What’s the difference between

Baking a Cake & Making a Business?

Nothing and everything!! Allow me to explain. Let’s say you want to make a great cake, and you’re already to go. You’ve got the cake recipe, you’ve got all the right ingredients, but instead of putting the frosting on last, you put the frosting on first and place that in the oven.

Howz that cake working out for you?

You see, you can have everything right and ready to make a cake and be JUST ONE STEP OFF AND it’s a whole new game (translated-your results will suck). I see that same thinking in many start-up or emerging businesses today. I look at the business and ask, “Why are you putting the frosting on your business now”? You haven’t even blended the batter. The eggs are still in the frig etc. From working with thousands of entrepreneurs over the years, I have seen several mistakes happen over and over again.  Because I see these mistakes repeatedly, I just want to throw out some simple step by step stuff here that can really help save you time and money in your business NOW.

Too many business start-ups and emerging companies never reach their initial vision / goal of where they think they can go because of THE SAME REASON, what is it?

They fail to find out if they even have a viable business to start with! 

Ok, so you wake up and you HAVE THIS GREAT IDEA and now you’re going to start a new business. You’re getting the “right people on your bus” (http://www.jimcollins.com/author of “Good to Great”), raising any required start-up capital, and executing on what you think is going to make you the next millionaire next door.   

STOP RIGHT NOW!

Before you go any further, do this. Find EXACTLY 12 people that honestly care about you

AND could use your service or product

AND could buy it if they wanted to right now for what your terms and conditions are for a sale.

(NOTE) If you can’t find 12 people that really care about you, you may want to work on your people skills a wee bit before you build your business

NOW, just ask them this ONE SIMPLE QUESTION:

I am starting a new company and I will be selling cat juggling equipment at a better price than anyone out there. What would STOP A GUY / GAL LIKE YOU FROM BUYING IT FROM ME when I am ready to sell it to you in 3 weeks?

If more than half of the twelve (that would be 7 for the math challenged) close friends begin their objections with a shopping list the size of my 5 year old daughter’s Christmas list of all reasons why they won’t buy it from you, it’s NOT ready to launch. No need for Madison Avenue market research here. These are your closest sphere of influence, and they will most likely tell it like it is. Don’t try and explain why it’s the best cat juggling equipment, how you lose less cats than your competitors, how it’s PETA-approved, and how cats everywhere would prefer to be juggled my you and your equipment. It may be as simple your idea is JUST NOT AS HOT AS YOU THINK!

This is just one VERY SIMPLE way to say that you will be testing your product or service to see if you can sell it at the price at which you can be profitable. So here’s my process and counsel to those that ask me.

New Idea Action Steps:
1. Create your strategic plan, not necessarily a business plan, but a plan that says: here’s what we’re doing, here’s how we’re doing it, here’s why we’re doing it, and here’s who were doing it with.
2. Test market your product or service to prove it will sell. Ask yourself these three questions to really know whether you’re even close:

A.     Am I solving a BIG problem for a lot of people?

B.      Does this problem have a lot of PAIN associated with it, and if they do NOT get my service or product, will their PAIN continue?

C.      Am I positioned as one of the best possible people to solve this problem for them?

If you come out of that “A.B.C. filter” not looking good or not feeling good, and the twelve people you told about your new business reacted like you were trying to recruit them for al-Qaida, you may want to rethink your new hot company. Don’t you know enough people that love you enough to tell you the truth? Don’t’ hate the messenger BUT value the message, this one could save you tons of time and money.

For further information about this author or his marketing strategies and tactics, email Michael Besson at Michael@MichaelBesson.com. Michael Besson is the founder of www.eBizChanger.com  and Innovative Business Group in Las Vegas Nevada.

He can also be found at www.MichaelBesson.com. Michael Besson has been serving start up and emerging company clients delivering bleeding-edge online & offline marketing, strategic planning and business development consulting services since 1994.

Great Copy = Great Business

How you write your copy matters more than you think…

Great Copy equals Great Math, or at least it should. Stick with me on this for a minute and I’ll show you how basic math equals good copy. Most people think compelling, exciting, colorful, thought provoking and action-taking copy are all things you want to put behind your web site right?

Well, maybe.

Years ago I wrote a master thesis on MBO (management by objective) so what’s the objective of your copy? Obviously its design is to capture the minds of the readers and convert them into customers; but there’s much more. When A LARGE number of readers read your material online, good things happen.

Like……..             

Aren’t you just trying to make sure all those crazy search engine analytics find you no matter what, in no small part because of lots of readers? So let’s break this down to simple math. As founder of a very aggressive online marketing firm eBizChanger.com, I think it’s all about the math.

ADD personalization: tell your story the way only you know how

PLUS:  present a BIG problem with a lot of pain

(like writing your own copy when you have ebizChanger)

PLUS:  sharing the PAIN of missing out on your offer

PLUS:  attaching a powerful positive emotion to your message

PLUS:  colorful and creative explanations of your product or service

PLUS:  knowing the search engine criteria that finds you first

PLUS:  everything that happens originates off your copy page

that brings people there

Got it yet?

Great copy used to be on the page of a given periodical, but now, you have to realize the multiplicity of mediums with which it may be shared.  Hence the MATH PROBLEM. Online copywriting has traditionally been about writing web page copy that makes sure every word you write “with real meaning” has certain frequencies and densities.

That’s still true but you need to know something ON TOP OF THE MATH before you begin.

If you ever liked Chubby Checker, you’ll love this because the latest search engine algorithms have yet a new twist. What is the new twist? It’s all about the trust and authority of your domain. That means what other people think about you actually DOES MATTER ONLINE! In fact the words they use to describe YOU matters far more about the quality and relevance of your site than virtually anything else.

Cutting edge research shows that almost 85% of what determines how a web page is ranked in most search engine modalities is based on things that happen off your site. Online marketing industry leader eBizchanger.com says most of the work they do is in the area outside of the web site client itself.

The trust and authority of your domain, the link popularity of the specific page, and the anchor text of incoming links to the page are huge factors that will make or break you in how you rank.

With today’s blogging and Web 2.0 social media tools, more people than ever are able to cast their vote on what really matters TO THEM by linking to it, bookmarking it and tweeting it. Modern SEO is all about crafting content so compelling that other people want to make note of it by linking back to you. All that simply means is that it increases your trust and authority which attracts more links to your pages.  

Your GOAL OF COURSE SHOULD BE to rank well for very specific keywords.

Once you understand the things that really make a difference when it comes to POWER DRIVEN CONTENT, you’ll better understand THE BIGGEST SECRET OF ALL.

That is what people find compelling is the same thing search engines are looking for.

Do your math and win the game.

For further information about online marketing strategies and tactics, email Michael Besson at Michael@MichaelBesson.com. Michael Besson is the founder of www.eBizChanger.com and Innovative Business Group in Las Vegas Nevada and can be found at www.MichaelBesson.com . He serves start up and emerging company clients delivering bleeding edge online & offline marketing, strategic planning and business development consulting services since 1994.

ARE TOUGH TIMES THE BEST THING IN LIFE?

It’s 5:05 AM in Las Vegas right now and just I woke up with a concept that I believe can change “virtually everything in your life”. My business partner Dick Rogers shared one of his business philosophies with me the other day in a way that put my mind into “brain hum” mode. For me that means mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, something very cool is percolating. I just realized IT’S WAY BIGGER THAN JUST BUSINESS. Here’s what he said.

TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES show you the "flaws" in your business model..

This simple but profound thought kept going through my mind over and over again until “suddenly” it hit me in a way that I needed to add some “Besson-isms” to it, write a blog and share with the world..

The way I see it, it’s entirely possible that this thought could go to a completely new level with just a little bit of spice. (Reinventing things is a bad habit of mine) Here are some of my new Besson-isms around that thinking; I hope you enjoy reading them half as much as I do writing them.

Besson-isms 101

TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES show you the "FLAWS" in your business model..

Great entrepreneurs, adjust their course during tough economic times and prevail.. They seek knowledge, learn or get new insights anyway they can and then adjust their business model..

Lousy entrepreneurs adjust their stories and excuses and those stories and excuses prevail instead. They get that information anyway they can too..

TOUGH TIMES SHOW you the "FLAWS" in your Marriage

Great people, adjust their course when they see their flaws, work on their personal character issues and prevail.. They get new insights anyway they can and adjust their life so that their marriage is strengthened by the experience…

Less than Great People, adjust their stories and excuses and those stories and excuses prevail instead. They get that information anyway they can too.. Usually it comes to them in the form of gossipers and other people who’ve lived through broken relationships but “increased their level of excuse making” instead of their character.  So which do you want, better excuses or better insights that lead to success?

TOUGH TIMES SHOW you the "FLAWS" in your level of skill and abilities

Great people, adjust their course when they see their lack of skills or knowledge; they increase the level of their own skills and abilities and then prevail.. They get new insights anyway they can and become “life-long-learners”

Less than Great People, adjust their stories and excuses and those prevail instead. They get that information anyway they can too..  You’ll hear them say the company’s laying people off or the wrong person is in office or you name it. They’ll say anything and everything but the right thing. The right thing is I am going to INCREASE my level of skill and ability no matter what it takes and I am going to be successful.. What would happen if you increase your “value” to your company so much that you are the last one they would consider laying off?  You can’t control the economy.  You can control your value.

TOUGH TIMES IN RELATIONSHIPS show you the "FLAWS" in your COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Great people, adjust their course when they realize their communication skills are lacking; then they work on their personal communication skills and prevail.. They get new insights anyway they can and adjust their life so that their relationships are strengthened by the experience… Here’s a GREAT INSIGHT FOR YOU in that regard.

We are biologically predisposed to “fill in the blanks” with the “chatter in our heads” (these are our own stories and backgrounds regardless of what is being said to us) whenever we listen to someone speak. Chew on that one a while and it’ll separate your head from your shoulders!

Less than Great People, adjust their stories and excuses and those stories and excuses prevail instead. They get that information to justify their “puny thinking” anyway they can too.. Usually it comes to them in the form of inaccurate chatter in their own heads replaying what they think the other person said instead of patiently working through what was really said until they truly do understand the other person’s position. Think of it this way, when speaking to someone, it matters more what they are able to “listen” than what you said.

It doesn’t mean you agree with that person, but it does mean that you understand them.. This is another place where less then great people “increase the level of their excuse making” instead increasing their communication skill.

I could go on and on here and apply this to your health, your emotional IQ, or your parenting but I think you get the point. Instead of settling for less than this life has to offer, GO INCREASE YOUR ABILITIES in EVERY AREA YOU NEED increase. When you do, you’ll wake up with the quality of life that will astound you. I just did, and it’s only 5:32 AM!

But hey, in way of full disclosure, I’m just a guy that is still “working on his own things”, but it’s still much   better than it’s ever been before. Are you in the “increase” game?