, BC with 13 up and coming entrepreneurs. And contrary to Dilbert's sentiment here, small businesses typically either does both sales and marketing among their many hats (so they avoid this rivalry) or at a certain scale, they may bring in some expert help.

In fact, after leading many sessions like this, I was very impressed by the Howe Sound participants innovation and drive for their ventures which spanned organic farming, graphic design, art, daycare, accupunture, photography and a few others.

The workshop was sponsored by Community Futures Howe Sound and firstly, I have to say that the CF team - Nicole, Megan and Sandra - was outstanding in terms of their program development, support and resources made available for the participants. Great to see this type of support for small business.

Simple Steps To Sales Success Step 1 Bret Conkin Rii Play.Tv July 2009

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The topic was on Sales for Small Business and I presented our 5 Step Cycle for Sales Success. Step 1 is all about the foundation including a clear definition of your USP, or Unique Selling Proposition. Based on request, I am sharing excerpts of it on our blog and on Slideshare, to benefit a wider audience. You can see the Introduction and Step 1 by clicking above. Enjoy and please feel free to comment.

The 3 little pigs, Rodney Dangerfield and Squamish's Chief all weigh in on how to best create a plan and strategy for your small business. What can you learn from Rodney? No, not the pigs with the brick house....

I will be doing a second session on July 31st and will cover Step 1 including measurement, goal-setting, the difference between marketing and sales (as explained by Dilbert and others!) and riiPlay.tv's Selling Success Cycle.

If you would like to find out more, hold a workshop for your Chamber of Commerce or small business members or you are a small business wanting to improve your sales, please contact me via info@riiplay.tv!

New Workshops in July - Simple Steps to Selling Success

Leading some workshops for Small Business in Squamish in July for Community Futures. Going to share simple steps and resources on selling success for these new entrepreneurs. Looking forward to it! Here's an overview:

Simple Steps to Sales Success - Small steps can deliver dramatic sales results for small business even in turbulent times. You don’t need to be an experienced seller. You do need to know how to turn suspects into prospects, how to help people buy and how to earn the right to close. This interactive workshop covers key steps - prospecting, presenting and closing - to arm you with practical skills and resources to apply to your business. Learn about top mistakes like failing to pre-empt objections and secrets like how feedback loops create raving fans from some unexpected sources like Don Cherry and Rodney Dangerfield.

Interested in sharing this workshop with your team, membership or association or other educational programs on marketing, social media and technology? Please contact us for more details @ info@riiplay.tv.