Why is it that something as important as innovation should be so fraught with contradictions? Today, as I was leading an innovation training class for a client, I stopped to think about the number and variety of contradictions that are embodied in successful innovation. In fact these contradictions are what make innovation so difficult. Continue reading →
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This list of contests, competitions and awards for small businesses is brought to you every other week as a community service by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com . Also, if you’ve entered and won a contest or award listed here, let us know so we can share your news. – * * * * * Tibbetts Awards 2012 Enter by January 31, 2012 The U.S. Small Business Administration is seeking nominations for its Tibbetts Awards, recognizing small-business research and innovation. The awards recognize companies that have taken part in the SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. Three awards will be given, one for companies that have participated in the SBIR/STTR programs, one for individuals who advocate on behalf of the programs, and a third “Hall of Fame” award recognizing companies that have a track record of success in research, innovation and product commercialization within the SBIR or STTR program. Small Business Book Awards Enter by January 31, 2012 Nominations are now open for the 4th Annual Small Business Book Awards. They recognize business books of special interest to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Last year there were 106 books nominated and 41,000 votes cast by the community. This year, over 100 books have already been nominated with over 2 weeks to go. Books published between November 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011 are eligible. You can nominate one book – or as many books as you like, and anyone can nominate. Authors, you are encouraged to nominate your own book. Publishers and publicists can also nominate books. Book lovers — you can nominate, too! PA Tech Awards 2012 Enter by February 1, 2012 Nominations for winners in eight categories will be accepted on the event’s new website in a unique, open format. Every submitted nomination in every category can be viewed immediately by visitors to the site and shared to social media channels, delivering increased global visibility for all nominees. The annual gala on March 30, 2012 celebrates and honors the brightest technology leaders and innovators from across the state. The Next Teen Tycoon Contest Enter by February 3, 2012 Vertical Response is searching for the country’s most promising teen entrepreneurs with the “Next Teen Tycoon” online video contest. The contest is open to teens between 13 and 18 years old who have their own business or a viable business idea. The top three contest winners will receive prizes totaling more than $10,000 in worth. They include one grand prize winner, who will receive $4,000 in “seed cash” to help him/her launch or grow the business, and a trip to the 2012 TEDxTeen conference in New York. Two second place winners will win $2,000 in “seed cash” each. 2012 Small Business Strategy Award Enter by February 10, 2012 If you have been in business at least five years, have annual revenues of less than $5 million and have realized success from a specific strategy you’ve implemented within the past two years, you are encouraged to apply for the coveted 2012 Small Business Strategy Award. The winner will be announced at the Seventh Annual Small Business Summit in New York City on March 6, 2012. Fulton County PA Excellence in Small Business Award Enter by February 17, 2012 The Awards Committee of the Fulton County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism is accepting nominations of local businesses for the 2011 Excellence in Small Business Award. The award will be presented at the Chamber-Tourism’s Award Celebration. The category provides public recognition for the accomplishments of small businesses, those employing ten or fewer full-time employees. This category requires demonstration of growth, overall stability, a positive community image, leadership and civic involvement. Nominees do not have to be a member of the Fulton County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, but must be a Fulton County business. Connecticut Innovations TechStart Fund Apply by February 22, 2012 The TechStart Fund was created to spur technology innovation at its very earliest stage. The fund provides entrepreneurial or student teams with initial capital so they can determine whether a technology concept and business are viable and whether future funding can be obtained to launch a new business. Teams applying for TechStart funding will need to participate in a 10-week program, during which they will be provided with mentors and various professional resources offering strategic guidance in launching a new business. The initial 10-week pilot program will be held at CTech@Science Park at Yale in New Haven and will begin in March 2012. See website for more details and entry requirements. Office Depot’s Small Business Makeover Contest Enter by February 27, 2012 The Small Business Makeover contest is designed to help small business owners augment or adjust their business in order to save time, grow and prosper in 2012 and beyond. The contest will award three small businesses a makeover from Office Depot, which includes a one-on-one financial coaching session with Jean Chatzky, office furniture, and supplies featuring Jean’s line of Mead financial organization products, available exclusively at Office Depot. Small businesses can enter the contest by visiting Office Depot’s Facebook page and submitting, in 100 words or less, why their small business is in need of a makeover. The Amazing Entrepreneur Enter by February 29, 2012 The 2nd Annual Amazing Entrepreneur Business Plan Competition is an initiative by Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development and The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to foster new business development in Gwinnett County, GA. The contest is open to individuals who own or manage a small business, which has been in operation less than 36 months, in Gwinnett County. The Grand Prize winner will receive $2500 cash to be used solely for the business entering the contest, a trip to Sage Software’s Customer Conference in Nashville, TN (airfare, hotel stay, conference fees), one-year membership to Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, one-year participation in the Chamber’s Gwinnett Business Institute program ($180 value), a consultation with an attorney from Arnall Golden Gregory ($2500 value), and research assistance from Chamber’s economic development department 2012 Small Business Online Marketing Contest Enter by February 29,2012 For the second year, Chicago-area small businesses are being recognized for their marketing success. Constant Contact kicked off the 2012 Small Business Online Marketing Contest today in partnership with the Chicago City Treasurer’s Office. The contest will award more than $12,000 in cash and prizes to businesses submitting winning entries in “Best Business Email Marketing” and “Best Overall Users of Social Media” categories, including “Rookie Awards.” CoolCalifornia Small Business Award Enter by February 29, 2012 The CoolCalifornia Small Business Awards recognize California small businesses that reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, promote climate friendly practices and integrate the tools on CoolCalifornia.org into their business operations. There are two award categories: CoolCalifornia Small Business of the Year Award, and CoolCalifornia Climate Leader Award. Brother Small Business Grant Program Enter by March 2, 2012 StartupNation has collaborated with Brother, a leader in small business technology, to bring you the 2012 Brother Small Business Grant Program. The grant program will award a total of $25,000 to five small business owners who submit the most original and creative business plan. Verizon California Small Business Makeover Contest Enter by March 2, 2012 Verizon wants to hear about Southern California small businesses’ technology challenges and will award a business makeover worth more than $5,000 to the company that best tells its story. Register and submit an essay, of no longer than 500 words, describing the technology challenges facing your business. Small businesses also have the opportunity to win a $500 American Express Gift Card if they view quick, informative videos about Verizon Small Business solutions on the contest website. A panel of judges will determine the grand-prize winner and four semifinalists. The grand prize consists of $2,000 in cash; an HP Laptop; a Verizon Wireless 4G LTE LG Revolution Smart Phone; the Intuit Website Design Services Package; and Mobile Pay and Google Personal Support for Google Products. The semifinalists will each receive custom business-technology recommendations valued at $125. Staples Give Your Small Business the Push it Needs Contest Enter by March 14, 2012 Staples has launched its “Give Your Small Business the Push It Needs” contest, which will offer five small businesses up to $50,000 in free television advertising in their home market. Small businesses can enter the contest by submitting a 15-second video about their company on Facebook.com/Staples by March 14. Five winners will be chosen to receive 15 seconds of advertising in a 30-second Staples television ad to run in their local market. Winners can have $50,000 in advertising or $40,000 in advertising and $10,000 in cash. To find more small business events, contests and awards, visit our Small Business Events Calendar . If you are putting on a small business contest, award or competition, and want to get the word out to the community, please submit it through our Small Business Event and Contests Form (it’s free). Please note: The descriptions provided here are for convenience only and are NOT the official rules. ALWAYS read official rules carefully at the site holding the competition, contest or award. From Small Business Trends Check Out These Latest Small Business Awards and Contests
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There is no progress without decisions. More strongly, decisions are unsung heroes of progress.Decisions are powerful – things are different after a decision. Continue reading →
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Most of us spend our lives pursuing knowledge when what we really need is insight. Throughout our education and our careers we strive to learn things that we hope will bring us success. While knowledge is certainly important, a great insight will beat it every time. Continue reading →
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Many small business owners work from home, but very few of these same owners would be comfortable inviting a prospective client to see their home office. The home office often ranges from controlled chaos to a black hole where invoices and client information are never seen from again. Organize Your Home Office for Success – Expert Strategies That Can Work For You was written to help business professionals put into place a workable office space and systems that keep crucial information from falling through the cracks. Organize Your Home Office for Success is an easy-to-use book for business owners as well as at home corporate employees trying to create or reclaim their office space. The book is well laid out and while you can read it cover to cover, it works just as well if you go straight to the section where you need to get started. This is the fourth edition of the book, which was originally published in 1993. I was very excited when I received a review copy of the latest edition because it also includes updated online tools under the electronic home office chapter. What Organize Your Home Office For Success Covers The book advocates flexibility over a one size fits all mentality. And the author freely admits that she doesn’t always agree with other experts in the field. Some areas covered in the book include: The Challenges and Rewards of Working From Home Finding the Right Space for your Home Office Stop stacking and start filing Making better use of your time Taking advantage of the Electronic Home Office The author is one of the Nation’s Leading Home Office Experts Lisa Kanarek is one of only a handful of home office experts who is also an interior designer. She is the author of five books about working from home and the founder of WorkingNaked (@WorkingNaked on Twitter). Lisa has been a guest on several national programs including CNN Financial News and American Public Radio as well as featured in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Expert Strategies It is often tough to carve out time and space for your home office. Often you need to set-up boundaries both in your calendar and around your home office. You can never lose sight of the need to maintain professionalism, which is why the author encourages you to maintain normal business hours as much as possible and spending the necessary money on quality office supplies and marketing materials. When setting up your home office, the author addresses the very first item – creating space for the office itself. We fill often fill our homes to the brim so this is no easy task. The section on de-cluttering and staying de-cluttered is key. Whether you choose a U-shape, L-shape or parallel workspace, office ergonomics are important to keep in mind. Over eighty percent of office workers say that their office furniture is uncomfortable, so don’t skimp in this area. Lisa encourages you to try out all office chair adjustments in person. The book also includes Lisa’s P-A-P-E-R System that provides five options for dealing with paper: Place it in a stacking bin. Act on it. Put it in a file. Enter it on your to-do list and file it. Rid yourself of it (or recycle it). While Lisa recognizes that technology changes daily, she includes several ways to improve email, voice mail and electronic filing to make the electronic home office more effective. There is a splendidly comprehensive list of software and online tools ranging from online back-ups to to-do lists. Resource Guide Lisa does not shy away from including several pages of resources ranging from furniture to office supplies and even includes associations to help out small business owners. You will find even more resources listed along with her blog and entertaining videos on her site, WorkingNaked. Who will benefit most from this book? Entrepreneurs and home-based corporate employees will benefit the most from this book. Whether you already have an office that’s out of control or setting one up from scratch, this book focuses on creating functional and productive home offices that meet each individual’s working style. The Bottom Line A successful home office doesn’t just happen. It needs to be planned and thought out to work effectively. Use Organize Your Home Office for Success – Expert Strategies That Can Work For You to start your home office action plan today. From Small Business Trends “Organize Your Home Office” For A Workable Office Space
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The employment pendulum seems to be swinging back to the employee side. How does this impact your team? Now’s a good time to look again at what employees – and business leaders – want and need. Continue reading →
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How true is this? In response to an article on how to promote your business without being pushy , David Morgan threw the statement, “If your product or service is really good, it should sell itself” out there. So is it true? If your product or service is really good, will it sell itself? And if so, when? We want passive income, passive work and pay checks that come like clockwork—I know I do. But how passive can we be in the sales process? Do products or services really sell themselves? I see it like this: marketing is exposure. But the sales part of the process is closure. It’s the point that we decide to act on this “thing” that we now want, need and can no longer live without. And ultimately, in order for us to make the most of our customer’s experience we do have to be extremely active in both the marketing and the sales—or at least active in the plan behind the sales and marketing. But David brings up an interesting point: “If you produce a product or service which exceeds your customers expectations while fulfilling their needs and wants, it will basically sell itself (within reason).” While I don’t believe that anything ever sells itself , I agree with the idea that a quality product or service can be much easier to sell. But every part of the process needs the best that we have to give. As Gregory Berns, Psychiatrist and Author of Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How To Think Differently says: “A person can have the greatest idea in the world…but if that person can’t convince enough other people, it doesn’t matter.’’ It’s also true of products because convincing “enough other people” is the marketing process. We just need to consider product development as the first part of the marketing process. Better products, better marketing, a better sales process leads to a better business. So what do you think? I would love to know what you’ve learned from your own business. In the meantime, here is a quick “2-part,-I-almost-don’t-need-to-say-it,-but-I-will” marketing process/summary (and thanks, David, for your comments). A Simple “2-Part,-I-Almost-Don’t-Need-to-Say-it,-But-I-Will” Marketing Process Your marketing budget may be slashed, forcing you to use non-traditional but more cost effective mediums. That’s ok, you can still get your name out there. You just have to: understand your options; learn how to effectively use what you have; design a plan and implement it with everything that you got. Simple Website Strategy You need a website home that is more than just a brochure online. Have an about page that sounds like there are real people behind the business. Use a blog to have personal engagement with some of your visitors. You can also use social media to connect and have a conversation. Act like you are talking to real people—because you are. And then give them some place to go when they finish talking to you on social media. That “some place” should be your information filled website that completely relates to your product or service and your audience. Simple Product Strategy Create one heck of a product or service that solves a real problem. And make it simple, or as simple as possible. When developing or upgrading the product, think like the client. Feel their frustration and work to alleviate it. If you have a hard time role playing, then talk to real clients and find out what they really hate. In this economy money is spent daily, but only when necessary. And oftentimes necessary just means irresistible . So design an irresistible product for your target audience and then market it like it matters. Sales Photo via Shutterstock From Small Business Trends If Your Product is Really Good, It Should Sell Itself
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Creating a new category. The Holy Grail of Innovation. The Holy Grail of entrepreneurs. It’s when you can create a new category that you command the skies. Think of the iPad. Is it a new category? Continue reading →
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Join me, Anita Campbell, and an impressive list of the CRM industry’s leading experts and solution providers a free 1-day information packed seminar on February 3, 2012 , in Atlanta, Georgia! The day will focus on the need for companies to transition their approach to “social” away from a narrow, reactionary set of disconnected activities … to a full-fledged corporate culture strategically aligned to build long-lasting relationships with today’s empowered customer. Sessions Include: Keynote presentation by Paul Greenberg , author of the best-selling “CRM At the Speed of Light” The Consumerization of IT (by Michael Thomas , Customer Success Manager, Microsoft) Journey to the Middle of the Funnel – Connecting Inbound Marketing to Sales Conversion ( Jeanne Hopkins , HubSpot VP of Marketing) The Role of Community in Today’s Business Environment (panel discussion featuring Anita Campbell , Publisher of Small Business Trends and Robin Carey , CEO of Social Media Today – Moderated by Adrienne Graham , Founder of Empower Me) The Velocity of Customer Service in the Social Age ( Matt Trifiro , Assistly VP of Marketing) Connecting the Dots Between PR and Customer Service ( Jeff Nolan , Get Satisfaction VP of Product Marketing) Next-Level Listening (by Cory Hartlen , Radian6 Product Marketing Manager) The Realities of Becoming A Social Business (panel discussion featuring Adam Naide , Executive Director of Social Media Marketing for Cox Communications, Bert DuMars , VP of Interactive Marketing & Ecommerce for Newell Rubbermaid, and Larry Ritter , SVP & GM of Sage CRM Solutions – Moderated by Art Hall , President of the Atlanta Chapter of the CRM Association) Closing the Deal – The Impact of Social on Selling, the Sales Organization and the Customer Relationship (panel discussion featuring Graham Clark , Partner of Customer Results and TAG CRM Board Member, and Judy Mod , founder of the Social Executive Council). Event Title: Getting Down to Social Business – The New Business As Usual in the Age of the Collaborative Relationship Description : There’s no doubting the impact social and mobile technologies are having on all facets of human interaction. But what impact is it having on the sales process, and on the expectations customers have on sales professionals as they move through their buying cycle? And how are sales organizations leveraging new tools to help sales professionals close deals and grow strong relationships with social customers? These topics and others will be addressed by a panel of experts as they take on the important question of how to leverage social tools and strategies Date: Friday February 3, 2012, 8:30-4 pm Place: Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center 250 14th Street NW, Atlanta GA, 30318 Cost: FREE, with online registration Registration Link: http://gettingdowntosocialbusiness.eventbrite.com/ Contact: Brent Leary, brent@socialbizatlanta.com A Production of Social Biz Atlanta , organized by Brent Leary, partner of CRM Essentials (who is also our Host of the One on One interview series here at Small Business Trends , sponsored by BlackBerry). From Small Business Trends Join us in Atlanta for “Getting Down to Social Business”
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Time is very valuable and this is especially true when it comes to small business. In a small business, time is worth its weight in gold. Using your time wisely on matters that will make a difference and aligning business goals is crucial to a small businesses success. Here, Brent Leary joins Jeanne Hopkins of HubSpot to discuss the concept of inbound marketing and wise time management. * * * * * Small Business Trends: Why don’t you give us a little bit of your personal background. Jeanne Hopkins : My background is pretty normal for a marketing person. I started working in the toy business for Milton Bradley company. Then I went to Lego Systems, and then I moved into the technology space and worked for a couple of big B2B companies. I came to Hub Spot about two and a half years ago. Small Business Trends: What is inbound marketing? Jeanne Hopkins: The concept of inbound marketing is based on three principles. The first one is getting found on the Internet using those search terms that people are looking for when they are trying to solve a problem they have. The middle of the funnel is what we would call conversion, or getting information from people that visit your site. When they fill out a form we consider that a conversion, or if they give you some information, “Here is my email address and I am looking forward to getting an email newsletter from you.” That is a conversion. The third component is what we call analyze. How many people visited that particular landing page or offer page? How many people converted to a lead, and more importantly, how many people actually became a customer? Small Business Trends: How successful are small businesses with inbound marketing? Jeanne Hopkins: I think the biggest challenge for small business is time. But know that companies that blog, even just once a month, have 50% more visitors to their website than companies that don’t. So that is the fundamental reason why we encourage people to create content that allows you to get found on the Internet. Small Business Trends: What skill sets are required to be good at the middle of the funnel portion and turn those leads into sales opportunities? Jeanne Hopkins: First of all you want to think about how you are following up on those leads. All leads are not created equal. For example, at HubSpot a demo lead is probably worth 10 or 20 times as much in terms of value to a sales person than a lead for somebody that downloaded a Facebook eBook. What ends up happening is those Facebook eBook leads might have a high volume, but the sales person does not want to follow up on those particular leads because there is less of a likelihood of success with them. And sales people want to be successful, right? Mac MacIntosh, a fantastic B2B speaker, says only 23% of those people searching for solutions actually buy within six months. But two thirds of the people looking for solutions will still buy. That is what the whole concept of the middle of the funnel is – to keep those people warmed up. You want your brand, your company, your service to be available to them when they are ready to buy. Small Business Trends: How do you go about implementing a good foundation for that middle part? Jeanne Hopkins: I would put together a mind map or a spreadsheet which would have a series of offers to warm people up. For example, when you ask somebody for a demo, it is like asking somebody to get married before you ask them out for a cup of coffee. The cup of coffee is get my email newsletters, the cup of coffee is to get my Facebook eBook. Getting married is the demo because every person who says, “I want a demo” - they know they will be called by a sales person. Small Business Trends: What mix do you have to have in place in order to make sure you are successful with your funnel operations? Jeanne Hopkins: I think the very first step is to talk to the sales organization to be able to get them aligned. You are not in it on your own, and they are not in it on their own. You are hooked together. The second step is to figure out what works. How did you get to that particular demo phase? How do you get them to that point? Once you have actually mapped it out, you can realize that for every 100 visitors to the website – five actually fill out a form. Of those five that fill out a form, these three people fill out this form, and these two people fill out this form, but the two people that fill out the second form - one of them actually becomes a demo. And of every other five demos, we get two customers. That is the kind of data that you want. You really want to be able to see the flow because you want to make sure that those three people that fill out the form, you see, they never become customers. So you want to be sure that you are not doing more of that - because you are essentially wasting the sales persons time in terms of closing the deal. Small Business Trends: Where can people find out more? Jeanne Hopkins: You can go to HubSpot.com . We have a lot of free marketing resources. The next place I would say to visit is TheMarketingGrader.com . It is a free tool that HubSpot offers. We have 65 different metrics there to see how you work against other companies, how you stack up, it is pretty awesome. This interview is part of our One on One series of conversations with some of the most thought-provoking entrepreneurs, authors and experts in business today. This interview has been edited for publication. To hear audio of the full interview, click the right arrow on the gray player below. You can also see more interviews in our interview series . From Small Business Trends Jeanne Hopkins of HubSpot: All Leads Are Not Created Equal
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