Open & Free Business Model
The Strategy of FREE
This past week I went to a number of networking events with great anticipation, I just knew I was going to meet someone who was going to grab my attention. The reality is, someone did grab my attention, in fact, many people grabbed my attention, for the wrong reason’s. I must state up front, I do not do things right all the time, in fact, I do more wrong than I do right, at least that’s what my wife tells me : )
Have you ever gone to a trade show and chatted with business owners with a booth? Have you attended networking events where you meet someone for the first time and they start to pitch you immediatly. You feel almost violated, they hand you their card, and there it is, staring you right in the face, the one thing that makes that little voice in your head start crying. It’s at that time I start to question business owners strategy of free.
There are many services you can use that are free on the Internet, some are valuable, and some are not, that’s the way of the world. As I told a writer at one of my workshops, they were concerned that anyone could write and become famous. That was bothersome for that person, I showed her how she could write a book, publish it and sell it on Amazon for virtually no cost. At that point she started to scream. I also shared with her, crap doesn’t sell, so who cares if a million people get published this week, if it’s good writing it will sell, if it isn’t…guess what, it won’t.
Let’s get to my point, your strategy of free needs to be well thought out, why? Perception is everything. For example, using free email services like GMail, Yahoo, MSN and so on, are great for learning how to master email, great for learning to see a bigger picture in yur technology strategy, they are not good for PR.
I went to one networking event recently and there were some 40 people in attendence, I got 22 business cards, half of them were using free email services, worse yet, they were using there ISPs domain name. If you are in business, invest in your own domain name, ensure that your email address on your card is using it. There are many businesses that block GMail, Hotmail, Yahoo and the like because of fraudulent uses. Having these email addresses on your business card tells me you aren’t serious about being in business, right or wrong, that’s the perception most will have with you and your business. If you are using @shaw.ca or @telus.net, you might as well be using a Hotmail account or any of the other free services in my humble opinion.
Using free services may not always the best decision for your business, especially free email services. Let me re-phrase that, publishing these free email services on your business card may not be the best decision for your business. Also, putting an email address of info@domainname.com is another item you may want to re-think. The info email address is a haven for SPAMMERS, they love that email address.
I know I may sound critical and coming off hard on this strategy of using free email services, but using these services is one thing, publishing them as your primary email service for your business is not good for your businesses image.
I am not suggesting these companies that provide these free services are bad or good, they help many people who may not be in a position to have their own domain name. I do recommend using these services, primarily for private usage, not as a public tool to reach me.
So I beg of you, think long and hard on the strategy of using free services, and how you will use them. The strategy of free should not be taken lightly. Email is only one of the many free services you can use, I’ll touch on more in future blog posts. Good luck, and feel free to contact me for further insight on the Open & Free Business Model.
The Future Of Your Business Depends On A Story Shared
I can remember as a young boy, sitting in front of the radio and listening to The Shadow late at night. The story being told in these who done it’s was captivating, and yet frightening at the same time. I mean come on, murder to a young boy in the 1960’s was unheard of in most small towns in Northern British Columbia. It was like pretend death, not real right? There were other programs but The Shadow always had you shivering, hiding under the covers, and making sure the light was on. Just in case you had to run, you had to see where you were going.
Radio was and is still a powerful medium, I know, I spent 15 years doing it. The problem with Radio today though, they almost never tell a story, they just sell, sell, sell. In my previous post I talk about sharing, and it proves my point, sharing the story is much more captivating than trying to sell 100% of the time. Even listening to a Hockey Game live on the radio told a story, the story of the progress each team was making, the ebb & flow, the swing in momentum, the incredible save Cheevers made but you couldn’t see, the announcers had to be masters of telling that story to keep you listening. The same is true with your presence on your Blog or website, personal or business, the story will draw people in, it’s been proven time and again for hundreds if not thousands of years.
The story is the glue, it is the very thing that can act as a magnet to your product, service or information. Find your story and share it, but remember, the story must be true and authentic, not fiction. It’s the REAL part that makes people come back. Making your story real and authentic, makes you and your Blog useful, especially if it solves a problem or informs them. People always comeback to places they find useful, it’s human nature to stick with what and who they trust. So, is your story trust worthy, is it compelling, better yet, is it interesting?
Every business has a story to tell, I would love to hear the story of your business, and does it fit the future business model, the open & free business model. The future of your business depends on your story being shared. Because, when we want innovation, we must focus on open and free thinking, and the storytelling that accompanies it.
Sharing & Entrepreneurial Success
In alittle over a week I’ll be speaking at FRESH! Fraser Valley on this very topic, but I thought I would start sharing some thoughts with you now. If you don’t have your ticket, get one, there are some very special people waiting to meet you, and to share.
Those of you who frequent this Blog know that I preach an Open & Free Business Model, and in case you didn’t know, sharing is the foundation of that model. In fact, I would venture to say that this is what business and individuals need to know to shape their futures. In my opinion, sharing is the single most important thing you can do in business, transparent sharing to be more specific. Many times I have been asked, what kind of sharing should I do? To me, the answer is brain dead simple, apparently it isn’t for most.
So, what should you be sharing? In can be as simple as telling your story, tell the story of how your business or product came to life, let people know that your business is human. Keep it simple, take your readers on a journey about your business. This story is the glue to your business and your entrepreneurial success!
Now there’s more to it than just a one time sharing of that story, continue telling the story, tell it as the story grows and changes over the coming months and even years. Don’t brag or sell, just share. It’s really that simple. Draw people in through your story, your readers or followers will know if you’re genuine or not, they’ll sniff out a sales pitch in a heart beat. But they love a good story, and are looking for someplace to hunker down feel welcomed. The story is part of an equation, it’s part of the inbound marketing equation, it’s part of how business will be done in the next 3 – 5 years, it’s also part of a paradigm shift.
Turning the future into revenue means this, pay special attention to whats happening around you and your business. I’m willing to bet that you see more and more businesses sharing as a major component to their success. These businesses are rebuilding, becoming smaller to be able to move faster and add people without adding overhead. Entrepreneurs are the new BIG business, small is big in this new world of business, and these entrepreneurs know how to make sharing a financial success.
Looking at the bigger picture helps you with what you will share, looking ahead, the future is not a one way street; you can shape it with the right strategies, the right tactics, and the right story to share. The question is never where to start, or what to share, it should be, what’s coming and what effect will it have on my business. That’s one part of the paradigm shift, moving from denial to foresight.
Sharing will attract customers, readers and better yet, friends. It can improve your bottomline, it can increase traffic to your businesses website or Blog, and it will most definitely improve your entrepreneurial success. Just tell the story and watch great things happen.
FRESH! Fraser Valley Sept 25th, 2010
In just a couple of days you will have the opportunity to meet and hear some budding entrepreneurs in our area at an event called FRESH! Fraser Valley. So mark Septemeber 25th on your calendar and plan to spend the day, it will be one the best investments to learn that you’ve ever made. The Fraser Valley is the eastern corridor of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada in case you were wondering. This includes the communities of Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Mission, Aldergrove, and Langley.
An incredible line-up of speakers is on the docet, an opportunity to learn and grow through planned workshops is available to you. For a list of speakers and their topics, just go to this link: FRESH! Conference Speakers
Be sure to register, you can do that here: Register for FRESH!
It is with great pleasure to be one of the speakers at this event, I’ll be speaking on why sharing and resources can contribute to entrepreneurial success. I teach and preach the Open & Free Business Model, how to give away content and generate revenue. I know you want to know : )
I look forward to meeting you, and having the opportunity to share how you can give yourself away and increase revenues at the same time. You will also have the opportunity to enjoy informational booths with some of the sharpest entrepreneurs in our area. Come learn and network with like-minded people at FRESH! Fraser Valley.
The Venue:
The Ramada Plaza & Conference Centre
36035 North Parallel Rd. (Whatcom Road Exit on the Trans Canada Highway)
Abbotsford BC, Canada, V3G 2C6
See you there!
Open & Free Business Model Workshop – Sept 17th, 2010
COME EXPLORE WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE BUSINESS FAITH!
The Open & Free Business Model means looking at the world of business as it will be, not as it is.
You can give away content and generate revenue, join me as I walk you through the basic principles of an Open & Free Business Model for your business. I’ll Show you what it might look like for you and your business.
We will look at three main topics:
TRENDS
We’ll look at trends and what’s happening around the world, and how these trends will impact your business online & off. Today there are 2.0 Billion people on the Internet, in the next 3 – 5 years that number will be 5 Billion. How will you get their attention?
THE OPEN & FREE BUSINESS MODEL
This is not a skill set, it’s a paradigm shift and this shift is painful, I’ll layout why and what this model might look like for your business, I’ll also show examples of how businesses are using this model.
BREAKOUT SESSION
By the time we get to this section, you’ll already have some new creative ideas, and ways to increase revenue. We’ll work through how you can build & implement your ideas with your staff.
When the workshop is over you will have a much better view of what’s coming, a framework to help you adapt, plus you will have a simple step by step approach for implementing new revenue streams.
This workshop has been reworked, it’s new & improved, it’s 4 hours (Noon to 4PM) of compelling information that will give you a whole new perspective on your business.
Workshop Discount Rate until Sept 15th, 2010 – $99
Book now and reserve your seat!
For more details and to book your seat, just send an e-mail to: workshop@owengreaves.com
I look forward to working with you,
Owen Greaves