We’ve talked a lot about New Year’s and our business resolutions in The Savvy, referenced it a few times on Facebook and think the time has come to talk about it via blog. Why? Because frankly, that just rounds it out! Ok, not really. Mainly because we are so excited at all the changes happening lately with The Collective Savvy!

We started off the new year with renewed vigor and passion for our business, our clients and all the things we want to accomplish. And while most people are tucking their New Year’s resolutions away in a quiet spot until its time to drag them out again next year, we are going gangbusters with no sign of letting up soon.

So what’s happening, you ask? What’s not happening is probably easier to answer! For a full rundown of things already accomplished, check out the January issue of The Savvy. (And I’d advise you to sign up for The Savvy if you haven’t already, so you can keep up on everything going on, as well as take advantage of all of the free marketing advice and tips we include!). But the thing I wanted to highlight today is our new think tank concept!

This idea is a natural fit for us. We love to share information, help people collaborate, and in general, spark new ideas. So conducting a think tank group is both ideal and energizing! And we believe the Denver area can use a service such as this. We’ve looked for one in the past to refer folks to (with no luck). We created one of our own that we benefited greatly from. And now the time has come to offer it publicly because people are asking for it!

So stay tuned! Details are coming soon and we can’t wait to share them with you! Want to ensure you receive that information once it’s released? Email info@thecollectivesavvy.com and we’ll put you on the list! Thanks and have a wonderful, marvelous, beautiful day!

Savvy Tip of the Day: Form relationships everywhere you go. You never know where your next referral will come from!

1. Fake it until you make it – You can’t tell me that all of those rockin’ sign twirlers love their job when its 100 degrees outside or dropping a nice snowy mix. But you would never know they don’t love their jobs because they never show it.  They are outside enthusiastically tossing and twirling and on some level, it makes you as a potential customer stop and take notice. Your business could probably stand to approach marketing with that mentality, because if you can’t buy into it, neither can you customers.

2. Take time and listen to the music - Sign twirlers take this literally – probably because they can and its one way to beat off the boredom blues. But as a business person, you can take that statement figuratively or literally. Wouldn’t it be nice to take some moments of enjoyment out of whatever it is you are doing?

3. Infuse some energy – A good sign twirler always looks energized, alert and active – much like your business should! No one wants to do business with a sluggish organization, so show off the energy and enthusiasm you have for your work in order to get others to buy what you’re selling!

4. Create a new move - Sign twirlers don’t just shake their money maker (sign that is). They generally show off every dance move they know and ultimately, whatever new move comes to mind. Why? Because they don’t want to be like everyone else and neither should your business. So think about how to position yourself so you offer something no one else has! It’s one way to really stand out.

5. They have it, so they flaunt it – Sign twirlers dance, hop, skip, wave, flip, spin and in general show off their signage. They do it because its part of their job to draw attention to their client. You should do the same to draw attention to your business! Don’t be shy about telling people (in the appropriate manner of course), what you do and how you can help them. If they don’t know, they won’t buy…

Can you think of other ways sign twirlers could teach us a lesson or two? Leave a comment below!

Candy Rice of The Collective Savvy with her regular car business brainstorming partner, her husband Tim. Photo courtesy of Sohi Photography.

I’ve heard of the “napkin effect” for brainstorming (http://www.thebackofthenapkin.com/), but I’ve never really been a huge napkin user for business (I generally have a notebook for that!). But I realized something today. Some of the best business brainstorming I’ve ever experienced occurs in the car. Call it the smartphone effect, the telecommute effect, or just plan ol’ there’s-nothing-else-to-do effect. But regardless, the car seems to be catalyst for creative conversation.

I could focus on the calls from the car (when its parked of course). Or the borrowing of a store’s Wifi from the car in order to be on the internet. Or checking phone messages or texts from the smartphone. But really the thing I think is key is the lack of overall external distractions. You are cruising along with someone beside you and invariably you start talking. Off goes the radio, on goes the conversation and BOOM–you have impromptu business brainstorming at your fingertips.

What makes car brainstorming so effective?

1. You have someone to talk to for an extended period -How often does that really happen? In this day and age, people are often so busy they don’t have time to just sit and talk.

2. You have subconscious or overt prompters for conversation – great billboard advertising, an interesting bumper sticker, a car you like, etc. Many things can trigger a conversation, which evolves to ideas and problem solving.

3. You have a need to connect – or in some cases just talk – about your business and have a ready audience within reach. So you do. It’s that simple!

4. You have few interruptions – The TV is off, you can’t text and drive, the kids aren’t vying for attention and the dog doesn’t need to be walked. Amazing how much creativity spews forth when you have brain cells left for it.

5. You aren’t talking to just your co-workers, partners or subordinates about work – You are chatting with your spouse, a buddy, you children or a neighbor.

I actually find number 5 most valuable. Why? Because they bring a different and fresh perspective to your business, even if that is not an area they work in.

Now, the challenge of brainstorming in the car is limited resources for making a list, taking notes or doing immediate look-ups. I actually think that can be a good thing b/c it allows you to stay focused on the business at hand. But if you are like me and need to record the key conversational elements in some way, maybe implement one of the following tactics.

• Check your cell phone for voice recording capabilities and make verbal notes once you are parked.
• Keep a notebook in the car, solely for the purpose of car brainstorming. Go ahead and clip one of your favorite pens to it so nothing hinders you from capturing what you need when you have the chance to write.
• Ask your passenger to help you remember the key points – maybe even have them call your voicemail and leave a message so you can note it later.

Regardless, I am sure you can come up with a solution to retain what you need. But the key thing to do is enjoy the time and value of the car brainstorm. It’s an under-appreciated phenomena!

Have savvy thoughts or suggestions on this post? Leave a comment and let us know!

Candy and Tim with a great idea... Photo courtesy of Sohi Photography.

In all seriousness, positioning is a crucial part of the business of marketing. Without it, you lack direction, clarity and purpose in your marketing endeavors; or at the very least, in the mind of your consumers. I had a “daily life” reminder of that recently when I was trying to sell a table on Craigslist.

This table was a good table. It was a nice dark color, had some cool silver accents and was super sturdy. As a matter of fact, it had been used as a desk in two households before being relegated to the Craigslist sell pile. So I diligently posted pictures of the table, the dimensions of the table and mentioned the (very) slight damage on the top. It was priced to sell and I was ready to go.

But I had no buyers. I reposted several times over time, changing up the verbiage and the headlines, but always promoting this great table. No luck.

No luck that is, until I realized I had positioned that table all wrong. I was selling it as a table. So I sat down, removed my past Craigslist post and reposted that table – this time as the perfect desk.  It was big, it was of a dark tone, it had cool silver accents and was a super sturdy desk with a slight marking on top that your computer would hide. That table sold within an hour – and the buyer was afraid I might sell it out from underneath her.

Positioning that table as a table did me no good. Who wants a slightly damaged centerpiece for their dining room? But positioning that table as a desk did the trick – because in the words of the purchaser – “This is perfect! Exactly what I was looking for!” And so the table sold, all because I repositioned that table in the mind of the consumer! A great lesson to be reminded of!

It all adds up to one thing – preconceived notions that can take you for a ride going the wrong way.

As marketers, we know that repeat messaging can make its mark. But what we can often miss is the fact it can make its mark on us! So when we repeatedly hear things like “You have to do this” or “Everyone has X,” you simply start to believe it. The worst part is, the decision to believe it is not often made-its just a gradual process that slowly invades your consciousness and starts driving your actions.  Sometimes something happens that challenges those beliefs and you realized you’ve been carrying this weight around without your knowledge.

But we recommend you try to take  a more proactive approach:

1. Pay attention to when you feel yourself shifting into autopilot and pull out your inner 3 year old; ask “why? why? why?” until you get to the answer you want.
2. Listen when others question your beliefs. You may not agree with what that person has to say, but you may learn something along the way.
3. And most importantly, open yourself to learning something new-and try to do it without making an immediate judgement. Read new resources. Attend unusual seminars. Debate an issue with someone outside your field.

We guarantee as you shake loose old beliefs, you will establish conscious, well-informed ones.

But perhaps the time has come to identify a new target market. You need to grow your customer base or you have a new product on the market. If you need a refresher on how to identify the “perfect” customer, think about the following:

1. Sex – Male or female? Think through the ideal client who will purchase your goods or services. How do you envision them?
2. Age range – Are you targeting youth, 30′s or boomers? What you choose determines your media and communication usage. Make sure you can narrow down the range!
3. Level of education – Is your ideal customer highly educated? Or do they have a high school diploma?
4. Family status – Married? Children? Partners? Family status often drives purchasing decisions on a variety of levels.
5. Income level – Income level affects spending. So think about your price point and if the item you are selling is perceived as “necessity” or “luxury.”
6. Psychographics – Buying power and interest doesn’t just stem from the who and what – it stems from the “why.” Look at buying habits of different groups – hipsters, boomers, or special interest groups, such as crafters.  It’s amazing the insight that can be gained from observing the “why.”

Not sure how to determine this information? Conduct focus groups and tests. Depending on your budget, you can use a formalized focus group company. But if financing is a challenge, get smart about resources at hand. Look at trends on the internet. Listen to what your customers are saying (“My mother would love that!”). Pay attention to what’s “hot” around you and identify where there are opportunities. Put others on the search. Talk to your local librarian about how to research some of this. Essentially – pay attention and think about how opportunities apply to your product or service!

We’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about business collaboration recently – i.e. the “new” way of doing business in this economy. I would beg to differ, as I feel like those types of collaborations have been in play for years. But I will say I believe more small to mid-sized businesses are getting more  savvy about it.

What should you consider in order to maximize your collaborative business relationships?

1. Identify what you need – Define your ideal client, ideal price-points, ways you would be comfortable working with other companies, and any major deal-breakers. The more clear you are about what you need, the easier it is to identify the right types of business collaboration partners.

2. Identify potential partners – Consider building a list of business resources to meet your client needs. Think about what you can do.  Then consider if that is the best way to use your time. Presto! We’ve identified one type of business collaborative relationship we need to develop. In our case, we can do pretty much anything marketing related. However, we prefer not to spend our time on website development. It makes sense for us to establish collaborative business relationships with companies that build websites from scratch, website revisions, and WordPress blogs.

3.  Identify opportunities – Sometimes, opportunity comes knocking in unique ways. Other times, its a natural extension of your current core competencies.  Listen to what your clients are telling you. Even if you can’t be the company that assists them, you can connect them with a company to provide the service behind the scenes or you can publicly refer them. Either way, you look good!

4. Keep an open mind - Just because you’ve identified your needs, potential partners, and specific opportunities, don’t assume you know it all! Given the level of emerging markets in business, and the pace at which “hot spots” evolve in marketing, be open to hearing what people are saying about what they need or how they can see your company collaborating with them.

Do you have collaborative business relationships? If so, tell us more about your tips and tricks to make them work for you!

While each day can be different – as well as each opportunity you may capitalize on – it’s important to designate the right time for the right projects.

5 Ways to Tame the Time Suck

1. Designate time to work on your social media projects. – This is especially important when developing or revamping your materials. Setting up, tweaking, etc., can be quite the time suck,  so make sure you plan for your social media activities. Go as far as to close your browser if you have to get other work done and then just open it up with you have time to monitor and manage.

2. Designate time each day to work on your accounts. – You will need time to manage and monitor your accounts. And you should adjust that time if you know your posts and activities relate to a prime media story, a seasonal promotion, or something equally as important to capitalize on.

3. Prioritize - Not everything has to be done each day or in every way. Are most of your customers YouTube watchers? Then spend more time there rather than on LinkedIn. Move things to the back burner as needed, but make sure you don’t embrace the empty storefront scenario – you still need to keep things active!

4. Be effective - It’s tempting to goof off: looking at fun links, playing games, or responding to friends’ posts. But treat your job like a job, and you’ll minimize the amount of time you are supposedly spending on social media for work.

5. Prepare – If you need assistance from other departments (such as graphic design work, customer service, etc.), make sure you are communicating with them in advance or as needed in order to handle your campaigns efficiently and effectively. Preparing properly can make a world of difference!

Have other tips for taming the time suck? Please post below!

Most social media sites offer free business and/or personal accounts. And this year, many companies are jumping on the social media bandwagon to take advantage of this great, FREE marketing resource. It’s the latest, greatest, hottest thing to do. But just because something free, doesn’t mean there aren’t costs involved.

5 Ways Social Media Will NOT Save You Money:

1. Social media can require investment - Social media is constantly evolving and expanding. Who has time to keep up with all of the latest trends and techniques? If  you do, great. But if you don’t, be prepared to invest the money in on-going training and support for yourself or a staff member! A little money going out can save a lot of time and headaches for you in the long run because you don’t have to muddle through the noise to learn what you need to know.

2. Social media must have someone manage it - Hence, you must pay someone to manage it, especially if you want it done “right.” Social media requires research, planning, management, and on-going follow-up. If you have an active social media audience, it may require the support of more than one person. Time = Money in this case!

3. Social media requires graphics and/or video - While it’s ok if your images reflect a “homemade” look, you still have to develop the look you want, the way you want it. That means paying a graphic designer, photographer, or videographer to get the job done right.  Don’t skimp here – image is everything (or so they claim!)…

4. Social media often requires integration - In other words, few companies promote exclusively through social media. That means your company needs to spend the time and money to add buttons and widgets to your website, URL lines to your business cards (for your various social media sites), and do anything else that makes for smart cross-promotion in your marketing mix!

5. Social media can mean online advertising – Advertising through social media sites can be very lucrative. It’s typically highly targeted and very inexpensive compared to other forms of advertising.  It can be a great form of cross promotion and/or complimentary to a particular campaign. But it requires money to do, meaning there is no “free.”

So while social media offers great opportunity for dialogue, market research, and more, make sure to evaluate your true costs of using this “free” resource!

And then it occurred to me that is what I needed to write about. Because why was I not writing? I wasn’t feeling inspired. I was bored with my self-assigned topic. I like to have a more free-flow approach. And on top of everything else, I was feeling burnt-out on the “mundane” things in my life.

All business people are human. Stress, anxiety, and simply being busy (even if its ALL good) can still impact performance and that’s what happened to me with my blog post last week. And I simply decided it wasn’t happening. I mean, I’m one of the bosses right? Nothing wrong with switching things up on occasion! So I told my partner I wasn’t writing a post. What does she say? “Ok.” And then “How can I help?” Just saying that helped because it took the pressure off and I felt like she “got it.”

Today, I feel like I’ve finished busting through the blog blahs. I spent some time last week hiking, reconnecting with my business partner, going out with friends, and exploring some other creative projects I have going on. What a relief! And a good reminder that I need to do that on a more regular basis. Starting a business is wonderful, but its easy to lose track of how I spend my time – and to develop a case of the blahs.

S0 watch for a return of our Savvy Tips blog postings, as well as a variety of other posts as the mood strikes us. We’ve busted the blog blahs and now plan to have a little fun with them!