You Might not Know Sam Smith Yet – Another ACS Workshopper

 

I have the pleasure of knowing Sam Smith for some years now and he is a smart one for sure. The Angel Capital Summit is lucky to have another great professional teaching a workshop and the nice thing about Sam is that he is a professor. You know, a real one that is currently teaching at the University of Denver, University College. Sam has also taught a CU, St. Bonaventure University, and a couple others.

You can learn more about Sam and Black Dog Strategic at http://blackdogstrategic.wordpress.com. I am happy to have Sam on board after an opportunity popped up for him to be involved in this year’s ACS. I made a list of some important things to keep in mind about Sam and why you should listen to him…

• If you are reading this you must listen to me at least a little and I listen to Sam
• Sam and I have proven to make good things happen when working together
• Again, if you read what I write, you will certainly enjoy Sam’s writing… he is actually a professional writer

Here is a snippet of the workshop Sam is putting on and with any luck, I won’t be in a slot again both Chris Roberts and Sam. I am already missing Chris’s workshop and I had my Bluetooth all set up for the show.

A STRATEGIC Approach to Building a Winning Marketing Operation

 The array of marketing, research, promotion and communication technologies, programs and practices has exploded in recent years, as has our understanding of how audiences and markets can be evaluated and segmented. It’s always good to know as much as possible about those you’re attempting to reach, but not every business out there is fully equipped to understand or manage the complexity of the process, especially when each new day finds somebody else hyping the latest and greatest marketing fad.

Entrepreneurs who need clear answers and solutions can easily get lost in the noise, losing focus, wasting time and squandering precious resources on techniques that aren’t suited to their specific challenges.

 A successful entrepreneur’s marketing operation begins by strategically aligning with your business model. What do you need to know about the market? Who do you need to reach? What does your resource budget look like, short term and long term? At what stage of development is your business? How long do you have to get the enterprise profitable? What’s your exit strategy? What core competencies exist in your organization and does it make sense to in-house or outsource?

These are just a few of the questions that a strategic marketing program needs to address, and failure to do so can undercut your success in a number of significant ways.

 This workshop will walk you through the foundational process of tailoring a marketing program that serves your specific requirements.

Upstream/research functions to strategic development to downstream/promotional strategies and tactics – you’ll come away with a clearer idea of how to turn your vision into a reality in the marketplace.

You can learn more about Sam and Black Dog Strategic at http://blackdogstrategic.wordpress.com.

The ACS Workshop Schedule is HERE and Sam will be in one of the empty slots. Updates Coming Soon

I Tried What the Video Suggested, And Did A Little Branding

As always, the weekend was full of fun and excitement. I did most of this things in that video from a few weeks back.  

Here this one:   

        

  

I did two and a half, I think. Maybe two with one and two halves, if that is possible. You tell me…         

I went to see a show with my lovely wife Shari for her birthday. We have been Ben Folds fans for years and I was driving the other day and heard a commercial for Ben Folds with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. I am slightly cultured, my parents tried and most of it stuck; I just don’t get to the Symphony enough. Well this was a great opportunity so I bought some tickets and we went last night, and it was great. Ben played music from every album and after the Symphony went home, he stayed to play about six or seven more songs. Not to mention that he played the musicians off the stage with an improvisational piece.        

Ben teaching the audience to harmonize

The guy in front of me has a nice head of hair

The Symphony has a curfew so ben played a while after then left

 Mr. Folds is a bit of a story-teller and I learned last night that some of the stories are so random it makes me think of some others I know, and maybe you know, but no one writing this blog post. He told a story about writing songs for each of his kids and that they are twins. I knew he has two kids but did not know they are twins. Here is the kicker… they were born four hours apart on different days and have different astrological signs. Just seems strange.     

 I did go for a drive if you consider any time I was driving this weekend so nothing too exciting there.      

  

The Bit of Branding

I made a logo for the new division, or more like service offering of JWconsulting. This one is the new thing and it seems to be a good idea. Businesses have a lot of data and most of the time the issue is that no one has the time or patience to get it all straight. Enter the Data Diplomat, a step further than the Translator. Well the step further is in the simple and maybe not even mathematically correct equation below:    

  

X + Y = ?

• X = Customer/Client
• Y = Vendor/Salesman/Association Member
• ? = I have no idea without good data

X + Y3 = Warm Lead or Connection

• X = Customer/Client
• Y = Vendor/Salesman/Association Member
  • 1 = Name – always nice to know a real name
  • 2 = Interest or Shared information – also nice to know when forming a relationship
  • 3 = Communication – collecting information that allows for communication is imperative

The way I see it, you are already collecting a lot of information in various ways, or the hypothetical you is anyway. If you are not collecting it there are certainly things to talk about there too. The point is that we need consistency and we need a robust database with multiple sources. In order to accomplish that you need to dedicate time and resources and if you build it right and understand the data, you are going to be up to your ears in good information.        

Here is the logo:

        

Hanging out in the yard…

I was there, not really hanging out, just doing a bit of yard work. It is funny that this could have been the last weekend of this year for yard work. That would be cool but I will  miss vacuuming the lawn. (I know it’s mowing) I am just new to it since my parents always had lawn people when I was growing up and this is the first house I have had with a lawn. I think it has come a long way this year. Colorado lawns are apparently hard to keep up and I can chime in a little.        

• Grew grass where a neighbor said it couldn’t be done
• Figured out my sprinkler system
• Had a huge tree trimmed
• If it rains, the ivy is crazy and the weeds grow like weeds
•  Crab apples smell like a dumpster if they get smooshed and you leave them.

  

All and all, this summer has been a good lawn summer. Oh, the front wheel drive on my mower went out a few months ago. Does craftsman have a lifetime warranty, I think they do. I am on the internet so I should check.     I hope everyone has a nice week and thank you for reading. Keep your eyes peeled for news about Data Diplomat, the name servers and doing something and I am working on the website. Hopefully we  launching this week.        

Thanks,        

Jon

 

53 Second Profile – Have You Met Zoe?

If  you have you know that she is the sweetest dog a person could ask for.

Why not a video for Zoe?

 

53 Second Profile – Have you met Mike

Two Happy Pancakes in two days. The 53 Second Profile beta test was a success!

Here is the funny thing, I have never met Mike. This video is part of my Beta Test Experiment for the 53 Second Profile. Michael Pecaut is a friend od Sam Smith and we have had some witty banter back and forth on Facebook and have never met. After completing the 53 Second Profile for Sam Smith, he posted it on his Facebook page and Mike thought it was cool. I started a dialog with Mike and decided that he would send me some different pictures and video clips and I would make his profile.

This is what I knew…

• Michael Pecaut is a friend of Sam Smith
• Michael was easy to communicate with and enthusiastic about getting a one of a kind 53 Second profile

Then I received the following from Mike…

1. Name and address of his location
2. A couple of pictures of his work
3. Links to blogs and websites where I gathered more information
4. A couple short video clips

What Mike needed to get these items to me:

1. The list of items I requested
2. Computer and email capabilities
3. Camera (camera phones, blackberries, iPhones, Droids all work)
4. Someone to take the short video clip or clips
5. Dedication to the very simple process
6. Any extra information he wanted me to know

What I know Now…

• Mike is a smart guy who has launched experiments into space on the space shuttle
• He is an Associate Professor working on unchartered medical treatments
• What am I doing… Just watch the video.

Of Course Jon Has Something to Say – Come on Post Office

I was in a meeting this morning with someone very influential and a member of the Littleton Government. We were talking about data and the numbers seemed a little off from what he expected and I was not really sure what to say. I am a firm believer in making statements like “let me take a look and get back to you” or “hmm, well you are working for the city so you would know best. Let me research that”, and that is what I did.

Here is what I found…

It is not a mystery that there are about a million different ways that a million different people can do things. Break it down to the simple metric vs. english system. Why do you have measure a meter when I measure a yard or why is 30 degrees hot in some countries and cold in others. I don’t want to get all scientific or mathematical because eventually you will lose me, it is just something that makes things harder to accomplish. 

What it Means to Me, You, and Data…

I live in Centennial Colorado and some people tell me I live in Englewood. The post office says Englewood and the Centennial Official website says different. It is confusing and raises questions and in today’s meeting  we were told that it didn’t seem possible for the number of Accredited Investors in Littleton to be so high. Well that is correct because the post office might call 80123 Littleton but the official cities are Bow Mar, Columbine Valley, Denver, and Lakewood. How about 80121, it is not Littleton, it is Centennial and Greenwood Village. You get my point and it is another reason you might need a Translator.

I give the system of checks and balances for consistent data the sad pancake because it requires a translator. So I can turn that Sad Pancake happy because the problem in turn keeps me busy.

Turn Data into Information – You need a Translator

There is data and there is information and in the business world, without data there is no information. Many companies specialize in collecting data and/or storing data and package themselves as a full service CRM solution. Many of these software packages, or Cloud Computing platforms put capabilities in the hands of people who only wish to use minimal reporting functions of the system, leaving someone, most of the time the CFO, wondering why they are paying the vendor so much money. A lot of these applications are best utilized when there is a good understanding of the structure and exactly how data is stored. Customizing a CRM system is fun yet challenging  and most of the time you think you might have worked out the kinks, you still have hiccups. No system is perfect so you need to make sure you know what you are looking at and why it is important. Enter the translator…

Who is the Translator?

The translator is the person that understands data as well as the industry. This person does not have to be an industry expert however, they need to learn from the experts in a vacuum away from the data. It is important that you allow the translator to learn the existing data structure, meet all the players, and get familiar with the data collection or storing processes that a company is currently using.

Then What?

That is a question a lot of people ask. Some companies do a great job of utilizing their data and keeping it clean. Maintaining a clean database and updating is a chore and the hardest part is consistency. It is not hard to segment a clean database but it is hard to draw meaningful conclusions when the data is not clean and consistent. The Translator can look at all the tables and drill down into the data to find areas that need attention. It is not only important to clean your data, you must create an easy way to get to the data you need. Once that all is complete, you can begin to gather information from the data.

The Translator’s Bag of Tricks – Small Bag

The translator is able to communicate with the development team effectively and at the same time work with the department that uses the data. Why use data if the translator is there, they can ensure that the end-user is working with information after cleaning, segmenting, and making the data accessible. I don’t mean high level statistics or modeling, just plain old information. In this world of complex solutions and super-duper smart programming, I seem to get by with a laptop and Excel. Let’s say I don’t feel the need to bring an AK-47 to a knife fight or a machete to cut my grapefruit. Believe me, people do, it is just not necessary.

The Next Steps

Start small, gather existing data or if you do not have any, give me a shout, I am sure you have something. Think about your target audience and then think deeper about their behaviors and see if you have information to support your thoughts. Once you decide the best information to analyze, you can make sure to gather specific data. See where I am going here… determine the information you want and use data to get to that information. Sounds easy right. Take a look at what you have and figure out a plan.

You might need a translator and if you have questions, feel free to contact me.

53 Second Profile – Have You Met Chuck

Chuck Blakeman is a good person to know and he has the right thinking and experience to help your business thrive. I met Chuck back when I first started consulting after someone suggested I attend the Business Leaders Lunch at Cool River. Cool River has now been changed to Del Frisco’s in the DTC and the food is good, the company is good, and the free advice is great. For the cost of lunch, or no cost at all if you aren’t hungry, Chuck will spend a bit of time in an interactive presentation that leaves you thinking differently about your business.

There are a few minor rules at lunch…

If you follow them, make connections, communicate well  and follow-up, and pay attention, the lunch has endless benefits for your long-term goals.

1. It is not a networking event – Chuck always makes this clear and even though it is not you still have the opportunity to get up and say hi to the crowd.
2. No one should try to sell anything – Everyone get a chance to say hi, who they are, and what they do. If you are networking correctly people start to recognize you and outside conversations and dialogs begin.
3. If you see or hear something you like, exchange cards and get coffee at a later time – This is the kicker for me. I have met new people and enjoyed coffee while learing about their business or telling about mine and my biggest result so far is becoming a core member of the Angel Capital Summit team.

With all that being said, I urge you to take 53 seconds out of your day and watch Chuck’s profile. This is my way of thanking Chuck for being Chuck and caring about the success of everyone he meets.

53 Second Profile – Have You Met Linda

Linda Hughes, where would we be without her. Linda is a superstar if you haven’t heard, she is one of the top 20 women for entrepreneurs to follow on twitter

Linda also keeps the ship running right and rumor has it, don’t get in between Linda and something she wants. We are lucky to have such an organzied coach, mentor, and all around Jack of all Traits on our team.

Give Linda 53 Seconds of your time and learn more about her…

Next Up David Talon – Head Coach for the Angel Capital Summit.

53 Second Profile – Have You Met Les

Les Makepeace, the Chaiman of the Executive Committee for the Angel Capital Summit.

 Take 53 seconds to get to know him… 

Next Up, Linda Hughes, COO of The Angel Capital Summit

New 53 Second Profile – Have You Met Lynn

Social Media and Search Engine Marketing Consultant

Lynn is keeping the Social Media library of information straight for the Angel Capital Summit. Hopefully her 53 Second Profile will inspire you to register and request yours.

  

Instructions to come…

  

 

Next Up… Les Makepeace – The Angel Capital Summit Chairman