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

Is Social Media a Fad? - Social Networking Workshop Part II

In part II of my Social Networking Workshop, I cover the key question that small and medium businesses have on social networking (see my previous post).  They include: Is social media a fad?  Will it take too much time?  Does it matter?  These slides address some of those questions and I speak to those points and walk the attendees through exercises to apply the fit check for their business.Snsb section july 30 section ii

Please note that, unfortunately the SlideShare widget, strips out some of the embedded media and links.  There are two key videos that I share that you should spend the time to watch to better understand this matter.  The first is  Is Social Media a Fad?

The second video is by Seth Godin answering the question about Is Social Media right for Small Business. Seth really explains the difference between "friends" and "real relationships" and how the latter is what can drive your business.

Parts III - V will be posted in coming days.  If you would like to book Bret to present a workshop on social media and networking or provide consulting to your business, contact him here.

So, what do you think about Social Media? What's been your experience?  Please add a comment.

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Step 2 in the 5 Step Selling Success Cycle - Prospecting

We are pleased to share the slides from Step 2 of the Selling Success Cycle - Prospecting - How to fill your Sales Funnel. This is excerpted from a Workshop presented recently to 50 entrepreneurs -largely services, retail and some small-scale manufacturing - in B.C., Canada as part of a program supporting self-employment. The Workshop's goals were to:

• anchor a sales process
• develop their selling skills
• help them view "selling" in a fresh, positive way
  
• give them resources to apply to their businesses
  
• entertain and create interaction and networking to better retention

5 Step Selling Success Cycle Step 2 Prospecting Bret Conkin July 31 2009

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In every case, it is very rewarding to learn about the exciting new businesses being nurtured or the innovative ideas being launched or readied for market. Some keys to the prospecting step included how to best approach your database, the art of networking, how to produce an introductory letter or email and an example of Tony Robbins to make the key point of why people buy. I had the pleasure of collaborating with Tony for a major event in Vancouver a few years back and he is a master of delivering sales because of his understanding of the 2 reasons people buy: 1. to impact how they feel and 2. to find a solution to a problem.

We expect some big things out of the most recent session -from exciting new golf clothing to helmet cams to organic farming and much more!

While we were in-doors the day before a long week-end, on a sultry summer day and surrounded by forest fire smoke from a fire up in Whistler the attendees were very involved and asked great questions. Thank you for the positive feedback and we look forward to connecting again with any of you we can support!

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.

3 Keys to Hiring Top People - Success Snack with Robin Chakrabarti of Boston Pizza

One of the true keys to small business success is hiring top people. This applies to partners, suppliers, staff and anyone else that supports you.

Tune into this Success Snack with Robin Chakrabarti, former VP with Boston Pizza, as he shares 3 keys to Hiring Top People. The second in our series of Success Snacks produced for fundfindr.tv.