As much as it pains me to admit this, I may have learned something from the Terminator. Well, to be clear . . . it was actually from the new Fox(R) spinoff series, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles." I have never been much of a fan of this series of movies, but after viewing them again recently with my husband, I must reluctantly admit that "Ah-nold" just might be on to something.
Those of you who may be die-hard fans will know the line I am referring to, but if not, just indulge me a moment. I promise there is a method to my madness.
In both the movie and the series, there is a (variation) of the line, "Come with me if you want to live." Direct, forceful, and certainly insightful on its own. But here's where it gets a little weird (and I will warn you up front to make a bit of a leap with me).
In both the movie and in the series, the characters look toward technology to help them. We need these pseudo-human beings to guide us, and ultimately, to save us. It got me to thinking about how it parallels so much of what is happening with technology today, and how important it is that we both embrace and trust the technology around us if we want our small business to survive.
There are literally dozens of advancements that have come on the scene, and, whether you follow these developments or not, they can, and will impact you. You have two options here: you can choose to ignore them and resist accepting them, or, you can embrace them, and leverage them to your advantage. History teaches us that no matter how hard we may try to resist change, it is inevitable. Those who resist change are often left behind.
What Can You Do to Make Technology Work For You?
There are many small changes that we can make to begin the process of embracing the technology around us. I know how it feels to be hesitant, or even downright resistant, to these changes. I wrote many of them off as nothing more than fads, then watched with surprise as many industry titans began implementing them. THAT got my attention. And, fair reader, it should get yours, too.
So, just how can you start making technology work for you? I am so glad you asked. I have worked up a short list that I think will help get the gears turning for you. From there, I encourage you to expand and revise the list to suit your needs.
Utilize Small automations. Setting up reminders in your email client (check out Outlook's Calendar feature, for example) can help keep you on track, and on schedule. I set reminders for everything from client conference calls to reminders to change out content on my various websites. I would be lost without it.
RSS News Feeders. Streamline your web-surfing by setting up feeds from your favorite news outlets, blogs, magazines, etc. This puts all the information in one place, and allows you to read them at your leisure.
Automatic Credit Card Processing. I used to waste several hours a week in processing orders for my various sites -- because I was doing all of this manually. Last fall, I had finally had enough. I switched over to 1ShoppingCart.com, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Not only are my orders processed automatically, but the cart system also handles my affiliate program, autoresponders, and can even handle delivery of digital products. It is a bit pricey at first glance, but if you take the time to price out all of these elements separately, you'll soon realize it is a valuable investment in your business.
AudioGenerator.com. This service is one that after you begin using it, you will wonder why you didn't start sooner. You can record (via phone, or upload your own file) short messages for your website -- welcome messages, product instructions, special announcements, etc. -- and upload a short line of code to add them to your site. Because the file is third-party hosted, if loads quickly and won't bog down your server. You can also give out a special phone number to your customers, and allow them to record product or service testimonials.
Productivity Tools. Embracing technology allows us to work smarter, rather than harder. That said, below are some time-saving resources, along with a short explanation of how they can serve you.
BizJournals: Search 41 business news journals at once. http://www.bizjournals.com
TrackEngine: Set up alerts to monitor changes on frequently visited websites. http://www.trackengine.com
TinyURL: Shorten lengthy URLs for easy emailing. http://www.tinyurl.com
ZoomInfo: Don't Google someone, ZoomInfo them! http://www.zoominfo.com
DomainTools: Identify web sites owned by the competition. http://www.domaintools.com
Blinkx: Track the TV coverage of your competitors. http://www.blinkx.com
Jux2: Locate unique results between 3 search engines. http://www.Jux2.com
Wikipedia: Search and browse the ultimate online reference site. http://www.wikipedia.com
Ask: Answer who-is and what-is questions instantly. http://www.ask.com
TurboScout: Search across multiple search engines for comprehensive results. http://www.turboscout.com
Social Networks. I saved this as my last list item (although I could go on for quite a bit longer) simply because it is one that I personally resisted for far too long. The good news is, if you aren't using it, you haven't missed the boat on this. Follow these helpful tips, and start using these networks as another promotional method for your business:
Always provide valuable content. Nobody likes a spammer. Avoid hopping on these sites shouting from the rooftops about how great you are. Let folks come to that conclusion naturally by seeing all of the valuable knowledge and content you have to offer.
Go for quality, not quantity There are tons of social networks out there, and more springing up each day (trust me on this, I have a news alert set up to let me know). Select one or two and test the waters. Get a feel for the community, and then become a productive and respected member of it. You don't have to be a member of every social network in order to reap the benefits.
Be Prepared to Welcome the Leads. Do you have a lead-capture plan in place? If not, get one. Make sure you have a prominently placed opt-in area on your home page -- preferably "above the fold." Offer a free report, coupon, discount or other promotional offer to encourage conversions of that traffic.
These are really only the tip of the iceberg in terms of embracing the technology available to us as small business owners. The most important fact that I'd like to leave with you is that if you aren't using technology, you run the risk of being left behind. The Internet offers us the unique opportunity to enjoy a global marketplace; don't kid yourself into believing that your competition isn't going to be employing these exact same strategies to get the jump on you.
Little do they know that we have the Terminator on our side. "Hasta la vista, baby!"
But, there's one thing that each and every snowflake has that a small business should strive for?uniqueness. When the ice crystals that make up a snowflake all get together, they always assemble themselves in a new and different formation. Snowflakes always have a unique structure and a unique appearance.
Just like snowflakes, your business will have several different types of uniqueness. On the surface, you'll want your brand and marketing materials to look unique, so that when all of your materials go out, they can stand out from your competitions'.
Your business will have underlying structural elements that make you different. This will include how your business is put together, how you run your business, the products and services you offer, and all those sorts of business considerations that show up in your business plan.
But your business has one other type of uniqueness that snowflakes don't
And that's personality. This kind of uniqueness is a bit tricky for small businesses. The challenge is separating the personality of the business from the personality of the entrepreneur running the business.
Why bother with this distinction? It can help your business appear more professional, by establishing you as a business instead of just a freelancer. Positioning yourself as a company instead of just an individual can also help you command more respect and higher rates.
If you're planning to grow your company by hiring more people to work for you, then using your business uniqueness instead of your personal uniqueness will make you look less like a consultancy and more like a company. Positioning your business in that way from the beginning can help you to wean your clients from expecting to work with you personally. This can be invaluable as you add on staff.
How To Be Unique
Here's a simple plan that can help you overcome the uniqueness challenge:
1. Create a business and brand plan
A lot of small businesses skip this step because it seems pretty elementary. But the process of writing down things like your business structure, product and service offerings, competition, mission, vision, experience and marketing plans can help you unearth elements of your own uniqueness.
A business plan that's created for these purposes doesn't have to be "official sounding", or particularly long. All it has to do is to record your basic plans.
2. Identify your uniqueness
What is unique about you? That's actually one of the most difficult questions for anyone to answer. The reason why it's so hard to tell what's unique about you is that you typically do whatever it is that makes you unique naturally?and constantly. You do your unique behavior or skill so often, and so effortlessly, that you probably don't even notice you're doing it.
So if you don't know that you're doing something that makes you special, how do you figure out what that is? You can look at your competition to see if there's anything that's central to the way you do business that they're leaving out. Or ask clients who have worked with you what made the experience unique. You could also try writing down everything that you do, or creating a case study of a client project, and have a friend or colleague look over your notes. Something may jump out at them that you don't even notice.
3. Separate your business's uniqueness from the business owner
This step has different challenges depending on your plans for your company's growth. If you want to keep your company the same size and just grow the business in terms of revenue and success, then the challenge is separating out just enough of your own personality, and still leaving some unique traits for the business. The trick is to avoid going overboard when separating your self from the business. This can make your business' personality too professional and sterile.
If you want to eventually build a company that's bigger than yourself, plan your brand to work for the growing company. The challenge here is creating a personality for your business that your employees will be able to embody?and then hiring employees based not only on their qualifications but also on their ability to match that personality.
How do you do this step? I recommend noting your personality in social situations, and comparing it with your personality in business situations. If you're shy in social situations, it might also help to note your personality when you're interacting with your spouse or children. Then see which of these traits you could comfortably and professionally bring to your business.
For example, say you really enjoy story time with your children. It could be business-appropriate to explain your services in a more story-like manner. That would infuse your sales process with personality and help to bring beneficial personality to your clients.
4. Brand your business to show that uniqueness
Many businesses have a lot of personality, but they design their brands to look "professional" instead of showing off makes them special. The other extreme is when companies design graphics that are either too complicated or too unique'so they don't have any meaning to the client or prospect looking at them.
Make the most of your graphics by defining your unique brand, then using common shapes and symbols to communicate your brand message. If you're a financial advisor who focuses on helping clients do all the fun things they want to do in their lives, then a bright color palette and energetic shapes like starbursts may be appropriate. But if you're focusing on helping people who don't understand investing to make sound decisions, then circular, trust-building shapes and a more traditional color palette of navy and gold may be more appropriate.
Taking these 4 steps to show your business' unique design, structure and personality will help your business avoid looking too coldly professional. They'll help you to show your prospects and clients what a unique snowflake you really are, and your business will shine.
Both Traci Vanover & Erin Ferree are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Traci Vanover has sinced written about articles on various topics from Sales and Negotiation, Public Relations and Sales People. Traci Hayner Vanover, The Promo Diva(R), is the publisher of Create the Dream magazine , and the president of Market Outside the Box Trade. Traci Vanover's top article generates over 301000 views. to your Favourites.
Erin Ferree has sinced written about articles on various topics from Online Marketing, About Branding and Search Engine Marketing. Erin Ferree is a brand identity designer who creates big visibility for small businesses. As the owner of elf design, Erin is passionate about helping her clients stand out in front of their competition and attract more clients.Her "Define Your Difference. Erin Ferree's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.