Investors Needed

Executive Coaching | Conversations

By: Santi Chacon
Business Coach

Any platform is a good platform in assisting individuals in developing their dreams; whether it's a phone call or a note left on your Facebook profile, so remember to be omnipresent.

The following was taken from an interesting note some one left on one of my social network accounts, which sparked some thoughts I wanted to pass onto you.

John: Investor Needed: Groupon.com rejected a deal from Google for the amount of $6 billion in August 2010. The whole Groupon.com business model is just one component inside of my business plan with over 500 components. My business plan has taking me over six years to put all of the components together.

I am looking for a business investor for the minimum of $3 million going to $10 million. $3 million and Australia is ours under 12 months. $10 Million and we are in 45 counties under 24 months from the day of launch. Smashing ALL competition out of the road - FACT. Not one company will be able to compete with what I have put together over the last 6 years- FACT!

I do live in Darwin Australia, but the Business will not be based in Darwin - This is all explained in the business plan. Brisbane Queensland, Australia is where this business will be based.

Come rule the internet with me, I know that you would like to know more. So I look forward to hearing from you.

Me: To find investors you may want to consider taking your business model out for a spin, if its too expensive or too complex than simplify. Consider putting together a small business or set of case studies that you can document and began locally. You could be a genius from MIT on paper but if you don't know how to make a business work in the real world you will be laughed at:

Have you landed any customers?

The more complex a business plan or model the greater the risk that something may go wrong. You may have too many moving pieces in your equation. When you are pitching investors they should see how they will earn a return quickly, this is not quantum mechanics:

How simple is your business plan?

Investors will also consider your business experience and industry knowledge. If you don't have any experience (which might be the case) they will want to see the expertise in your management team:

What is your experience in this industry? or the experience of your management team? 

Andrew Mason (CEO of Groupon.com) created several working business models before narrowing his opportunities down and attracting investors:

Do you have at least one working business model?

Social Media Talk

Business Coaching

By: Santi Chacon
Business Coach

I am a proponent of getting out there and conversing with clients, partners, and other stakeholders about best practice.  Conversations have a wonderful way of weeding through the irrelevant; after all I get the 'the best of'' straight from our stakeholders. Professionals are invited to a round table event to discuss small business issues. These talks provide tremendous insight into small business and help us keep our fingers on the pulse of our stakeholder's preferences, thoughts, and needs.

I expounded on a few thoughts for you during that discussion:

JD: Talk about social technologies used as a vehicle to launch a product, brand, or service.

Chief Biz Guru: Any social media platform or technology would work wonderfully in launching a product, service, or brand. The key is to engage individuals or businesses that fit your target market before attempting to launch or roll out any new product, service, or brand image.

Content 

Education has always been the root to success not only for emerging markets but for emerging businesses. The world is hungry for opportunity therefore great content is effective in building brand awareness. It is appropriate to build a following through content creation before launching anything. I feel the more effective question to ask is: What social media platform can be best used for my brand, product or service?  This question infers that each business model is different. So, the original question can be answered in wild generalizations. This question just proposed beckons a specific understanding of a business plan and goals.

Tools used to build communities around your content first and brand second may include:

1. 100zakladok
2. 2 Tag
3. 2linkme
4. A1-Webmarks
5. Add.io
6. Adfty
7. Adifni
8. aero
9. All My Faves
10. Amazon
11. Amen Me!
12. Aol Lifestream
13. AOL Mail
14. Arto
15. Aviary Capture
16. Baang
17. Baidu
18. Bebo
19. Bentio
20. BiggerPockets
21. Bit.ly
22. bizSugar
23. Bleetbox
24. Blinklist
25. Blip
26. Blogger
27. Bloggy
28. Blogmarks
29. Blogtrottr
30. Blurpalicious
31. Boardlite
32. Bobrdobr
33. BonzoBox
34. BookmarkedByUs
35. BookmarkingNet
36. Bookmarky.cz
37. Bookmerken
38. Bordom
39. Box.net
40. Brainify
41. Bryderi
42. BuddyMarks
43. Buzzzy
44. Camyoo
45. Care2
46. Chiq
47. Cirip
48. CiteULike
49. ClassicalPlace
50. Clickazoo
51. clp.ly
52. Cndig
53. Colivia.de
54. Communicate
55. Connotea
56. COSMiQ
57. Delicious
58. DesignBump
59. Designmoo
60. Dig This Webhost
61. DigaCultura
62. Digg
63. Diggita
64. diglog
65. Digo
66. Digzign
67. Diigo
68. Dipdive
69. doMelhor
70. Dosti
71. DotNetKicks
72. DotNetShoutout
73. DotShare
74. Douban
75. Drimio
76. Dropjack
77. Dwellicious
78. dzone
79. edelight
80. EFactor
81. eKudos
82. elefanta.pl
83. Email
84. Embarkons
85. euCliquei
86. Evernote
87. extraplay
88. EzySpot
89. Fabulously40
90. Facebook
91. Fai Informazione
92. Fark
93. Farkinda
94. Fashiolista
95. Fashion BURNER
96. FAVable
97. Faves
98. favlog
99. Favoriten.de
100. Favoritus
101. Flaker
102. Floss.pro
103. Folkd
104. FollowTags
105. forceindya
106. FreeDictionary
107. Fresqui
108. FriendFeed
109. Friendster
110. funP
111. fwisp
112. Gabbr
113. Gacetilla
114. Gamekicker
115. GiveALink
116. GlobalGrind
117. Gmail
118. Good Noows
119. Google
120. Google Buzz
121. Google Reader
122. Google Translate
123. Gravee
124. GreaterDebater
125. Grono.net
126. Grumper
127. Haber.gen.tr
128. Hacker News
129. Hadash Hot
130. Hatena
131. Hazarkor
132. Healthimize
133. Hedgehogs.net
134. HelloTxt
135. hipstr
136. Hitmarks
137. Hot Bookmark
138. Hotklix
139. Hotmail
140. HTML Validator
141. Hyves
142. ideaREF!
143. Identica
144. iGoogle
145. ihavegot
146. Instapaper
147. iOrbix
148. iSociety
149. iWiW
150. Jamespot
151. Jisko
152. JoliPrint
153. Jumptags
154. KaBlog
155. Kaboodle
156. Kaevur
157. Kipup
158. KiRTSY
159. Kledy
160. Kommenting
161. La tafanera
162. Laaikit
163. Ladenzeile
164. Librerio
165. Link Ninja
166. Link-a-Gogo
167. LinkedIn
168. Links Gutter
169. LinkShares
170. Linkuj.cz
171. Livefavoris
172. LiveJournal
173. LockerBlogger
174. Logger24.com
175. Lynki
176. Mail.ru
177. Markme
178. Mashbord
179. Mawindo
180. Meccho
181. meinVZ
182. Mekusharim
183. Memori.ru
184. Menéame
185. Messenger
186. Mindbodygreen
187. Mister Wong
188. Mixx
189. Moemesto.ru
190. mototagz
191. mRcNEtwORK
192. Multiply
193. myAOL
194. mylinkvault
195. Myspace
196. N4G
197. NetLog
198. Netvibes
199. Netvouz
200. NewsMeBack
201. NewsTrust
202. Newsvine
203. Nujij
204. OKNOtizie
205. oneview
206. OnGoBee
207. orkut
208. Osmosus
209. Oyyla
210. Packg
211. pafnet.de
212. PDF Online
213. PDFmyURL
214. PhoneFavs
215. PimpThisBlog
216. Ping.fm
217. Planypus
218. Plaxo
219. Plurk
220. Pochval.cz
221. PopEdition
222. Posteezy
223. Posterous
224. Prati.ba
225. Print
226. PrintFriendly
227. Pusha
228. QRF.in
229. Quantcast
230. Qzone
231. Read It Later
232. receeve.it
233. Reddit
234. Rediff MyPage
235. RedKum
236. RideFix
237. Scoop.at
238. Segnalo
239. Sekoman
240. Select2Gether
241. Shaveh
242. SheToldMe
243. ShirIntarIn
244. Simpy
245. Sina Weibo
246. Slashdot
247. SMI
248. SodaHead
249. Sonico
250. Speedtile
251. Sphinn
252. SpinSnap
253. Spoken To You
254. sportpost
255. springpad
256. Spruzer
257. Squidoo
258. Startaid
259. Startlap
260. Story Follower
261. studiVZ
262. Stuffpit
263. StumbleUpon
264. Stumpedia
265. Stylehive
266. Surfpeople
267. Svejo
268. Symbaloo
269. TagMarks.de
270. Tagvn
271. Tagza
272. tarpipe
273. TellMyPolitician
274. The Web Blend
275. Thinkfinity
276. ThisNext
277. Throwpile
278. Tip'd
279. TopSiteler
280. Transferr
281. Tulinq
282. Tumblr
283. Tusul
284. Tvinx
285. TweetMeme
286. Twitter
287. TwitThis
288. Typepad
289. Urlaubswerk
290. Viadeo
291. Virb
292. Visitez Mon Site
293. Vkontakte
294. vybrali SME
295. Vyoom
296. Webnews
297. Whois Lookup
298. Windy Citizen
299. WireFan
300. Wordpress
301. Worio
302. Wykop
303. Xanga
304. XING
305. Y! Bookmarks
306. Y! Buzz
307. Y! Mail
308. Yammer
309. Yardbarker
310. Yemle
311. Yigg
312. Yoolink
313. Yorumcuyum
314. Youblr.
315. Youbookmarks
316. YouMob
317. Yuuby
318. Zakladok.net
319. Zanatic
320. ZicZac
321. Zootool

Effectiveness

Efforts should remain strategic and a person should consider limiting the platforms she uses, otherwise it may be difficult to track real results to improve effectiveness. Too many social media platforms may cannibalize a brand if individuals are not careful.

Business Model

The television show American Idol is a great example of creating a following first and then delivering music brands second.  This show has launched many multi-million dollar brands. The shows community has tremendous buying power. This potential revenue stream is available to anyone who can create a similar type of following on or off-line.

JD: What made social media a more appropriate choice than a ‘traditional’ marketing approach?

Chief Biz Guru: Online marketing has only captured 16%-18% of the world's market (advertising industry), which tells me that there is tremendous growth potential. For most of the world a traditional approach to marketing is the most effective platform for marketing dollars.

Tradition Vs. Internet

Although we as consumers perceive internet dollars as a transition in business as we know it, it is only a niche market on a global scale. What exemplifies tradition are 2010 numbers.  As we end this year we should note that it was highest grossing year for retailers at 520 billion dollars in revenue, in which internet sales were only 11% of that. Using social media as a platform to sell products and services is a growing niche of the internet  but only a small fraction of the 11%.

The Social Media Niche

After all our social media focus is still on sales, right?  Don't take your eyes off the prize, which is revenue first in the form of a return on investment.

In this social media niche people want a relationship with brands, value delivered upfront before deciding to pay for anything, transparency, and through social media these needs are met. The Gallup Organization has done numerous surveys on customer engagement based on their findings I would argue the more prospects or customers are engaged the more loyal they will be to a brand. Social media is a wonderful platform to engage those prospects and customers early in the sales cycle and in the aftermarket.

A FREE evaluation with a business coach is a value of $500.

Social Media Contexts

Business Coaching

By: Santi Chacon 

Business Coach

Every professional should have many conversations in his or her career with associates and constituents regarding business, psychologies, and trends;  new philosophies will be created and most important new self-concepts will be forged. 

This Was A Conversation That I Felt Presented New Insights:

I had a bit of an epiphany today... or maybe it is better described as a distillation of all this crap I have been sorting through.

The ONLY question everyone seems to be asking about Social Media Marketing is: 'How do I use it to make money?'

The short answer is this: social media marketing is NO different than traditional marketing...it just provides more venues and high scalability.

My personal definition of the role/intent of marketing is simple: Marketing's job is to get identify prospects and get them to (figuratively) raise their hand and say 'that looks like something I might be interested in.' Pretty basic right?

Somewhere along the way, somebody decided that social media marketing was going to change the dynamics of how people buy (and how companies sell.)

THIS IS WRONG!

Can you imagine walking up to someone at a networking event, introducing yourself, and then offering them your services at a special 50% discount if they act now?

Of course not...we all know that networking events represent an opportunity to meet new people and possibly get their business card so you can potentially schedule time to meet with them and get to know them better.

Guess what? Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, etc are no different thank networking events - with the obvious exception that you don't have to put on pants and endure cheap wine and crappy appetizers. Oh yeah...and he potential for scale is enormous! (e.g. you might be able to interact with 10 people at a networking event but you can message the crap out of your Facebook peeps!)

The diagram above is a work in progress but basically I am trying to integrate social media marketing into a framework that anyone can understand.... Please share your thoughts.

Response:

To be successful the objective in marketing needs to be segmentation. Any marketing effort (this includes social networking/Media) along with branding, should reach out far enough to find the low hanging fruit, or to those who are currently in the market for what the organization has to offer. If you do not think of it this way it  will be impossible to justify your time investment or to create an ROI. Companies don’t buy goods and services people do; social networking is about reaching out to people. Individuals who are reached out to can open doors for you and perhaps say ‘yes’ to your product or service.

Social Marketing embraces the concept of lead generation through branding and brand awareness; especially if we are seeking a ratio of prospects to closed sales as you spoke of in other conversations. If we are smart about business and become personal as we maximize exposure through social media, we can reach the low hanging fruit. If our intention is to segment those in the market today along with those who will be in the market tomorrow through social media, then ramping up toward our sales goals will be inevitable. The professionals, who are not able to get to the low hanging fruit using social media, shouldn’t think it’s impossible but should aim to develop necessary skills. This is not to say that we do not attempt to build relationships through long-term branding. An observation of quantum mechanics states that 'when our perception of a thing changes the very nature of that thing will change.' It is merely about breaking any limitation in our self-image and about the setting of our intention.

It really is about networking smart enough so that when you tell someone about your special they will decide to purchase it. Timing is everything in business, get in front of the right person at the right time and they will say yes. The key is to get in front of enough people all the time.

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