Karen Armon of www.marketoneexecutive.com has a new book just released on the 9^th of June. She presented last night to our Colorado FENG chapter a presentation called Market Your Potential, Not Your Past. I had some dialogue about online visibility with several people afterwards.

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As a co-chair of the local Financial Executive’s Networking Group chapter, I felt some elaboration might benefit my friends on Resource Nation.

Google yourself. Put your name in quotes, e.g. “marty koenig” so it searches on the whole phrase. I get 491 hits, and 6 of the 10 the top organic search responses are me on the first page.

Page 1 6/10 (my LinkedIn profile is at the top this morning)
Page 2 8/10
Page 3 3/10
Page 4 6/10
Page 5 4/10

54% of 5 pages of search results are yours truly. Not bad. What do you think a potential client/customer/vendor/employer perceives when they google someone with results like mine and looks at some of the pages? It’s not hard to get a pretty quick read.

Next I try “marty koenig” denver with these results:

39 hits. Not a rock star, but hey, I’m THERE.

Page 1 10/10
Page 2 9/10
Page 3 10/10
Page 4 6/9

90% of search results are yours truly. If I search on Martin Koenig, I get around 2% return on the first 5 pages, and over total 20K hits. That’s why I use Marty Koenig because there are fewer competitors for search results.

Summary of interesting findings….use these as examples for you to pump up your googleness:

• Reuters / Business Wire picked up an article about the recent Colorado Capital Conference 20 Year Rockies Venture Club anniversary to which I presented on a panel.
• O’Reilly Media picked up a book review I did in 1993 for a trade magazine publisher for which I used to write a monthly column.
• Denver Post picked up my name for our CO FENG meetings, and they even have a “Buy Now” button linked to our reservation system. All our posted events are there (I better get our upcoming presenters updated). http://calendar.denverpost.com/denver-co/events/show/81408900-co-feng-july-2008-meeting-extreme-linkedin-for-executives Feel free to go there and write a review.
• eWeek Microsoft Watch response to an article in March ‘07 The Dynamics of QuickBooks and Great Plains

So, why should you care if you have online hits in your name?

What does a new customer think when they google you, especially if you don’t show up on the first three pages? What does an angel investor or VC think? What does the hedge fund manager or private equity investor think of you, after you set up an appointment with him and he googles you? If you are competing for a contract against another firm, and the other CEO has a 50% hit rate, who’s going to be perceived a better executive? Who would you want to do business with? Are you portraying a “Luxury” vs. “Commodity” Viewpoint? (Karen’s words). Are you pursuing an Active Marketing Strategy? Do you have a National Presence? If your name is “John Smith”, you’re not going to be so distinct. (over 6 million hits). So try “John A. Smith” denver. If you have a common name, like Bruce M. Allen indicated to me last night in our conversation, you have to have more content out there with your name on it, to increase the likelihood of the search results actually being your content.

Your next customer or investor or employee or vendor will google your name and your company. Have you done that lately?

In line with Karen Armon’s 12 Desired Executive Capabilities, here are my Top 12 items to make you more visible online. Make these part of your system and you’ll enhance your ability to Market Your Potential.

1. Do some research like above, and see what your best signature should be for the largest, fastest growth trajectory on results. If you are Jane Gould, you might consider using Jane M. Gould in all your online content. If you are Jane M. Gould in Denver and google returns zero results, then you’ve got work to do. Our B2B CFO® Founder and CEO always uses Jerry L. Mills and he gets 7/10 on the first page. If I add CPA to the search, he gets 10/10 on the first page and 22/23 total.
2. Create a good LinkedIn profile. Setup a new, separate personal email address for this. If you are not sure how to do that, take a webinar or class from Integrated Alliances. I did. That’s why I have a great LinkedIn profile that shows up at the top of search results. That’s also why I have 2,400+ first tier contacts in my LinkedIn network.
3. When you read an interesting article online, look at the bottom, under the article. Most now have the comment feature. Use it. Show your opinions and passion about things, but don’t get too outrageous. Make sure you put your name (I always use Marty Koenig, never Martin Koenig). I always write responses in a word processor program, spell check, re-read then copy and paste into the text box on the website.
4. Write an online review of a meeting you liked. Be sure and add your consistent signature.
5. Go to meetup.com and join some groups. I joined a dozen or so but have only had time to engage in several. Many of my google results are the bios I added to these groups. Google seems to like them. Be careful not to join political or religious or other meetups that others might perceive wrong.
6. Karen says to figure out numerous ways to increase your word of mouth buzz. Once you have a nice LinkedIn profile, ask people you know for recommendations on LinkedIn. Sign up for Twitter and hook up with other important people. You’d be surprised how many stars of the business world are using it now. Each person that follows you and that you follow will give you a search result.
7. Find a relevant book, go on Amazon and write a review. Put your full name and location so everyone knows it’s you.
8. Offer to write articles for a trade magazine in your industry or craft. For five years in the 1980’s I wrote a monthly column for an international trade publication. I became the expert in a niche market, and grew my business tremendously because they saw me as an expert, the go-to guy, and bought my products and services because they felt like I helped them regularly.
9. Setup your own workshop or lunch-n-learn. Advertise it so you get the online hits and the attendees. This, of course, does much more than get you online visibility.
10. Invite yourself to speak or participate in a chamber event, a local chapter organization, hook up with your relevant organizations, get yourself on a on a panel that you know will have announcements in the business press. Be creative.
11. Get on an internet radio show. Every city seems to have them now. Your name will go on the show listing and result in a search hit.
12. It seems there are hundreds of online business social networks. The more you join, the more exposure you get. I don’t know about you, but I get invites from Plaxo, Naymez, Ning, BeBo, Facebook. More professionals are even putting up a Myspace page. Might consider making an interesting video of yourself covering an important topic, and put it on Hulu or YouTube.

If you are not sure about how best to enter your searches, see more info on search syntax here: http://www.google.com/help/cheatsheet.html

This Ain’t No Field of Dreams

Your website design is killer; you FINALLY have it up and running. You have all your content, maybe some cool bells and whistles, and you are ready for business. As the movie says, you “build it and they will come” – soon thousands of people will visit and learn all about your great products or services. Right? Well, not really. According to a Netcraft report from May of this year, there are over 168 million web sites and counting. The word is out and businesses large and small know that having a web site is no longer optional it is mandatory.

So, how do you get people to visit your site? Unless you are a large company with plenty of brand recognition it may take a little time to build up your traffic, but there a variety of ways to begin doing so that are free or relative inexpensive. Here are few simple ways to start.

1. Include your site address on everything you use as collateral. This seems obvious, but it is surprising how many people forget to include their web site in their advertising or their email communication.

2. Make sure to register your site with all the free search engines such as www.dmoz.org, www.scrubtheweb.com, and www.ineedhits.com. There are a lot of these search engines and it can be time consuming, but it is worth it. There are also companies that you can pay to submit your site to a variety of paid and free search engines. Note: It can take up to 60 days for your site to show up when searched.

3. Affiliations and linking are a great way to build traffic to your site. You can offer to include links of other businesses that compliment your own, in exchange for them to do the same. Another way to increase your links is by social networking through sites such as LinkedIn, MySpace and Facebook. Link popularity has direct benefits, but can also increase your rankings with popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. Check out www.linkpopularity.com to check your sites links.

4. Send regular email announcements that link back to your site, with specials and news just for your customers. Not only does this drive traffic back to your site, but also reminds them you are still around. There is an added bonus in that it makes them feel special, like they have the inside track. Always remember to capture email contact information when ever possible so you can build up your email database. I always recommend my clients get an account with Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com). It is easiest way to build a database, organize it and create communications for your customers. Plus they allow your visitors to opt-in and opt-out as they prefer.

5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – There are many ways to optimize your site, but the simplest way to start is by making sure you have good content on every page and that the content is reflected in your META tags and keywords. Make sure to use words that your target market will use to search for products and services your offer. Be warned – SEO is not something you do once, just when you launch your site. It is an ongoing process. Many companies now have an SEO as a line item in the marketing budgets.

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There are many reasons why small technology companies would consider entering into a strategic alliance with other companies. Many small tech companies use these alliances to get access to cash as well as to benefit from the more established channels of distribution, or marketing and brand reputations of bigger, more well-known players. These bigger players on the other hand wish to get access to the brain power of newer technologies for product development.

What are strategic alliances? Strategic alliances have many different meanings but they can be defined as a contractual relationship between two or more parties working together to achieve mutual objectives. These contractual relations are typically defined by one or more contractual agreements which include a license to the intellectual property relating to the technology. For a definition of the various forms of intellectual property that are typically used in protecting technology, see

5 Things to Know About Patents

Difference Between Patents and Trademarks

Copyright Basics

During the planning and negotiation process, a technology company needs to consider how it can use these contractual agreements to protect its intellectual property rights and what restrictions need to be placed when transferring proprietary information. Furthermore, the ability of a technology company to recover its intellectual property rights and protect its proprietary information is particularly critical if the strategic alliance does not work out. The termination clauses relating to recovery and protection of trade secret information need to be laid out in these license agreements.

In this blog and the next several blog entries, a series of tips directed to small technology business owners will be discussed to help these business owners protect their intellectual property as well as avoid common mistakes relating to licensing of their proprietary technology to other companies.

Tip – Identify the technology available for licensing

As a preliminary matter, a business owner needs to do an in-house technology due diligence review and identify what technology they wish to keep in-house and what to license out. Typically, the technology would fall into three categories, namely (i) technology that the company is currently using to develop its products; (ii) technology that the company is not using but is ready to use; and (iii) technology that needs development such as technology at the conceptual or research level. Core technology that the company is using to develop its products should not be excluded, particularly if the company is interested in a particular product application (e.g., military use instead of a medical diagnostic use) or commercially exploiting the technology in a particular geographic location, e.g., U.S. and Canadian markets only.

Consider also the timing of the license. Why would a company license early? If the company needs cash now and the product (or at least some uses of the product) are more suitable for the licensee, then licensing early makes business sense. Why would a company license later? If the technology is pertinent to the company’s main product, capital is available for developing the technology now and there is a high expected return on investment, then by all means delay licensing, especially if the company’s proprietary position is expected to be stronger in the future. As a general rule of thumb, technology licensed at later stage is more likely to command a higher price.

When you started your business, you likely had a plan. I am a fan of the one found here on Resource Nation.

You were eager, enthusiastic, and couldn’t wait to change the world! The business owners you met were as eager, enthusiastic and inspired as you were. You were thinking “business ownership must be amazing! Why didn’t I do this sooner?”

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As time went on, you put your plan in a drawer (or another similar place that you don’t reference often enough) and continued running your business. You knew what you wanted and where you wanted to go – you had your plan in mind, and were plugging right along.

Things went along fine. The business was functioning, money was coming in and work was getting done. Over time, you were so busy running your business that your wants, dreams and desires went on the back burner (I mean, seriously – how would you have time for yourself and to run your business?).

But that was ok, because the small business owners met were as tired, overwhelmed and disillusioned as you were. You were thinking “business ownership isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Why did I do this?”

Sound familiar? Are you nodding along as you read, identifying fully with this scenario?

I am amazed at how many business owners know things aren’t working – they know it in their head, or maybe in their gut – but they don’t do anything about it. The result? Poor team morale, low productivity, unsatisfied customers. Not to mention the affect on the business owner, which can range from poor physical health to personal relationships that are deteriorating.

Here’s the Million Dollar Question – what are you doing about it? Here are some tips:

1. Go back to your plan. Remind yourself of the passion you once had. Find that old feeling that got stuffed in the drawer with the plan.
2. Write a new plan. What parts of the original plan are still working, and what parts need to be shifted? No, I don’t mean what parts should be changed to justify your current business situation.
3. Identify where things went off track. Be honest – you know where it happened. You felt it in your gut, but passed that feeling off as too much coffee.
4. List the things in your business that aren’t working. It’s okay to admit your baby isn’t as cute as you think. If you don’t acknowledge the areas that aren’t working, you can’t fix them.
5. Find support. A mastermind group, a trusted colleague, even better would be a business coach. It should be somebody who will hold you to task and support you through the changes you know you need to make. Even the best business owners/mentors/athletes have their own coaches. How do you think they stay at the top of their game?

Don’t bury your head in the sand. Don’t be afraid of the tough questions, of seeing your business for what it is, of having the difficult conversations and doing the hard work.

Get real – get to it. I know there is nothing you can’t do. Remember, you started a business and you loved it. You can again.

by Duncan MacPherson, co-author of “Breakthrough Business Development: A 90 Day Plan to Build Your Client Base And Take Your Business To The Next Level” and co-founder of Pareto Platform

With the economy in a somewhat slow mode, it becomes increasingly important to take good care of the business you already have. We all realize our competitors are doing what they can to lower their prices and attract our clients. Perhaps they are launching ad campaigns offering discounts on the very services you are providing. My advice is contrary to that which tells you to lower prices to attract more clients. Instead, I advise you to make sure the clients you have want to stay with you.

I had a conversation with a fellow entrepreneur recently. I asked her if she had ever considered what her most valuable intellectual property was.  What might surprise you, as it did her, is that the expert knowledge in your chosen field is not at the top of the list.  What you know about that is important; however, it takes a back seat to what you know about your clients. The only thing that allows you to competitor-proof your client is your very own relationship.

One way to ensure that you take care of your clients is by profiling the top 20% of your clients. The Pareto Principle states that 20% of your clients make up 80% of your revenues. Take a look at your own client list, and you’ll be surprised at how accurate that principle is. By knowing about the families, careers and interests of your top clients, you can provide them with more personalized service.

The way to do this is to simply invest some time. Give your clients a call. Chat about the business for a couple of minutes; then ask them how things are going. Spend some time listening to your client, even if it does not directly revolve around business. The conversation can focus on a project, and then shift to the kids, or perhaps the house he is buying. Jot down notes, and the next time you talk to him, ask him how his sons are doing at their new school, or send him a card congratulating him on his new home.

Better service leads to satisfied clients, who not only stay with you, but also refer family, friends and business associates to you. Save the information in a file that is accessible each time you have an interaction (phone-call, mail-out or meeting) with that client. Each time refer to something you already know, and don’t forget to add new information as you’re chatting with your client. Used correctly, your client information can turn into a real treasure chest.

At Pareto Platform, we call this information F.O.R.M. Family, Occupation, Recreation and Money. The information you gather, and utilize in terms of creating a relationship with your top clients, is exclusive to you. It is the only thing that separates you from your competitors. Get it. Use it.   

It’s not often that this phrase is used, especially by parents. However, in business and with respect to business start-ups, “acting your age” is a crucial part of defining who you are, what you will become, and ultimately your success.

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I have been employeed by established and profitable companies with years of experience under their belts, who acted just like what they were. I have also been employed by and have founded businesses that were trying to act, well, just like what they weren’t — established, profitable companies.

Three tips I recommend any start-up follow so you “act your age”:

1) Don’t assume any fixed costs until absolutely necessary.

2) Do consider both equity and debt financing - the benefits of both are many and debatable, but the process of discovery and debate concerning your financial options will help you establish confidence in not only what you’re selling, but also how you’re going to finance sales.

3) Religiously invest in the sales of your products/services. This may be especially difficult for technology companies, such as ones I’ve been involved with, but the key to your success is not really your productor service (accepting the fact that it meets standard market needs), it is your people and process that will sell it.

I have experienced a number of entrepreneurs who have tried to run their businesses like they were already Fortune 500’s. And the one’s I’ve seen do that have failed. So maybe just this one, and certainly not from your parents, I tell you to “Act Your Age”.

Oh no, you say. Not another article about how I need to refine my target market, right?

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What would you say if I told you that I know of a commercial real estate broker who specializes in finding locations for dental practices? Does that sound too specific? Not to him! His business is absolutely booming and he can’t stop his phone from ringing!

Do you know why he is so busy? It’s because his target market is very narrow. He knows their specific needs. He can talk their talk. He knows how to serve them. So his phone never stops ringing and his bank account is growing rapidly.

You can do the same with your business.

Think of it this way: If you are marketing to everyone, then you are actually marketing to no one because your message will be so muffled that no one can hear it.

By narrowing your target market, you will be seen as the expert in your target market’s eyes. Experts get more media attention, more clients and can charge more. You will know where and where not to spend your marketing dollars. Understanding your target market’s problems will allow you to craft solutions and marketing messages in a way that make them say, “This is for me,” making sales much easier for you.

You can start to narrow your target market by figuring out who is most likely to buy your product versus anyone who can buy your product. Using the example above, the broker can sell any commercial property, but he is more likely to have success by focusing on dental practices. Once you start marketing specifically to your target market, others will continue to find you and buy from you, but your target market will always be your bread and butter.

© 2008 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, publishes Smart Marketing, a free bi-weekly ezine featuring marketing tips, insider secrets and thought provoking articles designed to help the busy female entrepreneur become known as an expert in her field, build trust with clients and prospects and generate more income than ever before. Claim your free subscription today at www.richlifemarketing.com.

After they have gone through the process of putting up a Web site, many business owners seem to think that visitors will just magically find their site and start to buy stuff. Sadly, that notion couldn’t be further from the truth. A Web site is useless as a marketing tool if nobody ever sees it. However, you can do a number of things to increase the number of people who find your Web site.

1. Get incoming links. If you don’t have any links from other Web sites pointing to your site, search engines and people are unlikely to find it. Most businesses work with other vendors or members of industry associations or organizations. Ask those people to link to your Web site. The best incoming links are those that are related to your industry.

2. Optimize your site for search engines. The way your site is created and the text it contains are important when it comes to being found. If your site is about purple widgets, you need to make sure that the term “purple widget” is used in the text on your pages. Note that having the words in a graphic does not count. If you have a website design that uses a lot of graphics, make sure text that people may use to search for your Web site is actually in the Web site text and not embedded in a graphic or animation.

3. Send out press releases. An easy way to get incoming links is to get them from news organizations. Many newspapers and magazines put their articles on line. If you send out a press release and your story is written up, the article should include a link to your Web site. Be sure to include your URL in every press release you send out.

4. Write articles for your site. Another way to entice other sites to link to you is to write informative articles. If you know a lot about purple widgets, write articles about how they can be used. Other people who are interested in purple widgets then link to your article. You also can post articles on some of the many free article sites online. In this case, other people post your article on their site. You include a “resource box” that includes a link to your Web site.

5. Offer freebies to visitors. People love free stuff and they often tell their friends. Many sites offer free newsletters, downloads, coupons or software as a promotional tool.

6. Network online. Participate in discussion groups that are related to your industry. Include a “signature” line in your emails that has a link to your Web site. If you answer questions and help others, people are likely to click the link in your signature to find out more about you.

7. Don’t forget about “off-line” promotion. It should be obvious, but put your URL on every piece of print material you generate. Include it on your business cards, letterhead, advertisements, and freebies like pens and tote bags. Whenever you print your company name, print your Web site URL as well.

It takes time to effectively promote a Web site, so be patient. Search engines take a while to clue into a new site, but by incorporating these online marketing techniques, you will be rewarded with more visitors to your site.

Considering that my core focus is building, developing, coaching, and mentoring sales teams for emerging companies, many people ask me what it takes to get sales going. The answer is simple, but all too often the greatest challenge a young company faces. If you just decided your product is ready for market, then take a long hard look at your first sales person. Take a look in a mirror, because it is you.

The problem is, in some cases, you are a website designer, or a programmer; possibly a business man or a finance guru, but a sales guy? You are not the one who gets people to buy. Well wait a moment, because all the efforts you put into your state-of-the-art offering that will change the world will sell itself right? We just have to advertise and the sales ready buyers will flock to our website, phone line, and inbox.

I do not relish being the bearer of bad news, but if you believe the latter, prepare to move back into the corporate world and slip those boots off for good. Someone in the founding group must be a capable sales person, and one who understands the innovators in your field. They have to know how to evangelize your offering without pitching and convincing. No one like this on your team? Then the first thing you should do is get a coach. Then read some books, articles, blog posts, and get ready for another education as you get your degree in selling.

There are some other basics to getting a competitive advantage when selling. First of all, innovators like other innovators, and while you can find many helpful hints on my blog and in other posts, most of my work here will be in sharing how to use Web 2.0 and cutting edge technologies to better sell your products. I hope you find this helpful as we journey through the advances of the 21st century. If you want to have a successful sales team, you have to start by getting some sales.