As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned how to prospect and sell. Selling has and will always involve building relationships but technology has radically changed prospecting. Print and newspaper advertising has given way to online advertising, company websites, and search engine optimization. With the advent of the digital video recorder, people are skipping through TV ads. Satellite radio is displacing commercial radio just as cable displaced network TV. Households receive dozens of pieces of direct mail each day which go directly from the mailbox to the trash can. Robo-calls bombard households only to be intercepted by answering machines and voice mail systems. The old technique of “push selling”, using advertising, is less effective as consumers are numb from over stimulation. Today’s savvy consumer wants entertainment and news not slogans and hype. The explosion of social networking sites like Facebook, Linked-In, and Twitter evidences the transformation of consumer behaviors in a cyber-world. People are getting connected to other people across the planet based on common interests. They are collaborating across timezones and getting advice instantaneously from trusted sources.

Effective prospecting requires “pull selling” where people opt in to receive information. The savvy consumer will research a company on the web and make a buying decision without ever contacting a person at the company. But having a static, informative website is not enough to effectively compete. Seasoned sales professionals will confirm that it takes, on average, seven sales calls to close a sale. Each call is designed to move the prospect closer to a decision while building a relationship of trust. In the new Internet economy many of those first contact calls are made indirectly through web site browsing, online testimonials, product reviews, and email communications. The problem with this scenario is that the salesperson does not have a clue who the prospect is and he/she has no way of developing a relationship before many decisions are made. This is where blogging has a huge impact.

Blogging is a way to communicate with lurking prospects and lure them into the social fabric so contact can be made and a relationship can be built. A blog is a dynamic communication vehicle that speaks to who you are as a company and what you do. It needs to be entertaining and informative not a new place to post advertising content. Blogs must offer visual-verbal content. The reader must be entertained with visual media and captivated by a friendly voice. A blog must be written in a style that speaks in a consistent tone. When people visit a blog it tends to be more informal then traditional business communications but it must not be unprofessional. I think of a blog as a conversation around the coffee pot on casual Fridays where a senior technician or manager shares some tips and techniques with the team. It can be spirited and lively but still cognizant of the business environment. A good blog draws people into the conversation; it encourages dialog and begets an environment open to asking questions. True success can be attributed to the blog when people start sending in emails with questions about the topics discussed on the blog – it is at that time that the prospect is discovered and an online relationship with trust has been indirectly developed.

The problem with blogs is people start them because they know they need one but they fail to update them regularly. This failure is worse than not having a blog. When a web visitor looks at a blog that has not been updated in six weeks, or even worse six months, it conveys a feeling that the company is dead or going out of business — “there must be nothing to say because nothing is happening”. Starting a blog requires a strategy. Someone must be dedicated to keeping it going. It doesn’t need to be a full time job though for a large company it certainly wouldn’t hurt to have several bloggers dedicated full time. For the small business, it can be a major task for a CEO to regularly drop everything he/she is doing and start blogging; but blogging may be the best marketing investment for the small business owner.

Today marketing firms are managing blogs for large companies at a substantial price. The small and medium size businessperson may feel the blogosphere is out of reach, while in fact it really isn’t. Freelance writers can be effective bloggers. Photojournalists who write, make photographs and even create multi-media content can be retained to keep a blog lively. A blog can replace the customer newsletter and reduce mailing costs for a dentist office while attracting new prospects with informative articles on dental hygiene or cosmetic dentistry. A blog can feature artists and their work at a local gallery. Investment advisers can inform clients and engage prospects with a synopsis of markets and recommended strategies. A local boutique can feature new fashions, discuss the trends for the coming season, and even announce web-only promotions. The options are endless.

If you are interested in starting a blog here are a few things to do:

1. Register a domain or subdomain that is easy for people to remember
2. Select an appropriate blogging software package
3. Customize the look for your particular business
4. Implement optional features based on the desired content
5. Seed the blog with pertinent news stories
6. Promote the blog to current customers and prospects
7. Publicize the blog posts on social network sites
8. Keep new, fresh content flowing

I work with clients to install, update and create verbal-visual content for blogs and business websites. Contact me if you would like to discuss ways that a blog can help you establish credibility and trust with your customers.

Adam Rice and Daniel Upton met each other as students in the Digital Media Masters of Science program at Georgia Tech. Both of these fellows had degrees in the arts and were in the Georgia Tech program to transform their artistic talent into technological savvy. Daniel had been developing database applications since high school. He chose to develop a social media listening tool to help people meet other people with similar interests based on public posts on social media websites. Instead of following his first calling to “outfit a taco truck with technology and head west… to the beach”, Adam recognized the uniqueness of this information aggregation tool and convinced Daniel that they should look for venture capital to fully develop the concept.

Ultimately Adam and Daniel found themselves at Shotput Ventures, an Internet incubator. In Spring of 2009, Shotput Ventures provided seed capital to fund the development of the concept and gave them two to three months to develop a functional prototype. Shotput Ventures provided the legal framework for Looxii (pronounced “look – see”) along with business mentoring to fully develop a commercially viable product. And so the coding began! One day during lunch with a mentor, the direction of Looxii took a turn as Adam and Daniel defined commercial viability for Looxii. They figured out that the engine behind their project would be best developed as a social media listening tool to help commercial enterprises monitor “cyber-buzz” about their company.

According to Adam, “Social media is changing the way people live, work and play. It’s time for businesses to get serious.” Forward thinking companies realize this trend and are creating a presence in social media using blogs and websites like Facebook and Linked-In. Daniel adds, “The challenging aspect of social media is how to make sense of all the chatter out there.” Marking departments are spending money on social media but they are hard pressed to explain what, if, and how the expenditures are impacting the brand.

Looxii provides a simple user interface into massive amounts of aggregated social media. It helps marketing professionals digest what is being said about a topic and whether the trends are positive, negative , or neutral. Looxii also helps marketing professionals drill down into the data to identify where meaningful online conversations are happening and who is involved.

Just a few weeks ago, Looxii made its public debut at Startup Riot, a gathering of 50 startup companies and potential investors. Marketing companies have long been involved in distilling public opinion through surveys and focus groups. Now with social media and Looxii, it is just a matter of collecting, distilling, and analyzing what people are saying. Looxii is on the front line providing simple tools to make sense of this growing cyber-world talk.

Adam and Daniel credit their success to having a good team – a team with complimentary skills and good chemistry. They also believe in solid academics, tenacity, strong work ethic, passion for what they do, and constant learning. From a product perspective, it’s all about simplicity and the user interface. They also agree, its important to know your personal limits and when to take a break.

So what to these guys do when they’re not pushing code? Well they are avid Dr Mario video gamers. The’ve also adopted Leon, a rescue dog, who takes them for a walk when the guys need a break. And you might run into Daniel at a local pub playing with The Orphins, an indie rock band.

So are these two guys the next Larry Page and Sergey Brin? Who’s to say? Keep an eye on this startup!

For more information on Looxii visit their website www.looxii.com

Carole Christian, owner of Carole’s Collections, began her fashion career as a sales rep for a jewelry designer soon after graduating with a business degree from Georgia State. Carole recalls, “In the 1980′s, fashion industry sales was a highly competitive, fast paced, high paying career. ” Carole loved every minute of it. She loved the fashions, the energy and the lifestyle. Over the years the industry changed but Carole’s passion for fashion remained a driving force in her life; and finally this passion drove her to open her own wholesale showroom. In 2001, Carole’s Collections was launched in the AmericasMart fashion merchandise complex.

Carole claims to have cornered the market for upscale contemporary women’s fashion and her prominent showroom at AmericasMart is one part of her strategy. “Atlanta is one the biggest fashion merchandising markets in the US. It’s bigger than New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami!”

Carole’s Collections carved out a niche in the southeast, carrying unique upscale contemporary lines recognized for bold colors, geometric patterns, figure flattering cuts and precision detailing. These garments, marketed under the Rubber Ducky Productions label, retail in the $300 – $400 price range and are targeted to the 19 – 30 age group. With such an emphasis on looking younger theses days, physically fit women in the 30 – 50+ age group are also frequent buyers. Celebrities including Eva Longoria (of Desperate Housewives) are frequently seen wearing styles from Rubber Ducky Productions.

Carole is aware of developing trends in fashion and sees a new market for plus size women as well. For many plus size women there are very few high fashion alternatives. Carole is working with her designers to launch a new line of affordable, high fashion tops and dresses for plus size women. This new line will launch under the label of CC Couture. Carole’s designers are working overtime to keep costs associated with larger sizes down so there will be several price points to compliment her existing lines for smaller women. Plus sizes dresses range from size 16 to 24 and regular sizes run from size 2 to 16. “The styles, cut, patterns, and fabrics must offer the same high fashion look for plus size women – but the styles will be quite different to flatter the figure in unique ways” says Carole. In addition to launching CC Couture, Carole plans to expand into denim designs. Carole’s goals for growth include expanding her showroom, expanding the lines offered, and penetrating the market with more traveling salespeople.

Most of the specialty clothiers manufacturer garments to order requiring minimum size orders and substantial lead times. With credit extremely tight, and a dynamically changing economy, many boutique owners are not ready to commit to large purchases with long lead times. Carole’s Collections is an “immediate resources” showroom which means that orders are fulfilled within 7-10 days from inventory. This business model used to cater to boutiques that underestimated their inventory requirements and sold out of merchandise between seasons. Now a days, showrooms offering immediate resources are capturing an ever larger market share as retailers seek to keep lean inventories and reorder more frequently. Carole explains, “I have a few retailers who place orders three times a month. Some of these customers drive to the showroom on day trips from nearby states. Our traveling salespeople also call on them in their stores.”

Trumping the fear of failure, Carole attributes her success to being driven and having a passion for what she does. She hires knowledgeable, friendly staff and treats new clients to free shipping on their first order. Carole also caters to the needs of small boutique owners with flexibility on minimum order sizes. Carole attributes her gregarious nature to moving around a lot as a child and watching her father who was a store manager for Sears. “I learned to make friends quickly, surround myself with positive happy people, and find happiness from within.”

When she’s not driving the business and reading fashion magazines, Carole likes to run, indulge in some fine dining, and travel to places like the Caribbean, France and Italy. She is a single mother with a sixteen year old daughter and dog who also demands her attention.

To learn more about Carole’s Collections call the showroom at 404.589.0098 to schedule your visit.

Sam Dobrow is a freelance reporter, writer, and photographer based in Atlanta, GA.
More information about Sam Dobrow is available on the web at www.samdobrowphotography.com