This week on ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Radio:
Shel Horowitz on Online Overkill! Go OFFLINE to build real relationships and more sales with Shel Horowitz on "Real World (offline) Marketing!"
Visit the ARRiiVE: Innovations in Business Show (http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798) at 2PM PST / 5PM EST on Wednesday, August 20th where Shel Horowitz discusses:
When: August 20 at 2PM PST or 5PM PST
Topic: Online Overkill! Go OFFLINE to build real relationships AND more sales.
Dial: (724)444-7444 enter 37798 # 1 # to call the show.
Online: Visit http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798 or
http://www.arriive.com/arriive_liive.htm to listen online.
Description: So many times we forget that people buy from people they feel they (1) know,
(2) trust, and (3) who inspire them in some way, shape, or form. Let's face it: the computer is a bit impersonal. Are you so wrapped up in all your social networks, email strategies, and other modern approaches that you've forgotten the old-school marketing methods
proven to work for the past 100 years?
There's a reason people use direct mail, telephones, and face-to-face marketing to sell products, even in 2008.
This is your chance to straighten up and fly right and get your real-world marketing act together!
Join Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions, as he interviews
Shel Horowitz, Author of Grassroots Marketing and Principled Profit,
for a special 45-minute show at ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business. It's
simple and easy to call in or listen during the show broadcast.
If you miss the show, visit http://www.ARRiiVE.com or listen here at:
Aug 18, 2008
Online OVERKILL: Go OFFLINE to Grow Customers, with Shel Horowitz on the ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Show
Jul 16, 2008
The Sales Process - Scott Andrews on ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Talk Radio
Don't miss today's ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business radio show on "The Sales Process", where Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions is discussing how to sell, in elaborate detail.
July 16 - Wednesday - 2PM PST / 5PM EST
Dial in during the show: call (724)444-7444 enter 37798 # 1 # to call in and ask Scott questions.
To chat questions during the show or listen to the show, visit: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798
NEW! Listen to the recording of the show here in this player:
Jul 9, 2008
One World: Where In The World Is Matt?
Here is a fun and enlightening video by a sponsor who uses a rather subtle approach to marketing. Considering the number of countries (42) and number of dancers (lost count) in this video, I'd have to give this video my award for 2008's "Viral Video" -- get this: over 5 Million Views in less than one month on YouTube, and now Matt Harding's update from 2005's incredibly viral video did it again:
Special mention for sharing this video goes to Patrick Byers of Responsible Marketing and Mario Sundar, Community Evangelist over at LinkedIn.
You'll notice the StrideGum.com credit at the back of the video. For those of you in marketing, I'm sure you see the $$$. How can we create a viral video of our own adventures?
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. StrideGum and Where is Matt Harding are trademark/copyright their respective owners. SUBSCRIBE.
Jun 25, 2008
10 Ways To Improve Your Online Sales
If you're seeking ways to boost both online and face-to-face sales of products and services, then you might want to know some of the top marketing expert's suggestions.
I've put together a powerful list of 10 simple and easy ways you can improve your online sales, starting right now.
10 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR ONLINE SALES RESULTS:
1. Match the product with the message.
A more fancy version of this is if you've been sharing a story about how the cars at your new automobile dealership offer more green options and higher energy efficiency, you might want to link to the top-three selling automobiles you carry that offer greener solutions and demonstrate the impact on the environment or global carbon emissions by choosing the car you offer. A simple graph that shows the difference over the automobiles life, then directing the user towards the car that meets their desired impact, would steer them towards an easier shopping experience.
A less-complicated sales pitch that matches the product with the message would be where, at AspireNow, I wrote an article about how to live your life more successfully. Within that article, I offered a link to a Life Purpose program to help people get more from the interactive workbook and audio CD.
If your customer is searching for tea health benefits, then you ought to offer a way to buy your tea based upon the highest health benefit, depending upon the type of tea you offer. Match what they seek to what you deliver and you'll raise sales by over 30%.
2. Offer a "product bundle" solution.
One of my clients shared with me today that when they included a "bundled" solution of a free mug with any double-order of their products that their average sale price went from $15 to $50 per order. I like 300% return solutions, don't you? So, offer a bundled solution. You'll gain more business in less time.
3. Present a down-sell opportunity when they don't buy the bundle.
If you're seeking a way to capture the people who balk at the "bundle" solution, put a pop-up window when they click out of the store at any point to offer them a chance to give feedback on why they didn't buy OR buy a single product at a discounted price. Studies I've seen show this technique provides valuable feedback into the sales process AND delivers 30% higher sales results of the single item you sell.
4. Offer repeat purchasers of the bundle solution a chance to buy an up-sell.
If people are clicking on the bundle and they've ordered this before, you might then offer an opportunity for the user to buy a bulk huge up-sell. For example, if they buy two + the bonus, they pay $50. But for $500, $5000, or $15,000, they can qualify for extra discounts (or more products) and pay less per order. This is the concept of Costco and other big-box stores in action. People like the option to "super-size" their order - especially when they're buying on a corporate budget. The best time to offer an up-sell is during repeat purchases of a popular product.
Also, if they bought the single product before, make sure they know they can buy the bundle or up-sell bulk, too, if they want to super-size their order, and save time and money.
5. Offer a company purchase plan or corporate purchase program.
If you're selling products or services purchased by corporations, you might consider a company purchase plan. If they sign-up for the corporate purchase agreement (pre-approved orders), they get an opportunity to buy in bulk at a discount. It's basically just another flavor of the up-sell, but targeted towards the corporate purchaser who likes to order off a purchase order or within standard guidelines and where the buyer gets rewarded for saving the company money. Marry the two and you've got a recipe for success! This technique is used by companies like Staples and OfficeMax, but why not for products and services a corporation might buy, like things in the break room, or things they frequently buy or provide for customers. Examples that come to mind include coffee, tea, soda, water, juice, food, shirts, hats, and more.
Are you enjoying this article? Listen to the radio show for extra tips and suggestions, with ideas and stories by the author and CEO of ARRiiVE: Business Solutions, Scott Andrews!
6. Offer a "friends and family" plan.
Network marketers are masters at selling to their friends and family members. Why shouldn't you, too? Give your clients an opportunity to refer their friend(s) and get bonus products or discounts. When you utilize this type of discount or "scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" policy, you're taking advantage of the best form of marketing there is: word of mouth. The timeshare industry is great at capturing referrals at the point of sale. When a visitor purchases a timeshare vacation package, they then offer them a "free vacation" or additional vacation time if they simply refer five to ten family members and friends. When is the best time to capture the referral? When the customer buys! Make sure you don't miss the opportunity and give people a reward if they refer a friend or family member. This is the concept Seth Godin talks about in his marketing book about starting an "Idea Virus" for your company.
7. Offer cross-sell opportunities within the shopping cart when they've already selected another item.
By cross-selling, don't automatically make them choose the cross-sell. Just offer it and say "other customers found these items useful" or "other popular products" or "products that match this product's color" or something similar. When you offer cross-sell opportunities, you can raise your gross margin from 6% to 18% simply by suggesting some products that offer you a higher margin from the loss-leader they first put in their cart. I used this technique once with selling computers. I discounted the primary CPU, Monitor, and Printer to 6%, but left the peripheral products off the price list. Printers have lower margins and offer you little profit. Print cartridges, on the other hand, have considerably higher margins. Service contracts, software protection programs (virus protection) and software renewal licenses offer high margins. Offer these at the point of sale and you'll increase your sales and profit percentage per customer dramatically. The customer bought from me, and I'd always ask them if they wanted to add the peripheral products with margins between 28% to 50%. As a result, I increased my profit per sale from 6% to 18%. Triple the profit is a number that works for me!
The best time to offer a cross-sell is during the order checkout process. This process is utilized by Apple Store quite effectively.
8. Put items on sale at the top of the page and at the bottom of the page.
People like getting a good deal, so show the sale items above the fold and near the top of any page where you list those products. When you walk down a mall, you'll notice that many stores will put their "on sale today" sign in their window. You walk in the store and a clerk says "How can I help you today?" You can say "I'm seeking the item on sale from the window." They then can say "Oh, I love that skirt! Did you see the cute top that matches it perfectly?" and then they're interacting with you. It ought to be the same online.
The back of the store also will include any seasonal deals. Are you including both specials and seasonal deals in your pricing strategies? If so, make sure to sprinkle some of the hot deals above the fold, then additional deals at the bottom of the page so you catch additional orders on their way out. In addition, make sure you include bundles and bulk purchases near the sale product links, too, or in the store ordering page.
9. Offer alternative solutions.
Is the item out of stock? Sometimes, you can still capture a sale by suggesting a similar product that might meet the need. Don't leave your customers empty without a suggestion for an alternative solution!
I cracked up when I saw Frank Kern use the marketing ploy "Buy this e-book today. We're only offering 101 of these before they'll be sold out and I'll never offer that one again!" Now, whether or not Frank stopped sales at 101 or not (I highly doubt it) is beside the point. He simply put urgency into the mix. However, what if he did stop selling the e-book? He could offer you an ALTERNATIVE that perhaps costs less and offers more, and make you feel like you got an ever better deal, right? Don't leave your customer holding an empty bag. Give them something to put in the bag. Perhaps a different color, flavor, size, or type of product will fit the bill. Maybe they don't want black, they want white. Maybe they want the opposite of what they bought. Whatever you do, just give them a choice and you'll have at least a chance to sell something, versus nothing. Give them an alternative and you'll increase your sales, guaranteed.
BONUS TIP:
In addition, one step many companies miss is when a product is returned. If you are returning one product, can we suggest an alternative that might work better for you? By simply adding this sales-oriented step into the customer service return process, you can capture an additional 5 - 25% sales and recoup the lost business. The alternative product at the point of return minimizes your cost of product returns and also offers an extra step in customer service that many customers will appreciate.
10. Make the customer's navigation of your site and store functional so it is easy to buy from you.
How many steps does it take to complete a sale? Is it easy to sign-up for your newsletter? Can they register to buy in one easy process?
Think of this scenario: Two stores selling the same product offer different ways to purchase. Store A requires the visitor to go to the bottom of the third page and then navigate through three store pages in order to purchase the hottest new pair of shoes. Store B has the hottest shoes on the first page, above the fold, and the client is completing their order by their third page, in total. Who do you think sells more shoes per visitor? Right! Store B.
Make sure you offer an purchasing process that makes it easier to do business with you! If you're seeking help with your sales process or online selling presence, contact a professional, such as ARRiiVE Business Solutions (Call 805-459-6939) to help you improve your processes to match industry best-practice solutions.
If you're missing any of these opportunities to increase your sales, you're missing out on revenue, profit, and additional orders. Take the time to shore-up your ordering process and see if you can't capture a higher percentage of success over the next year by following these steps to success!
Listen to the ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Radio Show on "10 Ways To Improve Your Online Sales" with special bonus tip by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions:
Apr 23, 2008
Want To Host Your Own Radio Show?
I always wanted to host my own radio show. I got the itch when I appeared as a guest on the Seeing Beyond Show, with Bonnie Colleen.
Have you ever wanted to host your own radio show?
There are numerous ways to go about doing it, if you're interested.
The traditional way was people would approach a radio station that ran programming similar to the type of show they wanted to run. In order to host a show, you would meet with the station program director, and decide upon a time slot, cost, and time period to run the show. Typically, this could cost anywhere from $100 - $3,000 per show segment. It would then be up to the show host to find sponsors to pay for the show, or to get "syndicated" where the station found the sponsors for the host.
Old-school Radio on the AM/FM dial:
The upside of running a radio show this way is the show host station usually had high-end audio equipment for producing and recording a show. Therefore, the show quality is likely to be pretty high. The downside of running a radio show this way is that it might be difficult to guarantee you get a recording of the show. Or, it might be difficult to get control over certain aspects of the show (time slot, advertisers, etc.). Another challenge is that show station rates and formats can change suddenly and without warning, causing you to lose much of your following you have built. Last, you also lose the ability to people to hear your show or discover your show as easily via the Internet. This is still an exciting way to launch a radio show; however, you may have the drawback of (1) high cost, and (2) narrow audience limited to a specific geography.
Internet Radio
The new alternatives with hosting radio shows is the Podcasting approach. I like this approach very much, for several reasons: (1) People can download the show, and the show may be listed on your show guest websites, (2) Internet shows like TalkShoe Pay YOU rather than you paying them. Therefore, your investment is your time and energy. You could still sell sponsorships to the show, if you had a high enough following, and (3) You create a long-tail of RSS feeds through the show. Many shows on the internet that rank high on iTunes receive 500 guests per show. These shows are typically 1 hour in length and produced regularly on a set schedule.
If you're seeking to set up your own show, check out TalkShoe and also visit my own radio shows at ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business and the AspireNow: Seriously Fun Self-Help Show.
I'm available for consulting starting at $500 for anyone who wants help setting up their own show. I've got format, structure, and guest ideas that can help save you time and avoid wasted energy.
Have fun with your show, and please do subscribe to my shows, too!
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.
Apr 16, 2008
Why Titles Matter at ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Radio Show
Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions, has been talking a bit lately on branding and Why Titles Matter for books, blogs, products, and more. It is amazing how many people labor away at a business without ever getting the title right. Are you launching a new product? Call in and talk about ideas for what title to give your idea, product, e-book, and more!
Join in at the ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Radio Show today at 2PM PST / 5pM EST.
Call in to join the show:
Dial (724) 444-7444
Enter 37798 #
Enter: 1 # or your Talkshoe PIN
To Join from your computer (with LIVE CHAT!):
http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.
Apr 15, 2008
Can I Make Money Blogging?
Ask people like ShoeMoney.com, who has made six figures blogging, and he'll likely say, "Yep. It's possible to make money blogging."
ShoeMoney, a site where a geeky blogger racked up a check from Google for over $100,000 (and continues to rake in the bucks), simply offers ways to make money online through blogging, marketing, and so forth.
Ask Steve Pavlina. He has a site, http://www.stevepavlina.com/, where he boasts that he made over $10K a month from his Adsense off his blog.
Ask Darren Rouse. As of the time he posted this article, he claimed that "AdSense is how I earn around 35% of my income" and knowing that he also has claimed to earn over $250K a year blogging, that means he's scoring over $85K a year from Adsense, alone.
These bloggers are all making money from the flagship blog approach, where one giant blog in a market niche draws enough traffic to warrant significant advertising opportunities.
Other people have quit their day job to be bloggers:
Labnol shares how he makes money from adsense and also some numbers from other blog-related sites.
Learn more about a guy who quit his day gig to blog full-time here: ZenHabits.com story.
You can create programs for affiliate income off of your blog, too. Here's a printout of the money CashForBloggers.com made from an affiliate program:
$1,910 just from one month of promoting a model dating site.
Sure, there's other ways to make money from blogs, whether guest posting, creating multiple niche affiliate blogs, Splogs (automated blogs), or even maintaining blogs for other people. All of these are ways to make money from blogging. In addition, the voice of the blog may lead to consulting agreements or other contractual work in the off-line world that could develop into a healthy income for you, too.
Blogs also help you create e-books and books about various subjects.
There's many benefits from blogging. But, in case you haven't seen the numbers before, I just thought it might be worth sharing a few examples of people who are making a ton of money blogging.
Is this inspiring to you? It was to me!
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.
Apr 10, 2008
Why Titles Matter
It is critical that you explain what your product is from the name. Or, in a book, if people don't know what it is about, they won't read it. It also helps to categorize your product or information if it is named appropriately. So, the title you give your product, book, or article is as important as naming a baby. Take time to get it right.
2. Titles Set The Tone.
The title we give to a product, book, or article helps set the tone for what people might expect to follow. For example, "Fling or Ring: Which Finger To Give Him" makes clear it is about how to know if a man a woman is dating is "the one" for him. But, it could simply say "Is He The One, Or Not?" and it would have a different tone, right? Clearly, there's a sense of humor involved in the Fling or Ring title that suggests there's some sassy content to follow.
Spanx is hosiery by Sara Blakely. What I love about that name is it suggests a little sexiness, a playful way of covering your bottom, hosiery for women. Even their slogan "We've Got Your Butt Covered" continues to set the mood Sara's going for. Product titles also set the mood. Coca-cola became big during the era when manufacturers actually included cocaine as an ingredient in their products. Coca-cola still makes you feel like you're "getting away with a little" when you drink their caramel-colored sodas. Tide: wash away the dirt from your laundry. Double the pleasure with doublemint gum. The title, especially when combined with a slogan, can create a fun mood, a clinical feeling, or a sense of urgency.
4. Title Determines Searchability.
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.
Apr 9, 2008
Blogging For Business
Want to learn why more and more businesses are jumping on the Blogging bandwagon?
Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions recently spoke to a group in California on this subject. This is a talk that Scott normally charges $30 per person to attend. For a short time only, Scott is offering the talk here for free:
Visit Talkshoe for the recording of the talk on Blogging For Business:
http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/audioPop.jsp?episodeId=106803&cmd=apop
To View the Blogging For Business related Slides:
http://www.slideshare.net/ARRiiVE/blogging-022408-344962/ or just click here:
Please let us know if you have any feedback regarding this talk, or contact http://www.arriive.com/ for assistance with your own business blog.
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.
Follow the ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Show at http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798.
Mar 11, 2008
Responsible Marketing on the ARRiiVE Innovations In Business Show
Join us for the ARRiiVE: Innovations in Business Radio Show this Wednesday:
Patrick Byers, CEO of Outsource Marketing, will be discussing "Responsible Marketing: Where commerce and conscience come together" with Scott Andrews, Host of the ARRiiVE Radio Show.
Details: Marketers have never had it harder. Prospects are cynical, the surplus of information is working against them on a number of levels, and marketing as a discipline is generally broken. Responsible Marketing is the way to make marketing work. It's a holistic approach to marketing that combines the tactics our mind tells us we need to prioritize with the principles our heart tells us we need to embrace.
DATE: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
TIME: 2:00 PM PST / 5:00 PM EST
DIAL: (724) 444-7444, enter show 37798 # 1 #
VISIT: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798
It's educational, fun, and easy to participate.
Call in or text questions:
1. Visit Talkshoe (http://www.talkshoe.com/): Enter Talkshoe show ID 37798 to text comments and listen to the show from your computer.
2. Call in to join the show: Dial (724) 444-7444, enter show 37798 # 1 # if you wish to ask questions of the host or guest.
Also, you may click here to visit/follow the show: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798 or http://www.arriive.com/arriive_liive.htm or listen in after completion of the show. To follow the show, get a TalkShoe i.d. and then click the "follow this show" box at TalkShoe. It's that easy!
Bio & Details:
Patrick is the President + CEO of Outsource Marketing, a pioneering company that offers a marketing department for companies that don’t have one, more strategic and creative horsepower for those that do. Prior to starting the firm in 1997, Patrick directed the marketing for two Seattle law firms as well as a Northwest-based telecommunications company. His experience in hiring, managing and coordinating a bevy of biased and uncoordinated marketing resources led to the formation of Outsource Marketing . . . a company that seamlessly delivers coordinated, discipline-neutral marketing to companies of all sizes.
A Responsible Marketing evangelist, Patrick is currently authoring a book on the topic (for 2008 publication) and regularly writes on the topic in The Responsible Marketing Blog at www.responsiblemarketing.com.
Patrick speaks nationally on responsible marketing, new and innovative ways to break through the clutter and marketing outsourcing and his articles have been published in local and national publications. In September, 2003, Patrick was recognized by the Puget Sound Business Journal as a 40 Under 40 honoree.
ARRiiVE: Innovations in Business Radio is an exciting, modern type of internet radio show that focuses on developing innovations on topics ranging from launching a business to building better teams. Ways to improve sales and marketing often weigh in to discussions on this show, as well as modern ways business leaders are collaborating and building their business dreams. Join Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions, on the show - it's simple, fun, and educational to join in!
Contact: info (at) ARRiiVE (dot) com to order any back issues of the shows on CD for your team.
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
Feb 27, 2008
Email Marketing: More That Buy
My Lorman's Email Marketing Seminar in San Jose today was rescheduled. For those of you who were aching to learn about my content for this show, I've decided to post my slide show and review these slides in a webinar next week.
Although the talk was cancelled, you now get a chance to have me personally walk you through the slides, share personal stories of success, and also learn the secrets *not* contained in this slide show. To gain access you'll want to be on my conference call on March 6, 2008, at the ARRiiVE Innovations In Business Show.
Get Access To The WEBINAR:
Get personal attention from Scott Andrews: this will be a private call. The call will be held on March 6, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. PST Just CLICK HERE to sign-up. It's just $29 to gain access to this private WEBINAR. Act now - space is limited to 10 people on this call so I can give you proper attention.
One I receive your payment, I'll give you the access to the call.
Click Here To Sign Up!
You'll kick yourself if you miss out on this one! Save money and sign-up today. Otherwise, I'll be selling the complete program with slides, the e-book, and the recording of the call online for $47 US after the call.
Here's the slides for the call in advance:
So, Click Here To Sign Up today and get a discount from the advanced program!
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Copyright © 2007-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Want More? SUBSCRIBE. ARRiiVE helps you grow traffic and money from blogs. Contact us to learn more.
Feb 25, 2008
Adsense For Video
Want Adsense for Video?
Adsense is rolling out a beta program to make money through the video that you post on your blog or website.
Here is a video that details this exciting new ad revenue program:
There are numerous opportunities to make money from VideoAdsense:
1. Any site with targeted video can have Google insert a video ad, and you'll make money from that ad.
2. YouTube Partner Program. Anyone creating original video that gets viewed by thousands per month, can apply for this program, and gain access to many additional advertising revenue opportunities.
3. In-video ads - an ad at the bottom of the video can show, or a contextual overlay ad, which will offer more ad opportunities. This is going to be the primary publisher's solution for advertising in the future for video.
While Adsense is in beta, you'll have to meet some qualifications to share in this program. Eventually, I'm sure Google will open this up to many more publishers.
To learn more, visit Google.com/videoads
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Copyright © 2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. Copyright © 2008 by Google.com. No infringement intended. All Rights Reserved. Want More? SUBSCRIBE.
Feb 22, 2008
Free Video Conferencing For 6?
You read that right. FREE video conferencing for 6... is now reality with OoVoo. As you know, ARRiiVE Business Solutions is always on the hunt for cool interactive ways to market a business and improve interaction. OoVoo appears to be a serious contender in this exciting conferencing category:
The idea of impromptu or scheduled video conferences, which could be used for training, online meetings, interaction amongst business teams in different locations, and more, has always appealed to me. With the cost of airfare, hotel rooms, and hassles of travel, why do face-to-face meetings would win over video has always come down to video being a 1-to-1 solution in the past. Not any more. Now, OoVoo offers 6-way video teleconferencing, at high quaility, low cost, and
The business implications are incredible:
* High Quality Video over fairly standard pipes for most PC systems
* Up to SIX people, that's right 6 of your business associates, all on one video call. Robin Good demonstrates it here: http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2008/02/21/video_conferencing_as_it_should.htm
* Free telephone and video conferencing. Yes, free telephone and free video. Get it while it lasts!
* Free find friend feature through most e-mail applications (except, ironically, Skype)
* Free video messaging. This is cool. I like the idea of a 1 minute video message to customers.
* Record video calls to create a memory or a video trail of a call.
* Text during video chat (I remember when Placeware used to offer this for $400/month per seat!)
* OoVoo Me Link (just like LinkedIn, etc.) add to your blog or MySpace page
* Sidebar view (continue working with your other stuff at the same time!)
* See the whole list here: http://www.oovoo.com//features/
I'm sure it won't last forever, but just like Skype, free is good when it lasts.
OoVoo is not just for video conferencing. You can also leave a video message for your OoVoo social network:
http://www.oovoo.com//features/ooVooVideoMessage.aspx
Also, OoVoo is not just business:
Add video effects, host video and text chat rooms, send a 1 minute video love note... and more!
I truly dig the potential of this. Check out OoVoo's site and look at "the long tease" for one way this could be used by people on a personal level.
New Video Conferencing: Multi-Party, Affordable, Cross-Platform - The Video Conversation Starter Is Here - OoVoo.
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Copyright © 2007-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. Film and image Copyright © 2008 by OoVoo. No infringement intended. All Rights Reserved. Want More? SUBSCRIBE.
Jan 11, 2008
Are You Spaghetti Marketing?
Spaghetti marketing is a new term I just found at a Copywriter Underground. It refers to the idea of throwing stuff up against the wall and seeing if it sticks. A lot of marketers, salespeople, and entrepreneurs, for that matter, often forget that every aspect of their business ought to have an underlying strategy. The lack of a defined strategy, when applied to marketing, may be called "Spaghetti Marketing" -- especially when you're spending marketing dollars without a clearly defined plan.
If your firm is engaged in spaghetti marketing, STOP!
It is time to take some time to rethink what you are doing. Put together the following components:
1. Vision: what do you want to accomplish with your marketing?
Do you want more exposure for your business? A stronger online presence? A bigger list? More conversions of people reading your material? Whatever your vision is, this will determine the next steps. Just keep in mind that your vision ought to direction relate to your company's mission statement.
2. Objectives.
Take, for example, the idea of increased online presence. That is a good vision, but won't produce results until you implement objectives underneath that vision to set in motion action.
Examples of objectives for this vision might be:
a. Increase website SEO (shameless marketing plug: ARRiiVE can help if you need it)
b. Launch a blog to build more backlinks to website (ahh.. yes, again, if you need help...)
c. Create a wiki to build more collaboration from business partners
You get the idea. The point is to define what objectives will better produce the vision and result in success.
3. Action Plan
The action plan are the actual steps you need to take to accomplish each objective. These might be like this:
1. Investigate differences between Typepad, WordPress, and Blogger.
2. Pick a platform.
3. Set-up layout for blog...
and so forth.
For another example, I have a goal to "create a wiki" for www.ARRiiVE.com and www.AspireNow.com right now. During a conversation today with a business partner, she mentioned that she found a software tool to make creation of wiki platforms that integrate seemlessly with your website. Bingo! There's step 1 down! Actually, a wiki ought to have its own unique vision, objectives, and action plans, too... so you can break this down into steps for each. My vision for my ARRiiVE wiki is to build collaboration around sales and marketing techniques that create new types of teams.
If you start putting this level of thought behind your marketing strategy, you might realize that the marketing efforts you've been putting out are not aligned with your strategy. In that case, your Spaghetti Marketing may not have done you any favors. I've always felt that the rifle approach is the better approach - as long as you know what target you're aiming at. So, pick a good target, take aim, put together your plan, and then fire at your objectives.
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Copyright © 2008 by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.
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Jan 7, 2008
Build A Great Brand, Part I
"Reach out and touch someone."
What do you think of when you hear that?
I just came across an article posted at A List Apart that I loved so much I had to share some key insights. It was about The Greatest Copy Shot Ever Written. Another word for Copy Shot is SLOGAN. And how many great brands are associated by their even GREATER slogans? I'd argue that almost ALL great brands have a great slogan.
Can you think of the brand when you hear these slogans?
"I am stuck on...xxxxxxx... and xxxxxxx's stuck on me."
"It's the real thing."
"You're in good hands."
"It's the xxxxx touch."
"Betcha can’t eat just one."
"We've got your butt covered."
"Good to the last drop."
Are you trying to come up with a great slogan? Want some guidelines to help you do it better?
Think of some of the best slogans you've ever heard:
You're in good hands with Allstate. (Allstate)
Just do it. (Nike)
Betcha can't eat just one... (Lays)
Don't leave home without it. (American Express)
Reach out and touch someone. (AT&T)
What are the components of these copy shots that make them great?
Well, this article digs through it, and comes up with the most declarative list of guidelines that make it clear, at least to me, what component strategies ought to be followed when developing a slogan:
Choice of style:
1. Use either clear and concise.
OR
2. Use frivolous and witty (as long as it is clearly related).
All great copy shots should:
1. Be five words in length.
2. Not mention the brand name.
3. Be declarative.
4. Be grammatically complete.
5. Be otherwise standard.
5. Contain alliteration, metaphor, or rhyme.
Other ideas for copy shots that I found really interesting, include:
1. Repetition/parallelism—aggressive, straight-to-the-point, memorable, symmetrical
2. Metaphor/wordplay/polysemy—clever, mysterious, potentially irritating
3. Coinage—playful, obscure, silly, original
4. Rhetorical question—personal, inclusive, informal, potentially too marketing-ish
Want more ideas about slogans and copy shots?
Find them at the article about The Best Copy Shot Ever Written by Nick Padmore. It's worth the read, and I believe will help any marketer improve their ideas on ways to build their brand.
Also, there's a really fun (and potentially useful) tool here at Slogan Generator:
http://www.sloganizer.net/en/
This is a free site that I use to help me brainstorm slogans. Or, you can hire me, and I'll help you dig into your slogan with even more tools and techniques like this and create the perfect slogan for your brand.
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Copyright © 2008 by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales, launch products and services, improve interactive marketing, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.
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Nov 28, 2007
The REAL Value of Online Networking
I've been using social networks in an avid way since about 1997. The first site to intice me to use a social network for business was Ryze. Ryze was really booming in San Francisco in 2002, then sort of tuckered out, although every now and again I find someone new getting active there. I was involved during the year that we had these cool business mixers, followed by a party. I was into that. Some business people were turned off by the alcohol, the loud music, and such, but I thought it was all part of the fun. I met several of my best friends through the Ryze mixers in San Francisco.
You'll notice that I'm not talking about the online activity nearly as much as the FACE-TO-FACE activity that resulted out of Ryze. Because, that is truly the value of an online network: it leads you to face-to-face networking.
FACT: The best online networks increase your face-to-face networks.
So, look for this in your network.
In fact, now that I think about it, AOL chat rooms that were popular in the late 1990's were about this, too. You'd connect online, then meet in person. I'm sure most who read this will remember the movie with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan called You've Got Mail, which introduced the concept of online dating to the masses. Again, they met online, but then took it into real life. That's the way a good social network ought to function. I met a former band-mate, Dino, through those AOL Chat rooms. I also got connected with American Cancer Society events, and met a few other people, too.
A couple of years ago, I built a profile on LinkedIn. But I didn't push it, because I felt it a bit limiting. And, here is where I must lament the value of LinkedIn versus my latest craze: Plaxo. The problem with LinkedIn, in my opinion, is that the system is too closed. I can only email. I don't see a full stream of what people are doing, and it is difficult to navigate. Also, I can't even email half the people without having to pay $30/month fees (or higher). That can get costly. Is LinkedIn worth my cable bill? Frankly, I'm not sure. Since LinkedIn displays your career time line like an online resume, I'd say it is great for recruiters. For everyone else, it's mostly a time-suck. Yes, I use it, but I'm not nearly as active as when I first joined. When I use LinkedIn now, I always include my phone number and invite a call. I just want my connections to be real life connections.
Better online networking:
Now, on the contrary, the new Plaxo, with their Pulse streams, have made it easier to network, view your contact's phone number, email, websites, and so forth. If I want their resume, I can always ask for it. Five people in the last week have called me from my Plaxo networks, in desire to KNOW me. That rocks. Yes, Plaxo sucks time, too. But, the difference is that I'm building a vast global network of people interested in the same things I want to build through my groups function. Not only that, but because I moderate the group, I can control postings. If people get off-topic, their post is deleted. Repeat violators are tossed from my group. I know: I'm harsh. But I hate SPAM. The groups are great, though, because you can connect with like-minded people.
Spam in online networking is a problem, but I get surprised when people report my AspireNow newsletter as SPAM. Why would they do that? After all, they have to double-opt-in to join! This simple fact alone means that my emails are SPAM compliant, not to mention that I run them through Constant Contact, which also enables me to follow the rules. People are so touchy about SPAM - but with good reason. REAL SPAM, is the type where people post to every group a feed about their MLM (Multi-level marketing business), or some other venture, that often appears totally unrelated to the group(s) they posted into. At Plaxo, I detest SPAM, and will quickly rebuke those who violate it in my groups. At the same time, this doesn't negate the power of the group.
An example of online networking results:
For example, this morning I met three new people who are interested in my latest programs, www.howbloggersmakemoney.com and www.coldtogold.com. I would not have met these people had I not been active in Plaxo.
Another example of the power of Internet networking, is how people have involved me in their technology. Today, somone posted an inquiry in my group. I read the post. At first, I thought it had nothing to do with Advanced Collaboration, then I realized it had EVERYTHING to do with Advanced Collaboration. Since I'm building a software program under the veil of http://www.semanticcollaboration.com/, I'm deeply interested in posts like the Wikinomics: the future of social networking.
If you're seeking ways to boost your own social networking, check out Plaxo, and also drive your network back into real-time. No, they're not paying me to plug them. I just like their site. But take the online networking into the real world. Pick up a phone, call the person. Schedule a meeting if you live close to each other. That way, you'll really reap the value of your online networks.
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Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.
ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.
Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.
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Nov 19, 2007
Increase Sales By Tweaking Your Business Card
Want to learn how to make your business card more professional AND increase your sales?
HINT: Make your business card INTERACTIVE.
It is funny how few people miss this opportunity.
Doctor's offices are great at putting your next appointment on their card.
That creates interactivity. Just print "next appointment" and a line to write it in, and as easy as that people are more likely to carry your appointment card around or put it some place where they see it. This will increase your eyeball factor of your card dramatically.
When I designed cards for Seaside Cafe, I added little coffee cups across the bottom, so that when customers buy 7 espressos they get their 8th espresso free. Tim and Liz punch your card cups out when you come in, so that they can tell when you have the 7 holes in your card. It's a bit on the honor system, so if you're in a place where people might punch their own holes, you might use initials, or some other stamp to signify an order.
Another set of cards I designed for a beauty shop uses a stamp each time you purchase $10 or more of product. So, if you purchase $50, you get 5 stamps. Once you have the whole edge of boxes around the card completed, you get free product.
Another way to create interactivity is to offer a discount if they mention a code printed on the card. This method is clever but hardly ever used. Just these words: "mention code 555 for a discount on your next purchase" might encourage people to keep your card and refer to it when they call you to order.
You could also make part of the card tear off, so that if you bring the torn-off part of the card, you qualify for a prize, gift, or discount. This could also work for a play or production. Restaurants could make this a buy 2 get one at half off type of promotion - just from their card.
Bands and DJ's are really good about printing their schedule of gigs on there cards. I'm surprised that more professional speakers don't use a schedule on their card. (This can also be printed on the back of your card). Other organizations who hold regular events can print a small schedule on the card or on the back of the card and improve attendance.
I'm surprised how few businesses use interactivity with their business cards, as you can increase attendance, sales, and more by at least a few percent. With just this little change in how you are marketing yourself and your business, you can really improve customer loyalty. In addition, the odds that people will keep your card in their wallet, along with their other most important things like cash, baby pictures, and credit cards, goes up dramatically when you make the card interactive. You gain a side benefit of other people seeing your card every time they reach for money or show off their latest kid pics.
Try making your card interactive, and see what it does for your business.
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Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.
ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales and marketing, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.
Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.
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Nov 17, 2007
The Best Way To Increase Email Open Rates
The Top Way To Boost Your Email Marketing Is To Increase Your Email Open Rates.
A better way to increase your open rate:
Write to what your customer or prospect cares about instead of writing what you want to sell. We need help with things like (a) more traffic, (b) more customers, (c) more sales, (d) losing weight, (e) staying young, (f) quitting smoking, (g) dress to impress, (h) how to get more love, (i) better meals, (j) more restful sleep... and so on. So, take smoking, for example. You wouldn't say "Five patches to help you with smoking." It would be better to write "Having problems quitting smoking?" Now you're writing about the problem, not your solution. (The solution will come inside the email, not in the subject line.) You will increase your open rate if you think about what the reader needs to see rather than what you want them to see.
2. My most powerful method to increase e-mail opens is to ASK A QUESTION. Using a question is the single best way to increase an email open, because what must we do with a question?
Right. ANSWER IT. So, try rewriting your subject line from a statement to a question. Instead of "We found a way to quit smoking," Better would be "Want a new method to quit smoking?" Fortunately, I have seen very little SPAM with a question mark, so your email is not likely to get flagged for SPAM violations.
3. Find a problem. Increase opens because they will care more. The first thing customers care about is their problem. Write about it. Just as with good headlines in PR, it's the same with Email Marketing in trying to increase your email opens. Find a problem that your article, product, or service solves. Then look at the email from the perspective of the PROBLEM, not the solution.
Say, for example, that you're selling highly professional website design. Your headline might be: "Warning: Is Your Website Ruining Your Professional Image?"
4. An email gets opened when it offers something new, better, or secret. So, offer a secret to get your email opened. Or, offer something new and improved. These words have been staples in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry for so long for a good reason: because they work! "New and Improved! Want new secrets to Vista?" Might be a developer's handbook subject line for secrets to using Vista. Or, "Secrets From A Guru Revealed: How To Build Your List Faster With Less Effort" might be a way to sell an email list marketing solution.
5. Using names to improve your email open rates. First Name/Last Name? People think if you use my name, I'll open it. Perhaps, but what if you used the WRONG name. That's a surefire way to make sure I'll delete it. Or, if the end-user goes by Mike, but his website name is Michael, he can screen you because you'll say "Hey Michael..." See what I mean? As an email recipient, I'd rather you tell me YOUR name. If I like it, I might open it.
For example, "ARRiiVE Discovered The Top Problem With Email Opens" might get read more than "Michael, buy this powerful email marketing tips e-book." Even better: "Want to discover ARRiiVE's secrets to increase your email open rate?"
6. Poor word choice limits email opens. Good word choice will increase your open rate. Words like Welcome... Free.... Win... might either turn off your prospect, or worse, get caught in a SPAM filter, so your prospect never sees the message at all. Exclamation points are over-excited. Avoid those. Even F-R-E-E could get you blocked. Hey, Hi... What's up? Are all getting blocked by some people. No subject line at all is definitely a no-no.
Better word choices: Secret... Top 5 Ways... Challenges facing...
7. Make a joke. Depending upon your industry, saying something funny might increase your open. Or, if it is a holiday, you might say, "A Funny Message for Thanksgiving" as people like funny emails. You can also get clever. Words with the "K" sound make people laugh. If you want people to think your email is funny, you could say, "Want To Touch Something Squishy?" That sounds funny, silly, and inviting. I'd expect a goofy email to follow.
8. Offer a Statistic to increase open rates. Even better yet, a statistic is more powerful if the statistic is something shocking. For example, a company who helps you quit smoking might say: "15 Million People died of lung cancer this year. Are you next?" They're hitting the problem square in the nose: it isn't smoking, it's HEALTH! Identifying the right problem, then giving a statistic for that, especially a shocking one - people's health, baby health, loss of something, or so forth, can be shocking. Like "100 Billion In Toxic Waste. What About Your Baby's Diapers?" might be a way to sell "green" diapers, for example.
One funny email I'm thinking about trying is this: "Only 3% of people will open this email." Just to see what percentage opens it.
9. Keep Is Succinct. The only thing I don't like about the last example I gave is the LENGTH. Sometimes, length matters. As in, brevity. And, the more powerful way to say it is with the right words, in as few words, as possible. In my tests to write this blog posts, I found that subject lines with 49 or fewer characters had click-through rates 75 percent higher than for those with 50 or more characters.
Try these tips to increase email open rates and see if you don't increase your email opens in your email campaigns.
If you're seeking more of this type of information, I'm publishing a new e-book on email marketing, which will be coming out in about a month. Add our feed and you can keep track of the product announcement.
Remember, with your subject line, you've got about 3 seconds to impress someone, if that. So, it has to be powerful, concise, intriguing, funny, shocking, or at least intriguing enough to get an open.
I'm actually thinking I need to update how I do my newsletter, to address these, rather than say "AspireNow's Monthly Newsletter" as that does not follow the guidelines of my subject lines. So, see, sometimes in writing advice, we improve our own material. If you subscribe to AspireNow's Newsletter, you'll see how I do at following my own advice!
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Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.
ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales and marketing, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.
Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. You may republish this article only if you publish in WHOLE with the COPYRIGHT and ALL ACTIVE LINKS intact.
More joy than jellybellies: SUBSCRIBE to our feed to stay "in the know" with articles like this.
Nov 7, 2007
7 Ways To Build A Massive E-Mail Marketing List
You can have what you want if you have the right list. Join me today for a very special broadcast with Jen Blackert (www.JenBlackert.com), author, coach, speaker, and professional podcaster, who will be sharing her secrets to BUILDING A LIST THAT ROCKS: 7 Ways to Build a Massive E-Mail Marketing List! With an email list in the thousands, Jen ought to know how to build both an online and offline list to get what you want out of your blog, podcast, or website. She will describe practical and useful methods she's used herself to build a successful email marketing list. As a marketing guru who is also a Law of Attraction success coach, Jen will offer us some of her insights that normally would cost $87.00 to purchase on her CD learning program or even more to hear her speak in person.
Join us by calling: 724-444-7444 (enter i.d. 37798) or going to http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=37798&cmd=tc on the Web to Chat and Talk Live, or to hear the rebroadcast if you miss the show.
Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.
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Oct 17, 2007
Top Rated Website and Blog Designs
Why I Like Designers
Have you ever noticed a website that you really liked, but couldn't put your finger on it? In fact, I'm pondering what to do with the design of the ARRiiVE: More Customers, More Cash, More Quickly BlogTM. Frankly, I like simplicity. And, I also have a lot to say. Putting those two things together in one site creates the challenge to appear PROFESSIONAL, SLICK, and HIP -- while avoiding sounding like an elitist snob. This type of work might just call for a professional designer.
Do you ever worry about your website design? The reason I study designs (and hang-out with artists and designers) is, well, first-off, because I find they think a little differently than I do. I'm very auditory, somewhat visual, and like to put my hands on things to feel them. That's how I learn. I have to write it down, or it just might get forgotten.
Designers are VISUAL. They think in pictures. I enjoy the company of designers, because they help me see the world in new or different ways than I might see it with my own eyeballs. Now, in case you're saying, "What does design have to do with building teams, increasing sales, or improving my marketing?"
ANSWER: Design has a lot to do with sales and marketing success. I'll get to team-building in a moment. But, yes, if your marketing is good, your sales ought to follow. Then, it is up to you to deliver the service that matches the marketing.
How can I say this without blinking an eye? Because, while on a search for the TOP BLOGS in the world today, I came across a post that features some very hip and smooth blog designs. Not surprisingly, these blogs were built mostly by photographers or graphic designers. But, what impresses me most, is these site designs are not only sexy web designs: they also draw HIGH TRAFFIC, too. Google PR 7, Google PR6, Google PR8, Google PR5, and so-on. Those kinds of numbers are worth money. So, yes, sales follow good design (a component of excellence in marketing).
Here are some of the examples I chose to share with you:
Odd-and-ends.net Clean & Nice. Excellent navigation. Not too slick, but you definitely get engaged to want to view the portfolio. And, if I'm selling photography, that's important. I had to take away a point from my 9 score on design for the CafePress products (I dumped them years ago for being too greedy and too expensive). I was touched by several things at this site. My Score: 9 for Design, Google PR5. Overall 7.
abriefmessage.com
Design: Clean, simple, with tons of white space. Large Fonts, bright, smart use of simple color-scheme. Black, white, and red links always has a cutting edge feel, to me. This site exemplifies one way designers think about presenting information. This blog is not yet getting what I call "Google Juice" but it sure has potential. They're getting a lot of comments on their posts (add mine to the list). My Score: Design 9, Google PR4, Overall 7. I wouldn't be surprised to see this go up...
A List Apart. The best of the lot. Not just visually attractive, but totally rich in content, without overwhelming me by any means. There's a lot any person developing a website could learn here from this site, alone. Simple control and navigation. Beautiful use of primary labels. Small, focused ad box. They pay for publication contributions, which encourages other authors to submit content. So, this is a collective - not a one-man shop, from what I can tell. I even like their shirts. Scores: Design 9. Google PR 8. Overall: 9.
SIDE NOTE: A List Apart featured the web's first ever panel of web designers, called The Web Design Survey, which surveyed almost 37,000 designers and came up with quite a large compilation of tips (over 33,000) that might serve as a somewhat bloated guide for many aspiring web designers. Kudos, again.
gizmodo.com. I know, I know. It's a geek site. But, you know what? They're probably the number 1 blog in terms of geek traffic. Every time I go there I find something new and cool that I like. Yeah, I like gadgets. And gizmodo is the king of online gadget info. They provide easy feeds, as if almost begging you to feed content off their RSS, which many, many tech sites, take advantage to gain cutting-edge content. They use a wide-format design which some users like and others don't. For their format, it seems to work. Design 7. Google PR 9 (traffic is off-the-hook). Overall 9.
Speaking of Google, how can you question the appeal in the massive use of white space and simplicity in their home page design? But Google also delivers on their promise: fast, quick, highly efficient search results. Google has captured the search market because of their site design. Sixteen words plus the search box is about as basic as it gets. It's what happens behind those words/links and the search box that matters most. Google's design is as much in their words and layout of the words and multi-colored logo. The layout conveys an inverse-pyramid (and implied pyramid underneath). This is a similar model to my own Diamond-Circle. Design: 10 Google PR10. Overall 10.
The Morning News. Clean design. Get out your reading glasses (small print). Black & White with some Red. Wide format makes me think "newspaper" when I read it, although they claim to be an "online magazine" published since 1999. Has an old-time feel in a modern approach. A pretty damned good site for what I think is a two-person shop. Succinct at what it's trying to do. Design 9. Google PR? Overall 8.
SimpleBits. This site is SIMPLE. They hit the nail on the head with their name and visual appeal. The logo I saw that they designed was nice. They've done work for MTV. Totally a pro shop. The bits are actually little fragments of articles, snapshots, books, speaking, and so forth. I don't quite understand why some of the elements are where they are... perhaps they can explain to me if I email. Design 9, Google PR2 Overall 7.
Where can you find a site where you might find a good designer? Well, any of the design-oriented sites I just mentioned might have resources for you, and if that isn't enough, here's another possibility: www.cpluv.com/.
I've used more than a handful of designers over the past eight years and don't regret any of them. I've gained designs or design ideas from each of them that I still use at AspireNow, Body, Black Market Trio, and ARRiiVE Business Solutions. Hopefully you can see the merit in shelling out some duckets to get a higher quality site and designer eyeballs on visualizing what you are doing with your blog or website. Your image might be the first (or last) thing your site visitors remember. What do you want to leave them with?
OH. One last thing: I bet you thought I forgot about teamwork, right? Remember the question? "How do designers impact TEAMS?" Simple. You gain someone who thinks in terms of elegant simplicity. You gain a visual thinker. Every team ought to include at least one designer. You're bound to see your project in a whole new light. And, who knows, maybe you'll get a new product design, logo, or website concept from them that boosts your team's results from survive to THRIVE.
Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.
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