O MANNY's

Content has become more critical to b2c & b2b marketing because as more and more people start to tune-out traditional marketing, content enables businesses to engage their users. 

• Make effort to collaborate with others within your organization, outside your circle, or with diverse influencers outside your organization.  
• Content doesn't have to be in video, or text all the time. It can be just catering to one individuals situation.  The reality is that people learn in different ways.Sometimes less content and efficient use can have a greater impact.
• Develop a content plan, develop one around events, and sync your plan to calender online, on your phone so that when inspiration comes, you will know how to maximize it.The how to articles sometimes need to be adapted to how to stories. How a business took your suggestion and made it work for them.
•  Do you know who are your social media influencers. Find them and figure out how to reach them and how to work with them on a win-win-win basis.  
• When it comes to communities, if all you do is just promote or sell, You waste your opportunity to show members and managers that you have some great values to add.
• Social media is not for selling. It's for presenting your value in an engaging way so you can have the chance to serve prospects and customers.
• Find out what your customers biggest pain or questions are and come up with content, offers, and tools to assist them.
• Increase the number of email subscribers to your content.
• Audit all your content and determine which formate, style, font, layout, message gave you the most return. 
• Sometimes provide content or experience or values which clearly doesn't benefit you and surprises your customers.

Smartphones continue to grow in popularity and are now as powerful and functional as many computers. It is important to protect your smartphone just like you protect your computer to avoid growing mobile cyber threats. Mobile security tips can help you reduce the risk of exposure to mobile security threats. Please note that these security tips reflect the latest software updates as of December 2012 and may not be accurate for previous versions:

1. Set PINs and passwords. To prevent unauthorized access to your phone, set a password or Personal Identification Number (PIN) on your phone’s home screen as a first line of defense in case your phone is lost or stolen. When possible, use a different password for each of your important log-ins (email, banking, personal sites, etc.).
   • Apple iOS: Understanding passcodes
   You should configure your phone to automatically lock after five minutes or less when your phone is idle, as well as use the SIM password capability available on most smartphones.
2. Do not modify your smartphone’s security settings. Do not alter security settings for convenience. Tampering with your phone’s factory settings, jailbreaking, or rooting your phone undermines the built-in security features offered by your wireless service and smartphone, while making it more susceptible to an attack.
3. Backup and secure your data. You should backup all of the data stored on your phone – such as your contacts, documents, and photos. These files can be stored on your computer, on a removal storage card, or in the cloud. This will allow you to conveniently restore the information to your phone should it be lost, stolen, or otherwise erased.
   • Apple iOS: Backup and restore overview
4. Only install apps from trusted sources. Before downloading an app, conduct research to ensure the app is legitimate. Checking the legitimacy of an app may include such thing as: checking reviews, confirming the legitimacy of the app store, and comparing the app sponsor’s official website with the app store link to confirm consistency. Many apps from untrusted sources contain malware that once installed can steal information, install viruses, and cause harm to your phone’s contents. There are also apps that warn you if any security risks exist on your phone.
5. Understand app permissions before accepting them. You should be cautious about granting applications access to personal information on your phone or otherwise letting the application have access to perform functions on your phone. Make sure to also check the privacy settings for each app before installing.
6. Install security apps that enable remote location and wiping. An important security feature widely available on smartphones, either by default or as an app, is the ability to remotely locate and erase all of the data stored on your phone, even if the phone’s GPS is off. In the case that you misplace your phone, some applications can activate a loud alarm, even if your phone is on silent. These apps can also help you locate and recover your phone when lost.
   • Apple iOS: Set up Find My iPhone
   • Apple iOS: Locate your device on a map
   • Apple iOS: Lock and track your device
7. Accept updates and patches to your smartphone’s software. You should keep your phone’s operating system software up-to-date by enabling automatic updates or accepting updates when prompted from your service provider, operating system provider, device manufacturer, or application provider. By keeping your operating system current, you reduce the risk of exposure to cyber threats.
   • Apple iOS: How to update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
8. Be smart on open Wi-Fi networks. When you access a Wi-Fi network that is open to the public, your phone can be an easy target of cybercriminals. You should limit your use of public hotspots and instead use protected Wi-Fi from a network operator you trust or mobile wireless connection to reduce your risk of exposure, especially when accessing personal or sensitive information. Always be aware when clicking web links and be particularly cautious if you are asked to enter account or log-in information.
9. Wipe data on your old phone before you donate, resell or recycle it. Your smartphone contains personal data you want to keep private when you dispose your old phone. To protect your privacy, completely erase data off of your phone and reset the phone to its initial factory settings.
   • Apple iOS: Understanding ‘erase all contents and settings’
   Now having wiped your old device, you are free to donate, resell, recycle or otherwise properly dispose of your phone.
10. Report a stolen smartphone. The major wireless service providers, in coordination with the FCC, have established a stolen phone database. If your phone is stolen, you should report the theft to your local law enforcement authorities and then register the stolen phone with your wireless provider. This will provide notice to all the major wireless service providers that the phone has been stolen and will allow for remote “bricking” of the phone so that it cannot be activated on any wireless network without your permission.

*Originally published by the FCC.
*These Ten steps to smartphone security are also helpful to business owners and founders. 

Since we started this extraordinary group which as become a great blessing, We`have always shown appreciation for 8000+ members support, donations and loyalty. So we came up with over 20 great marketing and business ideas for you.

 

Thank You to BJMANNYST.COM for their collaboration & marketing support of Founders Under 40™ Group (www.foundersunder40.com). 

1. Don`t do what you don`t have an ounce of love for.

2. Find others who love what you hate.

3. Me, Only Me businesses doesn't work anymore.

4. Create conversation, engagement, interaction, offer value.

5. Know your target very well, so you can always be great at anticipating what they need now and in the near future.

6. Know exactly where targets spend time and don`t try to mess up the ecosystem. A group made for entrepreneurs wants to interact with their peers so if you don`t fit, don`t try to change the ecosystems. It`s up to you to adjust. Not for them to adjust to you.

7. Allocate your resources in ways to maximize it`s return

8. Remember this: acquire customers, profitable customers, keep them, and expand their lifetime value

9. Can you identify your market position

10. Have you asked your customers what`s they think your market position is

11. Use your marketing and business resources like everyone else, you are likely to produce similar outcomes.

12. First impressions can make or break landing page conversion rates

13. Sometimes you think inside the box and sometimes you think outside the Diamond

14. Guessing your way to marketing success is very risky try using data to support your efforts

15. Before you initiate anything know the possible outcomes , both good and bad

16. Most people like what everyone likes, even venture capitalist.

17. Some people learn through text, voice or pictures and some through video

18. The typical search pattern begins with: Identify a need or problem, Awareness, Options, Check It Out, For Me or Not, Check Creditability, Purchase

19. If you are in the first page of search result you are not invisible. The other pages start to become invisible.

20. You can game search engines or just learn how customers use search engines and search results

21. Create content people can’t help linking to.

22. Make efforts to stay fresh overall

23. People will say good, bad, true and untrue things. Some might exaggerate or spread rumors.

24. Remember you can`t always believe everything you read or hear online or offline

25. Monitor all important terms related to your organization

26. Complaints can be an excellent opportunity to improve your organization

27. Is your social media goal to educate, share, or community?

28. Contact the people who write about the topics you care about.

29. Viral video generates buzz and awareness not sales.

30. Encourage people to like and comment on your Facebook page or post

31. Consider using multiple sites, social media or blogs for each of the mini targets you’re trying to reach.

32. Find ways to meet your online fans offline as much as possible.

1) The focus is on the buyer cycle. You've got to know the process your target takes to decide to buy from you.

 2) Quality content is very helpful. Most customers have researched you before they even speak to you so it's critical to offer the right content and the right image. The first impression can shape your future.

3) Don't forget to take care of all your employees. 4) Don't let big data overwhelm you. collect what you need, analyzes what you need because all the stats don't mean shit if you are not making money.

5) Enjoy yourself.


-by  bjmannyst.com

Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin More Sharing Services Share on email Share on print Your phone is silent. Your emails are unreturned. Your prospect program's a dud. Which of the following is most likely responsible?
 a) your selling technique
b) the way you spend your workday
c) your attitude

You might be surprised to learn that attitude is king, according to Merit.

Here's why: "A lot of times people will say, 'OK, it's a down market. Let me work on my pitch,'" she says. Working on your pitch, however, is technique, not attitude.

You won't bring in the deals if you're not out there prospecting – even if you've got the greatest technique in the world. Prospecting for clients is a behavior. If you don't truly believe there are sales waiting to be made (yes, even in this economy), then making 100 phone calls and having the perfect script won't help. You may, for example, find yourself prefacing your conversations with self-defeating statements, such as, "I know you don't have the budget right now, but…" That's attitude.

Putting it all together, technique is trumped by behavior, which is trumped by attitude. Gest says that even if sales professionals are showing up to networking events, for example, that doesn't mean they're getting an "A" in the attitude department. She gives this example: "If people don't know how to network, that's a technique issue. Or if they're not showing up at these events, that's a behavior issue. But if their mind-set is, 'There's no business out there; what's the point of going?' that's an attitude issue. It's always going to come back to attitude."

 – Selling Power Editors

The team at Founders Under 40™ Group (www.foundersunder40.com) + BJ Mannyst (www.bjmannyst.com) + Collaborators have put together this guide to help: your team cope, implement proven marketing tactics, a step by step game plan for now & yearly, laugh, and lots of advice.

  



Copy Available To:
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Give Gift 10US or More Towards RED CROSS Relief Effort
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For Founders Under 40™ Group Members working in the professional and business service providers industry around the world. Many are faced with the challenges of thriving in a uncertain economy.

And wondering how best to prepare for the upturn in the economy.

More Info: customerservice[at]bjmannyst[dot]com

1. Messaging. Everything starts with a good story. "We often see good companies with product-centric messages that are just not relevant, compelling, or differentiated," says Kear. When you develop a compelling story that incorporates trends or issues in the market and ties into the prospect's unique situation, you'll be heard. When you can't do that, says Kear, you're just noise.


 2. Targeting. Most companies don't do a good job of aligning the problems they solve with potential buyers. They target market segments instead of individual companies/divisions and their unique issues. "You have to be much more precise in your targeting," says Kear. "We are constantly amazed at how few companies have implemented any type of targeting methodology for salespeople." Initial data shows that reps who have learned how to target precisely within their territory achieve 20 to 30 percent higher quota attainment. Think: fewer leads, highly qualified.


3. Communications. Marketing departments need to stop launching products to the masses and instead launch "problems solved" to specific targets. And they need to be compensated on quality of leads instead of quantity of leads. Giving a bonus for generating a certain number of hits to a Web site, for instance, is useless if those hits aren't from qualified buyers.


 4. Systems. There's a general lack of necessary metrics, systems, and tools for tracking and measuring "return on leads." Companies must get a handle on what correlating factors they should be assessing or monitoring.  constantly evaluating the source and quality of their leads; you should be doing the same.


 5. Sales process and methodology. Often, marketing generates many leads that sales never act on. And the leads that do get acted on are often selected intuitively, by "gut feel." Reps need concrete processes and methodologies so they can use science, not intuition, to separate the wheat from the chaff and prioritize their efforts.


6. Individual skills and knowledge. Many salespeople lack the situational fluency to cultivate qualified leads. In other words, when they finally get an appointment, they don't have the skills to carry out good, consultative conversations. When a rep lacks the ability to move a sale forward from the initial conversation, he not only loses out on that particular piece of business, but on all the potential referrals that might have resulted from it. The bottom line: salespeople must have the situational fluency and problem diagnosis skills to cultivate leads into opportunities.



– Selling Power Editors

Finding motivated self-starters can seem like looking for a needle in a haystack. But top performers do exist. Here are seven tips for how to identify and hire the kind of self-motivated achievers who can become an asset to any sales team. 


1) Conduct ongoing interviews. Scan LinkedIn routinely (even once a month can help) to find viable candidates, even when you're not actively looking to hire. That way, you'll always have a handful of good applicants to contact when a position opens up. Also, consider advertising for new salespeople at least once every quarter (whether you have an opening or not). 

2) Don't hire on the spot. Even if a candidate makes a great first impression, it's risky to hire too quickly. At the April 2011 Sales & Marketing Leadership Conference in Scottsdale, John Grosshans, Vice President of Line Business Solutions at SAP America, told the audience that face-to-face interviews aren't enough to evaluate sales ability. He asks candidates to send him a thank-you letter after the interview and explain why they think they're the best person for the job. This tests how well the applicants can express themselves in written form. "It's incredible what you get back," Grosshans said. "[I'm convinced] some of them don't know how to use spellcheck. And think about that going out to your customers." 

3) Hire based on attitude, not experience. Perhaps the most important quality to look for in an applicant isn't industry or even sales experience. It's attitude. You can train and educate people with little sales or industry knowledge, but people with innate drive and determination aren't easy to find. Whatever your applicant's background, look for positive energy and an ability to bounce back from rejection. 

4) Use language that's likely to attract the applicants you seek. For example, try using words and phrases like self-starter, hard working, motivated, experienced, and energetic. Make sure that anyone who reads the job posting or description will get a sense of your unique corporate culture. Be clear about parameters (for example, if the position pays commission only, state that up front). 

5) Pay attention to body language. During each interview, imagine that you're a prospect. Would you welcome the chance to talk or do business with this applicant? Is the person engaging and pleasant? Candidates should maintain consistent eye contact, smile frequently, listen well, and project confidence. 

6) Look for people who want to do more than meet quotas. Look for people who broke sales records in previous positions or who excelled in other ways. What they did isn't as important as their desire to be the best. Design interview questions that gauge your applicants' desire to achieve. Their answers will help you decide who will excel and who won't. 

7) Note whether the applicant asks for the job. You might be able to tell how applicants will pursue a prospect from the way they pursue a sales position. To build a sales team of achievers, you have to know how to identify great performers as well as diamonds in the rough. With a little practice, you can learn to spot and hire the winners. 

*From Selling Power

This Sexy Bird is Growing and has to Fly

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It takes resources to pursue dreams. So help us help you.
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1. Find out who's who.

Take a look at your top-20 customers' LinkedIn profiles. What makes them top customers? Is it number of sales, volume, or lifetime customer value? What do they have in common: problems you can fix, a need for something specific, an attachment to your brand? Make a model customer profile based on these answers and then overlay location, industry, interests, groups and title. It’s okay to have more than one model. Just be sure each one is cohesive and consistent.



2. Confirm your connections.

Send invitation requests to all current and past customers. Add a note that includes their name and mentions your business connection. "Hi Bill—great working with you on the launch project! I’d like to add you to my LinkedIn network. Thanks for your consideration." To broaden the connection, add in assistants, vendors, suppliers, and anyone else at their company that you interact with.



3. Sync with SlideShare.

An application that allows you to upload PowerPoint presentations, SlideShare automatically shares your sales presentations on LinkedIn. A monthly customer success story allows you to feature your customers and builds goodwill. You can also use SlideShare to explain product upgrades and answer service questions.



4. Request recommendations and referrals.

Ask two questions: "What's the biggest pain I solve for you? What do you say when you refer me or my company to others?" The best time to ask for a referral or a recommendation is when your clients are happy, like right after you have closed a sale. They're too busy? Ask the questions over the phone, write down the answers, and email them with a request for a recommendation. Make it easy for them to be your best advocate.



5. Get into groups.

What groups do your best customers belong to? Join these groups and recommend or refer your customers’ services when you can. In your communications with them, talk about the latest group activity. Connect with group leaders to let them know who you are and start discussions. Invite your customers to join in the conversation; they will see you as an active leader. You can start up to 10 groups on LinkedIn.





Now, after you’re connected with all of your existing customers, it’s time to start prospecting on LinkedIn. Here are tips to follow for pain-free prospecting for new cutomers on LinkedIn.



6. Search for significance.

What are people searching for when they’re looking for your company on LinkedIn: location, industry, specialty, service? Type in keywords that your customers use to search for you in LinkedIn’s advanced search function. Compare how you come up against the competition.



7. Build your list.

Use your ideal customer model components to search for people. Then, plug these parameters into LinkedIn’s advanced search function. You can target companies by finding people, or you can use LinkedIn’s company search and then look for people within your target companies. Once you have a target company list, then you can follow the companies, and find out whom you want to connect with inside.



8. Share today.

Subscribe to your industry’s channel news on LinkedIn Today, a content aggregator of all the top news shared on LinkedIn. Inside your network, share stories and articles you think your customers would be interested in. They’ll begin to recognize you as a leading resource for relevant information.



9. Promote products.

Complete your company’s LinkedIn profile if you haven’t already. On your company’s LinkedIn page, list out products and services. Use your best customers as "before" and "after" stories. Ask them to leave you a recommendation and to follow your company.



10. Export to email.

Manage your connections by exporting your list every quarter. Merge the contacts into your customer database. Start a newsletter, or add to your current list, by inviting your connections to subscribe. Use a double-opt in service that sends out a confirmation request.



11. Expand your reach.

Adding new connections gives you a greater reach. While you may not choose to be an open networker that accepts invitations from everyone, the more people you connect with, the bigger your network will be. It’s simple math that compounds with the power of LinkedIn



*Originally Published on INC.com
*For Founders Under 40 Group Members & BJ Mannyst prospects