Brainstorm For Business Success
An engineering lab client regularly brainstorms with customers and even prospective clients, as part of new product development.?? In fact, one such session resulted in a design simplification – saving them over 70% on their manufacturing costs for a particular part.? Going out of your way to establish rapport with your customers, and regularly communicating 
with them, can pay huge dividends.? Doing so has never been easier than it is today, with tools such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.?? Establishing a professional presence for your company on each of these will enable you to attract interested people to your company.
Don’t want to have a brainstorming session in-person?? Not a problem, if you use tools like GoToWebinar and Freemind.? GoToWebinar enables you to set up a web-based meeting for up to 1,000 participants, allowing everyone to interact as if they were in the same room.? Adding Freemind to the mix allows the Moderator (or an assistant) to capture the free flow of ideas as they come in, and display them on each participant’s computer screen.? In this way, you can literally have people from all over the world participate in the event.? If you don’t want to pay for the service, you can use a service like DimDim and host smaller brainstorming sessions.
This idea can apply to any business – the question is will you apply it?
Lights, Camera – Business!
This October will mark the third year anniversary of Google’s acquisition of the video sharing site YouTube.? If you don’t already, start paying attention to how many times a video-based result comes up in your Google search engine queries.? Don’t be surprised if there are several in the top 5 – 10 spots on Page 1.? There are two reasons why you should care.
1.? Engage Your 
Customers The Way They Want To Be Engaged. Twenty years ago, I remembered talking to a colleague of mine about a chimney sweep supply company that sent their customers a video tape (remember those?!?) twice year, educating them on how to sell chimney sweep supplies more efficiently.? The tapes differentiated him from the other suppliers, his main cost was postage (he already had a camera) and the “reality style” video is time-tested approach that works over and over again.? A real estate client of one of our consultants closed a $500,000 sale last week by using Twitter (140 characters) and a reality-style video (it was less than 48 hours from Tweet to Close).
2.? Increase Your Organic Search Engine Ranking. We cover Search Engine Optimization (SEO) elsewhere, but without getting technical, it stands to reason that if Google is going to spend almost $2 Billion to buy a bunch of video-sharing servers, then they are going to make sure they get their money’s worth.? Or, as my technical SEO colleagues would say, Google thinks video content is important and is more “news worthy and informative” and so it will tend to rank higher.
Technical aspects aside, video pulls people into the topic they are watching.? A personalized video to your suppliers, or a reality-style video to your customers, makes the viewer feel like they know you; almost as if they were friends with you.? And people buy from people they know, like and trust.? That’s a big driver behind Social Media adoption.
Action Step:
If you are not using video in your business:
Why aren’t you?? Every business can and should be doing so.? Believe me, if a chimney supply company 20 years ago could, you certainly can today.? No excuses.
If you already are using video in your business:
What’s working with it now?? What isn’t working?? How could you improve it?? Could you send personalized video messages about certain products or services?? Special offers for certain customers?? How else could you use video to increase sales?
Advertising and Tradeshows – In A Recession???
Tradeshow attendance has been down this year anywhere from 10% – 30%, depending on the show, the industry and where you get your statistics from.? Why is this good news for you?? With less traffic at the show it will be easier for your business to get noticed by potential customers and distributors.? So, what’s the best way to get the most from your tradeshow dollars?
Book early!? Missed the deadline?? Contact the show organizers and see if you can take over space from a vendor who has canceled, at a reduced rate.? By negotiating with them (remember:? you’re helping THEM by filling an
empty space in a potentially high traffic area) you may be able to get other things in addition to a rate reduction – placement in promotional materials given to the press and attendees, updates to the conference website that lists your company in a new location, etc.? And don’t forget to send out a press release (or two or three!) telling your customers that you’re going to be at the show and where they can find you (include booth location and the conference website(s)).
Bonus Tip!
The best way we’ve found to really maximize your trade show investment is to look at the exhibitor and attendee lists several weeks BEFORE you are going to be there, and schedule meetings with key potential customers or vendors.? Tradeshows are a great way to get a good view on what your market is doing, what their needs are, etc. – all under one roof!
Action Step:
When you attend your next trade show, pay attention to the traffic flow, as well as the days and times of day that seem to be the “heaviest”.? Use these metrics to pick your first, second and third choice locations when attending trade shows.? If you want to go to a show that you have never attended, find other companies who have been there before you (look in old directories that should be available online or by asking the trade show organizing group); contact them and get their opinions.