Greetings,
Let's hear it for clarity. Last month I described my ideal customer. And all of a sudden, I have lots of new clients. You'll be hearing more about them as the months pass. Keep sending those referrals.
This issue is about value--getting more from your computer and from the Internet. The first article describes an "ah ha!" moment I had about working with computers that has actually transformed my relationship with technology. And not a minute too soon.
The second article resumes our Success Stories series from last year. We learn some best practices about email marketing and something more profound: What the Internet was meant to do for business. Just in time for that one, too.
Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving with sublime food and fine fellowship.
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Duh!
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Don't you love those life changing moments that convert the ordinary to the extraordinary? I had one last month sitting with a client and trying to make her Mac do something in Constant Contact that it didn't want to do.
Fortunately we were in her home office in the afternoon at the time her teenage sons get home from school. The younger one arrived first and immediately solved the problem and left the room. We tried to make it work on our own. No luck.
Try Something Different
When the older son was recruited into service, we were smarter. "How did you do that?" I asked. "Well," he said, "if one thing doesn't work, I try something different."
This may not sound profound to you, but it was for me. I realized that when something doesn't work around technology, I try the same thing over and over. That's a definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.
I've spent many hours pondering this profundity and have discovered some behavioral traits. Young people don't assume they made a mistake nor do they have fixed ideas about how things should work. Failure doesn't beget feelings of inadequacy or frustration. It just means they haven't broken the code yet. On to the next thing.
Generational
We adults who weren't brought up with computers still think they break easily. We fear we'll do something irrevocable. There's good reason for that. Most of us have diddled around with the machine and, in the process, lost or changed something that is hard to recover.
We should give up our timidity. We should boldly go where we've never gone before. Try something different. Just do it.
Since I had this epiphany about my behavior around computers, I've actually consciously watched myself try new things with some success. I love the rush when I figure it out for myself. I can't say I feel like a teenager again (nor would I want to), but it's gratifying none the less.
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Success Story
What's It Worth?
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This is the third article in our ongoing series about winning e-mail marketing campaigns.
Previous articles were in Sept. and Oct. 2007.
His opens rate is over 90%. He gets scores of congratulatory emails about his e-zine. Almost no one unsubscribes. What is Steve Egna doing right?
For openers, he has a clear target market with a specific offering. Steve determines the value of a business. When a company changes hands, buyers and sellers need to know what the business is worth. If owners or partners can't agree on the next step in the business life cycle, a business valuation is critical. And business and succession planning processes require this information too.
Steve is a Certified Business Appraiser accredited by the Institute of Business Appraisers. He is the Director of Business Advisory Services for Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte, CPAs, in Albany, NY. So the first thing we can learn from Steve is to offer a clearly defined service that people need.
Steve cultivates a wide network of referral sources--lawyers, financial service professionals, bankers and others who send business his way. His list also includes clients, former clients and prospects. But people don't need Steve's offering every day. "I love the newsletter process," Steve notes. "I need to keep my name and face in front of my referral sources so that I'm the first one they think of if they need my services. This tool does it."
Steve's secrets of success:
- Keep it brief--no more than a page.
- Mail regularly. Steve sends his newsletter bimonthly, but adds mailings at key times of year. Year-end and tax time are important points on Steve's calendar.
- Keep the list growing. Steve is a skilled networker and adds subscribers from every event he attends.
- Be quick to respond. Though it takes hours, Steve answers every email he gets about his newsletter. This lets his readers know he's responsive.
- Have a catchy title. Steve uses the phrase "News You Can Use."
"The more you can get out in front of people, the better off you'll be" Steve advises. "This is the kind of leverage the Internet was meant to provide--reaching people quickly at almost no cost."
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| Web Tips |
 October's Web Tips was all about computer short cuts. We asked for your favorites and here are a few of the ones we received.
From Peter Coombs, presenter extraordinaire of FRONTLINE Training & Consulting, comes this handy trick. You're in the middle of your PowerPoint presentation and you want a blank screen for discussion. Just hit "B" on your keyboard. It's a toggle, so hit it again, and viola, the slide returns. Hit "W" to get a white screen.
Jack Swegel offers us this timesaver. You're on a Web site that requires a password that you have used before, but not saved. You type in the first letter or two and your username appears. Press the Down Arrow to select it and then the Tab key. This will enter your user name and place you in the password field.
Send your favorite computer secrets, and we'll publish them in a future issue.
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And Finally . . .
Shawenon Communications collaborates with small businesses, solopreneurs, professionals and not-for-profits to get their messages across in the written word.
We specialize in electronic communications, including e-zines and other forms of email marketing, and Web site content. We also ghostwrite articles and other business communications. As a business partner, we resell Constant Contact's email marketing service.
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www.shawenon.com
Sincerely,
Susanna Opper
Shawenon Communications
413-528-6494
Copyright © 2008 Shawenon Communications.
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2009 Seminars
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For the bright and shiny New Year we're cooking up some special seminars. If you think a newsletter will boost your business in these trying economic times, get on our special mailing list now. You'll be the first to know about the free educational sessions we'll be offering.
We're getting closer, but we still haven't gotten the 1,000th subscriber.
You can help and win a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble at the same time.
Here's how. Be the first to bring in five new subscribers, and you'll get the reward. You can forward this email
or talk up Web Words to your business colleagues. It's up to you.
Contact us for more information
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