In the summer of 1995 my wife and I attended a street fair held in a little known city located east of Seattle. It was an annual event and one I normally didn’t even bother to put in the calendar.

But this year would be life changing, because of a man and his computer on the side- walk.

As we strolled through the booths and exhibits we came across this gentleman who was demonstrating how businesses could show their products and services on what he called the World Wide Web.

This was very intriguing to us as we were marketing to Alaska and maybe, just maybe, we could use what he was talking about to develop more business in this region.

Little did I know how much this man and his demonstration would change our world and the course of our businesses forever.

This introduction to the land of clicks, modems, and html was the beginning of our journey on the Internet.

What began as a simple way to market to Alaskans turned into a feverish race to stay on top of the search engines at that time. Search Engines like Web Crawler, Lycos, Excite, Infoseek, and Yahoo!

I imagine it could be compared to the early days of computer technology coming on the scene during the 1950’s.

Anyway you look at it, we had a hold of a tiger and boy was it a wild ride that kept me on my toes, on the phone and typing emails like a man with his hair on fire.

Those were the days and the beginnings of click for the little known company located just north of the Big M and Big B.

There’s more to come as we continue with the Tales of Click. Much, much more…

Do you want to learn how this tiny store flourished and grew leaps and bounds?               Go to:  www.secretsofthetinystore.com

When it comes to small business marketing you might be surprised how many business owners implement what I refer to as ‘band-aid marketing’ and yet they wonder why sales are lack luster and traffic is ho-hum.

This all goes back to the ole’ strengths and weaknesses talk. Check out my previous articles on this subject if you’re curious.

So it comes down to this…

Most small business owners I’ve encountered over the years are not strong marketers.

At best they are mediocre to average, with most below average.

They might be great at selling and maybe one other area of their business but marketing is the weak point that constantly rears its head.

I have found that their lack of understanding in this critical area tends to be a sore subject or one that you just don’t bring up, unless you want an argument to follow.

Note: If you are the rare individual who is good to great at marketing, this article is obviously not about you, so bear with me.

So as I dig into this topic today, here’s a story from yesteryear:

I once had a string of clients who were all what I call Band-Aid Marketers.

It was a time when I was working in a very narrow niche and each one of these small business owners needed help generating business.

One understood that to reach his audience he had to advertise in the right mediums and with the right messages. So he did and his results were solid.

Two other owners were sales guys who could talk a good talk, but had not a clue how to market or merchandise.

These two were covered with band-aids and didn’t even know it! All they wanted to do was sell and sell they did.

So both owners allowed us to produce jingles and radio commercials for a short run on local radio stations. This was their way of testing us to see if we could pull off what we proposed.

The ads pulled and generated sales, but after the short run was completed, they decided to go it alone, without our help. After all, they had the jingle and radio package to work with, along with our strategy and ideas, right?

They figured they could do it better and cheaper!

When it came to marketing they weren’t going to admit their lack of understanding.

So they put on one more band-aid, trudged forward, struggled, and one owner even went out of business.

The other owner still doesn’t have a website that I could find and it’s been almost ten years!

Band-aid marketing. Get the picture? I sure hope so.

When it comes down to it, you either like marketing or you don’t.

If marketing isn’t your thing, then hire it out to seasoned professionals and let them do what they do best. You work in your strengths and areas you enjoy.

If your strength area is marketing, then study, research and grow, so you can improve upon what is working.

If you are a solo-preneur and need to do it all…make it a goal to outsource and hire qualified people to do the tasks and work that you least enjoy.

This way you can be more productive, happier and have a business that is headed in the right direction.

Band-aid marketing will cost you time, money and probably quite a few headaches.

Take it from me, it’s not worth it and you’ll end up with a whole lot of cuts and bruises that you could have avoided in the first place.

 

 

 

Over 40 years ago a famous rock group released a song about communication break down and it seems that no matter how far advanced technology has brought us, we still have to deal with this challenge.

From the home front to the offices of our businesses to the schoolroom, it makes no difference; we have to communicate; yet many people I come across have not learned the basics? Is it the simple fact that society has made such a fast change or is it as simple as people not knowing how to use and adapt to new communication methods?

Going back to 1995 when I first started using email, most of the people communicating with me were business oriented. In my case, our prospects and some clients used email to search and inquire about our products and services. This was new to me and I needed to adapt fairly quickly. So I learned, tested, failed, grew and finally figured it out, but still have to work on it to this day.

In one case I remember a scientist working in Antarctica called me on a satellite phone instead of emailing because he had specific questions and didn’t want to mess around with email. Plus I think he liked the contact with the outside world and it turned out to be fascinating for me, as I had never spoken to anyone like this before.

One lady I know of prefers texting to all other forms of communication and she’s pretty good at it, but she’ll still pick up the phone when necessary.

On the other hand, I now see more and more people using email and text with their smart phones assuming that the recipient will get back to them immediately with an answer. Instead of picking up the phone and making the call to communicate, they stress out for hours until the person answers or they send another text or email.

Today, I still see people fire off emails without thinking twice and yet they wonder why the responses they receive are so short and razor sharp, if you know what I mean. I believe part of it has to do with laziness and the other half is just plain ignorance and not caring at all what the outcome might be.

With so many ways to communicate today, are you stuck in your shell and locked into one or two methods, or are you embracing and testing new forms of communication?

Have you let the ‘ole’ tele go by the wayside and opted for typing to avoid human interaction, conflict or even accountability? I’ve personally seen this time and time again and wonder if these individuals understand what they are doing?

Maybe it’s time we really evaluate what communication methods work for us and which ones don’t. Remember to test, test and test some more and then you can make quality decisions that will hopefully help your business and personal life.

Communication breakdowns will always be around, no matter how far advanced we human’s get. Let’s do our part as professionals to eliminate as many communication breakdowns as possible and make it easier on those we work and associate with everyday.

 

 

 

Years ago before the dotcom boom there was a small niche business located in the backyard of ‘The Big M’ in Redmond, Washington. What started out as a brick mortar model with one full time employee, one phone line and one product, bloomed into a thriving diverse enterprise. This small business had its ups and downs just like all businesses that get started on a shoestring. Eventually things started to gel and opportunities opened up that the local competition didn’t see or care to see. When most startups are starting to falter and fade, this one started to pickup steam and capture new customers.

Over the years this little brick and mortar business grew and grew along with the surrounding community until the arrival of the web in August of 1995. Thus they entered the world of click and mortar and started on a new journey that would increase sales and over all revenues. The Internet brought on a totally new dimension that enabled the little enterprise to expand its horizons and reach out to the far corners of the globe. With clients from all over the world, calls and emails would make their way from far away places like Australia, The Netherlands, and even a research outpost in Antarctica.

And so business continued on until the fall of 2001 when it finally changed hands. Some will say that the timing was impeccable and I’d have to agree. But what really made this small business a success were the people that worked there and their dedication and hard work.

 Tales like these are abundant in the land of small business and we hope you will share your tale with us here at clickandmortarblog.com.

 

Getting through to your prospect and client’s hearts and minds is a lot easier than you think. Most likely you’ve read one of my articles, case studies, or listened to me talk about personal relationship marketing or what I refer to as PRM.

PRM is much more than just emails and thank you’s. This may be what many marketers consider the way that they can connect and further the relationship with their clients. The emails and thank you’s are a good start, but a lasting impression can be made even better with just a little more effort…..

Read More….

 

In this day and age of online and offline marketing, many small business owners don’t understand how to market themselves online let alone offline with traditional media.

Marketing agencies seem to be popping up everywhere, with copywriters and graphic designers even, hanging out shingles saying that thou art a marketing or advertising agency.

It’s quite the tragedy and yet more and more freelancers continue to make this transition, thinking that they can offer a soup-to-nuts service and contract out the work that they themselves are not able to do.

Now before you get your blood pressure up…

Read more…

 

It’s now the start of a new year and many people have set their resolutions to do something that will positively affect their life in the coming year. Some of the most popular ones are weight loss, exercise, eating better, finances, and for some, it will be to start their own business. Have you made resolutions but have yet to get started? Funny how we all do that at one time or another.

Have you ever gotten to the point where you need to ‘pause’ and take a break because life seems to be stuck in overdrive and on fast forward? Could it be that you have so much going on that the hours and days are just one big blur? I recently heard a message that got me thinkin’ about what I need to do to change, slow down, and really review what I’ve been doing.

Here are Three ways that you might consider putting into your calendar if you’re tired and feel like the ‘fast forward’ button is glued down…

1. Pause and make space in our lives to be still and reflect. Even it’s for five minutes.
2. Pray while being still. Open up your mind to God and listen.
3. Rewind & Play back your day so you evaluate and grow

How does “Pause, Pray, Rewind & Play” work into a small business owner’s life?
To be honest, it works the same for everyone but sometimes when you are running and operating a small business you get so tied up in your little world that nothing else matters but your ‘biz’.  So I want to encourage you to take the time to implement 2PRP into your life. Check it out and let us know how this simple formula has worked for you.

 

Have you been searching for that magic bullet to keep your clients around a little longer? It’s possible that you might not have to look any further than your own hand and a simple pen and paper.

Read on and find out more…

 

 

 

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Your small business is either engaging in social media right now, dipping it’s toe in the water or doesn’t have a clue or desire to participate in the hottest online channel. Survival is truly what it is, because whether you realize it or not this channel of connectivity is growing at light speed. For your business, this can equate to traffic and sales if you know all the ins and outs and how to make it work in your favor. If you decide to sit on the sidelines, you might just watch others connect, grow, and expand their prospect, subscriber, and client lists faster than ever before.

So, first off, are you social, anti-social, or non-social?

Read more…

 

Water is the fluid that gives us life. Without it we can die within 3 to 5 days, and that’s if we’re relatively healthy and living in a moderate climate. Over one billion people in our world don’t have ready access to clean, drinkable water everyday. Yes, that’s correct, over one billion people. Unsafe water kills 5,700 children a day.

Have you ever thought what it would be like if you didn’t have any water to drink? Many of us take for granted that we have clean water to drink and bathe in on a daily basis. What if you didn’t have access to fresh, clean water? What if your supply of water was cut off and you had to drink out of dirty ponds and irrigation ditches? Would you and your family be able to survive? How would you feel as a parent if your children were not able to drink anything but dirty, filthy water?

Read more…