- What I
Learned on the Inside
- The
Art of the Start
- Making
Yellow Page Ads Work...
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Research
suggests that brands that engage people emotionally can
command prices as much as 20% to 200% higher than
competitors', and sell in far higher volumes. |
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Marketing
is not an event, but a process. It has a beginning, a middle,
but never an end, for it is a process. You improve it, perfect
it, change it, even pause it. But you never stop it
completely. - Jay Conrad Levinson
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What
I Learned on the Inside: Part 3
BY
JEFF KEARL
 To Raise or Not to Raise?Most venture
capital firms receive many more investment proposals than they have the
capacity to invest in. Some firms receive as many as 10,000 business plans
per year and only invest in ten. Perhaps this is because many
entrepreneurs correctly value the contribution that a good venture firm
can make to a growing company. This often includes introductions to key
customers, top executive talent, and other quality investors as well as
access to strategic advice borne of experience. Unfortunately, the reality
is that only a small percentage of companies are good candidates for
venture capital. A savvy entrepreneur will seek to understand the
qualifications, regardless of whether or not she seeks venture capital,
because venture qualifications are the underpinnings of great companies.
Venture investors generally focus on three risk areas when
evaluating an investment.... Full
Article
| Editor's
Note: If you're "anyone starting anything," Guy Kawasaki wants
to help you do it right. Guy Kawasaki, the "original" Mac
evangelist, Forbes.com columnist, and CEO of Garage Technology
Ventures (and a big fan of LogoWorks!) has written the ultimate
guide for those that are or will embark on any new business venture.
Whether the venture is a new retail store, internet café or
landscaping company, The Art of the Start guides anyone
starting anything "through an adventure that's more art than science
- the art of the start."
Written in Guy's famous irreverent, no-nonsense style, The Art
of the Start is filled with practical advice, examples, and
exercises that get the entrepreneur thinking and doing. Kawasaki's
humor and insight shine through in every chapter, and Guy's knack of
making complex principles accessible to anyone embarking on the
start of something makes The Art of the Start a must-read for
the new church group to the seasoned entrepreneur.
What follows is an abridged and condensed version of Chapter 2 of
The Art of the Start - The Art of Positioning. You
can buy Guy
Kawasaki's new book on Amazon.
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The
Art of the Start
BY
GUY KAWASAKI
 Most people consider "positioning" an unnatural act foisted
upon them by marketing dweebs who are assisted by highly paid and clueless
consultants. In truth, positioning goes far beyond a management offsite or
exercise. When done properly, it represents the heart and soul of a new
organization, stating clearly
- why the founders started the organization
- why customers should patronize it
- why good people should work at it
The art of positioning
really comes down to nothing more than answering one simple question: What
do you do?
Developing a good answer to this question involves seizing the high
ground for your organization and establishing precisely how it differs
from the mass of competition. Then you must communicate this... Full
Article
Making
Yellow Page Ads Work for Your Small Business!
BY
DAVID FREY
 Yellow page ads can bring you a pot of gold...if done
correctly. It's often the first place that buyers go before they decide
from whom to buy. Eighty-four percent of the people who go to yellow pages
contact a business listed there and 49% of them actually go on to purchase
something from that business. That is why yellow pages are so important!
People go to the yellow pages with intent to buy. You don't have to
create demand for your product; it's already there. All you have to do is
convince the buyer that you should be the business that they call first.
The only downside to yellow page advertising is the cost of the ad
placement. It's not a one-shot deal. It is a commitment for a full
12-month ad run. It is essentially the same as going down to your local
paper and making a deal to run an ad every day for the next year without
the opportunity to stop or change the ad throughout the year. That's a
huge risk. I don't know any businesses that do that except for car
dealerships, but they get to change their newspaper ads as often as
they... Full
Article
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