SEO and the Local Law Firm
June 30, 2008
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A friend of mine is the CEO and founder of AttorneysDelivered.com. It has been neat to see him grow and mature as an entrepreneur. I have seen a lot of SEO companies come and go but this concept of AttorneysDelivered.com is the best I have seen to date. Well done Michael!
AttorneysDelivered.com, owned by fast growing search engine marketing company Qualified Impressions, LLC, is launching a new product July 1st for Attorneys and Law Firms.
This seems to be the next big wave for attorneys and marketing.
For anyone who understands how to market their website on search engines, they understand that links from other websites play a major factor. The purpose of marketing on the search engines is to show up on the results when people type in “keywords”. Then they click to your site (or listing) and contact you.
This Attorneys Delivered platform does the following:
- improves brand image
- improve your position on the search engines for business related keywords
- increases the # of visitors that visit your listing
- increases the # of potential customers that find you
Without digging into the technical aspects, it is designed to drive people to your listing page AND to your website.
You can read what LAW.COM has to say about them here:
http://legaltechnology.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/04/attorneys-deliv.html
And . . you can read more about the PROOF behind their system here:
http://www.attorneysdelivered.com/member-benefits.html
Reading the benefits page, you’ll see they give a real live example of how their system works — and you’ll also see the quote from Kazan Law firm backing up exactly what AttorneysDelivered says they do.
Are You Awake?
June 19, 2008
“I like thinking of possibilities. At any time, an entirely new possibility is liable to come along and spin you off in an entirely new direction. The trick, I’ve learned, is to be awake to the moment.” - Doug Hall
Calculating The Right Price
April 15, 2008
I created this as a bit of an experiment to provide entrepreneurs, would be entrepreneurs and business owners with a learning opportunity on calculating the “right price”.
Other good resources online include:
- Calculating Maximum Willingness to Pay (WTP) out of Conjoint Analysis Utilities
- How to Calculate Price Markup
- Calculating Price Elasticity
- Cost Plus Pricing
- Production Costs and Pricing
- Putting Cost Back into Pricing: Calculating Overhead Percentages
Tell me, is a format you would like to see and hear more? There is also a larger version available.
My Social Networks: An Incomplete Tour
April 12, 2008
My Social Networks is a incomplete list of the social networks and services I use online. This was inspired by my friends from Joyful Jubilant Learning, specifically, Joanna whose post “What Difference Does Voice Make” inspired me to try out Voice Thread which I think is the cats meow and exactly the type of tool I had been looking for.On Voice Thread you can leave text message, voice message, video, or annotate and doodle on the screen. An example, My Social Networks is displayed below. As you can see a fully functional version can be embedded within a blog or website. Enjoy!
Evaluating Good Ideas
April 11, 2008
How many good ideas do you get? How many do you get that you do not act upon?
Be Picky
Obviously, no one can act upon all their ideas. However, knowing which ideas are the ones to pursue and choosing the right timing to develop and implement is crucial. Poor timing can kill a good idea.
So how can you differentiate between the right and wrong ones? First, a good idea simply resonates with you, it just seems to fit. Look at the following four criteria to evaluate an idea: Read more
Nine Sales Troubleshooting Tips
April 9, 2008
At some point along the way to closing a sale you may find that you or your client are stuck or lost. This is the time to gain a new perspective. Take a look at the current situation, and try to assess the source of your sales road block. Ask yourself these questions. The answers will provide you with a fresh viewpoint and help formulate a new sales strategy.
- Do I need to confirm anything? Has anything changed since we started discussing your needs? If yes, How specifically? Are you still having trouble with ______? Is _______ still your boss? How many________ do you currently use ?
- Do they need more information? What other information would assist you in making a decision? How do you intend to approach solving that problem? When do you see that happening? Remember you can always follow up and ask Why?
- Where are they at? Have you run into this before? How did that impact you/your company? How do you feel about ________? Why is that the best? What is your opinion about _________?
- Serious Buyer? If you had made a decision to buy now, and I know you haven’t, what would have changed your mind? How specifically is that important to you? If we could provide that, is that something you would be interested in proceeding with now? Do I understand that you now intend to approve this with regard to the specifications? Are you willing to recommend this with the information you now have?
- Competition: What is the availability (delivery time frame) of competitors’ products? Our delivery time frames? Who are my competitors for this sale? What is the price differential? Is price a major factor to the customer? What are my competitors’ post sale service capabilities? How are they positioned? Are they firmly entrenched, or are they new players? Are we equal competitors?
- How they buy: Have there been any recent changes in the reason to buy now? What is the level of urgency, which indicates whether or not your timing is right or not - regarding this purchase? How much money will be required to make this purchase? What are the political factors in the organization?
- Right Person: Is there a new person who may impact the approval of this sale? Has there been a reorganization recently? Are you certain that the person giving final approval has not changed?
- Customer Needs: What specific tangible, measurable results do they expect to gain from this purchase?
- Roadblocks: Do they like me? What can I respect about where this person is coming from? Are they confused? Do they have a clear picture of our capabilities? Is the disagreement personal, product related or both? Is it realistic that I can change this person’s mind at this time? Do I have credibility with the buyer?
Leveraging Customer Knowledge with Gateway Blogging
March 5, 2008
There is a myth that we customers are time starved. We are busy and might feel time starved but when we find a company, products, or something we enjoy we somehow find the time.
As busy and time starved as we might be, when we find what we want we will spend as much time as needed. In fact, if we need to carve out extra time - we will do it - when we find something we really enjoy or want.
Over at Gateway Blogging I assert that Customers Are Not Time Starved Just Smart and Selective. In fact understanding your customers needs and adjusting the way you do business to meet your customers needs is a bullet proof competitive strategy.
I day bullet proof because in order to compete on the same level, a competitor would first need to acquire the same knowledge - which is not likely - plus try and mimic hat you are doing. Customers can tell the difference between the real deal and a fake. Check out my Smart and Selective article and the smart questions to help you become the competition.
A Woman’s Perspective On Building A Business
February 12, 2008
This Business Week article draws distinctions about women and how they build businesses. I think the observations are valid based on my own coaching experience but it is not just women who are starting a business because they want control over their lifestyle, wanting more freedom, flexibility, and control.
For example, they [women] manage growth so that they have more freedom, work three to four days a week, or choose not to have employees added to their responsibility of having a family at home. Or they might not borrow a large amount of money and instead grow their business slowly and organically—in many cases, on purpose. Via Rethinking How Women Build Businesses
Perhaps it’s my unique perspective as a business coaching practitioner. The women I have known in business have always been more focused on their roles (wife, mother, entrepreneur) and responsibilities and building a business to garner more flexibility than a traditional job.
Women Are Pragmatic and Tenacious Visionaries
I absolutely find it a joy to coach women in business. They always have a clear vision of the results they want and are naturally pragmatic.
Men Tend To Dream of the Possibilities
I am seeing more men beginning to think about lifestyle control and options when building a business. In my experience men are the dreamers and less pragmatic than women.
I am not saying that the way women approach business is better than the way men develop a business - it is just different. Just like anything, there are always exceptions to every assumption.
I have to say that men could take a page from the womens’ playbook - being more pragmatic - and it would be very potent and powerful combination. Just think about it, dreamer, possibilities, pragmatic visionary.
Sincerely,
Live Large! Because you deserve the best out of life.
How I Fell Off My Horse and What I Learned
October 30, 2007
I have been busy working on a special project for a new client. I have licensed my Internet Marketing Safari seminar to help a company in Florida generate leads for their business. Which explains why I have not been writing as much.
Wondering what the Internet Marketing Safari is about? It is all about lead generation.
Lead Generation Seminar
This seminar is a version of a seminar I used in my Web Development company before I sold it in 2003. The seminar is sold to business people who want to learn how to track, hunt, and capture new customers using their website and Internet marketing strategies.
Track Record
From 1995-1998 I delivered the original Marketing Safari seminar weekly in Edmonton, that’s about 150 3 hour seminars. They were always small groups of 10-14 people who invested $39 and 3 hours to learn how to create a marketing plan. It was fun to do and I met some great people.
Asking for More
People would come up to me afterwards and give me positive feedback. Some would inquire if there I had more programs. In the early days, I did not have anything else but quickly developed a series of seminars that I began to promote - a seven seminar series I called the Entrepreneurial Edge.
Repetition: A Great Teacher
The Marketing Safari seminar was a great teacher. When you spend 3 hours with 1,500 people on the same topic you see trends and patterns. In the beginning I adjusted my seminar weekly based on the feedback and questions I was getting. As I became more proficient in delivering the seminar the Marketing Safari Seminar became a great lead generator.
After awhile I no longer had to make any changes or adjustments to the seminar - I just delivered the seminar based on the proven model. The biggest shift came when I started to end the seminar with a soft sell on the seven seminar series. As I followed up with people, half of them would go on to enroll in the Entrepreneurial Edge. Eventually, my close ratio rose to 80% and I could predict my income based on the number of people who attended the Marketing Safari seminar.
I Wore Myself Out
In those days I did a lot of public speaking and was speaking 20-25 times per month (including my seminars). I just wore myself out. In February of the fourth year I got a doozie of a cold and ended up with pneumonia and on my back for 3 weeks. I had no choice but to cancel all my seminars and speaking gigs.
A New Treadmill
The business never really recovered and in an effort to get control of my life I focused 100% on coaching and consulting. As I look back I never should have stopped the Marketing Safari seminar. I just needed to move it from a weekly to a monthly seminar. People would have waited and I would have had a larger seminar. More people, less work - except I had lost perspective.
When you have been on your back for three weeks and still not feeling 100% you go into survival mode. Consulting seemed like easy money compared to the grind of speaking 20-25 times per month. Once I got on the consulting treadmill, it was hard to get off. When I had gigs I was busy making money and I was too busy to do a seminar or other promotions. When the gigs ended, I would run out and start promoting and networking to find the ‘next client’.
Shift Focus: Coaching
I began to experiment with offering a blend of coaching and consulting. It worked great and the clients enjoyed learning from my wide industry experience (32+ industries). Eventually, I shifted my focus 100% to coaching. Back in those days coaching was very new and business coaching was even rarer.
In 2004 I was one of six founding members of the Professional Business Coaches Alliance (PBCA) and have never looked back. Business Coaching offers a great income, lifestyle, and time to work on my own projects to develop and grow my business. Today the PBCA numbers almost 100 coaches from around the US, Canada, and the UK.
Lessons Learned
When you fall off the horse get back on. Pay attention, make adjustments, and never quit.
Yes, I plan to offer the Internet Marketing Safari in 2008 as a live webinar.
Seven Sales Questions And Ideas To Help You Prepare For A Sales Call
October 16, 2007
Preparation for a sales call or a meeting with a new potential client is just as important as the meeting itself. Read more
Two Blogging Books, Two Reviews, in One Post
October 10, 2007
When I think about people writing a book about blogging, part of me wonders why this stuff would not be on a blog? There is just something about holding a book, sitting in a comfortable chair, and your favorite beverage - that sitting and reading on your computer screen cannot replicate.
Two Books, Two Approaches
Today I am reviewing two books on the topic of blogging. Both are by people I respect as bloggers and nice people. Each of these books are unique. “What no one ever tells you about Blogging and Podcasting” by Ted Demopoulos contains 101 tips and real life advice from “People who successfully leverage the power of the blogosphere” that Ted interviewed. Whereas, “Blogging Tips, What bloggers won’t tell you about blogging” is authored entirely by Lorelle VanFossen, a seasoned author, writer, and Wordpress scribe.
Blogging Tips
When I got Lorelle’s book, I was surprised when I opened the package because the book is the size of a full sheet (8.5″ X 11″) and that got my attention right away. It contains 98 pages including the introduction there are eight chapters. Each chapter contains a number of self contained tips headed with an easy to read typewriter font and a small square box that can be used to “check” the items I wanted to come back to later - I found 25 tips that I wanted to review and implement.
The book is very thorough and easy to read. In the beginning she asks some great questions that made me stop and think. Other sections include Blog Structure and Design, Building Blog Content, Blog Writing, Blog Interaction & Community Building, Blog SEO and Page Rank, Blog Administration and Management, and Blogger Rights.
I would recommend Blogging Tips for everyone new or experienced. You can bet you will be much better informed and have a list of actionable tasks too.
What no one ever tells you about Blogging and Podcasting
Ted’s book is 211 pages and well organized considering it contains tips and advice from 101 different bloggers. Like Lorelle’s book it offers real world advice that covers a broad range of blogging topics. Some of my favorites are # 58 Great Bloggers are Great Conversationalists and # 59 Evangelizing Your Blog. This book is one I like to open at a random page, read it, and take action.
Ted’s book can also be read from front to back as it is organized into eight parts, they include The Basics, Some Business Uses of Blogs and Podcasts, Planning Your Blog, Making Money, Promoting Your Blog and Tracking Statistics, Podcast Specific Topics, Other Blog and Podcast Recommendations, and The Future.
Ted’s book is a very interesting read because each ‘chapter/tip’ is as unique as the person Ted interviewed. Your time will be well spent in Ted’s book as it will give you good cross section of tips from 101 successful bloggers.
Personally, if I was a beginning blogger I think I would prefer Lorelle’s book, “Blogging Tips” due to the continuity that you get from one author. For a taste from the good old blogosphere Ted’s book cannot be beat. Either book will serve you well, do yourself a favor and buy two of “Blogging Tips” and two of “What no one ever tells you about Blogging and Podcasting” because then you can give one of each away as a gift!
Forget About Business Productivity - Focus on Business Effectiveness
October 9, 2007
Many entrepreneurs joke that perhaps they have ADD. For the record a lot of very successful entrepreneurs had ADD and they got a lot done.
Is ADD, a.k.a. AD/HD an Entrepreneurial Trait?
I Google’d AD/HD and Entrepreneur and ended up at the AD/HD website at about.com They have an interesting article, but one sentence got my attention… Read more
Small Business Wake Up Call? Odds are Better in Las Vegas!
October 4, 2007
I have been thinking a lot lately about business metrics and how we entrepreneurs measure business success. I have been writing online since 1998 and generally consider myself to be relatively successful online. In the last month or so I have started to look at all my activities more objectively. Specifically, I have been asking myself:
“What has been the Return-on-Investment (ROI) of all my marketing and sales activities?”
What I did not expect was that my mind set toward this topic needed a reboot, system re-install, and attitude adjustment.
Addicted to (Mostly) Meaningless Statistics
I discovered that the interactive nature of blogs and the plethora of online social media tools had lured me into the online ‘conversation(s)’ and slowly began to measure my success by simply being involved in the ‘conversation’.
This started a dangerous tendency toward counting blog comments, subscribers, and visitors i.e. (mostly meaningless) blog and web site statistics as an success indicator.
Subsequently, I have decided that I need to apply more practical and meaningful business success metrics. For example, I am thinking about tracking new customers, serious sales leads, or new revenue as meaningful business success metrics.
Online Businesses Need to Use More Stringent Business Success Metrics
I feel a bit sheepish admitting to my lapse of applying more practical, stringent, and revenue generating metrics (i.e. statistics) to monitor the effectiveness of my marketing and sales activities. Then I remembered this post titled It’s Time to Stop Surviving and Start Thriving, an except:
The Greatest Risk of Business Failure Lies Between Years Two to Four… there is more risk to the owner of a business between the years of two to four than a startup… 38% of those who made it past the second year, closed by the end of the fourth year… we cannot ignore the reality that after six years 62% of the businesses that started six years earlier ceased to exist.
The Odds are Better in Las Vegas
A 38% chance of succeeding in business past the sixth year is not that great. In some cases entrepreneurs would be better off taking their chances in Las Vegas. In his book, Jump Start Your Business Brain, Doug Hall shares the probability of winning a game in Vegas:
- Slots: 32%
- Horse Racing 41%
- Blackjack (as usually player) 45%
- Roulette 47%
- Blackjack (perfect strategy and card counting) 50%
He goes onto to say that 68% of the people who gamble play the slots, which have the lowest probability of winning. Doh! Via It’s Time to Stop Surviving and Start Thriving
Didn’t Realize I was such a Gambler
If horse racing, blackjack, and roulette yield better odds than starting and owning a business for six years, I think it is time we entrepreneurs wake up and get real. Start measuring all marketing and sales activities using better measurements:
- Ratio of Dollars Generated compared to amount invested.
- Value of time invested in versus the profit created.
- Number of new customers by type of marketing and sales activity.
I am sure there are other measures and key performance indicators, but this would be a good place to start. In my case, I discovered that my best ROI was generated by:
- E-Mail Newsletter, which I mistakingly discontinued a few years back.
- Podcast, again something I stopped doing.
- Referrals, fortunately, my clients still love me and referrals are priceless.
I gave myself a kick in the ass and am in the midst make small incremental changes to restore those previously successful and profitable strategies. Here is my question for you:
“What are you doing to correct your falsely held belief, assumptions, and flawed tactics that are not generating profitable, measurable results?”
Is blogging a marketing or networking activity? When does blogging become a distraction?
September 30, 2007
Perhaps asking this question is heresy in the blogging community.
It is a question I am asking with increasing frequency these days. I have been writing daily since 1998 and writing about small business will always have a place in my schedule.
A busy schedule makes blogging especially challenging.
I have noticed that when I have multiple problem solving or creative projects on the go my desire to write for my blogs slips dramatically. I recall feeling the same way about my podcasts. Producing a quality podcast consumes more time than blogging. Perhaps that is why I stopped podcasting and kept blogging. If so, how do we measure the value of blogging?
Quantify the Value of Blogging
Personally, I love writing and blogging provides immediate feedback. The hard nosed capitalist pig in me asks, “What is the economic value of blogging? What metrics should we use to determine the efficacy of blogging? Should we apply a simple economic (sales increase) measure? Should we measure success by the number of comments a post gets? How can I determine if blogging has become a distraction?
No Blogging = No Distractions
Perhaps that statement is just to simplistic. If I just stopped blogging it would certainly eliminate the “distraction” but would it solve the problem? Is the consumption of creative energy that blogging requires really a problem or is it an opportunity disguised as a problem? Is it just my situation that makes it a problem?
My Current Situation
I am in the midst of reviving and updating a seminar I created in the mid 1990’s before I got involved with the Internet and writing online.
What struck me most was the fact that in those days all my writing and creative energy was 100% focused on developing and delivering seminars. I did not have blogging as an outlet. But these days I am finding that blogging is draining my creative energy and time.
Manage My Creative Energy
I have always justified the time and energy investment into blogging as an essential marketing activity - especially given the fact that my business is 100% international. All my clients, writing, and business opportunities stem from my blog or the relationships I have built with the readers.
I do not question the value of the relationships that result from getting to know the readers on my blog but the potential energy drain. Here is the paradox - the business needs me to redirect the creative energy from my bogs into developing seminars, tools, and web applications. Which causes me to ask the question, “Is blogging a marketing or a networking activity?”
Blogging Resembles Networking
Unless you actually have a marketing plan wherein blogging is one of many marketing tools and activities you use to reach your market - your blogging is more of a social, networking activity. Bottom line, I am questioning the efficacy and ability of blogging to produce the desired result. Is this just a phase? Do I have writers block?
No Writers Block
Writing is easy. Writing well is hard work.
Late in 2005 I wrote Tips and Traps When Buying a Business (274 pages) and in the winter of 2006 wrote Tips and Traps for Writing an Effective Business Plan (374 pages) all while maintaining my blogs. It was a huge commitment that sapped every ounce of creative energy I had. Writing those books was an amazing experience as I uncovered knowledge and capabilities I knew I had but had not fully developed.
Could it be that I just need to get comfortable with directing my writing and creative energy somewhere else?
Can a Blogging Consultant Help?
I wonder how the blogging consultants out there might react or respond to these questions I ask? How many blogging consultants ask their clients about their marketing and business plan?
Gen Yers: Can’t we all just get along?
September 28, 2007
Gen Yers get a bad rap as being know it alls. We have to be careful not to label our own experiences or observations of certain behaviors as a “trend”, for example, take in this point of view:
“Overwhelmingly, we’ve found Gen Yers to be hardworking, entrepreneurial, startlingly authentic, refreshingly candid, and wonderfully upbeat. Basically, not to get all mushy or anything, we love them.” Via Generation Y’s Bad Rap
Passionate, Thoughtful, and Focused Read more
Email Marketing: The Rodney Dangerfield of Internet Marketing?
September 26, 2007
”I don’t get no respect!” is the phrase that Rodney used in his monologues.
I was surprised to read that email marketing brings in $48 for every dollar spent. Not only that but: Read more
A 20 Something About 20 Somethings
September 19, 2007
To gain a greater understanding of the 20 somethings (Gen Y) working for you, take some time to read this post and the comments, very insightful.
Generation Y (25 and under) has grown up watching their parents go off to work every day, 40 - 60 hours per week, with fierce loyalty only to be downsized, outsourced, or laid off in their 40’s and 50’s.
This reality has the 20-somethings with a different mindset from previous generations. We do not want to merely work our time away, but to live a life of significance and fulfillment. That means being and doing more than just having. Via 20-Something Business Trends: The Online Entrepreneur with Time and Money
Mind Map Collaboration Tips
September 16, 2007
As a long time mind mapper I was delighted to find the MindMeister online application. What follows are some observations and tips for using MindMeister Mind Map application to collaborate online. Read more
How much do you spend advertising online?
September 15, 2007
I came a cross MarketingShift, promoted as a “Daily Crash Course in Marketing Technology & Brand Management”.
I was pleasantly surprised, MarketingShift has quality content with real life examples and practical edge.
What percentage of your advertising do spend on print advertising versus online?
Marchex expects the Internet share of local advertising to increase to 25 percent within a decade, but that is a low amount even for today. Based on my experiences in local advertising for my wife’s business, I spent about 75 percent of the marketing budget during the past 2 years in print and the rest online, yet 95 percent of her business has come from Internet listings on directory sites. They are cheaper, interactive, and get the right audience, whether you are an accountant, plumber, or clothing retailer. Via Local Businesses Eschew Online, Waste Dollars on Print
Did you catch the distinction in the above paragraph? Are you spending 75% of your marketing budget that only produces 5% of your revenue? Ouch, before you dismiss this, stop and think - could you be missing out? Look at this excerpt from the Marchex report:
“…the small-to medium-sized business (SMB) market, that fuels the $15 billion print yellow pages industry, is still relatively untapped on the Internet, with only 6% of the market buying any form of search engine advertising” Via Marchex
If you depend on the local market and do not have a marketing strategy that includes a strong online component - you are missing out on a lot of leads and customers for your business. Start tracking where your leads come from and then compare that to where you are spending your advertising and marketing budget. Then redirect a large portion to local online advertising.
Have a Hero? Be a Hero, Live Large!
September 9, 2007
Imagine that after surviving abuse, divorce, and having to start over from scratch, you remarry and then decide to start a business. Certain health problems start to turn up and your doctor make suggestions to change your lifestyle and you make the adjustments. Read more
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Getting the Price Right
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My Books on Amazon
