The 10 water laws of the Western US.

How to know you’re an American (or, what American culture is).

60 ways to increase your influence online.

The Notorious PhD has insightful articles about culture–like this one–on his blog.

CEOs who cut jobs got paid more, according to one (liberal) policy think tank report.

Welcome to the One on One conversation series, where Small Business Trends will be speaking to some of the best minds in business today. The goal of the series is to pick the brains of successful entrepreneurs, best-selling author, and executives with organizations serving the small business community, to provide the Small Business Trends community with their valuable business insights.

On Fridays, One on One lets you hear from — as well as learn from — people who have done it, who are doing it, and who will share their experiences and knowledge to help you do it for yourself.

If there are people you’d like us to go “One on One” with, just let us know, and we’ll see if we can make it happen.

* * * * *

Jon Ferrara is a serial entrepreneur and a pioneer in the customer relationship management (CRM) industry. He co-founded Goldmine, one of the first contact management apps; his newest company, Nimble, is a social CRM service for small businesses.

Brent Leary spoke with Ferrara in this interview, which has been edited for space. To hear a full, audio version of the interview, scroll down to the loudspeaker icon at the bottom of the page.

Question: What is different about starting this kind of company now, as opposed to when you started Goldmine?

Jon Ferrara: I think the best ideas come from your own need, because you are passionate about it and you understand the problem.  When I started Goldmine, I saw a need for teams to communicate and collaborate together, and to integrate that communication back to their customers and prospects. Goldmine was the first networkable sales team tool.

Today, I am seeing the same type of need. Small businesses need to attract and retain customers more than ever.  But the way they are doing it has radically changed.  Customers aren’t [paying attention to] your advertisement; they are having dialogues amongst themselves about what they are going to buy.

Smart companies today are figuring out that they need to find out where those conversations are occurring and get in there and listen and engage, leveraging the way customers want to talk today.  Many times that is social media and the Web.

Question: How has the Internet changed business relationships, particularly at the small business level?

Jon Ferrara: Business relationships have always been social.  People buy from people they like, and they like people who know them.  The only way to know them is to listen.  I tell all my salespeople that when they go into a customer’s office, they need to look at the walls. People put things on their walls that enable you to build connections, relationships, intimacy, which leads to trust.  Today, social media enables you to listen, engage and look at people’s walls in wider ways than you ever thought possible.   Smart businesses today are leveraging social media to connect with their customers.

Question:  What lessons did you learn from starting and running Goldmine in the ‘80s and ‘90s that help you with Nimble today?

Jon Ferrara: The environment that I built Goldmine in back in the late ‘80s is the identical environment that we find ourselves in today.  There was a recession; people were looking for ways to do things more effectively and better and to do more with less.  We bootstrapped Goldmine, and the lesson I learned is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to reach customers.  Back in the day, we called it PR. Today, people are leveraging social media to get their message out and build connections and relationships.  That is really what has changed for today’s startups and small businesses, and I think the companies that understand how to leverage social media, to listen, engage and communicate and collaborate internally and externally, will be the companies that will grow fastest.

Question: With Nimble, you are building an on-demand, social CRM service aimed at the small business market. Goldmine was aimed at the salesperson and sales teams, correct?

Jon Ferrara: Our idea with Goldmine was that people don’t work in a vacuum, they work as a part of a larger team, and everybody on the team touches the customer. Goldmine was the first networkable relationship manager, but it was not just for salespeople, because it’s not just salespeople that touch your customer.  That is a mistake that many companies make — empowering just their salespeople with contact or relationship tools. Everybody should be open to connecting with the customer.

What’s different about Nimble is, where Goldmine leveraged the network to enable a team to communicate and collaborate, we are leveraging the Web and social media. Nimble not only allows your team to internally communicate and collaborate, but also to listen and engage. By listening and engaging, you are able to build thought leadership on top of [data] mining, in ways that are just tremendous.

Question: Do you think CRM is more important to small businesses today, or was it more important back when you were building Goldmine?

Jon Ferrara: I think it is absolutely more important today.  The old ways of touching your customer — cold calling, direct mail, advertising, faxing — just don’t work anymore. If you empower your team to touch the customer and to listen and engage, it will transform your business. Small businesses are nimble, and by leveraging these new methodologies of connecting with customers, they can transform their businesses much faster.

Question: Do you think successfully implementing CRM hinges on being able to integrate social media into a CRM strategy?

Jon Ferrara: Without social, CRM is a stale database.  Goldmine helped create the first model of networkable relationship management. Today, what’s different is the social aspect.  If all you are going to do is CRM, you can do databasing with anything. But combining the ability to communicate and collaborate, to listen and engage, transforms a business.

Our customers are crying out for one-to-one relationships and connections.  Companies that listen to their customers and engage in conversations will be the companies that have customers for life. Don’t we all want that?

From Small Business Trends

One on One: Jon Ferrara of Nimble

Welcome to the One on One conversation series, where Small Business Trends will be speaking to some of the best minds in business today. The goal of the series is to pick the brains of successful entrepreneurs, best-selling author, and executives with organizations serving the small business community, to provide the Small Business Trends community with their valuable business insights. On Fridays, One on One lets you hear from -- as well as learn from -- people who have done it, who are doing it, and who will share their experiences and knowledge to help you do it for yourself. If there are people you'd like us to go "One on One" with, just let us know, and we'll see if we can make it happen. * * * * * Jon Ferrara is a serial entrepreneur and a pioneer in the customer relationship management (CRM) industry. He co-founded Goldmine, one of the first contact management apps; his newest company, Nimble, is a social CRM service for small businesses. Brent Leary spoke with Ferrara in this interview, which has been edited for space. To hear a full, audio version of the interview, scroll down to the loudspeaker icon at the bottom of the page. Question: What is different about starting this kind of company now, as opposed to when you started Goldmine? Jon Ferrara: I think the best ideas come from your own need, because you are passionate about it and you understand the problem.  When I started Goldmine, I saw a need for teams to communicate and collaborate together, and to integrate that communication back to their customers and prospects. Goldmine was the first networkable sales team tool. Today, I am seeing the same type of need. Small businesses need to attract and retain customers more than ever.  But the way they are doing it has radically changed.  Customers aren't [paying attention to] your advertisement; they are having dialogues amongst themselves about what they are going to buy. Smart companies today are figuring out that they need to find out where those conversations are occurring and get in there and listen and engage, leveraging the way customers want to talk today.  Many times that is social media and the Web. Question: How has the Internet changed business relationships, particularly at the small business level? Jon Ferrara: Business relationships have always been social.  People buy from people they like, and they like people who know them.  The only way to know them is to listen.  I tell all my salespeople that when they go into a customer's office, they need to look at the walls. People put things on their walls that enable you to build connections, relationships, intimacy, which leads to trust.  Today, social media enables you to listen, engage and look at people’s walls in wider ways than you ever thought possible.   Smart businesses today are leveraging social media to connect with their customers. Question:  What lessons did you learn from starting and running Goldmine in the ‘80s and ‘90s that help you with Nimble today? Jon Ferrara: The environment that I built Goldmine in back in the late ‘80s is the identical environment that we find ourselves in today.  There was a recession; people were looking for ways to do things more effectively and better and to do more with less.  We bootstrapped Goldmine, and the lesson I learned is that you don't need to spend a lot of money to reach customers.  Back in the day, we called it PR. Today, people are leveraging social media to get their message out and build connections and relationships.  That is really what has changed for today's startups and small businesses, and I think the companies that understand how to leverage social media, to listen, engage and communicate and collaborate internally and externally, will be the companies that will grow fastest. Question: With Nimble, you are building an on-demand, social CRM service aimed at the small business market. Goldmine was aimed at the salesperson and sale

Sometimes, you need to figure out for yourself what a job poster is trying to say. Image: Criterion/Flickr

Job descriptions that don’t really describe anything are all too common on job boards. This week’s #2 and #5 are cases in point:

1. Indiana: Presto Heater/Costco Merchandiser

Seasonal Part-Time Job. Check “Presto Heater Display” twice daily in local Costco store. Light merchandising of display required. Must have excellent people skills and be able to work with Costco store management. A perfect P/T job for retiree or housewife.

Big hair and flammable sweaters not recommended.

2. Alaska: Discovery toy Rep: Discounted Colorful Fun Education

Throwing parties, selling toys. or you could simply get a discount on toys. Either way you will be joining U.S.A. leading sales TEAM, for Discovery Toys If you are motivated, earn your own SUV or even a Jet!

AAA batteries and miniature pilot for jet not included.

3. Alaska: Airline Ramp

Want to enjoy the short summer months outdoors as much as possible?? Than this is right up your alley. Work outside, stay in or get in great physical condition, and use travel benefits to go fishing, hunting, vacation.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Fueling of A/C and ground equipment
• Operation of ground support equipment according to company policy
• Assist with aircraft towing
• Loading & unloading of aircraft
• Other duties as assigned

You may lose your hearing and inhale cancerous benzene particles—but hey, you’re outdoors!

4. Montana: Leisure Agent for Travel Agency

POSITION: Leisure Agent
REPORTS TO: Office Manager
HOURS: Full Time

QUALIFICATIONS:
•1- 2 years previous leisure travel experience preferred, domestic and international
•Friendly, outgoing personality
•Excellent customer service skills
•Team player
•Bilingual preferred but not required

Expressing dedication to leisure by wearing velvet bathrobes to work, having your pedicurist file your toenails underneath your desk, and constantly nibbling on miniature quiches a plus.

5. Ottowa: Seeking Motivated Woman and Men

Fast growing Home Base company looking for new associates in the local & surrounding areas, to deliver valuable information either by telephone or email to people waiting to hear from us regarding our IN-DEMAND digital products and business packages.

BENEFITS:

* $1,000 – $2,500 weekly Guarantee
* NO selling, explaining or cold calling
* Unlimited training and company support
* Flexible hrs – lucrative benefits package

Reply Now or Call Larry to learn more!

The work, according to Larry:

You call.
Recipient gushes wildly: “Thank you so much for calling! I was waiting to hear from you! Please tell me about your IN-DEMAND digital business package…”
You clear your throat and enlighten them.
They write you a check.

The work, according to real life:

You call.
They cuss you out, then hang up on you.
You try again 235 times.
Someone buys a package.
Larry takes a 75% cut, then encourages you to attend a motivational seminar (only $59.99, plus tax) to boost your chances of success.
You cry.

Happy Friday!

Occasionally cartoons are just handed to you.

One day my manager came to me with a stack of paper. “Mark,” he said, “would you do me a favor and shred these? Also, there’s lots of price info in there, so make sure to shred it really good, OK?”

I’m not kidding. “Shred it really good.”

I wasn’t quite sure how to do that – barring maybe setting the shredder on fire in the process – but I assured him I would.  I wrote down “shredder set to puree” on a Post-It, and drew it up that evening.

From Small Business Trends

Shredder Setting: Puree

Lisa Nirell, founder of EnergizeGrowth LLC, strategy advisory firm in Bend, OR and the author of EnergizeGrowth NOW: The Marketing Guide to a Wealthy Company. (Wiley, 2009), has formed and joined six mastermind groups over the past eight years. Living in a remote part of Oregon, Nirell says she uses mastermind groups because there are not enough resources locally to provide the strategic input she needs for her business. Over the years she has learned 10 key lessons about succeeding with mastermind groups. Read more...

If you're a small business owner or entrepreneur, you probably know the feeling of having strategic problems and not knowing where to turn for advice. A solution worth considering is joining a group (or forming one) of like-minded people who can support you in your business by offering their perspectives, and for whom you can do the same. These types of groups are often called Mastermind groups. Read more...

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Creating a Boutique Business

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

Marketing podcast with Sarah Petty (Click to play or right click and “Save As” to download – Subscribe now via iTunes

The term boutique is often associated with fashion or beauty related businesses, but it’s a concept that can apply to any business. Case in point is this week’s guest on the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, Sarah Petty, who by her own designation, owns and operates a “boutique” photography business called Sarah Petty Photography.

Her belief in the boutique way led her to launch a separate business, The Joy of Marketing, to teach other small business owners how to create a boutique brand.

In some ways it’s easy think about a boutique business as just another way to brand, but it’s much deeper in some ways. It’s a strategic decision that starts with a specific product and service mix and includes a very alert filter for every business, hiring, and communications message.

A boutique business is often built on creative brand flourishes, premium pricing and over the top customer service.

Petty offers a free eBook titled The Boutique Experience, a business model not a gift shop. This is a great read for any business concerned with building a stronger brand.

I also conducted a video interview with Petty for the COLOURLovers blog.

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Creating a Boutique Business This content from: Duct Tape Marketing Creating a Boutique BusinessThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Marketing podcast with Sarah Petty (Click to play or right click and “Save As” to download – Subscribe now via iTunes The term boutique is often associated with fashion or beauty related businesses, but it’s a concept that can apply to any business. Case in point [...]

Compelling customers to take the final step from browsing to purchasing is not always an easy transition. Marketers and entrepreneurs who have studied purchasing habits have found that the following enticements can help encourage potential customers to take the final step to purchase...

Enticing Purchasers - Closing the Sale

Microsoft co-founder and uber-billionaire Paul Allen owns a ton of assets, most of which can fit on the head of a pin (with room to spare). His assets are mostly patents on technologies acquired over the years.

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What would you do after a getting a degree in supply chain management from Penn State and making a great living selling software to corporate accounts? Become a wine coach, of course. Laurie Forster is The Wine Coach, making her living speaking to corporate and association groups and educating them about wine. Her path from high-powered software sales to entrepreneurship actually makes a lot of sense and teaches a number of valuable lessons for people who are considering going from executive to entrepreneur. Read more...