Posts Tagged ‘New York Entrepreneur Week’
Features vs Benefits – Jolting Your Sales NOW
Earlier this week I was teaching marketing to about 20 entrepreneurs here in NYC.After the class several came up to say they got some super-cool tips on how to immediately impact their sales with little or no cost. Just rewriting and designing their marketing strategies based on what they just learned.
And here is what they learned: the difference between selling the features and benefits of your product or service.
Alice in Wonderland – How is Her Economy
If Alice in Wonderland were an entrepreneur, who would she invite to her tea party? First, there would be the Mad Hatter, moving from one seat to the next, drinking tea and spending money every which way. But it’s hard to tell if that’s real money or just more debt.
Mr. Edison, Please Tell Me What Laboratory Rules You Want Me to Observe?
A good friend of mine once sat down to lunch with Stephen Covey and a group of fellow executives. During the course of the meal, one of the men commented on the unusual tablespoons, and said “Look at the backend of it.” All the people at the table flipped their spoons over, but my friend – quite unintentionally – angled it up so he could look at the bottom tip of it. Laughter ensued. But Covey raised a hand and pointed out that my friend’s actions suggested something interesting in his behavior: the ability to look at the world in an unexpected way. So I guess it’s not surprising to hear my friend is one of the most innovative entrepreneurs I know, as well as a successful millionaire who has transformed the industry he is in.
Communicating as a Leader: The Art of Giving Feedback
Ironically, one of the critical aspects of leadership is developing the leadership abilities of others. Some leaders see employee feedback as either praise or criticism and never utilize one of the most powerful ways to develop others – developmental feedback. Many business leaders are reluctant to give feedback and might avoid direct conversations because they don’t know exactly what to say and/or how to say it without sounding confrontational or negative.
Perception is Reality for Entrepreneurs
Recently, I saw a post on twitter by Gary Whitehill, founder of New York Entrepreneur Week (NYEW), “One of the hardest things to understand in life is: You’re not what you are, but what you’re perceived to be.” In this day and age of social media, this is one of the most important things for people to remember. First impressions last a lifetime and in today’s day and age, our first impression is made with the information that people see about us online.
Avoiding Risk: The Opposite of Being an Entrepreneur
Recently I was at a business networking event in New York. And a man was doing a good job presenting his product to the audience. It was high-end with nice “green” features that he was hired to design for his client, who operates in a very competitive industry. But there was no indication of the environmental features of the product, a key selling point.
After the presentation, I asked him what was up with that. He said his company has been around for 50 years and they are not about to change. How’s their business doing? “Struggling. Sales are way off and more competition is setting in daily.”
Businesses are in serious trouble when are not taking on bold, new ideas. Especially today with the economic climate, fierce global competition and technology shifts.
The Fundamental Choices and Right Questions for Entrepreneurs
After over a year of working with a variety of clients – individuals and companies – I have realized there are two crucial factors that determine long-term success: the choices we make now and the questions we ask about our future.
Two Careers That Didn’t Exist Ten Years Ago
As a user experience designer, I find it extremely challenging to describe to others what I do. I’m sure there are many reasons why this is, but I think the biggest reason is that my career is so new. In fact, it has been in existence, at least in the web world, less time than I have!
