Posts tagged as:

GrowSmartBiz

Are Keynotes Necessary?

by Daria Steigman on January 10, 2011

Jessica Hibbard, who’s organizing a February conference in Frederick, posed the following question on Twitter the other day:

At a conference, how important is the keynote address? Do we have keynotes because they’re essential, or because we’ve always had them?

My initial response:

A little of both. They’re only essential if they rock and/or have a rock star to draw participants. So many end up duds.

I added that I’d rather see more networking or additional content sessions. Beth Schillaci added that she’s “skipped many a keynote.” Others also chimed in, and most were lukewarm on keynotes. Which really begs the question of why so many conferences include them.

A case in point: At GrowSmartBiz in 2009, the keynoters were Chris Anderson and Mark Warner. They (okay, Anderson) attracted me to the conference. Both were terrific. In 2010, the GrowSmartBiz keynoter was SBA Deputy Administrator Marie Johns–in a city where government officials are a nickel a dozen. Johns’ remarks were relevant–but she was clearly giving her usual speech. And she wasn’t drawing a crowd.

Case in point 2: I’ll be blogging at What’s Next DC in a couple of weeks. The conference is set up as a series of presentations. Sure the first one is Hubspot founder Brian Halligan. But he’s “Act 1: Foundation,” and not a keynoter. There’s an Act 2 (and 3, and 4…). All the speakers are given equal weight, and the program is the draw.

What’s your take? Are keynotes necessary?

Photo by Beau Giles (Flickr).

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Buzz and the Art of Innovation

by Daria Steigman on November 11, 2010

Innovation, Social Media, GrowSmartBiz | Independent Thinking | Steigman Communications, llcYou couldn’t have a GrowSmartBiz* conference in 2010 without talking about social media, innovation, and the role of buzz in your marketing arsenal. And the panel at last Friday’s conference didn’t disappoint, offering good insights and smart tips:

  • Jason Falls suggested that the best innovation might be to “simplify our thinking” and go back to having a small business, small town mindset. He pointed out that people don’t do business with Allstate, but with Shirley; they don’t buy a car from Ford or GM, but from Tom. Falls also talked about blogging with purpose, noting that “if your Web site shows up [in search results] and you solve someone’s problem, you [both] win.”
  • Praba Murugaiah emphasized the importance of identifying your high-value customers. (Think, for example, of Sprint, which fired 1,000 customers who were using a disproportionately high percentage of the company’s customer service resources.)
  • Jeremy Epstein said that businesses need to be more concerned with the implications of various tools (i.e., how might I implement a blogging strategy?) than with the tools themselves. He also noted that, in thinking about how small businesses can cost-effectively get the word out, “viral is the effect, not the cause.” And he offered a terrific tip for small businesses: A flip cam (or your smartphone) can be a great customer relationship tool. His advice: talk to your customers and put the videos up on YouTube. Even if no one else sees them, they will. (And most customers will tell their family, friends, and colleagues.)
  • Duncan Alney said that your content strategy must be focused on  what your customers, clients, and prospects think is important (and not just what you think matters). He also had perhaps my favorite line from the conference, noting that social media usage is not age-based but rather reflected in a “mindset generation.”

Were you at GrowSmartBiz? What takeaways would you add?

*Disclosure: Comped admission; but choice to blog and what to write about are all me.

Photo by Shashi Bellamkonda, Social Media Swami, Network Solutions (Flickr).

Have you signed up to receive the Independent Thinking newsletter? Now’s the time! Once a month I’ll send you exclusive, subscriber-only content highlighting interesting articles I’ve found, as well as tips on marketing, social media, and how to grow your business. Sign up today!

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Why Customer Service is the New Marketing

by Daria Steigman on November 9, 2010

Customer Service, GrowSmartBiz | Independent Thinking | Steigman Communications, llc

BAM--Bust a Myth. From Barry Moltz's GrowSmartBiz presentation on customer service as a competitive business asset.

“You need to deliver outstanding customer service or die,” said Barry Moltz at GrowSmartBiz.* His point: that new consumer attitudes in the wake of the economic downturn, coupled with changes in technology and “faux personalization” (think Amazon) are forcing companies to differentiate more than ever based on how we interact with our clients, customers, and prospects.

Moltz’s presentation focused on six key steps that businesses can take to put in place customer-service-focused operations:

  1. Bust the myths (e.g., that the customer is always right, that unhappy customers are a part of doing business, that price is the only deciding factor, and more).
  2. Tackle the blockers (i.e., recognize the challenges and put in place smart strategies to address them).
  3. Define customer service (don’t ask “How can I help y0u?” but instead “How can I make your day better?”).
  4. Quantify the value of customer service (including the revenue a customer brings in and when it comes it, the cost of that customer, the cost of retention, referrals and buzz, and the customer’s brand).
  5. Create a customer manifesto.
  6. Get feedback.

Regarding feedback, Moltz suggested that you only need to ask four questions: (1) Why did you choose to do business with us? (2) Did anyone do a particularly good job or bad job of servicing you? (3) Do you plan to use us in the future? and (4) Can you tell us any friends or associates who may be interested in using our service?

Anything you would add?

*Disclosure: Comped admission; but choice to blog and what to write about are all me.

Photo by Shashi Bellamkonda, Social Media Swami, Network Solutions (Flickr).

Have you signed up to receive the Independent Thinking newsletter? Now’s the time! Once a month I’ll send you exclusive, subscriber-only content highlighting interesting articles I’ve found, as well as tips on marketing, social media, and how to grow your business. Sign up today!

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SBA’s Johns on “3 Cs,” New Loans for Entrepreneurs

by Daria Steigman on November 8, 2010

Business, Entrepreneurship, GrowSmartBiz | Independent Thinking | Steigman Communications, llcAt Friday’s GrowSmartBiz* conference, SBA Deputy Administrator Marie Johns talked about her agency’s “3Cs” and highlighted new legislative help for small business owners.

Talking about the 3Cs, Johns said that the Small Business Administration focuses on:

  • Contracting (helping small businesses get government contracts).
  • Capital (notably partial guarantees on small business loans).
  • Counseling (through a network of resource partners, including SCORE).

Johns also highlighted some key provisions of the new Small Business Jobs Act. Most notable for many independents and (truly) small business owners are (1) 100 percent deductibility of health care costs, and (2) an increase in the size of microloans for entrepreneurs (from $35,000 to $50,000).

Also of note: SBA is unveiling a redesigned Web site on November 16. One look at the current site will tell you why this is a very good idea.

*Disclosure: Comped admission; but choice to blog and what to write about are all me.

Photo by Shashi Bellamkonda, Social Media Swami, Network Solutions (Flickr).

Have you signed up to receive the Independent Thinking newsletter? Now’s the time! Once a month I’ll send you exclusive, subscriber-only content highlighting interesting articles I’ve found, as well as tips on marketing, social media, and how to grow your business. Sign up today!

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Do You Work the Room?

by Daria Steigman on October 5, 2009

Opportunity KnocksOne of my favorite reasons for attending a conference is the opportunity to meet new people and expand my community.

At last week’s GrowSmartBiz conference, Washington Business Journal‘s Alex Orfinger asked for a show of hands as to who sat with someone they didn’t know at lunch. About two-thirds of the hands went up.

What were the rest of the people doing there?

Photo by The Shifted Librarian (Flickr).

Have you signed up to receive the Independent Thinking newsletter? Now’s the time! Once a month I’ll send you exclusive, subscriber-only content highlighting interesting articles I’ve found, as well as tips on marketing, social media, and how to grow your business. Sign up today!

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