Here it is… The Whole Thing – Workshop >>> Webinar

As promised, I have made my workshop from the Angel Capital Summit, Find 10,000 Customers in 10 Seconds, into a Webinar available for anyone that wants to see. This link will be up for one week here on the blog and then next week it will be available for download. The goal is to provide Database Marketing information to anyone that wants to learn. The Webinar is embedded below and it is about 30 minutes.

How it all works…

Check in every Monday for the current Webinar and if you happened to miss any, they are archived and available for download. The information provided is an in-depth look at how to utilize data and create information that allows businesses to make intelligent marketing decisions. Some Webinars will be more useful than others depending on your role and responsibilities.

You are responsible for keeping it FREE…

In order to get to the Webinar FREE, watch it within the week. I love FREE as much as the next guy and if you subscribe the blog or check back on Mondays, you will always be able to listen at no cost. This is just the beginning and eventually we will have a virtual library of archived Webinars.

Looking down the road…

Every so often the Webinars will be live since the best ones are interactive. We are initially putting out topics we feel are important and eventually the audience will decide the topics based on what you want to learn. They say to give the people what they want so check out the first episode and see what you think. Feedback is welcome and the blog provides an area for comments.

Please give feedback and suggestions…

If you pay attention to the tides, you will see a shift back to some marketing tactics of the 90s. I find this interesting because I have been working with data at some level since the beginning of my career. Direct Marketing, Database Marketing, and CRM solutions are going strong and it is important that you understand processes and tactics before you can embrace them. I talk a lot about collaboration and it is also important to have a good understanding of the “why” not necessarily the “how”. I know why my car runs but I have no idea how it is accomplished.

It’ll Be Done Real Soon – Parking Lot Chat

Good ideas come from smart people that have proven success and I met a lot of them earlier this week. I have put my workshop up with mood music and a few people have watched but I think you l deserve more…

Well I don’t want to ruin anything by making you read more because I just recorded my first

Video Parking Lot Chat…

 

The Workshop Day is Behind Us – Did You Miss Anything?

Thank you to all of those that attended my presentation yesterday, I hope everyone walked away with a little more information than they had before the workshop. There were a few presentations that I was not able to see because of the timing and I thought it would be a great idea to post all the decks or even something more if the presenter chooses.

One side note… I would like to apologize to anyone that went to my session thinking that I was going to hand 10,000 contacts. I wish it was that easy but as many things in business, there is some work involved in lead generation.

Please Click below for the Database Marketing Presentation:

This is what I did and I can do it for you…

For ease of use and viewing enjoyment, I turned my presentation into a movie and put some mood music behind it. If you don’t like mood music you can certainly turn off the volume, the big idea is the movie part. I have also attached a couple worksheets one of which helps define a company’s target audience and the other asks some thought provoking questions about current processes.

As I stated earlier, the point for me is to educate people on the power and effectiveness of using data to glean information, which feeds better decision-making. Click the picture below to open up pdf versions of the worksheets that you can print and fill out if interested.

Other Presenters…

If you would like to have your presentation turned into a video, let me know. I am planning to create a movie with a YouTube link that will go on either the ACS YouTube page or the ACS website. This way you can see what you might have missed and reference the information for future use. It would be nice to have a virtual classroom of workshop deck so let me know if you’d like me to post one for you.

Enjoy…

People Know When They Get Your Best – Parking Lot Chat

On Monday the show starts. There is a lot to prepare before the doors open so I need to get some things done and I am sure many others do as well. While getting them done I want you to think about this…

Whatever you do, do it the best you can

I have heard that a lot and as I put the last touches on my presentation and overall readiness for the ACS, this reminded me to do so… I was listening to Rush Snakes and Arrows Live and I love Passage to Bangkok as do many Rush enthusiasts. Well there are some great drum fill in that I have always said… wow Neil, nice. This unfortunately is not the case in this performance because Neil, come on, you did the absolute minimum to make the song sound great but, no dadada da da, da da daaaa on the cowbell, no fill ins, nothing, just straight accurate play.

The point is that people deserve your best so make sure to give it to them.

On that note, this is certainly the band giving it their best and then a lengthy drum solo where Peart more than redeems himself. (No Solo but feel free to look it up, I just couldn’t find a good quality version. It’s a great one though and Rowen loves it because the horns an Monkey playing a trombone in the synth horn part)

Click this for some fantastic bass work…

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

The Big Event is Upon Us – Parking Lot Chat

I was checking my email in the parking lot and received a message from Kevin Johansen, who if you don’t know, he is the founder of the Angel Capital Summit and CEO of the Business Catapult. This guy has kept me busy and in exchange I have learned a lot, educated some, and have a huge opportunity to network, gain exposure and become a better entrepreneur.

I just got my ticket and it is an honor to have it and I am excited. I am teaching a workshop on finding your target audience and there are many others with expertise in various arenas. I would have to try really hard not to learn something with a group like this years’ 2010 Chairs, Coaches, Instructors, Executive Committee Members, and of course the Entrepreneur, Investors, and Advisors.

It would be great if you attended as well, if you have the time. I have discount for you, a website to register, and the promise of a great event. I even have Dr. Slammy Smith involved since his recent opportunity came up.

The code…

 ACSPART-4973 This code will cut the $119 (pretty inexpensive already) price to $99 

The workshops…

We have great workshops that span a number of subjects. I highly recommend the Database Marketing one that I am teaching and it is a good time so you can attend plenty of others too. I just looked at the schedule and it seems the latest is that I am at the same time as Chris Roberts. He puts on a good show; I have seen him in action.

Check out the schedule by clicking the picture below…

I hope to See You There!

Evidence Based Entrepreneurship – De Constructing the US 36 Corridor

There are a few cities on the list that have a great ratio of Accredited Investors to new businesses in the past 12 months, and a number of factors to these numbers. This is the first in a two-part post that will give readers an understanding of the space between Denver and Boulder and help layout who is in charge of what and a general lay of the land. 

Click the Picture to open a PDF with Live Links

I found this little video about FasTracks on the RTD website and it sure seems like a good idea for shuffling people to and from work, entertainment, and other various travel needs. There is a green element as well since we all know it is more eco-friendly to all pile into one vehicle than it is to drive separately like the fellows in Swingers.

All I am saying is that public transportation is in theory a good thing and many times in practice as well. The New York subway system is a beloved public transportation icon that everyone should experience at some point of their life. The Washington DC subway system is also pretty cool and the two experiences are night and day. Baltimore put in a Lightrail and some say it put elements of the city into the county creating bad juju.

We are in Colorado, a kinder gentler place than the east coast and public transportation is pretty cool out here. It has taken some time to catch up to other cities and in 2017 it looks like we should be where they were some time ago. Progress is progress though and I think the new guy in charge of the state is in it for the people and will hopefully keep Colorado the envy of the nation. That might be a little extreme but I think if you live here for a while, you know what I mean. If you have only lived in Colorado I urge you to try somewhere else to gain the appreciation that us transplants have for the state. 

A lot of Maps for A lot of Cities:

Broomfield – Getting Some Park and Rides and Bus Terminals

Lafayette – Too Far East from the Main Routes

Louisville – US 36 and MaCaslin will Get a Station

Bigger City and Smaller Town not Originally Included

Westminster – Westminster Center and Church Ranch Stations

Superior (really, that’s like calling your town “Better than You”) – Table Mesa Station



Stay Tuned…

There is more to come on these cities, I thought you might want to watch the videos and see the pictures first. You can draw whatever conclusions you’d like about starting businesses in this area and hopefully I have given you some research tools. It will be interesting to see how the RTD affects Economic Development in these areas. Boulder has always been a hot spot for technology in Colorado and the surrounding cities seem to be doing their part to help the state grow. The next post will include more in-depth information about these areas.

Thank you for the Interview – w3w3.com, Internet Talk Radio

I am honored that the Angel Capital Summit (ACS) gave me the opportunity to gain exposure through w3w3.com, Internet Talk Radio. If you know me you know it is hard to keep a conversation to 8 minutes. I did my best to do Kevin Johansen and the others involved with the ACS as well as the Business Catapult proud.

Database Marketing is basically utilizing information to best market to your prospects and retaining those that you already work with.  Starting small and building or creating a sophisticated giant is not the defining factors of a good Marketing Database, it is the data and its use that counts the most.

This interview is a glimpse of why it is important to collect and care for your data. Your data is much more valuable when it is clean, consistent, and analyzed, and even more powerful when enhanced.

Click the Picture for the Interview…

Visualize Your Problems – It is Great Advice

Kevin Johansen, the tallest entrepreneur you will ever meet, sent me this video this morning. The Angel Capital Summit is just around the corner and the Business Catapult is the engine behind the scenes. We are working hard to create the best summit yet and I am confident we will accomplish that goal. We are not only using more advanced tools, we are looking at the picture in a new way and when you do that you see things you might not have noticed before.

Speaking of Looking at Things a Whole New Way

 

Homage to Old School through Integration

I just bought this hat and it seems more like a tribute now that I have had it a few days. I like the look, even though it is a grandpa hat. When do you start wearing a grandpa hat because I don’t think it has to be when you have a grandchild? My brother used to wear a hat like this when he would pick me up from middle school in when my parents were out of town. He had a Ferris Bueller thing going on with the old man hat and rain coat, the only difference is the car was a Buick not a Ferrari. Oh yeah, he was also 15 maybe and we did not live on a farm so draw your own conclusion for the purpose of the hat.

The Hat…

Tomorrow I have an interview with Larry Nelson on www.w3w3.com internet Talk Radio. I am excited for the opportunity to get the word out about how I see Database Marketing and the importance of using data sources to create measurable information. The hat says it for me because it is traditional and a style that has lasted through time. When looking for a hat I focused on both form and function, warmth and my hair. I would like to be warm and keep from the dreaded snow hat hair, filled with static electricity and weird-looking matting.

• Use what works, the hat has been around for years and most old people know enough now to determine what works and what doesn’t. If an older person has a warm head wearing a hat like this they have probably overcome the snow hat issues through experience.
• Be innovative and keep evolving the things that work into the goals you want to accomplish. Data is useful for many reasons and is unfortunately easily set aside due to time constraints. Put the old hat on the new concepts and have them work together.

Listen and you decide. Remember, I like learning so comments are welcome!

Kevin Johansen set this interview up for me based on my involvement with the Angel Capital Summit. The Entrepreneurial community in Denver is large and I have found it a comfortable place to work. I enjoy challenges, puzzles, mind teasers, and good conversation and fortunately I am getting what I like. I want to know why ideas fail as much as why they succeed so I prefer an open line of communication. Everyone has ideas and thoughts on how to best do this or that and I get my joy from results. That means ideas are good and actions are better. Test and test after you perform a few easy to do steps to ensure you are testing on a quality playing field.